Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01873-3
Qianru Zhang, Yuhang Wang, Maodian Liu, Young-Hee Ryu, Mingxu Liu, Huoqing Li, Si-Yi Wei, Junfeng Liu, Shu Tao, Xuejun Wang
Nitrogen is indispensable for global food production and ecosystem carbon sequestration, but excess nitrogen leads to water eutrophication, soil acidification and air pollution. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is a key yet uncertain component of the biogeochemical cycle. Currently, global networks monitoring particulate nitrogen dry deposition rely mainly on measured concentrations and modelled dry deposition velocities, which remain poorly constrained. Here we develop a spatially explicit dataset by integrating observation-constrained size distribution and dry deposition mechanisms to re-evaluate atmospheric nitrogen deposition across China. We reveal that atmospheric chemistry models underestimate the particle size of fine-mode nitrogen-containing aerosols in China by more than twofold. Additionally, dry particle deposition velocity estimates with different mechanisms diverge by up to two orders of magnitude. Our corrections indicate that atmospheric chemistry models and China’s observation network underestimate particulate nitrogen dry deposition by 2–5 times. Furthermore, most Earth system models underestimate particulate dry deposition of ammonium, a major nitrogen species, by 31%–98%. By integrating these corrections into the Community Land Model, we demonstrate that the effect of nitrogen deposition on China’s terrestrial net ecosystem productivity may have been underestimated by 9%–13%. As China contributes nearly 20% of global nitrogen deposition, its impact on terrestrial carbon sinks and ecosystem health could be greater than previously recognized.
{"title":"Underestimation of particulate dry nitrogen deposition in China","authors":"Qianru Zhang, Yuhang Wang, Maodian Liu, Young-Hee Ryu, Mingxu Liu, Huoqing Li, Si-Yi Wei, Junfeng Liu, Shu Tao, Xuejun Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01873-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01873-3","url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen is indispensable for global food production and ecosystem carbon sequestration, but excess nitrogen leads to water eutrophication, soil acidification and air pollution. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is a key yet uncertain component of the biogeochemical cycle. Currently, global networks monitoring particulate nitrogen dry deposition rely mainly on measured concentrations and modelled dry deposition velocities, which remain poorly constrained. Here we develop a spatially explicit dataset by integrating observation-constrained size distribution and dry deposition mechanisms to re-evaluate atmospheric nitrogen deposition across China. We reveal that atmospheric chemistry models underestimate the particle size of fine-mode nitrogen-containing aerosols in China by more than twofold. Additionally, dry particle deposition velocity estimates with different mechanisms diverge by up to two orders of magnitude. Our corrections indicate that atmospheric chemistry models and China’s observation network underestimate particulate nitrogen dry deposition by 2–5 times. Furthermore, most Earth system models underestimate particulate dry deposition of ammonium, a major nitrogen species, by 31%–98%. By integrating these corrections into the Community Land Model, we demonstrate that the effect of nitrogen deposition on China’s terrestrial net ecosystem productivity may have been underestimated by 9%–13%. As China contributes nearly 20% of global nitrogen deposition, its impact on terrestrial carbon sinks and ecosystem health could be greater than previously recognized.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"163 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01872-4
Zhao-Feng Guo, Wiebke J. Boeing, Yao-Yang Xu, Edoardo Borgomeo, Othman A. Al-Mashaqbeh, Dong Liu, Xiao-Ru Yang
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pose inconsistent yet increasing threats to freshwater reservoirs worldwide, with implications for ecosystem health and water security. Although local-scale contamination has been widely documented, a comprehensive global synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon occurrence and drivers in reservoirs remains lacking. Here we developed a framework of data compilation, arrangement and statistics to integrate existing data to determine the geographical distribution and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in reservoirs globally. Statistical analyses revealed spatial heterogeneity in dominant components and pollution levels across continents. Almost 38% of water samples exceeded an ecologically relevant threshold (0.20 μg l−1), and 42% of sediment samples surpassed the threshold effect concentration, indicating widespread ecological risks. Cluster analysis and source apportionment of the reservoir-level data identified three distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon patterns, each shaped by region-specific land-use practices, combustion sources and climatic factors. These findings emphasize and inform the need for region-specific monitoring and management strategies, such as expanding monitoring in subtropical and temperate regions, with a focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in aquatic organisms.
{"title":"Regionally distinct threats from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in global reservoirs","authors":"Zhao-Feng Guo, Wiebke J. Boeing, Yao-Yang Xu, Edoardo Borgomeo, Othman A. Al-Mashaqbeh, Dong Liu, Xiao-Ru Yang","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01872-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01872-4","url":null,"abstract":"Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pose inconsistent yet increasing threats to freshwater reservoirs worldwide, with implications for ecosystem health and water security. Although local-scale contamination has been widely documented, a comprehensive global synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon occurrence and drivers in reservoirs remains lacking. Here we developed a framework of data compilation, arrangement and statistics to integrate existing data to determine the geographical distribution and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in reservoirs globally. Statistical analyses revealed spatial heterogeneity in dominant components and pollution levels across continents. Almost 38% of water samples exceeded an ecologically relevant threshold (0.20 μg l−1), and 42% of sediment samples surpassed the threshold effect concentration, indicating widespread ecological risks. Cluster analysis and source apportionment of the reservoir-level data identified three distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon patterns, each shaped by region-specific land-use practices, combustion sources and climatic factors. These findings emphasize and inform the need for region-specific monitoring and management strategies, such as expanding monitoring in subtropical and temperate regions, with a focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in aquatic organisms.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01840-y
Molly O. Patterson, Christiana Rosenberg, Osamu Seki, Masanobu Yamamoto, Oscar E. Romero, Mei Nelissen, Francesca Sangiorgi, Nicholas R. Golledge, Georgia Grant, William D. Arnuk, Benjamin Keisling, Timothy Naish, Richard Levy, Stephen Meyers, Nicholas Sullivan, Jeanine Ash, Denise Kulhanek, Brian W. Romans, Natalia Varela Valenzuela, Harold Jones, Francois Beny, Imogen Browne, Giuseppe Cortese, Isobela M. C. Sousa, Justin P. Dodd, Oliver M. Esper, Jenny Gales, David Harwood, Saki Ishino, Sookwan Kim, Sunghan Kim, Jan S. Laberg, R. Mark Leckie, Juliane Müller, Amelia Shevenell, Shiv Singh, Saiko T. Sugisaki, Tina van de Flierdt, Tim van Peer, Wenshen Xiao, Zhifang Xiong, Laura De Santis, Robert McKay
Variations in Earth’s orbit pace global ice-volume and sea-level changes, but the variability in the response for different sectors of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to orbitally forced climate change remains unclear. Here we present geological records of iceberg-rafted debris and other proxies from locations adjacent to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) with comparisons to an existing East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) record over the time interval ~3.3–2.3 million years ago. Iceberg calving events from the WAIS recorded in Ross Sea sediment cores show a linear response to orbital forcing at timescales corresponding to obliquity (~40,000 years) and precession (~23,000–19,000 years) modulated by eccentricity (~100,000 years). This contrasts with an existing record adjacent to the EAIS, which does not contain obliquity pacing. Combined with ice-sheet model sensitivity tests, the geological data show that the WAIS is highly dynamic and responsive to oceanic melt driven by changes in Southern Ocean circulation, together with atmospheric forcing through variations in local insolation. Conversely, the EAIS appears less responsive to oceanic forcing, despite being the dominant source of meltwater to the global ocean during the mid-Pliocene. Our results imply a substantial role for atmospheric warming on mid-Pliocene sea-level from both WAIS and EAIS.
{"title":"Spatially variable response of Antarctica’s ice sheets to orbital forcing during the Pliocene","authors":"Molly O. Patterson, Christiana Rosenberg, Osamu Seki, Masanobu Yamamoto, Oscar E. Romero, Mei Nelissen, Francesca Sangiorgi, Nicholas R. Golledge, Georgia Grant, William D. Arnuk, Benjamin Keisling, Timothy Naish, Richard Levy, Stephen Meyers, Nicholas Sullivan, Jeanine Ash, Denise Kulhanek, Brian W. Romans, Natalia Varela Valenzuela, Harold Jones, Francois Beny, Imogen Browne, Giuseppe Cortese, Isobela M. C. Sousa, Justin P. Dodd, Oliver M. Esper, Jenny Gales, David Harwood, Saki Ishino, Sookwan Kim, Sunghan Kim, Jan S. Laberg, R. Mark Leckie, Juliane Müller, Amelia Shevenell, Shiv Singh, Saiko T. Sugisaki, Tina van de Flierdt, Tim van Peer, Wenshen Xiao, Zhifang Xiong, Laura De Santis, Robert McKay","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01840-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01840-y","url":null,"abstract":"Variations in Earth’s orbit pace global ice-volume and sea-level changes, but the variability in the response for different sectors of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to orbitally forced climate change remains unclear. Here we present geological records of iceberg-rafted debris and other proxies from locations adjacent to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) with comparisons to an existing East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) record over the time interval ~3.3–2.3 million years ago. Iceberg calving events from the WAIS recorded in Ross Sea sediment cores show a linear response to orbital forcing at timescales corresponding to obliquity (~40,000 years) and precession (~23,000–19,000 years) modulated by eccentricity (~100,000 years). This contrasts with an existing record adjacent to the EAIS, which does not contain obliquity pacing. Combined with ice-sheet model sensitivity tests, the geological data show that the WAIS is highly dynamic and responsive to oceanic melt driven by changes in Southern Ocean circulation, together with atmospheric forcing through variations in local insolation. Conversely, the EAIS appears less responsive to oceanic forcing, despite being the dominant source of meltwater to the global ocean during the mid-Pliocene. Our results imply a substantial role for atmospheric warming on mid-Pliocene sea-level from both WAIS and EAIS.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01870-6
Jacob S. Slawson, Piret Plink-Bjorklund, Thomas Reichler, Daniel Baldassare
Warming is pushing Earthʼs system towards unfamiliar climate conditions, complicating predictions. Geological archives of past greenhouse climates provide essential tests for models under extreme forcing. We investigate how precipitation responded to extreme warmth during early Palaeogene global warming events (66–47.8 million years ago)—a period considered a possible analogue for worst-case future scenarios. Here we compile global palaeoclimate data and develop a multi-proxy approach that integrates sedimentary proxies—such as plant fossils, ancient soils and river deposits—providing constraints on global precipitation intermittency (seasonal and interannual variability) and intensity (rainfall rate). The data reveal wet or monsoonal polar regions and aridity punctuated by intense rainfall at mid- and low-latitude continental interiors. This hydroclimate shift occurred 3 million years before and persisted 7 million years after the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum—the warmest period of the Cenozoic Era, suggesting that extreme warmth induces nonlinearities in the hydrological cycle’s sensitivity to temperature increase. Polar humidity and mid-latitude aridity further indicate a departure from the expected wet-gets-wetter and dry-gets-drier response. Shifts towards aridity were decoupled from mean annual precipitation and driven by seasonal and interannual precipitation distribution, such as shorter wet-season lengths and longer interannual rainfall recurrence intervals. This highlights the importance of considering precipitation intermittency and intensity, as similar shifts may occur under future warming despite differences in boundary conditions.
{"title":"More intermittent mid-latitude precipitation accompanied extreme early Palaeogene warmth","authors":"Jacob S. Slawson, Piret Plink-Bjorklund, Thomas Reichler, Daniel Baldassare","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01870-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01870-6","url":null,"abstract":"Warming is pushing Earthʼs system towards unfamiliar climate conditions, complicating predictions. Geological archives of past greenhouse climates provide essential tests for models under extreme forcing. We investigate how precipitation responded to extreme warmth during early Palaeogene global warming events (66–47.8 million years ago)—a period considered a possible analogue for worst-case future scenarios. Here we compile global palaeoclimate data and develop a multi-proxy approach that integrates sedimentary proxies—such as plant fossils, ancient soils and river deposits—providing constraints on global precipitation intermittency (seasonal and interannual variability) and intensity (rainfall rate). The data reveal wet or monsoonal polar regions and aridity punctuated by intense rainfall at mid- and low-latitude continental interiors. This hydroclimate shift occurred 3 million years before and persisted 7 million years after the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum—the warmest period of the Cenozoic Era, suggesting that extreme warmth induces nonlinearities in the hydrological cycle’s sensitivity to temperature increase. Polar humidity and mid-latitude aridity further indicate a departure from the expected wet-gets-wetter and dry-gets-drier response. Shifts towards aridity were decoupled from mean annual precipitation and driven by seasonal and interannual precipitation distribution, such as shorter wet-season lengths and longer interannual rainfall recurrence intervals. This highlights the importance of considering precipitation intermittency and intensity, as similar shifts may occur under future warming despite differences in boundary conditions.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145801598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01882-2
Adam John Jeffery, Steven Leslie Rogers, Kelly Louise Ann Jeffery, Mark Lucherini, Jamie Keith Pringle, Martin Griffin
{"title":"Autistic voices are an overlooked minority in geosciences","authors":"Adam John Jeffery, Steven Leslie Rogers, Kelly Louise Ann Jeffery, Mark Lucherini, Jamie Keith Pringle, Martin Griffin","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01882-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01882-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"366 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145771125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01866-2
Wenyu Zhou, L. Ruby Leung, Chuan-Chieh Chang, Ming Zhao, Huang-Hsiung Hsu, Hsin-Chien Liang, Chia-Ying Tu, Karthik Balaguru, Jian Lu
Since 1980, tropical cyclones have migrated poleward, but it remains unclear whether this trend reflects long-term climate change or temporary climate variability. Here we investigate the drivers of this poleward migration using multiple observational datasets and global models that permit tropical cyclones. We show that a tripolar pattern of Pacific sea surface temperature variability strongly modulates the interannual variation of cyclone latitudes and largely drove the poleward migration over 1980–2024. The tripolar pattern influences tropical cyclones more effectively than either the El Niño/Southern Oscillation or the Hadley circulation. When its effects are removed, poleward migration is negligible. When it shows negative trends, the model simulates equatorward migration. As the pattern exhibits alternating multi-decadal trends but no long-term trend since 1970, its recent trend—and the associated poleward migration—is unlikely to persist. In ensemble projections under a warming scenario, tropical cyclone activity decreases overall, leading to fewer occurrences at high latitudes despite the poleward expansion of the Hadley cell. These results indicate that climate variability has played a dominant role in the observed poleward migration of tropical cyclones, and that future changes may differ markedly from the recent multi-decadal trends.
{"title":"Poleward migration of tropical cyclones over 1980–2024 is dominated by Pacific variability","authors":"Wenyu Zhou, L. Ruby Leung, Chuan-Chieh Chang, Ming Zhao, Huang-Hsiung Hsu, Hsin-Chien Liang, Chia-Ying Tu, Karthik Balaguru, Jian Lu","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01866-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01866-2","url":null,"abstract":"Since 1980, tropical cyclones have migrated poleward, but it remains unclear whether this trend reflects long-term climate change or temporary climate variability. Here we investigate the drivers of this poleward migration using multiple observational datasets and global models that permit tropical cyclones. We show that a tripolar pattern of Pacific sea surface temperature variability strongly modulates the interannual variation of cyclone latitudes and largely drove the poleward migration over 1980–2024. The tripolar pattern influences tropical cyclones more effectively than either the El Niño/Southern Oscillation or the Hadley circulation. When its effects are removed, poleward migration is negligible. When it shows negative trends, the model simulates equatorward migration. As the pattern exhibits alternating multi-decadal trends but no long-term trend since 1970, its recent trend—and the associated poleward migration—is unlikely to persist. In ensemble projections under a warming scenario, tropical cyclone activity decreases overall, leading to fewer occurrences at high latitudes despite the poleward expansion of the Hadley cell. These results indicate that climate variability has played a dominant role in the observed poleward migration of tropical cyclones, and that future changes may differ markedly from the recent multi-decadal trends.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"158 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145759490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-12DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01855-5
Cornelia Mertens, Sarah Paradis, Jordon D. Hemingway
Pyrite (iron sulfide) formation and burial in sediments decreases atmospheric CO2 and increases O2 levels. However, the environmental and sedimentological conditions that regulate pyrite burial remain poorly constrained. Here we investigate such controlling mechanisms using a non-dimensional diagenetic model that extracts the natural variables governing pyrite formation rate and sulfur isotopic composition (δ34S). Both properties are controlled by the local ratios of organic carbon content to sulfate concentration and organic carbon reactivity to sedimentation rate; formation rate is additionally sensitive to reactive iron delivery. Using only globally interpolated boundary conditions, our model accurately predicts signals in 216 sediment cores distributed across the modern ocean. Extrapolating this, we estimate a global pyrite burial flux of 7.0 × 1012 mol S yr−1 (sensitivity test range: 2.5 × 1012 to 19.0 × 1012 mol S yr−1) with a weighted-average δ34S value of −4‰ (range: −8 to +3‰). This flux is substantially larger than terrestrial pyrite oxidation, indicating that the sulfur cycle is currently not in steady state but is instead described by net pyrite burial and thus atmospheric O2 accumulation. Finally, we interpret the geologic pyrite δ34S record within this model framework and identify flooded shelf area as the main control on pyrite burial throughout the Phanerozoic Eon.
沉积物中黄铁矿（硫化铁）的形成和埋藏减少了大气中的二氧化碳，增加了氧气水平。然而，控制黄铁矿埋藏的环境和沉积条件仍然知之甚少。本文采用无量纲成岩模型，提取控制黄铁矿形成速率和硫同位素组成（δ34S）的自然变量，研究这种控制机制。这两种性质均受局部有机碳含量与硫酸盐浓度之比和有机碳反应性与沉降速率之比的控制；形成速率对活性铁的输送也很敏感。仅使用全球插值的边界条件，我们的模型准确地预测了分布在现代海洋中的216个沉积物岩心的信号。据此推断，我们估计全球黄铁矿埋藏通量为7.0 × 1012 mol S yr - 1（灵敏度测试范围：2.5 × 1012 ~ 19.0 × 1012 mol S yr - 1），加权平均δ34S值为−4‰（范围：−8 ~ +3‰）。这一通量大大大于陆地黄铁矿氧化，表明硫循环目前不是处于稳定状态，而是由净黄铁矿埋藏和大气O2积累来描述。最后，在此模式框架内对黄铁矿δ34S的地质记录进行了解释，确定了显生宙黄铁矿埋藏的主要控制因素为水淹陆架。
{"title":"Sedimentary conditions drive modern pyrite burial flux to exceed oxidation","authors":"Cornelia Mertens, Sarah Paradis, Jordon D. Hemingway","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01855-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01855-5","url":null,"abstract":"Pyrite (iron sulfide) formation and burial in sediments decreases atmospheric CO2 and increases O2 levels. However, the environmental and sedimentological conditions that regulate pyrite burial remain poorly constrained. Here we investigate such controlling mechanisms using a non-dimensional diagenetic model that extracts the natural variables governing pyrite formation rate and sulfur isotopic composition (δ34S). Both properties are controlled by the local ratios of organic carbon content to sulfate concentration and organic carbon reactivity to sedimentation rate; formation rate is additionally sensitive to reactive iron delivery. Using only globally interpolated boundary conditions, our model accurately predicts signals in 216 sediment cores distributed across the modern ocean. Extrapolating this, we estimate a global pyrite burial flux of 7.0 × 1012 mol S yr−1 (sensitivity test range: 2.5 × 1012 to 19.0 × 1012 mol S yr−1) with a weighted-average δ34S value of −4‰ (range: −8 to +3‰). This flux is substantially larger than terrestrial pyrite oxidation, indicating that the sulfur cycle is currently not in steady state but is instead described by net pyrite burial and thus atmospheric O2 accumulation. Finally, we interpret the geologic pyrite δ34S record within this model framework and identify flooded shelf area as the main control on pyrite burial throughout the Phanerozoic Eon.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145746827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01862-6
Casey M. S. Schine, Jens-Erik Lund Snee, Alex Lyford, Gert van Dijken, Kevin R. Arrigo
Iron is the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, and consequently CO2 drawdown, in the Southern Ocean. A recurring phytoplankton bloom above the Australian Antarctic Ridge was recently attributed to hydrothermally sourced iron. Here we examine satellite remote-sensing estimates of net primary production, earthquake location catalogues and Lagrangian plume modelling of particle trajectories in surface ocean currents to show that interannual variability in net primary production is related to seismicity and the advective spread of downstream surface waters. By spatially decomposing the relationship between seismicity, advective spread and net primary production, we demonstrate that net primary production at the surface, above the hydrothermal vents, can be predicted by elevated seismicity in the months before the growing season. Farther from the vents, greater advective spread reduces net primary production. We hypothesize that the connection between earthquakes and net primary production is mediated by the link between seismicity and hydrothermal emissions while advective spread controls the dilution of entrained iron; however, the physical mechanism behind the rapid surfacing of hydrothermal iron is still unknown. These findings challenge prevailing views on how geophysical processes influence ocean primary production.
{"title":"Southern Ocean net primary production influenced by seismically modulated hydrothermal iron","authors":"Casey M. S. Schine, Jens-Erik Lund Snee, Alex Lyford, Gert van Dijken, Kevin R. Arrigo","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01862-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01862-6","url":null,"abstract":"Iron is the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, and consequently CO2 drawdown, in the Southern Ocean. A recurring phytoplankton bloom above the Australian Antarctic Ridge was recently attributed to hydrothermally sourced iron. Here we examine satellite remote-sensing estimates of net primary production, earthquake location catalogues and Lagrangian plume modelling of particle trajectories in surface ocean currents to show that interannual variability in net primary production is related to seismicity and the advective spread of downstream surface waters. By spatially decomposing the relationship between seismicity, advective spread and net primary production, we demonstrate that net primary production at the surface, above the hydrothermal vents, can be predicted by elevated seismicity in the months before the growing season. Farther from the vents, greater advective spread reduces net primary production. We hypothesize that the connection between earthquakes and net primary production is mediated by the link between seismicity and hydrothermal emissions while advective spread controls the dilution of entrained iron; however, the physical mechanism behind the rapid surfacing of hydrothermal iron is still unknown. These findings challenge prevailing views on how geophysical processes influence ocean primary production.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145705140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01865-3
Simon L. Harley
Heat-producing elements like uranium and thorium are depleted in the lower crust. The geochemistry of crustal rocks suggests ultrahigh melting temperatures are needed to produce this depletion and may also help stabilize the crust.
{"title":"Refining the crust","authors":"Simon L. Harley","doi":"10.1038/s41561-025-01865-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-025-01865-3","url":null,"abstract":"Heat-producing elements like uranium and thorium are depleted in the lower crust. The geochemistry of crustal rocks suggests ultrahigh melting temperatures are needed to produce this depletion and may also help stabilize the crust.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"18 12","pages":"1189-1190"},"PeriodicalIF":16.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145699216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01886-y
A belt of seaweed has formed across the tropical Atlantic nearly every year since 2011, despite reduction in its extent elsewhere. The causes of this growth are now coming into clearer focus.
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