Pub Date : 2024-11-21DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01593-0
Samuel C. Mogen, Nicole S. Lovenduski, Stephen G. Yeager, Antonietta Capotondi, Michael G. Jacox, Stephen Bograd, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Elliot L. Hazen, Mercedes Pozo Buil, Who Kim, Nan Rosenbloom
Marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events are periods during which temperature and acidification reach statistically extreme levels (90th percentile), relative to normal variability, potentially endangering ecosystems. As the threats from marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events grow with climate change, there is need for skilful predictions of events months to years in advance. Previous work has demonstrated that climate models can predict marine heatwaves up to 12 months in advance in key regions, but forecasting of ocean acidification extreme events has been difficult due to the complexity of the processes leading to extremes and sparse observations. Here we use the Community Earth System Model Seasonal-to-Multiyear Large Ensemble to make predictions of marine heatwaves and two forms of ocean acidification extreme events, as defined by anomalies in hydrogen ion concentration and aragonite saturation state. We show that the ensemble skilfully predicts marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events as defined by aragonite saturation state up to 1 year in advance. Predictive skill for ocean acidification extremes as defined by hydrogen ion concentration is lower, probably reflecting mismatch between model and observed state. Skill is highest in the eastern Pacific, reflecting the predictable contribution of El Niño/Southern Oscillation to regional variability. A forecast generated in late 2023 during the 2023–2024 El Niño event finds high likelihood for widespread marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events in 2024. One type of ocean acidification extreme event, as well as marine heatwaves, can be confidently predicted up to 1 year in advance, according to forecasts stemming from an Earth system model ensemble.
{"title":"Multi-month forecasts of marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extremes","authors":"Samuel C. Mogen, Nicole S. Lovenduski, Stephen G. Yeager, Antonietta Capotondi, Michael G. Jacox, Stephen Bograd, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Elliot L. Hazen, Mercedes Pozo Buil, Who Kim, Nan Rosenbloom","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01593-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01593-0","url":null,"abstract":"Marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events are periods during which temperature and acidification reach statistically extreme levels (90th percentile), relative to normal variability, potentially endangering ecosystems. As the threats from marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events grow with climate change, there is need for skilful predictions of events months to years in advance. Previous work has demonstrated that climate models can predict marine heatwaves up to 12 months in advance in key regions, but forecasting of ocean acidification extreme events has been difficult due to the complexity of the processes leading to extremes and sparse observations. Here we use the Community Earth System Model Seasonal-to-Multiyear Large Ensemble to make predictions of marine heatwaves and two forms of ocean acidification extreme events, as defined by anomalies in hydrogen ion concentration and aragonite saturation state. We show that the ensemble skilfully predicts marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events as defined by aragonite saturation state up to 1 year in advance. Predictive skill for ocean acidification extremes as defined by hydrogen ion concentration is lower, probably reflecting mismatch between model and observed state. Skill is highest in the eastern Pacific, reflecting the predictable contribution of El Niño/Southern Oscillation to regional variability. A forecast generated in late 2023 during the 2023–2024 El Niño event finds high likelihood for widespread marine heatwaves and ocean acidification extreme events in 2024. One type of ocean acidification extreme event, as well as marine heatwaves, can be confidently predicted up to 1 year in advance, according to forecasts stemming from an Earth system model ensemble.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1261-1267"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142678395","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 : 2024-11-20DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01592-1
Qiang Wang, Sergey Danilov, Thomas Jung
A two-decade-long accumulation of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre has recently started to be released. Here we use satellite observations and model simulations to show that changes in wind regimes and sea ice declines are causing freshwater to accumulate close to the export gateways to the North Atlantic. This emerging buffer zone plays an important role in modulating the propagation of freshwater into the subpolar North Atlantic. Freshwater being released from the Beaufort Gyre is accumulating in an Arctic Ocean buffer zone before it can reach the North Atlantic, according to an analysis of satellite observation and modelling.
{"title":"Arctic freshwater anomaly transiting to the North Atlantic delayed within a buffer zone","authors":"Qiang Wang, Sergey Danilov, Thomas Jung","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01592-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01592-1","url":null,"abstract":"A two-decade-long accumulation of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre has recently started to be released. Here we use satellite observations and model simulations to show that changes in wind regimes and sea ice declines are causing freshwater to accumulate close to the export gateways to the North Atlantic. This emerging buffer zone plays an important role in modulating the propagation of freshwater into the subpolar North Atlantic. Freshwater being released from the Beaufort Gyre is accumulating in an Arctic Ocean buffer zone before it can reach the North Atlantic, according to an analysis of satellite observation and modelling.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1218-1221"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01592-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142673803","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}
Pub Date : 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01577-0
Zachary A. Holden, Solomon Z. Dobrowski, Alan Swanson, Zachary Hoylman, Drew Lyons, Allen Warren, Marco Maneta
Climate change and disturbance threaten forested ecosystems across the globe. Our ability to predict the future distribution of forests requires understanding the limiting factors for regeneration. Forest canopies buffer against near-surface air temperature and vapour pressure deficit extremes, and ongoing losses of forest canopy from disturbances such as wildfire can exacerbate climate constraints on natural regeneration. Here we combine experimental, empirical and simulation-based evidence to show that soil surface temperatures constrain the low-elevation extent of forests in the western United States. Simulated potential soil surface temperatures predict the position of the low-elevation forest treeline, exhibiting temperature thresholds consistent with field and laboratory studies. High-resolution historical and future surface temperature maps show that 107,000–238,000 km2 (13–20%) of currently forested area exceeds the critical thermal threshold for forest regeneration and this area is projected to more than double by 2050. Soil surface temperature is an important physical control on seedling survival at low elevations that will likely be an increasing constraint on the extent of western United States forests as the climate warms. Soil surface temperatures constrain the low-elevation extent of forests in the western United States through their direct effects on seedling mortality, according to analyses of the relationship between post-fire tree recruitment and soil surface temperature across this region.
{"title":"Low-elevation forest extent in the western United States constrained by soil surface temperatures","authors":"Zachary A. Holden, Solomon Z. Dobrowski, Alan Swanson, Zachary Hoylman, Drew Lyons, Allen Warren, Marco Maneta","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01577-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01577-0","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change and disturbance threaten forested ecosystems across the globe. Our ability to predict the future distribution of forests requires understanding the limiting factors for regeneration. Forest canopies buffer against near-surface air temperature and vapour pressure deficit extremes, and ongoing losses of forest canopy from disturbances such as wildfire can exacerbate climate constraints on natural regeneration. Here we combine experimental, empirical and simulation-based evidence to show that soil surface temperatures constrain the low-elevation extent of forests in the western United States. Simulated potential soil surface temperatures predict the position of the low-elevation forest treeline, exhibiting temperature thresholds consistent with field and laboratory studies. High-resolution historical and future surface temperature maps show that 107,000–238,000 km2 (13–20%) of currently forested area exceeds the critical thermal threshold for forest regeneration and this area is projected to more than double by 2050. Soil surface temperature is an important physical control on seedling survival at low elevations that will likely be an increasing constraint on the extent of western United States forests as the climate warms. Soil surface temperatures constrain the low-elevation extent of forests in the western United States through their direct effects on seedling mortality, according to analyses of the relationship between post-fire tree recruitment and soil surface temperature across this region.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1249-1253"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142670808","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 : 2024-11-18DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01568-1
Gabriel M. Pontes, Laurie Menviel
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is the main driver of northward heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean today, setting global climate patterns. Whether global warming has affected the strength of this overturning circulation over the past century is still debated: observational studies suggest that there has been persistent weakening since the mid-twentieth century, whereas climate models systematically simulate a stable circulation. Here, using Earth system and eddy-permitting coupled ocean–sea-ice models, we show that a freshening of the subarctic Atlantic Ocean and weakening of the overturning circulation increase the temperature and salinity of the South Atlantic on a decadal timescale through the propagation of Kelvin and Rossby waves. We also show that accounting for upper-end meltwater input in historical simulations significantly improves the data–model agreement on past changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, yielding a slowdown of 0.46 sverdrups per decade since 1950. Including estimates of subarctic meltwater input for the coming century suggests that this circulation could be 33% weaker than its anthropogenically unperturbed state under 2 °C of global warming, which could be reached over the coming decade. Such a weakening of the overturning circulation would substantially affect the climate and ecosystems. Fresh meltwater entering the Labrador and Irminger seas has resulted in a slowing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation since the 1950s, according to a combination of modelling approaches.
{"title":"Weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation driven by subarctic freshening since the mid-twentieth century","authors":"Gabriel M. Pontes, Laurie Menviel","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01568-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01568-1","url":null,"abstract":"The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is the main driver of northward heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean today, setting global climate patterns. Whether global warming has affected the strength of this overturning circulation over the past century is still debated: observational studies suggest that there has been persistent weakening since the mid-twentieth century, whereas climate models systematically simulate a stable circulation. Here, using Earth system and eddy-permitting coupled ocean–sea-ice models, we show that a freshening of the subarctic Atlantic Ocean and weakening of the overturning circulation increase the temperature and salinity of the South Atlantic on a decadal timescale through the propagation of Kelvin and Rossby waves. We also show that accounting for upper-end meltwater input in historical simulations significantly improves the data–model agreement on past changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, yielding a slowdown of 0.46 sverdrups per decade since 1950. Including estimates of subarctic meltwater input for the coming century suggests that this circulation could be 33% weaker than its anthropogenically unperturbed state under 2 °C of global warming, which could be reached over the coming decade. Such a weakening of the overturning circulation would substantially affect the climate and ecosystems. Fresh meltwater entering the Labrador and Irminger seas has resulted in a slowing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation since the 1950s, according to a combination of modelling approaches.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1291-1298"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142665373","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 : 2024-11-15DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01586-z
Hao Zhou, Xu Yue, Huibin Dai, Guannan Geng, Wenping Yuan, Jiquan Chen, Guofeng Shen, Tianyi Zhang, Jun Zhu, Hong Liao
Severe air pollution reduces ecosystem carbon assimilation through the vegetation damaging effects of ozone and by altering the climate through aerosol effects, exacerbating global warming. In response, China implemented the Clean Air Action plan in 2013 to reduce anthropogenic emissions. Here we assess the impact of air pollution reductions due to the Clean Air Action plan on net primary productivity (NPP) in China during the period 2014–2020 using multiple measurements, process-based models and machine learning algorithms. The Clean Air Action plan led to a national NPP increase of 26.3 ± 27.9 TgC yr−1, of which 20.1 ± 10.9 TgC yr−1 is attributed to aerosol reductions, driven by both the enhanced light availability as a result of decreased black carbon concentrations and the increased precipitation caused by weakened aerosol climatic effects. The impact of ozone amelioration became more important over time, surpassing the effects of aerosol reduction by 2020, and is expected to drive future NPP recovery. Two machine learning models simulated similar NPP recoveries of 42.8 ± 26.8 TgC yr−1 and 43.4 ± 30.1 TgC yr−1. Our study highlights substantial carbon gains from controlling aerosols and surface ozone, underscoring the co-benefits of regulating air pollution for public health and carbon neutrality in China. A quantitative assessment suggests that the reductions in aerosol and ozone levels from 2014 to 2020 due to the clean air action in China led to a substantial increase in the national net primary productivity due to the weakened aerosol climatic effects, alleviated ozone vegetation damage and enhanced light availability.
{"title":"Recovery of ecosystem productivity in China due to the Clean Air Action plan","authors":"Hao Zhou, Xu Yue, Huibin Dai, Guannan Geng, Wenping Yuan, Jiquan Chen, Guofeng Shen, Tianyi Zhang, Jun Zhu, Hong Liao","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01586-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01586-z","url":null,"abstract":"Severe air pollution reduces ecosystem carbon assimilation through the vegetation damaging effects of ozone and by altering the climate through aerosol effects, exacerbating global warming. In response, China implemented the Clean Air Action plan in 2013 to reduce anthropogenic emissions. Here we assess the impact of air pollution reductions due to the Clean Air Action plan on net primary productivity (NPP) in China during the period 2014–2020 using multiple measurements, process-based models and machine learning algorithms. The Clean Air Action plan led to a national NPP increase of 26.3 ± 27.9 TgC yr−1, of which 20.1 ± 10.9 TgC yr−1 is attributed to aerosol reductions, driven by both the enhanced light availability as a result of decreased black carbon concentrations and the increased precipitation caused by weakened aerosol climatic effects. The impact of ozone amelioration became more important over time, surpassing the effects of aerosol reduction by 2020, and is expected to drive future NPP recovery. Two machine learning models simulated similar NPP recoveries of 42.8 ± 26.8 TgC yr−1 and 43.4 ± 30.1 TgC yr−1. Our study highlights substantial carbon gains from controlling aerosols and surface ozone, underscoring the co-benefits of regulating air pollution for public health and carbon neutrality in China. A quantitative assessment suggests that the reductions in aerosol and ozone levels from 2014 to 2020 due to the clean air action in China led to a substantial increase in the national net primary productivity due to the weakened aerosol climatic effects, alleviated ozone vegetation damage and enhanced light availability.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1233-1239"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637063","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 : 2024-11-12DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01579-y
Mingsong Li, Lee R. Kump, Andy Ridgwell, Jessica E. Tierney, Gregory J. Hakim, Steven B. Malevich, Christopher J. Poulsen, Robert Tardif, Haoxun Zhang, Jiang Zhu
The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, a climate event 56 million years ago, was characterized by rapid carbon release and extensive ocean acidification. However, our understanding of acidification and the evolution of ocean saturation states continues to be hindered by considerable uncertainties, primarily stemming from the limited availability of proxy data. Under such conditions, data assimilation allows for an internally consistent assessment of atmospheric CO2 changes, ocean acidification and carbonate saturation state during this period. Here, we present a reconstruction of the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum carbon cycle perturbation by assimilating seafloor sediment CaCO3 and sea surface temperature proxy data with simulations from an Earth system model, which includes a comprehensive carbonate system. Our reconstructions indicate a substantial increase in atmospheric CO2 from 890 ppm (95% credible interval: 680–1,170 ppm) to 1,980 ppm (1,680–2,280 ppm), coupled with a notable decline in pH (0.46 units, ranging from 0.31 to 0.63 units) and surface-water calcite saturation state, decreasing from 10.2 (7.5–12.8) in the pre-event period to 3.8 (2.8–5.1) during the thermal maximum. Carbonate undersaturation intensified substantially in high-latitude surface waters during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, paralleling the current decline in Arctic aragonite saturation driven by anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Elevated atmospheric CO2 during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum coincided with substantial declines in the pH and carbonate saturation state of the ocean.
{"title":"Coupled decline in ocean pH and carbonate saturation during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum","authors":"Mingsong Li, Lee R. Kump, Andy Ridgwell, Jessica E. Tierney, Gregory J. Hakim, Steven B. Malevich, Christopher J. Poulsen, Robert Tardif, Haoxun Zhang, Jiang Zhu","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01579-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01579-y","url":null,"abstract":"The Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, a climate event 56 million years ago, was characterized by rapid carbon release and extensive ocean acidification. However, our understanding of acidification and the evolution of ocean saturation states continues to be hindered by considerable uncertainties, primarily stemming from the limited availability of proxy data. Under such conditions, data assimilation allows for an internally consistent assessment of atmospheric CO2 changes, ocean acidification and carbonate saturation state during this period. Here, we present a reconstruction of the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum carbon cycle perturbation by assimilating seafloor sediment CaCO3 and sea surface temperature proxy data with simulations from an Earth system model, which includes a comprehensive carbonate system. Our reconstructions indicate a substantial increase in atmospheric CO2 from 890 ppm (95% credible interval: 680–1,170 ppm) to 1,980 ppm (1,680–2,280 ppm), coupled with a notable decline in pH (0.46 units, ranging from 0.31 to 0.63 units) and surface-water calcite saturation state, decreasing from 10.2 (7.5–12.8) in the pre-event period to 3.8 (2.8–5.1) during the thermal maximum. Carbonate undersaturation intensified substantially in high-latitude surface waters during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, paralleling the current decline in Arctic aragonite saturation driven by anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Elevated atmospheric CO2 during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum coincided with substantial declines in the pH and carbonate saturation state of the ocean.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1299-1305"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142599828","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 : 2024-11-11DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01580-5
Andrew Jarvis, Piers M. Forster
Assessing compliance with the human-induced warming goal in the Paris Agreement requires transparent, robust and timely metrics. Linearity between increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature offers a framework that appears to satisfy these criteria, producing human-induced warming estimates that are at least 30% more certain than alternative methods. Here, for 2023, we estimate humans have caused a global increase of 1.49 ± 0.11 °C relative to a pre-1700 baseline. Humans have caused 1.49 °C of warming compared with a pre-1700 baseline, a global estimate based on the linear relationship between atmospheric CO2 and temperature.
{"title":"Estimated human-induced warming from a linear temperature and atmospheric CO2 relationship","authors":"Andrew Jarvis, Piers M. Forster","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01580-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01580-5","url":null,"abstract":"Assessing compliance with the human-induced warming goal in the Paris Agreement requires transparent, robust and timely metrics. Linearity between increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature offers a framework that appears to satisfy these criteria, producing human-induced warming estimates that are at least 30% more certain than alternative methods. Here, for 2023, we estimate humans have caused a global increase of 1.49 ± 0.11 °C relative to a pre-1700 baseline. Humans have caused 1.49 °C of warming compared with a pre-1700 baseline, a global estimate based on the linear relationship between atmospheric CO2 and temperature.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1222-1224"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01580-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142598348","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}
Pub Date : 2024-11-08DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01585-0
Luiz A. T. Machado, Gabriela R. Unfer, Sebastian Brill, Stefanie Hildmann, Christopher Pöhlker, Yafang Cheng, Jonathan Williams, Harder Hartwig, Meinrat O. Andreae, Paulo Artaxo, Joachim Curtius, Marco A. Franco, Micael A. Cecchini, Achim Edtbauer, Thorsten Hoffmann, Bruna Holanda, Théodore Khadir, Radovan Krejci, Leslie A. Kremper, Yunfan Liu, Bruno B. Meller, Mira L. Pöhlker, Carlos A. Quesada, Akima Ringsdorf, Ilona Riipinen, Susan Trumbore, Stefan Wolff, Jos Lelieveld, Ulrich Pöschl
Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for forming clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing Earth’s energy budget, water cycle and climate on regional and global scales. However, the origin of aerosol particles over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood. Earlier studies showed new particle formation in the outflow of deep convective clouds and suggested a downward flux of aerosol particles during precipitation events. Here we use comprehensive aerosol, trace gas and meteorological data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory to show that rainfall regularly induces bursts of nanoparticles in the nucleation size range. This can be attributed to rain-related scavenging of larger particles and a corresponding reduction of the condensation sink, along with an ozone injection into the forest canopy, which could increase the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds, especially terpenes, and enhance new particle formation. During and after rainfall, the nucleation particle concentrations directly above the canopy are greater than those higher up. This gradient persists throughout the wet season for the nucleation size range, indicating continuous particle formation within the canopy, a net upward flux of newly formed particles and a paradigm shift in understanding aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions in the Amazon. Particle bursts provide a plausible explanation for the formation of cloud condensation nuclei, leading to the local formation of green-ocean clouds and precipitation. Our findings suggest that an interplay of a rain-related reduction in the condensation sink, primary emissions of gases, mainly terpenes, and particles from the forest canopy, and convective cloud processing determines the population of cloud condensation nuclei in pristine rainforest air. Rainfall induces nanoparticle bursts within the Amazon rainforest canopy by scavenging large particles and bringing down ozone-rich air, according to aerosol, trace gas and meteorology data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory.
{"title":"Frequent rainfall-induced new particle formation within the canopy in the Amazon rainforest","authors":"Luiz A. T. Machado, Gabriela R. Unfer, Sebastian Brill, Stefanie Hildmann, Christopher Pöhlker, Yafang Cheng, Jonathan Williams, Harder Hartwig, Meinrat O. Andreae, Paulo Artaxo, Joachim Curtius, Marco A. Franco, Micael A. Cecchini, Achim Edtbauer, Thorsten Hoffmann, Bruna Holanda, Théodore Khadir, Radovan Krejci, Leslie A. Kremper, Yunfan Liu, Bruno B. Meller, Mira L. Pöhlker, Carlos A. Quesada, Akima Ringsdorf, Ilona Riipinen, Susan Trumbore, Stefan Wolff, Jos Lelieveld, Ulrich Pöschl","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01585-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01585-0","url":null,"abstract":"Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for forming clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing Earth’s energy budget, water cycle and climate on regional and global scales. However, the origin of aerosol particles over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood. Earlier studies showed new particle formation in the outflow of deep convective clouds and suggested a downward flux of aerosol particles during precipitation events. Here we use comprehensive aerosol, trace gas and meteorological data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory to show that rainfall regularly induces bursts of nanoparticles in the nucleation size range. This can be attributed to rain-related scavenging of larger particles and a corresponding reduction of the condensation sink, along with an ozone injection into the forest canopy, which could increase the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds, especially terpenes, and enhance new particle formation. During and after rainfall, the nucleation particle concentrations directly above the canopy are greater than those higher up. This gradient persists throughout the wet season for the nucleation size range, indicating continuous particle formation within the canopy, a net upward flux of newly formed particles and a paradigm shift in understanding aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions in the Amazon. Particle bursts provide a plausible explanation for the formation of cloud condensation nuclei, leading to the local formation of green-ocean clouds and precipitation. Our findings suggest that an interplay of a rain-related reduction in the condensation sink, primary emissions of gases, mainly terpenes, and particles from the forest canopy, and convective cloud processing determines the population of cloud condensation nuclei in pristine rainforest air. Rainfall induces nanoparticle bursts within the Amazon rainforest canopy by scavenging large particles and bringing down ozone-rich air, according to aerosol, trace gas and meteorology data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1225-1232"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01585-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142596728","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}
Pub Date : 2024-11-07DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01590-3
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.
{"title":"Carbon dioxide enrichment suppresses autotrophic nitrifiers in a rice ecosystem","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01590-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01590-3","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 12","pages":"1202-1203"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142594427","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 : 2024-11-07DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01563-6
Martin J. Baur, Andrew D. Friend, Adam F. A. Pellegrini
Wildfire activity and the hydrological cycle are strongly interlinked. While it is well known that wildfire occurrence and intensity are controlled by water availability, less is known about the effects of wildfire on plant and soil water cycling, especially at large scales. Here we investigate this by analysing fire impacts on the coupling between plant and soil water content, at the global scale, using remote sensing of soil moisture, vegetation water content and burned area. We find a strong effect of fire on plant–soil water relations, accelerating soil moisture loss by 17% and leading to faster gains in vegetation water content by 62%, both of which are positively related to fire severity and largest in forests. This effect is spatially extensive, with accelerated soil moisture loss found in 67%, and increased vegetation water content gain found in 67% of all analysed burned areas. After fire, plants also tended to have less control on their water content (that is, were more anisohydric). In summary, fire changes ecosystem functioning by increasing ecosystem water losses and shifting the relationship between soil and vegetation water budgets. With climate change, wildfire is likely to play an increasingly important role in ecosystem water cycling and subsequent ecosystem recovery. Fire affects the hydrological interactions between soil and vegetation, leading to faster soil moisture loss and accelerated vegetation water uptake, according to a global analysis of satellite observations on soil moisture, vegetation water content and burned area.
{"title":"Widespread and systematic effects of fire on plant–soil water relations","authors":"Martin J. Baur, Andrew D. Friend, Adam F. A. Pellegrini","doi":"10.1038/s41561-024-01563-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41561-024-01563-6","url":null,"abstract":"Wildfire activity and the hydrological cycle are strongly interlinked. While it is well known that wildfire occurrence and intensity are controlled by water availability, less is known about the effects of wildfire on plant and soil water cycling, especially at large scales. Here we investigate this by analysing fire impacts on the coupling between plant and soil water content, at the global scale, using remote sensing of soil moisture, vegetation water content and burned area. We find a strong effect of fire on plant–soil water relations, accelerating soil moisture loss by 17% and leading to faster gains in vegetation water content by 62%, both of which are positively related to fire severity and largest in forests. This effect is spatially extensive, with accelerated soil moisture loss found in 67%, and increased vegetation water content gain found in 67% of all analysed burned areas. After fire, plants also tended to have less control on their water content (that is, were more anisohydric). In summary, fire changes ecosystem functioning by increasing ecosystem water losses and shifting the relationship between soil and vegetation water budgets. With climate change, wildfire is likely to play an increasingly important role in ecosystem water cycling and subsequent ecosystem recovery. Fire affects the hydrological interactions between soil and vegetation, leading to faster soil moisture loss and accelerated vegetation water uptake, according to a global analysis of satellite observations on soil moisture, vegetation water content and burned area.","PeriodicalId":19053,"journal":{"name":"Nature Geoscience","volume":"17 11","pages":"1115-1120"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01563-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142595688","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}