Forests are more than carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots — they are also water pumps that sustain global agriculture. Research now shows how tropical and extratropical forests alike support crops and trade far beyond their borders.

This study investigates the contribution of global forests to crop production and export by linking moisture flows from forests to agricultural areas with traded crop flows. Moisture from forests supports 18% of studied crop production and 30% of export, highlighting the need to conserve upwind forests to safeguard global food supply chains.

This meta-analysis assesses the rates and drivers of greenhouse gas emissions from flowing and standing (sub)tropical inland waters, finding that emissions are lower than previous estimates. Considerable spatial variation in fluxes arises mainly from differences in hydroclimate, geomorphology, land cover and human disturbance.

From property-owner-only votes to full public enfranchisement, the governance of local water systems can significantly impact the effectiveness with which the human right to water is delivered.

Benchmarking greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants is an essential step in developing mitigation strategies. This is now achieved for the USA by modelling over 15,000 facilities using Monte Carlo simulations to obtain a national baseline.

Access to safe, affordable and accessible drinking water is influenced by various socioeconomic factors. A survey of a large number of California water systems shows how different levels of enfranchisement are linked to uneven access to drinking water in terms of affordability and accessibility.

Extensive measurements of the emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia from wastewater treatment facilities in the USA present higher values than are currently stated in national inventories. The results of this analysis show that greenhouse gas and nitrogenous emissions from the wastewater sector are often overlooked and that their impact on climate should be reassessed.

The sedimentary DNA signal obtained from Black Sea sedimentary archives revealed the past dynamics of microorganisms able to transform mercury into the neurotoxin methylmercury. Water column anoxia during the mid-Holocene Climate Optimum appeared to be the main driver of potential methylmercury production in the Black Sea.

Although N₂O emissions from wastewater treatment plants have been studied extensively, emissions of NH₃ have been largely considered irrelevant. Analysis of such emissions from a sludge drying pan, a commonly used method, shows that NH₃ emissions are in fact substantial and should not be overlooked.