Environmental sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural silk fibers are produced using a simple and green approach compared to alternative synthetic methods. Here, the authors show a bioinspired approach to spin regenerated silk fibers using anisotropic liquid crystals and dry spinning, resulting in remarkably robust fibers.

    • Shengjie Ling
    • , Zhao Qin
    •  & Markus J. Buehler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The question of how significant barite deposits were able to form from early Earth’s low-sulfate seas remains controversial. Here, the authors show pelagic barite precipitation within a strongly barite-undersaturated ecosystem, highlighting the importance of particle-associated microenvironments.

    • Tristan J. Horner
    • , Helena V. Pryer
    •  & Richard D. Ricketts

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stressors such as sediment dredging can harm marine organisms, but this impact could be minimised if targeted within ‘ecological windows’. Here, Wu and colleagues develop a modelling framework to identify ecological windows that maximise seagrass resilience under varying dredging schedules.

    • Paul Pao-Yen Wu
    • , Kerrie Mengersen
    •  & M. Julian Caley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from agricultural sources is generally omitted from sulfur emission estimates despite its abundance in livestock emissions. Here, the authors show that agriculture is the most important source of sulfur in Denmark using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry measurements of H2S.

    • Anders Feilberg
    • , Michael Jørgen Hansen
    •  & Tavs Nyord

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Land use and land cover change has led to more frequent hot, dry summers in parts of the mid-latitudes. Here the authors use an Earth system model to show that regions converted to crops and pastures experience hot, dry summers 2 to 4 times more frequently than they would if native forests had remained.

    • Kirsten L. Findell
    • , Alexis Berg
    •  & Elena Shevliakova

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biochar promotes plant growth via a slow release of nutrients; however, a mechanistic understanding of nutrient storage in biochar is lacking. Here, using high-resolution spectromicroscopy and mass spectrometry, the authors identify an organic coating on co-composted particles that enhances nutrient retention.

    • Nikolas Hagemann
    • , Stephen Joseph
    •  & Andreas Kappler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Industrial mining contributes to deforestation in the Amazon, and the extent of effect could occur beyond areas of land explicitly permitted for mining. Here, Sonter et al. show that deforestation in 70-km buffer zones around mines has led to an estimated 9% of Brazilian Amazon deforestation since 2005.

    • Laura J. Sonter
    • , Diego Herrera
    •  & Britaldo S. Soares-Filho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    International and domestic interprovincial trade of China are entangled, but their health impacts have been treated separately in earlier studies. Here Wang. quantify the complex impacts of trade on public health across China within an integrative framework.

    • Haikun Wang
    • , Yanxu Zhang
    •  & Michael B. McElroy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Heterogeneous oxidation of bromide in atmospheric aqueous environments has long been suspected to be accelerated at the interface between aqueous solution and air. Here, the authors provide spectroscopic, kinetic and theoretical evidence for a rate limiting, surface active ozonide formed at the interface.

    • Luca Artiglia
    • , Jacinta Edebeli
    •  & Markus Ammann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The contribution of atmospheric deposition to the oceanic dissolved black carbon pool (DBC) is unclear. Here, the authors show that water-soluble black carbon is positively correlated with water-soluble organic carbon in marine aerosols, and that atmospheric deposition is a significant source of oceanic DBC.

    • Hongyan Bao
    • , Jutta Niggemann
    •  & Shuh-Ji Kao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Most molecular scale knowledge on soil organo–mineral interactions remains qualitative due to instrument limitations. Here, the authors use force spectroscopy to directly measure free binding energy between organic ligands and minerals and find that both chemistry and environmental conditions affect binding.

    • C. J. Newcomb
    • , N. P. Qafoku
    •  & J. J. De Yoreo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The health consequences of exposure to pesticides are uncertain and subject to much debate. Here, the effect of exposure during pregnancy is investigated in an agriculturally dominated residential area, showing that an increase in adverse birth outcomes is observed with very high levels of pesticide exposure.

    • Ashley E. Larsen
    • , Steven D. Gaines
    •  & Olivier Deschênes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The potential contribution of redox reactions to acidification in coastal waters is unclear. Here, using measurements from the Chesapeake Bay, the authors show that pH minimum occurs at mid-depths where acids are produced via hydrogen sulfide oxidation in waters mixed upward from anoxic depths.

    • Wei-Jun Cai
    • , Wei-Jen Huang
    •  & W. Michael Kemp

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The biofuel ethanol has been introduced into urban transportation in many countries. Here, by measuring aerosols in São Paulo, the authors find that high ethanol prices coincided with an increase in harmful nanoparticles by a third, as drivers switched from ethanol to cheaper gasoline, showing a benefit of ethanol.

    • Alberto Salvo
    • , Joel Brito
    •  & Franz M. Geiger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Global warming and hydropower regulations are major threats to future fresh-water availability and biodiversity. Here, the authors show that their impact on flow regime over a large landmass result in similar changes, but hydropower is more critical locally and may have potential for climate adaptation in floodplains.

    • B. Arheimer
    • , C. Donnelly
    •  & G. Lindström

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The response of soil organic carbon in wetlands to water-table decline remains uncertain. Here, the authors examine the role of iron in mediating soil enzyme activity and lignin stabilization and find that iron protecting lignin phenols in soils exposed to air acts as an iron gate against the enzyme latch.

    • Yiyun Wang
    • , Hao Wang
    •  & Xiaojuan Feng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rate of subsea permafrost degradation is a key factor controlling marine methane emissions in the Arctic. Here, using re-drilled boreholes, the authors show that the ice-bonded permafrost table in the near-shore East Siberian Arctic Shelf has deepened by ∼14 cm per year over the past 31–32 years.

    • Natalia Shakhova
    • , Igor Semiletov
    •  & Denis Chernykh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes’ ecosystems compared to historical records are unclear. Here, using paleolimnological evidence, the authors show that Lake Superior experienced a slow increase in productivity throughout the Holocene, but that this rate has increased in the last century.

    • M. D. O’Beirne
    • , J. P. Werne
    •  & E. D. Reavie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rivers provide a major pathway for ocean plastic waste, but effective mitigation is dependent on a quantification of active sources. Here, the authors present a global model of riverine plastic inputs, and estimate annual plastic waste of almost 2.5 million tonnes, with 86% sourced from Asia.

    • Laurent C. M. Lebreton
    • , Joost van der Zwet
    •  & Julia Reisser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Crystalline uraninite is believed to be the dominant form in uranium deposits. Here, the authors find that non-crystalline U(IV) generated through biologically mediated U(VI) reduction is the predominant U(IV)species in ore deposits, implying that biogenic processes are more important than previously thought.

    • Amrita Bhattacharyya
    • , Kate M. Campbell
    •  & Thomas Borch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Deforestation and edge effects around cleared areas impact forest stability. Here, the authors examine human impacts on Amazonian forest-savanna bistability and show that tree cover bimodality is enhanced in regions close to human activities and is nearly absent in regions unaffected by human activities.

    • Bert Wuyts
    • , Alan R. Champneys
    •  & Joanna I. House

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coral reefs are biologically diverse and productive ecosystems, yet our understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification on biocalcification is limited. Here, the authors show that pH upregulation and the biological control of dissolved inorganic carbon in calcifying fluids ofPoritescorals are linked.

    • Malcolm T. McCulloch
    • , Juan Pablo D’Olivo
    •  & Julie A. Trotter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Isoprene emissions are commonly estimated using satellite measurements and model simulations. Here, using eddy covariance, the authors report higher emission rates over the Amazon forest than those estimated with these techniques and a relationship between terrain elevation and isoprene emissions.

    • Dasa Gu
    • , Alex B. Guenther
    •  & Zhiyuan Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fully quantifying the influence of vegetation on atmospheric chemistry remains challenging. Here, the authors show that forest canopy shading and turbulence significantly modify air pollution throughout the atmospheric boundary layer, and must be taken into account in models of the atmosphere.

    • P. A. Makar
    • , R. M. Staebler
    •  & Q. Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The damming of rivers has large impacts on the balance of riverine carbon (C) processes and fluxes to the oceans. Here, the authors use decadal riverine organic C loads and model C transformations to quantify in-reservoir organic C burial, mineralization and assess decreases in riverine exports to the oceans.

    • Taylor Maavara
    • , Ronny Lauerwald
    •  & Philippe Van Cappellen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Iron oxide nanoparticles contribute to shortwave absorption in the form of desert dust. Motekiet al. show that iron oxide particles of anthropogenic origin, potentially from motor vehicles and blast furnaces, also contribute to atmospheric heating over East Asia.

    • Nobuhiro Moteki
    • , Kouji Adachi
    •  & Yutaka Kondo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Anthropogenic aerosol and calm conditions give rise to winter haze episodes in eastern China. Yanget al. show that these weak winds also decrease natural dust emissions, reducing the land–ocean temperature difference and associated winds, enhancing air stagnation and pollution in this region.

    • Yang Yang
    • , Lynn M. Russell
    •  & Steven J. Ghan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are important for climate and aerosol quality, but the phase state is unclear. Here, the authors show that SOA is liquid in tropical and polar air, semi-solid in the mid-latitudes, solid over dry lands and in a glassy solid phase state in the middle and upper troposphere.

    • Manabu Shiraiwa
    • , Ying Li
    •  & Ulrich Pöschl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    COP21 led to a global commitment to decarbonization before 2100 to combat climate change, but leaves the timing and scale of mitigation efforts to individual countries. Here, the authors show that global carbon emissions need to peak within a decade to maintain realistic pathways for achieving the Paris Agreement.

    • Brian Walsh
    • , Philippe Ciais
    •  & Michael Obersteiner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Changes in penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula in recent decades have been linked to environmental factors such as sea ice. Here, the authors show that penguin colony change on Ardley Island, NW Antarctic Peninsula during the last 8,500 years was primarily driven by volcanic activity.

    • Stephen J. Roberts
    • , Patrick Monien
    •  & Dominic A. Hodgson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantifying the toxicity of herbicides applied in the field is difficult. Here, the author applies a quotient to evaluate changes in relative toxicity over the past 25 years and finds that increased herbicide use does not necessarily constitute increased toxicity.

    • Andrew R. Kniss

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron transfer reactions govern most biogeochemical processes, yet we have a limited knowledge of the electrochemistry of pyrogenic carbon, a major component of organic matter. Here, the authors quantify electron transfers between pyrogenic carbon and mineral phases under different pyrolysis temperatures.

    • Tianran Sun
    • , Barnaby D. A. Levin
    •  & Johannes Lehmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coastal Louisiana wetlands face some of the world’s highest rates of relative sea-level rise and loss. Here, the authors show that there is a strong regional component to coastal Louisiana wetland vulnerability to relative sea-level rise as well as contributing to the understanding of subsidence in the region.

    • Krista L. Jankowski
    • , Torbjörn E Törnqvist
    •  & Anjali M Fernandes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted by vegetation influence cloud formation, yet the impact of environmental stresses remains little known. Here, manipulation experiments reveal insect infestation and heat stress are linked to induced VOC and constitutive VOC emissions shifts, respectively.

    • D. F. Zhao
    • , A. Buchholz
    •  & Th. F. Mentel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Marine plankton are the basis of the oceanic food chain. Here, Chivers and colleagues use ocean-basin wide plankton population data over six decades to show huge differences in the response of different plankton groups to climate change with major implications for the marine ecosystem and fisheries.

    • William J. Chivers
    • , Anthony W. Walne
    •  & Graeme C. Hays

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite their role in oceanic CaCO3production, the physiological processes responsible for calcification in foraminifera are poorly understood Here, the authors show that calcification is driven by rapid transformation of bicarbonate to carbonate inside the cytoplasm, achieved by active outward proton pumping.

    • Takashi Toyofuku
    • , Miki Y. Matsuo
    •  & Hiroshi Kitazato

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glacial runoff often has relatively low dissolved silica concentrations and therefore ice sheets have been thought insignificant in the global silicon cycle. Here, the authors show that ice sheets likely play an important role in the production and export of dissolved and dissolvable amorphous silica downstream.

    • Jon R. Hawkings
    • , Jemma L. Wadham
    •  & Rob Raiswell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A large proportion of methane emissions from natural gas production sites are released by a fraction of high-emitting sources. Here, using Monte Carlo simulations, the authors reveal that super-emitters occur due to abnormal process conditions, explaining component and site-based inventory discrepancies.

    • Daniel Zavala-Araiza
    • , Ramón A Alvarez
    •  & Steven P. Hamburg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Forests impact continental-scale moisture recycling, but their impact on regional-scale cloud cover is little known. Here, using satellite observations, Teulinget al. illustrate enhanced cloud cover over regional forested areas in western Europe due to the establishment of a forest-breeze circulation.

    • Adriaan J. Teuling
    • , Christopher M. Taylor
    •  & Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fish migration is influenced by various environmental factors such as chemicals in water. Here, Hellstrom et al. show that an anxiolytic drug in the benzodiazepine family, oxazepam, can promote migratory behaviour of Atlantic salmon smolts in both laboratory setting and river tributary in Sweden.

    • Gustav Hellström
    • , Jonatan Klaminder
    •  & Tomas Brodin

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