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Mitigating Mazuku hazards: implementation and effectiveness of local dry-gas degassing measures in the Goma area (Virunga Volcanic Province)

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-1141-2026
6 March 2026

This paper studies how households in Goma (Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo) respond to mazuku – invisible, odourless carbon dioxide gas that accumulates in depressions. Surveys and interviews show that resource-intensive measures are adopted only by those who can afford them, while awareness measures are valued by all. The findings highlight that involving communities in designing risk mitigation that match their economic realities is essential.

Where curling stones collide with rock mechanics: cyclical damage accumulation and fatigue in granitoids

Curling stones often collide with each other during a game. Over time, these collisions cause damage in the striking bands on the sides of the stones. We determined experimentally how hard these stones collide into one another. We then looked at old curling stones to understand how damage builds up in these rocks. We found that early, fast impacts produce fractures until the striking band is saturated in fractures. Repeated impacts after this stage make fractures grow.

Evaluation of nine gridded daily weather reconstructions for the European heatwave summer of 1807

We test nine reconstructions of Europe’s hot summer of 1807, using weather records, reanalyses, machine-learning (ML), and data assimilation. Most approaches match observed temperature and pressure well. Approaches based on physics of atmospheric flow capture weather patterns well, while ML approaches better reflect station records. Ingestion of accurate records from new regions improves the reconstructions markedly. In all, the approaches provide new insights to pre-industrial extreme weather.

Drivers of long-term grassland CO₂ fluxes: effects of management and meteorological conditions during regrowth periods

Analyzing 20 years (2005–2024) of CO₂ flux, meteorological, and agricultural management data from an intensively managed grassland in Switzerland using machine learning, we identified drivers of ecosystem productivity (gross primary production (GPP)), respiration (ecosystem respiration (Reco)) and their changes over time. Moreover, we showed how agricultural management interacted and could partly offset negative impacts of extreme events on GPP. Our findings offer observational evidence to inform climate adaptation strategies in grasslands.

Lessons learned in institutional preparedness and response during the 2022 European drought

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-955-2026
27 February 2026

This research by the Drought in the Anthropocene (DitA) network highlights the crucial role of forecasting systems and Drought Management Plans in European drought risk management. Based on a survey of water managers during the 2022 European drought, it underscores the impact of preparedness on response and the evolution of drought management strategies across the continent, showing how organisations with preparedness measures in place responded faster and more effectively.

Nutrient flows and biogeomorphic feedbacks: linking seabird guano to plant traits and morphological change on sandy islands

Seabird guano enriches nitrogen-loving plants and boost plants to trap sediment, driving the gradual growth and reshaping of coastal islands. By pairing on-site plant surveys with satellite imagery and elevation data, we show these effects vary with elevation, soil type, and season. Birds thus engineer and sustain their own breeding habitats. For conservation managers, protecting colonies is key to preserving the dynamic island landscapes these and other species rely on.

Challenges and opportunities for understanding societal impacts of climate extremes

Understanding impacts of climate extremes is very important for society and the economy. We identify three challenges restricting this understanding: limited availability and quality of impact data, difficulties in understanding why given impacts occur and lack of reliable projections of future impacts. We also identify key opportunities, including newly released datasets, recent methodological and technical advances and interdisciplinary collaborations between the social and natural sciences.

A source or a sink? How the altitude of particle precipitation influence high-latitude electrodynamics

When energetic particles rain into Earth’s lower ionosphere, they ionize the gas, creating a highly conductive base layer. Using a large database of observations from four orbiting space weather satellites, we demonstrate that this plasma foundation acts as a giant electrical short-circuit: it actively neutralizes the electric fields that would otherwise power plasma turbulence higher up. Without this conductive base to drain the energy, topside turbulence freely grows and persists.

FAIR fission track analysis with geochron@home

geochron@home is a free and open-source platform that makes fission track dating more transparent and reliable. It combines a virtual microscope with an online database to share images and data openly, following FAIR principles. Researchers can analyse tracks privately, archive data for peer review, teach students, or involve citizen scientists. By improving data access and reproducibility, geochron@home helps build trust and supports future advances in Earth science.

Mesoscale variability and water mass transport of the Caribbean Current revealed by high-resolution glider observations

Ocean Science
DOI 10.5194/os-22-735-2026
23 February 2026

The Caribbean Through-Flow carries warm Atlantic water westward, influencing climate and ocean circulation, yet its variability is poorly resolved. Using over 90 days of autonomous underwater glider data collected in the central Caribbean, we observed a sharp drop in transport linked to mesoscale eddy activity. While transport varied, the water mass composition remained stable. These results demonstrate how gliders can capture dynamic ocean processes that shape inter-basin exchange.

Towards an operational European Drought Impacts Database (EDID)

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-845-2026
20 February 2026

Drought impact information is important for risk assessment. But, there is little consensus on impact data monitoring. The European Drought Impacts Database (EDID) combines several existing text-based datasets with the results from new searches for impact information into a structured database with spatial and temporal attributes. Allowing research as well as operational use, its contents show where and when in Europe drought has affected agriculture, water supply, ecosystems, and other sectors.

Enhancing dust aerosols monitoring capabilities across North Africa and the Middle East using the A-Train satellite constellation

North Africa and the Middle East are home to the world’s most active dust sources, but accurately monitoring airborne dust remains challenging. We combine active and passive satellite aerosol products to dynamically estimate dust lidar ratios over a 12-year period. The results reveal pronounced and physically meaningful regional variability, improving aerosol characterization and supporting climate and air-quality applications.

NorESM2–DIAM: a coupled model for investigating global and regional climate-economy interactions

We introduce NorESM2-DIAM (Norwegian Earth System Model version 2-Disaggregated Integrated Assessment Model), a first-of-its-kind tool linking a climate model with a high-resolution economic model to study how climate change, internal variability, and economic activity interact across the world. The model reveals strong regional differences and large annual swings in economic impacts, offers insights for climate policy discussions, and provides a strong foundation for future model development.

Water vapour isotope anomalies during an atmospheric river event at Dome C, East Antarctica

In December 2018, an atmospheric river event from the Atlantic reached Dome C, East Antarctica, causing a +18 °C warming, tripled water vapour, and a strong isotopic anomaly in water vapour (+ 17 ‰ for δ¹⁸O) at the surface. During the peak of the event, we found 70 % of the water vapour came from local snow sublimation, and 30 % from the atmospheric river itself, highlighting both long-range moisture advection and interactions between the boundary layer and the snowpack.

Phytoplankton blooms affect microscale differences of oxygen and temperature across the sea surface microlayer

Microsensors measuring oxygen and temperature were used to gain high-resolution profiles across the surface of a water basin, in which an algal bloom was induced. These novel data show that the oxygen at the sea surface is highly influenced by algal blooms, while the temperature is only indirectly affected by them. Since algal blooms occur globally, this has considerable implications for calculating global air-sea exchanges of gases or heat, especially under low-wind conditions.

Northward shift of boreal tree cover confirmed by satellite record

Analysis of 36 years of satellite tree cover data provide the first comprehensive confirmation of the northward advance of the boreal forest. Boreal tree cover expanded by 0.84 million km² (12%) from 1985 to 2020 and shifted northward by 0.43°. Gains outpaced losses across most latitudes, confirming a biome-wide poleward shift. Young forests now comprise 15% of the area of the world’s largest forest biome, storing 1–6 Pg C and potentially sequestering an additional 2–4 Pg C as they mature.

Investigating controls on fluvial grain sizes in post-glacial landscapes using citizen science

We explore controls on channel sediment characteristics in post-glacial landscapes. In contrast to other studies that have focused on landscapes with little glacial influence, we find no apparent controls. We propose that Scotland's post-glacial legacy drives the lack of sedimentological trends, and that changes in landscape morphology and sediment sources caused by glacial processes lead to a decoupling between fluvial sediment grain size and environmental variables.

The largest crop production shocks: magnitude, causes and frequency

Large crop failures happen regularly around the world, threatening food security. We analyzed sixty years of global crop production data and found that every country has experienced major crop losses. Climate events like droughts cause most severe disruptions, with some African nations losing up to eighty percent of production. While global crop shocks above five percent are rare, regional disruptions occur frequently. These findings show our food system faces regular large-scale threats.

Machine-learning models of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isoscapes in Amazonian wood

Illegal logging is a major environmental concern in the Amazon. We tested whether the isotopic composition of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in wood can support timber traceability. Using machine-learning models, we generated basin-wide isoscapes showing that both isotopes capture consistent environmental gradients, providing a scientific basis to improve provenance verification and guide enforcement efforts.

Flood risks to the financial stability of residential mortgage borrowers: an integrated modeling approach

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-675-2026
30 January 2026

Uninsured flood damage can destabilize household finances, particularly when access to affordable credit is limited. Across seven floods in North Carolina, 66% of damage was found to be uninsured. Among affected mortgage borrowers, 32% lacked sufficient income or collateral to finance repairs through home equity-based borrowing, making their recovery uncertain. These findings suggest that uninsured flood damage poses a serious and under-recognized threat to residential mortgage borrowers.