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Matters Arising
| Open AccessOcean afforestation is a potentially effective way to remove carbon dioxide
- Wei-Lei Wang
- , Mar Fernández-Méndez
- & Minhan Dai
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Ocean afforestation is a potentially effective way to remove carbon dioxide
- Lennart T. Bach
- , Veronica Tamsitt
- & Philip W. Boyd
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Article
| Open AccessLeaf-level coordination principles propagate to the ecosystem scale
It is unclear whether trait trade-offs and optimality principles observed at the individual level scale up to the ecosystem level. Here, the authors show that plant trait coordination principles also predict patterns between community-level traits and ecosystem-scale processes.
- Ulisse Gomarasca
- , Mirco Migliavacca
- & Markus Reichstein
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Article
| Open AccessPre-aged terrigenous organic carbon biases ocean ventilation-age reconstructions in the North Atlantic
Ocean ventilation plays on global climate evolution. Here, the authors suggest that previously inferred poorly ventilated conditions in the North Atlantic were linked to enhanced pre-aged organic carbon input. Old organic carbon was mainly of terrigenous origin and exported by ice-rafting
- Jingyu Liu
- , Yipeng Wang
- & Rui Bao
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Article
| Open AccessPhoto-produced aromatic compounds stimulate microbial degradation of dissolved organic carbon in thermokarst lakes
The mechanism of photochemical and biological degradation of DOC is unclear, especially in thermokarst lakes. Here, the authors find that photo-produced aromatic compounds rather than aliphatic compounds stimulate the microbial degradation of DOC.
- Jie Hu
- , Luyao Kang
- & Leiyi Chen
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Article
| Open AccessDisentangling the impact of Atlantic Niño on sea-air CO2 flux
The response of sea-air CO2 flux to the Atlantic Niño variability shows a dipole pattern in the equatorial Atlantic characterized by a freshwater-induced anomaly in the western basin, and a sea surface temperature-induced anomaly in the central basin.
- Shunya Koseki
- , Jerry Tjiputra
- & Noel S. Keenlyside
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Perspective
| Open AccessUnlocking complex soil systems as carbon sinks: multi-pool management as the key
Increasing C storage in mineral-associated organic matter is insufficient due to diverse, environmentally specific persistent soil organic matter formation. Context-dependent management strategies highlighting the importance of particulate organic matter are necessary.
- Gerrit Angst
- , Kevin E. Mueller
- & Carsten W. Mueller
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Comment
| Open AccessSmall watersheds may play a disproportionate role in arctic land-ocean fluxes
While over 99% of coastal arctic rivers drain small catchments, future projections of land-ocean fluxes are based on data from large rivers. We encourage inclusion of and increased focus on smaller catchments to support representative assessments of arctic ecosystem change.
- J. E. Vonk
- , N. J. Speetjens
- & A. E. Poste
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal warming accelerates soil heterotrophic respiration
Soil’s role in Earth’s carbon budget is uncertain. A new model links soil temperature and moisture to global soil respiration. Heterotrophic respiration has risen by 2% per decade since the 1980s, with a projected 40% increase by century end.
- Alon Nissan
- , Uria Alcolombri
- & Markus Holzner
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Article
| Open AccessAsymmetry of carbon sequestrations by plant and soil after forestation regulated by soil nitrogen
Linkage between plant and soil carbon dynamics after forestation remains uncertain and controversial. Here the authors show that soil nitrogen regulates the asymmetry of carbon sequestrations by plant and soil after forestation.
- Songbai Hong
- , Jinzhi Ding
- & Shilong Piao
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Article
| Open AccessCharacteristics of methane emissions from alpine thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau
Methane emission from thermokarst lakes in high-altitude permafrost regions is poorly understood. Here, authors explore the amount and origin of methane emissions and associated methanogenic microorganisms in thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau.
- Guibiao Yang
- , Zhihu Zheng
- & Yuanhe Yang
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Article
| Open AccessSoil organic carbon is a key determinant of CH4 sink in global forest soils
Soil organic carbon has a positive effect on the removal of methane in forest soils. Global forests are found to be larger sinks of methane than previously estimated when the influence of SOC is considered.
- Jaehyun Lee
- , Youmi Oh
- & Hojeong Kang
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Article
| Open AccessRubisco deactivation and chloroplast electron transport rates co-limit photosynthesis above optimal leaf temperature in terrestrial plants
Photosynthesis declines at mild temperatures in terrestrial plants. Here, the authors use published data to show that decline in photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate with rising temperatures can be accounted for by Rubisco deactivation and declines in chloroplast electron transport rate.
- Andrew P. Scafaro
- , Bradley C. Posch
- & Owen K. Atkin
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Article
| Open AccessRegional and global impact of CO2 uptake in the Benguela Upwelling System through preformed nutrients
Consumption of biologically unused, ‘preformed’ nutrients in the Benguela Upwelling System drive a more efficient regional CO2 uptake, and can compensate for 20–68% of natural CO2 outgassing in the Southern Ocean’s Atlantic sector.
- Claire Siddiqui
- , Tim Rixen
- & Keshnee Pillay
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Article
| Open AccessWhat the geological past can tell us about the future of the ocean’s twilight zone
Combining geological evidence and modelling, Crichton and others find life in the ocean Twilight Zone (200 m to 1000 m depth) is vulnerable to warming due to lower food supply. High emissions may lead to severe depletion and extinction in this habitat
- Katherine A. Crichton
- , Jamie D. Wilson
- & Paul N. Pearson
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Article
| Open AccessContrasting geochemical and fungal controls on decomposition of lignin and soil carbon at continental scale
Lignin’s contribution to soil organic carbon (SOC) is contentious. The authors find a decoupling of lignin and SOC decomposition and their contrasting relationships with geochemical and microbial factors, addressing a long-standing controversy.
- Wenjuan Huang
- , Wenjuan Yu
- & Steven J. Hall
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Article
| Open AccessIntracellular carbon storage by microorganisms is an overlooked pathway of biomass growth
Microbes are often assumed to reproduce as much as possible, but it has now been shown that soil microbes actually store a large part of their carbon intake. This could help microbial communities withstand environmental changes.
- Kyle Mason-Jones
- , Andreas Breidenbach
- & Michaela A. Dippold
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Article
| Open AccessStructure and mechanism of the alkane-oxidizing enzyme AlkB
Alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) plays a key role in the global carbon cycle and remediation of oil spills. Here, the authors report the cryo-EM structure of AlkB to provide insight into the catalytic mechanism and substrate selectivity.
- Xue Guo
- , Jianxiu Zhang
- & Liang Feng
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Article
| Open AccessEvaluation of the methane paradox in four adjacent pre-alpine lakes across a trophic gradient
Methane production was thought to be an exclusively anaerobic process. This study shows that methane production occurs in oxygenated surface waters of four pre-alpine lakes and is often the main contributor to their methane emissions
- César Ordóñez
- , Tonya DelSontro
- & Daniel F. McGinnis
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal scale analysis on the extent of river channel belts
Here the authors present a global scale classification of river channel belt extents as a resource for improved ecosystem accounting and river behavior analysis. Moreover, the methods show advances in pattern recognition to define new global landform products.
- Björn Nyberg
- , Gijs Henstra
- & Juha Ahokas
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal patterns and edaphic-climatic controls of soil carbon decomposition kinetics predicted from incubation experiments
The predictive power of earth system models may be improved by better representation of decomposition processes. Here, the authors use incubation data and machine learning to estimate soil organic matter decomposition kinetic parameters as a reference for global modelling.
- Daifeng Xiang
- , Gangsheng Wang
- & Wanyu Li
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Comment
| Open AccessQuantifying the recarbonization of post-agricultural landscapes
Despite worldwide prevalence, post-agricultural landscapes remain one of the least constrained human-induced land carbon sinks. To appraise their role in rebuilding the planet’s natural carbon stocks through ecosystem restoration, we need to better understand their spatial and temporal legacies.
- Stephen M. Bell
- , Samuel J. Raymond
- & César Terrer
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Article
| Open AccessCentennial scale sequences of environmental deterioration preceded the end-Permian mass extinction
The exact drivers for the end-Permian mass extinction remain controversial. This study reveals a turning point with the exhaustion of the terrestrial input and a strong fertilization of the marine realm leading to the demise of marine ecosystems.
- Ryosuke Saito
- , Lars Wörmer
- & Kai-Uwe Hinrichs
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Article
| Open AccessStabilization of mineral-associated organic carbon in Pleistocene permafrost
In ice-rich Siberian permafrost sediments deposited during the Pleistocene, 33-74% of the organic carbon is mineral-bound favoured by the presence of reactive iron, which can reduce microbial CO2 production after thawing
- Jannik Martens
- , Carsten W. Mueller
- & Janet Rethemeyer
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Article
| Open AccessAssessing the impact of the global subsea telecommunications network on sedimentary organic carbon stocks
The sequestration of organic carbon in seafloor sediments plays a key role in regulating global climate. Here, the authors present an assessment of organic carbon disturbance related to the globally-extensive subsea telecommunications cable network.
- M. A. Clare
- , A. Lichtschlag
- & N. L. M. Barlow
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon sequestration by multiple biological pump pathways in a coastal upwelling biome
Biological carbon pump pathways combine to transport organic carbon into the deep ocean. This study shows that sinking particles sequester 4 Pg C, active transport sequesters 1 Pg C, and subduction sequesters 0.8 Pg C in the California Current Ecosystem.
- Michael R. Stukel
- , John P. Irving
- & Natalia Yingling
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Article
| Open AccessOrganic matter degradation causes enrichment of organic pollutants in hadal sediments
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are found in hadal trench sediment in the Atacama trench at depths down to 8085 m. High turnover of organic matter in the trench contributes to elevated contaminant concentrations in this extreme and remote place.
- Anna Sobek
- , Sebastian Abel
- & Ronnie N. Glud
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon-sink potential of continuous alfalfa agriculture lowered by short-term nitrous oxide emission events
Long-term continuous greenhouse gas measurements in alfalfa cropland showed that the magnitude of the carbon sink was significantly offset by large nitrous oxide (N2O) emission events following irrigation and rainfall.
- Tyler L. Anthony
- , Daphne J. Szutu
- & Whendee L. Silver
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Article
| Open AccessCoastal El Niño triggers rapid marine silicate alteration on the seafloor
This study identifies the rapidness of marine mineral reactions, directly after an extreme rainfall event. The reactions have the potential to affect marine cation and CO2 cycling, impacting element turnover on human time scales
- Sonja Geilert
- , Daniel A. Frick
- & Andrew W. Dale
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Article
| Open AccessAlkalinity responses to climate warming destabilise the Earth’s thermostat
The weathering alkalinity flux from mid-latitudes to the ocean will be strongly altered by climate warming by 2100. Under different emissions scenarios either a strengthening or a weakening of the flux and thus of the oceanic CO2 buffer is predicted.
- Nele Lehmann
- , Tobias Stacke
- & Helmuth Thomas
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Perspective
| Open AccessIntegrating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to constrain estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange
One of the main sources of uncertainty in carbon budgets is that continental landscapes are made up of a heterogeneous mosaic of ecosystems. Here the authors put forward an integrative framework to improve estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange based on the accumulation of carbon in the landscape as constrained by its lateral export through rivers.
- Joan P. Casas-Ruiz
- , Pascal Bodmer
- & Paul A. del Giorgio
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Article
| Open AccessLitter accumulation and fire risks show direct and indirect climate-dependence at continental scale
Compiled data on litterfall and litter in eucalypt forests and woodlands for the Australian continent shows that litter mass can be robustly predicted using just three independent variables – time, aridity and litterfall quality
- Mark A. Adams
- & Mathias Neumann
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Article
| Open AccessWind-driven upwelling of iron sustains dense blooms and food webs in the eastern Weddell Gyre
This study reports a dense, late summer phytoplankton bloom in the Southern Ocean that accumulated unusually high levels of organic matter and supported feeding hot spots for birds and whales. The authors show that this recurring open ocean bloom is driven by anomalies in easterly winds that push sea ice southwards and favour the upwelling of deep waters enriched in hydrothermal iron.
- Sebastien Moreau
- , Tore Hattermann
- & Harald Steen
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Article
| Open AccessSeasonality of downward carbon export in the Pacific Southern Ocean revealed by multi-year robotic observations
Distinct seasonality of export pathways from the different pumps in the Pacific Southern Ocean are revealed using year-round robotic profiler observations, contributing to understanding of particle export into the oceans’ interior.
- Léo Lacour
- , Joan Llort
- & Philip W. Boyd
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Article
| Open AccessTemperature, species identity and morphological traits predict carbonate excretion and mineralogy in tropical reef fishes
Marine fishes can substantially contribute to the inorganic carbon cycle through the excretion of intestinally precipitated carbonates, but the underlying drivers remain largely unknown. This study identifies the environmental factors and fish traits that predict carbonate excretion rate and mineralogical composition in tropical reef fishes.
- Mattia Ghilardi
- , Michael A. Salter
- & Sonia Bejarano
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Article
| Open AccessPelagic calcium carbonate production and shallow dissolution in the North Pacific Ocean
Ziveri et al find calcifying phytoplankton dominate pelagic CaCO3 production, but a large portion of this CaCO3 dissolves in the photic zone - they suggest the processes driving shallow CaCO3 dissolution are key to understanding the role of planktonic calcifiers in regulating atmospheric CO2.
- Patrizia Ziveri
- , William Robert Gray
- & William Berelson
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Review Article
| Open AccessMonitoring and modelling marine zooplankton in a changing climate
Zooplankton are a critical link to higher trophic levels and play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. This Review examines key responses of zooplankton to ocean warming, highlights key knowledge and geographic gaps that need to be addressed, and discusses how better use of observations and long-term zooplankton monitoring programmes can help fill these gaps.
- Lavenia Ratnarajah
- , Rana Abu-Alhaija
- & Lidia Yebra
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Article
| Open AccessSalp blooms drive strong increases in passive carbon export in the Southern Ocean
Gelatinous bloom-forming zooplankton—salps—alter microbial communities and quintuple the flux of sinking particles from the surface to the deep, strongly enhancing the ability of the ocean to sequester CO2.
- Moira Décima
- , Michael R. Stukel
- & Matt Pinkerton
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Article
| Open AccessMineral weathering is linked to microbial priming in the critical zone
Mineral weathering and microbial priming are two important processes that regulate soil formation and CO2 emissions. Here the authors link weathering with primed organic matter decomposition, which plays a key role in controlling soil C dynamics.
- Qian Fang
- , Anhuai Lu
- & Jon Chorover
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Article
| Open AccessMethane emissions offset atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake in coastal macroalgae, mixed vegetation and sediment ecosystems
Coastal ecosystems are promoted as nature-based solutions to climate change. Here, the authors show that natural methane emissions across a variety of vegetated and unvegetated coastal habitats can, however, offset one-third of the carbon sink capacity attributed to atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake.
- Florian Roth
- , Elias Broman
- & Alf Norkko
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Article
| Open AccessLow atmospheric CO2 levels before the rise of forested ecosystems
Dahl et al. present new evidence based on leaf gas-exchange in primitive vascular plants and fossil remains of some of their earliest ancestors. This alters our thinking on how plants impacted the Earth System and climate.
- Tais W. Dahl
- , Magnus A. R. Harding
- & Christopher K. Junium
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Article
| Open AccessSteps dominate gas evasion from a mountain headwater stream
Emissions from local steps dominate the CO2 evasion of mountain river networks, owing to the pronounced turbulence in correspondence of each plunging jet and the low spacing between steps typical of high energy streams.
- Gianluca Botter
- , Anna Carozzani
- & Nicola Durighetto
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Re-examining extreme carbon isotope fractionation in the coccolithophore Ochrosphaera neapolitana
- Yi-Wei Liu
- , Robert A. Eagle
- & Justin B. Ries
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Article
| Open AccessBioenergetic control of soil carbon dynamics across depth
The high persistence of deep soil carbon is controlled by bioenergetic constraints of decomposers resulting from the poor energy quality of soil carbon together with the lack of energy supply by roots due to their low density at depth
- Ludovic Henneron
- , Jerôme Balesdent
- & Sébastien Fontaine
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessRe-examining extreme carbon isotope fractionation in the coccolithophore Ochrosphaera neapolitana
- Hongrui Zhang
- , Ismael Torres-Romero
- & Heather M. Stoll
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Article
| Open AccessIncreased fire activity under high atmospheric oxygen concentrations is compatible with the presence of forests
This study shows that fire activity under high atmospheric oxygen concentrations does not remove or prevent regeneration of present-day global forests, contradicting a long-term assumption used to define the upper limit of oxygen through time.
- Rayanne Vitali
- , Claire M. Belcher
- & Andrew J. Watson
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Article
| Open AccessTransfer efficiency of organic carbon in marine sediments
The burial of organic carbon in marine sediments regulates Earth’s carbon cycle and climate. Here, authors present ‘transfer efficiencies’ as a new framework for quantifying the sedimentary portion of the marine organic carbon cycle.
- James A. Bradley
- , Dominik Hülse
- & Sandra Arndt
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Article
| Open AccessDeglacial release of petrogenic and permafrost carbon from the Canadian Arctic impacting the carbon cycle
Shrinking of the Laurentide Ice Sheet mobilized the underlying rock organic carbon. Together with permafrost carbon release, this may contribute 12 ppm to deglacial CO2 rise, underscoring the impact of cryospheric change on the carbon cycle.
- Junjie Wu
- , Gesine Mollenhauer
- & Seung-Il Nam
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for late-glacial oceanic carbon redistribution and discharge from the Pacific Southern Ocean
Evaluation of foraminiferal test dissolution by Computed Tomography scanner provided deep seawater carbonate ion concentration at the Southern Ocean. Quantitative data highlighted the reconfiguration of glacial to deglacial carbon storage followed by oceanic-atmospheric CO2 transfer.
- Shinya Iwasaki
- , Lester Lembke-Jene
- & Frank Lamy