Landscapes change dramatically with climate on short time scales (for example, during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s) and long time scales (for example, swamps existed on Antarctica 50 million years ago). But we know relatively little about how landscapes change during climatic transitions and, particularly, what processes control ecosystem dynamics during these transitions. Recent geochemical studies have begun to shed light on this process. These studies have focused on how soil development and landscape evolution control the availability of essential plant nutrients. They also reveal how landscapes and ecosystem nutrient supplies respond to climate change on rapid time scales.