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Some subduction zones experience earthquake supercycles. Numerical simulations show that successive megathrust earthquakes may load neighbouring parts of the fault, causing it to eventually fail in a giant earthquake that completes a supercycle.
The Hawaiian–Emperor volcanic chain has a distinctive bend. Geochemical analyses show that lavas erupted on the ocean floor close to the bend formed during deformation of the Pacific Plate, implying the bend was caused by changes in plate motion.
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations varied on multidecadal timescales over the past millennium. Measurements of the carbon isotope composition of ice core CO2 suggest climate-driven changes in land carbon stores caused these fluctuations.
At subduction zones, deep parts of the fault can slip slowly, generating tremor. Analysis of tremor in Cascadia reveals increasing sensitivity of slip to tidal stresses over several days, implying that the fault is weak, and weakens as it slips.
Methanotrophic bacteria can consume methane emitted from the ocean floor before it reaches the atmosphere. Variations in coastal currents can reduce methane oxidation in the ocean by limiting methanotroph residence time above methane seeps.
Nutrient limitation of plant growth can reduce net plant productivity. Model projections indicate that productivity declines when nitrogen and phosphorus limitations are considered, turning terrestrial ecosystems into a net source of CO2 by 2100.
Fluid transport in subduction zones is complex. Geochemical analysis of lavas from the Cascade Arc shows that dehydration of the deep slab interior can trigger melting in the outer part of the subducting slab in young, hot subduction zones.
Over the past 140 years, planet-encircling storms have occurred on Saturn about every 30 years. A sufficiently wet troposphere can explain the suppression of moist convection and storm recurrence interval on Saturn.
Titan’s equatorial dunes propagate eastwards, whereas Titan’s surface winds blow towards the West. Atmospheric simulations suggest that tropical methane storms generate strong eastward gusts that may dominate sand transport on Titan’s surface.
Liquid water on equatorial Mars is inconsistent with large-scale climatic conditions. Humidity and temperature measurements by the Curiosity rover support the formation of subsurface liquid brines by hydration of perchlorates during the night.
Continental breakup can occur with or without extensive magmatic activity. Numerical simulations show that magmatic and amagmatic rifts can develop in the same tectonic setting, if a rising mantle plume is deflected to one side of the continent.
The glaciers in western Canada are experiencing rapid mass loss. Projections of their fate with a model that couples physics-based ice dynamics with a surface mass balance model suggest that glacier volume will shrink by 70% by 2100.
The origin of continental crust is unclear. Geochemical and geophysical analyses of the Central American land bridge show that continental crust began to form there when enriched oceanic crust created above the Galápagos plume was subducted.
Mercury’s surface is darker than expected given its low iron content. The delivery of cometary carbon to Mercury in micrometeorite impacts may explain the planet’s globally low reflectance.
Forests may be vulnerable to future droughts. A tree mortality threshold based on plant hydraulics suggests that increased drought may trigger widespread dieback in the southwestern United States by mid-century.
Subducting slabs can stagnate in the lower mantle. High-pressure laboratory experiments show that the viscosity of a dominant mantle phase increases dramatically at shallow lower-mantle depths, which could cause the slabs to halt their descent.
Totten Glacier has the largest thinning rate in East Antarctica. A derivation of the sea floor bathymetry reveals entrances to the ice cavity beneath the glacier that could allow deep warm water to enter and enhance basal melting.
The El Niño/Southern Oscillation modulates global weather and climate. Analyses of large-scale environmental indices show that it also affects the frequency of tornado and hail events in the central United States, which may help with predictability.
The depth of oxygen penetration and microbial activity in marine sediments varies by region. Sediment cores from the South Pacific Gyre host oxygen and aerobic microbial communities to at least 75 metres below the sea floor.
Precipitation patterns in the western Pacific changed at the onset of the Little Ice Age. A synthesis of precipitation reconstructions suggests that this change resulted from a contraction of the intertropical convergence zone.