Featured
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| Open AccessShoreface erosion counters blue carbon accumulation in transgressive barrier-island systems
Landward barrier migration facilitates erosion of shoreface-exposed marsh and lagoon carbon stocks at rates outpacing backbarrier carbon accumulation, thus demonstrating the ephemeral nature of blue carbon storage along transgressive coasts.
- Mary Bryan Barksdale
- , Christopher J. Hein
- & Matthew L. Kirwan
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Article
| Open AccessSolar cycle as a distinct line of evidence constraining Earth’s transient climate response
Here, the solar-cycle forcing and response are used to constrain climate sensitivity. Solar forcing does not involve aerosols and thus provides an independent and tighter constraint, reducing current uncertainty range by 2/3.
- King-Fai Li
- & Ka-Kit Tung
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Article
| Open AccessMagmatic immiscibility and the origin of magnetite-(apatite) iron deposits
Magnetite-apatite (MtAp) deposits are an important source of iron and critical metals, yet their ore genesis is poorly understood. Here, authors propose that the separation of multiple melts during magma ascent leads to the formation of MtAp deposits.
- Dorota K. Pietruszka
- , John M. Hanchar
- & Wyatt M. Bain
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Article
| Open AccessTransient fertilization of a post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin with dissolved phosphate by clay minerals
Clay minerals played a vital role in the delivery of phosphorus (P) to shallow Neoproterozoic post-Snowball glaciation marine waters. The resulting increase in P bioavailability by at least 20-fold coincided with seawater oxygenation.
- Ernest Chi Fru
- , Jalila Al Bahri
- & Timothy W. Lyons
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Article
| Open AccessMixed success for carbon payments and subsidies in support of forest restoration in the neotropics
Forest restoration in LMICs can contribute to global C mitigation targets. Here, the authors assess the economic feasibility of forest restoration methods in Panama, i.e. natural regeneration, native species plantings, and enrichment planting, showing that not all methods are economically viable.
- Katherine Sinacore
- , Edwin H. García
- & Jefferson S. Hall
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Article
| Open AccessApproaching national climate targets in China considering the challenge of regional inequality
Aggressive or uniform actions on climate targets may exacerbate regional inequality and induce economic losses in China. The proposed collaborative strategy for carbon neutrality can avoid up to 1.54% of GDP losses while 90% of provinces would gain.
- Biying Yu
- , Zihao Zhao
- & Hua Liao
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Article
| Open AccessUncertainties in critical slowing down indicators of observation-based fingerprints of the Atlantic Overturning Circulation
Ben-Yami et al. present methods to quantify uncertainties and address biases in indicators for detecting stability changes in key Earth system components. Data gap filling introduces biases, but the stability decline in the North Atlantic remains significant.
- Maya Ben-Yami
- , Vanessa Skiba
- & Niklas Boers
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Article
| Open AccessFirst close insight into global daily gapless 1 km PM2.5 pollution, variability, and health impact
AI-driven daily 1-km gapless PM2.5 data reveal the dynamics of unhealthy air around the world, stark disparities exist between nations and among neighbourhoods. Drastic air quality changes are associated with implementation and lifting of lockdown policies.
- Jing Wei
- , Zhanqing Li
- & Tong Zhu
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| Open AccessGlobal transcontinental power pools for low-carbon electricity
By building transcontinental power pools, Yang and colleagues find global electricity demand can be 100% met by renewables, at an affordable cost.
- Haozhe Yang
- , Ranjit Deshmukh
- & Sangwon Suh
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Q&A
| Open AccessA conversation about cultivated meat
Summary: Cultivated or cultured meat is promising to revolutionize the food industry in the coming years to decades, helping to resolve concerns related to the environmental impact and ethical implications linked to conventional meat production. We talked to Dr. Sandhya Sriram, the Group CEO and Co-founder of Shiok Meats Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, the former Dean of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Technion, current Director of the Technion Center for 3D Bioprinting and The Rina & Avner Schneur Center for Diabetes Research, as well as the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Adviser of Aleph Farms, Israel; and Dr. Timothy Olsen, Head of Cultured Meat in the Life Science business at Merck KGaA, Germany; about this relatively new and quickly developing sector. They explain what their teams are working on, including the biggest recent accomplishments, speak about the main challenges facing the field and how they can be resolved, and share their visions about the future of cultivated meat, aiming to provide more equitable and sustainable access to nutritious food for the growing world population.
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Article
| Open AccessChronic exposure to environmental temperature attenuates the thermal sensitivity of salmonids
This study uses in situ respirometry assays and transplant experiments with salmonid fish to disentangle the effects of chronic and acute thermal exposure. They show that chronic exposure to warming can attenuate salmonid thermal sensitivity, highlighting the need to incorporate the potential for thermal acclimation or adaptation when forecasting global warming consequences.
- Alexia M. González-Ferreras
- , Jose Barquín
- & Eoin J. O’Gorman
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Article
| Open AccessViruses under the Antarctic Ice Shelf are active and potentially involved in global nutrient cycles
The diversity and impact of viruses in remote marine environments are less well understood. In this study, the authors analyse an -omics dataset to gain insights into the genomics and potential role of endemic viruses infecting ecologically important microbes inhabiting the ocean cavity beneath the Ross Ice Shelf.
- Javier Lopez-Simon
- , Marina Vila-Nistal
- & Manuel Martinez-Garcia
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Article
| Open AccessHow frictional slip evolves
Conventionally, a continuous motion or “dynamic friction” is expected to take place after the initial rupture under friction. Here, the authors perform direct measurement of real contact and slip at the frictional interface and show that the secondary rupture takes place after each initial rupture.
- Songlin Shi
- , Meng Wang
- & Jay Fineberg
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| Open AccessEdge effects on tree architecture exacerbate biomass loss of fragmented Amazonian forests
Forest responses can have major effects on tree architecture and community structure near the edges of forest fragments. Here, using terrestrial LiDAR scanning data from long-term forest plots, the authors find a net negative effect of fragmentation on Amazonian Forest aboveground biomass.
- Matheus Henrique Nunes
- , Marcel Caritá Vaz
- & Eduardo Eiji Maeda
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal distribution and dynamics of muddy coasts
14% of the world’s coastlines are muddy and the majority of them are eroding at rates exceeding 1 m per year over the last three decades, according to an automated classification method that identifies global coastlines.
- Romy Hulskamp
- , Arjen Luijendijk
- & Stefan Aarninkhof
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Article
| Open AccessDecadal oscillation provides skillful multiyear predictions of Antarctic sea ice
A decadal-scale oscillatory pattern is identified that is a dominant mode of Antarctic sea ice variability. This mode is primarily driven by tropical-polar connections, offering insights into the multi-year predictability of Antarctic sea ice.
- Yusen Liu
- , Cheng Sun
- & Xichen Li
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Article
| Open AccessParticle-associated denitrification is the primary source of N2O in oxic coastal waters
Incomplete denitrification associated with the micro-niche of marine particles, instead of nitrification as previously assumed, is a major source of N2O in the turbid coastal waters, even though the water is well-oxygenated.
- Xianhui S. Wan
- , Hua-Xia Sheng
- & Shuh-Ji Kao
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Article
| Open AccessGrassland intensification effects cascade to alter multifunctionality of wetlands within metaecosystems
It is not clear how agricultural intensification affects spatially coupled ecosystems. Here, the authors use long-term datasets on managed grasslands coupled with unmanaged wetlands showing that grassland intensification affects ecosystem service multifunctionality of spatially coupled wetlands
- Yuxi Guo
- , Elizabeth H. Boughton
- & Jiangxiao Qiu
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Article
| Open AccessUncertainties in deforestation emission baseline methodologies and implications for carbon markets
This study reveals high variability in deforestation emission baselines typically used to derive carbon credits, with median error at 0.778 times the actual rate. It underscores the need for enhanced methods to improve carbon market accuracy and reliability.
- Hoong Chen Teo
- , Nicole Hui Li Tan
- & Lian Pin Koh
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| Open AccessMetal toxin threat in wildland fires determined by geology and fire severity
Carcinogenic heavy metals are an underappreciated public health concern from wildfire. Fire severity, geology, and ecosystem type influence landscape-scale production of hexavalent chromium, concentrated in wind-dispersible particles.
- Alandra Marie Lopez
- , Juan Lezama Pacheco
- & Scott Fendorf
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Article
| Open AccessCalifornia’s zero-emission vehicle adoption brings air quality benefits yet equity gaps persist
Zero-emission vehicle adoption brings near-roadway air quality benefits to all communities in California, yet equity gaps persist in disadvantaged communities, calling for targeted policies.
- Qiao Yu
- , Brian Yueshuai He
- & Yifang Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessSpectroscopy of a mesospheric ghost reveals iron emissions
Mesospheric ghosts are rare, faint, greenish transient luminous events. Here, the authors show metallic emissions revealed by the spectrum of a mesospheric ghost.
- María Passas-Varo
- , Oscar Van der Velde
- & Joan Montanyà
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Article
| Open AccessEnhanced glacial lake activity threatens numerous communities and infrastructure in the Third Pole
The recent accelerated expansion of glacial lakes and increased glacial lake outburst flood activities in the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings indicate that numerous communities and infrastructure downstream are at a higher flood risk than previously understood.
- Taigang Zhang
- , Weicai Wang
- & Lele Wei
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| Open AccessA global synthesis and assessment of free-ranging domestic cat diet
Free-ranging domestic cats have major ecological impacts globally. Here, Lepczyk et al. compile records of the species consumed by cats, identifying thousands of species consumed, including hundreds of species that are of conservation concern.
- Christopher A. Lepczyk
- , Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk
- & John C. Z. Woinarski
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| Open AccessThe emergence of modern zoogeographic regions in Asia examined through climate–dental trait association patterns
The timing of the emergence of the modern Asian terrestrial biota is unclear. Here, the authors apply redescription mining to herbivore dental trait data, finding that different aspects of modern zoogeographic patterns originated in the Pliocene and Middle and Late Miocene.
- Liping Liu
- , Esther Galbrun
- & Indrė Žliobaitė
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| Open AccessProjecting future carbon emissions from cement production in developing countries
The rapid deployment of low-carbon measures is urgently needed to reduce cement emissions as cement CO2 emissions from developing countries will almost deplete the remaining cement emissions budget within climate targets.
- Danyang Cheng
- , David M. Reiner
- & Dabo Guan
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| Open AccessCarbonate chemistry and carbon sequestration driven by inorganic carbon outwelling from mangroves and saltmarshes
Global observations from mangroves and saltmarshes unravel hidden carbon pathways. Inorganic carbon outwelling is revealed to dominate carbon budgets, impact coastal pH, and enhance the climate mitigation potential of blue carbon ecosystems.
- Gloria M. S. Reithmaier
- , Alex Cabral
- & Isaac R. Santos
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Article
| Open AccessSeismic arrival-time picking on distributed acoustic sensing data using semi-supervised learning
In this study, the authors develop a semi-supervised approach to train a deep learning model, PhaseNet-DAS, for identifying seismic phases in Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data, which enables detecting and locating earthquakes using fiber-optic networks.
- Weiqiang Zhu
- , Ettore Biondi
- & Zhongwen Zhan
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Article
| Open AccessInteractions between climate change, urban infrastructure and mobility are driving dengue emergence in Vietnam
The geographic distribution of dengue has been expanding in recent decades, and Vietnam is one of the most severely affected countries. In this study, the authors use Bayesian hierarchical modelling to investigate the socio-environmental and climatic drivers of dengue incidence in Vietnam and how they vary across the country.
- Rory Gibb
- , Felipe J. Colón-González
- & Rachel Lowe
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| Open AccessWidespread PREMA in the upper mantle indicated by low-degree basaltic melts
PREMA, the highly fusible Prevalent Mantle now found throughout the mantle, may have been generated soon after Earth’s accretion with minimal subsequent modification, according to a combination of composition data from Cenozoic sodic basalts and mantle convection simulations
- Ronghua Cai
- , Jingao Liu
- & Senan Oesch
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| Open AccessLimitations to sustainable renewable jet fuels production attributed to cost than energy-water-food resource availability
This study introduce the Global Biojet Fuel Sustainability Index, a holistic 25-indicator sustainability index encompassing the four domains of energy-water-food nexus and governance, to measure the potential impact of RJF productions on 154 countries/territories through the oil-to-jet, alcohol-to-jet and gas-to-jet conversion methods.
- Cheng Tung Chong
- & Jo-Han Ng
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Article
| Open AccessInner core static tilt inferred from intradecadal oscillation in the Earth’s rotation
A static tilt of some 0.17° between the rotation axes of the solid inner core and the mantle is inferred from the observed approximate 8.5 year periodic inner core wobble in both polar motion and length-of-day variations of the Earth’s rotation.
- Yachong An
- , Hao Ding
- & Weiping Jiang
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Article
| Open AccessDeploying green hydrogen to decarbonize China’s coal chemical sector
The coal chemical sector uses coal to produce chemicals and emits substantial greenhouse gases, which are hard to abate by electrification alone. Deploying green H2 for China’s coal chemical plants can reduce ~50% of emissions at a low cost.
- Yang Guo
- , Liqun Peng
- & Denise L. Mauzerall
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Article
| Open AccessReconciling patterns of long-term topographic growth with coseismic uplift by synchronous duplex thrusting
Deciphering the relationship between prolonged topographic growth and temporary earthquake uplift is challenging due to the mismatch in their deformation patterns. Zhang et al. introduce a novel model to address this highly hotly-debated discrepancy.
- Yuqing Zhang
- , Hanlin Chen
- & Xiu Hu
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| Open AccessShorebirds-driven trophic cascade helps restore coastal wetland multifunctionality
Ecological restoration success may depend on interactions between multiple trophic levels. Here, the authors show that top-down control of crab grazers by shorebirds could help rebuild wetland multifunctionality after invasive cordgrass eradication.
- Chunming Li
- , Jianshe Chen
- & Qiang He
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Article
| Open AccessAnchovy boom and bust linked to trophic shifts in larval diet
A characteristic of costal-pelagic fishes is their large population size fluctuations, yet the drivers remain elusive. Here, the authors analyze a 45-year timeseries of nitrogen stable isotopes measured in larvae of Northern Anchovy and find that high energy transfer efficiency from the base of the food web up to young larvae confers high survival and recruitment to the adult population.
- Rasmus Swalethorp
- , Michael R. Landry
- & Andrew R. Thompson
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| Open AccessEcological forecasts for marine resource management during climate extremes
Forecasting ecology can support proactive decision-making in the face of uncertain environmental conditions. Using case studies on whale entanglement and sea turtle bycatch, this study showcases the capacity for existing management tools to transition to a forecast configuration and provide skilful forecasts up to 12 months in advance.
- Stephanie Brodie
- , Mercedes Pozo Buil
- & Michael G. Jacox
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| Open AccessElectrochemical nitrate reduction in acid enables high-efficiency ammonia synthesis and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cells
Research on electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia in acidic conditions has been less extensive than that conducted in alkaline conditions. Here, the authors report a hybrid of iron phthalocyanine and TiO2 catalyst with improved efficiency toward acidic nitrate reduction and its application in Zn-nitrate batteries and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cell.
- Rong Zhang
- , Chuan Li
- & Chunyi Zhi
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Article
| Open AccessCollaborative and privacy-preserving retired battery sorting for profitable direct recycling via federated machine learning
Unsorted retired batteries pose recycling challenges due to diverse cathodes. Here, the authors propose a privacy-preserving machine learning system that enables accurate sorting with minimal data, important for a sustainable battery recycling industry.
- Shengyu Tao
- , Haizhou Liu
- & Hongbin Sun
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Article
| Open AccessArtificial light at night is a top predictor of bird migration stopover density
Twice a year, billions of nocturnal avian migrants traverse landscapes that are changing through natural and anthropogenic forces. Here, the authors identify light pollution as an influential predictor of bird migration stopover density across the USA.
- Kyle G. Horton
- , Jeffrey J. Buler
- & Geoffrey M. Henebry
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Article
| Open AccessExploring interactions between socioeconomic context and natural hazards on human population displacement
Ronco and colleagues analyze disaster-induced movements in the presence of floods, storms, and landslides during 2016–2021, providing empirical evidence that differential vulnerability exists and quantifying its extent. They achieve this by employing explainable machine learning techniques to model and understand internal displacement flows and patterns from observational data.
- Michele Ronco
- , José María Tárraga
- & Gustau Camps-Valls
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Article
| Open AccessMicroplastic burden in marine benthic invertebrates depends on species traits and feeding ecology within biogeographical provinces
Microplastic uptake by animals is often assumed to reflect the level of contamination in the environment. Here, the authors compile a global inventory of individual microplastic body burden in benthic marine invertebrates and find that feeding mode and geographic location are more important predictors than environmental microplastic loading.
- Adam Porter
- , Jasmin A. Godbold
- & Tamara S. Galloway
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Article
| Open AccessUnveiling patterns in human dominated landscapes through mapping the mass of US built structures
Most inhabited areas in the US have more mass in buildings and mobility networks than in plant biomass. Cities are comparably resource efficient, while high material intensity is found in rural areas. Migration reinforces this phenomenon as people leave while built structures remain.
- David Frantz
- , Franz Schug
- & Helmut Haberl
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Article
| Open AccessEvolution of masting in plants is linked to investment in low tissue mortality
Factors behind interspecific variation in masting are unclear. Here, the authors show that, in 517 species of terrestrial perennial plants, masting is more frequent in species that have high stem tissue density, suggesting that stronger stress resistance may buffer against missed reproductive opportunities.
- Valentin Journé
- , Andrew Hacket-Pain
- & Michał Bogdziewicz
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Article
| Open AccessSynthesizing evidence for the external cycling of NOx in high- to low-NOx atmospheres
External cycling regenerates nitrogen oxides from the NOx oxidative reservoir, NOz. Aircraft observations reveal NOx external cycling compensates for NOx aging, sustaining NOx distribution and production of OH radicals far from NOx emission sources
- Chunxiang Ye
- , Xianliang Zhou
- & Shaojie Song
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Article
| Open AccessChanges in orogenic style and surface environment recorded in Paleoproterozoic foreland successions
Two different styles of orogenesis during the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic are recorded in the depositional-to-deformational evolution of the orogenic foreland of the North China Craton, and would have differently changed the surface environment.
- Bo Huang
- , Man Liu
- & Qunye Qian
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Article
| Open AccessEnergy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence in the heliosphere
How and via which mechanism the energy transfers between scales in imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is an open question. Here, the authors show that the energy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is completed by coherent interactions between Alfvén waves and co-propagating anomalous fluctuations.
- Liping Yang
- , Jiansen He
- & Ziqi Wu
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Article
| Open AccessHigher Antarctic ice sheet accumulation and surface melt rates revealed at 2 km resolution
High-resolution 2-km Antarctic maps reveal higher snowfall and surface melt than low-resolution products, reconciling satellite-observed ice sheet mass change. Projected higher surface melt near grounding lines threatens future ice shelf stability.
- Brice Noël
- , J. Melchior van Wessem
- & Michiel R. van den Broeke
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| Open AccessVertical tearing of subducting plates controlled by geometry and rheology of oceanic plates
Vertical tearing promotes continuous segmentation of subducting plates, but its dynamics and physical controls remain debated. This work indicates that trench geometry and plate rheology control the self-sustained process of vertical tearing.
- Yaguang Chen
- , Hanlin Chen
- & Taras Gerya