Article
Environmental Sciences
Sergio Contreras, Josef P. Werne, A. Araneda, E. Tejos, J. Moscoso
Summary: This study evaluated leaf waxes contained in lake surface sediments as indicators of climate change along the west coast of southern South America, providing a biogeochemical dataset for ongoing and future (paleo)climate and environmental research.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xueyun Ma, Zhifu Wei, Yongli Wang, Gen Wang, Ting Zhang, Wei He, Xiaoli Yu, He Ma, Pengyuan Zhang, Shangkun Li, Jingyi Wei, Qiaohui Fan
Summary: The study assessed the paleoclimate of Hurleg Lake in the Tibetan Plateau, revealing three climate evolution stages since 16.1 cal kyr BP: the Late Glacial, Early to Mid-Holocene, and Late Holocene. Insolation, Asian summer monsoon, and westerly winds were identified as significant factors influencing the hydroclimate variability in the region.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Xue Zhao, Xiaolin Hou, Zhao Huang, Chengjun Zhang, Peng Cheng
Summary: Understanding hydrological changes in the past 2 kyr is crucial for determining the impact and causes of climate change, especially in arid areas. Sediment analysis provides valuable information for reconstructing past hydrology, but there are challenges in selecting appropriate proxies and interpreting their implications in specific lake environments. This study analyzes iodine and uranium concentrations in a sediment core from Keluke Lake, China, and finds a significant correlation between the two elements, suggesting their potential as hydrological proxies for studying dry-wet changes over the past 2200 years.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhao Jing, Shengpeng Wang, Lixin Wu, Hong Wang, Shenghui Zhou, Bingrong Sun, Zhaohui Chen, Xiaohui Ma, Bolan Gan, Haiyuan Yang
Summary: Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUSs) are driven by equatorward alongshore winds, which upwell nutrient-rich deep waters, promote marine primary production and fisheries. It was previously believed that greenhouse warming would enhance upwelling in EBUSs by intensifying upwelling-favourable winds, but this has not been tested. This study reveals that long-term upwelling changes in EBUSs differ substantially from those inferred by wind-based upwelling index, with weakened or unchanged upwelling despite intensified winds. These differences are attributed to the controlling role of geostrophic flows, which offset wind-driven changes in certain currents.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wenju Cai, Libao Gao, Yiyong Luo, Xichen Li, Xiaotong Zheng, Xuebin Zhang, Xuhua Cheng, Fan Jia, Ariaan Purich, Agus Santoso, Yan Du, David M. Holland, Jia-Rui Shi, Baoqiang Xiang, Shang-Ping Xie
Summary: The Southern Ocean has warmed significantly due to ozone depletion and increasing CO2. Despite projected ozone recovery, heat and freshwater inputs to the ocean are expected to increase, as well as westerly winds. This has implications for Antarctic ice melt, sea level rise, and remote circulations.
Article
Geography, Physical
William I. Henriquez, Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Anthony Romano
Summary: We present pollen and charcoal records from Basin Lake in Tasmania, Australia to analyze vegetation, fire, and climate change since and during the Last Glacial Maximum. The data suggests cold conditions during the last millennia of the LGM with relatively humid conditions in certain periods. There was a shift in the South Westerly Winds, resulting in changes in vegetation and precipitation. The study also indicates an increase in fire activity and a shift to a more open landscape in recent millennia.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shengpeng Wang, Zhao Jing, Lixin Wu, Shantong Sun, Qihua Peng, Hong Wang, Yu Zhang, Jian Shi
Summary: Under global warming, marine heatwaves (MHWs) are becoming more severe and frequent, especially in the eastern boundary upwelling systems in the Southern Hemisphere. The weakening of eastern boundary currents overrides the buffering effect of upwelling, leading to increased MHW stress and potential threats to ecosystems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eitan Shelef, Melissa Griffore, Sam Mark, Tim Coleman, Nick Wondolowski, G. Everett Lasher, Mark Abbott
Summary: Erosion of landscapes underlaid by permafrost can impact high latitude ecosystems and carbon emissions, and its rate is primarily associated with temperature and vegetation, while other factors such as fire frequency and aeolian dust supply play a secondary role.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guoxiong Zheng, Simon Keith Allen, Anming Bao, Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Canovas, Matthias Huss, Guoqing Zhang, Junli Li, Ye Yuan, Liangliang Jiang, Tao Yu, Wenfeng Chen, Markus Stoffel
Summary: Global warming in high-mountain Asia is leading to deglaciation, increasing the risk of natural dam failure and glacial lake outburst floods. The eastern Himalaya currently faces the highest risk, which is expected to almost triple in the future due to further lake development. Collaborative, long-term approaches are urgently needed to mitigate future impacts and promote sustainable development across the Third Pole.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meiqing Lu, Xin Luo, Jiu Jimmy Jiao, Hailong Li, Xingxing Kuang, Xuejing Wang, Yuqing Feng, Chunmiao Zheng
Summary: This study systematically analyzed environmental variables, microbial communities, diversity, co-occurrence relationships, and community assembly processes in the near-surface sediments of a glacier-fed lake in the Tibetan Plateau, revealing distinct vertical gradients in microbial diversity and subcommunities and highlighting the significant influence of selection processes and adaptive abilities on microbial communities. The study enhances our understanding of the microbial communities and assembly processes in the near-surface sediments of glacier-fed lakes.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew D. King
Summary: This study used observational data to compute spatial climate analogs to identify and quantify past changes. Climate shifts were found, particularly in Darwin where temperature variability is lower than in extratropical cities. Extremes analogs, including a human health-relevant climate analog, were constructed and highlighted significant climate shifts. Analogues can also be used to examine extreme events and communicate future change.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Bruce Tranter
Summary: National data from the 2018 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes shows that knowledge of climate change is positively associated with the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, but political party identification can influence climate knowledge scales. Climate skeptics tend to score lower on climate knowledge scales, but have inflated confidence in their factual knowledge.
Review
Forestry
Bolin Sun, Long Ma, Tingxi Liu, Xing Huang
Summary: The uneven distribution of water resources across different areas globally is worsening. The area where the eastern margin of the Asian westerly jet area meets the low-altitude area of the transition zone is delicate and sensitive to climate change. By analyzing core samples of four tree species in four typical regions of this area, a standardized chronological table was built and the cumulative precipitation from March to August series in the past 203-343 years was reconstructed. The results showed significant changes in precipitation from east to west in the study area, with the period gradually shortening. A wet period occurred in the high-latitude area in the 19th century, followed by a significant dry period that lasted for 20-45 years in the entire study area from the 19th century to the 1950s. In the past half-century, the area experienced a significant drought period, with higher drying rates in the west and east regions than in the central region. The precipitation varied significantly in the study area in the past two centuries, with the wet period gradually becoming shorter. The middle and west regions of the Asian westerly jet area and the high-latitude regions of the transition zone experienced significant wetting or drying processes in the first half of the 19th century, followed by significant drying processes under the influence of global warming, potentially intensified by the westerly circulation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Si Woong Bae, Kyung Eun Lee, Tae Wook Ko, Ryoung Ah Kim, Young-Gyu Park
Summary: This study presents a high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) record covering the last 10,000 years, based on the analysis of marine sediment samples near the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula. The analysis reveals significant periodicities of 414, 190, 135, 102, and 89 years in SST, which are closely related to solar activity cycles.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Julia Kleinteich, Kurt Hanselmann, Falk Hildebrand, Andreas Kappler, Christiane Zarfl
Summary: This study analyzed 16 lakes in the Eastern Swiss Alps and found that glacial melt-down alters the hydrological and physico-chemical conditions, leading to changes in sediment-associated microbial communities.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. K. Beck, M. Mariani, M-S Fletcher, L. Schneider, M. A. Aquino-Lopez, P. S. Gadd, H. Heijnis, K. M. Saunders, A. Zawadzki
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darrell Kaufman, Nicholas McKay, Cody Routson, Michael Erb, Basil Davis, Oliver Heiri, Samuel Jaccard, Jessica Tierney, Christoph Datwyler, Yarrow Axford, Thomas Brussel, Olivier Cartapanis, Brian Chase, Andria Dawson, Anne de Vernal, Stefan Engels, Lukas Jonkers, Jeremiah Marsicek, Paola Moffa-Sanchez, Carrie Morrill, Anais Orsi, Kira Rehfeld, Krystyna Saunders, Philipp S. Sommer, Elizabeth Thomas, Marcela Tonello, Monika Toth, Richard Vachula, Andrei Andreev, Sebastien Bertrand, Boris Biskaborn, Manuel Bringue, Stephen Brooks, Magaly Caniupan, Manuel Chevalier, Les Cwynar, Julien Emile-Geay, John Fegyveresi, Angelica Feurdean, Walter Finsinger, Marie-Claude Fortin, Louise Foster, Mathew Fox, Konrad Gajewski, Martin Grosjean, Sonja Hausmann, Markus Heinrichs, Naomi Holmes, Boris Ilyashuk, Elena Ilyashuk, Steve Juggins, Deborah Khider, Karin Koinig, Peter Langdon, Isabelle Larocque-Tobler, Jianyong Li, Andre Lotter, Tomi Luoto, Anson Mackay, Eniko Magyari, Steven Malevich, Bryan Mark, Julieta Massaferro, Vincent Montade, Larisa Nazarova, Elena Novenko, Petr Paril, Emma Pearson, Matthew Peros, Reinhard Pienitz, Mateusz Plociennik, David Porinchu, Aaron Potito, Andrew Rees, Scott Reinemann, Stephen Roberts, Nicolas Rolland, Sakari Salonen, Angela Self, Heikki Seppa, Shyhrete Shala, Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques, Barbara Stenni, Liudmila Syrykh, Pol Tarrats, Karen Taylor, Valerie van den Bos, Gaute Velle, Eugene Wahl, Ian Walker, Janet Wilmshurst, Enlou Zhang, Snezhana Zhilich
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darrell Kaufman, Nicholas McKay, Cody Routson, Michael Erb, Basil Davis, Oliver Heiri, Samuel Jaccard, Jessica Tierney, Christoph Daetwyler, Yarrow Axford, Thomas Brussel, Olivier Cartapanis, Brian Chase, Andria Dawson, Anne de Vernal, Stefan Engels, Lukas Jonkers, Jeremiah Marsicek, Paola Moffa-Sanchez, Carrie Morrill, Anais Orsi, Kira Rehfeld, Krystyna Saunders, Philipp S. Sommer, Elizabeth Thomas, Marcela Tonello, Monika Toth, Richard Vachula, Andrei Andreev, Sebastien Bertrand, Boris Biskaborn, Manuel Bringue, Stephen Brooks, Magaly Caniupan, Manuel Chevalier, Les Cwynar, Julien Emile-Geay, John Fegyveresi, Angelica Feurdean, Walter Finsinger, Marie-Claude Fortin, Louise Foster, Mathew Fox, Konrad Gajewski, Martin Grosjean, Sonja Hausmann, Markus Heinrichs, Naomi Holmes, Boris Ilyashuk, Elena Ilyashuk, Steve Juggins, Deborah Khider, Karin Koinig, Peter Langdon, Isabelle Larocque-Tobler, Jianyong Li, Andre Lotter, Tomi Luoto, Anson Mackay, Eniko Magyari, Steven Malevich, Bryan Mark, Julieta Massaferro, Vincent Montade, Larisa Nazarova, Elena Novenko, Petr Paril, Emma Pearson, Matthew Peros, Reinhard Pienitz, Mateusz Plociennik, David Porinchu, Aaron Potito, Andrew Rees, Scott Reinemann, Stephen Roberts, Nicolas Rolland, Sakari Salonen, Angela Self, Heikki Seppae, Shyhrete Shala, Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques, Barbara Stenni, Liudmila Syrykh, Pol Tarrats, Karen Taylor, Valerie van den Bos, Gaute Velle, Eugene Wahl, Ian Walker, Janet Wilmshurst, Enlou Zhang, Snezhana Zhilich
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darrell Kaufman, Nicholas McKay, Cody Routson, Michael Erb, Basil Davis, Oliver Heiri, Samuel Jaccard, Jessica Tierney, Christoph Daetwyler, Yarrow Axford, Thomas Brussel, Olivier Cartapanis, Brian Chase, Andria Dawson, Anne de Vernal, Stefan Engels, Lukas Jonkers, Jeremiah Marsicek, Paola Moffa-Sanchez, Carrie Morrill, Anais Orsi, Kira Rehfeld, Krystyna Saunders, Philipp S. Sommer, Elizabeth Thomas, Marcela Tonello, Monika Toth, Richard Vachula, Andrei Andreev, Sebastien Bertrand, Boris Biskaborn, Manuel Bringue, Stephen Brooks, Magaly Caniupan, Manuel Chevalier, Les Cwynar, Julien Emile-Geay, John Fegyveresi, Angelica Feurdean, Walter Finsinger, Marie-Claude Fortin, Louise Foster, Mathew Fox, Konrad Gajewski, Martin Grosjean, Sonja Hausmann, Markus Heinrichs, Naomi Holmes, Boris Ilyashuk, Elena Ilyashuk, Steve Juggins, Deborah Khider, Karin Koinig, Peter Langdon, Isabelle Larocque-Tobler, Jianyong Li, Andre Lotter, Tomi Luoto, Anson Mackay, Eniko Magyari, Steven Malevich, Bryan Mark, Julieta Massaferro, Vincent Montade, Larisa Nazarova, Elena Novenko, Petr Paril, Emma Pearson, Matthew Peros, Reinhard Pienitz, Mateusz Plociennik, David Porinchu, Aaron Potito, Andrew Rees, Scott Reinemann, Stephen Roberts, Nicolas Rolland, Sakari Salonen, Angela Self, Heikki Seppae, Shyhrete Shala, Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques, Barbara Stenni, Liudmila Syrykh, Pol Tarrats, Karen Taylor, Valerie van den Bos, Gaute Velle, Eugene Wahl, Ian Walker, Janet Wilmshurst, Enlou Zhang, Snezhana Zhilich
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elie Verleyen, Bart Van de Vijver, Bjorn Tytgat, Eveline Pinseel, Dominic A. Hodgson, Katerina Kopalova, Steven L. Chown, Eric Van Ranst, Satoshi Imura, Sakae Kudoh, Wim Van Nieuwenhuyze, Koen Sabbe, Wim Vyverman
Summary: The biogeographic patterns of Antarctic freshwater diatoms show a high level of uniqueness, with most species being endemic to the Antarctic region. Endemism levels significantly increase with higher latitudes and geographic isolation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Larissa Schneider, Niamh Shulmeister, Michela Mariani, Kristen K. Beck, Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Atun Zawadzki, Krystyna M. Saunders, Marco A. Aquino-Lopez, Simon G. Haberle
Summary: Mining has been a significant economic contributor to Australia since the late 17th century, with little consideration for long-term environmental consequences. A study in western Tasmania revealed metal pollution legacy from British colonialism, where large-scale open-cut operations in the 1930s led to severe environmental damage.
ANTHROPOCENE REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geology
Elke Vandekerkhove, Sebastien Bertrand, Fernando Torrejon, Malin E. Kylander, Brian Reid, Krystyna M. Saunders
Summary: The study indicates that recent GLOF sediments in the Baker River watershed can be differentiated from background sediments by their finer grain size and lower organic carbon content, reflecting the release and transport of high amounts of glacial rock flour during GLOFs. The sediment also contains fine-grained turbidites, especially in the prodelta area, with most triggered by processes other than GLOFs. Overall, the results suggest that GLOF deposits are distinct from typical flood turbidites and highlight the potential of fjord sediment archives in establishing pre-historical GLOF records.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer J. Harrison, Krystyna M. Saunders, David P. Child, Michael A. C. Hotchkis
Summary: This study conducted measurements and analysis of anthropogenic plutonium isotopic ratios and 210Pb sediment chronologies in sediment from Bathurst Harbour in Tasmania. The results indicate that the plutonium isotopic ratios in this region are consistent with mainland Australia and global Southern Hemisphere averages, while post-moratorium fallout isotopic ratios remain stable.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lynda M. Petherick, Jasper Knight, James Shulmeister, Helen Bostock, Andrew Lorrey, Jennifer Fitchett, Shaun Eaves, Marcus J. Vandergoes, Timothy T. Barrows, David J. A. Barrell, Peter N. Eze, Paul Hesse, Ignacio A. Jara, Stephanie Mills, Rewi Newnham, Joel Pedro, Matt Ryan, Krystyna M. Saunders, Duanne White, Maisa Rojas, Chris Turney
Summary: Proxy records indicate significant variability in climatic and environmental conditions across the Southern Hemisphere prior to the global last glacial maximum. This complexity suggests a different development pattern in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the North. Temperature and precipitation patterns show that local factors played a significant role in driving moisture availability.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Jan M. Strugnell, Helen McGregor, Nerida G. Wilson, Karina T. Meredith, Steven L. Chown, Sally C. Y. Lau, Sharon A. Robinson, Krystyna M. Saunders
Summary: Anthropogenic climate change is causing observable changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, impacting local ecosystems and the Earth's climate system. Understanding Antarctica's paleoecosystems and past climate change helps constrain future projections. Biological archives provide valuable information about past ecological change and help constrain current models.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Karina T. Meredith, Krystyna M. Saunders, Liza K. McDonough, Melodie McGeoch
Summary: This study presents the first comprehensive hydrochemical and isotopic survey of lakes on a Southern Ocean Island (SOI). Groundwater is found to play a significant role in lake hydrology and hydrochemistry. Lakes at higher elevations are more dilute, while those at lower elevations contain more terrestrial sourced ions possibly contributed from groundwater. The findings have implications for understanding future changes in nutrient cycles and the impact on the island's unique ecosystems.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Kristen K. Beck, Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Brent B. Wolfe, Krystyna M. Saunders
Summary: The 2019/2020 southeast Australian fires posed a significant threat to the endemic vegetation groups, especially the Tasmanian montane rainforest. However, little is known about the impacts of fire and decline in montane rainforest on aquatic ecosystems in the region. This study investigates the effects of repeat fires and decline in montane rainforest species on the aquatic ecosystem of Lake Osborne, Tasmania, Australia over a period of 6500 years using a palaeoecological approach. The results suggest that fire disturbance leads to the decline of montane rainforest, increased erosion, and higher aquatic productivity and conductivity.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2023)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Krystyna M. Saunders, Karina T. Meredith
Article
Ecology
Stefan Hunziker, Michael Begert, Simon C. Scherrer, Andreas Rigling, Arthur Gessler
Summary: The vitality of Scots pine has been declining in many European regions since the 1990s, mainly due to increased droughts and other climate changes. A study in the Swiss Rhone valley reveals that negative precipitation anomalies during midsummer to early autumn are the main driver of vitality decline and dieback events.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Elke Vandekerkhove, Sebastien Bertrand, Dmitri Mauquoy, Dave McWethy, Brian Reid, Sarah Stammen, Krystyna M. Saunders, Fernando Torrejon
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2020)