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Atmospheric CO2 enrichment inhibits the growth and activity of autotrophic nitrifiers through aggravation of anoxic stress in a nitrogen-rich paddy soil, according to a long-term free-air CO2 enrichment experiment. This CO2-induced inhibition effect on nitrifiers might contribute to the decline of inorganic nitrogen pools in lowland soil systems.
Planting trees in high-latitude regions can be counterproductive to climate change mitigation, according to a synthesis of the biophysical and ecological impacts of planting trees.
Field measurements and computer simulations show how fishing methods that drag weighted nets along the seabed counteract the seafloor sediments’ role as a carbon sink. The effect is ambiguous in weakly trawled areas but becomes clear in intensely trawled grounds.
By incorporating remote sensing and modelling evidence, we show that China’s growing biomass carbon stock over the past two decades has been dominated by the expansion and conservation of woody areas. Approximately half of the biomass carbon sinks were attributed to direct management effects with substantial contributions from national ecological restoration projects.
Aqueous mineral alteration on ancient Mars may have been mediated by reactions with water-saturated liquid CO2, a hypothesis inspired by carbon sequestration experiments for Earth.
Accelerating progress in land-climate science requires a renewed focus on developing theory to complement and underpin Earth system models and observations.
Emerging evidence indicates that groundwater flow significantly impacts the distribution and characteristics of subsea permafrost, as well as the geomorphology of the subarctic seafloor.
Laboratory experiments show that Fe(II) oxidizing phototrophic bacteria, or photoferrotrophs, thought to be a major depositor of Archean and Palaeoproterozoic iron formations, are inhibited by toxic intermediates produced during denitrification in iron-rich systems. This identifies a previously overlooked stressor impacting mineral formation by photoferrotrophs during early Earth history.
As climate change accelerates, fire regimes are increasingly disrupting ecosystems and carbon storage. A modelling study reveals that fire is already acting to substantially weaken global carbon sinks, potentially undermining efforts to limit warming.
Modelling of the evolution of the Kosi drainage basin near Chomolungma suggests that a river capture event occurred approximately 89 ka ago. Isostatic rebound due to this capture event could contribute 10–50% of the total rock uplift rate in the Chomolungma region and might partly explain Chomolungma’s renewed uplift rate and anomalous elevation.
A multiscale Earth system modelling approach that integrates machine learning could pave the way for improved climate projections and support actionable climate science.
The processes that control the deformation and eventual destruction of Earth’s oldest continental crust are unclear. Mantle flow models suggest subduction played a role in the deformation of the North China Craton.
A re-evaluation of global land-to-ocean carbon exports using a multi-model ensemble and a database of observations reveals that the export of carbon by rivers is 20% higher than that reported in the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment. These findings underscore the important contribution of riverine carbon to the carbon budget.
A global analysis of post-fire vegetation productivity recovery reveals that the recovery time shows spatial variations across vegetation types and regions. The dominant factors that influence the recovery time in the majority of the global burned area are the post-fire climate conditions, such as soil moisture, vapour pressure deficit and air temperature.
This study investigates the history of graphitic carbon in two ancient North American mountain belts related to Nuna supercontinent assembly. Using rhenium–osmium and uranium–lead dating, the research reveals that biogenic graphite was hydrothermally remobilized in shear zones during late orogenesis, indicating periodic carbon cycling over 200 million years.
Deformation experiments and piezoelectric modelling show that the electric charge generated by quartz crystals is capable of depositing dissolved gold. These results suggest that the piezoelectric activity of quartz might drive gold nugget formation from hydrothermal solutions in earthquake settings.
Wildfires are a natural disturbance in Arctic and boreal regions, but unprecedented wildfire extremes over the past decade have been linked to climate warming. Tracking fires at high temporal resolution reveals a large spatial variability in Arctic–boreal fire regimes driven by environmental and anthropogenic factors, which also modulate the climate sensitivity of different regions.
Humid heatwaves are often limited by the onset of convective rain, such as thunderstorms. Observational reanalysis data and climate models indicate that dry air 1–3 km above the Earth’s surface can curtail convective storms, allowing humid heatwaves to intensify on the ground. This effect is likely to be exacerbated by increasing global temperatures.
A consensus is emerging regarding the influence of aerosols on global precipitation patterns, although smaller-scale effects remain uncertain, according to a synthesis of recent work.
Tracking biodiversity potential is time-sensitive under climate change, especially in the most remote areas. A new analysis fulfils a long-standing need to map the terrestrial vegetation across Antarctica — a crucial step to identify carbon and nutrient cycling hotspots.
