Raquel Peixoto, Christian R. Voolstra, Lisa Y. Stein, Philip Hugenholtz, Joana Falcao Salles, Shady A. Amin, Max Häggblom, Ann Gregory, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Fengping Wang, Nadège Adoukè Agbodjato, Yinzhao Wang, Nianzhi Jiao, Jay T. Lennon, Antonio Ventosa, Patrik M. Bavoil, Virginia Miller, Jack A. Gilbert
{"title":"Microbial solutions must be deployed against climate catastrophe","authors":"Raquel Peixoto, Christian R. Voolstra, Lisa Y. Stein, Philip Hugenholtz, Joana Falcao Salles, Shady A. Amin, Max Häggblom, Ann Gregory, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Fengping Wang, Nadège Adoukè Agbodjato, Yinzhao Wang, Nianzhi Jiao, Jay T. Lennon, Antonio Ventosa, Patrik M. Bavoil, Virginia Miller, Jack A. Gilbert","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01817-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01817-6","url":null,"abstract":"This paper is a call to action. By publishing concurrently across journals like an emergency bulletin, we are not merely making a plea for awareness about climate change. Instead, we are demanding immediate, tangible steps that harness the power of microbiology and the expertise of researchers and policymakers to safeguard the planet for future generations.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01817-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636961","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}
Ashok Dahal, Hakan Tanyas, P. Martin Mai, Mark van der Meijde, Cees van Westen, Luigi Lombardo
{"title":"Quantifying the influence of topographic amplification on the landslides triggered by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake","authors":"Ashok Dahal, Hakan Tanyas, P. Martin Mai, Mark van der Meijde, Cees van Westen, Luigi Lombardo","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01822-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01822-9","url":null,"abstract":"Topographic amplification is caused by the interaction between seismic waves and rough terrains. It increases shaking levels on hilltops and could lead stable slopes to the brink of failure. However, its contribution to coseismic landslide occurrence is yet to be quantified over landscapes shaken by strong earthquakes. Here, we examine how topographic amplification controls the spatial distribution of landslides triggered by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. We find that 6–17% of coseismic failures initiate due to topographic amplification. Among these, only 13% occurred in the vicinity of the rupture zone (<40 km), presumably because proximal slopes fail due to the strong motion, irrespective of topographic amplification. Conversely, the majority of landslides (~60%) due to topographic amplification occur away from the epicentre. Our findings imply that the contribution of topographic amplification is generally overestimated in the case of strong earthquakes, an interpretation that rather holds only far from the rupture zone. The role of topographic amplification of seismic waves on the genesis of co-seismic landslides is overestimated near the rupture zone of large earthquakes where ground motion is high, according to numerical simulations and field observations of the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorhka earthquake, Nepal.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01822-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636987","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":"On the spatial double peak of the 2023–2024 El Niño event","authors":"Xin Geng, Jong-Seong Kug, Na-Yeon Shin, Wenjun Zhang, Han-Ching Chen","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01870-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01870-1","url":null,"abstract":"The 2023–2024 El Niño has raised widespread concern in scientific and public communities. Here, using latest observational reanalysis, we show that this event matured with two distinct spatial peaks of sea surface temperature anomaly in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific, respectively. Like other double-peaked El Niños, the central Pacific sea surface temperature peaked in winter due to zonal advective and thermocline feedbacks. However, the eastern counterpart matured asynchronously in autumn and then stopped growing. This peculiar behavior results primarily from a cooling zonal advection by the anomalous westward current in the eastern Pacific during the autumn of 2023, which is associated with the local wind-driven sea surface height meridional concavity. We further propose that the relatively stronger and more eastward-displaced autumn precipitation in the Pacific intertropical convergence zone in 2023, compared to other double-peaked El Niños, is the primary cause of this distinct wind and sea surface height pattern. The 2023–2024 El Niño experienced two distinct spatial peaks of sea surface temperature anomaly in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific, with the central Pacific peak occurring in winter due to zonal advection and thermocline feedback, while the eastern counterpart matured in autumn, according to results from observational reanalysis data.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01870-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636994","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":"Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for Paris climate goals","authors":"Cyril Brunner, Zeke Hausfather, Reto Knutti","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01808-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01808-7","url":null,"abstract":"Carbon Dioxide Removal is essential for achieving net zero emissions, as it is required to neutralize any residual CO2 emissions. The scientifically recognized definition of Carbon Dioxide Removal requires removed atmospheric CO2 to be stored “durably”; however, it remains unclear what is meant by durably, and interpretations have varied from decades to millennia. Using a reduced-complexity climate model, here we examined the effect of Carbon Dioxide Removal with varying CO2 storage durations. We found that storage duration substantially affects whether net zero emissions achieve the desired temperature outcomes. With a typical 100-year storage duration, net zero CO2 emissions with 6 GtCO2 per year residual emissions result in an additional warming of 1.1 °C by 2500 compared to permanent storage, thus putting the internationally agreed temperature limits at risk. Our findings suggest that a CO2 storage period of less than 1000 years is insufficient for neutralizing remaining fossil CO2 emissions under net zero emissions. These results reinforce the principle that credible neutralization claims using Carbon Dioxide Removal in a net zero framework require balancing emissions with removals of similar atmospheric residence time and storage reservoir, e.g., geological or biogenic. In a net zero framework, Carbon Dioxide Removal with storage periods of less than 1000 years is insufficient to neutralize remaining fossil carbon dioxide emissions, suggest simulations with a reduced complexity climate model.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01808-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636988","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}
Lena N. Vincent, Edith C. Fayolle, Robert Hodyss, Paul V. Johnson, Aaron C. Noell
{"title":"Bacterial spore morphology remains highly recognizable after exposure to simulated Enceladus and Europa surface conditions","authors":"Lena N. Vincent, Edith C. Fayolle, Robert Hodyss, Paul V. Johnson, Aaron C. Noell","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01872-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01872-z","url":null,"abstract":"The subsurface oceans of Enceladus and Europa are thought to be some of the best candidate environments for finding life beyond Earth. Realistically, the first missions aimed at searching for life on these worlds will likely be restricted to the shallow subsurface. Here, we investigated whether indicators of life, or biosignatures, deposited near the surface could persist long enough to be detected, given that the extremely harsh conditions there would tend to degrade them. We exposed Bacillus subtilis spores to Ocean World surface conditions and used electron microscopy combined with spectroscopic approaches to assess the preservation potential of structural and morphological biosignatures derived from spores. Our results show that spore structure is highly resilient in the face of extreme conditions long after they have been inactivated, suggesting that methods targeting cell morphology would be valuable components in a suite of life detection strategies used in future missions to Ocean Worlds. Experiments conducted at radiation and temperature conditions representative of the surfaces of Europa and Enceladus suggest the structure and morphology of bacterial spores remain intact despite loss of viability","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01872-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636986","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}
Charlotte Clément, Philippe Martinez, Qiuzhen Yin, Steven Clemens, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Srinivasan Prasad, Krishnamurthy Anupama, Qianqian Su, Anqi Lyu, Antoine Grémare, Stéphanie Desprat
{"title":"Greening of India and revival of the South Asian summer monsoon in a warmer world","authors":"Charlotte Clément, Philippe Martinez, Qiuzhen Yin, Steven Clemens, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Srinivasan Prasad, Krishnamurthy Anupama, Qianqian Su, Anqi Lyu, Antoine Grémare, Stéphanie Desprat","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01781-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01781-1","url":null,"abstract":"While it is accepted that the tropical hydrological cycle has intensified during past interglacial periods due to changes in insolation, greenhouse gases and ice volume, their respective influences are uncertain. Here we present a pollen record from Bengal Bay to reconstruct vegetation changes in India’s core monsoon zone during two warm periods, the current and last interglacial, comparing the data with numerical model simulations to assess the influence of different forcing mechanisms. Results show tropical forest expansion between 11.7-5 ka and 127-120 ka, defining two Indian humid periods, with the last interglacial showing the strongest monsoon activity, consistent with salinity reconstructions. Model-data comparison highlights boreal summer insolation as the primary driver of vegetation dynamics and monsoon intensity during interglacial periods, with CO2 and ice-sheets having a limited effect. Vegetation remains unaffected by pre-industrial CO2 variations above 250 ppmv, a threshold value that characterizes most interglacials of the last million years. Tropical forest markedly expanded between 11.7 and 5 ka and especially between 127 and 120 ka, due to greater monsoon activity mainly driven by insolation forcing, according to analysis of a Bay of Bengal pollen record and model results.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01781-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636985","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}
Marie Arnaud, Melissa Bakhos, Cornelia Rumpel, Marie-France Dignac, Nicolas Bottinelli, Richard J. Norby, Philippe Geairon, Jonathan Deborde, Pierre Kostyrka, Julien Gernigon, Jean-Christophe Lemesle, Pierre Polsenaere
{"title":"Salt marsh litter decomposition varies more by litter type than by extent of sea-level inundation","authors":"Marie Arnaud, Melissa Bakhos, Cornelia Rumpel, Marie-France Dignac, Nicolas Bottinelli, Richard J. Norby, Philippe Geairon, Jonathan Deborde, Pierre Kostyrka, Julien Gernigon, Jean-Christophe Lemesle, Pierre Polsenaere","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01855-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01855-0","url":null,"abstract":"Salt marshes are among the most efficient blue carbon sinks worldwide. The fate of this carbon is uncertain due to limited knowledge about organic matter (OM) decomposition processes under sea-level rise. In an in-situ manipulative experiment, we compared salt marsh OM decomposition and quality across simulated sea-level scenarios (by modifying the inundation) and litter types (absorptive root, fine transportive root, leaves, and rhizomes of Halimione portulacoide) for 170 days. The litter decomposition varied only between the inundation treatments with the longest and shortest durations, while the decomposition differed significantly across litter types, with absorptive roots releasing up to 40% less carbon than other litters. Changes in lignin composition were minimal for absorptive roots and were unaffected by sea-level rise scenarios. Our study suggests that (i) current projections of sea-level rise are unlikely to decrease litter decomposition; (ii) separating litter types might lead to better assessments of salt marshes’ OM dynamics. Global estimates of salt marsh organic matter decomposition dynamics can be improved by taking into account the differences in decomposition rates among litter types, according to an in situ manipulative experiment in a French temperate salt marsh","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01855-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637003","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":"Psychological health declined during the post-monsoon season in communities impacted by sea-level rise in Bangladesh","authors":"Sajjad Kabir, Elizabeth Newnham, Ashraf Dewan, Md. Monirul Islam, Takeshi Hamamura","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01862-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01862-1","url":null,"abstract":"Sea level rise affects the long-term psychological health of coastal communities. However, research on long-term and seasonal impacts on vulnerable communities’ psychological health is limited. Here, we explore the effect of sea-level rise on the psychological health of the coastal population in Satkhira and Khulna districts of southwest Bangladesh across two seasons: before monsoon (March to April) and post-monsoon months (October to November) in 2021. We leveraged the longitudinal research that involved 1144 participants. We collected data on psychological health using established scales for distress, depression, anxiety, and stress and also measured environmental factors and resource losses. Results indicate that psychological health, particularly distress, depression, anxiety, and stress, increased during the post-monsoon months in communities more vulnerable to sea-level rise. Highly vulnerable communities showed increased psychological distress post-monsoon. Environmental stressors and resource loss escalated during the post-monsoon period, especially in moderate and highly vulnerable communities. Our findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted support and resilience-building interventions in affected communities to alleviate the psychological health impacts of sea-level rise. In Bangladesh, the vulnerable communities to sea level rise experience an increase in distress, depression, anxiety, and stress due to environmental stressors and resource loss during the post-monsoon months, according to an analysis that uses the survey of 1144 participants and a statistical approach.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01862-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637016","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}
Marylou Athanase, Antonio Sánchez-Benítez, Eva Monfort, Thomas Jung, Helge F. Goessling
{"title":"How climate change intensified storm Boris’ extreme rainfall, revealed by near-real-time storylines","authors":"Marylou Athanase, Antonio Sánchez-Benítez, Eva Monfort, Thomas Jung, Helge F. Goessling","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01847-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01847-0","url":null,"abstract":"Disentangling the impact of climate change on environmental extremes is of key importance for mitigation and adaptation. Here we present an automated system that unveils the climate change signal of the day in near-real-time, employing a set of innovative storyline simulations based on a coupled climate model. Its potential to complement probabilistic assessments is showcased for storm Boris, which brought record-breaking rainfall over Central and Eastern Europe in September 2024, leading to devastating floods. Our near-real-time storylines suggest that storm Boris deposited about 9% more rain due to human-induced warming. The area impacted by the same storm’s extreme rainfall (>100 mm) was 18% larger and would continue expanding in a future warmer climate. Results from our prototype storyline system are disseminated publicly via an online tool. The case of Storm Boris demonstrates the potential of near-real-time storylines for rapid evidence-based climate change communication. Rapid and relatable climate change information for the attribution and projection of extreme events such as the devastating rainfall in Europe in September 2024 can be provided with an automated storyline approach within days of the event.","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01847-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637011","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}
Yushi Morioka, Syukuro Manabe, Liping Zhang, Thomas L. Delworth, William Cooke, Masami Nonaka, Swadhin K. Behera
{"title":"Antarctic sea ice multidecadal variability triggered by Southern Annular Mode and deep convection","authors":"Yushi Morioka, Syukuro Manabe, Liping Zhang, Thomas L. Delworth, William Cooke, Masami Nonaka, Swadhin K. Behera","doi":"10.1038/s43247-024-01783-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43247-024-01783-z","url":null,"abstract":"Antarctic sea ice exerts great influence on Earth’s climate by controlling the exchange of heat, momentum, freshwater, and gases between the atmosphere and ocean. Antarctic sea ice extent has undergone a multidecadal slight increase followed by a substantial decline since 2016. Here we utilize a 300-yr sea ice data assimilation reconstruction and two NOAA/GFDL and five CMIP6 model simulations to demonstrate a multidecadal variability of Antarctic sea ice extent. Stronger westerlies associated with the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) enhance the upwelling of warm and saline water from the subsurface ocean. The consequent salinity increase weakens the upper-ocean stratification, induces deep convection, and in turn brings more subsurface warm and saline water to the surface. This salinity-convection feedback triggered by the SAM provides favorable conditions for multidecadal sea ice decrease. Processes acting in reverse are found to cause sea ice increase, although it evolves slower than sea ice decrease. Multidecadal Antarctic sea ice anomalies are preceded by wind anomalies associated with the Southern Annular Mode which may induce upwelling and melting, according to a combined approach using prolonged sea ice reconstructions and coupled model simulations","PeriodicalId":10530,"journal":{"name":"Communications Earth & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01783-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637000","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}