Scientists have uncovered a disturbing twist in how climate change affects our oceans, revealing that tiny changes at the bottom of the food chain can have massive impacts on most fish populations.



The findings of a recent study highlight the intricate workings of the ocean's food web and how it's more vulnerable to warming temperatures than previously thought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-ocean-creatures-big-fish-impact">Tiny ocean creatures, big fish impact</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-heatwaves-have-complex-effects-on-phytoplankton-food-web/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Phytoplankton</a> are tiny, plant-like organisms that float around in oceans, seas, and lakes. Even though you can't see them without a microscope, they're incredibly important. 



They use sunlight to make their own food through photosynthesis, just like plants do on land. In the process, they produce a huge amount of the Earth's oxygen -- some estimates say up to half of it. 



These little guys are the starting point of the food chain in aquatic environments, feeding small fish, shrimp, and other marine creatures.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Phytoplankton</a> also play a big role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to regulate our planet's climate. But they're sensitive to changes in their environment, like warming waters.



When climate models predict that warming oceans will reduce phytoplankton levels by 16% to 26% in regions like the North Atlantic, it's a cause for concern.



But here's where it gets alarming: the study found that this seemingly modest drop in phytoplankton could slash the ocean's capacity to support fish by a staggering 38% to 55%. That's more than double the initial decrease in phytoplankton.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-phytoplankton-and-the-hidden-amplifier">Phytoplankton and the hidden amplifier</h2>



Dr. Angus Atkinson from the <a href="https://pml.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plymouth Marine Laboratory</a> and Dr. Axel Rossberg of <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University</a> of London led the research team behind this discovery.



They took a straightforward approach by examining real-world data on plankton sizes from oceans, seas, and lakes around the globe. 



By looking at the sizes of plankton, they could determine how efficiently energy moves up the food chain -- from tiny phytoplankton to the fish we rely on.



This amplification effect hinges on a surprising twist: temperature, often blamed for food web disruptions, appears to play a secondary role. 



Instead, the key driver is the overall amount of phytoplankton, which governs how efficiently energy flows from tiny plankton to larger fish.



"Our global analysis sheds light on a hidden vulnerability," explained Dr. Atkinson. "We were surprised to find temperature didn't directly affect food web efficiency. Instead, we see ecosystems <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-forest-of-phytoplankton-thrives-in-a-warming-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adapting to warming</a> by changing plankton size. "



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nutrients-the-unsung-hero">Nutrients: The unsung hero</h2>



In the open ocean, nutrients come from deeper waters. As the surface warms, it becomes more layered, making it harder for these nutrients to reach the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/spectacular-phytoplankton-bloom-in-the-north-atlantic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phytoplankton at the top</a>.



"Close to shore or in lakes, excess nutrients from land can cause imbalances like harmful algal blooms," notes Dr. Rossberg. 



"But at the vast scales relevant to climate change, it's the lack of nutrients from deeper waters that becomes the major bottleneck."



To clarify, warming oceans, seas, and lakes impact fish indirectly by reducing nutrient supply from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toxic-legacy-decades-old-ddt-found-in-deep-sea-fish/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deeper waters</a>, ultimately shrinking phytoplankton size and hindering energy transfer throughout the food web.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-world-impact-for-ocean-fish">Real world impact for ocean fish</h2>



When phytoplankton numbers change, the impact can ripple through the entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oceans-twilight-zone-stabilizes-the-marine-food-chain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine ecosystem</a>, impacting everything from water quality to the abundance of fish.



This isn't just a problem for the fish; it's a problem the planet. Many communities around the world depend on fishing for food and livelihood. 



The study highlights the need to consider climate change impacts when managing fisheries.



"Global averages can mask the true picture," explains Dr. Atkinson. "Some of the most significant projected declines are in areas with concentrated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-stocks-are-collapsing-globally-as-overfishing-continues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fishing activities</a>."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



So, what can we do about it? The researchers suggest a multi-pronged approach to ensure sustainable fisheries in the face of climate change. 



"We need a combination of data on plankton size structure and sophisticated computer simulation models to design truly 'climate-smart' ocean protection strategies," concludes Dr. Rossberg. 



"By understanding the hidden amplifiers within the food web, we can better safeguard the future of our oceans and the vital resources they provide."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oceans-fish-and-the-global-food-chain">Oceans, fish, and the global food chain</h2>



To sum it all up, these scientists found that even a small drop in phytoplankton levels due to warming oceans can massively reduce fish populations. 



They discovered that it's not just the temperature rise itself causing problems, but the decrease in nutrients reaching these tiny organisms. 



This leads to smaller plankton and less efficient energy transfer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbial-awakening-arctic-food-webs-are-transforming-from-green-to-brown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">up the food chain</a>, which is bad news for fish and, by extension, us.



This study underscores underscores the interconnectedness of Earth's ecosystem. Tiny changes at the bottom can have huge impacts at the top. 



It's a reminder that we need to pay attention to even the smallest players in the ecosystem if we want to protect the health of our planet. 



By understanding these hidden mechanisms, we can work towards smarter strategies to safeguard our oceans and the communities that rely on them.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44406-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Earth’s oceans, seas, and lakes are quickly losing their ability to keep fish alive

Scientists have uncovered a disturbing twist in how climate change affects our oceans, revealing that tiny changes at the bottom of the food chain can have massive impacts on most fish populations. The findings of a recent study highlight the intricate workings of the ocean's food web and how it's more vulnerable to warming temperatures than previously thought. Tiny ocean creatures, big fish impact Phytoplankton are tiny, plant-like organisms that float around in oceans, seas, and lakes. Even though you can't see them without a microscope, they're...

Aerial,View,Of,Mist,,Cloud,And,Fog,Hanging,Over,A

Extreme storms are an underestimated cause of tree mortality in the Amazon, causing "windthrow" events in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/douglas-fir-trees-will-suffer-from-drier-air/">trees</a> are broken or completely uprooted. A team of experts at the Department of Energy’s <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> has investigated how increasingly intense thunderstorms in a warming climate will affect forest mortality and carbon storage across the Amazon rainforest.&nbsp;



The researchers determined that by the end of the century, the Amazon will likely experience 43 percent more large windthrow events that affect at least 25,000 square meters of forest. The study fills a major gap in climate models, helping to clarify the link between storm conditions in the atmosphere and forest mortality on land.



“Building this link between atmospheric dynamics and damage at the surface is very important across the board,” said Jeff Chambers, director of the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE)-Tropics project. “It’s not just for the tropics. It’s high-latitude, low-latitude, temperate-latitude, here in the U.S.”



“We want to know what these extreme storms and windthrows mean in terms of the carbon budget and carbon dynamics, and for carbon sinks in the forests."



“It’s a complicated system, and there are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle that we’re working on. In order to answer the question more quantitatively, we need to build out the land-atmosphere links in Earth system models.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the investigation, the researchers compared atmospheric data with a map of more than 1,000 large windthrow events. The analysis revealed that a measurement known as CAPE (convective available potential energy) is a good predictor of major blowdowns.&nbsp;



“Storms account for over half of the forest mortality in the Amazon,” said study first author Yanlei Feng. “Climate change has a lot of impact on Amazon forests, but so far, a large fraction of the research focus has been on drought and fire. We hope our research brings more attention to extreme storms and improves our models to work under a changing environment from climate change.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35570-1">Nature Communications</a>.



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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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Storms are a major source of forest mortality in the Amazon

Extreme storms are an underestimated cause of tree mortality in...

Leading researchers in healthcare, ocean science, and social science have evaluated the global human health and environmental impacts of plastic. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056">The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health report</a>, shows plastics as a hazard at every stage of their life cycle.



The Commission’s key findings include:



<ul>
<li>Plastics cause disease, impairment, and premature mortality at every stage of their life cycle, with the health repercussions affecting vulnerable, low-income, minority communities, particularly children.</li>



<li>Toxic chemicals that are added to plastics and routinely detected in people are known to increase the risk of miscarriage, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.</li>



<li>Plastic waste is found throughout the global environment, with <a href="https://microplastics.whoi.edu/">microplastics</a> occurring throughout the ocean and the marine food chain.</li>
</ul>



“It’s only been a little over 50 years since we’ve been aware of the presence of plastics throughout the ocean," said co-lead author John Stegeman of the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a>. “The Minderoo-Monaco Commission’s work is a significant leap forward in connecting the broad health implications of plastics - to the ocean and to humanity.”



Current plastic production, use, and disposal patterns are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harm to human health, the economy, and the environment. The researchers found that plastics account for four to five percent of all greenhouse gas emissions across their life cycle, making them a large-scale contributor to climate change.



The health repercussions of plastic production have been estimated to be $250 billion in a 12-month period. The experts also estimate that health care costs associated with chemicals in plastics cost hundreds of billions of dollars.&nbsp;



The presence of plastics is indicative of deeper social issues. The researchers found that fast food and discount stores prevalent in poorer communities are causing increased exposure to plastic packaging, products, and associated chemicals and impacts.



The report emphasizes the need to better understand and monitor the effects of plastics on marine species. It is particularly important to improve knowlege of the smallest micro- and nano-plastic particles (MNPs) and their impacts on the marine environment.



The Commission has urged a cap on global plastic production be included in the Global Plastics Treaty currently being negotiated at the UN. It is recommended that the Treaty address the impacts of plastics across their entire life cycle.&nbsp;



“Ocean health is intimately and intricately connected to human health,” said co-lead author Mark Hahn. “Our attention now needs to be on creating a broadly acceptable international agreement that addresses the full life cycle of plastics in order to prioritize the health of the ocean that supports us all.”



The Commission reports that these negative impacts could be avoided by implementing better production practices, alternative design, less toxic chemicals, and decreased consumption.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Ocean plastics are a hazard at every stage of their life cycle

Leading researchers in healthcare, ocean science, and social science have...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA) has found that global warming may cause a rise in the number and spread of Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-largest-bacterium-discovered-in-the-caribbean/">bacterium</a> that grows in warm shallow coastal waters and can infect cuts or insect bites during contact with seawater. According to the researchers, the number of V. vulnificus infections along the East Coast of U.S. – a global hotspot for such infections – has increased from 10 to 80 per year over the last three decades, with cases occurring further north each year.



While in the late 1980s, cases were found only in the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast below Georgia, today they can be found as far north as Philadelphia, and, by 2041-2060, they might even spread to encompass major population centers around New York, with cases doubling each year. Under medium-to-high emissions scenarios, by 2081-2100 infections may reach every Eastern U.S. state.



Although the number of cases is not very high at the moment, individuals infected with such bacteria have a one-in-five chance of dying and, even if they survive, this pathogen often damages their flesh and can lead to limb amputations or other similar outcomes. Moreover, this frequently called “flesh eating illness” is one of the most expensive diseases caused by a marine pathogen to treat in the US.



“The projected expansion of infections highlights the need for increased individual and public health awareness in the areas affected. This is crucial as prompt action when symptoms occur is necessary to prevent major health consequences,” said study lead author Elizabeth Archer, a postgraduate researcher in Environmental Sciences at UEA.



“Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are changing our climate and the impacts may be especially acute on the world’s coastlines, which provide a major boundary between natural ecosystems and human populations and are an important source of human disease.”



However, the scientists estimate that, if emissions are kept low, cases may extend northwards only as far as Connecticut. Besides measures to mitigate climate warming, individuals and health authorities should be warned in real time about the risk of such infections in specific areas, while greater awareness programs for at risk groups – such as the elderly and people with comorbidities – should be developed.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Global warming increases risk of fatal bacterial infections

A new study led by the University of East Anglia...

A global network of thousands of sites known as&nbsp;“Key Biodiversity Areas” (KBAs) often contain species on the brink of extinction or ecosystems that are found in only a small area worldwide. According to a recent study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109953">Biological Conservation</a>, at least 80 percent of sites officially identified as being internationally important for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> are negatively affected by human infrastructure. In the near future, scientists expect this percentage to rise, with more KBAs containing power plants, mines, and oil and gas infrastructure.



Infrastructure is a major threat to biodiversity worldwide, often causing natural habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, increased disturbance/hunting by humans, direct mortality, and the spread of invasive species. Moreover, it can have far wider impacts beyond the development site.&nbsp;



The scientists assessed 15,150 KBAs on land and found that over 80 percent of them contained infrastructure such as roads (75 percent), power lines (37 percent), and urban areas (37 percent). Moreover, future forecasts estimate that infrastructure developments could lead to an additional 2,201 KBAs containing mines (from 754 to 2,955, or a 292 percent increase), an additional 1,508 KBAs containing oil and gas infrastructure (from 2,081 to 3,589; 72 percent increase) and an additional 1,372 KBAs containing power plants (from 233 to 1,605; 589 percent increase).



The analysis revealed that&nbsp;countries in South America, Sub-Saharan, central, and southern Africa, and parts of southeast Asia are the areas with the highest proportion of extractive claims, concessions, or planned development in their KBA networks, while all of the KBAs identified in Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Republic of the Congo, and Serbia have potential extractive claims, concession, or planned development.



“It’s concerning that human developments exist in the vast majority of sites that have been identified as being critical for nature,” said study lead author Ashley Simkins, a doctoral student in Zoology at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



“We recognize that infrastructure is essential to human development but it’s about building smartly. This means ideally avoiding or otherwise minimizing infrastructure in the most important locations for biodiversity. If the infrastructure must be there, then it should be designed to cause as little damage as possible, and the impacts more than compensated for elsewhere.”



“Infrastructure underpins our societies, delivering the water we drink, the roads we travel on, and the electricity that powers livelihoods,” said Wendy Elliott, Deputy Leader for Wildlife at the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wildlife Fund</a> (WWF). “This study illustrates the crucial importance of ensuring smart infrastructure development that provides social and economic value for all, while ensuring positive outcomes for nature. Making this happen will be the challenge of our time, but with the right planning, design, and commitment it is well within the realms of possibility.”



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Human infrastructure found in most key biodiversity areas

A global network of thousands of sites known as&nbsp;“Key Biodiversity...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/">Queensland University of Technology</a> (QUT) has recently found that the diet quality of fish across the world’s oceans could decline by up to ten percent as climate change impacts critical parts of marine food chains. This could have major repercussions, threatening <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-shrunk-global-fisheries/">global fisheries</a> and the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide.



The researchers investigated the possible impact of climate change on zooplankton, a highly abundant and diverse group of microscopic marine animals accounting for over 40 percent of the world’s marine biomass and representing the primary link between phytoplankton (which converts sunlight and nutrients into energy) and larger fish.



“Despite their abundance, diversity, and critical importance in transferring energy from phytoplankton to fish, knowledge about what shapes the composition of zooplankton communities across the world’s oceans is relatively limited,” said study lead author Ryan Heneghan, a lecturer in Mathematical Sciences at QUT.



“This is a challenge, since if zooplankton are affected by climate change, this could have important implications for the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon emissions, and the productivity of fisheries.”



The experts used a global marine ecosystem model to assess how the impact of climate change on all the major zooplankton groups – from single-cell zooplankton to krill and jellyfish – may affect the diet quality of larger fish feeding on zooplankton. The analysis revealed that future zooplankton communities will be increasingly dominated by carnivorous groups (such as chaetognaths) and gelatinous groups (like salps and larvaceans), at the expense of small crustacean omnivores such as copepods or krill.



Since gelatinous groups can directly access smaller phytoplankton for food, they may provide an effective shortcut for the transfer of energy from increasingly dominant phytoplankton to fish.&nbsp;



“This shortcut partially offsets the increase in the number of steps from phytoplankton to fish from shrinking phytoplankton and increases in carnivorous zooplankton. But it comes at a cost: these groups are gelatinous, having about five percent of the carbon contained in omnivorous zooplankton such as krill and copepods. In terms of nutrition, this would be like replacing a rib-eye steak with a bowl of jelly,” Heneghan explained.



“As a result, our model projects that the diet quality of small fish could decline across large areas of the world’s oceans, which would exacerbate declines in fish biomass from climate change by up to 10 percent.”



“For human societies, this could have far-reaching implications globally, since according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization fisheries are a key ecosystem service worth US$150 billion a year, providing more than 20 percent of dietary animal protein for 3.3 billion people, and supporting 60 million livelihoods,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01630-7">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Global fisheries threatened by climate change

A team of researchers led by the Queensland University of...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> in the UK has found that the Amundsen Sea Embayment – the fastest changing region in Antarctica – has lost over 3,000 billion tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-sea-ice-is-currently-the-lowest-ever-recorded/">ice</a> during a 25-year period. If all this lost ice were to cover Manhattan, it would reach a height of 61 kilometers, or 137 Empire State Buildings placed on top of one another.



To estimate the fluctuations of sea ice in that region, the experts calculated a variable called “mass balance,” referring to the balance between the mass of ice gain due to snowfall and mass lost through calving, a process in which icebergs form at the end of a glacier and drift out to sea. When this phenomenon happens faster than the replacement of the lost ice through snowfall – or when the snowfall supply drops - the Embayment loses mass overall, contributing to sea level rise.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that, between 1996 and 2021, West Antarctica lost 3,331 billion tons of ice, contributing more than nine millimeters to global sea level rise. According to the experts, changes in ocean temperature and currents were the most important drivers of ice loss.



“The 20 glaciers in West Antarctica have lost an awful lot of ice over the last quarter of a century and there is no sign that the process is going to reverse anytime soon although there were periods where the rate of mass loss did ease slightly,” said study lead author Benjamin Davison, a research fellow in Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds.



“Scientists are monitoring what is happening in the Amundsen Sea Embayment because of the crucial role it plays in sea-level rise. If ocean levels were to rise significantly in future years, there are communities around the world who would experience extreme flooding.” &nbsp;



By using climate models showing how air currents move across the globe, the researchers found that the Embayment had experienced several extreme snowfall events over the 25-year study period – such as during the winters of 2019 and 2020 – as well as “snow droughts” or periods of very little snowfall that characterized the 2009-2013 period. Although the massive snowfalls managed to replace part of the ice lost during snow droughts, overall, the ice mass declined significantly over the past quarter of a century.&nbsp;



“We were really surprised to see just how much periods of extremely low or high snowfall could affect the ice sheet over two to five-year periods – so much so that we think they could play an important, albeit secondary role, in controlling rates of West Antarctic ice loss,” Davison explained.



“Ocean temperature changes and glacial dynamics appear strongly connected in this part of the world, but this work highlights the large variability and unexpected processes by which snowfall also plays a direct role in modulating glacier mass,” concluded co-author Pierre Dutrieux, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36990-3">Nature Communications</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Antarctica has lost 3,000 billion tons of ice in 25 years

A new study led by the University of Leeds in...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-cooking-plants-food-10000-years-ago/">Plants</a> are crucial for food security and energy all over the world. However, in order to address the major challenges humanity is currently facing due to the joint impact of climate change and population growth, there needs to be 60 percent more food produced by mid-century, during a critical period where both warm and cold temperature shocks are expected to rise in frequency. To address these challenges, new methods to harness plant growth and resilience to stress are urgently needed.



Recently, Joe McKenna, an expert in Plant Biology at the University of Warwick has been awarded the prestigious <a href="https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/bbsrc-discovery-fellowships-2023/">Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBRSC) Discovery Fellowship</a> to implement a sustainable way to enhance agricultural practices. His&nbsp; project will investigate actin, a natural molecule found in plant cells that is responsible for moving other cellular components.&nbsp;



While it is already known that faster moving actin leads to larger plants with more biomass, the precise mechanism of how this occurs and the variety of interactions that lead to movement within cells is not yet clear.



“At a cellular level, plants display some of the fastest movements known in biology. Organelles show rapid and coordinated movements within plant cells. This movement is critical for normal growth and development as well as responses to environmental conditions – changing shape and moving during hot or cold temperatures,” McKenna explained.



“While we do not know the exact mechanism of how this movement occurs, we know it is driven by the actin ‘cytoskeleton’ – a skeletal-like network supporting the cell – and myosin motor proteins (which act like trains travelling along the actin tracks). When the actin cytokskeleton is disrupted, movement within the cell stops.”



In his project, McKenna will investigate how the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) – which is responsible for making most of the plant biomass and can rapidly remodel during both normal development and environmental stress – and the cell nucleus interact with the actin cytoskeleton to promote plant growth through DNA replication.



“If we can understand how actin interacts with these organelles and the proteins involved, we can engineer these systems to improve plant growth and develop plants which are much bigger and resistant to temperature stresses,” he concluded.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Project aims to improve plant growth and resilience

Plants are crucial for food security and energy all over...

The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) – also known as the Black Vulture and the Monk Vulture – is the largest bird of prey in Europe. Once abundant, its populations in Southern Europe have declined dramatically since the late 1800s. While globally, this vulture is classified as “Near Threatened,” in Bulgaria it has been considered extinct since 1985.



However, due to a re-introduction initiative started in 2015 by three Bulgarian non-governmental organizations - &nbsp;the <a href="https://greenbalkans.org/">Green Balkans</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fwff.org/">Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna</a>, and the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bpps.org/">Birds of Prey Protection Society</a> – the vulture is finally back in the country, with 72 individuals imported from Spain and European zoos and released in strategically-chosen locations in the Eastern Balkan Mountains and the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park in northwestern Bulgaria.



While 63 juvenile vultures were brought from Spain, where they had been found in distress and rehabilitated in aviaries, nine were captive-bred in zoos and afterwards released by means of “hacking,” a process involving artificial nests from which fledglings can gradually get back to the wild.



In a new study published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e100521">Biodiversity Data Journal</a>, scientists reported on and discussed the effectiveness and challenges of different release method, while offering new insights on the conservation and re-introduction of this iconic species. According to the experts, hacking proved ineffective for establishing an entirely new core population in the Balkan Mountains, and it did not work properly for supplementing a small settled group of individuals either. By contrast, the aviary method and delayed release – in which captive-bred birds are introduced to a new environment after a period of acclimatization – seems to be a much more efficient alternative.



“The Cinereous Vulture re-introduction establishment phase in Bulgaria in the two first release sites is running according to the plan, and the first results are satisfactory,” the authors wrote. “Two distinct nuclei are now created, and the species started breeding, which might be a reason to up-list it in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria from ’Extinct’ to ‘Critically Endangered.’”



These newly created nuclei in Bulgaria are the second and third of their kind in the entire Balkan Peninsula, after the breeding colony in the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park in northeastern Greece. Future exchanges between these three colonies will likely increase the regional population and ensure long-term stability of this species.



However, further monitoring and adaptive management are necessary for the long-term persistence of the new Black Vulture population. After the core breeding populations will start producing about ten chicks each year and the locally fledged individuals will begin reproducing on their own, it can be officially confirmed that this species has successfully re-established in the country.



&nbsp;—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Vulture reintroduced in Bulgaria after three decades

The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) – also known as the...

Several studies have shown an association between exposure to the sound of traffic and increased risk of hypertension (elevated blood pressure). However, it was still unclear whether noise or the air pollution linked to high levels of traffic played a larger role. Moreover, these studies were cross-sectional: while they provided evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-noise-linked-to-higher-risk-of-dementia/">traffic noise</a> and hypertension were linked, they failed to show a clear causal relationship.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://english.pku.edu.cn/">Peking University</a> in China has analyzed data from the UK Biobank from over 240,000 people aged 40 to 69, who started out without hypertension, while estimating road traffic noise based on their residential address and the <a href="https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC72550">Common Noise Assessment Method</a>, a model developed by the European Union to assess levels of exposure of European citizens to a variety of noises.&nbsp;



By using follow-up data for an average period of 8.1 years, the researchers found not only that individuals exposed to road traffic noise were more likely to develop hypertension, but also that this risk increased proportionally with the levels of noise experienced. This association was robust even after adjusting for exposure to air pollution.&nbsp;



“Road traffic noise and traffic-related air pollution coexist around us,” said study lead author Jing Huang, an assistant professor in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at Peking. “It is essential to explore the independent effects of road traffic noise, rather than the total environment.”



These findings call for the development of public health measures to alleviate the negative impact of road traffic noise, including setting stricter noise guidelines and enforcement, improving road conditions and urban design, and investing in building quieter vehicles.



“To date, this is the first large-sized prospective study directly addressing the effect of road traffic noise on the incidence of newly-diagnosed hypertension,” said Jiandong Zhang, an expert&nbsp; in cardiovascular disease at the <a href="https://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</a>, and lead author of an accompanying <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2023.100266">editorial comment</a>. “The data demonstrated in this article provides a higher quality of evidence to justify the potential to modify road traffic noise and air pollution from both individual and societal levels in improving cardiovascular health.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2023.100262">JAAC Advances</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Traffic noise increases the risk of hypertension

Several studies have shown an association between exposure to the...

In a recent study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00720-w">Nature Communications: Earth &amp; Environment</a>, an international team of scientists has warned that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-sea-ice-cycles-show-impacts-of-climate-change/">Arctic sea ice</a> may soon disappear completely during the summer months – echoing a similar situation that occurred 10,000 years ago.&nbsp;



In a time of rising temperatures due to global warming, the so-called “Last Ice Area” located north of Greenland and Canada remains the last sanctuary of all-year ice in the Arctic. By collecting and analyzing sediment samples from the seabed in the Lincoln Sea – part of the “Last Ice Area” – the researchers found that the ice in this region melted away completely during summer months in the Early Holocene, when global temperatures were at a level we are rapidly approaching today.



“Climate models have suggested that summer sea ice in this region will melt in the coming decades, but it’s uncertain if it will happen in 20, 30, 40 years, or more. This project has demonstrated that we’re very close to this scenario, and that temperatures only have to increase a little before the ice will melt,” said study senior author Christof Pearce, an assistant professor of Geoscience at <a href="https://international.au.dk/">Aarhus University</a> in Denmark.



The scientists warned that, when the last traces of sea ice will melt during the summer months, there could be major consequences for the climate, since the sea will absorb over ten times as much solar energy and thus exacerbate global warming.



In addition, sea ice loss could have marked negative effects on a variety of ecosystems. “The sea ice is a base for many ecosystems. The algae we examined are food for fish, fish are food for birds, etc. How will the marine ecosystems be affected globally if the sea ice disappears? We don’t know the answer yet,” explained study lead author Henrieka Detlef, a geoscientist at Aarhus.



However, according to the experts, the data shows that this worrisome trend can be reversible if we significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set ambitious political and environmental goals.&nbsp;



“The study is a wake-up call, because we know that it will happen. This news is not making the situation more depressing, just more urgent. We have to act now so we can change it,” Pearce concluded.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Arctic sea ice will soon vanish during the summer

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications:...

On this year’s <a href="https://www.worldwaterday.org/">World Water Day</a> – an annual celebration highlighting the importance of freshwater resources initiated by the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a> (UN) in 1993 – <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en">UNESCO</a> in collaboration with <a href="https://www.unwater.org/">UN-Water</a> (a mechanism coordinating the efforts of UN entities and various international organizations working on water and sanitation issues) published a report warning of an imminent risk of a global water crisis.&nbsp;



According to the experts, currently two billion people (26 percent of the global population) do not have safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion (46 percent) lack access to safely managed sanitation – a dire situation expected to worsen in the coming decades, particularly in urban areas, posing severe risks to the livelihoods of people all over the globe.



Scientists estimate that the global urban population facing water scarcity will likely double from 930 million in 2016 to between 1.7 and 2.4 billion by mid-century. Moreover, the increasing frequency of extreme, prolonged droughts will increase the stress on ecosystems worldwide, severely endangering a variety of plant and animal species.



“There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiraling out of control. Water is our common future and it is essential to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably,” said UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay.



The authors of the report argue that international collaboration is the main key to provide water access to people worldwide. While almost every water-related intervention involves some kind of cooperation – ranging from shared irrigation systems among farmers and communal management of water supply and sanitation infrastructure in cities to collaboration between urban and rural communities in order to maintain food security and uphold farmer incomes – when it comes to managing rivers and aquifers crossing national borders, larger collaborative networks are urgently needed to prevent a global water crisis.



In addition, data sharing and co-financing opportunities are crucial to address the current water problems and make sure they will not intensify in the following decades. For instance, financing schemes bringing together downstream users – such as cities, businesses, and utilities – to invest together in upstream environmental protection and agricultural land management will play a major role in improving water quantity and quality. Such ‘water funds’ have already proven successful in Mexico and Sub-Saharan Africa, and will likely benefit other parts of the world too.



Finally, inclusive shareholder participation is essential in planning and implementing water systems which match the needs and available resources of disadvantaged communities, while increasing public acceptance and ownership.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“There is much to do and time is not on our side.&nbsp;This report shows our ambition and we must now come together and accelerate action. This is our moment to make a difference,” concluded Gilbert F. Houngbo, the Chair of UN-Water.



More information about this year’s UN World Water Development Report can be found <a href="https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/2023/en">here</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Global water crisis could spiral out of control

On this year’s World Water Day – an annual celebration...

Since the flavor of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-environment-impacts-the-aroma-of-beer-and-hops/">beer</a> begins to change as soon as it is packaged, scientists have long wondered if this type of beverage stays fresher in bottles or in cans. Now, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> (CSU) has found that the answer to this question depends on the type of beer. For instance, while an amber ale remained fresher in bottles, container choice made much less difference to the stability of Indian Pale Ale (IPA).



Besides water and ethanol, beer contains thousands of flavor compounds produced by yeast, hop, and other ingredients. Since during storage, chemical reactions break down some of these components while forming others, the content of some tasty flavors is reduced, contributing to the aging, or staling, of beer. Although researchers have already studied beer aging in order to help brewers prolong shelf life, they focused mainly on light lagers and a limited group of chemicals. Now, the CSU team extended the analysis to amber ale and IPA, while comparing the stability of beer packaged in glass bottles versus aluminum cans.



To mimic typical storage conditions, the scientists chilled cans and bottles of amber ale and IPA for a month and then kept them at room temperature for an additional five months, while analyzing every two weeks the metabolites in newly opened containers. During this period, the concentration of metabolites in amber ale, such as several amino acids and esters, was significantly different depending on the type of packaging. By contrast, IPA appeared less sensitive to packaging type, most likely due to its higher concentration of polyphenols from hops, which prevent oxidation and help retain amino acids in the beer for longer.



The analyses also revealed that, while the metabolic profile of both kinds of beer changed over time, regardless of the type of packaging, amber ale in cans showed the greatest variation during aging. Further research is needed to clarify how such changes affect flavor in order to help brewers make more informed decisions on what kind of packaging to use for the particular types of beers they produce.



“Taken together, the results of this study do not support the conclusion of a general best package for all beer styles but rather indicate that the effects of package type are dependent on beer style. Continued work to define the mechanisms driving the effects of package type on beer stability is warranted and would require integration with sensory outcomes. Ultimately, research on beer stability and packaging should provide relevant knowledge, so brewers may make scientifically backed packaging decisions and shelf-life determinations,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.2c00351">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Is beer more stable in cans or bottles?

Since the flavor of beer begins to change as soon...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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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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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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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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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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



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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



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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 how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Saturn,-,High,Resolution,3d,Images,Presents,Planets,Of,The

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



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.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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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.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



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.

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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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.

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



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.

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



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.

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



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.

Kangerlussuaq Glacier 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 the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



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.

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video 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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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Aerial,Photo,Of,River,In,Amazon,Rainforest,Jungle,In,Peru

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center</a> describes how scientists are using autonomous sound sensors to monitor deforestation in the Amazon. By recording soundscapes, the experts can determine which animals are present through their distinct sounds.&nbsp;



Using this method, sounds can be used as scientific measurements to analyze the effects of deforestation. The researchers will gain a better understanding of how the acoustics of a forest can be used to measure its health.&nbsp;



"From space, parts of the Amazon rainforest that have previously been logged or burned may look lush and green, like a place buzzing with activity and full of sounds. But inside the rainforest, the animal life may tell a different story, of a harsh environment and a quieter soundscape," says NASA.



Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center&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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

[sendtonews key="u0TYxxqfF7-2186404-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA’s...