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Sulfur dioxide is a key air contaminant. A satellite-based emissions inventory reveals a number of hitherto unknown sources, with a cluster around the Persian Gulf, and identifies large discrepancies with conventional inventories in some regions.
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has weakened over the past decade. Examination of a global reanalysis that matches independent observations shows that the decline is consistent with recovery from an earlier invigoration.
An energetic process is needed to convert N2 into compounds essential for life. Simulations show that interactions between powerful solar flares and Earth’s magnetic field could have facilitated nitrogen fixation in the early atmosphere.
Organic carbon decays as it travels through inland waters from soils to the sea. Analysis of data from across the continuum of inland and marine aquatic systems reveals that the rate of organic carbon decay depends on water retention time.
The high relief on Jupiter’s moon Io has been linked to compression due to global subsidence. Simulations show that Io’s mountains may form along thrust faults that initiate at the lithosphere’s base where the compressive stresses are highest.
Dissolved oxygen in the mid-depth tropical Pacific Ocean has declined. Simulations with a combination of atmosphere and ocean models suggest that anthropogenic pollution can interact and amplify climate-driven impacts on ocean biogeochemistry.
The global transport and fate of semivolatile aromatic hydrocarbons and their relevance for the carbon cycle are poorly quantified. Global measurements in paired atmospheric and ocean samples suggest that their contribution is substantial.
The composition of the Earth’s early atmosphere is uncertain. The morphology of vesicles in basalts suggests that the air pressure 2.7 billion years ago was less than half of modern levels.
Mantle flow causes Earth’s surface to uplift and subside. Global analysis of dynamically generated topography suggests that temperature-induced, small-scale mantle flow has a bigger influence on surface topography than large-scale mantle flow.
Airborne organic particles affect Earth’s climate. Imaging of particles after rain events and experimental irrigation shows that water drop impaction of soils generates solid organic particles, with impacts on clouds and radiation absorption.
Liquid water on the Martian surface is expected to be metastable owing to low atmospheric pressure. Experiments at Martian conditions reveal that water and briny flows induce grain saltation and slope destabilization, with geomorphic consequences.
Meltwater runoff from the Greenland ice sheet alters ocean surface salinity. Numerical simulations show that meltwater from southeastern Greenland is transported to the Labrador Sea more efficiently than that from southwestern Greenland.
Megathrust earthquakes rupture the shallow plate boundary in subduction zones. Analysis of seismic activity preceding megathrust quakes in Japan and Chile reveals deep seismicity that may mark plunging of the slabs prior to main fault rupture.
Uptake of atmospheric CO2 contributes to ocean acidification. Measurements of seawater chemistry reveal that the extreme acidity of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf is driven by terrestrial organic matter and freshwater inputs.
Phosphorus fertilizer use has roughly quadrupled in the past century. Budgets constructed from historical data show that phosphorus rapidly accumulates in river basins during periods of high inputs and continues to mobilize after inputs decline.
Localized subglacial zones of high traction help to regulate ice sheet flow. Geophysical data from a palaeo-ice-stream suggest that methane gas accumulation and hydrate formation beneath ice sheets can produce such high-traction sticky spots.
The configurations of the ancient supercontinents are poorly known. Analysis of the ages of giant magma intrusions that affected both Siberia and Laurentia shows that the two continents were connected, possibly for as long as 1.2 billion years.
Northern Hemisphere ice sheets expanded 2.7 million years ago. Sediment geochemistry suggests that at this time, the North Atlantic began to experience incursions of southern-sourced water during glacials, similar to the last glacial period.
Volatile organic compounds can affect air quality and climate. Experimental warming of vegetated tundra plots in Greenland increased biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from vegetation and soils by 260%, as a direct effect.
Basal melting is widespread in the north-central Greenland ice sheet. Geophysical data and numerical modelling suggest a geothermal anomaly in this region resulting from the earlier passage of Greenland over the Iceland mantle plume.