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Climate models and paleoclimate proxy records indicate that the absence of preserved eastern Mediterranean organic-rich layers preceding mid-Pliocene glaciation is linked to a pan-North African humid period caused by a more northerly African monsoon front relative to subsequent glacials. The vegetation expansion caused by this humid phase might have influenced early hominin dispersal.

Surface meltwater plays a key role in ice shelf stability, and consequently, Antarctica’s sea level contributions. New satellite observations suggest there is substantially more surface meltwater than previously thought, and models are underestimating it.

Analysis of satellite imagery suggests that slush accounts for approximately half of the total meltwater area across Antarctic ice shelves.

Folding-related brittle deformation structures in accretionary wedges may contribute to shallow seismicity in subduction zones, according to a compilation of structural evidence.

Modelling results suggest that ice sheets may be more vulnerable to ocean water intrusion at the grounding zone than previously thought due to a potential tipping point that leads to runaway melting.

An absence of sapropels in eastern Mediterranean sediments suggests an expansion of vegetation over a relatively humid North African landscape preceding the mid-Pliocene glaciation, potentially facilitating early human migration.

The fate of water carried by subducted slabs to the deep Earth remains unclear. Experiments suggest that water is unlikely to escape the slabs when they reach the core–mantle boundary despite high pressures and temperatures.

Machine learning analyses of global datasets of radiocarbon in river particles and coastal sediments reveal different patterns of organic carbon transfer and accumulation across the land–ocean continuum worldwide.

Water-bearing subducted slabs may not dehydrate and contribute to chemical heterogeneities at the core–mantle boundary, according to high-pressure and high-temperature melting experiments.

Millennial-scale trends in cosmogenic radionuclide production rates through the Holocene are largely the result of variations in geomagnetic field and not solar activity, according to an analysis of several radionuclide records and geomagnetic field models.

Chemical regimes of atmospheric secondary inorganic aerosol formation and nitrogen deposition in rural areas of the USA shifted from ammonia-sensitive to ammonia-insensitive between 2011 and 2020, according to analyses of long-term observations. These regime shifts led to a reduction in ammonium in aerosols and increased ammonia deposition near emission hotspots.

Chemical regimes of atmospheric secondary inorganic aerosol formation in rural areas of the United States shifted from NH₃-sensitive to NH₃-insensitive between 2011 and 2020, according to analyses of long-term observational data on aerosol composition and gaseous precursors.

Artificial intelligence tools have the potential to revolutionize how scientists work and publish. We share our ground rules for managing the inherent risks.

A field experiment in Uganda shows how potassium and phosphorus keep leaves functioning during times of water scarcity, highlighting the need to consider ecosystem-scale processes in studying the response of forests to nutrient limitation.

High-resolution spacecraft imagery has revealed transient deposits that appear in the early mornings of cold seasons at the high altitudes of the Tharsis volcanoes on Mars, consistent with water frost of atmospheric origin.

Ongoing climate warming is heating the subsurface. Projections suggest that by the end of the century millions of people will live in areas where groundwater exceeds the highest threshold for drinking water temperatures.

Model projections suggest that shallow groundwater temperatures will increase by 2.1 °C by the end of the century, with groundwater expected to exceed drinkable temperatures in a number of populated regions under a medium-emissions pathway.

Oxygen isotopic evidence from Jack Hill zircon crystals suggests that meteoric (fresh) water interacted with crustal magma systems four billion years ago, meaning that the hydrological cycle began at or before this time.

The intermediate-scale Kamchatka thermochemical anomaly segregated from the Perm anomaly and may have generated a mantle plume before merging with the Pacific large low-velocity province, according to a study of mantle tomographic and numerical models.

Substantial evolution of the Nile River over the past 11,500 years, shaping the riverine landscape and ancient Egyptian culture, is linked to climate and environmental changes, according to analyses of sediment cores near Luxor dated with optically stimulated luminescence.