Nature Geoscience contents: February 2016 Volume 9 Number 2 pp85-180

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Advertisement Nature Geoscience Focus on Groundwater  In this focus, we present a collection of research papers and opinion pieces that discuss the influence of groundwater on hydrological, environmental and geological processes.  Read the article, The global volume and distribution of modern groundwater, free to registered users until the 2 March 2016.   TABLE OF CONTENTS February 2016 Volume 9, Issue 2 Editorial Correspondence Commentary News and Views Review Letters Articles Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement Nature Energy - Now live! The first issue of Nature Energy is published and free to access online! Publishing monthly, this new journal is dedicated to exploring all aspects of energy, from its generation and storage, to its distribution and management, the needs and demands of the different actors, and the impacts that energy technologies and policies have on society. Ensure you stay up to date with future content by registering to receive the monthly e-alert.     Advertisement All content now free to access including archives! Nature Communications is an open access journal that publishes high-quality research from all areas of the natural sciences. Papers published by the journal represent important advances of significance to specialists within each subject area including the Earth Sciences. Visit the website to explore ALL the content available within your field.    Editorial Top Groundwater exposed   p85 doi:10.1038/ngeo2655 Groundwater flow meddles with hydrological, environmental and geological processes. As water scarcity issues mount for people living above ground, the vast stores of freshwater in the subsurface require research attention. Correspondence Top Integrity of lunar soil samples   p87 Lawrence A. Taylor, Yang Liu & Gary Lofgren doi:10.1038/ngeo2637 See also: Correspondence by Cooper et al. Reply to 'Integrity of lunar soil samples'   p87 B. L. Cooper, K. Thaisen, B. C. Chang, T. S. Lee & D. S. McKay doi:10.1038/ngeo2645 See also: Correspondence by Taylor et al. Commentary Top Drought in the Anthropocene   pp89 - 91 Anne F. Van Loon, Tom Gleeson, Julian Clark, Albert I. J. M. Van Dijk, Kerstin Stahl et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2646 Drought management is inefficient because feedbacks between drought and people are not fully understood. In this human-influenced era, we need to rethink the concept of drought to include the human role in mitigating and enhancing drought. News and Views Top Groundwater: How much and how old?   pp93 - 94 Ying Fan doi:10.1038/ngeo2609 A global picture of the age structure and flow path of groundwater is lacking. Tritium concentrations and numerical modelling shed light on both the most recently replenished and the longest stored groundwater within Earth's continents. See also: Article by Gleeson et al. Biogeochemistry: Better living through mercury   pp94 - 95 Jeffra K. Schaefer doi:10.1038/ngeo2638 Mercury is a toxic element with no known biological function. Laboratory studies demonstrate that mercury can be beneficial to microbial growth by acting as an electron acceptor during photosynthesis. See also: Letter by Grégoire & Poulain Palaeoclimate: Aptian mystery solved   pp95 - 96 Heather M. Stoll doi:10.1038/ngeo2634 The volcanic eruption that created the Ontong Java Plateau released large quantities of carbon dioxide. A reconstruction of CO2 concentrations suggests that the eruption promoted climate change and the expansion of ocean anoxia. See also: Letter by Naafs et al. Sustainability: Your feet's too big   pp97 - 98 James N. Galloway & Allison M. Leach doi:10.1038/ngeo2647 Humanity's nitrogen pollution footprint has increased by a factor of six since the 1930s. A global analysis reveals that a quarter of this nitrogen pollution is associated with the production of internationally traded products. See also: Letter by Oita et al. Groundwater: India's drought below ground   p98 Tamara Goldin doi:10.1038/ngeo2648 Geoscience JOBS of the week Scientific Staff Positions - Geology & Geophysics Dept. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution More Science jobs from Geoscience EVENT 30 Years of Nonlinear Dynamics in Geosciences 03.07.16 Rhodes, Greece More science events from Review Top Climate-sensitive northern lakes and ponds are critical components of methane release   pp99 - 105 Martin Wik, Ruth K. Varner, Katey Walter Anthony, Sally MacIntyre & David Bastviken doi:10.1038/ngeo2578 Lakes are sources of the greenhouse gas methane. A synthesis of measurements of methane emissions reveals that lakes and ponds above 50 °N emit 16.5 Tg methane annually, and emissions may increase by 20 to 50% with longer ice-free seasons. Letters Top Amplification of El Niño by cloud longwave coupling to atmospheric circulation   pp106 - 110 Gaby Rädel, Thorsten Mauritsen, Bjorn Stevens, Dietmar Dommenget, Daniela Matei et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2630 The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects weather patterns worldwide. Numerical experiments with an Earth system model suggest that cloud feedbacks act to amplify ENSO variability by a factor of two or more. Substantial nitrogen pollution embedded in international trade   pp111 - 115 Azusa Oita, Arunima Malik, Keiichiro Kanemoto, Arne Geschke, Shota Nishijima et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2635 Anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen have had severe environmental impacts. An analysis of reactive nitrogen emissions from the production, consumption and transport of commodities attributes roughly a quarter to international trade. See also: News and Views by Galloway & Leach Nitrous oxide sinks and emissions in boreal aquatic networks in Québec   pp116 - 120 C. Soued, P. A. del Giorgio & R. Maranger doi:10.1038/ngeo2611 Aquatic ecosystems are important sources of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Measurements of nitrous oxide concentrations from 321 rivers, lakes and ponds in Canada reveal that some boreal aquatic systems can act as net nitrous oxide sinks. A physiological role for HgII during phototrophic growth   pp121 - 125 D. S. Grégoire & A. J. Poulain doi:10.1038/ngeo2629 Bacteria have been shown to be involved in the reduction of HgII to elemental mercury. Laboratory experiments with HgII and different carbon sources reveal that purple bacteria can use HgII as an electron acceptor, promoting bacterial growth. See also: News and Views by Schaefer Substantial proportion of global streamflow less than three months old   pp126 - 129 Scott Jasechko, James W. Kirchner, Jeffrey M. Welker & Jeffrey J. McDonnell doi:10.1038/ngeo2636 Streamflow is a mixture of precipitation of various ages. Oxygen isotope data suggests that a third of global river discharge is sourced from rainfall within the past few months, which accounts for less than 0.1% of global groundwater. Sea-level constraints on the amplitude and source distribution of Meltwater Pulse 1A   pp130 - 134 Jean Liu, Glenn A. Milne, Robert E. Kopp, Peter U. Clark & Ian Shennan doi:10.1038/ngeo2616 Sea level rose rapidly during Meltwater Pulse 1A, about 14,500 years ago. A reassessment of sea-level rise and isostatic adjustment suggests sea level rose roughly 8 to 15 m in total, with 0 to 10 m derived from the Antarctic ice sheets. Gradual and sustained carbon dioxide release during Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a   pp135 - 139 B. D. A. Naafs, J. M. Castro, G. A. De Gea, M. L. Quijano, D. N. Schmidt et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2627 A period of ocean anoxia about 120 million years ago coincided with high temperatures. A reconstruction of CO2 concentrations shows that volcanic outgassing from the Ontong Java Plateau caused CO2 levels to double during the anoxic event. See also: News and Views by Stoll Rapid biological speciation driven by tectonic evolution in New Zealand   pp140 - 144 Dave Craw, Phaedra Upton, Christopher P. Burridge, Graham P. Wallis & Jonathan M. Waters doi:10.1038/ngeo2618 Plate tectonic motions can influence biological systems. Numerical modelling of the topographic evolution of New Zealand, combined with fish phylogenetic analyses suggest mountain growth directly influenced biological diversification. Massive and prolonged deep carbon emissions associated with continental rifting   pp145 - 149 Hyunwoo Lee, James D. Muirhead, Tobias P. Fischer, Cynthia J. Ebinger, Simon A. Kattenhorn et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2622 Transfer of CO2 from Earth's interior to the atmosphere happens largely by volcanic degassing. Measurements of CO2 emissions from faults in the East African Rift system imply that tectonic degassing is also important for deep carbon release. A mixed seismic–aseismic stress release episode in the Andean subduction zone   pp150 - 154 J. C. Villegas-Lanza, J.-M. Nocquet, F. Rolandone, M. Vallée, H. Tavera et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2620 Subduction zone earthquakes can be followed by aseismic slip. Analysis of fault slip in northern Peru reveals transient aseismic slip that lasted for seven months and released more than 1,000% of the energy expelled by the quake that preceded it. Articles Top Degree of simulated suppression of Atlantic tropical cyclones modulated by flavour of El Niño   pp155 - 160 Christina M. Patricola, Ping Chang and R. Saravanan doi:10.1038/ngeo2624 El Niño events tend to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity. Simulations with high-resolution climate models show that the efficiency of this suppression mechanism varies with the flavour of the El Niño event. The global volume and distribution of modern groundwater   pp161 - 167 Tom Gleeson, Kevin M. Befus, Scott Jasechko, Elco Luijendijk & M. Bayani Cardenas doi:10.1038/ngeo2590 Groundwater recharged less than 50 years ago is vulnerable to contamination and land-use changes. Data and simulations suggest that up to 6% of continental groundwater is modern—forming the largest component of the active hydrologic cycle. See also: News and Views by Fan Links between tropical Pacific seasonal, interannual and orbital variability during the Holocene   pp168 - 173 J. Emile-Geay, K. M. Cobb, M. Carré, P. Braconnot, J. Leloup et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2608 The frequency and amplitude of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation varied during the Holocene. A comparison of proxy records and model simulations suggests that any link between orbital forcing and this variability is either complex or non-existent. Himalayan megathrust geometry and relation to topography revealed by the Gorkha earthquake   pp174 - 180 J. R. Elliott, R. Jolivet, P. J. González, J.-P. Avouac, J. Hollingsworth et al. doi:10.1038/ngeo2623 How Himalayan topography is built is unclear. Analysis of surface displacement during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake suggests that large earthquakes may lower the high Himalayan mountains, and topography may grow during the interseismic phase. Top 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. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com More Nature Events

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