Communications Earth & Environment is an open access journal from Nature Portfolio that publishes high-quality research, reviews and commentary in the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences. The papers we publish represent significant advances that bring new insight to a specialized area of research. We also provide a community forum for issues of importance to Earth, environmental and planetary scientists, regardless of sub-discipline. Our scope covers all areas of the geosciences, climate and environmental sciences as well as planetary sciences, including those at the interface with ecology, sustainability and environmental social sciences. Primary research of interest to the journal includes important insights gained from field work, novel analyses of existing data, numerical or analytical modelling, theoretical studies or laboratory experiments. We encourage submissions that provide independent confirmation of particularly influential publications. The submission and review processes are managed by our in-house professional editors supported by our Editorial Board Members, who provide technical expertise across the breadth of the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences. We are committed to rapid dissemination of important research results. Articles are published on a continuous basis to ensure swift communication of findings.