Ashok Kumar Gupta, Tushar Mittal, Kristen E Fauria, Ralf Bennartz, Jasper F Kok
{"title":"The January 2022 Hunga eruption cooled the southern hemisphere in 2022 and 2023.","authors":"Ashok Kumar Gupta, Tushar Mittal, Kristen E Fauria, Ralf Bennartz, Jasper F Kok","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02181-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02181-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 2022 Hunga volcanic eruption injected a significant quantity of water vapor into the stratosphere while releasing only limited sulfur dioxide. It has been proposed that this excess water vapor could have contributed to global warming, potentially pushing temperatures beyond the 1.5 °C threshold of the Paris Climate Accord. However, given the cooling effects of sulfate aerosols and the contrasting impacts of ozone loss (cooling) versus gain (warming), assessing the eruption's net radiative effect is essential. Here, we quantify the Hunga-induced perturbations in stratospheric water vapor, sulfate aerosols, and ozone using satellite observations and radiative transfer simulations. Our analysis shows that these components induce clear-sky instantaneous net radiative energy losses at both the top of the atmosphere and near the tropopause. In 2022, the Southern Hemisphere experienced a radiative forcing of -0.55 ± 0.05 W m⁻² at the top of the atmosphere and -0.52 ± 0.05 W m⁻² near the tropopause. By 2023, these values decreased to -0.26 ± 0.04 W m⁻² and -0.25 ± 0.04 W m⁻², respectively. Employing a two-layer energy balance model, we estimate that these losses resulted in cooling of about -0.10 ± 0.02 K in the Southern Hemisphere by the end of 2022 and 2023. Thus, we conclude that the Hunga eruption cooled rather than warmed the Southern Hemisphere during this period.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"240"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11949836/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143751291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pascal Kunath, Peter J Talling, Dietrich Lange, Wu-Cheng Chi, Megan L Baker, Morelia Urlaub, Christian Berndt
{"title":"Ocean-bottom seismometers reveal surge dynamics in Earth's longest-runout sediment flows.","authors":"Pascal Kunath, Peter J Talling, Dietrich Lange, Wu-Cheng Chi, Megan L Baker, Morelia Urlaub, Christian Berndt","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02137-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02137-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Turbidity currents carve Earth's deepest canyons, form Earth's largest sediment deposits, and break seabed telecommunications cables. Directly measuring turbidity currents is notoriously challenging due to their destructive impact on instruments within their path. This is especially the case for canyon-flushing flows that can travel >1000 km at >5 m/s, whose dynamics are poorly understood. We deployed ocean-bottom seismometers safely outside turbidity currents, and used emitted seismic signals to remotely monitor canyon-flushing events. By analyzing seismic power variations with distance and signal polarization, we distinguish signals generated by turbulence and sediment transport and document the evolving internal speed and structure of flows. Flow-fronts have dense near-bed layers comprising multiple surges with 5-to-30-minute durations, continuing for many hours. Fastest surges occur 30-60 minutes behind the flow-front, providing momentum that sustains flow-fronts for >1000 km. Our results highlight surging within dense near-bed layers as a key driver of turbidity currents' long-distance runout.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"147"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11850286/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143514927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Atmospheric amines are a crucial yet missing link in Earth's climate via airborne aerosol production.","authors":"Vijay P Kanawade, Tuija Jokinen","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02063-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02063-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Atmospheric amines, derivatives of ammonia, play a unique yet not fully understood role in air quality, climate and public health. Sub-5 parts per trillion Volume (pptV, <10<sup>-12</sup> in volume) mixing ratios of amines facilitate the physical and/or chemical transformation of aerosols in the atmosphere, enhancing aerosol formation and growth rates, aerosol hygroscopicity, and the activation of cloud condensation nuclei. This serves as the initial step for cloud droplet formation and, consequently, influences cloud properties and the hydrological cycle. Ambient observations demonstrate more than a thousand-fold particle formation rates in the presence of amines as compared to ammonia. Yet, the challenges related to detecting minute levels of amines, the paucity of ambient amine measurements, and the limited process-based understanding of airborne aerosol production have resulted in amines being underrepresented in global climate models. Therefore, advanced techniques with extremely low detection limits and highly spatially and temporally resolved ambient amine measurements globally in diverse environments are essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"98"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11810795/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143406210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adrian Unc, Majdi R Abou Najm, Paul Eric Aspholm, Tirupati Bolisetti, Colleen Charles, Ranjan Datta, Trine Eggen, Belinda Flem, Getu Hailu, Eldbjørg Sofie Heimstad, Margot Hurlbert, Meriam Karlsson, Marius Korsnes, Arthur Nash, David Parsons, Radha Sivarajan Sajeevan, Narasinha Shurpali, Govert Valkenburg, Danielle Wilde, Bing Wu, Sandra F Yanni, Debasmita Misra
{"title":"Arctic food and energy security at the crossroads.","authors":"Adrian Unc, Majdi R Abou Najm, Paul Eric Aspholm, Tirupati Bolisetti, Colleen Charles, Ranjan Datta, Trine Eggen, Belinda Flem, Getu Hailu, Eldbjørg Sofie Heimstad, Margot Hurlbert, Meriam Karlsson, Marius Korsnes, Arthur Nash, David Parsons, Radha Sivarajan Sajeevan, Narasinha Shurpali, Govert Valkenburg, Danielle Wilde, Bing Wu, Sandra F Yanni, Debasmita Misra","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02122-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02122-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arctic food systems blend Traditional Ecological Knowledge with modern, often energy-intensive influences, triggered by colonization. Food systems' future depends on alignment of tradition with innovation, facilitation of resilience and a heritage-driven interaction with the global economy - at a pace determined by local communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"121"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835721/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143467067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emil De Borger, Dick van Oevelen, Ninon Mavraki, Annelies De Backer, Ulrike Braeckman, Karline Soetaert, Jan Vanaverbeke
{"title":"Offshore wind farms modify coastal food web dynamics by enhancing suspension feeder pathways.","authors":"Emil De Borger, Dick van Oevelen, Ninon Mavraki, Annelies De Backer, Ulrike Braeckman, Karline Soetaert, Jan Vanaverbeke","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02253-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02253-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Given the global offshore wind farm (OWF) proliferation, we investigated the impact of OWFs on the marine food web. Using linear inverse modelling (LIM), we compared the OWF food web with two soft-sediment food webs nearby. Novel in situ data on species biomass and their isotopic composition were combined with literature data to construct food webs. Our findings highlight the prominent role of hard-substrate species on turbine foundations as organic material inputs for the food web. Hard substrate species account for approximately 26% of food source uptake from the water column and increase carbon deposition on the surrounding seafloor by ~10%. OWFs facilitate a novel food web with a higher productivity than expected based on standing biomass alone, as a result of numerous interactions between a diverse species community. Our study underscores profound effects of OWFs on marine ecosystems, suggesting the need for further research into their ecological impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"330"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12040705/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143981680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alberto Baudena, Rémi Laxenaire, Camille Catalano, Artemis Ioannou, Edouard Leymarie, Marc Picheral, Antoine Poteau, Sabrina Speich, Lars Stemmann, Rainer Kiko
{"title":"A Lagrangian perspective reveals the carbon and oxygen budget of an oceanic eddy.","authors":"Alberto Baudena, Rémi Laxenaire, Camille Catalano, Artemis Ioannou, Edouard Leymarie, Marc Picheral, Antoine Poteau, Sabrina Speich, Lars Stemmann, Rainer Kiko","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02262-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02262-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Quantifying the ocean's ability to sequester atmospheric carbon is essential in a climate change context. Measurements of gravitational carbon export to the mesopelagic seldom balance the carbon demand or the oxygen consumption there, suggesting the potential presence of other mechanisms of carbon export. We deployed a biogeochemical Argo float in a cyclone in the Benguela upwelling system for five months, and estimated vertical carbon export and respiration in the eddy via particle imagery with an underwater vision profiler 6 in a quasi Lagrangian way. A sensitivity analysis shows that, under certain assumptions, oxygen consumption rates could match the carbon supply and carbon demand. We furthermore identified a mechanism of vertical particulate carbon export, the full eddy core submergence pump. Our analysis suggests that at 450 m depth, within this eddy, this pump exports about one fourth to half of the total carbon compared to the biological gravitational pump.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"318"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12021650/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143968865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lea Kröner, Hans Jm van Grinsven, Jan Willem Erisman, Morten Graversgaard, Tim Immerzeel, Jørgen Eivind Olesen, Alfredo Rodríguez, Bárbara Soriano, Alberto Sanz-Cobena, Tanja van der Lippe
{"title":"Climate change skepticism of European farmers and implications for effective policy actions.","authors":"Lea Kröner, Hans Jm van Grinsven, Jan Willem Erisman, Morten Graversgaard, Tim Immerzeel, Jørgen Eivind Olesen, Alfredo Rodríguez, Bárbara Soriano, Alberto Sanz-Cobena, Tanja van der Lippe","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02304-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02304-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>European farmers struggle with mitigating global emissions of greenhouse gases effectively and to cope with climate change. European regulators and national governments encounter obstacles in implementing environmental policies, feeding frustration amongst farmers. We hypothesize that these issues relate to climate change skepticism within the farming community and dissensus with non-farmers and between countries. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed climate attribution and impact skepticism amongst farmers and the rest of the working population using the Eurobarometer and the European Social Survey, and national data about gross domestic product (GDP), innovativeness, share of agricultural land, and climate damage risk for agriculture. Impact skepticism of farmers increases with decreasing risk of climate damage and increasing GDP, causing a South-North gradient in Europe. The majority of farmers in the EU countries were more skeptical than non-farmers. Understanding and reducing this skepticism provides a key to more effective mitigation and adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"396"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12095061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144141598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana L Lacerda, Maíra C Proietti, Felipe Kessler, Carlos R Mendes, Eduardo R Secchi, Joe D Taylor
{"title":"Oceanic regions shape the composition of the Antarctic plastisphere.","authors":"Ana L Lacerda, Maíra C Proietti, Felipe Kessler, Carlos R Mendes, Eduardo R Secchi, Joe D Taylor","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02445-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02445-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antarctica, once considered pristine, is increasingly threatened by plastic pollution, with debris found in its waters, sediments, sea ice, and biota. Here, we provide a comprehensive molecular survey of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity on plastics around the Antarctic Peninsula, addressing a gap in existing research. Using eDNA metabarcoding, we identified diverse communities, with Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota dominating prokaryotic communities, while Gyrista (mostly diatoms), Fungi and Arthropods were prevalent among eukaryotes. Geographic location significantly influenced community composition, with differences between the Bransfield Strait and the Gerlache Strait/Bellingshausen Sea. Polymer type and plastic shape did not impact species richness or community structure. These findings offer new insights into the complexity of the Antarctic plastisphere, highlighting potential impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and the broader implications of marine plastic pollution.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"462"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167171/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144309663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pietro Gabellini, Eduardo Rossi, Raffaello Cioni, Marco Pistolesi, Lukas P Baumgartner, Costanza Bonadonna
{"title":"X-Ray micro-tomography unveils the internal features of volcanic ash aggregates.","authors":"Pietro Gabellini, Eduardo Rossi, Raffaello Cioni, Marco Pistolesi, Lukas P Baumgartner, Costanza Bonadonna","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02378-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02378-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Volcanic ash aggregation occurs during transport in the atmosphere when individual ash particles collide and stick together. It significantly impacts ash residence time in the atmosphere, with major consequences for hazard assessment and ash dispersal forecasts. Nonetheless, aggregation processes are still not adequately parametrized, mostly due to the low preservation potential of most aggregate types. We present here the first, detailed structural and morphological characterization of the major aggregate types, combining an innovative field collection strategy, which allows for the original aggregate structure to be preserved at deposition, coupled to X-Ray micro-tomography. Resulting observations together with weather information, allowed for the structure of fragile ash clusters and of the elusive cored Ash Pellets (cAP1s) to be fully resolved and their genesis to be better described. The collected dataset represents a fundamental advancement towards a comprehensive characterization of the principal aggregate categories, which is key to accurately interpreting and modelling the process of volcanic ash aggregation and dispersal.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"521"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12226349/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ewa Krymarys, Motohiko Murakami, Pinku Saha, Christian Liebske
{"title":"The presence of ancient subducted oceanic crust contributes to seismic anomalies in Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces.","authors":"Ewa Krymarys, Motohiko Murakami, Pinku Saha, Christian Liebske","doi":"10.1038/s43247-025-02700-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-025-02700-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) near the core-mantle boundary (CMB) are key yet enigmatic structures. Their origin is often linked to the accumulation of subducted mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), but computational models question MORB as the sole source due to its predicted high shear wave velocity compared to normal mantle. This uncertainty is compounded by the lack of direct sound velocity measurements at CMB pressures. Here we address this gap through ultrahigh-pressure shear wave velocity measurements on CaCl<sub>2</sub>- and α-PbO<sub>2</sub>-type SiO<sub>2</sub>, major phases in MORB, at pressures exceeding those of the CMB. Our results show shear velocities in dense SiO<sub>2</sub> phases are ~ 7-14% lower than previous predictions under these conditions. Incorporating these values into MORB models suggests that the typical seismic anomaly of -1.5% (δln<i>V</i> <sub><i>S</i></sub> ) observed in LLSVPs can be explained by ~ 23-33 vol.% oceanic crust along a cold slab geotherm, without invoking extreme thermal anomalies (+1500 K). Considering a subduction history exceeding 2 billion years, this scenario supports long-term MORB accumulation at the lowermost mantle. These findings provide new constraints on LLSVP composition and offer critical insights into deep mantle dynamics and the evolution of Earth's interior.</p>","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":"6 1","pages":"713"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12394072/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144945702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}