Nature Geoscience, Published online: 06 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02052-8

Humble hydromagnesite is a hydrated carbonate with outsized importance. Yongjie Lin and Ian Power explore its potential for both carbon sequestration and unlocking the secrets of potential past microbial life on Mars.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 06 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02073-3

Opinions grounded in evidence and expertise play an important role in scientific discourse. The most effective opinion pieces do not simply express a viewpoint — they acknowledge limitations, nuance, and diversity of perspectives, and help move the conversations forwards.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02037-7

The European Union’s climate goals rely on forests as carbon sinks. Remote sensing data reveal accelerating biomass loss and distinguish the contributions of harvesting and natural disturbances, helping to better inform forest policy and climate actions.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02062-6

Frequent Arctic nucleation events arise from coupled iodine and sulfur chemistry, with organics driving rapid growth. Ship-based observations show that this process can increase cloud condensation nuclei by up to 50-fold near marginal sea ice.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02032-y

Satellite observations reveal accelerating aboveground biomass loss across Europe’s forests since 2018, increasingly driven by natural disturbances. These trends weaken the forest carbon sink and challenge climate mitigation efforts through forest policy.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02055-5

Northward movement of the Southern Ocean subtropical front diminished salt transport by Agulhas Leakage in the late Pliocene, although this had no apparent influence on the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, according to proxy records from marine sediment cores.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02054-6

Eukaryotic microorganisms within a subglacial brine-fed system in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are largely of marine origin, a legacy of past incursions of seawater into the area, according to RNA sequencing and metatranscriptomic analyses.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02075-1

Author Correction: Recent active rifting on Venus revealed by wide rift flank uplifts

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02049-3

Comparing numerical models of active and inactive rifts on Venus with observations reveals that rift valleys on Venus with wide rift flank uplifts are active (or were recently). These rifts also might experience faster tectonic extension rates than previously assumed, which might be associated with rising mantle plumes from greater depths.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02059-1

Himalayan rivers reflect rainfall patterns, not river piracy

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02061-7

Reply to: Himalaya rivers reflect rainfall patterns, not river piracy

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02036-8

Ozone regime analyses suggest that temperature outweighs anthropogenic emissions and actinic flux in controlling seasonal variations in ozone sensitivity over China.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02060-8

Only 10% of organic carbon from thawing Pleistocene permafrost in the Arctic that is buried in marine sediments ends up re-entering the active carbon cycle, according to a carbon isotope analysis of sediments from off Qikiqtaruk (Herschel Island) in Canada.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02040-y

Co-occurring atmospheric and river heatwaves have tripled since the 1980s across the USA and Europe, and are projected to become the norm by 2100, according to model simulations.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 24 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02044-8

Comparisons between thermomechanical models and Venusian rift morphologies indicate that rifts on Venus are still, or were recently, active and may have undergone faster extension than usually assumed, potentially because of mantle plume activity.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 24 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02047-5

Climate model ensembles suggest tropical cyclones will bring more rain as the world warms, but increases may be smaller than expected. Atmospheric dryness reduces how much rain storms produce, offsetting extra moisture and stronger storms.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02053-7

A sudden rise in aerosols makes clouds more active for about a day. Then the effect fades as the atmosphere adjusts and warms aloft, reducing the contrast that helps clouds grow, according to cloud-resolving model simulations.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 22 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02050-w

Shifting atmospheric circulation patterns over Europe since the 1980s have been the major cause of increasingly severe droughts on the continent, according to nudged circulation climate model simulations.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 21 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02058-2

Most major mass extinctions in Earth history are linked to greenhouse gas emissions causing warmer and drier climates. Research shows these perturbations also led to widespread wildfires and the expansion of fern savannahs during one of the most acute events at the end of the Triassic period, potentially holding lessons for the future.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 21 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02048-4

Fern savannahs spread rapidly following the collapse of the forest ecosystem during the end-Triassic mass extinction, setting the conditions for widespread wildfires, according to an analysis of the darkening of fossil pollen and spores.