Featured
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| Open AccessIntensive grassland management disrupts below-ground multi-trophic resource transfer in response to drought
Land use intensification could make soil food webs less able to recover from drought. Here, the authors find that intensive grassland management impairs recent photosynthate flux to roots and soil biota after drought, whereas extensive grassland management buffers the legacy of drought.
- Mathilde Chomel
- , Jocelyn M. Lavallee
- & Richard D. Bardgett
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Article
| Open AccessUnderstanding soil selenium accumulation and bioavailability through size resolved and elemental characterization of soil extracts
Selenium is essential for human health and mainly delivered via terrestrial foodstuffs. An advanced characterization of selenium chemical forms shows that organic matter increases its accumulation in soils but could limit its supply to plants
- Julie Tolu
- , Sylvain Bouchet
- & Lenny H. E. Winkel
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for late-glacial oceanic carbon redistribution and discharge from the Pacific Southern Ocean
Evaluation of foraminiferal test dissolution by Computed Tomography scanner provided deep seawater carbonate ion concentration at the Southern Ocean. Quantitative data highlighted the reconfiguration of glacial to deglacial carbon storage followed by oceanic-atmospheric CO2 transfer.
- Shinya Iwasaki
- , Lester Lembke-Jene
- & Frank Lamy
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Article
| Open AccessBeaver dams overshadow climate extremes in controlling riparian hydrology and water quality
Beaver dams increase water flow gradients and nitrate removal far more than seasonal climate extremes. An expanding beaver range is an ecosystem feedback to climate change which could improve water quality.
- Christian Dewey
- , Patricia M. Fox
- & Scott Fendorf
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Article
| Open AccessPhosphate limitation intensifies negative effects of ocean acidification on globally important nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium
How reduced seawater pH and increased carbon dioxide might affect the prominent nitrogen fixer Trichodesmium in phosphorus-limited oceans is poorly understood. This study used phosphate-limited chemostat experiments to show that Trichodesmium may fix less nitrogen for a given amount of phosphorus at low pH. Thus, marine productivity is likely to decline in a future, more acidic ocean.
- Futing Zhang
- , Zuozhu Wen
- & Dalin Shi
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Article
| Open AccessMultiple sources of aerobic methane production in aquatic ecosystems include bacterial photosynthesis
The mechanisms underlying methane production in oxygenated waters of oceans and lakes are unclear. Here, Perez-Coronel and Beman show that aerobic methane production in freshwater incubation experiments is associated with (bacterio)chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis, and with Proteobacterial degradation of methylphosphonate.
- Elisabet Perez-Coronel
- & J. Michael Beman
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Article
| Open AccessA globally relevant stock of soil nitrogen in the Yedoma permafrost domain
A climate sensitive permafrost region (Yedoma domain) was found to contain globally relevant N stock of >40 Gt nitrogen, of which 4 to 16 Gt of the N could become available by thaw until 2100. This study increases the current estimates by nearly 50%.
- Jens Strauss
- , Christina Biasi
- & Guido Grosse
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Article
| Open AccessCircum-Arctic release of terrestrial carbon varies between regions and sources
This synthesis of carbon isotope data in circum-Arctic shelf sediments provides a holistic, receptor-based perspective of how carbon release and transport vary between Arctic soils, peat and permafrost deposits amongst the different Arctic regions.
- Jannik Martens
- , Birgit Wild
- & Örjan Gustafsson
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Article
| Open AccessLow 13C-13C abundances in abiotic ethane
Distinguishing biotic compounds from abiotic ones is critical to the search for life in the universe. Here, the authors demonstrate that the abiotic ethane has distinctively low 13C-13C abundances compared to biotic ethane.
- Koudai Taguchi
- , Alexis Gilbert
- & Yuichiro Ueno
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Article
| Open AccessRespiratory loss during late-growing season determines the net carbon dioxide sink in northern permafrost regions
The northern high latitude permafrost region has been an important contributor to the carbon sink since the 1980s. A new study finds that as tree cover increases, respiratory CO2 loss during late-growing season offsets photosynthetic CO2 uptake and leads to a slower rate of increasing annual net CO2 uptake.
- Zhihua Liu
- , John S. Kimball
- & Naveen Chandra
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Article
| Open AccessNocturnal plant respiration is under strong non-temperature control
Plant respiration at night is assumed to be temperature-controlled. Here, the authors show that temperature controls less than half of the variation in leaf respiration rate at night, and demonstrate how to account for such nocturnal variation in biosphere models.
- Dan Bruhn
- , Freya Newman
- & Lina M. Mercado
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Article
| Open AccessTracking 21st century anthropogenic and natural carbon fluxes through model-data integration
Accurate estimates of carbon fluxes are important to our understanding of the carbon cycle. Here, via model-data integration, the authors disentangle anthropogenic and environmental carbon flux contributions of terrestrial woody vegetation, and find that environmental processes are weaker and more susceptible to interannual variations and extreme events in the 21st century than previously estimated.
- Selma Bultan
- , Julia E. M. S. Nabel
- & Julia Pongratz
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Article
| Open AccessAstrochronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum on the Atlantic Coastal Plain
Astrochronology of a core in Maryland suggests that the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) warming lasted about 6 thousand years. These data are more consistent with astronomical forcing than an extraterrestial trigger for the PETM.
- Mingsong Li
- , Timothy J. Bralower
- & Marci M. Robinson
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal soil profiles indicate depth-dependent soil carbon losses under a warmer climate
The response of soil organic carbon to climate warming may be soil depth-dependent, but remains unquantified in situ. Here the authors show that warming induces more proportional soil carbon losses in topsoil than in subsoil, particularly from high-latitudinal carbon-rich soils.
- Mingming Wang
- , Xiaowei Guo
- & Zhongkui Luo
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Article
| Open AccessMultiple carbon cycle mechanisms associated with the glaciation of Marine Isotope Stage 4
Summary for general audience: We used carbon stable isotope data from an Antarctic ice core to evaluate which mechanisms caused changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide 74-59 thousand years ago, including a ~40 ppm decrease at the beginning of the last ice age.
- James A. Menking
- , Sarah A. Shackleton
- & Vasilii V. Petrenko
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Article
| Open AccessForest expansion dominates China’s land carbon sink since 1980
The impact of land-use and cover-change (LUCC) on ecosystem carbon stock in China is poorly known due to large biases in existing databases. Here the authors develop a new LUCC database with corrected false signals and reveal that forest expansion is the dominant driver of China’s recent carbon sink.
- Zhen Yu
- , Philippe Ciais
- & Guoyi Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessDeglacial Subantarctic CO2 outgassing driven by a weakened solubility pump
Using paired reconstructions of seawater pCO2, temperature, and nutrient utilization, Dai et al. show underappreciated influences of the solubility pump on deglacial Subantarctic surface-water pCO2 variabilities compared to the biological pump.
- Yuhao Dai
- , Jimin Yu
- & Xuan Ji
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Article
| Open AccessMarine phosphate availability and the chemical origins of life on Earth
Phosphate is critical for all life on Earth but its origins have remained enigmatic. Experiments indicate that phosphate may have been abundant in ancient Fe-rich seawater, providing a crucial ingredient for the origins of life on Earth.
- Matthew P. Brady
- , Rosalie Tostevin
- & Nicholas J. Tosca
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Article
| Open AccessMicrospectroscopic visualization of how biochar lifts the soil organic carbon ceiling
A decadal-scale field trial revealed 1.01 Mg of rhizodeposit and necromass C was stored in soil microaggregate and mineral fractions per Mg biochar-C applied. Microspectroscopic analyses visualize mechanisms for this elevated soil C storage ceiling.
- Zhe (Han) Weng
- , Lukas Van Zwieten
- & Annette Cowie
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Article
| Open AccessThe emerging role of drought as a regulator of dissolved organic carbon in boreal landscapes
Long-term records from boreal streams indicate strong seasonal redistributions of dissolved organic carbon concentrations and quality linked to the severity of summer drought conditions
- Tejshree Tiwari
- , Ryan A. Sponseller
- & Hjalmar Laudon
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Article
| Open AccessDivergent changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon upon permafrost thaw
Based on observations from thermokarst-impacted sites on the Tibetan Plateau, the authors find substantial particulate organic carbon loss but stable mineral-associated organic carbon and enriched iron-bound organic carbon upon permafrost thaw.
- Futing Liu
- , Shuqi Qin
- & Yuanhe Yang
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Article
| Open AccessOrganic matter composition and greenhouse gas production of thawing subsea permafrost in the Laptev Sea
Subsea permafrost underneath the Arctic Ocean is one of the least understood compartments of the global carbon cycle. Here, Wild et al. shed light on its carbon sources, degradation history and potential greenhouse gas release after thaw.
- Birgit Wild
- , Natalia Shakhova
- & Örjan Gustafsson
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Article
| Open AccessConvergence in phosphorus constraints to photosynthesis in forests around the world
Phosphorus (P) limitation is pervasive in tropical forests. Here the authors analyse the dependence of photosynthesis on leaf N and P in tropical forests, and show that incorporating leaf P constraints in a terrestrial biosphere model enhances its predictive power.
- David S. Ellsworth
- , Kristine Y. Crous
- & Ian J. Wright
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Article
| Open AccessMercury isotope evidence for Arctic summertime re-emission of mercury from the cryosphere
Arctic warming thaws permafrost, leading to enhanced soil mercury transport to the Arctic Ocean. Mercury isotope signatures in arctic rivers, ocean and atmosphere suggest that permafrost mercury is buried in marine sediment and not emitted to the global atmosphere
- Beatriz Ferreira Araujo
- , Stefan Osterwalder
- & Jeroen E. Sonke
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Article
| Open AccessA global assessment of the mixed layer in coastal sediments and implications for carbon storage
The authors map the global distribution of the mixed layer in coastal ocean sediments, based on a neural network model. These observations reveal that mixing can accelerate organic matter degradation and reduce carbon storage in the coastal ocean.
- Shasha Song
- , Isaac R. Santos
- & Bochao Xu
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal systematic review with meta-analysis shows that warming effects on terrestrial plant biomass allocation are influenced by precipitation and mycorrhizal association
Biomass allocation in plants is fundamental for understanding and predicting terrestrial carbon storage. Here, the authors conduct a meta-analysis showing that warming effect on plant root:shoot is influenced by precipitation and the type of mycorrhizal fungi associated.
- Lingyan Zhou
- , Xuhui Zhou
- & Madhav P. Thakur
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Article
| Open AccessSustained and intensified lacustrine methane cycling during Early Permian climate warming
This study reports the occurrence of sustained and intensified microbial CH4 cycling in a giant lake in northwestern China during Early Permian climate warming. Lacustrine CH4 emissions may have contributed to the end of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age.
- Funing Sun
- , Wenxuan Hu
- & Shuzhong Shen
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Article
| Open AccessPlanktonic foraminifera organic carbon isotopes as archives of upper ocean carbon cycling
Our understanding of ancient organic carbon cycling in marine environments is limited. Here the authors developed a method to reconstruct upper ocean organic carbon chemistry in the geological past, which when applied, can help to create a better understanding of the evolution of the carbon cycle.
- Babette A. A. Hoogakker
- , Caroline Anderson
- & Victoria L. Peck
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Article
| Open AccessTerrigenous dissolved organic matter persists in the energy-limited deep groundwaters of the Fennoscandian Shield
Dissolved organic matter in the Fennoscandian Shield deep continental bedrock fracture waters of varying characteristics and ages carries a strong terrigenous signature, and only a small proportion of this potential energy source links to the deep biosphere microbial community.
- Helena Osterholz
- , Stephanie Turner
- & Mark Dopson
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Article
| Open AccessCompound marine heatwaves and ocean acidity extremes
Compound extreme events in two or more oceanic ecosystem stressors are increasingly considered as a major concern for marine life. Here the authors present a first global analysis on compound marine heatwave and ocean acidity extreme events, identifying hotspots, drivers, and projecting future changes.
- Friedrich A. Burger
- , Jens Terhaar
- & Thomas L. Frölicher
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| Open AccessProcess-oriented analysis of dominant sources of uncertainty in the land carbon sink
The global net land sink is relatively well constrained. However, the responsible drivers and above/below-ground partitioning are highly uncertain. Model issues regarding turnover of individual plant and soil components are responsible.
- Michael O’Sullivan
- , Pierre Friedlingstein
- & Sönke Zaehle
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Article
| Open AccessTectonically-driven oxidant production in the hot biosphere
Researchers at Newcastle University have discovered a mechanism by which earthquakes create bursts of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen in hot underground fractures. These may have played a vital role in the early evolution and origin of life on Earth.
- Jordan Stone
- , John O. Edgar
- & Jon Telling
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Article
| Open AccessClimate windows of opportunity for plant expansion during the Phanerozoic
Climatic variables have played a significant role in plant evolution across the Phanerozoic. Here, the authors link climate with a new dynamic vegetation model to identify two windows of opportunity for plant biomass expansion, corresponding with the expansion of land plants and the angiosperm radiation.
- Khushboo Gurung
- , Katie J. Field
- & Benjamin J. W. Mills
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Article
| Open AccessPlastic pollution fosters more microbial growth in lakes than natural organic matter
Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry revealed that plastic bags leach labile compounds. Bioassays performed in Scandinavian lakes indicated that these compounds are incorporated into biomass faster and more efficiently than natural organic matter.
- Eleanor A. Sheridan
- , Jérémy A. Fonvielle
- & Andrew J. Tanentzap
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Article
| Open AccessWarming and redistribution of nitrogen inputs drive an increase in terrestrial nitrous oxide emission factor
Soil nitrogen isotopic composition is used to drive the IsoTONE model, which is constrained with measurements of tropospheric nitrous oxide isotopic composition. The model results reveal causes of rising mean global nitrous oxide emission factor.
- E. Harris
- , L. Yu
- & P. Rayner
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Article
| Open AccessDrivers and trends of global soil microbial carbon over two decades
Soil microbial carbon is central to soil functions and services, but its spatial-temporal dynamics are unclear. Here the authors show global trends in soil microbial carbon, which suggests a global decrease in soil microbial carbon, mostly driven by temperature increases in northern areas.
- Guillaume Patoine
- , Nico Eisenhauer
- & Carlos A. Guerra
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Article
| Open AccessTropical forests as drivers of lake carbon burial
Tropical forest lake sediments are global carbon sinks, representing an important implication for climate change, of which both temperature and forest conservation are key factors in maintaining the carbon burial mechanism in lacustrine ecosystems.
- Leonardo Amora-Nogueira
- , Christian J. Sanders
- & Humberto Marotta
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| Open AccessA deep-learning estimate of the decadal trends in the Southern Ocean carbon storage
Dissolved carbon concentrations in the ocean interior are computed by a deep-learning model using ocean surface data. In the Southern Ocean, they decreased in the 1990s-2000s and increased since 2010, reducing anthropogenic carbon uptake potential.
- Varvara E. Zemskova
- , Tai-Long He
- & Nicolas Grisouard
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Article
| Open AccessWidespread increasing vegetation sensitivity to soil moisture
Water availability is a major control of vegetation dynamics and terrestrial carbon cycling. Here, the authors show that vegetation sensitivity to soil moisture has been increasing in the last 36 years, especially in (semi)arid areas, and that state-of-the-art land surface models fail to capture this trend.
- Wantong Li
- , Mirco Migliavacca
- & Rene Orth
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Article
| Open AccessEstuarine plastisphere as an overlooked source of N2O production
The roles of marine plastisphere in global nitrogen cycling are largely unknown. Here, the authors indicate that the plastisphere could act as a potential source of N2O production, which is mainly regulated by the biotic denitrification
- Xiaoxuan Su
- , Leyang Yang
- & Yong-guan Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal stocks and capacity of mineral-associated soil organic carbon
Mineral-organic associations play a key role in soil carbon preservation. Here, Georgiou et al. produce global estimates of mineral-associated soil carbon, providing insight into the world’s soils and their capacity to store carbon
- Katerina Georgiou
- , Robert B. Jackson
- & Margaret S. Torn
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Article
| Open AccessSeparating natural from human enhanced methane emissions in headwater streams
The effects of fertiliser from intensive agriculture are well recognised, but not so well for fine-sediment. Here we show how widespread ingress of agriculturally derived fine-sediment since the 1940s markedly amplifies methane emissions from streams.
- Yizhu Zhu
- , J. Iwan Jones
- & Mark Trimmer
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Article
| Open Access86Kr excess and other noble gases identify a billion-year-old radiogenically-enriched groundwater system
Noble gases confirm billion-year groundwater residence times and external fluxes in deep crustal settings globally with implications for subsurface habitability and economic reservoir formation over planetary timescales both on Earth and beyond
- O. Warr
- , C. J. Ballentine
- & B. Sherwood Lollar
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Article
| Open AccessGroundwater discharge as a driver of methane emissions from Arctic lakes
CH4 inputs to Arctic lakes via groundwater discharge are an important pathway that links CH4 production in thawing permafrost to emission via lakes. Here the authors unravel the role and drivers of groundwater inflows for CH4 emissions from Arctic lakes.
- Carolina Olid
- , Valentí Rodellas
- & Jan Karlsson
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Article
| Open AccessEcological networks of dissolved organic matter and microorganisms under global change
Microbes are intimately linked with the fate of organic matter. Here the authors develop an ecological network framework and show how microbes and dissolved organic matter interact along global change drivers of temperature and nutrient enrichment via manipulative field experiments on mountains.
- Ang Hu
- , Mira Choi
- & Jianjun Wang
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Article
| Open AccessMarine siliceous ecosystem decline led to sustained anomalous Early Triassic warmth
The widespread disappearance of siliceous life sustained extreme temperatures in the wake of Earth’s most severe mass extinction event.
- Terry T. Isson
- , Shuang Zhang
- & Noah J. Planavsky
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Evidence confirms an anthropic origin of Amazonian Dark Earths
- Lucas C. R. Silva
- , Rodrigo Studart Corrêa
- & Roberto Ventura Santos
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Article
| Open AccessRegional and seasonal partitioning of water and temperature controls on global land carbon uptake variability
The dominant driver of variations in global land carbon sink remains unclear. Here the authors show that the seasonal compensation of temperature effects on land carbon sink in the Northern Hemisphere could induce a global water dominance.
- Kai Wang
- , Ana Bastos
- & Shilong Piao
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Article
| Open AccessTrophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes
Here the authors demonstrate the use of zinc isotopes (δ66Zn) to geochemically assess trophic levels in extant and extinct sharks. They show that the Neogene megatooth shark (Otodus megalodon) and the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) occupied a similar trophic level.
- Jeremy McCormack
- , Michael L. Griffiths
- & Thomas Tütken