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...

In a new study from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_Federal_University">Ural Federal University</a>, experts have demonstrated that flowers and tobacco can thrive on polluted land. These plants can adapt to copper in the soil by limiting the accumulation of the metal to the stem and leaves.&nbsp;



“Plants of the Asteraceae and Nightshade families, namely zinnia and tobacco, are copper-exclusive, their root system performs the function of copper accumulation,” explained study co-author Anastasia Tugbaeva. "Biotechnologies for maintaining and restoring components of natural and transformed biosystems", UrFU.&nbsp;



“Using zinnia as an example, we have shown for the first time that it can grow in copper-contaminated soils and even flower faster than in pure soils. That is, it can be used for landscaping areas, it will grow well. Tobacco, an important agricultural crop and useful fertilizer, also adapted to long-term exposure to copper in our experiments and grew comparable to control plants, despite the high content of copper in the substrate.”



For the investigation, the scientists recreated realistic levels of humidity and temperature0. They tested the effect of various concentrations of copper sulfate on growth, and analyzed various physiological characteristics of the plants.



“We conducted experiments for 20, 40, 60 days and used substrates in which the content of copper could even exceed its content in urban soils,” said Tugbaeva. “Under the influence of copper in the root and stem of plants, the expression of five genes responsible for the synthesis of phenolic compounds and lignin is enhanced. Lignin is one of the components of the plant cell wall, which makes it stronger. It is lignin that is the mechanism of plant adaptation, which limits the transfer of metals from the cell wall and the effects of metals on the intracellular structure of the plant.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/horticulturae">Horticulturae</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

Tobacco and zinnia can thrive in polluted land

In a new study from Ural Federal University, experts have...

Microplastics are the breakdown products of the plastic objects we use in everyday life – wrappings, packaging, bottles, synthetic clothing, and kitchen ware, for example. None of these plastics is biodegradable but, in the presence of sunlight and normal environmental conditions, they perish into small fragments that find their way into the oceans, rivers, foods, drinking water and even the blood of humans and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-clues-about-disease-transmission-among-animals/">animals</a>. They are one of the world’s biggest environmental problems because, once dispersed, they are very difficult to remove.



Scientists have previously proposed the use of soft robots to collect up these microscopic particles of plastic, but soft robots are commonly made of hydrogels or silicone rubber, which are mechanically inferior and easily damaged in ocean conditions. In a new study, published by the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> in the journal Nano Letters, scientists from China and Germany have used nanotechnology to develop a light-activated fish robot that is made of composite sheets of graphene and can ‘swim’ around quickly and remove microplastics from the environment.



“It is of great significance to develop a robot to accurately collect and sample detrimental microplastic pollutants from the aquatic environment,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&amp;user=qBiAvxkAAAAJ">Yuyan Wang</a>, a researcher at the Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University and one of the lead authors on the study. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of such soft robots.”



The experts used a substance called nacre, also commonly known as mother-of-pearl, upon which to base the design of a new material. Nacre is strong and flexible, and is found on the inside surfaces of clam shells. Nacre layers have a microscopic gradient, going from one side with lots of calcium carbonate to the other side with mostly a silk protein filler. Inspired by this substance, Xinxing Zhang, also from the Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, and colleagues wanted to try a similar type of gradient structure to create a durable and bendable material for soft robots.



The team created this new material by layering various microscopic sheets of molecules according to nacre’s specific chemical gradient. They developed an elastomer actuator with sulfonated graphene-based gradient nanostructures that produced a stretchy, flexible material which is tough and can tolerate high temperatures.&nbsp;



From this material, the researchers made robo-fish that can bend and twist, and even pull along a weight of up to 5kg. Most importantly, the bionic fish can absorb nearby free-floating bits of microplastics because the organic dyes, antibiotics, and heavy metals in the microplastics have strong chemical bonds and electrostatic interactions with the fish’s materials. In this way, the particles are attracted to the surface of the fish and are then absorbed and removed from the water.&nbsp;



“After the robot collects the microplastics in the water, the researchers can further analyze the composition and physiological toxicity of the microplastics,” said Wang.&nbsp;



The tiny fish robot is only 15mm long (about half-an-inch) but it responds to a near-infrared laser light by flapping its tail and ‘swimming’ forward. It can move at 2.67 body lengths per second, a speed that is about the same as that of active phytoplankton moving in water. At this stage, the robo-fish only functions on the surface of the water, where it would be able to absorb floating microplastics but not those deeper down in the water column.



In addition, the newly developed nanocomposite material from which the robots are made is able to heal itself, said Wang, who specializes in the development of self-healing materials. This means the robot fish can heal itself back to 89 percent of its former ability and continue to absorb pollutants, even if it is damaged or torn – which could happen if it goes looking for microplastics in rocky environments or in rough waters.&nbsp;



At this stage, the fish robot is just a proof of concept, Wang notes, and much more research is needed – especially into how this technology could be deployed in the real world. For example, Wang’s team will soon be working on more functionally complex fish robots that can go below the water surface in search of microplastics in the water column. Still, this bionic design could inspire other, similar projects, Wang said. “I think nanotechnology holds great promise for trace adsorption, collection, and detection of pollutants, improving intervention efficiency while reducing operating costs."



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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

Tiny robotic fish developed to collect microplastics

Microplastics are the breakdown products of the plastic objects we...

A new study published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000044">PLOS Climate</a> paints a grim future for coastal areas in the mid-Atlantic. A modeling simulation predicts that the coastal marsh zones will go from carbon sinks to carbon emitters as the climate warms and ocean levels rise.



The marshes will expand into low-lying forests and freshwater wetlands, killing the trees, which will release carbon as they decompose.&nbsp;



During the study, Katie Warnell of <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> collaborated with seven natural resource agencies along the coast. She says her findings are significant for management.&nbsp;



“This research and our conversations with the states raise lots of questions about options for managing coastal landscapes given these changes and emphasizes the importance of&nbsp; reducing greenhouse gases and sea-level rise overall because that's the main driver of all of this."



Warnell also points out that losing marshes is not just a concern for climate change.&nbsp;



“Carbon is one piece of the picture. There are many other reasons to keep marshes around, including coastal protection and nursery habitats for fisheries. We need to weigh all of these different factors in making decisions about managing our coastal habitats.”



Based on the model, a negative outcome is likely. In 16 out of 19 runs, the model forecasted that marshland will transition from carbon sinks to carbon sources, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than the marshes can capture.&nbsp;



But not all hope is lost, according to Warnell. “There might be some things that can be done to protect key areas from converting. In North Carolina, berms and pumps have been used to protect agricultural land and towns from sea level rise. While these are expensive, they might be worth it in certain areas.”



Another option would be to preemptively cut down trees in vulnerable areas before they are killed by salt water. However, the paper mentions this solution might be risky because the method has not been tested and because of the obvious ecological impacts. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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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

Marshes may soon flip from carbon sinks to carbon sources

A new study published in PLOS Climate paints a grim...

Although much research has already been done to predict the effects of climate change on the land, sea, and ice, the ways in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clouds-have-an-amplifying-effect-on-global-warming/">clouds</a> will be affected is less understood. According to a new study published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021MS002841">Journal of Advances in Modelling Earth Systems</a>, climate change could either cause low clouds to dry up and shrink like the ice sheets, or they could thicken and become more reflective.



“If you ask two different climate models what the future will be like when we add a lot more CO2, you get two very different answers. And the reason for that is the way clouds are included in climate models,” said study co-author Michael Pritchard, an associate professor of Earth System Science at the <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a>.



While clouds and aerosols (particles of soot and dust that nucleate cloud droplets) are a fundamental part of the climate equation, these phenomena occur on a length- and time-scale that current models cannot reliably reproduce. Thus, they are always included in climate models through various approximations.



Some of the most advanced global climate models struggle to approach four-kilometer global resolution. However, in order to manage to capture the fine-scale turbulent eddies which form shallow cloud systems, models would need a resolution of at least 100 meters. Experts estimate that it could take until 2060 before the computing power able to capture this level of detail will be available.



In order to fix this gap, Professor Pritchard and his colleagues have tried to break the climate modelling problem into two parts: a course-grained, 100-kilometer lower-resolution planetary model, and many smaller patches with 100- to 200-meter resolution. These two simulations run independently and exchange data every 30 minutes to ensure that neither simulation goes off-track or becomes unrealistic.&nbsp;



“The model does an end-run around the hardest problem - whole planet modeling,” explained Professor Pritchard. “It has thousands of micromodels that capture things like realistic shallow cloud formation that only emerge in very high resolution.”



This modeling method was made possible by one of the fastest computers in the world, the <a href="https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/frontera">Frontera supercomputer</a> at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, which scientists can use to run models at time- and length-scales accessible only on a few other computer systems in the United States, and test their potential for cloud modeling.



“The use of computation-based methods is critical to our understanding of climate and everything else around us,” said Manish Parashar, director of National Science Foundation’s <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/oac">Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure</a>. “Frontera is inspiring climate scientists to devise new and novel simulation methods for enabling our deeper understanding of climate change.” &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;

How will clouds be affected by climate change?

Although much research has already been done to predict the...

Female,Bonobo,With,A,Baby,Is,Sitting,On,The,Grass.

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abo3608">Science</a> has argued that, while attempting to mitigate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/science-reporting-can-change-climate-change-beliefs/">climate change</a> is becoming increasingly urgent, so is the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth’s rapidly changing biosphere. Since oncoming changes will seriously challenge current natural resource management and conservation efforts, new forward-looking conservation approaches to enable the adaptation and resilience to climate change of a variety of species, communities, and ecosystems are absolutely necessary.



“There is actually a lot we can do to help systems cope with oncoming climate change,” said study lead author Jonathan Moore, a professor of Biology at the <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a>. “From restoring connectivity to reducing local stressors to conserving future habitats - all of these proactive approaches can help the ecosystems that we rely upon to adapt to climate change.”



According to study co-author Daniel Schindler, an expert in Ecosystem Dynamics at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, in order for species and ecosystems to adapt and be resilient to climate change, preservation-orientated approaches should be complemented by attempts that enable and foster ecological change.&nbsp;



“Local efforts to conserve biodiversity and regenerate habitat complexity will also help maintain a diversity of future options for species and ecosystems in an unpredictable future,” explained Professor Schindler.



Thus, conservation efforts should focus not only on “climate change losers,” but also on the proactive management of emerging opportunities. For instance, while threatening species such as polar bears, warming Arctic oceans and shrinking sea ice may create more fish production in some areas – a phenomenon that needs to be taken into account too when devising proactive approaches to help ecosystems cope with climate change.



“Earth’s systems have an incredible capacity to adapt and be resilient to changes. That is what has allowed some species to persist for millions of years. But our actions are seriously undermining that adaptive capacity,” said Professor Moore. “Natural resource management and conservation efforts will need to embrace the dynamic aspects of the biosphere to help maintain functioning ecosystems and protect biodiversity amid ongoing climate change.”



While it is important and urgent for humanity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to control the pace of climate change, even with the most aggressive reduction strategies further warming will likely persist for decades. Thus, additional strategies to enable adaptation and resilience will be crucial for maintaining functional ecosystems and conserving biodiversity.



“The biosphere has never been static – and we need to embrace management approaches that maintain a dynamic and fluid biosphere. Thus, conservation and management need to be prospective - looking to the future, and proactive - taking action for the future,” Professor Schindler concluded.



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

How can Earth’s ecosystems adapt to climate change?

A new study published in the journal Science has argued...

Climate change has already caused significant damage, including longer and more intense heatwaves, accelerated sea level rise, and the loss of polar sea ice. Now, by performing the first-ever survey of planktonic lipids in the world’s oceans, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) has found that, as global warming advances, there may be fewer and fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omega-3s-seafood-healthy-aging/">omega-3</a> fatty acids produced by plankton at the base of the food web, which will mean less of these lipids available for fish and human beings.



Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that the human body cannot produce on its own. They are regarded by scientists as highly beneficial, increasing cardiovascular health and promoting healthy aging.&nbsp;



“The lipids in the ocean affect your life,” said study co-author Benjamin Van Mooj, an expert in Marine Chemistry at WHOI. “We found that the composition of lipids in the ocean is going to change as the ocean warms. That is a cause for concern. We need those lipids that are in the ocean because they influence the quality of the food that the ocean produces for humanity.”&nbsp;



The researchers collected 930 lipid samples from 146 locations across the world’s oceans during seven oceanographic research expeditions from 2013 to 2018.&nbsp;



“Focusing on ten molecularly diverse glycerolipid classes we identified 1,151 distinct lipid species, finding that fatty acid unsaturation (i.e., number of carbon to carbon double bonds) is fundamentally constrained by temperature. We predict significant declines in the essential fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] over the next century, which are likely to have serious deleterious effects on economically critical fisheries,” the study authors reported.



Although planktonic community lipidomes are affected by a variety of environmental factors, such as nutrient availability, the most fundamental control of their composition appeared to be temperature. “Indeed, it is striking that the relationship between temperature and unsaturation emerges from our dataset despite spanning such diverse and disparate planktonic communities, from the nutrient-depleted subtropical gyres to the highly-productive Antarctic coastal shelf,” the authors wrote.&nbsp;&nbsp;



To determine how the upper and lower limits for the composition of omega-3 fatty acids may shift under future warming conditions, the scientists generated maps using end-of-century sea surface temperature conditions for various climate change scenarios. Under a worst-case scenario with unmitigated greenhouse gas emissions, some ocean regions may witness a drastic decrease of up to 25 percent of these beneficial lipids.



These findings provide examples “of how human activities are perturbing the oceans in ways that we never expected, and of the uncertainty of how the ocean is going to respond to warming,” concluded Dr. Van Mooj.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7455">Science</a>.&nbsp;



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

Ocean warming will massively reduce omega-3 fatty acids

Climate change has already caused significant damage, including longer and...

Face,Of,The,Earth.,Imaginary,View,Of,Planet,Earth,In

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> has found that stretching of the continents is likely to have caused one of the most abrupt and extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-endured-rapid-global-warming-300-million-years-ago/">global warming</a> events in the history of our planet, 56 million years ago. During this episode, the Earth warmed by five to eight degrees Celsius, culminating in the “Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum” (PETM) that lasted about 170,000 years and led to the extinction of many deep-sea organisms, fundamentally reshaping the course of evolution of life on Earth.



According to the experts, the extensive stretching of the continental plates in the Northern Hemisphere critically reduced the pressures in the Earth’s deep interior, driving a short-lived but intense melting in the mantle. The resulting volcanic activity coincided with - and most probably caused - the release of a massive amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that exacerbated global warming.



“Despite the importance and wider relevance of the PETM to global change today, the underlying cause is highly debated,” said study lead author Thomas Gernon, an associate professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southampton. “It’s generally agreed that a sudden and massive release of the greenhouse gas carbon from the Earth’s interior must have driven this event, yet the scale and pace of warming is very hard to explain by conventional volcanic processes.”&nbsp;



By using archives of rock drilled beneath the seafloor close to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Professor Gernon and his colleagues found evidence of an abrupt and widespread episode of volcanic activity across the North Atlantic Ocean which lasted over 200,000 years – a duration strikingly similar to that of PETM. This discovery prompted the scientists to investigate a broader expanse of the North Atlantic, including today’s Greenland and Faroe Islands. There, they found that the thick piles of lava that started to erupt before the PETM showed an unusual composition, pointing to a massive increase in melting of the Earth’s mantle.&nbsp;



“This finding is significant, because we know that parts of the continental mantle in this region are enriched in carbonates, a major source of carbon,” said Professor Gernon. “This rapid increase in mantle melting likely released a very large volume of carbon – certainly more than we had previously expected.”



According to the researchers, this intense volcanic activity was likely caused by the stretching by plate tectonic forces of the continental landmass uniting Greenland and Europe, with the final phase of stretching causing substantial melting in the Earth’s mantle, and leading to the release of massive amounts of carbon in the atmosphere and fast global warming.



“Such rapid events cause a fundamental reorganization of Earth’s surface environment, altering vast ecosystems,” Professor Gernon concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00967-6">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;

Stretching of the continents caused extreme global warming

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

Photosynthesis, the conversion of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunlight-helps-green-sea-turtles-with-tumors-recover/">sunlight</a> into plant material, is responsible for supporting all life on Earth outside of deep sea thermal environments and other such rarified examples. Now, scientists have found a way to create artificial photosynthesis, according to new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natfood/">Nature Food</a>.



Photosynthesis is a process that evolved billions of years ago. It created a habitable atmosphere, oxygenated the ocean and freshwater, and is the basis of our food chain. The scientists point out, however, traditional photosynthesis converts only one percent of the energy from sunlight into food. The new approach of artificial photosynthesis promises to be more efficient, if not quite as momentous.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“With our approach we sought to identify a new way of producing food that could break through the limits normally imposed by biological photosynthesis,” said study co-author Robert Jinkerson, a chemical and environmental engineer of <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California Riverside</a>.



The research outlines a way to create acetate, the main component of vinegar from water, carbon dioxide and electricity. Plants can then be fed the acetate while growing and producing food in the dark.&nbsp;



“Using a state-of-the-art two-step tandem CO2 electrolysis setup developed in our laboratory, we were able to achieve a high selectivity towards acetate that cannot be accessed through conventional CO2 electrolysis routes,” said Feng Jiao of the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>.



The researchers grew a wide array of different food organisms using this method, not only plants but also yeast, a fungi that often grows in the dark but in this case 18 times more efficiently. This means alcohol could be created with less input as from corn sugars or other traditional methods.&nbsp;



“We were able to grow food-producing organisms without any contributions from biological photosynthesis," said study co-author and doctoral candidate Elizabeth Hann. "Typically, these organisms are cultivated on sugars derived from plants or inputs derived from petroleum - which is a product of biological photosynthesis that took place millions of years ago. This technology is a more efficient method of turning solar energy into food, as compared to food production that relies on biological photosynthesis,”



The researchers hope their study allows us to grow food more efficiently, using less land or feeding an increasingly growing population using the same amount of land. They also imagine the possibility of using this method to cultivate crops on space ships or Mars in total darkness.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Using artificial photosynthesis approaches to produce food could be a paradigm shift for how we feed people. By increasing the efficiency of food production, less land is needed, lessening the impact agriculture has on the environment. And for agriculture in non-traditional environments, like outer space, the increased energy efficiency could help feed more crew members with less inputs,” said Jinkerson.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natfood/">Nature Food</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Artificial photosynthesis could help grow food more efficiently

Photosynthesis, the conversion of sunlight into plant material, is responsible...

Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, in the form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-carbon-sinks-may-be-appearing-in-the-arctic/">carbon</a> dioxide. This is then used during the process of photosynthesis to form organic carbon compounds, such as carbohydrates, in the leaves, branches, trunks and roots. A living tree is thus an important storage site for carbon that might otherwise be adding to the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And a big, living tree is even more important.&nbsp;



However, when scientists attempt to understand the importance of the carbon storage currently provided by woody vegetation, and the effects of anthropogenic impacts on the carbon cycle, they are faced with the fact that there are no direct measurements of carbon cycling from the pre-industrial period. Furthermore, scientists do not really know how woody biomass has changed on Earth over recent millennia.



Without empirical data on changes in woody biomass spanning more than a few decades, scientists have to estimate and make assumptions when trying to model the effects of climate change. This can lead to uncertainties in predictions about the role of vegetation as a long-term carbon sink, and to inaccuracies when projecting future changes in the carbon and climate systems.&nbsp;



A new study, published today in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>, seeks to fill this knowledge gap using the assemblages of fossil pollen in the soil as an indication of woody vegetation biomass in the past. Led by Ann Raiho of the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), an international team of scientists used fossil pollen data as a proxy to reconstruct the natural pace and pattern of carbon storage in the forests of the Midwestern U.S. over the past 10,000 years. Their findings cast a new light on how landscapes can be managed to maximize carbon storage while also meeting conservation goals.&nbsp;



“We found that the forests in the Midwestern U.S. were expanding and getting bigger over the last 10,000 years,” said Raiho, a postdoctoral associate at ESSIC. “This tells us that the prehistoric baseline for understanding forests was wrong and that it’s important from a carbon sequestration perspective to preserve trees that grow larger and live longer.”



The research team, which also included researchers from the University of Notre Dame, University of California, Berkeley, University of Calgary and the U.S. Geological Survey, developed a Bayesian model that they named ReFAB (Reconstructing Forest Aboveground Biomass). This model estimates aboveground woody biomass based on a time-series of fossil pollen assemblages in sediments. The experts used ReFAB to reconstruct changes in woody biomass across a 600,000-plus kilometer area in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. over the last 10,000 years.&nbsp;



Their work painted a vivid picture of how forests have changed over this time. The researchers found that, after an initial postglacial decline, woody biomass nearly doubled during the last 8,000 years. This result differs substantially from prior reconstructions of forest biomass in eastern Canada, a finding they suggest may be due to differences in the forest species in the two regions.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Previous studies used simpler models that indicated little or no change in woody biomass over the last 6,000 years. ReFAB corrects this situation by accounting for temporal autocorrelation, uncertainty in sediment-dating, and uncertainty in the relationship between aboveground woody biomass and multivariate pollen data. Removing these uncertainties has allowed the researchers to understand past changes in vegetation at a finer scale, thereby uncovering trends that were previously not visible.&nbsp;



“We found that the ecology of forests matters for understanding the carbon cycle,” Raiho said. “The steady accumulation of carbon was driven by two separate ecological responses to regionally changing climate: the spread of forested biomes and the population expansion of high-biomass tree species within forests.”



The data from fossil pollen assemblages showed, sadly, that the woody biomass accumulated in the Midwestern forests over millennia took under two centuries to destroy. Industrial-era logging and agricultural clearance severely depleted this carbon accumulation. The researchers found that the decline in woody biomass in the studied region occurred at more than 10 times the rate of aboveground woody biomass change in any century over the last 10,000 years.



The researchers found that storage of carbon in woody biomass in the study area was driven by population expansions of high-biomass tree species, such as eastern hemlock and American beech. After these species became established, high-biomass forests were sustained in the study region for millennia. This discovery emphasizes the importance of preserving large trees when managing forests to mitigate the effects of climate change – large trees sequester considerable amounts of carbon.&nbsp;



“Forest management should emphasize sustaining populations of large trees,” Raiho said. “This has the potential to emulate the natural carbon sequestration processes and ultimately extend the timescales and magnitude at which terrestrial ecosystems will continue to buffer climate change by acting as a carbon sink.”



The research team will work in future with NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), which will enable the protection of large trees by providing high resolution maps of the 3D structure of forests around the world. GEDI will expand existing knowledge about biomass magnitude, structure, and density. With this wealth of information, researchers will be able to predict the future of forests better.



“This work would not be possible without all of the people who collected and counted the fossil pollen data,” noted Raiho. “There were probably a hundred people over the last several decades who did all the field work. We used over 232 fossil pollen cores in this research. Thousands of hours went into the data collection. We used the Neotoma database to access this valuable data.”&nbsp;



Raiho and her team plan to use their pollen-based method of forest reconstruction to improve the simulation models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This will enable scientists to understand better how climate change will impact Earth and its ecosystems in future.&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

Big trees are crucial in stabilizing climate, new model predicts

Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, in the form of...

Researchers have found a way to alter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-was-land-first-colonized-by-plants/">plant</a> proteins and create a fast test for dangerous chemicals, according to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nbt/">Nature Biotechnology</a>.



During droughts, plants produce a chemical called ABA which allows them to hold onto more water. Plants also create receptors that detect ABA. With a few small changes, the scientists showed that these ABA receptors can detect up to 20 chemicals. The tests could be used to look for illegal pesticides and dangerous synthetic cannabinoids.&nbsp;



“It would be transformative if we could develop rapid dipstick tests to know if a dangerous chemical, like a synthetic cannabinoid, is present. This new paper gives others a roadmap to doing that," said study co-author Sean Cutler, a plant cell biologist at <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">UC Riverside</a>.



Synthetic cannabinoids, in particular, are created faster than regulations can keep up. These drugs are often dangerous, and even deadly. Fast tests could help regulators keep up with new products containing dangerous synthetic cannabinoids.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our system could be configured to detect lab-made cannabinoid variations as quickly as they appear on the market,” Cutler said.



The tests are also able to detect organophosphates, some of which (but not all) are illegal and dangerous pesticides. Being able to quickly identify the illegal pesticides would make testing water quality quicker.&nbsp;



To create these tests, the scientists used the nature of ABA to turn on receptors. When ABA interacts with receptors it can create many different reactions, such as glowing. Redesigning the receptors allows them to signal the presence of different chemicals. The scientists hope to expand this method to other types of chemicals as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We take an enzyme that can glow in the right context and split it into two pieces. One piece on the switch, and the other on the protein it binds to,” Cutler said. “This trick of bringing two things together in the presence of a third chemical isn’t new. Our advance is showing we can reprogram the process to work with lots of different third chemicals.”



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A plant-based test can detect dangerous chemicals

Researchers have found a way to alter plant proteins and...

The world’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-the-most-remote-oceans-are-polluted-with-microplastics/">oceans</a> are teeming with numerous life-forms, ranging from the largest animal on our planet (the blue whale) to a vast diversity of minuscule microorganisms. These tiny creatures are crucial for making sure that the entire eco- and climate system function properly. 



For instance, photosynthetically active microbes such as cyanobacteria produce around 50 percent of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, by removing carbon dioxide from the air, aquatic microorganisms also play a fundamental role in curbing global warming.



Although scientists were long aware of the various benefits these microbes provide, no systematic analysis of their diversity has previously been performed. Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://micro.biol.ethz.ch/">Institute of Microbiology</a> at ETH Zurich has examined publicly available DNA data from 1,000 water samples collected at different depths from all the world’s oceans in order to map global microorganism biodiversity and identify the various functions microbes play in different ecosystems.



By using groundbreaking modern technologies such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-dna-reveals-the-diversity-of-coral-reef-fish/">environmental DNA</a> (eDNA) analysis, the scientists managed to sequence over 35,000 microbial genomes. Their analyses revealed about 40,000 promising biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) – groups of genes that provide synthetic pathways for natural products which could prove beneficial for humans too, due to their antibiotic properties.



Besides detecting many potentially useful BCGs, the researchers also found previously undiscovered species, such as bacteria belonging to the phylum Eremiobacterota. These bacteria – previously thought to exist only in terrestrial environments – were discovered to boast the highest BCG diversity of all the samples examined. 



“As things stand, they are the most biosynthetically diverse family in the oceanic water column,” said study senior author Shinichi Sunagawa, a professor of Microbiome Research at ETH Zurich.



In future research, the scientists aim to search for more sources of natural products, as well as to investigate unresolved questions regarding the evolution and ecology of oceanic microorganisms. Moreover, they aim to clarify what ecological or evolutionary benefits certain genes, such as the BGCs, create for microbes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-%E2%80%8B022-04862-3">Nature</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;

Marine organisms are a rich source of natural products

The world’s oceans are teeming with numerous life-forms, ranging from...

More than 90 percent of the world’s population breathes polluted air, with particulate matter concentrations above the safety threshold set by the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). An increasing number of studies have argued that exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-is-deadlier-than-cigarettes-or-alcohol/">air pollution</a> can affect brain development. A research team led by <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a> (SFU) in Canada has now investigated the benefits of using air filters to reduce the negative impact of air pollution on brain development in children.



Starting in 2014, the scientists recruited 540 pregnant women in Ulaanbaattar, Mongolia (one of the cities with the worst air quality in the world) to participate in the <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/abs/10.1289/isee.2014.P2-357">Ulaanbaatar Gestation and Air Pollution Research</a> (UGAAR) study. The women - who were randomly assigned to either a control or an intervention group - were less than 18 weeks into their pregnancies, non-smokers, and had not previously used air filtering devices. Those in the intervention group were provided with one or two HEPA filter air cleaners and encouraged to run them continuously during their pregnancies.



By measuring the children’s full-scale intelligent quotient (FSIQ) at four years of age, the scientists found that those born to mothers who had used the air cleaners had an average FSIQ which was 2.8-points higher than the children born to mothers in the control group.



“These results, combined with evidence from previous studies, strongly implicate air pollution as a threat to brain development,” said study senior author Ryan Allen, a professor of Environmental Health at SFU. “But the good news is that reducing exposure had clear benefits.”



Children whose mothers had used the air filters were also found to have significantly greater average verbal comprehension index scores – a result consistent with those of previous observational studies. These findings suggest that children’s verbal skills may be particularly sensitive to exposure to air pollution. Thus, reducing pollution during pregnancy could be an efficient way of improving children’s cognitive development around the world.



“Air pollution is everywhere, and it is preventing children from reaching their full potential. Air cleaners may provide some protection, but ultimately the only way to protect all children is to reduce emissions,” concluded Professor Allen.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP10302">Environmental Health Perspectives</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;

Reducing air pollution boosts brain development in children

More than 90 percent of the world’s population breathes polluted...

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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

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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



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

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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

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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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