Sedimentary structures from evaporative coastal environments indicate carbonate saturation, offer insight in mid-Mesozoic ocean chemistry and potentially even earlier times.
Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling
A Well-Balanced Ecosystem Uses Water Most Efficiently
Excess of a single nutrient, such as nitrogen, may boost plant productivity, but the imbalance leads to less efficient water use as plants scramble for the nutrients they lack.
Deep-Ocean Oxygen May Increase with Climate Change
A millennial-scale ocean simulation indicates that oxygen gains in the deep ocean may offset oxygen losses in the upper water layer under a protracted climate change scenario.
Ancient “Pickled” Leaves Give a Glimpse of Global Greening
A unique fossil lake bed in New Zealand has revealed insights into global climate under elevated levels of carbon dioxide but is now off-limits to scientists.
Frequently Dry Waterways Still Contribute to Carbon Emissions
A new international collaboration found that dry inland waters—no matter where they were located—contributed significant global carbon dioxide emissions.
Stocking a Proper Buffet for a Megadiverse Smorgasbord
Mexico’s megadiverse biota challenge observation network design for efficient sampling, but novel methods can provide guidance and tests of representativeness.
Big Data Help Paint a New Picture of Trace Element Cycling
A new framework for understanding the suite of processes acting on marine particulate trace metals exemplifies how alternative analyses can maximize the information that large data sets provide.
Organic Particles Affect Carbon Cycling in Boreal Waters
Dissolved organic carbon receives much of the focus in aquatic research, but a new study suggests that bulkier particulate matter may play a significant role in regulating carbon dioxide emissions.
Autumn Warming No Longer Accelerating Carbon Loss in the North
An analysis of Point Barrow’s 40-year record points to the importance of calculating the carbon cycle’s response to temperature during the northern latitudes’ non-growing season.
How Did Life Learn to Breathe?
Scientists unravel the conditions under which life evolved to breathe oxygen—and the findings have some stellar implications.