In our united struggle against the threat of global warming, progress appears stagnant. While Britain boldly abandons the era of fossil fuels, the world faces the relentless surge of CO2 emissions.



Indeed, Britain's closure of its last coal-burning power station marks a victory, but can it counterbalance the alarming prediction of 41.2 billion tons of CO2 that our atmosphere is expected to house by 2024?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-co2-emissions">Global CO2 emissions</h2>



The recently held Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, allowed prominent leaders such as PM Keir Starmer to declare their commitment towards reducing greenhouse gases.



Concurrently, the conference highlighted the ominous worldwide forecast of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/met-office-2024-co2-levels-will-surpass-the-point-of-no-return/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CO2</a> emissions resultant of fossil fuel combustion.



Discussions at COP29 highlighted the urgency for countries to adopt stronger climate policies and phase out fossil fuels. However, global dependence on these energy sources persists, despite a growing transition to cleaner alternatives. 



The conference revealed a critical gap between current actions and the scale of changes needed to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change​​​​.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-fuels-and-their-dirty-side">Fossil fuels and their "dirty" side</h2>



The trifecta of fossil fuels - coal, oil, and gas - take center stage in the carbon emissions debacle. 



Despite these fuels' role in quenching our insatiable energy appetite, the environmental repercussions are distressing. According to recent research, coal ranks as the main culprit, accounting for a 41% share, followed by oil (32%) and gas (21%).



The research study, lead by Pierre Friedlingstein alongside a 120-scientist team from Exeter's <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/institutes/gsi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Systems Institute</a>, yet again spotlights the "increasingly dramatic" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-absorb-31-more-co2-than-previously-estimated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effects of global warming</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-s-eye-view-of-co2-emissions">Bird's eye view of CO2 emissions</h2>



The geographic distribution of carbon emissions is also concerning. China tops the emissions chart with 12 billion tonnes (13.2 billion U.S. tons) of CO2, which equals a hefty 32% of the global total.



The United States and India trail with contributions of 13% and 8%, respectively, and the EU contributes an additional 7%. This leaves about 38% of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atmospheric-co2-could-push-temperatures-much-higher-than-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emission</a> shares spread across various other nations.



While fossil fuels remain under scrutiny, another significant contributor to CO2 emissions is land use change, such as deforestation.



Predictions for 2024 suggest an added 4.2 billion tonnes (4.6 billion U.S. tons) of CO2 to our atmosphere from land use changes alone. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewable-energy-revolution">Renewable energy revolution</h2>



Despite the gloomy picture painted by these numbers, a ray of hope breaks through the clouds. An increasing shift towards renewable energy sources like solar, biomass, and geothermal, signals a potential for change. 



Britain's successful transition from coal sets a precedent, but will the world follow this lead?



With global CO2 emissions on the rise, innovation and technology offer critical weapons in our climate change battle. 



Carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques, for example, could potentially cut industrial emissions by up to 90%.



Additionally, breakthroughs in smart grids and energy efficiency could aid in reducing global emissions further. These developments underscore the need for continued research and innovation in clean energy solutions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-education-and-policy-reform">Education and policy reform</h2>



The transition journey to a low-carbon future is multifaceted, demanding an equally diverse response. 



Education and policy reforms, combined with technological advancements, are the thrust propelling us towards a sustainable future. 



Knowledge dissemination can generate global awareness and help to create a new generation committed to sustainable living. Likewise, effective policy can trigger tangible changes in our energy consumption habits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rapid-cuts-to-fossil-fuels">Rapid cuts to fossil fuels</h2>



Our progress to date is noteworthy, but we've got a long road ahead in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-co2-will-cause-rapid-climate-change-in-the-tropical-andes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon emissions</a> fight. A global embrace of renewable energy technologies is crucial to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. 



A plateau in emissions growth over the past decade shows modest progress compared to previous trends, but it is far from the deep reductions needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals. 



We need sharp, immediate reductions in fossil fuel usage to keep the global average temperature rise under 2°C, and ideally 1.5°C. With every passing second, the urgency to combat the dangers of CO2 emissions escalates.



Current projections indicate that warming will exceed the 1.5°C target within six years unless emissions are drastically reduced.



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Global CO2 emissions rise as nations tackle fossil fuel dependence

In our united struggle against the threat of global warming, progress appears stagnant. While Britain boldly abandons the era of fossil fuels, the world faces the relentless surge of CO2 emissions. Indeed, Britain's closure of its last coal-burning power station marks a victory, but can it counterbalance the alarming prediction of 41.2 billion tons of CO2 that our atmosphere is expected to house by 2024? Global CO2 emissions The recently held Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, allowed prominent leaders such as PM Keir Starmer...

Central Asia is a significant producer of some of the world's most widely consumed delicacies, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eat-a-handful-of-walnuts-every-day-for-better-heart-health/">walnuts</a>, apricots, plums, apples, and pears. Many of these crops are grown in home gardens in Central Asia's rural landscapes and provide a living for growers.



In a new study from the <a href="https://ciat.cgiar.org/">International Center for Tropical Agriculture</a> (CIAT), researchers have found that home gardens in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are an average of 40 to 50 years old, with some gardens more than 70 years old. In Tajikistan, these gardens have saved lives.



"These trees have been vital for people to survive during times of conflict, and these home gardens with trees and vegetables play an important role to support families, providing a lot of the food for the household, in addition to income," explained Barbara Vinceti, a forest ecologist and lead author of the study.&nbsp;



Despite their importance, Central Asian gardens have not received much attention from the scientific community. However, the CIAT research is shedding new light on the subject.&nbsp;



"Central Asia is an important center of origin for many globally valued fruit and nut tree species. Forest degradation and deforestation are cause for concern for the conservation of these valuable species, now confined to small remnant populations," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Home gardens have the important function of sustaining household food consumption and income generation, and can potentially play a critical role in conserving diversity of fruit and nut trees."



The researchers studied diversity within and across the fruit and nut trees in the region by talking to the growers and analyzing wild versions of the trees in neighboring forests.&nbsp;



"We looked at home gardens situated close to forests and examined how genetic material moves between the forests and the home gardens," said Marlène Elias, a senior scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.&nbsp;



Elias noted that home gardens are a bastion for genetic diversity, which makes them "living genebanks" that are essential to protect. However, they are threatened by outside influences from the USA, Russia, and Europe.&nbsp;



Growers in Central Asia realize they can make more money from foreign varieties, especially apples and pears, and are replacing their traditional crops with these commercial varieties. This loss of diversity is devastating, according to Vinceti, who warns that "once that diversity is lost is lost, it is lost forever."&nbsp;



"We saw a significant erosion of local tree varieties of key species as more varieties come from outside," said Vinceti. "In Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, we examined this dynamic flow of planting material and its sources, understanding the future prospects of home gardens, and looking at differences between the three countries."



Crop diversity is essential for protection against disease and climate change. So, while there may be some short-term financial gain, the growers could be setting themselves, and future generations, up for failure.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0271398">PLoS ONE</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Home gardens in Central Asia are "living genebanks"

Central Asia is a significant producer of some of the...

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.dal.ca/">Dalhousie University</a> in Canada has found that, if greenhouse gases continue to be emitted at current rates, nearly 90 percent of all marine species could be at risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sixth-mass-extinction-is-currently-in-progress/">extinction</a> by the end of the century. Among the various species of animals, plants, chromists, bacteria, and protozoans examined, higher trophic species – particularly those that are harvested for food, including tunas, sharks, or pufferfish - had the highest risk of going extinct.



The researchers evaluated threats faced by almost 25,000 marine species which inhabit the upper 100 meters of oceans if greenhouse gas emissions continue to stay at high levels, under a “business as usual” scenario. The analysis revealed that almost 90 percent of these animals may be at high or critical risk of extinction by 2100, and will not be expected to survive in their current habitat across an average of 85 percent of their geographical distribution. In addition, the scientists found that about 10 percent of the ocean has areas of combined high climate risk and endemism (the state of a species being found in a single defined geographical location), which place further threats on a vast majority of ecosystems.



According to study lead author Daniel Boyce, an ecologist at Dalhousie University, these findings are “quite startling and very sobering,” providing clear evidence of the massive danger life on our planet faces if extraction of fossil fuels continues unmitigated. “I’d like to think that that’s an implausible scenario,” he said. “But nonetheless, it is the worst-case scenario. And when we evaluated that scenario, we found that there was a very grim picture for the climate risk for marine species.”



The threats were found to be higher for many species that are currently harvested for food in low-income countries highly dependent on fisheries. “There was a really striking pattern where the risk was systematically higher for nations that have a lower socioeconomic status, lower income nations that tend to be more dependent on fisheries and tend to have a lower food security, and overall nutritional status,” Professor Boyd explained.



These findings should lead to increased efforts to prioritize the conservation of vulnerable ecosystems by taking into account the susceptibility and adaptability of various species in climate management strategies. “It should provide a strong motivation for us to do everything that we can to mitigate our emissions and focus on avoiding that worst-case scenario,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01437-y">Nature Climate Change</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Unchecked emissions could kill 90 percent of marine species

A recent study led by Dalhousie University in Canada has...

Despite the fact that the U.S. has ample resources, and a relatively well-studied flora, there is currently no complete checklist of the native trees. There is also no comprehensive, up-to-date assessment of the threats currently facing native U.S. trees, or the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shark-videos-could-contribute-to-conservation-efforts/">conservation</a> status of individual species. In order to fill these gaps, a research project commenced in 2017, with the express aim of documenting this information. Strangely enough, the researchers had to begin their study by defining exactly what constitutes a tree!



The most complete tree check lists and data bases available at a national level all follow different definitions of a tree, and range in estimates of the number of native tree species from 748 to 1114. And none of these definitions of a tree matches that of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International initiative known as Global Tree Assessment, which aims to publish conservation assessments for all the world’s tree species.



According to the standardized Global Tree Assessment definition, a tree is a woody plant with usually a single stem, growing to a height of at least two meters; or if multi-stemmed, then at least one vertical stem five centimeters in diameter at breast height. Based on this definition, the researchers in the current study identified 881 species of native trees in the U.S.&nbsp;



It has taken five years of collaborative research to produce this first comprehensive checklist of trees native to the contiguous U.S. states, as well as the extent to which each species is currently threatened. The research was conducted by&nbsp;scientists from Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S. (BGCI-US), the Morton Arboretum and NatureServe, in partnership with the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and the results are published in the journal <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.10305">Plants People Planet</a>.



“These results lay the groundwork for U.S. tree and ecosystem conservation efforts that will contribute to achieving critical international conservation goals, including the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration and the Global Tree Assessment," said Abby Meyer, executive director of BGCI-US, a partner on the project.



Dr. Murphy Westwood is vice president of science and conservation at The Morton Arboretum and senior author of the report. She noted that much of the world’s biodiversity depends on trees, which offer food and habitat for countless plant, animal and fungal species while providing invaluable benefits to humans. “Understanding the current state of trees within the U.S. is imperative to protecting those species, their habitats and the countless communities they support,” said Dr. Westwood.



The research found that most native (plants that evolved in the contiguous U.S.) and endemic (plants found only in the contiguous U.S.) trees are found in the southeastern states, including California and Texas. Florida and Texas have the highest number of native tree species, with 342 and 321, respectively, while Florida and California have the highest number of threatened tree species, with 45 and 44, respectively.



Oaks (genus Quercus) and hawthorns (genus Crataegus) dominate the tree flora of the U.S., with 85 and 84 native species, respectively. Hawthorns and oaks were also found to have the most threatened species, with 29 and 17 species, respectively. The new assessment also reveals that 11–16 percent of native tree species in the contiguous 48 U.S. states are threatened with extinction, with the most common threat being from invasive and problematic pests and diseases.



“This assessment advances our understanding of the threats faced by America’s native trees and will help focus the conservation efforts of public gardens, federal agencies and conservation organizations,” said Dr. Susan Pell, acting executive director of USBG. “The U.S. Botanic Garden is proud to sponsor national partnerships such as this that advance plant conservation.”



In addition, the new and up-to-date, standardized checklist of US tree species and the associated threat assessments will help inform future urban planning, land acquisition decisions, restoration efforts, forestry, scientific research and public education. The project also helps support the first objective of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), that “plant diversity is well understood, documented and recognized.”



“Trees form the basis of many of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems,” said Sean T. O’Brien, Ph.D., president and CEO of NatureServe. “Understanding what trees are threatened and why is critical to informing conservation for trees and ecosystems across the nation.”



According to BGCI’s PlantSearch database of plants in botanical collections, 95 percent (849) of native U.S. tree species are represented in at least one collection, such as a botanic garden, arboretum or seed bank. Most species are actually present in dozens or even hundreds of collections, such as Franklinia alatamaha, which is extinct in the wild. However, the research revealed that there are 17 threatened tree species that are not currently conserved in any collection and thus have no insurance policy against extinction.&nbsp;



“Through initiatives like the Global Tree Assessment, tree research and conservation has evolved from a series of small individual efforts to a global venture grounded in collaborative, scientifically-backed strategies,” said Dr. Westwood. “The checklist is a major milestone for trees, but most importantly, our hope is that this study will inform and amplify the scope of tree conservation efforts across the country,” she added.



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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

At least 1 in 9 native trees in the U.S. are threatened

Despite the fact that the U.S. has ample resources, and...

Paris,,France,-,August,15,,2018,:,Gardener,Using,Roundup

In a recent <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/whats_new_071922_1.html">report</a>, the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC) has provided evidence that over 80 percent of urine samples from children and adults in the United States contained the herbicide glyphosate, which is the main ingredient of Roundup®, the world’s most commonly used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weed-killer-declining-bee-populations/">weed killer</a>. Now, a team of researchers led by&nbsp;Florida Atlantic University&nbsp;(FAU) has found that the use of Roundup® can affect animals’ nervous system, leading to convulsions and other health hazards.



“It is concerning how little we understand the impact of glyphosate on the nervous system,” said study lead author Akshay S. Naraine, a doctoral student in Integrative Biology and Neuroscience at FAU. “More evidence is mounting for how prevalent exposure to glyphosate is, so this work hopefully pushes other researchers to expand on these findings and solidify where our concerns should be.”&nbsp;



The researchers used C. elegans, a soil-dwelling roundworm, to test both glyphosate alone and the U.S. and U.K. formulations of Roundup® from two different time periods - before and after the U.K.’s ban on polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEAs) from 2016. The investigation revealed that all of these substances increased seizure-like behavior in roundworms, providing significant evidence that glyphosate targets GABA-A receptors (which are fundamental for locomotion and sleep and mood regulation in humans). These effects were observed at significantly less levels of glyphosate than those deemed safe by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environment Protection Agency</a> (EPA).



“The concentration listed for best results on the Roundup® Super Concentrate label is 0.98 percent glyphosate, which is about five tablespoons of Roundup® in one gallon of water. A significant finding from our study reveals that just 0.002 percent glyphosate, a difference of about 300 times less herbicide than the lowest concentration recommended for consumer use, had concerning effects on the nervous system,” Naraine reported.



“Given how widespread the use of these products is, we must learn as much as we can about the potential negative impacts that may exist,” added study senior author Ken Dawson-Scully, a neuroscientist at the Nova Southeastern University. “There have been studies done in the past that showed the potential dangers, and our study takes that one step further with some pretty dramatic results.”



Further research is needed to clarify how chronic exposure and accumulation of glyphosate may lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. 



“As of now, there is no information for how exposure to glyphosate and Roundup® may affect humans diagnosed with epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Our study indicates that there is significant disruption in locomotion and should prompt further vertebrate studies,” Professor Dawson-Scully concluded.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17537-w">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



In response to this study, Bayer has released the following statement: "It is important to note that this research was conducted with worms. Research with worms does not meet the scientific standards necessary to predict effects on humans or other mammals for the purposes of a pesticide safety assessment." 



"Safety scientists at regulatory agencies around the world have reviewed glyphosate and the other ingredients in glyphosate-based herbicides and specifically considered whether they can harm the nervous system based on data from high dose studies in mammals, not worms."



"Scientists that have reviewed all of the available data have concluded that neither glyphosate nor the other ingredients in glyphosate-based herbicides will harm the nervous system at doses much greater than what any human would be exposed to."



---



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

Weed killer Roundup® may cause convulsions in animals

In a recent report, the Centers for Disease Control and...

Neurobiologists at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> may have just solved the mystery of why heat makes us sleepy. In a new study focused on fruit flies, the researchers identified a "brain thermometer" that promotes sleep during the hottest hours of the day.&nbsp;



"Small poikilotherms such as the fruit fly Drosophila depend on absolute temperature measurements to identify external conditions that are above (hot) or below (cold) their preferred range and to react accordingly. Hot and cold temperatures have a different impact on fly activity and sleep, but the circuits and mechanisms that adjust behavior to specific thermal conditions are not well understood," wrote the researchers.



In 2020, the Northwestern team identified a brain thermometer that is only active in cold weather. The new study describes a similar brain circuit that is activated by hot <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-immune-defenses-are-weakened-by-rising-temperatures/">temperatures</a>.



“Changes in temperature have a strong effect on behavior in both humans and animals, and offer animals a cue that is time to adapt to the changing seasons,” said Professor Marco Gallio, who led the study.



“The effect of temperature on sleep can be quite extreme, with some animals deciding to sleep off an entire season - think of a hibernating bear - but the specific brain circuits that mediate the interaction between temperature and sleep centers remain largely unmapped.”



Professor Gallio explained that fruit flies are a particularly good model to study big questions, such as why we need sleep, because they do not attempt to disrupt instinct in the same way humans do - like when we pull all-nighters.



The study is the first to identify “absolute heat” receptors in the fly head. According to the researchers, these heat receptors respond to temperatures above about 77 degrees Fahrenheit - the fly’s optimal temperature.&nbsp;



Professor Gallio said it makes sense that there are different brain circuits for hot and cold temperatures because they can have quite different effects on physiology and behavior. Next, the team hopes to identify the common targets of the cold and hot circuit in an effort to determine how each can influence sleep.



“We identified one neuron that could be a site of integration for the effects of hot and cold temperatures on sleep and activity in Drosophila,” said study first author Michael Alpert. “This would be the start of interesting follow-up studies.”



The team is interested in looking at the long-term effects of temperature on behavior and physiology to understand the impact of global warming, looking at how adaptable species are to change, noted Professor Gallio.



“People may choose to take an afternoon nap on a hot day, and in some parts of the world this is a cultural norm, but what do you choose and what is programmed into you? Of course, it’s not culture in flies, so there actually might be a very strong underlying biological mechanism that is overlooked in humans.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.



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

"Brain thermometer" explains why heat makes us feel sleepy

Neurobiologists at Northwestern University may have just solved the mystery...

Plastic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/noise-pollution-is-impacting-life-on-the-seafloor/">pollution</a> is one of the main hazards our planet is currently facing, endangering a variety of ecosystems and contributing to climate change. Despite increased efforts, very little plastic is currently recycled, due to a range of economic and practical reasons. However, petroleum-based plastic waste presents an untapped source of carbon-based chemicals which could serve as the building blocks for useful durable materials and fuels.&nbsp;



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> (PNNL) has now discovered an innovative method to convert plastics more efficiently to valuable chemicals, through a process called “upcycling.” This technique is cheaper than previous ones and produces less methane.



“The key discovery we report is the very low metal load,” said study senior author Janos Szanyi, a chemist at PNNL. “This makes the catalyst much cheaper.” “It was very interesting to us that there had been nothing previously published showing this result,” added first author Linxiao Chen, a postdoctoral fellow at the same laboratory. “This research shows the opportunity to develop effective, selective, and versatile catalysts for plastic upcycling.”



Scientists have already known that adding hydrogen to difficult-to-recycle plastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene presents a promising strategy to convert plastic waste into value-added small hydrocarbons, through a process called hydrogenolysis. Now, the PNNL scientists discovered that reducing the amount of the precious metal ruthenium could improve the polymer upcycling efficiency and selectivity, by causing the structure to shift from an orderly array of particles to disordered rafts of atoms. Moreover, they showed that single atoms – or very small clusters of atoms - are more effective catalysts during this process.



In order to make the method practical to use with mixed plastic recycling streams, the researchers are now exploring how the presence of chlorine affects the efficiency of the chemical conversion.&nbsp;



“We are looking into more demanding extraction conditions,” said study co-author&nbsp;Oliver Y. Gutiérrez, an expert in industrial applications for catalysis at PNNL. “When you don’t have a clean plastic source, in an industrial upcycling process, you have chlorine from polyvinylchloride and other sources. Chlorine can contaminate the plastic upcycling reaction. We want to understand what effect chlorine has on our system.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscatal.2c00684">ACS Catalysis</a> and was presented at the American Chemical Society <a href="https://acs.digitellinc.com/acs/live/28/page/905/">fall meeting</a> in Chicago.



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Converting plastic waste into valuable chemicals

Plastic pollution is one of the main hazards our planet...

Shore,Breaking,Wave

In January 2022, a massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/catastrophic-volcanic-eruption-is-more-likely-than-we-think/">eruption</a> of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano, followed by a tsunami, killed five people and led to large scale destruction in the Tongan archipelago. An international team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a> has now found that the initial tsunami wave created by the eruption reached 90 meters in height - around nine times taller than that from the highly destructive 2011 tsunami that struck Japan.&nbsp;



According to the experts, these findings should act as a wake-up call for international organizations aiming to protect people from similar events in the future, since detection and monitoring systems for volcano-based tsunamis are three decades behind comparable tools used to detect earthquake-based events.



“The Tongan tsunami tragically killed five people and caused large scale destruction, but its effects could have been even greater had the volcano been located closer to human communities. The volcano is located approximately 70 km from the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa – this distance significantly minimized its destructive power,” explained study lead author Mohammad Heidarzadeh, the Secretary-General of the International Tsunami Commission and a senior lecturer of Civil Engineering at the University of Bath.



“This was a gigantic, unique event and one that highlights that internationally we must invest in improving systems to detect volcanic tsunamis as these are currently around 30 years behind the systems we used to monitor for earthquakes. We are under-prepared for volcanic tsunamis.”



By analyzing ocean observation data recordings of atmospheric pressure changes and sea level oscillations, in combination with computer simulations validated by real-world data, Dr. Heidarzadeh and his colleagues discovered that the Tonga tsunami was highly peculiar, with its waves being created not only by the water displaced by the volcanic eruption, but also by enormous atmospheric pressure waves that circled the globe multiple times. Since tsunami warning centers are programmed to detect such events based solely on water displacements, they failed to detect the initial waves created by the atmospheric pressure.



“What is important is to have efficient warning systems, which include both real-time warnings and education on what to do in a case of a tsunami or warning - such systems save lives. In addition, at volcanic areas, monitoring of volcanic activity should be organized, and more high-quality research into volcanic eruptions and areas at hazard is always a good idea,” concluded senior author Jadranka Šepić from the <a href="https://www.unist.hr/en/">University of Split</a> in Croatia.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112165">Ocean Engineering</a>.



---



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

Tsunami wave from Tonga eruption was 90 meters tall

In January 2022, a massive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga...

Many marine organisms use a variety of sounds for echolocation, navigation, or communication, creating rich soundscapes in the world’s oceans. Recently though, increasingly more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reef-health-can-be-measured-through-sound/">sounds</a> from human activities are permeating the waters. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.awi.de/">Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI) has found that such sounds affect some invertebrates that live on the seafloor in such a way that the important functions they provide for their ecosystems may be impacted.



Marine invertebrates such as mussels, crustaceans, or worms are major ecosystem engineers, continually changing the sediment they live in by burrowing, feeding, aerating, and fertilizing it. Such activities contribute to nutrient cycling in the ocean and allow for more carbon from dead organic matter to be stored in the seafloor.



Besides pollution, ocean warming, and acidification, noises caused by human activities are also placing marine organisms under increased stress recently. Experts from AWI have now shown that such noises – coming from resource extraction operations, cargo ships, or recreational boats – stress not only marine mammals, but also invertebrates.&nbsp;



“We investigated how crustaceans, mussels, and worms on the seafloor respond to low-frequency noise and how frequently and intensively they are able to transform and break down sediment during noise exposure,” said study lead author Sheng Wang, a biologist at AWI.&nbsp;



The researchers studied in the laboratory how sound waves with frequencies between 100 and 200 hertz are affecting a variety of amphipods, lugworms, and Baltic clams.&nbsp;



“After six days, we could clearly see that all three species responded to the noise even though they belong to very different groups of animals that lack actual organs for hearing,” reported study senior author Jan Beermann, an AWI ecologist.



While the amphipods burrowed less and not as deep in the sediment following exposure to such sounds, no clear response was observed in the case of lugworms, although they seemed to behave more inconsistently. Potential stress responses in need of investigation have also been noticed for the Baltic clams. According to the scientists, more field studies should be conducted, since experimental setups under laboratory conditions may fail to capture the full complexity of natural settings.



The experts concluded that human-made noises could inhibit seafloor invertebrates from cultivating and restructuring sediments, thus impacting important functions of marine ecosystems, such as nutrient supply and food availability for organisms higher up on the trophic chain, such as fish.&nbsp;



“Things could get even ‘noisier’ on the seafloor due to human activities. We are just beginning to understand how exactly noise processes work here. Understanding this, however, is crucial for the sustainable use of our oceans,” Professor Beermann concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119899">Environmental Pollution</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Noise pollution is impacting life on the seafloor

Many marine organisms use a variety of sounds for echolocation,...

The transport sector currently accounts for over a quarter of all fuel-related greenhouse gas emissions, which negatively impact our climate. Half of these emissions are caused by passenger cars, and worldwide transport demand is expected to triple by 2050. In their efforts to decarbonize transport, governments and industries have recently turned towards electric vehicles. 



However, as a research team from the <a href="https://www.sdu.dk/en">University of Southern Denmark</a> argues, a much older, low-carbon technology might help us reduce emissions and mitigate climate change: the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bike-work-day/">bicycle</a>. According to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00497-4">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>, cycling more could be a highly effective solution for reducing emissions, as well as promoting better health.



The researchers compiled the first global dataset of bicycle ownership and use by country, dating back to the early 1960s, and used statistical modeling to fill in any information gaps. Data analysis revealed that, between 1962 and 2015, global production of bikes was higher than that of cars, with China accounting for almost two-thirds of the more than 123 million bikes manufactured in 2015.&nbsp;



While bicycle ownership was higher in upper- and upper-middle-income countries, so was the percentage of motor vehicle use, suggesting that bicycle ownership does not necessarily lead to high bicycle use. Among the 60 countries analyzed, the share of bicycle use for journeys was only five percent.



According to the scientists, if people emulated the Danish or Dutch bicycle use patterns – with the Danes cycling an average of 1.6 kilometers per day and the Dutch 2.6 – the world could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 686 million metric tons per year.&nbsp;



“A worldwide pro-bicycle policy and infrastructure development enabled modal shift like the Netherlands and Denmark can lead to significant untapped climate and&nbsp;health benefits,” the authors wrote. “In the end, 0.34 and 0.62 million deaths could be prevented if the Danish and Dutch cycling patterns were followed globally.”



Thus, countries should promote sustainable bicycle use via supporting policy, planning, and infrastructure development in order to lower global transport’s carbon footprint and improve public health.



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cycling could dramatically cut carbon emissions

The transport sector currently accounts for over a quarter of...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.aalto.fi/en">Aalto University</a> in Finland has found that food production – already one of the largest stressors on our planet – is made substantially more challenging by the interaction of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-just-experienced-its-shortest-day-on-record/">Earth</a> system processes, defined as the natural activities that keep the planet in a habitable and useful state, such as carbon sequestration in forests or nutrient run off into freshwater systems. According to the scientists, the complex interactions between these processes challenge their boundaries, and affect how well they function.



“Food production is a major cause of environmental stress, impacting on biodiversity loss, the climate, and overexploitation of marine resources,” said study co-author Steven Lade, an expert in Sustainable Development at the<a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/"> Australian National University</a> (ANU). “We need to start producing food in a sustainable way. By assessing the interaction of Earth system processes we can ensure they are considered when designing and implementing food production and agriculture policy.”



By examining and characterizing various Earth system processes, the researchers highlighted how they can be used in order to develop more sustainable food production techniques. The investigation revealed several pivotal interactions which are frequently overlooked, such as the impact of “green water” on food production and biodiversity.



“Green water refers to the water stored in soil that is available for plants to grow. It has a central role to play in interacting with, and regulating all the other processes like land, biodiversity, and water flow,” Dr. Lade explained. “Ensuring we address these various interactions will require action. We need better communication, meaning that authorities responsible for areas like agriculture policy and marine policy need to talk to each other.”



“We need to take a holistic approach when it comes to managing sustainable food production so that it doesn’t strain the boundaries of our natural systems. We need to look beyond just water and land as inputs for food production.”



The scientists argue that most challenges stem from a complex web of interactions between the ocean, freshwater, and land biospheres. Acknowledging these interactions and boundaries is crucial for maintaining stability and resilience in the Earth’s systems. “System interactions make sustainable food production more challenging. However, the interconnected nature means taking positive actions can have extensive flow on effects,” Dr. Lade concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00940-6">Nature Sustainability</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Food production affects Earth’s natural processes

A new study led by the Aalto University in Finland...

Scientists have long known about the massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-building-blocks-of-life-may-come-from-asteroids/">asteroid</a> impact crater on what is now the Gulf of Mexico, which wiped out the dinosaurs and most other organisms on our planet 66 million years ago. Now, the discovery of what appears to be a second impact crater on the other side of the Atlantic - about 400 kilometers off the coast of Guinea, West Africa - raises the question of whether more than one giant meteorite bombarded the Earth on that fateful day.



The Nadir Crater, located 300 meters below the seabed, was discovered accidentally by Dr. Uisdean Nicholson, a geoscientist at the <a href="https://www.hw.ac.uk/">Herriot-Watt University</a>, while he was analyzing seismic survey data to better understand past climatic changes.&nbsp;



“These surveys are kind of like an ultrasound of Earth. I’ve spent probably the last 20 years interpreting them, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Dr. Nicholson reported. “Nadir’s shape is diagnostic of an asteroid impact. It's got a raised rim surrounding a central uplift area, and then layers of debris that extend outwards.”



While the asteroid that created the Chicxulub Crater in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to measure over 12 kilometers in diameter, simulations suggest that the one responsible for the Nadir Crater was only about 400 meters wide.&nbsp;



However, according to Veronica Bray, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, the impact would have generated a tsunami over one kilometer high, as well as an earthquake with a magnitude of about 6.5. "The energy released would have been around 1,000 times greater than that from the January 2022 eruption and tsunami in Tonga,”said Bray.



Yet, how closely related in time the two asteroid impacts were remains an open question. The analysis of fossils of known age drilled from a borehole near the Nadir Crater suggest that the impact may have occurred at a similar date with that in Mexico, but further examinations of rocks from the crater are needed to draw clear conclusions.&nbsp;



Geologist Sean Gulick argues that while the asteroid might have fallen to Earth on the same day, it is also possible that it struck our planet a million years before or after the Mexican cataclysm. “A much smaller cousin, or sister, doesn’t necessarily add to what we know about the dinosaurs’ extinction, but it does add to our understanding of the astronomical event that was Chicxulub,” he said.&nbsp;



“Was this a break-up of a parent body that had multiple fragments that hit the Earth over time? Was Chicxulub a double asteroid where a smaller object orbited a bigger one? These are interesting questions to pursue, because to learn that Chicxulub might have this extra excitement of a second crater at the same time changes the story a little bit about how Chicxulub came to be.”



The discovery of the Nadir Crater is reported in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn3096">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&nbsp;&nbsp;

New impact crater dates back to the end of the dinosaurs

Scientists have long known about the massive asteroid impact crater...

The American Midwest is an important summer breeding ground for eastern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monarch-butterflies-are-officially-listed-as-endangered/">monarch butterflies</a>, which – over the course of one year and four generations – migrate between central Mexico and parts of the United States and southern Canada. However, between 1996 and 2014, the eastern monarch population has declined by over 80 percent – with climate change considered the main culprit - leading the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for the Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) to place these fascinating insects on its list of endangered species.&nbsp;



Now, by using extensive data sets and established climate models, a team of researchers from <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a> (MSU) has forecasted which counties in the midwestern U.S. and Ontario, Canada, are most likely to offer the best breeding grounds for monarchs.



“These projections let us look at how monarch populations will change across the Midwest and say, ‘Here’s where they’ll likely do a little better, here’s where they might do a little worse,’” said study lead author Erin Zylstra, a former postdoctoral fellow in Quantitative Ecology at MSU.&nbsp;



“Climate change is a huge global problem that requires nations working together to solve. When we talk about conservation, though, we tend to want to know what we can do in our local communities. If we can find the places where the impacts of climate change aren’t expected to be so bad, those could become the areas where we invest our resources.”



In their analysis, Dr. Zylstra and her colleagues took into consideration four climate change scenarios in order to forecast monarch population changes in counties throughout the summer breeding grounds, as well as on the overwintering grounds in Mexico. In each of the scenarios, the eastern monarch population is expected to decline, which is not surprising considering their current trajectory. However, identifying the local areas where populations are growing or at least remaining constant offers new hope that their decline could be slowed or even reversed.



“We’re answering scientific questions that we think are important, but we are also working with on-the-ground individuals and agencies that can use our work to implement strategic conservation,” said study senior author Elise Zipkin, an associate professor of Quantitative Ecology at MSU. “The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center helps us get our research directly into the hands of those people who are thinking about next steps.”



“Monarchs are special. They’re beautiful, easy to identify, widely distributed and they get people to care about conservation in general. Absolutely, with action, we can protect our planet, we can protect other migratory species, we can protect pollinators and we can protect monarchs,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16349">Global Change Biology</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;&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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Scientists forecast the future of monarch butterflies

The American Midwest is an important summer breeding ground for...

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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 



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <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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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[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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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.

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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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



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



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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

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