Researchers at Montana State University (MSU) have unearthed a remarkable ancient forest preserved under ice on the Beartooth Plateau, providing a rare look into how warming climates could reshape alpine ecosystems.&nbsp;



The study, published in the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412162121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, analyzes the remnants of a mature whitebark pine forest that once thrived at an elevation of 10,000 feet during a period of warmer temperatures roughly 6,000 years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-forest-exposed-by-melting-ice">Ancient forest exposed by melting ice</h2>



The forest, which endured for centuries before cooling temperatures forced it to retreat downslope, was sealed under ice approximately 5,500 years ago due to a shift in summer solar radiation and subsequent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/volcanic-cooling-not-warming-caused-a-major-mass-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">volcanic cooling</a>.&nbsp;



“This is pretty dramatic evidence of ecosystem change due to temperature warming. It's an amazing story of how dynamic these systems are,” said David McWethy, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor in <a href="https://www.montana.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MSU</a>’s Department of Earth Sciences.



Unlike glaciers, ice patches do not flow and instead preserve deposited materials such as pollen, charcoal, and macrofossils in their frozen layers. These conditions allowed the forest to remain intact until recent warming caused the ice to melt, exposing the ancient remnants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-collaborative-effort-to-decode-climate-history">Collaborative effort to decode climate history</h2>



The idea to explore the Beartooth Plateau for ancient climate clues stemmed from earlier discoveries by Craig Lee, now an assistant professor at MSU. In 2007, Lee uncovered a 10,300-year-old atlatl fragment in the region, suggesting that layers of ice held vast records of cultural and environmental history.



“Most of our best long-term climate records come from Greenland and Antarctica. It's not a small thing to find ice patches that persisted for that long a time period at lower latitudes in the interior continent,” McWethy noted.



Building on this discovery, McWethy, Lee, and Greg Pederson, a paleoclimatologist with the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, began investigating the ice patches in 2016. By 2018, their team expanded the project to study additional alpine ice patches in the region.&nbsp;



This collaborative effort involved tribes, federal agencies, and multiple universities and focused on reconstructing the area’s long-term <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-earths-temperature-has-changed-over-500-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate history</a> and its influence on Indigenous peoples.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reconstructing-the-ancient-alpine-ecosystem">Reconstructing the ancient alpine ecosystem</h2>



To piece together the story of the forest, the team examined multiple elements of this alpine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alpine-ecosystems-are-thrown-off-balance-by-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystem</a>. Using ice cores, they analyzed water isotopes and organic material, while Pederson harvested cross-sections of ancient wood for radiocarbon dating. 



The findings confirmed that during a period of moderate and moist climate, tree lines shifted upward, allowing whitebark pine forests to thrive for 500 years.



“The plateau seems to have been the perfect place to allow for ice patches to establish and persist for thousands of years, recording important information on past climate, human activity and environmental change,” Pederson said.



The study suggests that as today’s climate warms, tree lines could rise again, transforming areas of alpine tundra into forest. However, Pederson cautioned that factors such as precipitation, wind, and snowpack would influence the density, distribution, and composition of these potential new forests.&nbsp;



“Growing season temperatures are the primary control on tree line elevation and latitude, but other factors such as moisture, wind, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-driven-climate-change-is-to-blame-for-sharp-snowpack-declines-since-1980/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">snowpack</a> and human disturbance may play an important role in dictating forest structure and elevational limits,” he explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-alpine-ecosystems">Implications for alpine ecosystems</h2>



The researchers warn that these changes could have profound impacts on the region’s ecosystem and resources. Rising tree lines might alter high-altitude snowpack, which serves as a critical water source for irrigation and hydroelectric power.&nbsp;



Additionally, if forests encroach on tundra areas, they could increase the risk of wildfires due to changing fuel conditions.



Cathy Whitlock, a climate expert and MSU Regents Professor Emerita, emphasized the broader implications. She noted that reduced snowpack could strain water supplies, while McWethy added that the establishment of forests in tundra areas might fundamentally alter the region’s fire dynamics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-from-the-past-to-predict-the-future">Learning from the past to predict the future</h2>



The study emphasizes the importance of understanding past ecological changes to prepare for future challenges.&nbsp;



“That’s the reason why studies of past ecological change are more than interesting pieces of science. They have much larger implications for the resources we all depend on,” Pederson said.



As climate change accelerates, the Beartooth Plateau’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ancient forest</a> serves as both a stark reminder of the Earth’s dynamic ecosystems and a window into the potential future of high-altitude environments.



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Frozen forest reveals climate impacts on alpine ecosystems

Researchers at Montana State University (MSU) have unearthed a remarkable ancient forest preserved under ice on the Beartooth Plateau, providing a rare look into how warming climates could reshape alpine ecosystems.&nbsp; The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzes the remnants of a mature whitebark pine forest that once thrived at an elevation of 10,000 feet during a period of warmer temperatures roughly 6,000 years ago. Ancient forest exposed by melting ice The forest, which endured for centuries before cooling temperatures forced...

Narwhals, who are often isolated from human disruption, are now impacted from the loud noises of oil exploration. They live in high <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-depletion-in-the-arctic-leads-to-weather-anomalies/">Arctic</a> waters where sea ice has isolated them from human disturbance for millions of years. Recent declines in polar sea ice have made the region more accessible to human activity like shipping and natural resource exploration.



Narwhals respond to the noise of seismic air guns by swimming away to escape the noise, and this has been found disruptive to their physical capabilities.&nbsp;



“They’re swimming as hard as they can to get away, and yet their heart rate is not increasing - we think because of a fear response. This affects how much blood and oxygen can circulate, and that’s going to be problematic,” said Terrie Williams, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">UC Santa Cruz</a> who led the new study.



The study is a first look at the impact of seismic noise on the physiological responses of a deep-diving cetacean. In narwhals, the combination of low heart rates, increased heart rate variability, and high-intensity exercise presents a significant physiological challenge. This will only intensify as oil exploration, and other human activity continues.&nbsp;



The researchers recorded extremely low heart rates during noise exposure and increased variability, with heart rates switching rapidly between extremely low rates associated with fear and fast rates associated with intense exercise.&nbsp;



Reduced heart rate, or bradycardia, is a normal part of the mammalian dive response. Narwhals and other deep-diving marine mammals usually save energy by gliding rather than actively swimming as they descend to depth.



During noise exposure, it was found that narwhals performed 80 percent less gliding, their swimming strokes exceeded 40 strokes per minute, their heart rates dropped below 10 beats per minute, and their breathing at the surface was 1.5 times faster. This abnormal reaction is very costly in terms of energy consumption, explained Professor Williams.



“Not only is the reaction costly in terms of the energy needed for diving, the escape time will also take away from time spent foraging for food and other normal behaviors,” she said.



The research was conducted in Scoresby Sound on the east coast of Greenland, where study co-author Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen, has been studying the East Greenland narwhal population for more than a decade.



Over the past two decades, noise from human activities such as military sonar has been linked to mass strandings of deep-diving cetaceans, mostly beaked whales. These deep-diving species are extremely difficult to study. By partnering with Indigenous hunters, the research teams were able to attach monitoring devices to narwhals.



“Most of the potential impacts on the animals take place underwater, so it’s really difficult to study,” said Professor Williams. “We are fortunate to have this technology to show what’s happening at depth where these animals live in order to understand how their biology may be disrupted."



This work was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Environmental Agency for Mineral Resource Activities of the Government of Greenland, the Danish Ministry of Environment, and the Carlsberg Foundation.



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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

Narwhals struggle to escape the stress of ship noise

Narwhals, who are often isolated from human disruption, are now...

As the bodyguards of the coast, barrier islands offer protection from storms and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-makes-some-plants-resistant-to-flooding/">flooding</a>, and if you have beachfront property, they protect your home. However, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00980-9">a paper published in Nature Geoscience</a> predicts that barrier islands will begin disappearing 50 percent faster than they have in the past.



"These findings can be applied all over the world, but they may be particularly significant in the U.S., where houses are being built extremely close to the beach," said study lead author Professor Giulio Mariotti of <a href="https://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a>.



Still, the barrier island situation is not so simple. Mariotti explained that there have been gaps in our understanding. "It is well known that barrier islands retreat as sea level rises, but it has not been clear how."



Mariotti and co-author Christopher Hein of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science noticed that barrier island retreat hasn't kept pace as sea levels have risen.&nbsp;



To explore this question further, Mariotti developed a computer model. Many scientists thought barrier islands would retreat as fast as sea levels rose. However, Mariotti's model shows a lag between sea-level rise and barrier island retreat.&nbsp;



Mariotti explained why previous researchers got it wrong. "One reason previous models didn't see the lag was because they assumed the geometry of the whole coastal tract – from the lower continental shelf to the upland boundary, including subaerial barriers, inlets and tidal channels ­- was frozen. However, the geometry can change and that's what's enabling this lag effect."



The model makes a worrisome prediction. The model predicts that over the next 100 years, the rate of barrier island retreat will increase by at least 50 percent. The rate could climb further if storm strength and frequency continue to increase or sea levels begin to rise faster. The author also points out that this prediction can vary by region.&nbsp;



Mariotti explained why his model is unique: "One of the most original parts of this model is it can run simulations over thousands of years but can also provide insights into decades, which is more interesting for management. At the same time, I can also run simulations over centuries and millennia, which allows the results to be compared with geologic data."&nbsp;



Although this model does not give us the best news, it provides some of the information we need to manage coastlines and a way to compare current conditions with Earth's geological past.



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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

Barrier islands are set to retreat at an alarming rate

As the bodyguards of the coast, barrier islands offer protection...

A new study led by <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> (OSU) has argued that efforts to conserve the carbon stored in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellite-data-reveals-vulnerable-tropical-forests-on-a-global-scale/">tropical forests</a> would benefit by linking them to policies designed to protect the endangered primate populations that live there. Since climate change and the biodiversity crisis are two of the major problems our planet is currently facing, integrating climate mitigation and biodiversity protection has a greater potential to attract support among both policy makers and the larger public than trying to tackle climate change in isolation.



“Climate change and the biodiversity crisis are two of the planet’s greatest threats,” said study co-author William Ripple, a professor of Ecology at OSU. “And it’s becoming clear that large-scale climate action won’t happen if we treat climate change as a standalone problem.”



Together with Christopher Wolf, a postdoctoral fellow at the same university, Professor Ripple analyzed 340 species of threatened forest primates in terms of how much carbon their habitats are warehousing. The forests’ total carbon stocks of 861 gigatons include 140 gigatons that are characterized as “irrecoverable.” According to Dr. Wolf, among the lands with the highest levels of irrecoverable carbon, there are 635,000 square kilometers that also hold the highest levels of forest primate species biodiversity.&nbsp;



In South America, Africa, and Asia, for instance, many primate species live in “hotspots” – areas with a large amount of irrecoverable carbon that are also high in primate species diversity. Unfortunately, despite their conservation and climate mitigation value, these hotspots remain largely unprotected.



“Conserving irrecoverable carbon is obviously an important objective and policies aimed at achieving it might be more appealing and effective if they were framed in the context of multiple benefits,” Dr. Wolf said.&nbsp;



“The effectiveness of linking irrecoverable carbon and forest primates will depend on policy implementation details,” added Professor Ripple. “For example, some primate species may be especially charismatic and have ranges that are closely aligned with irrecoverable forest carbon. That opens the door to sustainable ecotourism that could provide funding for simultaneously safeguarding primates and carbon.”



However, the researchers warn that any policies must account for local conditions and help support indigenous populations, overall human well-being, and sustainability.



“What we’re arguing for will require extensive collaboration. And primates make up only a single taxonomic order, one that’s heavily concentrated in the tropics. That means efforts are needed to look at the overlap between irrecoverable carbon and species in other taxonomic groups, especially in temperate regions. But the primate-carbon connection is an important start,” Dr. Wolf concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2207604119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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;

Climate action should be linked with primate protection

A new study led by Oregon State University (OSU) has...

While many people are familiar with the hole in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/this-years-ozone-hole-is-larger-than-antarctica/">ozone</a> layer above the Antarctica, until recently less attention has been given to the problems the protective ozone in the stratosphere over the Arctic is also facing. In 2011 and 2020, for instance, a significant thinning of the ozone layer over the North Pole gave rise to weather anomalies across the entire northern hemisphere, including exceptionally warm and dry springs in central and northern Europe and Russia, or unusually wet conditions in the polar regions. However, whether there is a direct causal relationship between stratospheric ozone destruction and these weather anomalies has remained a matter of debate in climate science.



To clarify this issue, a team of experts led by <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zürich</a> ran simulations which integrated ozone depletion into two different climate models, and discovered that the main cause of the weather anomalies in the northern hemisphere observed in 2011 and 2020 is most likely ozone depletion over the Arctic. The simulations coincided with observational data from these two years (as well as eight such events which were used for comparison purposes). Moreover, when the scientists removed ozone destruction from their models, they could not reproduce the results.&nbsp;



“What surprised us most from a scientific point of view is that, even though the models we were using for the simulation are utterly different, they produced similar results,” said study co-author Gabriel Chiodo, an expert in Climate Dynamics at ETH Zürich.



According to the scientists, ozone depletion occurs when temperatures in the Arctic are very low. “Ozone destruction occurs only when it is cold enough and the polar vortex is strong in the stratosphere, about 30 to 50 kilometers above the ground,” explained study lead author Marina Friedel, a doctoral student in Environmental Sciences at the same university.&nbsp;



Usually, ozone absorbs UV radiation from the Sun, warming the stratosphere and helping to break down the polar vortex in spring. However, if there is less ozone, the stratosphere cools down and the vortex becomes stronger. “A strong polar vortex then produces the effects observed at the Earth’s surface,” Dr. Chiodo said. Thus, ozone appears to play a fundamental role in temperature and circulation changes around the Arctic.



These findings could help climate scientists build more accurate seasonal weather and climate forecasts, allowing for better predictions of temperature fluctuations, which are crucial for agriculture. However, more research is needed to understand the future evolution of the ozone layer. Although ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been banned since 1989, they are extremely long lived, and can linger in the atmosphere for up to a century, thus still damaging the ozone layer. “Yet CFC concentrations are steadily declining, and this raises the question of how quickly the ozone layer is recovering and how this will affect the climate system,” Friedel concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00974-7">Nature Geoscience</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;

Ozone depletion in the Arctic leads to weather anomalies

While many people are familiar with the hole in the...

As the world starts to wean itself off fossil fuels and turn to "greener" alternatives, the focus will turn to wind farms, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/switching-to-solar-energy-affects-endangered-florida-panthers/">solar energy</a>, electric cars and improved batteries. All these technologies will require a high volume and wide range of metallic resources, many of which are in short supply – except in deposits under the sea bed.&nbsp;



There is currently no deep-sea mining taking place, but the International Seabed Authority has granted 19 exploratory licenses in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii. Mining of the sea bed would involve mining platforms at the surface, a range of robotic mining machines and hydraulic pumps, as well as surface ships, all of which would generate underwater noise.&nbsp;



A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a> examines the potential for underwater noise pollution from seabed mining operations, and concludes that the noise from one mine alone could travel approximately 500 km (about 311 miles) from the source and could potentially affect deep-sea species that are relatively unknown and unstudied.&nbsp;



For the investigation, an international team of scientists modeled the potential noise pollution effects using&nbsp;known noise levels from oil and gas industry ships and coastal dredges. Although mining companies are already testing smaller-scale prototypes of deep-sea mining systems, they have yet to share their data on underwater noise pollution, so the researchers had to use noise levels from these better-studied industrial activities.&nbsp;



True noise levels from deep-sea mining may be different from the proxies used in this study, but are likely to be higher, rather than lower, because seabed mining equipment is much larger and more powerful than the machinery used in the proxy activities. “These are probably conservative estimates," noted Andrew Friedman, director of Pew’s seabed mining project.&nbsp;



In addition, if there are several mining operations in an area, the sounds generated will overlap and interfere, potentially creating complex noise patterns in the underwater environment. The deep sea is the largest environment on Earth, and is home to organisms found nowhere else, many of which are likely to use sound to communicate, find food, navigate and avoid predators, given the absence of light at these depths.



Overall, 17 contractors are currently exploring the possibility of mining in the CCZ, an area that spans 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles). The authors of the study estimate that, if each of the contractors were to launch just one mine, an estimated 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles) – an area larger than the European Union – would have elevated noise levels. Not only could this level of mining activity have untold impacts on noise-sensitive species, but the noise generated would carry into areas known as “preservation reference areas” where no mining will take place. These areas have been set aside as controls to monitor the impacts of the mining activity and to use for scientific comparisons.&nbsp;



“What surprised me most was how easy it would be for noise from just one or two mines to impact nearby areas that have been set aside as experimental controls,” said Rob Williams, co-founder of Oceans Initiative. “With so many unknowns, we need a careful comparison of these preservation reference areas to sites where mining is taking place in order to understand mining’s impacts. But noise will cross the boundaries between preservation zones and mining sites.”



Craig R. Smith is a professor emeritus at the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a>. “Our modeling suggests that mining noise could impact areas far beyond the actual mining sites, including preservation reference zones, which are required under draft mining regulations to be unaffected by mining.” Professor Smith said this finding “could require rethinking of environmental regulations, including the number of mining operations allowed within the CCZ.”



“Estimating the noise of future equipment and installations is a challenge, but we don’t have to wait until the first mines are operational to discover the noise they make," said Professor Christine Erbe of Curtin University. "By identifying the level of noise in the engineering design phase, we can better prepare for how this might impact marine life.”



The island nation of Nauru invoked a United Nations rule two years ago that could force the International Seabed Authority, to complete regulations that would allow large-scale seabed mining by July 2023. This deadline makes it unlikely that sufficient research will have been done to accurately assess the ecological risks from underwater noise pollution. Because of this, an increasing number of countries, experts, corporations, and environmental organizations are calling for a halt to any seabed mining until scientists can confirm that the mining will not cause harm to the marine environment.



Friedman said that the current study highlights how much remains unknown about mining’s potential impacts, not just on the deep ocean, but throughout the water column. At the moment, the science and governance surrounding deep-sea mining remain woefully inadequate.&nbsp;



“The deep sea houses potentially millions of species that have yet to be identified, and processes there allow life on Earth to exist,” said Travis Washburn, a deep-sea ecologist at AIST. “While much work is still needed to determine the extent and magnitude of environmental impacts from deep-sea mining, with careful study and management we have a unique opportunity to understand and mitigate human impacts to the environment before they occur.”



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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

Noise from deep-sea mining may stretch hundreds of miles

As the world starts to wean itself off fossil fuels...

Researchers from <a href="https://mortonarb.org/">The Morton Arboretum</a> and United States Botanic Garden (USBG) have located a lone Chisos Mountain oak,&nbsp;Quercus tardifolia, within the Big Bend National Park in Texas, U.S.A. The rare species has only ever been recorded in the Chisos Mountains in Texas, and in the nearby Sierra del Carmen in northern Coahuila, Mexico. It was first described in the 1930s and the last living specimen was believed to have perished in 2011.



Botanical researchers from 10 different institutions collaborated in the search for a living specimen of the oak tree in its native Chisos Mountains. Their find, although exciting, is also rather disheartening because the 30-foot tree is in very poor condition. Its trunk has been burned in places, and it shows signs of severe fungal infection. It is clearly clinging to life at this stage; a single bush fire or season of drought could mean the end of it.



“This work is crucial to preserve the biodiversity that Earth is so quickly losing,” said Dr. Murphy Westwood. “If we ignore the decline of&nbsp;Q. tardifolia&nbsp;and other rare, endangered trees, we could see countless domino effects with the loss of other living entities in the ecosystems supported by those trees,” she said. According to Westwood,&nbsp;Q. tardifolia&nbsp;is considered one of the rarest, if not the rarest oak in the world.



Scientists are interested in understanding why this species of tree is on the verge of extinction because this knowledge may help to manage other endangered species such that they don’t face the same fate. The group of researchers that discovered the living specimen on May 25, 2022, is now working with the National Park Service to protect the tree from the threat of fires, which have become more prevalent due to climate change. In addition, conservationists will search for acorns from the parent plant and attempt to germinate them, thus propagating new specimens.&nbsp;



“This is important collaborative research necessary for the conservation of&nbsp;Q. tardifolia,” said Carolyn Whiting, a botanist at Big Bend National Park. “The Chisos Mountains support a high diversity of oak species, partly because of the wide range of habitats available in this ‘sky island.’ There is still much to learn about the oaks in the Chisos.”



“The United States Botanic Garden is thrilled about the success of this partnership and collecting trip that rediscovered such a rare oak,” said Susan Pell, Ph.D., acting executive director at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usbg.gov/">United States Botanic Garden</a>, which is funding and collaborating on the project. “This discovery is just the beginning of the conservation work we are doing in partnership with The Morton Arboretum to better understand and conserve threatened trees.”



Scientists in the collaborative plan to undertake genetic analysis of the newly-discovered lone tree in order to establish whether its DNA matches that of other specimens collected previously. Oaks tend to hybridize easily, which may allow them to adapt more quickly to changing climate conditions such as extreme heat and new diseases. However, frequent hybridization can blur the genetic lines between oak species in a given ecosystem like Big Bend.&nbsp;



“This is an interesting problem. We’re looking into whether this tree is genetically similar to other trees that have been previously collected as&nbsp;Q. tardifolia. That should tell us whether this collection is the same as what Cornelius H. Muller named&nbsp;Q. tardifolia.&nbsp;It should also tell us whether this collection of specimens is genetically distinct enough from other, closely related oaks in the area to warrant recognition as a species," said Dr. Andrew Hipp.



Oaks are unusual among tree species because their acorns cannot survive the usual treatment given to seeds that are stored in seed banks. Acorns do not tolerate being dried and frozen for long periods of time.&nbsp; Because of this, they must be preserved in the wild or in living collections, which is why the involvement of botanical gardens is critical. The researchers who found the&nbsp;Q. tardifolia&nbsp;tree are concerned that it may not be producing acorns due to its dire condition. If this is the case, then other methods of propagation, including grafting, will be used to preserve the oak’s future.



“Across the planet, oaks serve as an ecological anchor cleaning air, filtering water, sequestering carbon dioxide and supporting countless fungi, insects, birds and mammals,” explained Westwood. “When one is lost, we don’t know what else we might permanently lose in its wake."



However, Westwood, Pell and others warn that conservation efforts such as this require collaborative initiatives, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalconservationconsortia.org/gcc/oak/">Global Conservation Consortium for Oak</a>, the involvement of botanical gardens and a variety of scientific experts to secure a future for endangered trees.



“In many ways, this tree is an ancient relic. Due to the changing climate, the world is completely different now than when it evolved,” said Wesley Knapp, chief botanist at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.natureserve.org/">NatureServe</a>, who participated in the expedition. “It is incumbent upon us to learn from it and protect it while we still can in order to inform future conservation efforts,” he said. “Nature rarely hands us a second chance, and I doubt we’ll get a third. We won’t waste it.”&nbsp;



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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

Researchers find "extinct" oak tree hiding in plain sight

Researchers from The Morton Arboretum and United States Botanic Garden...

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13798-7">Nature Scientific Reports</a> has documented large groups of southern fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) in ancient feeding grounds in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-groundwater-system-discovered-beneath-antarctica/">Antarctica</a> for the first time since their hunting was restricted in 1976. During two expeditions in April 2018 and March 2019, the experts recorded 100 groups of fin whales with group sizes ranging from one to four individuals, and eight unusually large groups of up to 150 whales that seemed to be actively feeding.



During the nineteenth century, southern fin whales were extensively hunted, particularly around their feeding grounds in Antarctica and, by the time their hunting was banished in 1976, over 700,000 individuals had been killed. Now, their populations seem to be rebounding at an unprecedented rate.



“I’d never seen so many whales in one place before and was absolutely fascinated watching these massive groups feed,” said study co-author Bettina Meyer, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI).&nbsp;“Even if we still don’t know the total number of fin whales in the Antarctic, due to the lack of simultaneous observations, this could be a good sign that, nearly 50 years after the ban on commercial whaling, the fin whale population in the Antarctic is rebounding.”



By modelling fin whale population densities in the Antarctic, the scientists predicted a population of 7,909 whales for the total survey area, with a density of 0.09 individuals per square kilometer, which significantly surpasses whale populations in other regions of the world. Moreover, in a noticeable hotspot around Elephant Island, the estimated fin whale abundance is even higher, with 3,618 individuals, or 0.21 per kilometer squared.



According to the researchers, this rebound in fin whale populations could enrich the Antarctic’s marine ecosystem through nutrient recycling from whale feeding and excrement, thus supporting the growth of phytoplankton and krill populations. “When the whale population grows, the animals recycle more nutrients, increasing the productivity of the Southern Ocean. This boosts the growth of algae, which for their part absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, reducing the atmospheric CO2&nbsp;concentration,” Dr. Meyer concluded.&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;

Fin whales are finally rebounding in the Antarctic

A new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports...

Almost half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk for dengue fever – a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the dengue virus. Currently, dengue is considered a major public health problem in Sri Lanka. Since it is difficult to develop safe and effective vaccines against this virus, controlling mosquito populations is considered the most effective strategy for preventing the spread of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-pollution-has-been-linked-to-heart-disease/">disease</a>. 



An international team of scientists has now found that increases in three climate factors – rainfall, temperatures, and ocean warming – can reliably predict mosquito population growth in Sri Lanka, and thus provide opportunities to issue early warnings on the prevalence of the insects for the entire dengue season.



In Sri Lanka, dengue transmission patterns closely follow the country’s monsoonal rainfalls, with a peak in July following the southwest monsoon, and another one in December-January, after the northeast monsoon. While scientists have long known that there is a relationship between climate variables and the abundance, feeding patterns, and lifespan of Aedes mosquitoes – the primary vector that transmits the disease – the precise relation between the climate and insect activity is still poorly understood.



“Dengue transmission is expected to intensify due to climate change. If we can use climate and weather data to predict seasonal patterns of mosquitos, this timely information would allow public health authorities to proactively manage mosquito control operations,” said study co-author Yesim Tozan, an assistant professor of Global Health at <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">New York University</a> (NYU).



In order to quantify the effects of climate on Aedes mosquitoes in Kalutara, a district in Sri Lanka with a high prevalence of dengue, the scientists measured three monthly weather variables – rainfall, temperatures, and Oceanic Niño Index (which shows the degree of ocean warming) - from 2010 to 2018, and compared them with surveillance data of mosquito prevalence in Kalutara. They found that all three climate variables predicted mosquito activity, but with different time lags.



While an increase in rainfall - which frequently leads to outdoor containers filling with water and creating breeding sites - predicted a greater prevalence of mosquitoes within the same month, warmer temperatures were associated with increases in populations of these insects one or two months later. In addition, higher ocean temperatures caused by El Niño&nbsp;predicted increases in mosquito abundance with a five to six months delay.



“These climate factors have the potential to serve as predictors of mosquito activity at different times and may enable us to quantify the risk and implement effective mosquito control interventions before a dengue epidemic emerges,” said study lead author Prasad Liyanage, who conducted the research during his doctoral studies in Epidemiology and Global Health at <a href="https://www.umu.se/en/">Umeå University</a>.



“Tracking El Niño events has the added advantage of predicting the seasonal prevalence of&nbsp;Aedes&nbsp;mosquitoes with a lead time of six months, which could provide opportunities to issue early warnings on mosquito prevalence for the entire dengue season,” concluded Professor Tozan.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00143-7/fulltext#%20">The Lancet Planetary Health</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Climate variables can predict future mosquito activity

Almost half of the world’s population lives in areas at...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.sysu.edu.cn/sysuen/">Sun Yat-sen University</a> in China has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-island-birds-are-changing-and-human-activities-are-to-blame/">birds</a> with brightly-colored feathers under their wings may have evolved these traits in order to avoid mid-air collisions. By comparing the underwing colors of 1,780 bird species, the experts found that larger birds, as well as those that flocked together in big colonies, were more likely to have brightly-colored, contrasting feathers – most probably because large birds cannot duck and weave as easily as smaller ones, while birds living in large colonies need to constantly avoid collisions with a multitude of conspecifics.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Collisions between fast-moving objects often cause severe damage, but collision avoidance mechanisms of fast-moving animals remain understudied,” the authors wrote. “Particularly, birds can fly fast and often in large groups, raising the question of how individuals avoid in-flight collisions that potentially are lethal.”



Since heavier bird species, such as the California Condor, the Great White Pelican, and the Whooping Crane, have reduced manoeuvrability, limiting their ability to make fast, sharp turns in order to avoid in-flight collisions, the researchers believe they have evolved their color patterns to help them being easily spotted by their conspecifics during flight. Similarly, birds living in large flocks where the risks of collisions are significantly higher, have also developed such traits.



Besides helping them avoid collisions, the evolution of bright, contrasting underwings may have yet another benefit: increasing the chances of escaping predators. “A number of predators do frequently attack individuals in colonies. For example, African Fish Eagles or baboons regularly try to kill flamingos,” the authors explained. “Upon escaping, individuals display their black-pink contrasting patches on their ventral wings, which could signal the presence of a predator to neighbors, enhance the confusion effect, and reduce collisions during escape.”



In future research, the scientists aim to clarify the mechanisms underlying collision avoidance in gregarious, fast-moving birds, as well as in a variety of other animals.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.0678">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</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;

Some birds evolved bright colors to avoid collisions

A new study led by the Sun Yat-sen University in...

Plants are essential for human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-little-impact-wellbeing/">well-being</a>. Plants feed us, supply us with shelter, and in many cases, keep us warm and provide light. It should be no surprise that humans are inherently drawn to these essential beings. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> set out to delve deeper into this relationship by looking at the potential benefits of gardening.



"Past studies have shown that gardening can help improve the mental health of people who have existing medical conditions or challenges," said Professor Charles Guy, the primary investigator for the research. "Our study shows that healthy people can also experience a boost in mental well-being through gardening.”&nbsp;



The study participants were 32 physically and mentally healthy women between 26 and 49 years of age. Half the women gardened twice a week, while the other half participated in art-making sessions twice a week.&nbsp;



Professor Guy explained this approach: "Both gardening and art activities involve learning, planning, creativity and physical movement, and they are both used therapeutically in medical settings. This makes them more comparable, scientifically speaking, than, for example, gardening and bowling or gardening and reading."



To access mental health, the women were asked to complete surveys that measured anxiety, depression, stress, and mood. As time passed, those who gardened had slightly less anxiety than those who made art.



The sample size is notably small, but the researchers hope the findings will inspire further studies with more participants.&nbsp;



“Larger-scale studies may reveal more about how gardening is correlated with changes in mental health," said Guy. "We believe this research shows promise for mental wellbeing, plants in healthcare and in public health. It would be great to see other researchers use our work as a basis for those kinds of studies.”



Ultimately, it seems that gardening is one way to improve mental health. The researchers said that whatever the deeper reasons might be, many of the study participants left the experiment with a newly discovered passion.



“At the end of the experiment, many of the participants were saying not just how much they enjoyed the sessions but also how they planned to keep gardening,’” said Professor Guy.



This study is published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269248">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

Gardening can improve your mental health

Plants are essential for human well-being. Plants feed us, supply...

A team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/">National Renewable Energy Laboratory</a> (NREL) has recently assessed two promising new technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Although they are still in the early stages of development, direct air <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-technology-could-greatly-reduce-emissions/">carbon capture</a> and sequestration (DAC) are considered essential to achieving a net-zero emissions economy by mid-century, and limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.



“We will not hit our carbon-neutral targets by midcentury or our climate targets by the end of the century if we don’t push heavily for additional removal of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere,” said study corresponding author Patrick Lamers, a senior researcher at NREL.



The first DAC technology is solvent-based, relying upon a chemical solution that reacts with the carbon dioxide and forms potassium carbonate, which further reacts with calcium hydroxide to generate calcium carbonate. This substance is then collected, dried, and exposed to very high temperatures (about 900 degrees Celsius) to release the carbon dioxide, which is collected for further storage. The second technology is sorbent-based, employing a process that binds carbon dioxide to a silica part of an air contactor, which is heated with steam at approximately 100 degrees Celsius to release carbon dioxide that is afterwards cooled and dried.&nbsp;



In both cases, the carbon dioxide is compressed and transported through a pipeline to a geological reservoir through wells 1.8 miles deep. Pilot plants in Canada (the solvent method) and Iceland (the sorbent method) are already testing the processes. Due to the energy intensity of DAC, its environmental trade-offs are directly influenced by the energy inputs of the DAC plants. However, the large-scale deployment of these technologies will change the energy system load and create a feedback effect in which the economy-wide decarbonization will balance an offsetting technology (DAC) and sectoral mitigation efforts.



“The large-scale deployment of new technologies is likely going to create feedback effects within the system, and we need to preemptively assess these to avoid potential future, unintended consequences,” Dr. Lamers explained. “Our analysis shows the net carbon dioxide removal benefits of different direct air capture technologies and highlights environmental performance improvements for metrics such as human toxicity in a changing energy system.”



While the scientists do not specifically endorse a specific DAC technology, they stress the fact that their large-scale deployment is insufficient for mitigating climate change, if decarbonization targets will be relaxed. A simultaneous decarbonization of the electricity sector and improvements in DAC technology “are indispensable to avoid environmental problem-shifting” that may involve human toxicity or eutrophication impacts.&nbsp;



“Thus, if you look closely, our work really stresses the importance of the circular economy of energy materials and how it is a precursor to a truly sustainable future energy system heavily dependent on clean, renewable energy sources,” Dr. Lamar concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31146-1">Nature Communications</a>.



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

New tech can capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

A team of scientists led by the National Renewable Energy...

The Colorado River has been a source of contention for many years, with many states wanting a piece of this precious water source. Now, Lake Mead, the largest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/european-farmland-is-a-huge-reservoir-of-microplastics/">reservoir</a> in the United States, is draining - and fast.&nbsp;



Considering that there has been a rise in temperatures and a decrease in rainfall, researchers at <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a> set out to investigate the amount of water evaporating off the surface of artificial and natural lakes. This knowledge of evaporation loss may provide water managers with more insight and encourage more effective management.



Although water evaporation has been explored as something to consider when talking about climate change, there is not much information on its long-term trends and spatial distribution. The researchers created the global lake evaporation volume (GLEV) dataset to fill these gaps. This dataset utilizes modeling and remote sensing to measure evaporation in 1.42 million lakes and reservoirs worldwide.&nbsp;



The findings, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31125-6">Nature Communications</a>, were not encouraging. The experts determined that from 1985 to 2018 evaporation rate increased by 3.12 cubic kilometers per year.&nbsp;



Study first author Dr. Gang Zhao, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institute for Science, further explained the results and their importance.&nbsp;



"We found that the long-term lake evaporation is 1,500 plus or minus 150 cubic kilometers per year, which is 15.4% larger than previous estimates. This suggests that lake evaporation plays a larger role in the hydrological cycle than previously thought."



According to GLEV, reservoirs account for only 5% of the storage capacity and 10% of the surface area of lakes. Despite this, they account for 16% of total evaporation volume, meaning that the water lost to evaporation in reservoirs is equivalent to 20% of worldwide water consumption.&nbsp;



Dr. Huilin Gao, who led the study, pointed out that having this data to make projections is valuable. "This dataset helps the science community better understand the role that these water bodies play in Earth systems, from global weather forecasting, flood and drought modeling to Earth system modeling under climate change."



Texas A&amp;M researchers, along with the Desert Research Institute and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, will be working on a NASA project to continue monitoring reservoir evaporation in the western U.S. In addition, they will expand their work with Texas reservoirs.



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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

Water evaporation from lakes is far greater than expected

The Colorado River has been a source of contention 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



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.

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



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.

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

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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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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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