Nature Geoscience contents: July 2012 Volume 5 Number 7 pp433-515

TABLE OF CONTENTS July 2012 Volume 5, Issue 7 Editorial Correspondence Commentary In the press Books and Arts Research Highlights News and Views Progress Article Letters Articles Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement Online-only personal subscriptions now available to Nature Geoscience and Nature Physics For only 49 USD/29 GBP/29 EUR Subscribe now!   Editorial Top Beyond forest carbon   p433 doi:10.1038/ngeo1522 The preservation of forests, both on land and in mangrove swamps, has received much attention in the move to protect biological carbon stores. Less conspicuous communities of organisms deserve some scrutiny, too. Correspondence Top Circadian control of global isoprene emissions   p435 Trevor F. Keenan & Ülo Niinemets doi:10.1038/ngeo1500 See also: Correspondence by Hewitt et al. Reply to 'Circadian control of global isoprene emissions'   pp435 - 436 C. N. Hewitt, K. Ashworth, A. Boynard, A. Guenther, B. Langford, A. R. MacKenzie, P. K. Misztal, E. Nemitz, S. M. Owen, M. Possell, T. A. M. Pugh, A. C. Ryan & O. Wild doi:10.1038/ngeo1504 See also: Correspondence by Keenan & Niinemets Commentary Top The dilemma of mountain roads   pp437 - 438 Roy C. Sidle & Alan D. Ziegler doi:10.1038/ngeo1512 Mountain roads and trails are proliferating throughout developing southeast Asia. The long-term consequences of associated landslides and surface erosion on downstream aquatic environments could be severe, but are largely unrecognized. In the press Top Nuances of glacier speed   p439 Mark Schrope doi:10.1038/ngeo1509 Books and Arts Top A 'best of' climate compilation   p440 Pierre Friedlingstein reviews The Warming Papers by David Archer and Ray Pierrehumbert doi:10.1038/ngeo1507 Research Highlights Top Carbon cycle: Emissions from ponds | Palaeoclimate: Drying times | Volcanology: Earthquake interaction | Planetary Science: Orbital assist News and Views Top Biogeochemistry: Unexpected uptake   pp443 - 444 Jayne Belnap doi:10.1038/ngeo1514 Lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses and algae coat many terrestrial surfaces. These biological covers turn out to play an important role in the global cycling of carbon and nitrogen. See also: Letter by Elbert et al. Submarine volcanism: Hot, cracking rocks deep down   pp444 - 445 Neil Mitchell doi:10.1038/ngeo1505 Most volcanism on Earth takes place under water, yet little is known about submarine eruptions. Monitoring of two volcanic seamounts beneath the Pacific Ocean reveals the pulsed nature of their eruption cycles. See also: Letter by Chadwick et al. | Letter by Dziak et al. | Letter by Caress et al. | Article by Watts et al. Tectonic geomorphology: Landslides limit mountain relief   pp446 - 447 Josh Roering doi:10.1038/ngeo1511 Despite variable forcing by tectonics, the height of mountain ranges seems to be limited. Satellite imagery suggests that landsliding rates adjust to large changes in uplift, acting to maintain hillslopes of similar steepness. See also: Letter by Larsen & Montgomery Environmental science: Mercury in flux   pp447 - 448 Jeroen E. Sonke & Lars-Eric Heimbürger doi:10.1038/ngeo1508 Mercury concentrations in the Arctic atmosphere exhibit a pronounced peak during summer. Model simulations suggest that this can be explained only if boreal rivers deliver large quantities of mercury to the Arctic Ocean. See also: Article by Fisher et al. Atmospheric science: Dirtier air from a weaker monsoon   pp449 - 450 Mian Chin doi:10.1038/ngeo1513 Aerosol concentrations in China have reached unhealthy levels, at least locally. Model simulations suggest that a significant contribution comes from the weakening monsoon circulation in past decades, trapping more pollutants over land. Palaeoclimate: Analogue complexity   pp450 - 451 Dorothy Pak doi:10.1038/ngeo1510 The last deglaciation was punctuated by several millennial-scale climate changes. In the Gulf of California, the cold stages were marked by decreased upwelling, opposite to the changes expected if these shifts were analogous to modern seasonal variability. Geoscience JOBS of the week Professor in Marine Palaeoclimate Aarhus University, The Department of Geoscience Professor with special responsibilities in Hydrogeophysics Aarhus University, The Department of Geoscience 2 Research Scientist Positions The Helmholz Centre Potsdam, German Research Centre for Geosciences Associate Professor in Sedimentary Geology Aarhus University, The Department of Geoscience Associate Professor in Quaternary and Glacial Geology Aarhus University, The Department of Geoscience More Science jobs from Geoscience EVENT 34th International Geological Congress 05 August - 10 August 2012 UK More science events from Progress Article Top The contribution of organics to atmospheric nanoparticle growth   pp453 - 458 Ilona Riipinen, Taina Yli-Juuti, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Tuukka Petäjä, Douglas R. Worsnop, Markku Kulmala & Neil M. Donahue doi:10.1038/ngeo1499 The growth of the smallest atmospheric particles to sizes at which they may act as seeds for cloud droplets is a key step linking aerosols to clouds and climate. A synthesis of research indicates that the mechanisms controlling this growth depend on the size of the growing particle. Letters Top Contribution of cryptogamic covers to the global cycles of carbon and nitrogen   pp459 - 462 Wolfgang Elbert, Bettina Weber, Susannah Burrows, Jörg Steinkamp, Burkhard Büdel, Meinrat O. Andreae & Ulrich Pöschl doi:10.1038/ngeo1486 Many terrestrial surfaces are covered by photoautotrophic communities, which are capable of synthesizing their own food from inorganic substances using sunlight. According to an analysis of previously published data, these communities account for nearly half of the biological nitrogen fixation on land. See also: News and Views by Belnap Morphology and dynamics of star dunes from numerical modelling   pp463 - 467 Deguo Zhang, Clément Narteau, Olivier Rozier & Sylvain Courrech du Pont doi:10.1038/ngeo1503 Star dunes are common in sand seas, but the mechanisms driving their formation are unclear. Numerical modelling indicates that the morphology of the dunes is controlled by the frequency of changes in the wind regime. Landslide erosion coupled to tectonics and river incision   pp468 - 473 Isaac J. Larsen & David R. Montgomery doi:10.1038/ngeo1479 The steep topography of mountain landscapes arises from interactions between tectonic rock uplift, valley incision and landslide erosion on hillslopes. An analysis of more than 15,000 landslides in the eastern Himalaya, mapped from satellite images, shows that steep uplands primarily respond to uplift and river incision by increases in landslide erosion rates rather than by steepened hillslope angles. See also: News and Views by Roering Seafloor deformation and forecasts of the April 2011 eruption at Axial Seamount   pp474 - 477 William W. Chadwick Jr, Scott L. Nooner, David A. Butterfield & Marvin D. Lilley doi:10.1038/ngeo1464 The Axial Seamount submarine volcano exhibits an inflation–deflation cycle comparable to similar volcanoes on land. Measurements of ocean bottom pressure document the entire inflation–deflation cycle between eruptions at Axial Seamount in 1998 and 2011, and imply that the timing of submarine eruptions could be more predictable than that of their subaerial counterparts. See also: Letter by Dziak et al. | Letter by Caress et al. | News and Views by Mitchell Seismic precursors and magma ascent before the April 2011 eruption at Axial Seamount   pp478 - 482 R. P. Dziak, J. H. Haxel, D. R. Bohnenstiehl, W. W. Chadwick Jr, S. L. Nooner, M. J. Fowler, H. Matsumoto & D. A. Butterfield doi:10.1038/ngeo1490 For volcanoes at submarine rift zones, a direct link between seismicity, seafloor deformation and magma intrusion has not been demonstrated. Recordings from ocean-bottom hydrophones and bottom-pressure recorders map an increasing rate of seismicity at Axial Seamount, northeast Pacific, over several years before its eruption in April 2011. See also: Letter by Chadwick et al. | Letter by Caress et al. | News and Views by Mitchell Repeat bathymetric surveys at 1-metre resolution of lava flows erupted at Axial Seamount in April 2011   pp483 - 488 David W. Caress, David A. Clague, Jennifer B. Paduan, Julie F. Martin, Brian M. Dreyer, William W. Chadwick Jr, Alden Denny & Deborah S. Kelley doi:10.1038/ngeo1496 At frequently active submarine volcanoes, it is difficult to distinguish between new and pre-existing lava flows. A combination of high-resolution bathymetric surveys taken before and after an eruption at Axial Seamount in 2011 allows detailed mapping of the 2011 lava flows, and highlights the tendency of new flows to mimic older ones. See also: Letter by Chadwick et al. | Letter by Dziak et al. | News and Views by Mitchell Volcanic arcs fed by rapid pulsed fluid flow through subducting slabs   pp489 - 492 Timm John, Nikolaus Gussone, Yuri Y. Podladchikov, Gray E. Bebout, Ralf Dohmen, Ralf Halama, Reiner Klemd, Tomas Magna & Hans-Michael Seitz doi:10.1038/ngeo1482 During subduction, the seawater-altered lithosphere becomes dehydrated and expels fluids. Isotopic analysis of an exhumed oceanic slab in the Tianshan Mountain Range shows that although subduction can continue for many millions of years, fluids are expelled in short-lived channels over periods of just a few hundred years. Structure of the European upper mantle revealed by adjoint tomography   pp493 - 498 Hejun Zhu, Ebru Bozdağ, Daniel Peter & Jeroen Tromp doi:10.1038/ngeo1501 The structure of the European crust and upper mantle is precisely known only in limited regions. A new tomographic model for the entire European upper mantle identifies northeastward subduction of the Adria plate beneath the Dinarides Mountains, volcanism related to the upwelling Eifel hotspot and mantle delamination beneath Scandinavia. Articles Top Riverine source of Arctic Ocean mercury inferred from atmospheric observations   pp499 - 504 Jenny A. Fisher, Daniel J. Jacob, Anne L. Soerensen, Helen M. Amos, Alexandra Steffen & Elsie M. Sunderland doi:10.1038/ngeo1478 Human activities, including industry and mining, have increased inorganic mercury deposition in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Model simulations indicate that circumpolar rivers deliver large quantities of mercury to the Arctic Ocean during summer. See also: News and Views by Sonke & Heimbürger Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon stock   pp505 - 509 James W. Fourqurean, Carlos M. Duarte, Hilary Kennedy, Núria Marbà, Marianne Holmer, Miguel Angel Mateo, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Gary A. Kendrick, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Karen J. McGlathery & Oscar Serrano doi:10.1038/ngeo1477 Seagrass meadows are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. An analysis of organic carbon data from just under one thousand seagrass meadows indicates that, globally, these systems could store between 4.2 and 8.4 Pg carbon. Rapid rates of growth and collapse of Monowai submarine volcano in the Kermadec Arc   pp510 - 515 A. B. Watts, C. Peirce, I. Grevemeyer, M. Paulatto, W. Stratford, D. Bassett, J. A. Hunter, L. M. Kalnins & C. E. J. de Ronde doi:10.1038/ngeo1473 The vast majority of Earth's volcanoes are under water, but little is known of the structure and evolution of submarine volcanoes. A bathymetric survey mapping the Monowai submarine volcano in the Tonga-Kermadec Arc twice within 14 days reveals dramatic changes in bathymetry of up to 71.9 m, associated with volcanic activity. See also: News and Views by Mitchell Top Advertisement Scientific Reports publishes 457 open access papers in its first year Publishing technically sound research articles, Scientific Reports is Nature Publishing Group’s fastest growing journal. Given the speed and visibility offered, no wonder 93% of our authors said that they are “likely” or “very likely” to submit again. Keep your research moving. Submit to Scientific Reports   Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. 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