The scorching heatwaves we experience, the wildfires that rage across nations, and the invisible carbon dioxide that fills the air are severely impacting our planet.



In 2023, the world saw extreme heatwaves that fueled substantial wildfires and induced severe droughts across the globe. 



What's more, these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-wildfires-are-gaining-even-more-speed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adverse conditions</a> significantly weakened the land's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. 



The result? A notable surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, growing the scale of concern about accelerating climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-atmospheric-carbon">Heat and atmospheric carbon </h2>



Data from Hawaii's <a href="https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/mlo/aboutus/aboutus.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mauna Loa Observatory</a> showed that atmospheric carbon concentrations skyrocketed by an alarming 86% in 2023 compared to 2012. This increase sets a new record high since tracking of these levels began in 1958.



Interestingly, the rise in carbon dioxide levels cannot solely be pointed towards fossil fuel emissions. These, it seems, only rose by roughly 0.6 percent.



So, what's the primary culprit behind the spike in emissions? It's likely due to weakened <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-fire-risk-has-grown-exponentially-in-a-hotter-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon absorption</a> by natural ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weakened-carbon-sink">Weakened carbon sink </h2>



An international team of scientists backed by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Extreme_heat_weakens_land_s_power_to_absorb_carbon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a> Science for Society Near-Realtime Carbon Extremes project - along with the Climate Change Initiative RECCAP-2 project - set out to investigate the root causes of this event.



The experts used global vegetation models and satellite data to expedite a carbon budget report for 2023.



Land typically absorbs about one-third of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions. However, in 2023, this absorption capacity fell to a mere one-fifth of its usual level, marking the weakest performance by land carbon sink in two decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-heat-and-carbon-storage-capacity">Extreme heat and carbon storage capacity </h2>



“Our research shows that 30% of this decline was driven by the extreme heat of 2023, which fueled massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultrafine-particles-in-wildfire-smoke-change-weather-patterns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfires</a> that ravaged vast areas of Canadian forest and triggered severe drought across parts of the Amazon rainforest," said Philippe Ciais, a scientist from France’s Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences.



"These fires and droughts led to substantial vegetation loss, weakening the land ecosystem’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. This was further compounded by a particularly strong El Niño, which historically reduces the carbon absorption capacity in the Tropics." 



The situation was made worse by a particularly potent El Niño, which historically reduces carbon absorption capacity in the tropics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-emitted-from-wildfires">Carbon emitted from wildfires</h2>



Widespread wildfires across Canada and droughts in the Amazon in 2023 released nearly the same amount of carbon to the atmosphere as North America's total fossil fuel emissions. 



This finding highlights the severe impact of climate change on natural ecosystems.



The Amazon rainforest, one of the planet's most essential carbon sinks, is showing signs of long-term distress. Some regions of the Amazon that no longer absorb carbon have shifted into net sources of carbon emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-declining-capacity-to-absorb-carbon">Earth's declining capacity to absorb carbon </h2>



The declining capacity of Earth's land ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide may signify that these natural carbon sinks are nearing their limits. 



They won't be able to continue to provide the mitigation service of absorbing half of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.



"Consequently, achieving safe global warming limits will require even more ambitious emission reductions than previously anticipated," Ciais adds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-earth-s-carbon-cycle">Saving Earth's carbon cycle</h2>



The study also highlights that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">current climate models</a> might be underestimating the pace and impact of extreme events such as droughts and fires on the degradation of these crucial carbon reservoirs.



"Understanding the knock-on effects of climate change on the carbon cycle is imperative, and the two ESA study projects demonstrate the importance of Earth observation in developing methodologies to provide rapid assessment of these impacts globally," said Stephen Plummer, <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a> Earth Observation Applications Scientist.



"These results are particularly alarming, especially considering the difficulty the world is having limiting warming to 1.5°C, as laid out in the Paris Agreement," noted Clement Albergel, ESA’s Acting Head of the Actionable Climate Information Section.



Given these alarming revelations, it's vital that we ask ourselves: how can we contribute to mitigating these effects? Can we consume less, recycle more, and seek out greener alternatives in our daily lives? The need for climate action could not be more urgent.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwae367/7831648?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Science Review</a>.



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Extreme heat of 2023  weakened Earth's carbon storage capacity

The scorching heatwaves we experience, the wildfires that rage across nations, and the invisible carbon dioxide that fills the air are severely impacting our planet. In 2023, the world saw extreme heatwaves that fueled substantial wildfires and induced severe droughts across the globe. What's more, these adverse conditions significantly weakened the land's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. The result? A notable surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, growing the scale of concern about accelerating climate change. Heat and atmospheric carbon Data from Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory showed...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/model-predicts-the-fate-of-plastic-debris-in-the-ocean/">Plastic debris</a> pollution is a global problem that impacts even the uninhabited areas of the Arctic. However, while considerable amounts of plastic debris have been observed floating in the remote Arctic Ocean, it is still unclear where it all comes from.&nbsp;



In a project led by the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI), citizen scientists went on sailing cruises to the Arctic to survey and collect plastic debris that had washed up on the shores of Svalbard. The team found that one third of the debris which still had labels or imprints allowing an analysis of their origin came from Europe, and particularly from Germany. These findings show that even prosperous industrialized countries such as Germany contribute substantially to the pollution of remote ecosystems.



“From previous studies and computer models, we know that plastic pollution comes from local and remote sources alike,” said study lead author Anna Natalie Meyer, a researcher at AWI. “Locally, plastic debris finds its way to the ocean from ships and from Arctic communities with poor waste management systems. As for remote sources, plastic debris and microplastic are transported to the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic, North Sea, and North Pacific by various rivers and ocean currents.”&nbsp;



For instance, the scientists found debris originating from countries as distant as Brazil, the U.S., and China, as well as from Europe. Among the European countries contributing the most to Arctic plastic pollution was Germany, with debris originating from there accounting for eight percent of the total amount.&nbsp;



“Considering that Germany is the ‘European champ’ in terms of both plastic production and debris exports, this comparatively high percentage isn’t so surprising,” said study co-author Melanie Bergmann, a marine ecologist at AWI.



“Our results highlight that even prosperous industrialized countries, which can afford better waste management, make significant contributions to the pollution of remote ecosystems like the Arctic. Accordingly, in order to tackle the problem effectively, not only does local waste management – especially on ships and in fisheries – need to be improved. It’s equally important that global plastic production be massively reduced, especially in the industrialized countries of Europe, North America, and Asia, since roughly 11 percent of the global plastic production finds its way into our water ways."



"This underscores once again the urgent need for an ambitious and legally binding UN Plastics Treaty, which is currently being negotiated and due to enter into force in 2024."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1092939">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.&nbsp;



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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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Where does plastic debris in the Arctic come from?

Plastic debris pollution is a global problem that impacts even...

Since the beginning of this century, the world has experienced a massive global land rush, with thousands of transnational land investments being made by a variety of foreign entities. This has led to a significant surge of large-scale land acquisitions. Collectively, these acquisitions have resulted in an area larger than South Africa that is now officially put under contract for agriculture, mining, and logging.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a> (UD) has found that, when used specifically for agriculture, these transnational agricultural large-scale acquisitions (TALSLAs) lead to massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-global-forest-loss-has-been-caused-by-wildfires/">forest loss</a>, posing a major threat to biodiversity in the Global South.



TALSLAs have surged since the beginning of the century due to the global food crises from 2008 and 2010, which led to sudden spikes in food prices and export bans. “Because of those events, many countries that rely on food imports realized that they were potentially vulnerable to these kinds of global or remote disruptions,” said study lead author Kyle Frankel Davis, an assistant professor of Geography and Spatial Sciences at UD. “To address these vulnerabilities, investments specifically targeted at agriculture rose partly as a result of that.”&nbsp;



Moreover, a rising interest in renewable fuels – such as those related to biofuel crops like corn, oil palm, or sugar cane – gave many countries an incentive to invest in places where agricultural land was cheap.



In their study, the experts assembled the first global dataset of TALSLAs in 40 countries and investigated the historical environmental effects of these acquisitions, as well as their potential impact on biodiversity. “We looked at four different regions most targeted by land investments: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. We found that, for Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, these types of investments tend to be associated with accelerated forest loss,” Davis reported.



The analysis revealed that, while in Asia there was a substantial spike in the rates of forest loss after contracts were signed – suggesting that such investments directly lead to increased deforestation – in Africa, forest loss tends to happen before the contract year occurs. “That suggests that even though they are associated with increased forest loss, the investments in this region may be taking advantage of places where there has already been clearing so the observed forest loss isn’t directly caused by the investment,” Davis explained.



Finally, the researchers examined the potential impact of these developments on two measures of biodiversity - species richness, or the number of individuals per species, and species abundance, or the number of species from a particular location - and discovered that, while 91 percent of the investments would be expected to lead to a decline in species richness, the impact on species abundance is likely to depend upon what type of investment the land was going to be used for.



“We estimated that abundance could potentially increase because you have maybe an area that is not a very productive natural system but it gets converted into a tree plantation or an oil palm plantation,” said Davis. “That type of agriculture can support large numbers of certain types of species but not necessarily a large number of species.”&nbsp;



However, considering that 39 percent of these TALSLAs occur at least partially in biodiversity hotspots, it is crucial for these factors to be considered when foreign land investments are made. “Depending on the context, depending on the region, and depending on the intended use of the investment, you can have really serious implications for forests and for biodiversity in the places where these investments are occurring. These types of things need to be kept in mind when policies are being developed to govern these types of investments and to do so responsibly,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acb2de">Environmental Research Letters</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 land rush threatens biodiversity

Since the beginning of this century, the world has experienced...

The number of native fish present in a marine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountain-ecosystems-are-in-urgent-need-of-protection/">ecosystem</a> is increasingly affected by multiple factors, including invasive species and overfishing. In a new study led by <a href="http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html">Okayama University</a>, researchers have used eDNA to survey the population of the bitterling fish in the Ashida river basin in Japan.



The bitterling fish, Rhodeus atremius suigensis, was once abundant but is now threatened with extinction in this region. According to the researchers, this is concerning because the bitterling fish is recognized as an indicator species for the conservation of fish diversity in freshwater ecosystems.&nbsp;



"Rhodeus atremius suigensis is an extremely endangered bitterling fish, designated as one of the Nationally Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by the Ministry of Environment of Japan," wrote the study authors.



"To prevent its extinction, effective ecological survey methods are necessary in order to guide habitat management. Recently, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has proven useful for detection and censusing of endangered aquatic species that are difficult to locate and capture."



Environmental DNA (eDNA) holds information about which species were recently present in an area. The experts developed a system using eDNA to investigate the distribution and population density of bitterling fish in the Ashida river basin.



“We first confirmed the utility of this analysis in aquarium experiments, before performing field surveys.” said Professor Kazuyoshi Nakata from Okayama University, who led the study. “We set fish traps at 48 points in an agricultural channel in the Ashida river basin and examined the relationship between fish presence and eDNA concentration.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study revealed that eDNA concentrations were greater in areas where bitterling fish had been captured, and lower downstream. “Our results serve as a reference to how far and how much downstream eDNA can be detected, which will be useful to guide future conservation surveys,” said Professor Nakata.



The eDNA analysis technique used for this study could be used in larger areas to track other species. Ultimately, the finding of this research could help in the conservation of endangered species.&nbsp;



"These results not only demonstrate the reliability of this method, but also suggest its feasibility for conservation measures," wrote the study authors.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11355-022-00531-9">Landscape and Ecological Engineering</a>.



Image Credit: Kazuyoshi Nakata



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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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Environmental DNA can help track endangered species

The number of native fish present in a marine ecosystem...

Scientists have long wondered how microbes growing in the deepest parts of the oceans can survive with no sunlight. Now, a team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a> in Australia has shown that a distinct process called “chemosynthesis” (growth using inorganic compounds) fuels these microbes. More specifically, two common gases – hydrogen and carbon monoxide – serve as fuel for the trillions of microbes living in the depths of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/how-the-ocean-and-climate-influence-each-other/">oceans</a> from the tropics to the poles.



Until recently, most scientists believed that ocean microbial life is also driven by photosynthesis (growth by using light energy). "But what about those regions so deep that light can’t penetrate or so nutrient-poor that algae can’t thrive? We showed in this study that instead chemosynthesis is dominant in these regions,” said study senior author Chris Greening, an expert in Microbiology at Monash. 



“Hydrogen and carbon monoxide in fact “fed” microbes in all regions we’ve looked at: from urban bays to around tropical islands to hundreds of meters below the surface. Some can even be found beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves.”



The researchers combined chemical measurements during ocean voyages with lab-based characterization of microbial cultures, as well as metagenomic sequencing (a method providing the genetic blueprints of all the microbes present in a specific region in the ocean).&nbsp;



“We found the genes that enable hydrogen consumption across eight distantly related types of microbes, known as phyla, and this survival strategy becomes more common the deeper they live,” reported lead author Racheal Lappan, a research fellow in Microbiology at Monash.



The study was inspired by previous work on soil bacteria which revealed that most of these terrestrial microorganisms can thrive by consuming hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the atmosphere.&nbsp;



“The surface layers of the world’s oceans generally contain high levels of dissolved hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases due to various geological and biological processes. So it made sense that oceanic bacteria used the same gases as their terrestrial cousins,” Lappan explained.



The findings provide novel insights into how life on Earth evolved. “The first life probably emerged in deep-sea vents using hydrogen, not sunlight, as the energy source. It’s incredible that, 3.7 billion years later, so many microbes in the oceans are still using this high-energy gas and we’ve completely overlooked this until now,” Greening concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01322-0">Nature Microbiology</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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How can deep ocean microbes survive without sunlight?

Scientists have long wondered how microbes growing in the deepest...

This year’s second full moon – known as the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-snow-moon-will-peak-all-over-the-world-on-wednesday/">Snow Moon</a>” – will light up the sky during the next two days. Due to the fact that the moon will be at its farthest point from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-earths-thermostat-control-the-climate/">Earth</a> in its orbit (over 250,000 miles away), it will appear 14 percent smaller than a supermoon (when a full moon appears larger and brighter because it is closest to the Earth’s orbit), and is thus called by astronomers a “micromoon.” However, most observers will not be able to notice this difference with the naked eye, so this moon too will offer a spectacular view, provided that the skies are clear.&nbsp;



Although the Snow Moon has reached peak illumination at approximately 1:29 p.m. ET on Sunday, it has appeared full from early Saturday morning and will continue to do so until early Tuesday morning.



“Seeing the moon yourself shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as clouds aren’t in the way.&nbsp;It will be easily the brightest object in the night sky and fully visible to the unaided eye; however, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will enable you to see some of the smaller features on its surface,” said Gregory Brown, a Public Astronomy Officer at the <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory">Royal Observatory Greenwich</a>.



According to the <a href="https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-february">Old Farmer’s Almanac</a>, the name of this full moon emerged due to the fact that February is associated with more snowfall in North America. Across Native American tribes, this moon’s name varies, including “the sleet moon” (the Comanches), “cannapopa wi,” which means “when trees crack because of cold” (the Lakota), or “atchiulartadsh,” meaning “out of food” and signifying the usual lack of food resources characterizing the lands inhabited by the Kalapuya tribe in February. Other tribes named the moon in connection to animals, such as the Bald Eagle Moon (the Cree), the Black Bear Moon (the Tlingit), the Racoon Moon (the Dakota), the Groundhog Moon (the Alonquin), or the Goose Moon (the Haida).



Europeans have often referred to this moon as “the Candles moon,” and connected it to the Candlemas feast (the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ) on February 2. In the Hebrew tradition, the moon occurs in the middle of the month of Shevat and on the holiday Tu BiShvat (“the New Year of the Trees”), which is celebrated by planting trees in order to raise ecological awareness.&nbsp;



“So long as there’s not too much cloud, the full moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky. This is a good opportunity to use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the moon’s detailed surface, or even try taking a few interesting moon photos,” experts from the Royal Observatory Greenwich 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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Full Snow Moon will be bright in the sky tonight

This year’s second full moon – known as the “Snow...

The Arctic is currently warming faster than the global average and this is contributing to the seasonal melting of sea ice, ice sheets and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/half-of-the-worlds-glaciers-will-melt-by-2100/">glaciers</a>. However, winter temperatures in the region are still well below freezing and this should give the ice an opportunity to recover from the summer melt. However, a new study led by scientists from <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> has identified that powerful storms, brought by atmospheric rivers, are increasingly reaching the Arctic in winter and are slowing down the recovery of the sea ice.&nbsp;



“Arctic sea ice decline is among the most obvious evidence of global warming from the past several decades,” said Pengfei Zhang, assistant research professor of meteorology and atmospheric science at Penn State and lead author of the study. “Despite temperatures in the Arctic being well below freezing, sea ice decline in winter is still very significant. And our research shows atmospheric rivers are one factor in understanding why.”



Atmospheric rivers are typically long, narrow bands in the atmosphere - like rivers in the sky - that carry large amounts of condensed water vapor away from the tropics towards lower latitudes. Likened to great conveyer belts of water in the sky, they play a central role in the global water cycle. The water-laden plumes move with the weather and, when they make landfall, often release this water vapor in the form of rain.&nbsp;



Although atmospheric rivers come in many sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor and bring the strongest winds can give rise to extreme rainfall and floods. The very largest of these carry a greater flux of water than the Amazon River. There are typically 3–5 atmospheric rivers present within a hemisphere at any one time, and they have increased slightly in intensity over the past century.&nbsp;



Using satellite observations and climate model simulations, the Penn State scientists and their colleagues found that these storms are increasingly reaching the Arctic – particularly the Barents and Kara seas off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia – during the winter ice-growing season.&nbsp;The rain that they bring is slowing sea ice recovery and accounts for a third of all winter sea ice decline.&nbsp;These findings are published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01599-3">Nature Climate Change</a>.



“We often think that Arctic sea ice decline is a gradual process due to gradual forcings like global warming,” said study co-author L. Ruby Leung, Battelle Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “This study is important in that it finds sea ice decline is due to episodic extreme weather events - atmospheric rivers - which have occurred more frequently in recent decades partly due to global warming.”



According to the researchers, the storms brought by atmospheric rivers affect ice melt in two important ways. Firstly, warm moisture carried from the tropics falls on the Arctic ice at a time when the thin, fragile ice cover is regrowing during winter. Secondly, the storms increase long-wave radiation, or heat, emitted back to Earth from the atmosphere. Both these factors slow down the recovery of sea ice during the cold months.&nbsp;



Using satellite remote sensing images, the scientists observed that sea ice retreated almost immediately following atmospheric river storms and that the retreat persisted for up to 10 days. Because of this melting and because the storms are becoming&nbsp;more common, atmospheric rivers are slowing down seasonal sea-ice recovery in the Arctic, the scientists said.



“When this kind of moisture transport happens in the Arctic, the effect is not only the amount of rain or snow that falls from it, but also the powerful melting effect on the ice,” said study co-author Mingfang Ting, a professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. “This is important since we are losing Arctic sea ice fast in the past few decades that brought many unwanted consequences such as Arctic warming, erosion of Arctic coastlines, disturbance to global weather patterns and disruption to the Arctic communities and ecosystems.”



The loss of Arctic sea ice has broad implications, the scientists said. Open waters may enable new, more direct shipping routes but also trigger geopolitical concerns between countries. Additionally, freshwater melting into the salty ocean may impact oceanic circulations patterns that stabilize global temperatures. From a biological perspective, sea ice cover is important for the successful reproduction of many animal species, and reductions in cover will negatively impact breeding success.&nbsp;



“Those factors make this study especially important from a science perspective, but also from social and security perspectives," said study co-author Professor Laifang Li of Penn State. “Sea ice melting has a big impact for the climate system and for society, and our study finds the Arctic is an open system and that climate change is way more complicated than temperature change alone can explain.”



Using large-ensemble climate models, the scientists determined that human-induced warming has increased the rate of atmospheric river storms in the Arctic. But they also found that one major mode of natural climate variabilities - the so-called Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation - also contributes to atmospheric river changes.



“This study, together with other work that noted the presence of atmospheric rivers in the tropics, highlights that atmospheric rivers represent a global phenomenon,” said Bin Guan, Earth systems scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.&nbsp;



“Since they were discovered relatively recently - in the 1990s, and even more recently in terms of recognizing their societal impacts - atmospheric rivers provide an opportunity for potentially coordinated research and applications globally, that is, with today’s computational and technological capabilities."



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Rivers in the sky prevent the seasonal recovery of Arctic sea ice

The Arctic is currently warming faster than the global average...

A new analysis led by <a href="https://www.natureserve.org/">NatureServe</a> has revealed that more than one-third of plants and animals are at risk of vanishing in the United States. The unprecedented report, <a href="http://www.natureserve.org/bif">Biodiversity in Focus: United States Edition</a>, warns that 34 percent of plants and 40 percent of animals are threatened with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/relentless-sex-drive-may-lead-northern-quolls-to-extinction/">extinction</a>.&nbsp;



The rare Venus flytrap, 200 species of trees, and nearly half of all cacti species are all at risk of disappearing, according to the report. The greatest numbers of threatened species were found in California, Texas and the southeastern United States.&nbsp;



Furthermore, the researchers determined that 41 percent of ecosystems are at risk of collapse, which means that they could rapidly lose their structure and function.



“For fifty years, the NatureServe Network has been collecting the information necessary to understand biodiversity imperilment in the United States. This new analysis of that data, a first in 20 years, makes crystal clear the urgency of that work,” said Regan Smyth of NatureServe.&nbsp;



“Two-fifths of our ecosystems are in trouble. Freshwater invertebrates and many pollinators, the foundation of a healthy, functional planet, are in precipitous decline. Understanding and addressing these risks is critical if we are to forestall devastating consequences for the biodiversity that humanity needs to survive.”&nbsp;



The experts set out to gain a better understanding of how many species and ecosystems are currently at risk in the United States, and whether or not they are protected. The team also wanted to identify the major threats to biodiversity, as well as how to address these threats.&nbsp;



The analysis showed that habitat degradation, invasive species, dams, and climate change are among the primary threats to biodiversity in the United States.&nbsp;



The analysis also revealed that species face different types of threats in different parts of the country. Overall, 37 percent of the bee species examined in the study are at risk, and this threat is greater for bees in the Western U.S.



Among the country's ecosystems that are facing collapse, the experts found that grasslands and wetlands are particularly in need of conservation efforts. The report states that over half of 78 grassland types at risk of a range-wide collapse.



“We are currently experiencing and causing the Sixth Extinction - the mass extinction of species across the planet. NatureServe’s data highlight where the threats are right here at home,” said Dr. Sean T. O’Brien, president and CEO of NatureServe. “The plants, animals, and ecosystems found in our state, tribal, and federal lands are key components of our cultural and natural heritage. We should be proud of the biodiversity in our backyard and should prioritize protecting what is here, now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



U.S. Representative Don Beyer said NatureServe's work would be critical to helping agencies identify what areas to prioritize and where to establish migration routes.



"The data reported by NatureServe is grim, a harrowing sign of the very real problems our wildlife and ecosystems are facing," Beyer told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/huge-chunk-plants-animals-us-risk-extinction-report-2023-02-06/">Reuters</a>. "I am thankful for their efforts, which will give a boost to efforts to protect biodiversity."



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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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U.S. biodiversity crisis: more than a third of species are threatened

A new analysis led by NatureServe has revealed that more...

Similar to a thermostat, rocks, rain, and carbon dioxide control the Earth’s climate over thousands of years in a process called “weathering.” Now, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> has investigated how this thermostat responds as our planet is warming.



“Life has been on this planet for billions of years, so we know <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-temperature-has-been-steadily-rising-since-the-1850s/">Earth’s temperature</a> has remained consistent enough for there to be liquid water and to support life,” said study lead author Susan Brantley, a professor of Geosciences at Penn State. “The idea is that silicate rock weathering is this thermostat, but no one has ever really agreed on its temperature sensitivity.”



Since many factors contribute to weathering, it has been challenging to use lab experiments to estimate how weathering responds to climate change. To overcome these limitations, the researchers combined laboratory measurements with soil analyses from 45 sites around the globe and a variety of watersheds.&nbsp;



“When you do experiments in the laboratory versus taking samples from soil or a river, you get different values. So what we tried to do in this research is look across those different spatial scales and figure out how we can make sense of all this data geochemists around the world been accumulating about weathering on the planet. And this study is a model for how we can do that,” Brantley explained.



Weathering contributes to a balancing of CO2 from the atmosphere. Although volcanoes have released massive amounts of CO2 during Earth’s history, this gas has slowly been removed through the process of weathering. In a first step, rain takes the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and creates a weak acid that falls on the surface of the planet and wears away silicate rocks. Afterwards, the byproducts are carried by rivers and streams to the oceans where this carbon is finally locked away in sedimentary rocks.



“It has long been hypothesized that the balance between carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere from volcanoes and being pulled out by weathering over millions of years holds the temperature of the planet relatively constant,” Brantley said. “The key is when there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the planet gets hotter, weathering goes faster and pulls more carbon dioxide out. And when the planet is cooler, weathering slows down.”



The analysis revealed that temperature sensitivity measurements in the lab were lower than estimates from soils and rivers and therefore human-made attempts to increase weathering are now crucial to draw sufficient CO2 from the atmosphere. “One idea has been to enhance weathering by digging up a lot of rock, grinding it, transporting it and putting it out in the fields to let weathering happen. And that will work — it’s already working. The problem is, it’s a very slow process,” Brantley concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.add2922">Science 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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How does Earth’s "thermostat” control the climate?

Similar to a thermostat, rocks, rain, and carbon dioxide control...

New research shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-inventory-will-be-greatly-reduced-by-climate-change/">climate change</a> can lead to greater water crises than previously expected. Climate change affects precipitation and evaporation around the world. This impacts the amount of river water that can be used locally.&nbsp;



The climate impact on streamflow has been estimated using projections from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Now, a study led by <a href="https://www.tuwien.at/en/">Vienna University of Technology</a> indicates that previous models have underestimated the sensitivity of water availability in a warming climate.&nbsp;



"In the climatology community, the effects of climate change on the atmosphere are very well understood. However, their local consequences on rivers and the availability of water falls into the field of hydrology," explained study co-author Professor Günter Blöschl.



Locally, it is often possible to determine how water availability is related to precipitation or temperature. But global conclusions cannot be drawn from individual observations:&nbsp;



"How the water balance depends on external parameters varies from place to place; local vegetation also plays a very important role here," said Professor Blöschl.&nbsp;



It is difficult to develop a model that can calculate these interrelationships at all places in the world.



Professor Blöschl collaborated with colleagues from China, Australia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia to analyze a large database of streamflow observations from 9,500 hydrological catchments around the world.&nbsp;



"We look at how much the amount of available water changed in the past when external conditions changed. In this way we can find out how sensitively changes in climate parameters are related to a change in local water availability. And this allows us to make predictions for a future, warmer climate," said Professor Blöschl.



The connection between precipitation and the amount of water in rivers is much more sensitive than current models assume. This demonstrates the need to update or revise models that predict climate impact on water supply.&nbsp;



"Up to now, runoff measurements have usually not been included at all in the models, such as those currently reported by the IPCC," said Professor Blöschl. "With the series of measurements now available, it should now be possible to adjust the physical prediction models accordingly."



The results suggest that climate impacts on the water supply in many parts of the world have been underestimated. This is especially the case for Africa, Australia and North America, where new data predicts a higher risk of water supply crises by 2050.



"The lower streamflow predicted here is due to smaller contributions from precipitation and stronger sensitivity of streamflow to changes in evapotranspiration, which is related to increased radiation energy and vapour transfer, and enhanced vegetation greening," wrote the study authors. "Our estimate points towards the possibility that a future water crisis could be more severe than anticipated."



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00030-7">Nature Water</a>.



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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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Future water crisis could be much worse than expected

New research shows that climate change can lead to greater...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a> (UC) has recently discovered a new species of frog in Tanzania’s Ukaguru Mountains. The Ukaguru spiny-throated reed frog (Hyperolius ukaguruensis) has a distinct feature: it is among the few species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-do-frogs-have-fused-forearms/">frogs</a> in the world that do not vocalize at all. Belonging to a group of “spiny throated” reed frogs, it is characterized by the presence of tiny spines on the male’s throat, which the frogs use to recognize other members of their species.



“It’s a very odd group of frogs,” said study lead author Lucinda Lawson, a conservation biologist at UC. “The male frogs don’t call like most other frogs do. We think they may use the spine as something like Braille for species recognition. “Without a call, they need some other way to recognize each other.”



H. ukaguruensis belongs to a family of nearly 200 species in the genus Hyperolius. According to the experts though, it may be significantly different from other species from this genus. “With any Hyperolius, I can probably tell by looking at it whether it’s new or potentially new,” Lawson explained. “Immediately it was clear that it was a spiny-throated reed frog. But this one was a golden, greenish brown instead of the green color found in the other species. Sometimes color variation doesn’t mean anything, but it might here.”



A combination of genetic and genomic analyses confirmed that this frog was distinct from other members of Hyperolius, while measurements shown that it had unique body proportions, with smaller eyes in relation to its head than other spiny-throated reed frogs.



As many of its relatives, H. ukaguruensis is a critically endangered species and should thus be considered of high conservation concern, particularly since amphibians are highly susceptible to human impacts, such as deforestation. “If a bird’s habitat is destroyed, they sometimes can fly to a new forest. But that’s hard for amphibians,” Lawson said.&nbsp;



Conservation measures are highly important because having a diversity of species is crucial to maintain healthy ecosystems. “We think about this question a lot: why does one species matter?” Lawson said.&nbsp;“If this one species goes extinct, nothing much happens. We just lose one more strand in the fabric of the ecosystem. But if you keep pulling out strands, the ecosystem becomes destabilized and the fabric unravels,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277535">PLoS ONE</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Image Credit: Christoph Liedtke



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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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Voiceless frog recently discovered in Africa

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

Air,Pollution,From,Power,Plant,Chimneys.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-obesity-linked-to-mothers-poor-dietary-choices/">Obesity</a> is a major public health issue that is caused by unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and genetics. In a recent study from the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>, researchers have found an unexpected environmental factor that plays a role in obesity. The experts have discovered a link between air pollution and excess body weight among women.&nbsp;



According to study first author Xin Wang, women in their late 40s and early 50s exposed long-term to air pollution experience increases in their body mass index, waist circumference and body fat. These negative effects were linked specifically to higher levels of fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone.



"The study population included 1,654 White, Black, Chinese, and Japanese women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, with the baseline median age of 49.6 years, followed from 2000 to 2008," wrote the researchers.



"Annual air pollution exposures were assigned by linking residential addresses with hybrid estimates of air pollutant concentrations at 1-km2 resolution. Body size was measured, and body composition was measured using DXA at approximately annual visits."



"Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the associations between air pollution and body size and composition measures and whether these associations differed by physical activity."



The results of the analysis showed that exposure to air pollution was linked with higher body fat, higher proportion fat, and lower lean mass among midlife women. For instance, body fat increased by 4.5 percent, or about 2.6 pounds.



The researchers also investigated the relationship between air pollution and physical activity on body composition. They determined that high levels of physical activity could effectively mitigate and offset the body composition changes associated with exposure to air pollution.



Wang explained that since the study focused on midlife women, the findings can't be generalized to men or women in other age ranges.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/doi/10.2337/dc22-0963/147568/Longitudinal-Associations-of-Air-Pollution-With?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Diabetes Care</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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Study reveals link between air pollution and obesity

Obesity is a major public health issue that is caused...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-trees-are-vital-to-forest-survival/">trees</a> living in conditions where carbon dioxide has been artificially elevated are likely to become more efficient in conserving water. The experts discovered that when trees are exposed to elevated levels of CO2, they increase their water use efficiency through higher carbon uptake. At the same time, the trees conserve water by adjusting the opening and closing of pores on their leaves (called “stomata”).&nbsp;



The findings will contribute to modeling and predicting plant behavior under the increased CO2 conditions that are expected to be the norm by mid-century.



Plants worldwide are characterized by a trade-off between carbon gain and water loss, as a result of their structure. While stomata open and close to allow plants to absorb CO2 for their growth, as the stomata open, water is leaving the plant through a process called “transpiration.” This means that plants must compromise between absorbing as much CO2 as possible while minimizing water loss.



The scientists analyzed data on long-term elevated CO2 experiments in trees over the past two decades, spanning 16 sites worldwide. The investigation revealed that the efficiency of water use in the trees’ leaves increased by 85 percent for a doubling of CO2 (the expected rise by 2050). Then, they used this data to compute the so-called “g1 number,” which expresses the water cost of carbon gain for each tree type, and discovered that this number did not in fact change under elevated CO2 conditions.



“The models we use to predict the responses of trees to future atmospheric CO2 levels still contain lots of uncertainties – and the behavior of stomata is one of these,” explained study lead author Anna Gardner, an expert in Tropical Tree Ecophysiology at Birmingham. 



“In elevated CO2 we might expect water consumption to reduce because stomata are taking in CO2 at a higher concentration so do not have to be open as long. But actually, we found the increased CO2 also caused an increase in photosynthesis – and this behavior was a stronger driver to increase water use efficiency. In effect, under higher CO2, the trees are getting more carbon gain for each ‘buck’ of water spent.”



“One reason trees are so important to ecosystems is because they store carbon – but water is also a valuable resource, so we need to find ways to accurately calculate the carbon cost of that water. All this data helps us build a more accurate picture of the likely behavior of these resources in the future,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18618">New Phytologist</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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Trees respond to rising CO2 levels by conserving water

A new study led by the University of Birmingham has...

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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

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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 <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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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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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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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 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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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.

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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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...