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Remineralisation changes dominate oxygen variability in the North Atlantic

Oxygen is essential to marine life, but the amount of oxygen in the ocean has been decreasing in recent decades. Using observations of oxygen concentration interpolated across a section of the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, we show that deoxygenation in the region is primarily driven by an increase in oxygen being consumed during remineralisation of organic matter. The impact of this is strongest at depths of around 600 m, where the process drives up to 70 % of the total deoxygenation.

The first Earthquake Early Warning System for the high-speed railway in Italy: enhancing rapidness and operational efficiency during seismic events

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-299-2026
20 January 2026

The first Italian Earthquake Early Warning system protects the Naples-Rome high-speed railway by detecting earthquakes in real time and sending alerts within seconds. Using seismic sensors and smart algorithms, it slows or stops trains only where needed, avoiding full-line shutdowns. Directly linked to train control, it boosts safety and minimizes disruption during potentially damaging earthquakes.

Positive feedbacks drive the Greenland ice sheet evolution in millennial-length MAR–GISM simulations under a high-end warming scenario

To study Greenland ice sheet–atmosphere interactions, we coupled an ice sheet model to a regional climate model and performed simulations of differing coupling complexity over 1000 years under a high-warming climate scenario. They reveal that at first melt at the ice sheet margin is reduced by changing wind patterns. But over time, as the ice sheet melts and its surface lowers, precipitation patterns and cloudiness also change and amplify ice mass loss over the entire ice sheet.

Brief Communication: Rejuvenating and strengthening the science–policy interface required to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DOI 10.5194/nhess-26-271-2026
19 January 2026

This article looks at how science connects with policy to reduce disaster risks. Although the Sendai Framework says science is key, current efforts to bring together scientists and share their perspectives with other stakeholders are not as effective as they could be. We suggest three ways to improve this: include more voices, better share research, and create spaces to discuss key topics.

Compounded effects of long-term warming and the exceptional 2023 marine heatwave on North Atlantic coccolithophore bloom dynamics

In 2023, an exceptional marine heatwave occurred in the North Atlantic ocean. This study evaluates changes in G.huxleyi dynamics showing bloom decline in the Celtic Sea and reaching unprecedented levels in the Barents Sea. These shifts reflect the direct impact of temperature extremes driven by human-induced climate change with major effects on ocean life and carbon cycle. Continuous monitoring is vital to understand and monitor regional adaptation of marine ecosystems.

The carbon dioxide removal potential of cement and lime kiln dust via ocean alkalinity enhancement

Cement and lime kiln dust, industrial by-products, could help remove CO₂ from the atmosphere by increasing surface ocean alkalinity. Lab experiments showed that a fraction dissolves rapidly in seawater, releasing substantial alkalinity. Most of the residual fraction may dissolve in marine sediments to drive further carbon storage. Both materials could thus aid in global CO₂ removal, but careful application strategies are required to avoid harm to marine ecosystems.

Global projections of aridity index for mid and long-term future based on CMIP6 scenarios

Our study investigates global dryland dynamics and aridification under future climate scenarios. By employing the Food and Agriculture Organisation Aridity Index and an ensemble of 13 models from the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we provide projections for dryland distribution and aridity index across three shared socio-economic pathways (2-4.5, 3-7.0, and 5-8.5) for the near-term (2030–2059) and for the long-term (2070–2099) future.

Quantifying agricultural N₂O and CH₄ emissions in the Netherlands using an airborne eddy covariance system

Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from agriculture need to be reduced, therefore emissions must be understood to effectively mitigate them. This is the first approach to measure those emissions aircraft-based, to assess their magnitude and drivers. We identified emission hotspots and temporal changes in agricultural emissions in the Netherlands. Our approach is applicable to further greenhouse gas emitters, therefore it builds a step towards more comprehensive emission quantification.

Historical Droughts in British Colonial Belize (1771–1981)

This work presents the first documentary-derived chronology of droughts in British colonial Belize (1771-1981), integrating archival sources with extended instrumental records. Results show exceptional droughts in the 1880s, 1920s, and 1943-1955. Comparison of extreme colonial droughts with Terminal Classic Period palaeoclimate records shows a similar magnitude of precipitation reduction (29-59%) and provides a context to assess future climate projections for the region.

Review of climate simulation by Simple Climate Models

Simple Climate Models (SCMs) are widely used tools to explore how Earth's climate may change in the future. In recent decades, the number and types of SCMs have increased significantly, hindering efforts to understand cross-model differences. In this study, we provide an overview of the main principles guiding climate simulation by SCMs, as well as a description of most high-profile SCMs. This work offers a clear reference to support the informed use of these important tools.

Integrating fireline observations to characterize fire plumes during pyroconvective extreme wildfire events: implications for firefighter safety and plume modeling

Firefighter entrapments can occur when wildfires escalate suddenly due to fire-atmosphere interactions. This study presents a method to analyze this in real-time using two weather balloon measurements: ambient and in-plume conditions. Researchers launched 156 balloons during wildfire seasons in Spain, Chile, Greece, and the Netherlands. This methodology detects sudden changes in fire behavior by comparing ambient and in-plume data, ultimately enhancing research on fire-atmosphere interactions.

Bridging science and practice on multi-hazard risk drivers: stakeholder insights from five pilot studies in Europe

Disaster risk management faces growing challenges from multiple, changing hazards. Interviews with stakeholders in five European regions reveal that climate change, urban growth, and socio-economic shifts increase vulnerability and exposure. Measures to reduce one risk can worsen others, highlighting the need for better coordination. The study calls for flexible, context-specific strategies that connect scientific risk assessments with real-world decision-making.

A system for analysis of H₂ and Ne in polar ice core samples

This study describes a system for analysis of hydrogen (H₂) and neon (Ne) in polar ice core samples in the field immediately after drilling. The motivation is to reconstruct the atmospheric history of H₂ to improve understanding of global H₂ biogeochemistry and how it has varied over time. This knowledge will help inform models used to project future atmospheric levels of H₂and assess the climate impacts of widespread utilization of H₂ as an energy source.

Estimating the AMOC from Argo profiles with machine learning trained on ocean simulations

Ocean Science
DOI 10.5194/os-21-3541-2025
18 December 2025

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large current system that helps regulating Earth's climate. Monitoring the AMOC relies on fixed instruments anchored to the seafloor. This study explores, in a high-resolution model, whether data from Argo floats, autonomous drifters collecting hydrographic profiles, can be used to monitor the AMOC cost-effectively with the help of Machine Learning. Results suggest that Argo floats can extend AMOC monitoring beyond current fixed arrays.

An extrapolation algorithm for estimating river bed grain size distributions across basins

Characterizing the grain size of river sediments is necessary for estimating sediment transport rates in rivers. In order to understand sediment transport at large spatial scales, grain size information across river basins is needed, but methods for accomplishing this are limited. Here, I introduce a new method for using measurements of grain size in discrete locations to estimate full grain size distributions across entire watersheds.

Injection near the stratopause mitigates the stratospheric side effects of sulfur-based climate intervention

Injecting sulfur dioxide at 50 km – near the stratopause – offers a far safer and more effective climate intervention than conventional 25 km injection. Rapid downward–poleward transport distributes aerosols across 20–30 km, halving tropical stratospheric warming, reducing ozone recovery delays from decades to about 5 years, and enhancing global and polar cooling by over 20 %, while better preserving Arctic sea ice.

Synergetic retrieval from multi-mission spaceborne measurements for enhanced aerosol and surface characterization

Developed SYREMIS (SYnergetic REtrieval from Multi-MISsion instruments) approach is based on three main principles: (i) harmonization of the multi-instruments L1 measurements, (ii) their “weighting”, and (iii) optimization of the forward models and the retrieval setups. It substantially enhances aerosol and surface characterization from spaceborne measurements. The approach can be extended to future missions, including synergy with multi-angular, multi-spectral, and polarimetric measurements.

Water vapour dynamics as a key determinant of atmospheric composition and transport mechanisms

Humidification of air reduces the abundances of dry-air gas components such as oxygen, explaining why tropical humidity can be "stifling". This is overlooked due to the common expression of gas concentrations as fractions of dry air. Such neglect of water vapour also masks the key role of its sources and sinks in activating transport mechanisms of other gases. Humidity should be quantified whenever reporting gas concentrations.

Feedback-based sea level rise impact modelling for integrated assessment models with FRISIAv1.0

We present FRISIA version 1.0, a model for emulating sea level rise (SLR) and representing SLR impacts and adaptation in integrated assessment models (IAMs). FRISIA includes previously uncaptured coastal socio-economic feedback and a diverse set of impact strains, thereby improving the represenation of SLR impacts in IAMs. Here we describe the baseline behaviour of FRISIA, explore the effects of the additional feedback and showcase the coupling of FRISIA to an IAM.

How do geological map details influence the identification of geology-streamflow relationships in large-sample hydrology studies?

We show that geological maps with varying levels of detail may influence the identification of geology–streamflow relationships across European catchments at multiple scales. At the large scale, controls varied between basins, with no map consistently superior. At the intermediate and small scales, however, higher geological detail consistently strengthened correlations, particularly for baseflow signatures, with the regional map highlighting controls more consistent with process understanding.