Editorials
More options for climate scientists p129
doi:10.1038/ngeo1107
The launch of Nature Climate Change provides a new outlet for climate researchers' work, while Nature Geoscience and Nature will continue to publish climate studies.
The challenge of extremes p129
doi:10.1038/ngeo1108
As the science of attributing climatic extremes to human actions matures, lawyers are working through the implications for their trade.
Feature
Children's knowledge of the Earth pp130 - 132
Michael Siegal, Gavin Nobes & Georgia Panagiotaki
doi:10.1038/ngeo1094
Children everywhere are fascinated by the sky, stars and Sun. Emerging evidence from cultures throughout the world suggests that even young children can acquire knowledge of the Earth and its place in the Universe.
Books and Arts
Secrets of the Solar System p133
Anna Armstrong reviews Planets: A Very Short Introduction by David A. Rothery
doi:10.1038/ngeo1101
News and Views
Palaeoclimate: East Antarctic retreat pp135 - 136
George H. Denton
doi:10.1038/ngeo1096
The contribution of the East Antarctic ice sheet to the 120 m of sea-level rise since the Last Glacial Maximum is unclear. New terrestrial and marine data suggest the thinning of East Antarctic ice was responsible for only a metre of this rise.
Subject term: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography
See also: Article by Mackintosh et al.
Geodynamics: Double-dunk tectonics pp136 - 138
Hannes K. Brueckner
doi:10.1038/ngeo1063
Continental crust is less dense than that of the oceans, and less likely to sink into the mantle. Nevertheless, an analysis of a high-pressure rock from the Swiss Alps suggests that more than one cycle of crustal sinking and return is possible.
Subject term: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics
See also: Letter by Herwartz et al.
Willi Dansgaard: From isotopes to ice p138
Jean Jouzel
doi:10.1038/ngeo1102
Subject term: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography
Marine chemistry: Marine mercury breakdown pp139 - 140
Joel D. Blum
doi:10.1038/ngeo1093
The neurotoxin methylmercury accumulates in marine biota and their predators. An analysis of seabird egg shells suggests that sea-ice cover reduces the breakdown of this highly toxic compound in sea water.
Subject terms: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography
See also: Article by Point et al.
Atmospheric science: Triggered lightning p140
Heike Langenberg
doi:10.1038/ngeo1103
Subject term: Atmospheric science
Ocean science: Gulf of Mexico aftermath pp141 - 142
Gérard Nihous
doi:10.1038/ngeo1098
Massive amounts of natural gas catastrophically released into the Gulf of Mexico last year are missing. Two investigations suggest that a bloom of tiny specialized bacteria is responsible for this heavy-duty scrubbing job.
Subject terms: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography
See also: Letter by Joye et al.
Climate science: Elusive extremes pp142 - 143
Gabriele C. Hegerl, Helen Hanlon & Carl Beierkuhnlein
doi:10.1038/ngeo1090
Extreme climate events can cause widespread damage and have been projected to become more frequent as the world warms. Yet as discussed at an interdisciplinary workshop, it is often not clear which extremes matter the most, and how and why they are changing.
Subject term: Climate science
Progress Article
Metal flux from hydrothermal vents increased by organic complexationpp145 - 150
Sylvia G. Sander & Andrea Koschinsky
doi:10.1038/ngeo1088
Hydrothermal vents in the sea floor release large volumes of hot, metal-rich fluids into the deep ocean. Mounting evidence suggests that organic compounds bind to and stabilize metals in hydrothermal fluids, thereby increasing metal flux to the open ocean.
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (657 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography
Letters
Radiative forcing and albedo feedback from the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere between 1979 and 2008 pp151 - 155
M. G. Flanner, K. M. Shell, M. Barlage, D. K. Perovich & M. A. Tschudi
doi:10.1038/ngeo1062
The extent of snow cover and sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere has declined since 1979, suggesting a positive feedback of surface reflectivity on climate. A synthesis of a variety of remote sensing and field measurements suggests that this albedo feedback from the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere falls between 0.3 and 1.1 W m−2 K−1.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (591 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Cryospheric science | Climate science
Spatially variable response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change affected by debris cover pp156 - 159
Dirk Scherler, Bodo Bookhagen & Manfred R. Strecker
doi:10.1038/ngeo1068
The present state and future evolution of Himalayan glaciers has been controversial. An analysis of remotely sensed frontal changes and surface velocities from glaciers in the greater Himalaya between 2000 and 2008 shows large regional variability in the responses of Himalayan glaciers to climate change.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (678 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Cryospheric science | Climate science
Magnitude and oxidation potential of hydrocarbon gases released from the BP oil well blowout pp160 - 164
Samantha B. Joye, Ian R. MacDonald, Ira Leifer & Vernon Asper
doi:10.1038/ngeo1067
The deep-sea oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico released large quantities of oil and gaseous hydrocarbons into the deep ocean. Calculations using published estimates of the volume of oil released suggest that up to 500,000 t of gases such as methane were released into the deep ocean.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (624 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography
See also: related Backstory | News and Views by Nihous
Extreme oxygen isotope anomaly with a solar origin detected in meteoritic organics pp165 - 168
Ko Hashizume, Naoto Takahata, Hiroshi Naraoka & Yuji Sano
doi:10.1038/ngeo1070
The origins of the non-mass-dependent oxygen isotope anomaly in planetary materials remain controversial. An analysis of the carbon and oxygen isotopes of organic matter from a carbonaceous chondrite suggests that the signature was acquired in the envelope of the protosolar nebula, triggered by the photodissociation of carbon monoxide.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (398 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject term: Planetary science
High sea-surface temperatures during the Early Cretaceous Epochpp169 - 172
Kate Littler, Stuart A. Robinson, Paul R. Bown, Alexandra J. Nederbragt & Richard D. Pancost
doi:10.1038/ngeo1081
The Early Cretaceous greenhouse interval may have been punctuated by cooler periods. A reconstruction of sea-surface temperatures from low and middle latitudes shows no evidence of such cold events.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (670 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject term: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography
Limited overlap between the seismic gap and coseismic slip of the great 2010 Chile earthquake pp173 - 177
S. Lorito, F. Romano, S. Atzori, X. Tong, A. Avallone, J. McCloskey, M. Cocco, E. Boschi & A. Piatanesi
doi:10.1038/ngeo1073
The Mw 8.8 Chile earthquake on 27 February 2010 occurred in a broad region where tectonic loading has been accumulating since the great 1835 earthquake. A joint inversion of tsunami and geodetic data suggests that the 2010 earthquake rupture only partly overlapped with the zone of preseismic locking.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,329 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Seismology | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics
Tracing two orogenic cycles in one eclogite sample by Lu–Hf garnet chronometry pp178 - 183
Daniel Herwartz, Thorsten J. Nagel, Carsten Münker, Erik E. Scherer & Nikolaus Froitzheim
doi:10.1038/ngeo1060
The Adula nappe, Central Alps, was thought to be a mélange of rock fragments, some of which were subducted and then exhumed from the mantle. Lu–Hf dating of two populations of garnets in one rock sample instead indicates that the nappe twice experienced subduction and exhumation as one coherent unit.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,723 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Geochemistry | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics |Volcanology, mineralogy and petrology
See also: News and Views by Brueckner
Dominant role of tectonic inheritance in supercontinent cycles pp184 - 187
Pascal Audet & Roland Bürgmann
doi:10.1038/ngeo1080
During supercontinent cycles, deformation of continental lithosphere is observed to be concentrated near the plate boundaries. Global maps indicative of the strength of the lithosphere and its directional dependence show that strain is concentrated at pre-existing zones of weakness.
First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (9,065 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject term: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics
Articles
Methylmercury photodegradation influenced by sea-ice cover in Arctic marine ecosystems pp188 - 194
D. Point, J. E. Sonke, R. D. Day, D. G. Roseneau, K. A. Hobson, S. S. Vander Pol, A. J. Moors, R. S. Pugh, O. F. X. Donard & P. R. Becker
doi:10.1038/ngeo1049
Atmospheric deposition of mercury to remote areas has increased threefold since pre-industrial times. Reductions in sea-ice cover accelerate the photodegradation of biologically accessible mercury in Arctic waters, according to an analysis of the isotopic composition of bird eggs in northern latitudes.
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (773 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography
See also: News and Views by Blum
Retreat of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the last glacial termination pp195 - 202
Andrew Mackintosh, Nicholas Golledge, Eugene Domack, Robert Dunbar, Amy Leventer, Duanne White, David Pollard, Robert DeConto, David Fink, Dan Zwartz, Damian Gore & Caroline Lavoie
doi:10.1038/ngeo1061
The East Antarctic ice sheet retreated at the end of the last glacial period. Terrestrial and marine data suggest that the retreat began 14,000 years ago, indicating that the East Antarctic ice sheet probably did not contribute to meltwater pulse 1a 14,700 years ago.
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (6,831 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography | Cryospheric science
See also: News and Views by Denton
Complex layered deformation within the Aegean crust and mantle revealed by seismic anisotropy pp203 - 207
Brigitte Endrun, Sergei Lebedev, Thomas Meier, Céline Tirel & Wolfgang Friederich
doi:10.1038/ngeo1065
Continental lithosphere can undergo pervasive internal deformation, but patterns of flow within the lithosphere are difficult to observe. Determination of seismic Rayleigh-wave anisotropy in the crust and mantle of the Aegean region reveal matching orientations of regional-scale anisotropic fabric and the directions of extension during the last significant episodes of deformation.
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (927 KB) | Supplementary information
Subject terms: Seismology | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics
Backstory
Cruise in oil p208
doi:10.1038/ngeo1099
Samantha Joye and her colleagues donned respirators and safety suits to survive the fumes when tracing an underwater gas plume following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
See also: Letter by Joye et al.