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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
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Article
| Open AccessMineralogical control on methylotrophic methanogenesis and implications for cryptic methane cycling in marine surface sediment
Adsorption of methylamines onto clay minerals provides a hitherto unrecognised control on methane production in marine surface sediment.
- Ke-Qing Xiao
- , Oliver W. Moore
- & Caroline L. Peacock
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobial functional changes mark irreversible course of Tibetan grassland degradation
The Tibetan Kobresia pastures store 2.5% of the world’s soil organic carbon. Here the authors show that soil degradation and microbial shifts may irreversibly diminish the carbon sink function and accelerate nutrient losses.
- Andreas Breidenbach
- , Per-Marten Schleuss
- & Sandra Spielvogel
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| Open AccessMicroscale carbon distribution around pores and particulate organic matter varies with soil moisture regime
Carbon sequestration in soils has rarely been observed at microscopic scales. Here the authors reveal the impact of soil moisture regimes in shaping carbon stabilization and mineralization patterns tied to the pore network.
- Steffen Schlüter
- , Frederic Leuther
- & Hans-Jörg Vogel
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| Open AccessA new conceptual framework for the transformation of groundwater dissolved organic matter
Dissolved organic matter becomes highly labile in dark anoxic groundwater environments, suggesting that groundwater extraction and subterranean groundwater discharge could be significant sources of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
- Liza K. McDonough
- , Martin S. Andersen
- & Andy Baker
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Article
| Open AccessNew seasonal pattern of pollution emerges from changing North American wildfires
Growing emissions from Pacific Northwest wildfires have increased atmospheric carbon monoxide in August, raising questions about potential health impacts as the seasonal pattern of air quality changes for large regions of North America.
- Rebecca R. Buchholz
- , Mijeong Park
- & Sheryl Magzamen
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Article
| Open AccessExtreme rainstorms drive exceptional organic carbon export from forested humid-tropical rivers in Puerto Rico
Extreme rainfall in Puerto Rico leads to some of the highest particulate organic carbon yields. Here the authors find that global estimates of carbon export may be underestimated by up to 9% because of a lack of studies in the tropics.
- K. E. Clark
- , R. F. Stallard
- & W. H. McDowell
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Article
| Open AccessField-based tree mortality constraint reduces estimates of model-projected forest carbon sinks
Here the authors use broad-scale tree mortality data to estimate biomass loss, constraining uncertainty of projected forest net primary productivity in 6 models, finding weaker tropical forest carbon sinks with climate change.
- Kailiang Yu
- , Philippe Ciais
- & Ashley P. Ballantyne
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Article
| Open AccessAdaptive responses of marine diatoms to zinc scarcity and ecological implications
Here the authors identify two zinc/cobalt responsive proteins (ZCRPs) in marine diatoms, determining their functional roles in trace metal transport and homeostasis, as well as their application as an indicator of oceanic Zn stress.
- Riss M. Kellogg
- , Mark A. Moosburner
- & Mak A. Saito
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Article
| Open AccessDeforestation-induced climate change reduces carbon storage in remaining tropical forests
Warming and drying from deforestation could amplify carbon storage losses in tropical remaining forests. Here the authors report this value to be extra 5.1% in the Amazon and 3.8% in Congo as compared to the direct biomass loss from deforestation.
- Yue Li
- , Paulo M. Brando
- & James T. Randerson
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Article
| Open AccessA global temperature control of silicate weathering intensity
How silicate weathering responds to and regulates Earth’s climate remain controversial. This study suggests the primary control of temperature on weathering intensity globally and the temperature-weathering feedback may be stronger in cold Earth.
- Kai Deng
- , Shouye Yang
- & Yulong Guo
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Article
| Open AccessHistorically inconsistent productivity and respiration fluxes in the global terrestrial carbon cycle
Terrestrial plants sequester carbon through photosynthesis, and that carbon is eventually returned to the atmosphere through respiration by plants and soil microbes. Here the authors show a large, unexpected gap in estimations of these two carbon fluxes.
- Jinshi Jian
- , Vanessa Bailey
- & Ben Bond-Lamberty
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Large influence of atmospheric vapor pressure deficit on ecosystem production efficiency
- Laibao Liu
- , Lukas Gudmundsson
- & Sonia I. Seneviratne
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessLarge influence of atmospheric vapor pressure deficit on ecosystem production efficiency
- Haibo Lu
- , Zhangcai Qin
- & Wenping Yuan
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobes contribute to setting the ocean carbon flux by altering the fate of sinking particulates
Micro-scale microbial community dynamics can substantially alter the fate of sinking particulates in the ocean thus playing a key role in setting the vertical flux of particulate carbon in the ocean.
- Trang T. H. Nguyen
- , Emily J. Zakem
- & Naomi M. Levine
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Article
| Open AccessStructure and function of the soil microbiome underlying N2O emissions from global wetlands
The wetland soil microbiome has a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Here the authors characterize how a group of archaea contribute to N2O emissions and find that climate and land use changes could promote these organisms.
- Mohammad Bahram
- , Mikk Espenberg
- & Ülo Mander
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Article
| Open AccessTropical methane emissions explain large fraction of recent changes in global atmospheric methane growth rate
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with emissions that are challenging to constrain. Here the authors use 10 years of satellite observations and show tropical terrestrial emissions account for 80% of observed global methane increases.
- Liang Feng
- , Paul I. Palmer
- & Yi Liu
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Comment
| Open AccessMixotrophic plankton foraging behaviour linked to carbon export
Marine mixotrophic protists that use both heterotrophic and phototrophic metabolisms may impact the carbon cycle in unexpected ways. A recently characterized mixotroph can craft three-dimensional mucilage feeding structures that trap nutrient-rich plankton prey and contribute to the sinking of carbon from the surface ocean.
- Natalie R. Cohen
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Article
| Open AccessMucospheres produced by a mixotrophic protist impact ocean carbon cycling
Marine microbes govern ocean productivity and biogeochemistry, regulating global climate. Here the authors describe the sophisticated feeding strategy of a mixotrophic dinoflagellate and show how its behaviour impacts the vertical flux of carbon.
- Michaela E. Larsson
- , Anna R. Bramucci
- & Martina A. Doblin
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Article
| Open AccessOxidative metabolisms catalyzed Earth’s oxygenation
How Earth’s atmosphere became oxygenated remains enigmatic. Here the authors use mathematical and phylogenetic analyses to find that Earth’s oxygenation is induced by the interactions of microbial oxidative metabolites with sediment minerals.
- Haitao Shang
- , Daniel H. Rothman
- & Gregory P. Fournier
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Article
| Open AccessAlpine permafrost could account for a quarter of thawed carbon based on Plio-Pleistocene paleoclimate analogue
The stability of permafrost carbon is poorly understood. Here the authors use Plio-Pleistocene clumped isotope reconstructions from the Tibetan Plateau and climate simulation to determine that ~85 petagrams of alpine carbon is vulnerable to thawing.
- Feng Cheng
- , Carmala Garzione
- & Aradhna Tripati
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| Open AccessFast-decaying plant litter enhances soil carbon in temperate forests but not through microbial physiological traits
Mineral-associated soil carbon buildup is poorly explained by microbial necromass production (a common hypothesis). During litter decomposition, these processes are decoupled by priming effects and alternate soil carbon formation pathways
- Matthew E. Craig
- , Kevin M. Geyer
- & Richard P. Phillips
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Article
| Open AccessSuperlinear scaling of riverine biogeochemical function with watershed size
River networks play an important role in biogeochemical processes of the earth system. Here the authors show that cumulative river network function increases faster than watershed size for many biogeochemical processes, particularly at higher river flow, indicating large rivers contribute disproportionately to network function in the Earth System.
- Wilfred M. Wollheim
- , Tamara K. Harms
- & Jacques C. Finlay
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| Open AccessAdaptive carbon export response to warming in the Sargasso Sea
The ability of the ocean’s biota to sequester carbon is thought to be negatively affected by climate change. Here the authors use time-series data in the Sargasso Sea to show that biotic processes can buffer against these negative impacts.
- Michael W. Lomas
- , Nicholas R. Bates
- & Tatsuro Tanioka
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Article
| Open AccessTropical extreme droughts drive long-term increase in atmospheric CO2 growth rate variability
The apparent temperature sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 growth rate has increased markedly over the past six decades, however, the increase remains unexplained. Here we show that tropical extreme droughts amplified the interannual variability in atmospheric CO2 growth rate and drove the sensitivity change.
- Xiangzhong Luo
- & Trevor F. Keenan
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Article
| Open AccessTree functional traits, forest biomass, and tree species diversity interact with site properties to drive forest soil carbon
Forests constitute important ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. This study investigates how tree species influence soil organic carbon using a global dataset, showing the importance of tree functional traits and forest standing biomass to optimise forest carbon sink.
- Laurent Augusto
- & Antra Boča
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Article
| Open AccessAragonite dissolution protects calcite at the seafloor
Results from a new model suggest that a deep-sea, carbonate version of galvanization, in which aragonite sacrifies itself to protect the underlying calcite, could explain the predominance of calcite over aragonite in the sediment record.
- Olivier Sulpis
- , Priyanka Agrawal
- & Jack J. Middelburg
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Article
| Open AccessAtmospheric dryness reduces photosynthesis along a large range of soil water deficits
Using global flux tower observations, the authors show that atmospheric dryness always reduces photosynthesis, whereas soil dryness can increase photosynthesis if soil water stores are sufficient.
- Zheng Fu
- , Philippe Ciais
- & Tomohiro Hajima
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| Open AccessUnexpectedly minor nitrous oxide emissions from fluvial networks draining permafrost catchments of the East Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Permafrost soils can be substantial sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but no data exist on the N2O footprints of permafrost rivers. Here, the authors show that alpine permafrost rivers are unexpectedly small sources of atmospheric N2O at present.
- Liwei Zhang
- , Sibo Zhang
- & Emily H. Stanley
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Article
| Open AccessRetention of deposited ammonium and nitrate and its impact on the global forest carbon sink
A study using paired 15N tracers shows atmospheric N deposited in oxidized form is more likely retained by trees, while the reduced form is retained in soil. The authors argue that this is a greater contribution of deposited N to the global forest C sink than previously reported.
- Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa
- , Ang Wang
- & Yunting Fang
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Article
| Open AccessVegetation-based climate mitigation in a warmer and greener World
Vegetation changes have been suggested as a climate mitigation option, but the numerous feedbacks between vegetation and climate are not well understood. Here, the authors show that greening leads to surface cooling in many areas, but the size of the effect depends on the background climate.
- Ramdane Alkama
- , Giovanni Forzieri
- & Alessandro Cescatti
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Article
| Open AccessThe mouse metallomic landscape of aging and metabolism
The metallome is crucial for normal cell functioning but remains largely overlooked in mammals. Here the authors analyze the metallome and copper and zinc isotope compositions in aging mice and show networks of interactions that are organ-specific, age-dependent, isotopically-typified and associated with a wealth of clinical and molecular traits.
- Jean-David Morel
- , Lucie Sauzéat
- & Vincent Balter
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Article
| Open AccessAmazon forests capture high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining
The Peruvian Amazon is facing the highest known input of mercury pollution of any ecosystem globally. Intact forests located near artisanal gold mining are particularly at risk from this toxin.
- Jacqueline R. Gerson
- , Natalie Szponar
- & Emily S. Bernhardt
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Article
| Open AccessRapid metabolism fosters microbial survival in the deep, hot subseafloor biosphere
In the deep sedimentary biosphere, 80 °C has been proposed as an upper thermal barrier for life. Using a suite of radiotracer experiments, this study reports active methanogenic and sulfate-reducing microbial populations with high cell-specific metabolic rates in deeply buried marine sediments from the Nankai Trough subduction zone, which reach temperatures up to 120 °C.
- F. Beulig
- , F. Schubert
- & T. Treude
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Article
| Open AccessStratification constrains future heat and carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean between 30°S and 55°S
The heat and carbon uptakes in the Southern Ocean between 30°S and 55°S are critical for mitigating climate change. Here the authors find that projection uncertainties of both uptakes are reduced drastically when using the water column stability as an emergent constraint.
- Timothée Bourgeois
- , Nadine Goris
- & Jerry F. Tjiputra
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| Open AccessLow N2O and variable CH4 fluxes from tropical forest soils of the Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is home to the second largest stretch of continuous tropical forest, but the magnitude of greenhouse fluxes are poorly understood. Here the authors analyze gas samples and find the region is not actually a hotspot of N2O emissions.
- Matti Barthel
- , Marijn Bauters
- & Johan Six
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Article
| Open AccessFate of dissolved black carbon in the deep Pacific Ocean
Black carbon is a product of incomplete combustion and is distributed everywhere on the Earth’s surface due to its recalcitrant nature. Here the authors show the removal process and flux of dissolved black carbon in the deep sea, its ultimate repository.
- Youhei Yamashita
- , Motohiro Nakane
- & Hiroshi Ogawa
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Article
| Open AccessApplication of copper(II)-based chemicals induces CH3Br and CH3Cl emissions from soil and seawater
Halogenated compounds impact stratospheric ozone. This study suggests agricultural application of Cu(II) chemicals induces abiotic production of methyl bromide and methyl chloride from soil and seawater, contributing to the atmospheric halogen load.
- Yi Jiao
- , Wanying Zhang
- & Robert C. Rhew
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Article
| Open AccessPhenology is the dominant control of methane emissions in a tropical non-forested wetland
Tropical wetlands are a significant but understudied source of methane. Here, methane emissions were measured over three years in a perennial tropical swamp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, finding phenology was the overarching control of emissions.
- Carole Helfter
- , Mangaliso Gondwe
- & Ute Skiba
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| Open AccessThe role of methanotrophy in the microbial carbon metabolism of temperate lakes
Methane metabolism is considered of secondary importance in most lake food webs. Here the authors quantify the contribution of methanotrophs to C cycling in six lakes, finding evidence of a large role of methanotrophs due to their higher specific activity and larger cell size.
- Paula C. J. Reis
- , Shoji D. Thottathil
- & Yves T. Prairie
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Article
| Open AccessExtensive primary production promoted the recovery of the Ediacaran Shuram excursion
Variable dominance of distinct microbial communities during the late Ediacaran, recorded in C and N cycles perturbations and in Raman structural heterogeneities of organic matter, modulated the recovery from the most negative δ13Ccarb excursion in Earth’s history.
- Fuencisla Cañadas
- , Dominic Papineau
- & Chao Li
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Article
| Open AccessIntracellular bound chlorophyll residues identify 1 Gyr-old fossils as eukaryotic algae
The authors report nickel-porphyrins derivatives of chlorophyll in ~1 Gyr-old multicellular eukaryotes, preserved in low-grade metamorphic rocks. This brand new approach permits to identify early phototrophic organisms through the geological record.
- Marie Catherine Sforna
- , Corentin C. Loron
- & Emmanuelle J. Javaux
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Article
| Open AccessSea-ice derived meltwater stratification slows the biological carbon pump: results from continuous observations
The North Atlantic biological pump has the most intense absorption of C globally, but how this will fare in light of climate changes (especially sea-ice melting) is poorly understood. Here the authors present a 24-month continuous time series of physical, chemical, and biological observations in the Fram Strait.
- Wilken-Jon von Appen
- , Anya M. Waite
- & Antje Boetius
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Article
| Open AccessKrill and salp faecal pellets contribute equally to the carbon flux at the Antarctic Peninsula
Zooplankton impact Southern Ocean carbon cycling. Here, the authors examine carbon export at the Antarctic Peninsula, finding that krill pellets are efficiently exported, while salp pellets are retained and recycled in surface waters.
- Nora-Charlotte Pauli
- , Clara M. Flintrop
- & Morten H. Iversen
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Article
| Open AccessThawing Yedoma permafrost is a neglected nitrous oxide source
During permafrost thaw, nitrogen can be released as the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, but the magnitude of this flux is unknown. Nitrous oxide emissions from ice-rich permafrost deposits are reported here, showing that emissions increase after thawing and stabilization and could represent an unappreciated positive climate feedback in the Arctic.
- M. E. Marushchak
- , J. Kerttula
- & C. Biasi
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Article
| Open AccessSubstantial oxygen consumption by aerobic nitrite oxidation in oceanic oxygen minimum zones
Oxygen is fundamental for marine life, yet it is absent from large areas of the ocean. Here the authors demonstrate that microbial nitrite oxidation effectively consumes oxygen where oxygen concentrations are low, playing a pivotal role in these regions.
- J. M. Beman
- , S. M. Vargas
- & S. D. Wankel
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| Open AccessHydrothermal plumes as hotspots for deep-ocean heterotrophic microbial biomass production
Hydrothermal vents are biogeochemically important, but their contribution to the carbon cycle is poorly constrained. Here the authors build a biogeochemical model that estimates autotrophic and heterotrophic production rates of microbial communities within hydrothermal plumes along mid-ocean ridges.
- Cécile Cathalot
- , Erwan G. Roussel
- & Pierre-Marie Sarradin