Earth and environmental sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    High ozone and low water structures in the tropical western Pacific are commonly attributed to transport from the stratosphere or mid-latitudes. Here, Anderson et al. show these structures actually result from ozone production in biomass burning plumes and large-scale descent of air within the tropics.

    • Daniel C. Anderson
    • , Julie M. Nicely
    •  & Andrew J. Weinheimer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Clouds play a pivotal role in the energy and mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet, thereby affecting its contribution to global sea-level rise. Here, using a combination of observations and model simulations, the authors show that clouds enhance Greenland ice sheet meltwater runoff by more than 30%.

    • K. Van Tricht
    • , S. Lhermitte
    •  & N. P. M. van Lipzig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molar tooth structures are common in early- to mid-Proterozoic carbonates but extremely rare in rocks younger than 750 Ma. Here, the authors show molar tooth carbonate formation is related to benthic methane fluxes.

    • Bing Shen
    • , Lin Dong
    •  & Pengju Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Methane release across the Arctic continental shelf has been attributed to modern dissociation of gas hydrate, accelerated by ocean warming. Here, the authors show that thermogenic methane was stored as subglacial gas hydrate during the last glaciation, and subsequently released following ice sheet retreat.

    • Alexey Portnov
    • , Sunil Vadakkepuliyambatta
    •  & Alun Hubbard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Von Damm Vent Field comprises 85–90% talc, with hydrothermal fluids of unusual chemistry at 215 °C. Here, the authors show that the mineralogy results from seawater mixing with hydrothermal fluids and the heat output may represent a mode of crustal cooling not fully accounted for in global models.

    • Matthew R. S. Hodgkinson
    • , Alexander P. Webber
    •  & Bramley J. Murton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The chemical compositions of young lava flows on the Moon have implications for late volcanism. Here, the authors present mineral distribution data from the Chang′e-3 Yutu rover in the northern Imbrium mare region, reporting unique compositional characteristics of a previously unsampled basalt type.

    • Zongcheng Ling
    • , Bradley L. Jolliff
    •  & Jianyu Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Low latitude populations are often thought to be more vulnerable to climate change due to warmer ambient conditions. Here, Bennett et al.show that populations of seaweed from different areas of their range have distinct thermal-tolerance thresholds, but share remarkably similar thermal safety margins to warming.

    • Scott Bennett
    • , Thomas Wernberg
    •  & Alexandra H. Campbell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Our understanding of the conditions that characterised Neoproterozoic Earth are hindered by a lack of suitable proxies. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate the use of selenium isotopes as tracers of Earth's redox conditions.

    • Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
    • , Eva E. Stüeken
    •  & David C. Catling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Forest fragmentation is thought to reduce carbon storage at forest edges. Here, using remote sensing datasets, the authors show that biomass is 25% lower within 500 m of the forest edge, and suggest that fragmentation results in a global reduction in tropical forest carbon stocks by nearly 10%.

    • Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer
    • , Ivan Ramler
    •  & Henry King

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Due to increasing disturbance of peatlands, Southeast Asian rivers are thought to play a major role in the transfer of CO2to the atmosphere. Here, the authors present data collected from six Indonesian and Malaysian rivers and show that the region is not an outgassing hotspot as previously assumed.

    • Francisca Wit
    • , Denise Müller
    •  & Tim Rixen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dynamics of the Laurasian Seaway are thought to have had wide effects on oceanography and climate in the mid-Mesozoic. Here, the authors show evidence for seawater temperature change, ascribed to tectonic uplift that impeded poleward oceanic heat transport and triggered a cool climate mode in the earliest Middle Jurassic.

    • Christoph Korte
    • , Stephen P. Hesselbo
    •  & Nicolas Thibault

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Renewables are key for abating climate change, but also potentially vulnerable to it. Here, the authors show that the power supply from a well-developed European fleet of photovoltaic installations may undergo decreases during the 21st century, but with limited changes in amplitude and temporal stability.

    • Sonia Jerez
    • , Isabelle Tobin
    •  & Martin Wild

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-term quantification of the Angulas Leakage is difficult due to its highly variable spatio-temporal nature and sparse observations. Here, the authors combine sea surface temperature with a series of ocean and climate model simulations to construct a 145-year long time series of Agulhas leakage.

    • Arne Biastoch
    • , Jonathan V. Durgadoo
    •  & Stephen M. Griffies

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cloud radiative effect (CRE) in the Arctic plays an important role in the amount of infrared radiation that reaches the surface. Here, the authors show that interplay between temperature and humidity controls CRE through competing influences in two semi-transparent wavelength ranges.

    • Christopher J. Cox
    • , Von P. Walden
    •  & Matthew D. Shupe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rate at which carbon burial has changed in lakes in response to human-induced global change is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that carbon burial has increased significantly in remote northern lakes along with increased nitrogen deposition and warming over the last century.

    • Adam J. Heathcote
    • , N. John Anderson
    •  & Paul A. del Giorgio

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Irreversible ice loss from East Antarctic outlet glaciers during periods of ice sheet instability is yet to be observed in the geological record. Here, Jones et al. combine surface-exposure ages and model simulations to show the centennial-scale glacier thinning of Mackay Glacier during the mid-Holocene.

    • R. S. Jones
    • , A. N. Mackintosh
    •  & S. L. Greenwood

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nature of the El Niño-like variability in the Atlantic Ocean and its limited predictability remain unresolved. Here, via multi-model numerical experiments, the authors show that much of the variability can be explained by the interaction of stochastic atmospheric fluctuations with the ocean mixed layer.

    • Hyacinth C. Nnamchi
    • , Jianping Li
    •  & Riccardo Farneti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The composition of the Earth's core, particularly the light elements present, is not well constrained. Here, the authors report sound velocities of liquid iron-carbon alloy as measured at very high pressures using inelastic X-ray scattering and suggest that carbon cannot be predominant in the outer core.

    • Yoichi Nakajima
    • , Saori Imada
    •  & Alfred Q. R. Baron

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear why some ocean island basalts at ‘hotspots’ have low 3He/4He ratios similar to mid-ocean ridge basalts. Here, the authors perform convection calculations and show that these isotopic ratios can be reproduced by the episodic entrainment of deep isolated mantle reservoirs into thermal plumes.

    • Curtis D. Williams
    • , Mingming Li
    •  & Matthijs C. van Soest

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mars likely evolved from a warmer, wetter early state to the cold, arid current climate, but this evolution is not reflected in recent observations and measurements. Here, the authors derive quantitative constraints on the atmospheric pressure through time, identifying a mechanism that explains the carbon data.

    • Renyu Hu
    • , David M. Kass
    •  & Yuk L. Yung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extent of diversity in deep subsurface mines is not well documented. Here, Borgonie et al.report the discovery of Protozoa, Fungi, Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Annelida and Arthropoda from 1.4 km below ground, and conclude that their population growth is limited by food rather than oxygen availability.

    • G. Borgonie
    • , B. Linage-Alvarez
    •  & E. Van Heerden

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Resolving the sources and timing of freshwater forcing during the Last Termination is key to evaluate the North Atlantic Ocean response to freshwater perturbations. Here, the authors that the North Atlantic climate system was highly sensitive to Scandinavian meltwater discharge shortly before the Younger Dryas.

    • Francesco Muschitiello
    • , Francesco S. R. Pausata
    •  & Barbara Wohlfarth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unique cooling in the tropical Pacific and warming in the Indian Ocean over the past 15 years is postulated to have an effect on Asian rainfall. Here, based on a numerical modelling experiment, the authors investigate this relationship and provide insight into the atmospheric dynamics at play.

    • Hiroaki Ueda
    • , Youichi Kamae
    •  & Atsuki Kumai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Given the absence of a major river system in the Western Sahara, the source of late Quaternary fluvial sediments along the West African margin remains unclear. Here, the authors present geomorphological data that reveal the existence of a large buried paleodrainage network on the Mauritanian coast.

    • C. Skonieczny
    • , P. Paillou
    •  & F. Grousset

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its potential contribution to future sea-level rise, is a major focus of climate research. Here, the authors show that positive feedbacks involving bedrock uplift and sea surface drop, may significantly impact the timing and extent of local ice-sheet retreat.

    • Natalya Gomez
    • , David Pollard
    •  & David Holland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    About 5.6 million years ago the Mediterranean Sea evaporated leaving a 1.5 km deep basin while at the same time Antarctica’s ice sheet grew. Here the authors show that growth of Antarctic ice lowered sea-level, which cut off the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea and allowed it to evaporate.

    • Christian Ohneiser
    • , Fabio Florindo
    •  & David Pollard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The absence of in situand long-term meteorological data hampers our understanding of wind movement on Mars. Here, the authors use 3D airflow modelling to investigate small scale ripple migration and suggest that local dune topography exerts a strong influence on wind speed and direction.

    • Derek W. T. Jackson
    • , Mary C Bourke
    •  & Thomas A. G. Smyth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stable isotopes are a useful tool for distinguishing two sources in a mixture, but frequently systems have more than two components. Here, the authors propose a new approach to allow conclusive partitioning between three sources, still using only two stable isotopes, looking at soil CO2emissions.

    • Thea Whitman
    •  & Johannes Lehmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cause of diamond precipitation has previously been attributed to poorly understood redox changes at depth. Here, the authors propose that a drop in pH during water–rock interactions leads to diamond formation as a consequence of the migration of reactive fluids at elevated temperatures and pressures.

    • Dimitri A. Sverjensky
    •  & Fang Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sediment-hosted gas hydrates may release vast quantities of methane upon failure, but destabilizing mechanisms at the molecular level are poorly understood. Here, the authors study the deformation using simulations and find that failure differs between single crystals and polycrystalline hydrates.

    • Jianyang Wu
    • , Fulong Ning
    •  & Zhiliang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cause and timing of early Pliocene cooling in the Nordic Seas remains uncertain. Here, the authors present palynological data from the Norwegian and Iceland Seas that demonstrate regional cooling and the development of modern surface circulation around 4.5 Ma, likely related to Bering Strait gateway changes.

    • Stijn De Schepper
    • , Michael Schreck
    •  & Gunn Mangerud

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations causes ocean acidification, which alters marine chemical environments with unknown consequences for marine ecosystems. Here, Gao et al. show that ocean acidification increases levels of phenolic compounds in phytoplankton and zooplankton, implying a food chain impact.

    • Peng Jin
    • , Tifeng Wang
    •  & Kunshan Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Observations indicate that the southern hemisphere of Enceladus is geologically active, with spray containing Si nanoparticles being ejected from an underground ocean. Here, the authors report that experiments to constrain reaction conditions suggest the core is similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites.

    • Yasuhito Sekine
    • , Takazo Shibuya
    •  & Sin-iti Sirono

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural spikes in radiocarbon have been identified at AD 774/5 and 993/4 and attributed to exceptional cosmic-ray events, although the cause remains uncertain. Here, the authors analyse records recovered from ice cores and suggest these spikes originated from extreme solar particle events.

    • Florian Mekhaldi
    • , Raimund Muscheler
    •  & Thomas E. Woodruff

  • Article |

    In contrast to the significant retreat of Arctic sea-ice, Antarctic sea-ice has exhibited a modest expansion in recent decades. Here, the authors employ model simulations to investigate the drivers of this unexpected trend.

    • Richard J. Matear
    • , Terence J. O’Kane
    •  & Matt Chamberlain

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The stratigraphy of the Molasse basin has been related to the convergent regime, but aspects do not fit with observations or isostatic models. Here, the authors show that rollback of the European plate may have caused the thick sedimentary successions in the foreland basin, independent of plate convergence mechanisms.

    • Fritz Schlunegger
    •  & Edi Kissling

  • Article |

    The evolutionary transitions leading to the modern endothermic state of birds and mammals is unclear. Here, the authors use isotopologues from eggshells to determine body temperatures of females during periods of ovulation, suggesting variability existed between sauropods and the more bird-like oviraptors.

    • Robert A. Eagle
    • , Marcus Enriquez
    •  & John M. Eiler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The discovery of rounded pebbles by Curiosity suggests sustained fluvial activity existed on Mars, but interpretations have been qualitative. Here, the authors show that transport distance can be calculated on the basis of pebble shape alone, suggesting they travelled 10 s of km by bed-load transport.

    • Tímea Szabó
    • , Gábor Domokos
    •  & Douglas J. Jerolmack

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tidewater glacier calving is assumed to be dependent on ice dynamics, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, Luckman et al. use satellite data to derive frontal ablation rates for dynamically contrasting Svalbard glaciers, and show that frontal ablation rate varies primarily with sub-surface ocean temperature.

    • Adrian Luckman
    • , Douglas I. Benn
    •  & Mark Inall

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Theories of Cenozoic mountain uplift and associated global cooling assume that eroded mountain sediments are stored in marine basins. Here, based on detailed provenance data, Nie et al. show that Northeast Tibetan sediments are in fact stored inland, in the Chinese Loess Plateau and Mu Us desert.

    • Junsheng Nie
    • , Thomas Stevens
    •  & Baotian Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Our understanding of the origin and stability of deep-mantle melts depends on our knowledge of the component silicate liquids. Here, the authors model the effects of iron and water on melt structure and density, with results that support potential water enrichment of deep-mantle melts and an early magma ocean.

    • Suraj Bajgain
    • , Dipta B. Ghosh
    •  & Bijaya B. Karki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How the Greenland ice sheet responds to the drainage of water below the ice remains uncertain. Here, the authors combine digital elevation models and Landsat optical imagery to map subglacial drainage pathways and investigate the ice sheet surface response to a periodically draining subglacial lake.

    • Steven Palmer
    • , Malcolm McMillan
    •  & Mathieu Morlighem

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On 1 April 2014 the Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake seemed to close the well-recognized northern Chile seismic gap, producing only a small rupture. Here, the authors present seismic reflection and multibeam bathymetry data from the area suggesting that seamount subduction played a role in halting the rupture.

    • Jacob Geersen
    • , César R. Ranero
    •  & Christian Reichert

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