In this study, we computed the fluxes of radium-228 from the continental shelf to the open ocean by fitting a numerical model to observations. After determining appropriate model parameters (cost function and number of source regions), we found a lower and more precise global flux than previous estimates: 8.01–8.49×10²³ atoms yr⁻¹. This result can be used to assess nutrient and trace element fluxes to the open ocean, but we cannot identify specific pathways like submarine groundwater discharge.

This study quantifies the contribution of carbonate sediments, produced in seagrass meadows and in photophilic algal communities, to the sediment budget of a beach–dune system. The contribution to the beach sediment budget represents a further ecosystem service provided by seagrass. The dependence of the beach sediment budget on carbonate production associated with coastal ecosystems has implications for the adaptation of carbonate beaches to the seagrass decline and sea level rise.

The overall goal of OUTPACE was to obtain a successful representation of the interactions between planktonic organisms and the cycle of biogenic elements in the western tropical South Pacific Ocean across trophic and N₂ fixation gradients. The international OUTPACE cruise took place between 18 February and 3 April 2015 aboard the RV L’Atalante and involved 60 scientists. The transect covered ~4 000 km from the western part of the Melanesian archipelago to the western boundary of the gyre.

Because of its large physical dimensions and unimpeded connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lawrence Gulf and Estuary encompass both estuarine and marine environments. The underlying physical and biogeochemical processes are reflected in the spatial pattern of surface-water pCO₂ (139–765 µatm). The shallow partially mixed upper estuary was a CO₂ source due to microbial respiration, whereas the deep stratified lower estuary was generally a CO₂ sink due to phytoplankton photosynthesis.

We used high-resolution satellite images to analyze woody vegetation (trees and shrubs) across African savannas. By delineating individual tree crowns we estimated the number of trees, sizes of crowns, and the spatial pattern of woody vegetation in the landscape. We find several interesting relationships for how vegetation properties (including the emergence of highly organized periodic vegetation patterns) are influenced by the local environment.

Current soil C models do not adequately describe the quality of the amendments added to fields. In this study, we propose a modification of the soil C model "RothC" that was found to be effective in simulating the response of laboratory-incubated soils treated with contrasting amendments. We think that these findings could help to develop better soil C models and improve predictions of the effects of different amendments on soil organic matter dynamics on agricultural and managed land.

Based on a broad dataset of lake sediment analysis and porewater measurements from various Swiss lakes, this paper argues that the accumulation of organic carbon in the sediment is one of the main driving forces for the generation of reduced substances such as methane and ammonia. These substances significantly contribute to the hypolimnetic oxygen consumption. The relationships presented help to evaluate the scale of the flux of reduced substances where no direct measurements are available.

It is still unclear whether foraminifera (calcifying plankton that play an important role in cycling carbon) will have difficulty in making their shells in more acidic oceans, with different studies often reporting apparently conflicting results. We used live lab cultures, mathematical models, and fossil measurements to test this question, and found low pH does reduce calcification. However, we find this response is likely size-dependent, which may have obscured this response in other studies.

We use newly established methods to compute bivariate return periods of temperature and precipitation and relate those to crop yield variability in Europe. Most often, crop yields are lower when it is hot and dry and higher when it is cold and wet. The variability in crop yields along a specific climate gradient can be captured well by return periods aligned with these gradients. This study provides new possibilities for investigating the relationship between crop yield variability and climate.

At the land–ocean interface, subterranean estuaries (STEs) are a critical transition pathway of nitrogen. Environmental conditions in the groundwater lead to nitrogen transformation, altering the nitrogen species and concentrations exported to the coastal ocean. This study highlights the role of a STE in processing groundwater-derived N in a shallow boreal STE, far from anthropogenic pressures. Biogeochemical transformations provide new N species from terrestrial origin to the coastal ocean.

We find that a big portion of the phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detrital organic matter produced near the northern African coast is laterally transported towards the open North Atlantic. This offshore flux sustains a relevant part of the biological activity in the open sea and reaches as far as the middle of the North Atlantic. Our results, obtained with a state-of-the-art model, highlight the fundamental role of the narrow but productive coastal ocean in sustaining global marine life.

The paper investigates whether variability in leaf traits is greater between tree species or soil type and whether field spectroscopy is effective at predicting intraspecific variation in leaf traits as well as interspecific differences. The influences of species identity on traits were generally much stronger than within-species differences related to soil type. This study demonstrates the value of spectroscopy, but highlights problems with predicting within-species variation indirectly.