Nature Geoscience, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02039-5

Integrated model simulations suggest that air quality across China could be substantially degraded by emissions from fossil fuel power plants during renewable energy droughts in the 2050s, underscoring the need for a deeper clean energy transition.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02056-4

Long-term soil biogeochemical measurements in a cold desert in China suggest that moss biocrusts can substantially extend snow cover duration and increase snow depth during snow events, thereby sustaining soil biological activity and ecosystem function under a warming climate.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02070-6

Variations in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation strength through abrupt Dansgaard–Oeschger events during Pleistocene glacial periods controlled ocean heat content, and heat uptake by the planet as a whole, according to a synthesis of simulations.