Reviews & Analysis

The response to ocean acidification varies widely among, and even within, calcifying taxa. A study sheds light on this perplexing variability by quantifying the role of external organic layers in protecting calcified structures from corrosive sea water.

As atmospheric CO₂ increases, more plant litter is expected to enter the soil, stimulating turnover of organic matter and release of carbon. New field data show that this will intensify the terrestrial carbon cycle in the long term, and may counterbalance expected gains in carbon storage.

It is often argued that saving energy helps the environment and saves money. An analysis of three energy-saving measures shows that decisions on how the saved money is spent affect the size of the environmental benefit.

Storms that form in mid-latitude storm-track regions play a critical role in Earth's climate system. Now satellite observations indicate that changes in their location and intensity may be acting as a positive feedback to global warming.

The risk of flooding in the Netherlands could more than double by the 2040s, but the issue of who should pay for losses is an open question. Analysis reveals that private insurance could bear some — but not all — of the burden.

The abundance of some persistent organic pollutants has decreased in the Arctic atmosphere over recent years. But observations and model simulations confirm that warming is now remobilizing these toxic chemicals from sinks such as ice and sea water.

Climate impacts on agriculture are highly uncertain, leading some to question the validity of projected future crop yields. An analysis of West African agriculture shows that meaningful conclusions can be drawn from diverse crop–climate modelling results.

Climate change has reached the level of a 'scientific consensus', but is not yet a 'social consensus'. New analysis highlights that a growing divide between liberals and conservatives in the American public is a major obstacle to achieving this end.

The causes of the severe drought in the Sahel in the 1970s and 1980s are uncertain. Now a study provides the firmest evidence so far that emissions of aerosols from industrialized countries played a significant role, but other forcings cannot be ruled out yet.

The inability to verify nations' reported progress towards emission-reduction commitments is a stumbling block in climate change negotiations. Narrowing uncertainties in the global carbon cycle could help overcome this obstacle.

A lack of buy-in by the United States arguably represents the greatest obstacle to tackling climate change. A major new report urges America to take action to cut emissions and begin adapting to climate change.

Climate change is known to affect the carbon balance of Arctic tundra ecosystems by influencing plant growth and decomposition. Less predictable climate-driven biotic events, such as disease outbreaks, are now shown to potentially shift these ecosystems from net carbon sinks to sources.

The production of traded goods accounts for a significant proportion of global greenhouse-gas emissions. Now analysis reveals that emissions embodied in imports from developing countries have out-stripped emission reductions made by developed countries at home over the past 20 years.

Over half of all anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are removed naturally by land and ocean carbon sinks. New analysis indicates that the land sink is increasing in some surprising places.

The roles that microorganisms play in carbon storage are not fully understood. Now modelling results show that the activity of a single group of soil fungi may significantly enhance ecosystem carbon-storage capacity.

Current policies to reduce emissions from forest loss could mean that rising demand for food is not met. A new approach to forest conservation that reduces emissions while meeting demand for agricultural products may be feasible, but more expensive.

Carbon capture and storage demonstration projects are focused on learning about technologies through conventional 'learning by doing'. Analysis of three case studies indicates that including other types of learning could bring significant rewards.

The timing of seasonal events such as flowering and migration is changing as the climate warms, reshuffling the order in which such events take place each year. Now research sheds light on the causes of changes in the timing of butterfly emergence.

Instrumental records show that El Niño is highly variable in space and time. Now a thousand-year-long record from trees in the southwestern United States reveals even greater extremes, and a possible link between El Niño activity and climate warming.

Comparing changes in temperature and solar radiation on centennial timescales can help to constrain the Sun's impact on climate. New findings regarding the minimum activity level of the Sun reveal that comparisons made so far may have been too simplistic.