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| Open AccessCorals record long-term Leeuwin current variability including Ningaloo Niño/Niña since 1795
El Niño Southern Oscillation has a strong impact on current strength and ocean temperatures off the western Australian coast, but long-term variability is poorly understood. Zinke et al.show a strong link between La Niña and El Niño events and decadal Leeuwin current variability in coral records since 1795.
- J. Zinke
- , A. Rountrey
- & M.T. McCulloch
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Fossil pollen records indicate that Patagonian desertification was not solely a consequence of Andean uplift
It is postulated that the Patagonian steppe evolved purely as a consequence of Andean uplift 15 million years ago, yet direct evidence is lacking. Palazzesi et al.present a bioclimatic analysis of pollen assemblages and show that Patagonian desertification began much more recently than previously thought.
- L. Palazzesi
- , V.D. Barreda
- & R. Ventura Santos
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| Open AccessElastic anisotropy of experimental analogues of perovskite and post-perovskite help to interpret D′′ diversity
Seismological observations of the D′′ layer near the core–mantle boundary are difficult to interpret and the minerals present are unstable at ambient conditions. Yoneda et al.present experiments using analogues, suggesting the observations are due to preferred crystal orientations.
- Akira Yoneda
- , Hiroshi Fukui
- & Alfred Q. R. Baron
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| Open AccessSize and frequency of natural forest disturbances and the Amazon forest carbon balance
The world’s tropical forests represent a terrestrial carbon sink, yet its size is uncertain. Espírito-Santo et al.characterize full Amazon disturbances combining forest inventories and remote sensing data, and use statistical modelling to quantify the Amazon aboveground forest carbon balance.
- Fernando D.B. Espírito-Santo
- , Manuel Gloor
- & Oliver L. Phillips
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| Open AccessRadiographic visualization of magma dynamics in an erupting volcano
Visualization of magma in a conduit with classical probes remains challenging due to geological heterogeneity and the geometrical structure of the conduit involved. Tanaka et al.use cosmic ray muons and report the first radiographic observation of the ascent and descent of magma along a conduit.
- Hiroyuki K. M. Tanaka
- , Taro Kusagaya
- & Hiroshi Shinohara
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Frictional velocity-weakening in landslides on Earth and on other planetary bodies
Despite commonly occurring on Earth and other terrestrial bodies, mass wasting processes are poorly understood, hampering hazard assessment and mitigation. Lucas and colleagues propose a universal velocity-weakening friction law capable of describing the behaviour of small to large landslides.
- Antoine Lucas
- , Anne Mangeney
- & Jean Paul Ampuero
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Quantitative bounds on morphodynamics and implications for reading the sedimentary record
Sedimentary rocks record planetary environmental history convolved with the internal dynamics of depositional landscapes. Ganti et al.show that the advection length of settling sediment sets bounds on internal landscape dynamics, providing a new tool to unravel sedimentary archives.
- Vamsi Ganti
- , Michael P. Lamb
- & Brandon McElroy
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| Open AccessEvidence for external forcing of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation since termination of the Little Ice Age
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation strongly influences Northern Hemisphere climate, yet its primary driver is poorly understood. Knudsen et al.analyse proxy records from the past ~450 years and show that external forcing has dominated control of the oscillation since the termination of the Little Ice Age.
- Mads Faurschou Knudsen
- , Bo Holm Jacobsen
- & Jesper Olsen
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| Open AccessThe dynamic surface tension of atmospheric aerosol surfactants reveals new aspects of cloud activation
The formation of cloud droplets from aerosol particles in the atmosphere is difficult to comprehend experimentally and theoretically. Here, the authors measure the dynamic surface tension of atmospheric aerosols and evidence previously overlooked processes, likely to improve this understanding.
- Barbara Nozière
- , Christine Baduel
- & Jean-Luc Jaffrezo
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| Open AccessPotential climate engineering effectiveness and side effects during a high carbon dioxide-emission scenario
The effectiveness of climate engineering in averting potentially catastrophic climate change has thus far been poorly evaluated. Keller et al. use an Earth system model to show that five different climate engineering scenarios are likely to have either a limited impact or potentially severe side effects.
- David P. Keller
- , Ellias Y. Feng
- & Andreas Oschlies
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Global heat and salt transports by eddy movement
Modelling studies suggest that oceanic mesoscale eddies play an important role in the global transport of heat and salt, yet there are few direct observations. Dong et al.present a method to calculate eddy transport through the use of satellite data and Argo profiles and confirm model-based estimates.
- Changming Dong
- , James C. McWilliams
- & Dake Chen
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Discovery of a novel methanogen prevalent in thawing permafrost
The microbes responsible for releasing the potent greenhouse gas methane from thawing permafrost remain largely unknown. Mondav and Woodcroft et al. investigate methane flux across a thaw gradient in Sweden and recover a near-complete genome of the dominant methanogen Candidatus ‘Methanoflorens stordalenmirensis’.
- Rhiannon Mondav
- , Ben J. Woodcroft
- & Gene W. Tyson
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| Open AccessGreenhouse conditions induce mineralogical changes and dolomite accumulation in coralline algae on tropical reefs
Ocean acidification is affecting the stability of coral reefs, but the exact mineralogical response is poorly understood. Diaz-Pulido et al.show that, under warming conditions, the relative abundance of dolomite increases by as much as 200% and could therefore slow the climate-induced break-up of coral reefs.
- Guillermo Diaz-Pulido
- , Merinda C. Nash
- & Ulrike Troitzsch
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| Open AccessWeibull-distributed dyke thickness reflects probabilistic character of host-rock strength
Understanding dyke thickness distributions is essential to quantify magma transport rates and improve eruption forecasting. Krumbholz et al.show that dyke thicknesses are Weibull-distributed and identify host-rock strength as the primary parameter that controls dyke emplacement.
- Michael Krumbholz
- , Christoph F. Hieronymus
- & Nadine Friese
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Regional climate model simulations indicate limited climatic impacts by operational and planned European wind farms
Wind power installations have boomed across Europe in recent decades, yet the potentially negative impact of wind farms on climate remains largely untested. Vautard et al. parameterize operational and planned European wind farms in a regional climate model and show limited regional-scale climate impacts.
- Robert Vautard
- , Françoise Thais
- & Paolo Michele Ruti
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| Open AccessLarge mesopelagic fishes biomass and trophic efficiency in the open ocean
Mesopelagic fishes dominate the global fishes biomass, yet there exist major uncertainties regarding their global biomass. Irigoien et al.analyse acoustic data collected during a circumglobal cruise and show that biomass estimates should be raised by an order of magnitude.
- Xabier Irigoien
- , T. A. Klevjer
- & S. Kaartvedt
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Microbial iron uptake as a mechanism for dispersing iron from deep-sea hydrothermal vents
Iron emitted from hydrothermal vents is stabilized by organic matter and dispersed into the world ocean, yet the pathways leading to iron–carbon interactions are unknown. Dick et al.propose that a new ‘microbial iron pump’ is responsible for converting hydrothermal iron into bioavailable forms.
- Meng Li
- , Brandy M. Toner
- & Gregory J. Dick
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New evidence suggests pyroclastic flows are responsible for the remarkable preservation of the Jehol biota
A dramatic event during the lower Cretaceous led to the deaths and remarkable preservation of a wide variety of birds, dinosaurs and mammals, yet the cause of mass-mortality remains under debate. Jiang et al. present new evidence and suggest that the events were mainly caused by phreatomagmatic eruptions.
- Baoyu Jiang
- , George E. Harlow
- & Jin Meng
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Long livestock farming history and human landscape shaping revealed by lake sediment DNA
Humans have influenced the shaping of the landscape for generations, yet disentangling these influences from those of climate is a challenge. Giguet-Covex et al.take the novel approach of using lake sediment DNA to reconstruct a detailed picture of human land use since the Neolithic Period.
- Charline Giguet-Covex
- , Johan Pansu
- & Pierre Taberlet
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Silicon isotopes indicate enhanced carbon export efficiency in the North Atlantic during deglaciation
The role of mesoscale processes in past carbon cycling in silica-limited regions such as the North Atlantic remains unclear. Hendry et al.show that changes in wind-driven upwelling during the last deglaciation resulted in enhanced silica utilization and carbon export efficiency compared with the present.
- Katharine R. Hendry
- , Laura F. Robinson
- & James D. Hays
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The European functional tree of bird life in the face of global change
Species response to environmental change can have an impact on community assemblages and ecosystem functioning. Here, the authors assess the combined impact of regional land use and climate change on bird functional diversity and find that global changes may lead to uniform species assemblages across Europe.
- Wilfried Thuiller
- , Samuel Pironon
- & Niklaus E. Zimmermann
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Asian pollution climatically modulates mid-latitude cyclones following hierarchical modelling and observational analysis
Intense aerosol outflows from East Asia have been observed, yet their impact on climate has not been quantified. Wang et al.combine regional mesoscale and global climate models with observations to show that Asian pollution causes large decadal variations in mid-latitude cyclone intensity.
- Yuan Wang
- , Renyi Zhang
- & R. Saravanan
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Helium anomalies suggest a fluid pathway from mantle to trench during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake
The behaviour of fluids along fault planes is not well defined, despite geophysical evidence that they play an important role in earthquake generation. Here, Sano et al.present helium anomaly data and suggest that fluid flowed from the mantle to the trench during the magnitude 9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake.
- Yuji Sano
- , Takahiro Hara
- & Keiko Hattori
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Natural wetland emissions of methylated trace elements
Methane emission occurs in natural wetlands on a large scale, but the corresponding trace element emissions have not been studied. Here, the authors study selenium and arsenic emission in a pristine peatland and show that this causes large amounts of those trace elements to enter the biogeochemical cycle.
- Bas Vriens
- , Markus Lenz
- & Lenny H.E. Winkel
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Anthropogenic radionuclides in atmospheric air over Switzerland during the last few decades
Plutonium and caesium radioisotopes have been injected into the atmosphere during nuclear weapon tests and via other anthropogenic sources. Alvarado et al. show that volcanic eruptions can redistribute those isotopes in the lower atmosphere, using the Eyjafjallajökull eruption as an example.
- J. A. Corcho Alvarado
- , P. Steinmann
- & P. Froidevaux
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| Open AccessSubmicron structures provide preferential spots for carbon and nitrogen sequestration in soils
Clay-sized particles bind organic matter and sequester carbon and nitrogen in soils, yet extent and localization of organic matter coverage remain unclear. Using NanoSIMS, Vogel et al.chemically image soils at ultra-high resolution and show that only particles with rough surfaces react with organic matter.
- Cordula Vogel
- , Carsten W. Mueller
- & Ingrid Kögel-Knabner
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Persistent 400,000-year variability of Antarctic ice volume and the carbon cycle is revealed throughout the Plio-Pleistocene
The precise contributions of solar forcing, the carbon cycle and glaciation to the pacing of global climate remains unresolved. Using four 3D ice-sheet models, de Boer et al.show that Antarctic ice volume and carbon-cycle dynamics varied coherently during the Pleistocene, as has been observed in the Miocene.
- B. de Boer
- , Lucas J. Lourens
- & Roderik S.W. van de Wal
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Spatial optimization of carbon-stocking projects across Africa integrating stocking potential with co-benefits and feasibility
Africa is one of the fastest growing regions for the voluntary carbon market. Here, Greve et al.quantify the potential for aboveground C stocking across tropical Africa and assess the optimal placement of carbon-stocking projects when also taking co-benefits and feasibility into account.
- Michelle Greve
- , Belinda Reyers
- & Jens-Christian Svenning
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The discovery of kimberlites in Antarctica extends the vast Gondwanan Cretaceous province
Kimberlite, an igneous rock in which the majority of the world’s diamonds are found, has been reported on all major continents barring Antarctica. Yaxley et al. present mineralogical and chemical data that confirms the first bona fidediscovery of kimberlite in the Antarctic.
- Gregory M. Yaxley
- , Vadim S. Kamenetsky
- & Marc Norman
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Human-induced nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe
Bioavailable nitrogen is increasing due to human activity, rapidly outpacing increases in another essential nutrient, phosphorous. Peñuelas et al.show that this increasing imbalance between these nutrients is likely to significantly affect life and limit carbon storage in this century.
- Josep Peñuelas
- , Benjamin Poulter
- & Ivan A. Janssens
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Mobile uranium(IV)-bearing colloids in a mining-impacted wetland
The radioactive element uranium tends to accumulate in wetland soils in the insoluble and immobile tetravalent form. Wang et al. show that uranium(IV) can associate with highly mobile organic- and iron(II)-bearing colloids and that its mobility in organic-rich environments may be severely underestimated.
- Yuheng Wang
- , Manon Frutschi
- & Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
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Increases in terrestrially derived carbon stimulate organic carbon processing and CO2 emissions in boreal aquatic ecosystems
Recent increases in the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of northern aquatic systems are likely to lead to increases in CO2 emissions, yet the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, evidence from hundreds of Canadian aquatic systems suggests a causal link between DOC concentrations and CO2flux.
- Jean-François Lapierre
- , François Guillemette
- & Paul A. del Giorgio
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Rapid interhemispheric climate links via the Australasian monsoon during the last deglaciation
The global monsoon is considered to have provided an important interhemispheric climate link during deglaciation, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, climate evidence from speleothems suggests that rapid latitudinal displacements of the Australasian monsoon play a key role in deglacial warming.
- Linda K. Ayliffe
- , Michael K. Gagan
- & Bambang W. Suwargadi
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Observed thinning of Totten Glacier is linked to coastal polynya variability
Totten Glacier discharges the largest volume of ice in East Antarctica, but the mechanisms causing its recent thinning are relatively unknown. Khazendar et al.combine remote-sensing data with high-resolution ice–ocean modelling to link this recent thinning to reduced sea ice production in polynyas.
- A. Khazendar
- , M.P. Schodlok
- & M.R. van den Broeke
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Pink marine sediments reveal rapid ice melt and Arctic meltwater discharge during Dansgaard–Oeschger warmings
Meltwater pulses from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets are strongly implicated in past millennial-scale shifts in ocean circulation, yet direct evidence is sparse. Here, a 30,000-year glacial meltwater history for the Svalbard–Barents Sea ice sheet is reconstructed in a marine sediment core.
- Tine L. Rasmussen
- & Erik Thomsen
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Carbon isotope records reveal precise timing of enhanced Southern Ocean upwelling during the last deglaciation
Upwelling of CO2 from the Southern Ocean may have played a key role in deglacial warming, but marine sediment studies are hindered by inaccurate chronologies. Siani et al. present new surface reservoir 14C ages derived from tephra and show that deglacial CO2escape was synchronous with Antarctic warming.
- Giuseppe Siani
- , Elisabeth Michel
- & Anna Lourantou
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Palaeoclimate reconstructions reveal a strong link between El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Tropical Pacific mean state
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is one of the largest sources of global climate variability, yet our understanding relative to the Topical Pacific mean state is poor. Here, geochemical analyses of marine plankton reveal a strong link between zonal sea-surface temperatures and ENSO variability.
- Aleksey Yu Sadekov
- , Raja Ganeshram
- & Alexander W. Tudhope
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Exceptional mobility of an advancing rhyolitic obsidian flow at Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile
Obsidian lava flows accompanied some of Earth’s most powerful eruptions, yet an active advancing flow field has never been observed. Tuffen et al.present four-dimensional models of the lava flow following the 2011 eruption of Cordón Caulle, Chile, and provide new insights into silicic lava flow dynamics.
- Hugh Tuffen
- , Mike R. James
- & C. Ian Schipper
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| Open AccessRapid regional perturbations to the recent global geomagnetic decay revealed by a new Hawaiian record
The Earth’s geomagnetic field has weakened in recent centuries, leading to calls for historic reconstructions; however, records are sparse and unevenly distributed. de Groot et al.provide a new, high-quality record from Hawaiian lavas, revealing crucial insights into past geomagnetic field fluctuations.
- L. V. de Groot
- , A. J. Biggin
- & E. Herrero-Bervera
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Evidence for the alkaline nature of parental carbonatite melts at Oka complex in Canada
With the exception of one occurrence, carbonatites worldwide are curiously deficient in alkalis. Here, Chen et al.present new melt inclusion data from plutonic relics in Canada that hint at a wider prevalence of alkali-enriched parental carbonatite in the geological record than previously thought.
- Wei Chen
- , Vadim S. Kamenetsky
- & Antonio Simonetti
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Deoxygenation alters bacterial diversity and community composition in the ocean’s largest oxygen minimum zone
Oxygen minimum zones in the global ocean have an important role in biogeochemical cycles, yet their response to climate change is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that bacterial community composition is tightly coupled to dissolved oxygen and is likely to fundamentally change as the oceans warm.
- J. Michael Beman
- & Molly T. Carolan
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| Open AccessNatural gold particles in Eucalyptus leaves and their relevance to exploration for buried gold deposits
The discovery of new gold deposits has declined by 45% over the past 10 years. Lintern et al.present new evidence for the occurrence of particulate gold in trees growing above buried mineral deposits, and propose vegetation sampling as a mineral exploration method.
- Melvyn Lintern
- , Ravi Anand
- & David Paterson
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| Open AccessSequestration of Martian CO2 by mineral carbonation
The mechanism by which Mars lost its early dense and carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere remains relatively unknown. Here, via mineralogical analysis of the Lafayette Martian meteorite, Tomkinson et al. infer that carbonation was an effective carbon dioxide sequestration mechanism on an early, water-rich Mars.
- Tim Tomkinson
- , Martin R. Lee
- & Caroline L. Smith
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Source time function properties indicate a strain drop independent of earthquake depth and magnitude
Earthquakes occur on a broad range of depths and magnitudes, making their origins and impacts difficult to assess. Here, the analysis of 1,700 earthquakes reveals that strain drop is globally invariant, providing constraints on the rupture process and simplifying the task of earthquake damage predictions.
- Martin Vallée
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Earthworms facilitate carbon sequestration through unequal amplification of carbon stabilization compared with mineralization
The presence of earthworms in soil may significantly increase CO2 emissions, but the impacts of earthworms on net carbon sequestration are poorly understood. Zhang et al. introduce a new concept by which the effects of earthworms on the balance of carbon mineralization and stabilization can be quantified.
- Weixin Zhang
- , Paul F. Hendrix
- & Shenglei Fu
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Photochemical reflectance index as an indirect estimator of foliar isoprenoid emissions at the ecosystem level
Isoprene and monoterpenes, emitted by terrestrial plants, have an important role in both plant biology and environment, but they are poorly quantified at the ecosystem level. Peñuelas et al.show that the photochemical reflectance index can be used to indirectly estimate foliar isoprenoid emissions remotely.
- Josep Peñuelas
- , Giovanni Marino
- & Iolanda Filella
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Oxygen consumption rates in subseafloor basaltic crust derived from a reaction transport model
Deep oceanic crust could host a wealth of microbial life, but biogeochemical reactions therein are poorly understood. Orcutt et al.combine measurements of sedimentary oxygen and pore water chemistry from basement crust with a reactive transport box model to shed light on oxygen consumption in basaltic crust.
- Beth N. Orcutt
- , C. Geoffrey Wheat
- & Wolfgang Bach
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Human impacts drive a global topographic signature in tree cover
Humans have greatly altered the distribution of forests across the world. Here, the authors use estimates of tree cover from remote-sensing data to reveal that human impact has produced a strong tendency for forest remnants to persist primarily on sloped terrain.
- Brody Sandel
- & Jens-Christian Svenning
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| Open AccessOsmium isotope evidence for a large Late Triassic impact event
Before the mass extinction that characterized the Late Triassic period, there were a series of biotic turnover events, the cause of which are the subject of debate. Sato et al. present geochemical evidence in support of the theory that extraterrestrial impacts had an important role in these events.
- Honami Sato
- , Tetsuji Onoue
- & Katsuhiko Suzuki