Open access notables Marine Heatwaves Overwhelm the Buffering Benefits of Marine Protected Areas: Two Decades of Collapse in a Mediterranean Gorgonian , Zentner et al., Global Change Biology Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are driving mass mortalities of coastal foundation species globally, threatening their persistence and the ecosystems they support. However, long-term demographic evidence of these impacts at regional scales is scarce. Accordingly, whether ongoing conservation actions, mainly marine protected areas (MPAs), mitigate the impact of MHWs is still an open question. Here, we address these gaps by analysing over two decades of demographic monitoring data from 49 shallow (< 40 m depth) populations of the foundation gorgonian Paramuricea clavata paired with in situ temperature records across the north-western Mediterranean (38°–43° N, 0°–8° E). Using hierarchical Bayesian models, we estimated regional-scale trends and assessed the combined influence of MHW exposure and protection status. We found that increasingly frequent extreme thermal events have caused widespread mass mortality, resulting in a 45% median decline in biomass at the regional scale over the past two decades. Within this context of extensive decline, protection temporarily buffered MHW impacts by sustaining higher overall biomass, despite protected populations experiencing greater absolute losses. Taken together, these findings indicate that local protection alone cannot offset climate-driven mortality and underscore the urgent need to integrate conservation measures with global climate action to preserve shallow marine ecosystems. Petermann Glacier on the brink: Progress, challenges and insights , Fahrner et al., Science Advances Petermann Glacier (PG), the largest marine-terminating glacier in northern Greenland based on catchment area and ice discharge, plays a key role in modulating ice export from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). With an upstream catchment connected to the GrIS interior via a deep subglacial canyon, its future stability has major implications for sea level rise. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding PG’s dynamics across three critical interfaces. At the surface, reanalysis data and regional climate models diverge from observations in estimates of air temperature and surface mass balance, underscoring the need for improved in situ data and models. At the ocean boundary, enhanced basal melting driven by subglacial runoff and Atlantic water intrusions is identified as dominant driver of recent mass loss of PG, with continued warming posing a serious threat to the stability of the floating tongue. At the bed, geophysical synthesis reveals complex geology, likely spatial variability in geothermal heat flux, and the megacanyon’s influence on seasonal hydrology and velocity fluctuations. An ongoing rifting event, initiated in September 2025, highlights PG’s vulnerability. The anticipated retreat reduces buttressing and brings the terminus closer to the grounding zone, where additional calving could trigger retreat and accelerate ice discharge. As one of Greenland’s largest floating ice tongues, PG may provide important insights into the stability of other marine-terminating glaciers across the GrIS. Improved observations, sustained monitoring of oceanographic and atmospheric parameters, and high-resolution modeling are critical for constraining projections of PG’s future and its role in GrIS stability. Near-total loss of buttressing stresses observed on Pine Island Ice Shelf, West Antarctica , Wells-Moran et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ice shelves, the floating extensions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, provide critical buttressing stresses that resist the seaward flow of ice and help set the position of the grounding line, where the ice goes afloat. As buttressing stresses are diminished by thinning or fracturing and collapse of the ice shelf, glaciers tend to accelerate. Here, we focus on the response of Pine Island Ice Shelf (PIIS) in West Antarctica to multiple calving events and the disintegration of the lateral shear margins. Using observed time-series of the surface velocity fields between 2015 and 2024, we show multiple episodes of acceleration in ice flow and a marked reduction in the buttressing stresses. These observations show that PIIS experienced a significant reduction of its buttressing capacity during the observational record. We then investigate how a model glacier responds to loss in margin buttressing, and are able to broadly reproduce observations. By linking model simulations to observations, we recreate a timeline of buttressing loss on PIIS. These losses likely foreshadow a period of grounding line retreat and acceleration of Pine Island Glacier’s contribution to global mean sea level rise. Failure to track a stable AMOC state under rapid climate change , Westen et al., Nature Climate Change The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a tipping element of the climate system, currently has an estimated global warming threshold for collapse of +4.0 °C (uncertainty range 1.4–8 °C). However, such a threshold may not be meaningful because AMOC stability depends on the rate of radiative forcing change, not a set temperature. Here we identify an AMOC stabilizing mechanism that operates on timescales slower than present-day warming rates. Slow forcing permits coherent adjustment of surface and interior ocean properties, supported by enhanced evaporation and reduced sea-ice extent, counteracting destabilizing feedbacks. Using a slow CO2 ramp (+0.5 ppm yr−1) climate model simulation, we explicitly demonstrate the AMOC remains stable up to +5.5 °C of global warming. By contrast, under faster CO2 ramps, the AMOC collapses at substantially lower warming levels (+2 °C). Our findings demonstrate rate-induced AMOC tipping and imply that limiting the rate of emissions is critical for reducing the risk of an AMOC collapse. Disrupting the “wrong” target? Climate protest tactics affecting entities deemed undeserving are perceived as immoral, unjust, and reduce activist support , Nylund et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology In recent years, disruptive climate protest organisations—such as Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, and Last Generation—have sought to convey the urgency of the climate crisis through actions that deliberately interrupt daily life. Many of these tactics have targeted entities perceived as having relatively minimal responsibility for climate change, such as cultural institutions, art galleries, or the general public, whereas others have targeted entities seen as highly responsible, such as fossil fuel companies or governments that could regulate them. Yet little empirical work has examined how the perceived responsibility—and resulting perceived deservingness—of targets shapes public reactions to disruptive climate protest. Across two preregistered studies using US participants (Study 1; N = 246) and UK participants (Study 2; N = 640), we found that climate protest tactics directed toward targets deemed undeserving (vs. deserving) were judged as less moral, provoked greater anger at the activists, and reduced support for them. Study 2 further demonstrated that these actions were evaluated as more unjust. However, target deservingness did not affect support for the broader climate movement, cause, or policies. These findings highlight the importance of perceived target deservingness in forming public judgments of disruptive protest and suggest that climate activists may reduce backlash to their activism by directing tactics toward entities seen as more responsible for contributing to the climate crisis. From this week's government/NGO section : Temperature Check 2025–26 , The Center for Climate Journalism and Communication, University of Southern California Even though fewer Americans now hear about global warming and climate change through news, newspapers are still the top source of information for climate communicators. Climate communicators still prefer LinkedIn as their go-to social media platform for climate information, followed by Instagram and BlueSky. The use of X/Twitter for engaging in climate media continues to drop even more among climate communicators. Climate communicators are most concerned about the lack of climate action, global warming and the health impacts of climate change this year. Yet, the authors' survey shows climate communicators are also increasingly avoiding terms and phrases such as “climate change” and “global warming,” likely due to increasing politicization of the terms as well as pushback from the government as well as the public. Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2026 , Leiserowitz et al., Yale University and George Mason University With the primaries in the 2026 midterm elections underway, the authors found that 58% of registered voters prefer to vote for a candidate for public office who supports action on global warming, while 14% prefer to vote for a candidate who opposes action. 42% would like to hear from political candidates more often about efforts to reduce global warming, while 23% would like to hear about this less often. 31% will only vote for a congressional candidate who supports increasing the use of renewable energy, while 7% will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of renewable energy. 25% will only vote for a candidate who supports decreasing the use of fossil fuels, while 14% will only vote for a candidate who supports increasing the use of fossil fuels. 93 articles in 45 journals by 733 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Abrupt Increase in Marine Heatwave Accumulated Days Over the Gulf Stream Extension Around 2013 Linked to Subtropical Eastern Pacific Warming , Song et al., Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 10.1029/2026jc024006 Failure to track a stable AMOC state under rapid climate change , Westen et al., Nature Climate Change Open Access 10.1038/s41558-026-02730-w Intensified Oxygen Minimum Zone in Response to Both Insolation Maxima and Carbon Dioxide?Driven Warmth in the Tropical North Atlantic , Fayolle et al., Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Open Access 10.1029/2026pa005463 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Deforestation amplifies climate change effects on warming and cloud level rise in African montane forests , Nature Communications , 10.1038/s41467-024-51324-7 26 cites. buffer/PWSE Observations of climate change, effects Enhanced Subsurface Warming of the Kuroshio Revealed by Long-Term Observations During 1965–2020 , Du et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl120916 From Rare to Recurrent: Intensifying Hot–Dry Extremes Across Romania , Nagavciuc & Ioni??, International Journal of Climatology Open Access 10.1002/joc.70559 Strong human fingerprint on low snowpack amid increasing volatility , Swain, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2620765123 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: The ocean losing its breath under the heatwaves , Nature Communications , 10.1038/s41467-024-51323-8 38 cites. buffer/OBME Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects A climate impact taxonomy operationalizing IPCC physical driver and risk concepts , Michaela et al., IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) pmh:oai:pure.iiasa.ac.at:21196 A global high-resolution dataset of snowmelt runoff onset timing from Sentinel-1 SAR, 2015–2024 , Gagliano et al., Earth system science data Open Access 10.5194/essd-18-5871-2026 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Toward Low-Latency Estimation of Atmospheric CO 2 Growth Rates Using Satellite Observations: Evaluating Sampling Errors of Satellite and In Situ Observing Approaches , AGU Advances , 10.1029/2023av001145 10 cites. buffer/WINS Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects Catalogue of strong nonlinear surprises in ocean, sea-ice, and atmospheric variables in CMIP6 , Angevaare & Drijfhout, Earth System Dynamics Open Access 10.5194/esd-17-1081-2026 Heat Extremes Within Hot Summer Seasons Intensify More Than in Average Summers Under Global Warming , Pfleiderer et al., Earth s Future Open Access 10.1029/2026ef008241 Intercomparison of a Regional Climate Model Ensemble for Selected European Catchments , Roque et al., International Journal of Climatology Open Access 10.1002/joc.70554 Pacific Warming Pattern Discrepancy Linked to Spurious Rainband in Climate Models , Wills & DiNezio, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2026gl122859 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Increasing frequency and precipitation intensity of convective storms in the Peruvian Central Andes: Projections from convection?permitting regional climate simulations , Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society , 10.1002/qj.4820 10 cites. buffer/MSWE Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection Bridging the weather and climate divide with artificial intelligence , Camps?Valls et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-75787-y Rapid Evaluation Framework for the CMIP7 Assessment Fast Track , Hoffman, Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) Open Access 10.5281/zenodo.21919074 Recent Temperature and Energy Imbalance Trends Point to Higher Estimates of Future Warming , Gyuleva et al., Earth s Future Open Access 10.1029/2026ef008356 The source of uncertainty in future warming and wetting projections over Northwest China , Wei et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2026.08.008 Uncertainty in Land Carbon Fluxes Simulated by CMIP6 Models from Treatments of Crop Distributions and Photosynthetic Pathways , Ovwemuvwose et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-5593-2026 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Uncertainties Inherent from Large-Scale Climate Projections in the Statistical Downscaling Projection of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity , Journal of Climate , 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0475.1 6 cites. buffer/GCMA Cryosphere & climate change Atmospheric Blocking Pattern as the Primary Driver of Subseasonal Greenland Ice Sheet Summer Melt Variability , Guo et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70547 Data-driven equation discovery of a sea ice albedo parametrisation , Atmojo et al., cryosphere Open Access 10.5194/tc-20-4437-2026 Loss of hydroclimate archives in glacier-fed basins worldwide , Vystavna et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03825-0 Near-total loss of buttressing stresses observed on Pine Island Ice Shelf, West Antarctica , Wells-Moran et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2602994123 Petermann Glacier on the brink: Progress, challenges and insights , Fahrner et al., Science Advances Open Access 10.1126/sciadv.aee4522 Quick northward retreat of the permafrost boundary and controlling mechanisms in northeastern China , Zhou et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105678 Strong human fingerprint on low snowpack amid increasing volatility , Swain, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2620765123 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: State of Wildfires 2023–2024 , Earth system science data , 10.5194/essd-16-3601-2024 236 cites. buffer/CRYO Sea level & climate change Large-scale climate oscillations induce accelerated high tide flooding along the U.S. East Coast , Zhu et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03932-y Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Quantifying the Mean Sea Level, Tide, and Surge Contributions to Changing Coastal High Water Levels , Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans , 10.1029/2023jc020737 11 cites. buffer/SLCC Paleoclimate & paleogeochemistry Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Late Pleistocene glacial terminations accelerated by proglacial lakes , Climate of the past , 10.5194/cp-20-1761-2024 3 cites. buffer/PCIM Biology & climate change, related geochemistry Antarctic greening is constrained by biology and requires field validation , Bokhorst et al., Nature Geoscience 10.1038/s41561-026-02076-0 Climate change and conservation of caecilians (order Gymnophiona): prediction of distributional shifts and risk assessment in Chiapas, Mexico , Cabrera-Hernández et al., Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Open Access pdf 10.3389/fevo.2026.1886733 Faster, bigger, more severe: Extreme wildfire spread sets the stage for forest ecosystem change in western and boreal North America , Coop et al., Science Advances Open Access 10.1126/sciadv.aeg5802 Food Plant Availability Constrains Climatic Niches of Host?Specialized Europe?Centred Butterflies , Rashid et al., Diversity and Distributions Open Access pdf 10.1111/ddi.70245 Linear resistance but threshold-controlled recovery of vegetation to compound heatwave–drought extremes , Zhou et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105668 Mapping climate-related forest risks: An index-based approach , Martes & Köhl, PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000931 Marine Heatwaves Overwhelm the Buffering Benefits of Marine Protected Areas: Two Decades of Collapse in a Mediterranean Gorgonian , Zentner et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.71052 Quantifying the alpha diversity of vascular plants vulnerable to climate change in protected areas , Wan et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105679 Terrestrial Arthropod Responses to Arctic Cryosphere Degradation , Gillespie & Høye, Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.71062 The Biodiversity of Retreating Glaciers Leaves an Ecological Legacy in Emerging Soil Communities , Cantera et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.71040 Using a “Super” El Niño to understand how lakes respond to climate extremes , Culpepper et al., PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0001021 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: Climate change and California’s terrestrial biodiversity , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 10.1073/pnas.2310074121 42 cites. buffer/BIOW GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry From Stable to Labile: Forest Expansion Drives Changes in Alpine Soil Carbon Fractions , Man et al., Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences 10.1029/2026jg009751 Implementing methane dynamics into the LPJmL6 model , Schaphoff et al., Geoscientific model development Open Access 10.5194/gmd-19-7615-2026 Net lateral carbon export from eroding United States Atlantic and Gulf Coast marshes , Vittorio et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03911-3 No single rule explains how climate affects carbon storage in tropical forests , Uriarte & Macedo, Nature 10.1038/d41586-026-02291-0 Persistent Shelf?to?Basin Export of Bioavailable Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Arctic Ocean , Gao et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2026gl124640 Soil carbon gains from salt marsh recovery in China , Zheng et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-026-03944-8 Soil Moisture Thresholds for the Temperature Sensitivity of Ecosystem Respiration , Zhang et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.71066 Sphagnum and herbaceous net ecosystem exchanges in a Pyrenean peatland: a long-term study using the ISBA model , Garisoain et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-3407-2026 Uncertainty in Land Carbon Fluxes Simulated by CMIP6 Models from Treatments of Crop Distributions and Photosynthetic Pathways , Ovwemuvwose et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-5593-2026 Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago: An Independent Evaluation of GHGSat Methane Emissions: Performance As