Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are the Snowball Earth episodes, which occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. Nearly the entire planet was covered in ice up to a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick during these periods.&nbsp;



The rare Snowball Earth events did not follow regular cycles but lasted for millions to tens of millions of years before being followed by intense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-global-warming-event-sheds-light-on-earths-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a>. Despite their significance, the details surrounding how these frozen periods ended are still not fully understood.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> (UW) offers a more complete picture of how the last Snowball Earth episode ended and sheds light on why it was followed by a major expansion of life, including the emergence of Earth's first animals.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changes-in-key-earth-properties">Changes in key Earth properties</h2>



The research, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51412-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>, focuses on ancient rocks known as “cap carbonates,” which are believed to have formed as the planet’s ice sheets thawed.&nbsp;



These rocks provide clues about the state of Earth's atmosphere and oceans roughly 640 million years ago - long before ice cores or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-largest-ever-solar-storm-discovered-through-tree-rings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree rings</a> could record such history.



Study lead author Trent Thomas is a doctoral student in earth and space sciences at UW.



“Cap carbonates contain information about key properties of Earth's atmosphere and ocean, such as changing levels of carbon dioxide in the air or the acidity of the ocean,” said Thomas. "Our theory now shows how these properties changed during and after Snowball Earth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-formation-of-cap-carbonates-nbsp">Formation of cap carbonates&nbsp;</h2>



Cap carbonates are layered limestone or dolomite rocks with distinct chemical properties. Today, they can be found in more than 50 locations worldwide, including places like Death Valley, Namibia, Siberia, Ireland, and Australia.&nbsp;



These formations are believed to have resulted from the melting of the ice sheets that once covered Earth, triggering significant shifts in atmospheric and oceanic chemistry. The unique sediments were then deposited on the ocean floor.



The rocks are called “caps” because they lie atop the glacial deposits left behind after the Snowball Earth <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-complete-record-of-snowball-earth-found-in-rock-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events</a>, and they’re classified as “carbonates” because they consist of carbon-containing limestone or dolomite.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animals-appeared-after-the-last-snowball-earth-nbsp">Animals appeared after the last Snowball Earth&nbsp;</h2>



Understanding how these rocks formed helps clarify the carbon cycle during periods of dramatic climate shifts. 



This latest study, which models these environmental changes, also provides clues about the evolution of life on Earth and explains why more complex life-forms emerged following the last Snowball Earth.



“Life on Earth was simple - in the form of microbes, algae, or other tiny aquatic organisms - for over two billion years leading up to Snowball Earth,” said senior author David Catling, a professor of earth and space sciences at UW.&nbsp;



“In fact, the billion years leading up to Snowball Earth are called the ‘boring billion’ because so little happened. Then two Snowball Earth events occurred, and soon after, animals appear in the fossil record.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chemistry-of-a-snow-covered-earth-nbsp">Chemistry of a snow-covered Earth&nbsp;</h2>



The new research offers a framework to explain how these two events may be connected. The study models the chemistry and geology during three distinct phases of Snowball Earth.&nbsp;



During the peak of the icy period, the thick ice sheets covering the planet reflected sunlight, though some open water allowed limited exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cold seawater continued reacting with the ocean floor.



Over time, carbon dioxide built up in the atmosphere until it trapped enough heat to warm the planet and melt the ice.&nbsp;



Once this occurred, rainfall began again, and freshwater from glacial melt poured into the oceans, creating a layer of meltwater that floated on top of the denser, salty ocean water.&nbsp;



This layering slowed down ocean circulation. Eventually, ocean mixing resumed, allowing the upper ocean, deep ocean, and atmosphere to interact again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-recovery-from-the-snowball-period-nbsp">Earth's recovery from the Snowball period&nbsp;</h2>



“We predict important changes in the environment as Earth recovered from the Snowball period, some of which affected the temperature, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-for-ocean-acidification-a-silent-killer-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acidity</a>, and circulation of the ocean. Now that we know these changes, we can more confidently figure out how they affected Earth’s life,” noted Thomas.



The research team plans to continue exploring how pockets of life that may have survived during Snowball Earth’s tumultuous aftermath could have evolved into the more complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-life-and-environment-co-evolved-over-500-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a> forms that appeared shortly after.



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‘Snowball Earth’ event set the stage for complex life

Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are the Snowball Earth episodes, which occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. Nearly the entire planet was covered in ice up to a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick during these periods.&nbsp; The rare Snowball Earth events did not follow regular cycles but lasted for millions to tens of millions of years before being followed by intense warming. Despite their significance, the details surrounding how these frozen periods ended are still not fully understood. A new study led by...

A new study from <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">UH Mānoa</a> and the USGS has revealed that the massive Kīlauea eruption was triggered by relatively small changes, including the accumulation of pressure in the upper parts of the volcano that drove magma into the lower flank. The experts report that when magma became backed up at the Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption site, it increased pressure throughout the volcano.

"Kīlauea’s 2018 flank eruption, on the volcano’s lower East Rift Zone, produced approximately one cubic kilometer of lava and was the most destructive volcanic event in the past 200 years in Hawaii, with over 700 structures destroyed," wrote the study authors. "The accompanying collapse of the summit caldera was one of the largest at Kīlauea in centuries, triggering small explosions and tens of thousands of earthquakes that damaged nearby infrastructure."

"Kīlauea has one of the most comprehensive volcano monitoring networks on Earth, and the 2018 eruption provides an excellent opportunity to understand the complex processes that culminate in destructive flank eruptions, the timescales of priming and triggering in open-vent basaltic systems, and how forecasting such extreme events might be improved."

The researchers analyzed data collected by the monitoring network before and during the eruptions at the Kīlauea summit and flank. Based on their analysis, the experts reconstructed the geologic events.

Study lead author Matthew Patrick is a research geologist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

"The data suggest that a backup in the magma plumbing system at the long-lived Pu'u 'Ō'ō eruption site caused widespread pressurization in the volcano, driving magma into the lower flank," said Patrick.

As the eruption evolved, a series of cascading events caused relatively minor changes at Puʻu ʻŌʻō to escalate into major destruction and unprecedented modifications of the volcano. The potential for such a chain reaction of events was not taken into consideration during the time leading up to the eruption. 

"This form of tunnel vision, which gives less attention to the least likely outcomes, is a bias that can be overcome by considering the broader, longer history of the volcano," explained study co-author Professor Bruce Houghton. "For Kīlauea, this consists of widening the scope to consider the types of behavior seen in the first half of the 20th century and perhaps earlier."

"Our study demonstrates that eruption forecasting can be inherently challenging in scenarios where volcanoes prime slowly and trigger due to a small event, as the processes that build to eruption may be hard to detect and are easy to overlook on the scale of the entire volcano," said Patrick. "It is also a cautionary tale against over-reliance on recent activity as a guide for future eruptions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Kīlauea eruption was caused by a series of small changes

A new study from UH Mānoa and the USGS has...

While it is known that reduced food intake can boost health and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/certain-stress-boost-longevity/">longevity</a>, the molecular mechanisms involved remain a mystery. In a study of fruit flies, researchers at the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute</a> have now identified a protein named Sestrin that mediates the beneficial, anti-aging effects of dietary restriction.

The experts found that increasing the amount of Sestrin in fruit flies not only extended their lifespan, but also protected the flies against the unfavorable effects of a protein-rich diet. Furthermore, the researchers demonstrated that Sestrin improved the health of the flies by influencing the turnover of stem cells contained in their gut.

It has recently been discovered that the restriction of certain food components - like proteins and their amino acids - is more influential than calorie reduction in determining how the body will respond to dietary restriction. On the molecular level, one particular signaling pathway known as the TOR pathway is important for longevity.

"We wanted to know which factor is responsible for measuring nutrients in the cell, especially amino acids, and how this factor affects the TOR pathway," explained study lead author Jiongming Lu. 

"We focused on a protein called Sestrin, which was suggested to sense amino acids. However, no one has ever demonstrated the amino acid sensing function of Sestrin in a living being."

Lu and his team analyzed Sestrin in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, which is commonly known as fruit fly. The study revealed that the Sestrin protein plays a previously unknown role in the anti-aging effects of reduced food intake. Mutant flies without Sestrin did not reap the same benefits of dietary restriction.

"We could show that the Sestrin protein binds certain amino acids. When we inhibited this binding, the TOR signalling pathway in the flies was less active and the flies lived longer," said Lu. "Flies with a mutated Sestrin protein unable to bind amino acids showed improved health in the presence of a protein-rich diet."

Remarkably, when the researchers increased the amount of Sestrin protein in stem cells located in the fly gut, these flies lived about ten percent longer than control flies. 

"We are curious whether the function of Sestrin in humans is similar as in flies," said Lu. "Experiments with mice already showed that Sestrin is required for the beneficial effects of exercise on the health of the animal. A drug that increases the activity of the Sestrin protein might therefore be in future a novel approach to slow down the aging process."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nataging">Nature Aging</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Anti-aging effects of dietary restriction are mediated by a protein

While it is known that reduced food intake can boost...

Everyday physical activities are exceptionally beneficial to alertness, energy, and overall cognition, according to a study led by the <a href="https://www.kit.edu/english/">Karlsruhe Institute of Technology</a> (KIT). The researchers found that climbing stairs and other daily tasks can improve well-being and mental health, particularly among individuals who are susceptible to psychiatric disorders.

"Clearly, exercise activities such as playing soccer with friends every Monday and Thursday evening differ from non-exercise activities such as spontaneously fetching papers from the basement at work," wrote the study authors.  

"Accordingly, exercise activities are defined as structured physical activities with high demands of energy expenditure across prolonged time periods, whereas non-exercise activities comprise all other daily physical activities - e.g., climbing stairs, gardening, and catching the train."

These daily activities are often processed automatically and habitually or performed spontaneously, explained the researchers. "However, epidemiological studies have ignored this distinction and often considered physical activity as a global construct comprising all human physical activities."

The team noted that clinical trials focused on the impact of physical exercise on mental health outcomes may overlook the potential benefits of non-exercise activities.

Study co-author Professor Heike suggested that strong restrictions of social interaction during the pandemic may have negative effects on our quality of life. "To feel better, it may help to more often climb stairs."

For the investigation, the researchers used a variety of assessments such as smartphone tracking to determine the impact of everyday activity on brain health and well-being. The study revealed that participants felt more alert and had more energy after completing daily tasks. 

The experts also found that the volume of gray brain matter in the brain mediates the link between everyday activity and affective well-being. This brain region is known to  regulate emotions and resistance to psychiatric disorders. 

"Persons with a smaller volume of gray brain matter in this region and a higher risk of psychiatric disorders felt less full of energy when they were physically inactive," said study co-author Heike Tost. "After everyday activity, however, these persons felt even more filled with energy than persons with a larger brain volume."

According to Professor Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, the results suggest that physical activity in everyday life is especially beneficial for individuals who are susceptible to psychiatric disorders. "In future, the findings of the study might be used in a smartphone app that will motivate users to be active to enhance their well-being in case of decreasing energy." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Everyday activities improve well-being and boost brain health

Everyday physical activities are exceptionally beneficial to alertness, energy, and...

An abrupt shift in the climate over inner East Asia may lead to a tipping point that pushes Mongolia into a permanently dry and barren region. Researchers at <a href="https://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University</a> warn that heatwaves and concurrent <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/corn-yields-in-the-u-s-have-become-more-sensitive-to-drought/">droughts</a> have increased significantly during the past two decades in a "vicious cycle," where a lack of soil moisture produces more heatwaves.

The scientists used tree ring data to examine the past climate from before weather conditions were documented. The researchers acquired heatwave and soil moisture records, which indicate that the recent back-to-back years of record high temperatures and droughts are unparalleled in more than 250 years.

According to the study, soil drying has contributed to record high temperatures in the region, and the compounding effects are intensifying a lack of soil moisture. "The result is more heatwaves, which means more soil water losses, which means more heatwaves - and where this might end, we cannot say," said Deliang Chen.

When soil contains moisture, evaporation cools the air at the surface. But when the soil is dry, heat is directly transferred into the air.

The study authors said that in the past 260 years, only recent decades "show significant anticorrelation between heatwave frequency and soil moisture, alongside a radical decline in soil moisture fluctuation." 

According to the experts, a series of recent heatwaves in Europe and North America indicate that the semi-arid climate of this region has now entered a new regime. 

Lakes across the Mongolian Plateau are rapidly shrinking and disappearing. By 2014, Chinese researchers had documented a 26-percent decrease in the number of lakes greater than one square kilometer in size, and they found an even larger decline in the size of the region's largest lakes.

"Now we are seeing that it isn't just large bodies of water that are disappearing," said study co-author Jee-Hoon Jeong of Chonnam National University in South Korea. "The water in the soil is vanishing, too."

"This may be devastating for the region's ecosystem which is critical for the large herbivores, like wild sheep, antelope and camels. These amazing animals already live on the edge, and these impacts of climate change may push them over," explained study lead author Peng Zhang of the University of Gothenburg.

Daniel Griffin is an expert in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Society at the University of Minnesota. Upon reviewing the study, he said that the long-term perspective from these tree-ring records illustrates a nuanced picture of the changing climate that is now afflicting large swaths of the inner East Asia region.

"It is one thing to recognize that the 'normal' climate conditions are changing. However, what concerns me the most is thinking about the extreme events of the future: how severe might those become?"

"And if the 'new normal' is extremely hot and dry by historical standards, then future extremes may well be unlike anything previously witnessed," said Griffin.

The warming trends in Mongolia and its surrounding countries are particularly interesting to climate scientists because this region of East Asia is directly linked to global atmospheric circulations.

"Summer atmospheric waves tend to create a high-pressure ridge pattern around Mongolia that can persist for weeks, triggering heatwaves," explained Simon Wang of Utah State University. "The warming climate is amplifying these atmospheric waves, increasing the chance of prolonged or intensified high-pressure to occur over Mongolia and this can also have ramifications across the Northern hemisphere."

"Such large-scale atmospheric force is further amplified by local interactions with the land surface," said Hyungjun Kim of the University of Tokyo. "An even worse problem may have already occurred in which an irreversible feedback loop is triggered and is accelerating the region toward a hotter and drier future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

East Asia may be permanently locked into hotter and drier climate

An abrupt shift in the climate over inner East Asia...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> confirms that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/grasslands-play-a-major-role-in-mitigating-climate-change/">climate</a> change is disproportionately impacting different parts of the world. Across the world's arid regions, the researchers discovered a concerning pattern, with less vegetation appearing in developing countries and more appearing in wealthier countries.

"We observe a clear trend of arid areas developing in a negative direction in the most economically challenged countries. Here, it is apparent that the growth of vegetation has become increasingly decoupled from the water resources available and that there is simply less vegetation in relation to the amount of rainfall. The opposite is the case in the wealthiest countries," said study co-author Professor Rasmus Fensholt. 

Over 40 percent of the world's ecosystems are arid and this percentage is expected to increase in the coming decades. In these dry areas, vegetation and other wildlife have adapted to survive with only scarce amounts of water, but they are also extremely vulnerable to climate change.

The researchers analyzed 15 years of satellite observations of vegetation and rainfall. To compare the evolution of vegetation in dry regions on a global scale, the team produced a calculation that accounts for the uneven distribution of rainfall. 

"Here, our results demonstrate that in arid regions, particularly those in Africa and Asia, less vegetation grows for the amount of rainwater that falls, while more vegetation grows in arid areas of South America and Australia," said study lead author Christin Abel.

The experts noted that there could be several explanations for why climate change and rising global temperatures are impacting vegetation in arid regions of the world's poorest countries, with rapid population growth being the most obvious. In Africa, for example, using unsuitable land for agriculture produces lower yields and puts increasing pressure on ecosystems that are already stressed.

In wealthier countries, arid regions are much better equipped to face climate change. There are more economic resources to support efficient systems for irrigation and fertilization to maintain large farms.

For the poorest areas of the world, the future trends are only going to get worse. As the arid regions expand, and vegetation becomes less abundant, there could be major food shortages and growing numbers of climate refugees.

Satellite imagery has actually shown that the world's arid regions have become greener in recent years, but the amount of vegetation that is appearing in developing countries does not match the amount of rainfall.

"We have been pleased to see that, for a number of years, vegetation has been on an upwards trend in arid regions," said Professor Fensholt. "But if we dig only a tiny bit deeper and look at how successfully precipitation has translated into vegetation, then climate change seems to be hitting unevenly, which is troubling."

"One consequence of declining vegetation in the world's poorer arid regions areas may be an increase in climate refugees from various African countries. According to what we've seen in this study, there is no indication that the problem will diminish in the future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain">Nature Sustainability</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Less vegetation is appearing in countries that need it most

A new study from the University of Copenhagen confirms that...

The desire for social interaction triggers the same neural activity as a food craving, according to researchers at the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a>. The study revealed that after just a single day of isolation, the sight of fun social interaction stimulates the same brain region that is activated when you are hungry and see an image of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-seafood-industry-has-been-hit-hard-by-the-covid-19-pandemic/">food</a>. 

"People who are forced to be isolated crave social interactions similarly to the way a hungry person craves food," said study senior author Professor Rebecca Saxe. "Our finding fits the intuitive idea that positive social interactions are a basic human need, and acute loneliness is an aversive state that motivates people to repair what is lacking, similar to hunger."

The investigation was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2018 and 2019. The study is part of a larger research program that is focused on how social stress may affect behavior.

In 2016, a previous MIT study identified a cluster of neurons in the mouse brain that represented feelings of loneliness and triggered the desire for social interaction following isolation. 

"We wanted to see if we could experimentally induce a certain kind of social stress, where we would have control over what the social stress was," said Professor Saxe. "It's a stronger intervention of social isolation than anyone had tried before."

For the current study, participants were confined to a windowless room on MIT's campus for 10 hours where they were not allowed to use their phones except for making contact with the researchers.

"There were a whole bunch of interventions we used to make sure that it would really feel strange and different and isolated," said Professor Saxe. "They had to let us know when they were going to the bathroom so we could make sure it was empty. We delivered food to the door and then texted them when it was there so they could go get it. They really were not allowed to see people."

Prior to the trial, participants were trained on how to get into an MRI machine so that they could do so following 10 hours of isolation. 

"Normally, getting somebody into an MRI machine is actually a really social process. We engage in all kinds of social interactions to make sure people understand what we're asking them, that they feel safe, that they know we're there," explained Professor Saxe. "In this case, the subjects had to do it all by themselves, while the researcher, who was gowned and masked, just stood silently by and watched."

In a separate phase of the trial, the participants fasted for 10 hours, and the experts collected brain scans immediately afterward. All of the scans were performed while the individuals were shown images of either food, flowers, or of people interacting and socializing.

The analysis was focused on a part of the brain called the substantia nigra, a tiny structure in the midbrain that was previously linked with food and drug cravings. As predicted by the researchers, when socially isolated subjects saw photos of people enjoying social interactions, the "craving signals" were produced in their substantia nigra. The extent of activity in this brain region was found to correlate with how strongly the patients rated their cravings for food or social interaction.

In addition, the strength of the desire for social interaction was dependent upon an individual's social habits. Those who reported being isolated or lonely in the months before the study showed weaker cravings for social interaction.

"For people who reported that their lives were really full of satisfying social interactions, this intervention had a bigger effect on their brains and on their self-reports," explained Professor Saxe. She said that based on their findings, the researchers can now try to answer many additional questions, such as how social isolation affects behavior and motivation.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/neuro">Nature Neuroscience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Desire for social interaction activates the brain like a food craving

The desire for social interaction triggers the same neural activity...

The seafood industry has been hit hard by the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nature-helps-reduce-mental-health-impacts-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/">COVID-19</a> pandemic, with exports dropping by up to 43 percent in 2020 compared to last year, according to research led by the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. The study is the largest of its kind to investigate the impacts of the coronavirus on U.S. fisheries.

The researchers found that monthly imports declined by up to 37 percent, and catches dropped by as much as 40 percent during the worst months. The losses will continue, and some fisheries may not survive without government aid.

"Seafood has been hit harder than many other industries because many fisheries rely heavily on restaurant buyers, which dried up when the necessary health protocols kicked in," said study lead author Easton White. "Restaurants represent about 65 percent of U.S. seafood spending, normally."

More than one million U.S. seafood workers regularly produce over $4 billion in annual exports. In January of 2020, the demand for American seafood imports plummeted as the first lockdowns were issued in China. Beginning in March, traffic at seafood markets decreased by 30 percent, while web searches for U.S. seafood restaurants declined by more than half. 

"Seafood is a seasonal business," said White. "If you have a March to June season, and can't get funds until next year, you might have to quit. Support from policymakers will decide which producers can survive."

According to the researchers, aid should target regions where fisheries make up a disproportionate share of the economy, including Maine, Alaska, Louisiana, and Washington, as well as tribal fisheries.

"Foreign markets play an important role in the U.S. seafood sector, but dependence on exports leaves portions of the sector vulnerable to these global shocks," said study co-author Jessica Gephart. "Diversifying the sector by building local networks and consumer education campaigns can help build resilience to future shocks."

White said some seafood producers have found ways to adapt. Community supported fisheries programs are increasing, with some websites providing new methods for consumers to buy fresh seafood that would normally be sold to restaurants or at markets.

"Most people who cook at home are not likely looking to cook fresh monkfish from Maine for themselves or their family, so the types of species being consumed is changing," said study co-author Halley Froehlich. 

These changes will persist along with the pandemic. In the meantime, fisheries will look for ways to sell more of their seafood domestically.

The Vermont team recognized the urgent need to measure the pandemic's impact on fisheries in order for them to be given government support, but analyzing such a large amount of data usually takes years to complete.

"The data is collected daily or weekly, but it's often handwritten in a fisher's logbook." explained White. "The info needs to be processed and turned into a database and verified before researchers and government leaders get the big picture."

The researchers used pioneering methods to quickly estimate the pandemic's impacts on fisheries. In September, preliminary data from the study was sent to Congress.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14672979">Fish &amp; Fisheries</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The seafood industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic

The seafood industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a>, forensic scientists have developed a new tool that can check for environmental DNA in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wooden-buildings-could-store-half-of-the-cement-industrys-co2-emissions/">dust</a> on baggage, shoes, clothes, or even a passport. Led by postdoctoral research associate Dr. Jennifer Young, the goal of the project is to produce an innovative technique to combat terrorism.

The researchers designed their system to trace the source of dust on the articles of clothing and belongings of a suspect to match a soil profile or a specific region of a country.

"This could help provide evidence of where a person of interest might have traveled based on the environmental DNA signature from dust on their belongings," explained Dr.  Young.

"This microscopic environmental trace evidence, based on soil geochemical, bacterial and fungal analysis would complement and enhance current forensic intelligence tools."

In collaboration with the Australian Federal Police, the University of Adelaide, and University of Canberra, the researchers have received a State Government Defence Innovation Partnership (DIP) grant of almost $150,000 to develop the intelligence and forensic potential of dust traces for counter-terrorism and national security.

The extended team is currently working to match the DNA extraction and amplification technique to Australian soil profiles from Geosciences Australia.

Study co-author Professor Adrian Linacre explained that environmental samples serve as ideal forms of contact trace evidence as detection at a scene can establish a link between a suspect, location, and victim.

"Environment samples extracted via the 'massively parallel sequencing' technology provide biological signatures from complex DNA mixtures and trace amounts of low biomass samples," said Professor Linacre.

The intelligence and forensic potential of dust traces for counter-terrorism and national security (InFoDust) will put the new technique on trial with the soil reference data from across Australia.

The experts will utilize a series of soils with contrasting properties to understand the relationship between soil biogeochemical signals and the derived dust signal under controlled conditions. Then, using field experiments, they will introduce natural variables that could affect the makeup of environmental DNA.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/forensic-science-international">Forensic Science International</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New forensic intelligence tool will help combat terrorism

In a new study from Flinders University, forensic scientists have...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> has revealed that glass bottles are more than four times as environmentally damaging as plastic bottles. The researchers explained that the production of glass bottles involves much greater amounts of energy and natural <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/urgent-action-preparing-climate-change/">resources</a>. 

Most research has been focused on the impact of plastic, which also requires a lot of energy to manufacture, and breaks down into smaller particles that are invading natural environments worldwide. 

However, according to the new study, the total environmental impact for glass bottles is much higher than plastic when certain factors are accounted for, such as their contribution to climate change through excessive energy use. 

“A massive amount of energy is needed to heat the raw materials to make glass," explained study co-author During the melting of the raw materials for glass, gas pollutants can be released such as sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide,” said study co-author and postgraduate researcher Alice Brock.

“And since glass requires materials to be mined for its production – silica sand, soda ash and dolomite – this has all the associated environmental impacts with mining such as land degradation and dust and runoff from the mines reaching water sources."

According to Brock, silica sand mining can cause silicosis, a condition caused by tiny silica particles reaching the lungs, so there is also a considerable impact to human health. 

The major advantage of glass over plastic is that it is more durable. A glass bottle can be reused between 12 and 20 times. Unfortunately, however, glass bottles are often tossed out after a single use. 

“I think the implications of this research are we really have to move to reuse bottles and cans. Just recycling isn’t enough," said Brock. "We need to change our mindset and move to things like refilling bottles, bottle return schemes and the like if we are going to cut these environmental impacts."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://detritusjournal.com/">Detritus</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Glass bottles have an unexpectedly large environmental impact

A new study from the University of Southampton has revealed...

Climate models may overestimate the sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/summer-meltwater-is-drilling-giant-holes-through-greenlands-ice/">water</a> stress. A new study from <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> School of Engineering and Applied Science suggests that tropical forests will be more adaptable to climate change than expected, and some regions of the Amazon could even thrive in warmer and drier conditions. 

The Amazon is one of the largest carbon sinks in the world, absorbing more than two billion tons of CO2 every year, which is the equivalent of five percent of global emissions. Climate change will cause the forest to become hotter and drier, and current Earth system models indicate that the Amazon rainforest will suffer as a result of water stress.

While models show that increased aridity will greatly reduce photosynthesis rates in parts of the Amazon, the current study predicts the opposite effect. In certain regions that are extremely wet, the forests may even increase photosynthesis rates in response to drier air, according to the researchers.

"To our knowledge, this is the first basin-wide study to demonstrate how - contrary to what models are showing - photosynthesis is in fact increasing in some of the very wet regions of the Amazon rainforest during limited water stress," said Professor Pierre Gentine.

"This increase is linked to atmospheric dryness in addition to radiation and can be largely explained by changes in the photosynthetic capacity of the canopy. As the trees become stressed, they generate more efficient leaves that can more than compensate for water stress."

Professor Gentine and his former PhD student Julia Green combined data from climate models with machine learning techniques to determine how soil moisture and air dryness will affect photosynthesis in the tropical regions of the Americas. For comparison, the team conducted a similar analysis using observational remote sensing data instead of the model data. 

Earlier studies have shown that when the soil and air contains less moiature at the end of the dry season, there are increases in greenness across the Amazon basin. Some experts have linked this phenomenon to increases in photosynthesis. "But before our study, it was still unclear whether these results translated to an effect over a larger region, and they had never been connected to air dryness in addition to light," said Green.

"Our results mean that the current models are overestimating carbon losses in the Amazon rainforest due to climate change. Thus, in this particular region, these forests may in fact be able to sustain photosynthesis rates, or even increase it, with some warming and drying in the future."

The researchers emphasize that if aridity were to increase to levels that are higher than what is currently being observed, the outcome could easily change. In fact, they found a tipping point for the most severe water stress episodes where the forest would not be able to maintain its level of photosynthesis. "Our findings are certainly not an excuse to not reduce our carbon emissions," said the co-authors.

Green is currently developing a water stress indicator based on remote sensing data to quantify the effects of water stress on plant carbon uptake, and to relate these effects to ecosystem traits.

"So much of the scientific research coming out these days is that with climate change, our current ecosystems might not be able to survive, potentially leading to the acceleration of global warming due to feedbacks," said Green. "It was nice to see that maybe some of our estimates of approaching mortality in the Amazon rainforest may not be quite as dire as we previously thought."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some parts of the Amazon rainforest will thrive in a warming climate

Climate models may overestimate the sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest...

Researchers have created the first map of global bee diversity, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>. The team reviewed nearly six million public records of where individual <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-infectious-rickettsia-bacteria-found-in-dogs/">species</a> have appeared, and combined this data with an inventory of more than 20,000 known bee species. 

Study co-author Alice Hughes is an associate professor of Conservation Biology at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"I was surprised how terrible most of the prior global data really was about bee diversity," said Professor Hughes. "A lot of the data were just too patchy or too concentrated on a small number of countries that have prioritized data sharing to be able to use these resources for any large-scale analysis."

The researchers found that there are more bee species in the Northern Hemisphere and in arid and temperate environments compared to the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics.

"People think of bees as just honey bees, bumble bees, and maybe a few others, but there are more species of bees than of birds and mammals combined," said study senior author Dr. John Ascher, an assistant professor of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore. "The United States has by far the most species of bees, but there are also vast areas of the African continent and the Middle East which have high levels of undiscovered diversity, more than in tropical areas."

Many plants and animals follow a pattern where diversity increases toward the tropics and decreases toward the poles, but bees do not follow this pattern. Bee diversity is higher in arid desert environments compared to forests and jungles because low-lying plants and flowers are more abundant food sources than trees.

"When it rains in the desert, there are these unpredictable mass blooms that can literally carpet the entire area," explained study first author Michael Orr of the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "There's a much higher turnover in the desert because of how patchy the resources are year after year. So there's a lot of potential for new species there."

By cross-checking a massive list of over 20,000 species compiled by Dr. Ascher and data on the occurrence of individual bee species, the researchers gained a much clearer understanding of how bee species are distributed throughout the globe. This will make it easier for scientists to detect declines in bee populations.

"We're extremely interested in an abundance of bees, but that's something that has to be done in relation to a baseline," said Dr. Ascher. "We're trying to establish that baseline. We really can't interpret abundance until we understand species richness and geographic patterns."

The researchers view their work as an important first step toward a more comprehensive understanding of global bee diversity, and hope the study will help in the conservation of bees as global pollinators.

"Many crops, especially in developing countries, rely on native bee species, not honey bees," said Hughes. "There isn't nearly enough data out there about them, and providing a sensible baseline and analyzing it in a sensible way is essential if we're going to maintain both biodiversity and also the services these species provide in the future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists have created the first global map of bee diversity

Researchers have created the first map of global bee diversity,...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/massive-concentrations-of-microplastics-found-on-the-seafloor-2/">Microplastics</a> have been found at the highest recorded altitude of more than 8,400 meters, just below the summit of Mount Everest. In a study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, scientists describe what they discovered in snow and stream samples from the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition.

While tiny plastic particles are known to be prevalent in the ocean, they have not been as well-documented on land, especially on remote mountaintops. Study first author Imogen Napper is a National Geographic Explorer based at the <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/">University of Plymouth</a> who is described by her colleagues as a "plastic detective." 

"Mount Everest has been described as 'the world's highest junkyard,'" said Napper. "Microplastics haven't been studied on the mountain before, but they're generally just as persistent and typically more difficult to remove than larger items of debris."

"I didn't know what to expect in terms of results, but it really surprised me to find microplastics in every single snow sample I analyzed. Mount Everest is somewhere I have always considered remote and pristine. To know we are polluting near the top of the tallest mountain is a real eye-opener."

Some members of the research team joined the 2019 expedition and climbed Mount Everest to collect samples, and others were involved in the analysis of the samples. 

"The closest I got to Mount Everest was in my lab at University of Plymouth in the UK," said Napper. She set out to investigate whether there was plastic on the mountain and, if so,  what type of plastic was there. 

"The samples showed significant quantities of polyester, acrylic, nylon, and polypropylene fibers," said Napper. "Those materials are increasingly being used to make the high-performance outdoor clothing climbers use as well as tents and climbing ropes, so we highly suspect that these types of items are the major source of pollution rather than things like food and drink containers."

Although the study has confirmed the presence of microplastics on Mount Everest, the best way to address the problem and clean up the pollution has not yet been determined. 

"Currently, environmental efforts tend to focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling larger items of waste. This is important, but we also need to start focusing on deeper technological solutions that focus on microplastics, like changing fabric design and incorporating natural fibers instead of plastic when possible."

The researchers hope their work will help clarify the extent to which plastic pollution jeopardizes all environments, not just the ocean.

"These are the highest microplastics discovered so far," said Napper. "While it sounds exciting, it means that microplastics have been discovered from the depths of the ocean all the way to the highest mountain on Earth. With microplastics so ubiquitous in our environment, it's time to focus on informing appropriate environmental solutions. We need to protect and care for our planet."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/one-earth/home">One Earth</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Microplastics found at their highest altitude on Mount Everest

Microplastics have been found at the highest recorded altitude of...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...