This,Man-made,Vehicle,Reached,A,Record,Speed,Of,635,Thousand

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to achieve its most dangerous feat yet tomorrow, December 24, 2024. After a six-year journey of spiraling closer to the star at the heart of our solar system, the spacecraft is expected to come within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface. 



This tiny distance in cosmic terms lets scientists capture a new type of information, revealing secrets about solar winds, extreme heat, and magnetic fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-probe-on-the-sun-s-doorstep">Solar probe on the Sun's doorstep</h2>



Engineers have spent years carefully adjusting <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parker’s flight path</a> using multiple Venus gravity assists. These flybys reshape the spacecraft’s orbit and tighten its looping path around the Sun. “This is one example of NASA’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before to answer longstanding questions about our universe,” explained <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/people/dr-arik-posner/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arik Posner</a>, Parker Solar Probe program scientist at NASA Headquarters, describing this mission’s significance.



Ever since the launch in 2018, Parker’s main goal has been to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona. Tomorrow’s approach, often called <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/glossary/perihelion.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">perihelion</a>, marks a new milestone in that quest. The probe moves at speeds around 430,000 miles per hour, faster than any other spacecraft. At such high velocity, it can swing around our star without getting swallowed. Even so, mission managers won’t receive immediate updates once Parker hits its closest point because signals cannot travel through the intense solar environment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-heat-and-lasting-protection">Extreme heat and lasting protection</h2>



What sets Parker apart is its resilient heat shield. This 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite barrier enables the spacecraft’s instruments to continue functioning in an environment where temperatures can reach roughly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the harsh surroundings, the precious science instruments remain near room temperature, thanks to expert engineering by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (<a href="https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">APL</a>).



During every close approach, Parker is pelted by gusts of solar wind and bathed in radiation. Still, it keeps sending back readings about magnetic fields, <a href="https://www.plasmacoalition.org/plasma_writeups/solar_plasmas.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plasma</a> behavior, and energetic <a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/solar-radiation-storm#:~:text=Solar%20radiation%20storms%20occur%20when,of%20the%20speed%20of%20light." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">particles</a>. The probe’s data illuminates reasons behind the corona’s blazing heat, which can climb into the millions of degrees, significantly hotter than the visible surface of the Sun. Such puzzling behavior has fascinated scientists for decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chasing-the-solar-wind-s-origins">Chasing the solar wind’s origins</h2>



Solar wind, a stream of charged particles flowing away from the Sun at speeds topping one million miles per hour, plays a major role in <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/sun/what-is-the-solar-wind/">space weather</a>. 



By skimming through the corona, Parker records fresh evidence of how these particles speed up and scatter across the solar system. The answers may help experts forecast disturbances that affect satellites and astronaut safety. Surges of these charged particles can disable communication systems or even disrupt power grids on Earth.



For researchers, big questions remain. How does the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/sun/what-is-the-solar-wind/">solar wind</a> pick up its pace so dramatically? Is there a specific region in the corona that triggers bursts of fast-moving particles? 



Parker’s measurements bring us closer to unraveling these mysteries. Officials at NASA say that by tomorrow’s approach, new layers of data will help them see patterns not possible to detect from a greater distance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-probe-and-the-sun-s-active-cycle">Solar probe and the Sun's active cycle</h2>



The Sun moves through an 11-year activity cycle. Right now, it is in an active phase, meaning increased sunspots, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secondary-peak-extreme-geomagnetic-solar-storm-expected-today/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">solar flares</a>, and <a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejections" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coronal mass ejections</a>. 



Researchers are tracking not only Parker’s journey but also the Sun’s changing patterns. Sometimes these outbursts interact with Earth’s magnetosphere and spark colorful auroras, even in places unused to such displays. And although most solar weather events are harmless for life on Earth, severe storms can interfere with GPS systems or satellites.



This is why Parker’s findings are so relevant. Gaining a better understanding of how energetic solar events begin could lead to timelier warnings, giving operators on Earth a heads-up to power down sensitive instruments or adjust satellite orbits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-paying-tribute-to-eugene-parker">Paying tribute to Eugene Parker</h2>



In 2017, NASA renamed the probe after <a href="https://news.uchicago.edu/story/eugene-parker-legendary-figure-solar-science-and-namesake-parker-solar-probe-1927-2022">Dr. Eugene N. Parker</a>, the first person to predict the solar wind in the 1950s. He introduced key ideas about how stars interact with their surroundings. The mission’s name honors his influential work. Dr. Parker passed away in 2022, but his legacy continues. 



The data this spacecraft is sending back not only expands knowledge of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracing-solar-wind-directly-to-its-source-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">solar physics</a> but also shows how correct Dr. Parker’s early theories were.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-record-setting-solar-probe-flyby">Record-setting Solar Probe flyby</h2>



Mission operations expect Parker to reach perihelion at 6:53 a.m. EST on December 24. 



At that time, the spacecraft will run autonomously, and engineers at APL will wait until December 27 for a beacon tone confirming a safe passage around the Sun. “No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will truly be returning data from uncharted territory. We’re excited to hear back from the spacecraft when it swings back around the Sun,” explained <a href="https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Show-Article.php?articleID=205" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nick Pinkine</a>, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager. 



When that update arrives, scientists will study Parker’s recent measurements to identify potential clues about solar wind origins and coronal heating. Each orbit is another chance to witness the scorching conditions near our star. At the same time, the probe helps refine predictions about solar eruptions that might drive future storms toward Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



Beyond the scientific breakthroughs, Parker’s success can have practical benefits for technology we rely on every day. Our society depends on GPS signals and stable power systems, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/team-creates-video-showing-the-sun-in-gamma-rays-over-a-14-year-period/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">major solar events</a> can disrupt both. By learning how to anticipate strong solar winds or flares, experts might one day keep satellites out of harm’s way or shield power grids from unexpected surges.



Tomorrow’s close approach continues a streak of remarkable achievements for NASA. As Parker zips through the corona, it gathers observations that no other mission could obtain. The craft appears ready for another sizzling pass, thanks to the robust thermal design and careful planning. 



Whether it’s helping forecast solar tempers or refining our knowledge of basic astrophysical processes, Parker remains on track to change the way we see the Sun.



Learn more about <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/parker-solar-probe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA's Parker Solar Probe here...</a>



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Spacecraft will fly through the Sun's atmosphere tomorrow for the first time ever

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to achieve its most dangerous feat yet tomorrow, December 24, 2024. After a six-year journey of spiraling closer to the star at the heart of our solar system, the spacecraft is expected to come within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface. This tiny distance in cosmic terms lets scientists capture a new type of information, revealing secrets about solar winds, extreme heat, and magnetic fields. Solar probe on the Sun's doorstep Engineers have spent years carefully adjusting Parker’s flight path...

A special report from the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/">Mayo Clinic</a> warns that health care providers and officials must be aware of the limitations of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing and the potential for false negatives. 

The article emphasizes that clinical and public health decisions should not be heavily reliant on the results of <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/covid-19-vaccine-testing-is-underway/">COVID-19</a> tests. The experts suggest that RT-PCR testing is accurate in diagnosing infection, but not as reliable in ruling it out. 

Study co-author Dr. Priya Sampathkumar is an infectious diseases specialist at the Mayo Clinic.

"RT-PCR testing is most useful when it is positive. It is less useful in ruling out COVID-19. A negative test often does not mean the person does not have the disease, and test results need to be considered in the context of patient characteristics and exposure," explains Dr. Sampathkumar.

Previously, the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/">National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH) conducted a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32219885/">study</a> based on more than 600 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wuhan during February. The experts discovered a "potentially high false negative rate of real-time RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2." In some cases, RT-PCR results were variable for the same patients over the course of diagnosis and treatment. 

The Mayo Clinic warns that overreliance on COVID-19 test results can have a negative impact on efforts to control the pandemic. Dr. Sampathkumar says that health care officials should expect a "less visible second wave of infection from people with false-negative test results."

Even with an accuracy rate as high as 90 percent, the risk of false negatives will grow as more people are tested.

"In California, estimates say the rate of COVID-19 infection may exceed 50% by mid-May 2020. With a population of 40 million people, 2 million false-negative results would be expected in California with comprehensive testing. Even if only 1% of the population was tested, 20,000 false-negative results would be expected."

The Mayo Clinic recommends for public health officials to use evidence-based reasoning while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The experts say risk levels must be carefully assessed prior to testing, and negative test results should be viewed cautiously, especially for people in high-risk categories and in areas where COVID-19 infection is widespread.

"For truly low-risk individuals, negative test results may be sufficiently reassuring," explains study first author Dr. Colin West. "For higher-risk individuals, even those without symptoms, the risk of false-negative test results requires additional measures to protect against the spread of disease, such as extended self-isolation."

"We need to continue to refine protocols for asymptomatic patients and exposed health care workers," says Dr. Sampathkumar.

The report is published in <a href="https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/">Mayo Clinic Proceedings</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

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False-negative COVID-19 tests may lead to a "second wave of infection"

A special report from the Mayo Clinic warns that health...

As the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bat-colonies-harbor-coronavirus/">coronavirus</a> pandemic continues, social media is increasingly flooded with false information about the virus. For example, rumors are spreading that patients who are taking medications known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have an increased susceptibility to coronavirus infection.

Hundreds of millions of people depend on ARBs to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension. By giving up these important medications to protect themselves from coronavirus, patients are critically endangering their health.

After carefully reviewing all relevant data, a team of experts has determined that there is not enough consistent evidence to support the theory that ARBs pose a significant coronavirus risk.

Dr. Murray Epstein, an emeritus professor at the <a href="http://www.med.miami.edu/">University of Miami Miller School of Medicine</a>, participated in the study. Dr. Epstein edits a medical textbook that is exclusively focused on ARBs.

"The only thing we can conclude definitively, based on all the known data, is that there is no credible evidence whatsoever that ARBs enhance susceptibility to COVID," said Dr. Epstein.

The concerns about ARBs originally stemmed from reports that the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2) protein receptor may facilitate coronavirus entry into cells. While there are some studies based on animal models which indicated ACE 2 activity may be elevated by ARBs, other studies failed to corroborate these results.

"People are making an unadvised leap," said Dr. Epstein. "The logic goes that, if it enhances penetrability, it enhances susceptibility to the disease, but that's a dangerous conclusion. What investigators have found varies widely, depending on the organ studied, the experimental animal model and the ARB being used in the study. In summary, there is a complete lack of consistency."

Dr. Epstein warns that there are serious risks for patients who stop taking ARBs over COVID-19 fears, ranging from heart attacks and strokes to kidney failure.

"This would be a double tragedy, because it would be happening precisely at a time when our hospital and ICU resources are stressed to the limit," said Dr. Epstein. "It will further tax our medical facilities and hospitals, and it will be truly tragic."

The research is published by the American Heart Association in an article written for the journal <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/hyp">Hypertension</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

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Patients should not stop taking medications over coronavirus fears

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, social media is increasingly flooded...

Mandatory and voluntary <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/weather/hurricane/evacuations-ordered-for-parts-of-floridas-east-coast-ahead-of-hurricane-dorian/65-b4b49308-f5c1-46f6-8515-a9f37e404b98">evacuations </a>are underway for all but two counties along Florida’s east coast as residents prepare for <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/hurricane-dorian-over-the-northern-bahamas/">Hurricane Dorian</a>. 

Evacuations are also in effect for Georgia and South Carolina. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency on Thursday of last week. 

After making landfall in the Bahamas over the weekend, Dorian slowed down and is drifting west at one mile per hour. 

All eyes are on the hurricane’s projected path. The way in which the storm turns could spell the difference between severe flooding and storm surges or less intense fallout for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. 

If Dorian shifts north, Florida and the US East coast would be spared from much of the storm, but if it moves west, it could be devastating. Regardless of where it turns, strong winds and storm surge warnings are in effect. 

“Although it remains uncertain just how close the eye of Dorian will get to the Florida east coast, the threat of damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge remains high,” the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a> office wrote. “There will be considerable impacts and damage to coastal areas, with at least some effects felt inland as well!”

Dorian is expected to remain a Category Three or Four as it drifts closer to Florida and weaken to a Category Two as it makes way to the Carolinas. 

Dorian’s persistently strong winds battered the Bahamas when the storm made landfall on Sunday, making it the first Category Five storm to hit the Bahamas since 1992. 

From Sunday into Monday, the islands of Elbow Cay, Great Abaco, and Grand Bahama Island have endured nightmarishly strong winds and an extended direct hit. 

Nearly 200 mph winds and storm surge flooding have destroyed homes, torn roofs off, flooded streets, and created a perilously dangerous situation for many in the Bahamas who have yet to see relief from the storm.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Evacuations underway as Hurricane Dorian heads for the Florida coast

Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are underway for all but two...

On Friday at midnight, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) began the process of temporarily laying off employees, after the agency's funding ran out as a result of the partial government shutdown.

A week ago, 25 percent of federal agencies were already forced to cease normal operations after the government failed to agree on a final funding bill.

The House and Senate both met briefly on Thursday, yet no agreement was reached between Congressional Democrats and President Trump, who are at odds over $5 billion in funding that is needed for the proposed border wall.


According to an email obtained by <a href="https://thehill.com/">The Hill</a>, acting EPA administrator <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/andrew-wheeler-inew-epa-head/">Andrew Wheeler</a> has informed employees: “In the event an appropriation is not passed by midnight Friday, December 28th, EPA will initiate orderly shutdown procedures.”

The message also said that travel plans will be cancelled for furloughed employees, who were instructed to create an out of office email message and to change their voicemail greeting. 


During the EPA shutdown, more than 700 of the most essential EPA employees will have to work without pay, while the remaining 13,000 employees will be on temporary leave from their positions. 

In addition, the Smithsonian will close its museums and popular galleries, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/12/29/epa-museums-close-shutdown-slogs-into-weekend/QieABjlBLyfdrAquiseysO/story.html">Boston Globe</a> reports. This includes The National Zoo, The National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of Natural History.

Overall, 400,000 federal employees will be affected by the partial government shutdown. In addition, previous EPA shutdowns have caused more than 134 facilities to close across the country. 

The Senate is not expected to reconvene until January 2, which is the same month that Democrats will take over the House. North Carolina Republican Representative Mark Meadows told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>, “At this point, it looks like we could be in for a very long-term shutdown.”

Activities such as inspections for drinking water systems and hazardous waste management sites could be potentially affected by the EPA shutdown. It will be up to senior officials to decide what work must continue in order to best protect public health.
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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 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

EPA runs out of money amid government shutdown, museums to close

On Friday at midnight, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began...

The Arctic is has lost 95 percent of its oldest, thickest sea ice, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s <a href="https://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card">2018 Arctic Report Card</a>. 

The Arctic Report Card is a yearly report that has been issued since 2006 to provide a comprehensive view of the Arctic and any environmental changes through the years.  

This year’s report shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-sea-ice-extent-low/">Arctic sea ice covered less area</a> compared to previous years and was thinner and younger. 

The Arctic has experienced nearly record-breaking sea ice minimums yearly for the past 12 years, which highlights how vulnerable the Arctic is to climate change. 

Sea ice older than four years now makes up less than one percent of all sea ice in the Arctic, according to the report. 

If this trend continues, it could be disastrous for the native species that rely on sea-ice like polar bears but also for the world's oceans which are impacted by Arctic sea ice melt. 

“The oldest ice can be thought of as a kind of glue that holds the Arctic together and, through its relative permanence, helps keep the Arctic cold even in long summers,” wrote Chris Mooney, a reporter for the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/12/11/arctic-is-even-worse-shape-than-you-realize/?utm_term=.ac7b60f95375">Washington Post</a>.

Without a blanket of ice over the Arctic, the ocean will only get warmer as heat from the sun previously reflected away by the ice could be absorbed by the ocean. 

“The Arctic is an indication of what’s coming to the rest of the globe,” Walt Meier, a sea ice expert at the National Snow and Ice Data Center told the Washington Post. “In the Arctic Ocean, a difference of 2 degrees can be huge. If it goes from 31 Fahrenheit to 33 Fahrenheit, you’re going from ice skating to swimming. … the Arctic is an early warning system for the climate.” 

Sea ice volume has declined by 78 percent between 1979 and 2012, and it’s this loss of volume that is a larger cause for concerns. 

“We’ve lost about half of the extent, we’ve lost half of the thickness, and if you multiply these two things, we’ve lost 75 percent of the September sea ice,” Axel Schwieger, the head of <a href="http://psc.apl.washington.edu/zhang/IDAO/data_piomas.html">Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System</a> at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> told the Washington Post. 

Using Schweiger’s and the Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System, the Arctic has lost trillions of tons of ice over the years. 

The sea ice declines are directly related to warmer ocean and air temperatures, and the Arctic is warming nearly twice as fast as the rest of the world. 

As Arctic warming continues, unusual weather patterns and weather extremes driven by changes in the Arctic will become more and more frequent. 

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By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Report: Arctic has lost 95 percent of its oldest, thickest ice

The Arctic is has lost 95 percent of its oldest,...

Three giant asteroids will pass by the Earth on Saturday, according to astronomers at <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/asteroids-formed-ancient-planets/">asteroids</a> will zip past the planet within hours of each other, with the nearest extraterrestrial visitor approaching at a distance that is closer than the moon. 

At around 9:03 a.m. EST on Saturday, the first asteroid known as 2018 VS1 will fly by at a distance of 861,700 miles from the Earth. VS1 measures between 42 and 92 feet, and will be traveling at a speed of around 23,700 miles per hour, which is faster than most rockets. 

The largest of the space bodies, known as 2018 VR1, will appear around 15 minutes later. VR1 is estimated to be up to 98 feet in width, which is comparable to the length of a blue whale. This asteroid will emerge at a much greater distance from the Earth, around 3,128,892 miles away. 

The final asteroid, 2018 VX1, will make the closest approach to the planet at 1:26 p.m. The object is predicted to pass by about 1,800 miles closer than the moon at a distance of 237,037 miles. VX1 is the smallest of the space rocks, measuring between 26 and 59 feet. It is also traveling at the slowest pace of around 13,556 miles per hour. 

The asteroids will be too small and too far away to be observed using normal equipment and will only be visible by satellite. Nasa has reported that a total of 10 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) will make a “close approach” to our planet during the month of November.

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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

Three large asteroids will pass by close to Earth on Saturday

Three giant asteroids will pass by the Earth on Saturday,...

As the clock ticked to 2 a.m. on Sunday, Tropical Storm Florence had claimed at least <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/15/us/storm-florence-carolinas/">a dozen lives across the Carolinas</a>, including a mother and her young child. Major flooding had swamped some areas of the two states, leading to hundreds of rescues in the North Carolina city of New Bern. The massive storm looked ready to linger and dump rain for days, according to reports.

Nearly 800,000 people were without power on Saturday, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-florence-numbers-latest-power-outages-rain-totals/story?id=57819104">ABC News</a>. That didn't stop rumors from swamping social media. A viral post on Facebook claimed that the storm's first death was a <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/myrtle-beach-shooting-gun-hurricane-florence/">man who'd shot a gun at the hurricane</a>. It was, of course, false.

First responders also turned to social media to convince holdouts that it was time to evacuate. Cumberland County, North Carolina's <a href="https://twitter.com/Sheriff_EWright/status/1041138166307217408">Sheriff Ennis Wright tweeted</a>:
<blockquote>"The Town of Linden is taking on a tremendous amount of water. This was taken on Loop Road a few minutes ago. The Evacuation is MANDATORY!"</blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a>'s Raleigh office issued a <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSRaleigh/status/1041159783791951879">tornado watch</a> on Saturday night, lasting until at least 7 a.m. EDT. Other areas of North Carolina were under a <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSRaleigh/status/1041203407095259136">flash flood warning</a>.

Close to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/tropical-storm-florence-path-power-outage-flooding-latest-weather-hurricane-rain-2018-09-15/">1,000 flights in and out of the United States</a> were canceled on Saturday and Sunday due to Tropical Storm Florence, CBS reported.

As rescue teams from across North Carolina and the <a href="https://www.fema.gov/">Federal Emergency Management Agency</a> continued to respond to the storm, everyday Americans began to wonder how they could help.

Basketball star Michael Jordan, who now owns the Charlotte Hornets, has <a href="http://cares.nba.com/charlotte-hurricane-relief-efforts/">launched a website with the NBA</a> to direct people to legitimate organizations in need of donations.

“The recovery effort will be massive, and it will take a long time to repair the damage and for families to get back on their feet. Together with the NBA, we have launched a platform to aid those most impacted," he said in a statement. "Please join me, the Hornets organization and the NBA and donate to one of the local organizations assisting in the relief and recovery efforts."

The state of North Carolina is accepting direct donations at <a href="https://governor.nc.gov/donate-florence-recovery">Gov. Roy Cooper's website</a>, while the <a href="https://www.yourfoundation.org/community-impact/one-sc-fund-sc-flood-relief/">One SC Fund</a> is also taking donations for Tropical Storm Florence relief.

Both states are asking volunteers to stay away from disaster zones for now. Those who "self-deploy" may mean well, but could simply give trained responders more people to rescue from Tropical Storm Florence.

The New York Times published a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/15/reader-center/how-to-help-hurricane-florence-victims.html">more extensive list</a> of how people could help, and how to avoid being taken in by fraudsters.

Tropical Storm Florence isn't the only wild storm causing problems this weekend. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/15/asia/typhoon-mangkhut-hurricane-philippines-death---intl/">Typhoon Ompong</a>, also known as Typhoon Mangkhut, slammed into the Philippines on Saturday morning, killing at least two. It tore roofs off of buildings, <a href="https://twitter.com/blogruivismo/status/1041150352681316352">flung trees and debris onto roads</a>, and caused widescale flooding before moving on toward China, CNN reported.

—

Image credit: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/hurricane-florence-as-it-was-making-landfall-0">NASA</a>

Death toll rises as Tropical Storm Florence hovers over Carolinas

As the clock ticked to 2 a.m. on Sunday, Tropical...

Early this morning, Hurricane Florence began to make landfall along the coast of North Carolina and is now making slow and steady progress inland towards the central parts of the Carolinas. 

Already images and video footage posted to social media show flooded streets and fast-moving currents of water and debris. 

High winds, dangerous storm surges, and catastrophic flooding have all been reported with Hurricane Florence, and residents have been cautioned to leave as soon as possible if they live in evacuation zones. 

Yesterday, over 200,000 people in North Carolina had no power due to the high winds and flooding as Hurricane Florence began to make landfall, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/160000-power-hurricane-florence-lashes-north-carolina-coast/story?id=57791726">ABC News</a>.

The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/09/14/hurricane-florence-sweeps-across-carolinas-bringing-life-threatening-rainfall/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.8d81de0e115a">Washington Post</a> reported that the number of power outages on Friday had skyrocketed to 500,000. 

Even though the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 1, weather reports have said that the downgrade doesn’t mean Florence will be any less intense.

Instead, residents in the area have been told to prepare for days of rain and potentially 40 inches of rainfall in some areas of North and South Carolina. 

Like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-slams-texas/">Hurricane Harvey</a> last year, what makes Florence so potentially dangerous is the amount of rainfall the storm could produce if it just sits over the Carolinas. 

“It's getting worse,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/14/us/hurricane-florence-south-east-coast-wxc/index.html">CNN</a>. “The storm is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days.”

CNN also reported that more than 200 people had been rescued from the rising waters and storm surges reached as high as ten feet. The hurricane produced some of the highest wind gusts that the state has experienced since Hurricane Helene in 1958. 

Another huge cause for concern with Hurricane Florence is the potential environmental hazards that could arise with flooding and storm damage. As per protocol, a nuclear power plant in Brunswick, North Carolina has been shut down but there are five other nuclear plants in the hurricane’s path, according to CNN. 

There are also risks of toxic pollution from agricultural operations, coal ash pits, and livestock. 

“This one is pretty scary,” Jamie Kruse, director of the Center for Natural Hazards Research at East Carolina University told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/12/hurricane-florence-north-carolina-nuclear-plants-prepare">The Guardian</a>. “The environmental impacts will be from concentrated animal feeding operations and coal ash pits. Until the system gets flushed out, there’s going to be a lot of junk in the water.”

Thousands have evacuated their homes to emergency shelters in North and South Carolina and by all accounts, this is only the beginning of the worst of it. 

---

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: ESA/NASA–A. Gerst

Hurricane Florence slams Carolinas, remains dangerous

Early this morning, Hurricane Florence began to make landfall along...

This year's wildfire season has been catastrophic in the Western United States, and it is not showing any signs of slowing down. Currently, there are 110 large fires burning and 1.9 million acres of land are on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/summer-weather-wildfires-flooding/">fire</a>. Over the weekend, eight large fires were contained, including the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, and six new fires were reported in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.

There is concern over persistently hot temperatures, which will continue along with daily wind cycles. Thunderstorms are in the forecast in parts of Wyoming and Montana, where lightning could spark more blazes with the increasingly dry conditions. Across the western half of Montana, a strong easterly breeze is expected that may help spread fires.

National Preparedness Level is at the highest level of 5, which means that national resources are fully committed. The “potential for emerging significant wildland fires is high and expected to remain high” in multiple regions.


The west to east jet stream has carried smoke from the fires across the country as far as the East Coast. The smoke has traveled south as far as Texas and east as far as Quebec. A local radio station near Washington DC, WTOP, reported that smoke from the California fires had reached the DC Metro area this past week. 

Wildfire smoke is a mixture of particles and chemicals produced by incomplete burning of carbon-containing materials, and can be dangerous to human health. All smoke contains carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. The particles and chemicals contained in smoke vary according to what is burning, and may include aldehydes, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, toluene, styrene, metals, or dioxins. 

High levels of smoke should be completely avoided whenever possible. Infants, young children, the elderly, and people with respiratory conditions such as asthma are more vulnerable to the negative effects of smoke exposure. If exposure cannot be avoided, it is advised to limit physical exertion.

A map that shows where the smoke is currently and where it is predicted to move can be found here: <a href="https://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov/hrrr/HRRRsmoke/">https://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov/hrrr/HRRRsmoke/</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA image courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project.

Wildfires are burning across nearly two million acres in the US

This year's wildfire season has been catastrophic in the Western...

The Trump administration will soon announce plans to increase emissions from coal plants and reduce the individual freedoms of states in making policies to reduce or limit those emissions. 

Trump has long been a friend of the coal industry, from his famous declaration that he was chosen to represent “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/politics/paris-pittsburgh-trump-nationalist-decision/index.html">Pittsburgh not Paris</a>” and would withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, to Trump’s support of “clean coal.” 

The administration has also worked hard to undo any climate change mitigation policies put in place by President Obama, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-freeze-fuel-efficiency-standards/">freezing fuel efficiency standards</a>. 

This latest proposal to put control back into the hands of coal is slated to be announced by Trump at a rally on Tuesday, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/climate/trump-clean-power-rollback.html">New York Times.</a>

Several people who read the proposal spoke to the Times about the details of Trump's plan, and many environmental and renewable energy advocates are concerned about the ramifications of imposing a plan that so entirely erases any progress made in climate change regulation. 

Instead of finding a way to advance with the growing trend of renewables and allowing states more freedom to curb emissions on their terms, the new plan could cause emissions to spike and leave states powerless to do anything about it. 

With the new proposal, control over coal power plant emissions would be left to the coal plants themselves and any measures put in place would have to be done on site. 

The Trump administration seems determined to act in the face of mounting evidence that climate change is causing more weather extremes, impacting agriculture, and degrading vital habitats. 

“The science is just getting clearer and clearer every day,” Janet McCabe, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> air chief under the Obama administration told the New York Times.  “I don’t know how many times people need to hear that we’re having the warmest summer on record or how many storms people need to see. This is no fooling.”

According to the New York Times, the new proposal may also be savvy political move to help gain more of a foothold in the midterm elections. 

The move certainly won’t assuage fears that Trump’s administration policies will cause an increase in emissions, create health and safety hazards with increases in pollution, and exacerbate climate extremes like heat waves, droughts, sea level rise, and increasingly severe hurricanes seasons. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Trump to announce plan to give states control of coal emissions

The Trump administration will soon announce plans to increase emissions...

In California, more than a dozen wildfires are burning through thousands of acres across the state, putting a strain on resources and the firefighters working to contain the blazes. 

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-rage-yosemite-park/">Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County</a> caused park closures and evacuations in Yosemite National Park, and two fires in Mendocino County have burned more than 30,00 acres between them. 

Currently, the most devastating fire in California is the Carr Fire, which has destroyed more than 103,000 acres. The fire is so hot and massive that according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/us/carr-fire-california/index.html">CNN</a>, it’s creating its own weather system. 

The Carr fire is responsible for the deaths of six people and 19 people are still missing in Shasta County, California where the fire is located. 

It’s now the 7th most destructive fires in the history of California, according to <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/">Cal Fire</a>. To make matters worse, dangerous triple-digit heat wave with high winds will create hazardous conditions for the firefighters going forward. 

California is no stranger to wildfires but in recent years the fires have been getting worse, spreading further, destroying more property and burning at quicker rates. 

“We are seeing more destructive, larger fires burning at rates that we have historically never seen,” Jonathan Cox, <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/">California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection</a> battalion chief told CNN. 

The Carr Fire is especially volatile because it is creating plumes of pyrocumulus clouds that, according to CNN, can act like thunderstorms and generate lightning and even rain. 

Although no rain is the forecast in Shasta County, the growing pyrocumulus clouds could create lighting strikes that start more fires and create high-speed winds. 

Unfortunately, the Carr fire is setting the stage for a bleak future in California. According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/30/california-wildfires-climate-change-new-normal">The Guardian</a>, future fires will burn hotter and spread further, and continue to act unpredictably. 

2018’s devastating fire season may be the new “normal” for California and the western states due, largely, to increasing summer temperatures and long heat waves linked to climate change. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a>

Carr Fire becomes 7th most destructive in California history

In California, more than a dozen wildfires are burning through...

On Thursday, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt submitted his resignation after an unprecedented number ethical scandals plagued his tenure.

Pruitt, the former attorney general of Oklahoma, came under fire for excessive spending of taxpayer dollars for personal first-class travel, a condo rental from a Washington D.C. lobbyist, and the purchase of $43,000 soundproof phone booth for his own office.

In addition, Pruitt was said to have ordered his staff to attend to his personal tasks, including finding a six-figure job for his wife, according to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a>.

But beyond his appalling use of funds, Pruitt was more widely criticized for prioritizing oil companies and profit over the health of the planet and future generations.

Just last week, a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/03/politics/scott-pruitt-mom-restaurant-confrontation/index.html">video</a> went viral online of a young mother confronting Pruitt at a restaurant holding her young child and urging the EPA head to resign.

"We deserve to have somebody at the EPA who actually does protect our environment, somebody who believes in climate change and takes it seriously for the benefit of all of us, including our children,” Kristin Mink told Pruitt to his face.

As we reported, the initial appointment of Scott Pruitt to run the EPA infuriated environmentalists, as Pruitt time and time again <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scott-pruitt-doubts-global-warming/">denied</a> the existence of climate change and questioned basic scientific facts about global warming. President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Pruitt to run the EPA was widely viewed as a move to dismantle the organization and empower oil companies and fossil fuel suppliers.

During his time at the EPA, Pruitt ordered that climate change information be <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-defense-fund-emails/">scrubbed</a> from the official website of the government agency. He also <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pruitt-clean-power-plan/">oversaw</a> the repeal of Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which aimed to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

In one interview, Pruitt even <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pruitt-global-warming-good/">suggested</a> that global warming might even be a good thing for the planet.

Shortly after the resignation was announced, Donald Trump tweeted, “I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.”

Meanwhile, environmental advocacy group <a href="https://environmentamerica.org/home">Environment America</a> released their own response.

“It took an endless stream of ethical lapses for Scott Pruitt to lose his job, but he never should have had that position in the first place, nor kept it as long as he did, given his actions to undermine core environmental protections such as clean air and clean water,” said Christy Leavitt, the senior director of <a href="https://www.environmentamericas.org/">Environment America’s</a> Campaign to Defend Our Environment.

“Presidents don’t always get a ‘do-over’ so soon after appointing cabinet secretaries who fail to properly serve the American people. We call on the president to remember that conservation is part of being conservative. And we implore him to honor the bipartisan history of environmentalism from Republicans Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon through modern administrations by nominating a true protector of the environment – so that his children and grandchildren, as well as ours, can inherit an Earth worth inheriting.”

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

EPA head Scott Pruitt resigns after endless ethical scandals

On Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt submitted...

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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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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 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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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



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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



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 Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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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...