California has become a vivid example of a global phenomenon known as “hydroclimate whiplash,” which involves sudden and dramatic swings between extreme wet and dry conditions.&nbsp;



These abrupt shifts are increasingly destabilizing ecosystems and communities, as shown in a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00624-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Reviews Earth and Environment</a>.&nbsp;



The research highlights how climate change is intensifying these weather patterns and their associated risks, from destructive wildfires to devastating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flood-fatalities-experts-reveal-the-hidden-health-impacts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">floods</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-state-in-constant-flux">A state in constant flux</h2>



The winters of 2022-23 and 2023-24 brought California unprecedented precipitation, fueled by dozens of atmospheric rivers.&nbsp;



Mountain towns were buried under snow, valleys were inundated with rain and snowmelt, and landslides occurred across the state.&nbsp;



However, these deluges were followed by record summer heat and a drought-ridden start to the 2025 rainy season. The resulting dry vegetation has provided ample fuel for a series of wildfires.



“This whiplash sequence in California has increased fire risk twofold,” explained lead author Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.&nbsp;



“First, by greatly increasing the growth of flammable grass and brush in the months leading up to fire season, and then by drying it out to exceptionally high levels with the extreme dryness and warmth that followed.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-trends-in-climate-whiplash">Global trends in climate whiplash</h2>



California's situation mirrors a global trend. The study found that hydroclimate whiplash has increased worldwide by 31% to 66% since the mid-20th century - outpacing predictions made by climate models.&nbsp;



The trend is accelerating due to human-driven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-earth-energy-imbalance-temperature-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>, with projections suggesting that whiplash events could more than double if global temperatures rise by three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.



A key driver of this intensification is the “expanding atmospheric sponge,” a phenomenon in which a warmer atmosphere absorbs and releases more water.&nbsp;



For every degree Celsius of warming, the atmosphere’s capacity to hold moisture increases by 7%, compounding the severity of both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-now-the-driving-force-behind-droughts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">droughts</a> and floods.



“The problem is that the sponge grows exponentially, like compound interest in a bank,” Swain said. “The rate of expansion increases with each fraction of a degree of warming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-rainfall-the-role-of-evaporation">Beyond rainfall: The role of evaporation</h2>



While many studies focus solely on precipitation patterns, this research emphasizes the role of increasing “evaporative demand.”&nbsp;



A warming atmosphere pulls more moisture from plants and soil, exacerbating drought conditions even when rainfall does not decrease.



“The expanding atmospheric sponge effect may offer a unifying explanation for some of the most visible, visceral impacts of climate change,” Swain noted.&nbsp;



This includes the rapid transitions between floods and droughts, landslides triggered by oversaturated soil, and cycles of vegetation growth and fire.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-for-water-management">Challenges for water management</h2>



The intensifying hydroclimate whiplash poses significant challenges for water resource management.&nbsp;



California’s traditional strategies, such as diverting flood waters to the ocean, need to be balanced with measures to retain water for prolonged dry spells. Swain emphasized the importance of a “co-management” approach that considers drought and flood risks together.



John Abatzoglou, a UC Merced climate scientist and co-author of the study, highlighted the strain on California’s infrastructure:&nbsp;



“Hydroclimate in California is reliably unreliable. Swings like we saw a couple years ago, going from one of the driest three-year periods in a century to the once-in-a-lifetime spring 2023 snowpack, both tested our water-infrastructure systems and furthered conversations about flood water management to ensure future water security in an increasingly variable hydroclimate.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-phenomenon-of-climate-whiplash-nbsp">Global phenomenon of climate whiplash&nbsp;</h2>



While California offers a stark example, hydroclimate whiplash is a global issue. 



Regions such as northern Africa, South Asia, and the tropical Pacific are projected to experience the most dramatic increases, but almost every region will face growing risks.



“Increasing hydroclimate whiplash may turn out to be one of the more universal global changes on a warming Earth,” Swain said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southern-california-fire-season-s-extended-grip">Southern California: Fire season’s extended grip</h2>



Southern California’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-have-identified-the-key-driver-of-severe-wildfires-in-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfire</a> risks have been amplified by the lack of rain and the dry vegetation left behind by previous wet seasons.&nbsp;



While seasonal winds, such as the Santa Anas, play a role in spreading fires, Swain noted that “climate change is increasing the overlap between extremely dry vegetation conditions later in the season and the occurrence of these wind events.”&nbsp;



“This, ultimately, is the key climate change connection to Southern California wildfires.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slowing-the-intensification-of-climate-whiplash">Slowing the intensification of climate whiplash</h2>



The study highlights the urgent need to reduce global warming to slow the intensification of hydroclimate whiplash.&nbsp;



“The less warming there is, the less of an increase in hydroclimate whiplash we’re going to see,” Swain said.&nbsp; However, with the planet on track for two to three degrees Celsius of warming this century, substantial increases in variability are likely.



Adapting to these changes will require rethinking water management, infrastructure, and conservation strategies. By addressing both ends of the water spectrum - flood and drought - policymakers and communities can better prepare for the challenges of a warming world.



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"Hydroclimate whiplash" is wreaking havoc across the U.S.

California has become a vivid example of a global phenomenon known as “hydroclimate whiplash,” which involves sudden and dramatic swings between extreme wet and dry conditions.&nbsp; These abrupt shifts are increasingly destabilizing ecosystems and communities, as shown in a new study published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.&nbsp; The research highlights how climate change is intensifying these weather patterns and their associated risks, from destructive wildfires to devastating floods. A state in constant flux The winters of 2022-23 and 2023-24 brought California unprecedented precipitation, fueled by dozens...

Scientists have recently identified <a href="https://news.osu.edu/ocean-water-samples-yield-treasure-trove-of-rna-virus-data/">5,500 marine RNA virus species</a>. The study has revealed that several of these species could drive carbon absorbed from the atmosphere to be stored on the ocean floor.



A small portion of these newly identified species had “stolen” genes from organisms they infected, helping researchers identify their hosts and functions in marine processes. This research is leading to a fuller understanding of the role these tiny particles play in the ocean ecosystem.



“The findings are important for model development and predicting what is happening with carbon in the correct direction and at the correct magnitude,” said Ahmed Zayed, a research scientist at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a> and co-first author of the study.



Lead author Matthew Sullivan envisions identifying viruses that, when engineered on a massive scale, could function as controllable “knobs” affecting how carbon in the ocean is stored.



“As humans put more carbon into the atmosphere, we’re dependent on the massive buffering capacity of the ocean to slow climate change. We’re growing more and more aware that we might need to tune the pump at the scale of the ocean,” said Sullivan.



“We’d be interested in viruses that could tune toward a more digestible carbon, which allows the system to grow, produce bigger and bigger cells, and sink. And if it sinks, we gain another few hundred or a thousand years from the worst effects of climate change.”



These RNA viruses were detected in plankton samples collected by the <a href="https://fondationtaraocean.org/en/home/">Tara Oceans Consortium</a>, a global study on the impact of climate change on the ocean. The research project aims to predict how the ocean will respond to climate change by understanding the organisms that absorb half of human-generated carbon in the atmosphere and produce half of the oxygen we breathe.



These marine viral species infect organisms using their cellular machinery to make copies of themselves. While this is bad for the host, the virus could generate environmental benefits, such as reducing a harmful algal bloom.



As a result of the statistical analysis, the study revealed that while warmer regions usually are more biodiverse, the diversity of RNA viral species was higher than expected in the Arctic and Antarctic.



“When it comes to diversity, viruses don’t care about the temperature,” said co-first author Guillermo Dominguez-Huerta. “There were more apparent interactions between viruses and cellular life in polar areas. That tells us the high diversity we’re looking at in polar areas is basically because we have more viral species competing for the same host. We see fewer species of hosts but more viral species infecting the same hosts.”



The viruses were also found to integrate themselves into genomes accidentally. “When it happens, it’s a clue about the host because if you find a virus signal within a host genome, it’s because at some point the virus was inside the cell,” Dominguez-Huerta said.



The experts found that RNA viruses mostly infect fungi and microbial eukaryotes and invertebrates. Only a tiny fraction of the viruses infect bacteria.



Further analysis identified 1,243 RNA virus species connected to carbon export. Eleven species were involved in promoting carbon export to the bottom of the sea. Of those, two viruses linked to hosts in the algae family were selected as the most promising targets for follow-up.



“I’m envisioning our use of AMGs and these viruses that are predicted to infect particular hosts to actually dial up those metabolic maps toward the carbon we need. It’s through that metabolic activity that we probably need to act.” said Sullivan.



Sullivan, Dominguez-Huerta and Zayed are also team members in the <a href="https://emerge-bii.github.io/people/">EMERGE Biology Integration Institute</a> at Ohio State.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6358?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D55374184033133270110813161660133997534%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1654732824">Science</a>.



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

Marine viruses may help slow climate change

Scientists have recently identified 5,500 marine RNA virus species. The...

Millions of shipwrecks lie deep beneath the world’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-oceans-are-on-track-for-a-catastrophic-extinction-event/">oceans</a>. These provide new habitats for sea life, but also impact microbial communities. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that there are as many as three million shipwrecks around the world, most of which are made of wood.&nbsp;



A new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a> has found that wooden shipwrecks provide microbial habitats similar to naturally occurring geological seabed structures. This research is the first to show the impact of human activity on ocean microbial environments.&nbsp;



“Microbial communities are important to be aware of and understand because they provide early and clear evidence of how human activities change life in the ocean,” said corresponding author Dr. Leila Hamdan of the University of Southern Mississippi.



For the study, the research team chose two wooden sailing ships that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in the late 19th century. The team collected samples by placing pieces of pine and oak between zero and 200 meters from the shipwreck. After four months, they measured all of the bacteria, archaea and fungi using gene sequencing.



The results showed that different types of wood had varying impacts on bacterial diversity (oak was more favorable than pine). Microbial diversity also varied depending on the proximity to the shipwreck site.



The researchers were surprised to find that samples taken closest to the shipwrecks did not show the most diversity, which instead peaked at about 125 meters from the wreck sites.



“Ocean scientists have known that natural hard habitats, some of which have been present for hundreds to thousands of years shape the biodiversity of life on the seafloor," said Dr. Hamdan. "This work is the first to show that built habitats (places or things made or modified by humans) impact the films of microbes (biofilms) coating these surfaces as well. These biofilms are ultimately what enable hard habitats to transform into islands of biodiversity.”



The presence of shipwrecks overall increased microbial richness in the surrounding area. The distribution of biofilms also depended on environmental factors such as the depth of the water and proximity to a nutrient source like the Mississippi River delta.



While this study is focused on wooden structures, there are thousands of oil platforms and pipelines in oceans around the world. The impact of these structures requires further research to better understand.&nbsp;



“While we are aware human impacts on the seabed are increasing through the multiple economic uses, scientific discovery is not keeping pace with how this shapes the biology and chemistry of natural under sea landscapes,” said Dr. Hamdan.&nbsp;



The researchers hope that their findings will encourage further research on how built habitats are changing the world’s oceans.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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

Wooden shipwrecks have become diverse microbial habitats

Millions of shipwrecks lie deep beneath the world’s oceans. These...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> are providing new insight into one of the most studied organisms on the planet, Darwin's finches in the Galápagos Islands. Until now, the range of the finches had not been sufficiently studied due to the treacherous nature of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-pandas-face-shrinking-habitats-and-tough-decisions/">habitat</a>.&nbsp;



However, an international team of researchers was able to track the birds on the island of Santa Cruz by using small electric backpacks. They found that the finches cover a lot of ground within 24 hours.&nbsp;



Study lead author Marc-Olivier Beausoleil explained why this subject was necessary to examine. "Understanding the real space needs of these birds is crucial both to refine the interpretation of previous studies and to ensure the conservation of these birds in a landscape increasingly threatened by the expansion of urban areas."



The researchers observed behaviors that they had not anticipated. For example, they found that the finches commute the equivalent of 30 soccer fields in a single day. The experts wondered why the finches traveled so far since, during the day, they rarely went more than 100 meters from their nests.



Although most birds don't roost in groups during the breeding season, Darwin's finches are an exception, according to the study.&nbsp;



"Almost all the tagged finches left their breeding territories after sunset and moved four times the distance they normally cover in the daytime," said Beausoleil. "The mysterious destination: a lush grove of poison apple trees (Hippomane mancinella) located by the sea where nearly a thousand finches gather nightly to rest."



The question is, why would they do this? Carlos Camacho, a researcher at Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología and coordinator of the study explained that sleeping in the company of others helps the birds fight the cold and reduces the risk of predation.



"Although the advantages of this behavior are not as evident in a place where temperatures are mild and predators are scarce," said Camacho. "This leads us to think that this behavior may have been inherited from their continental ancestors."&nbsp;



Even 150 years after Darwin proposed his theory of natural selection, his finches still have something to teach us. The researchers believe that their findings will help inform diversity conservation.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology and Evolution</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

Darwin's finches continue to surprise scientists

Researchers at McGill University are providing new insight into one...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> has found that a drastic change in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-communities-are-being-reshuffled-by-climate-change/">climate</a> conditions in the North Atlantic around 800 years ago led to a marked decline in Atlantic salmon populations returning to rivers. According to the experts, the transition from a warm to a cold climate initiating what is known as the Little Ice Age (1300-1850) caused large-scale changes in marine habitats corresponding with a decline in salmon in the River Spey in Scotland. Over the following centuries, increased human exploitation played a significant role in further diminishing these populations.



Atlantic salmon lay their eggs in the gravels of headwater streams, where their offspring live for about a year or two before migrating out to sea. After spending their adulthood in the ocean, they finally return to the rivers to spawn, and eventually die. Since their sperm, eggs, and carcasses are rich in marine nutrients which can be detected in sediment even centuries later, scientists can now map the historic population levels of salmon.&nbsp;



By collecting and measuring nutrients left by salmon in the River Spey, the researchers found that larger salmon populations in the past declined during a cooling climate – a period that coincided with an intensification in human exploitation. These findings also suggest that previous theories arguing that beavers have significantly impacted salmon populations are unfounded: larger salmon populations in the past occurred at a time when rivers were also inhabited by beavers, showing that the two animal species could peacefully coexist.&nbsp;



“These results can help us understand some of the controls on salmon populations prior to and during major human exploitation,” said study lead author David Sear, a professor of Geography and Environmental Science at Southampton.&nbsp;



“Our study shows that historically, beavers – common in Scotland hundreds of years ago – do not appear to have significantly impacted salmon numbers. This is very relevant today, as the animals are being reintroduced to UK rivers and a debate continues about their potential impact on migratory species like salmon.”&nbsp;



Since migratory fish, such as salmon, bring marine nutrients into nutrient poor upland rivers, population declines negatively affect river ecosystems today. Further research is needed to untangle the complex relationships between salmon and other aquatic animals in order to properly asses the larger impact that diminishing salmon populations have on a variety of ecosystems.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09596836221095983">The Holocene</a>.&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

Decline in Atlantic salmon linked to humans and climate

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

An international team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute</a> has created the most detailed seafloor map of the Southern Ocean to date. Climate, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-biodiversity-affect-species-interactions/">biodiversity</a>, and ocean currents are all influenced by features on the ocean floor, which means the new map is critically important for research.&nbsp;



"The Southern Ocean is a major component of the coupled ocean-atmosphere climate system and includes the largest ocean current on earth, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). It is furthermore the most important ocean region for the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 and heat from the atmosphere, and cold and dense bottom waters form on the shelves surrounding Antarctica," wrote the study authors.



"Interactions of the Southern Ocean with Antarctic glaciers and ice shelves are the main drivers of present, past, and future Antarctic ice sheet mass balance and thus global sea-level change. Biologically, the Southern Ocean is a high-productivity area with high biodiversity."



"The Southern Ocean is also one of the most remote and harshest areas of the world with extensive sea-ice cover and year-round severe weather conditions."



Few regions of the Southern Ocean seafloor have been surveyed and mapped in detail. The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) is an international project coordinated by the AWI.



“No matter where you travel or work, you need a map for orientation. That’s why virtually all oceanographic disciplines rely on detailed maps of the ocean floor,” explained Dr. Boris Dorschel-Herr. "For example, the seafloor topography of the Southern Ocean is essential to understanding a range of climate-relevant processes."



"Warm water masses flow into deep troughs in the continental shelf towards the ice shelves and glaciers of the Antarctic, affecting how they melt. Conversely, the stability and calving behavior of glaciers and ice sheets greatly depend on the features of the ground beneath them. With the IBCSO v2, we have delivered the best and most detailed representation of the Southern Ocean to date.”



The first IBCSO high-resolution map of the area (IBCSO v1) was released in 2013. Since that time, a large amount of new measurement data has been collected.&nbsp;



“The new version of IBCSO – IBCSO v2 – for the Southern Ocean now covers the entire area south of the 50th parallel – which means 2.4 times as much seafloor as the first version – at a high resolution of 500 by 500 meters,” explained Dr. Dorschel-Herr.&nbsp;



“As a result, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the key oceanographic ‘gateways’ essential to understanding it - the Drake Passage and the Tasmanian Passage - are included in their entirety. The chart is based on more than 25.5 billion measurements supplied by 88 institutions in 22 countries.”



The high-resolution map of the Southern Ocean is available for download free of charge at the project website <a href="http://www.ibcso.org">www.ibcso.org</a>.



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

New map reveals what lies beneath the Southern Ocean

An international team of researchers led by the Alfred Wegener...

Years of data that was recently analyzed by researchers at the <a href="https://www.bigelow.org/">Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences</a> has produced some disturbing conclusions about warming in the Gulf of Maine. The warmer water <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flood-risk-in-east-china-is-rising-alongside-temperatures/">temperatures</a> are changing the basis of the food web throughout the entire gulf.



“We've seen that the growth rate of phytoplankton is about a third of what it was 20 years ago; that’s a really big deal,” said William Balch, lead author on the NASA-funded study. “These microscopic plants are the base of the food web on which all ocean life depends, and the change is connected to patterns and processes well beyond the Gulf of Maine.”



The data shows that waters 500 feet below the surface have warmed by almost three degrees over the last two decades. Surprisingly, shallow waters have warmed more slowly, even cooling in the spring.&nbsp;



“We all work with this mantra that the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water on the planet,” said Balch. “Well, there's an asterisk next to that now, which is really important to understanding the complex changes we’re seeing.”



The cooling effect is only being seen in waters less than 160 feet in depth and only during the spring months. This, in turn, suggests that these cooler waters are moving in from colder regions to the north.&nbsp;



“It's not like the Gulf of Maine is an isolated pond and all the warming happening here is only happening in place,” said Balch. “Rising temperatures are in large part due to this large influx of North Atlantic water, which itself is getting warmer. These changes take time, and they are fundamentally altering the planet.”&nbsp;



Despite some cooling, the Gulf of Maine is warming overall, which is a disturbing trend. Even though climate change is challenging for organisms, Balch is optimistic about the possibility for many species to adapt. Animals and plants can alter their behavior, move to different niches and perhaps survive - whether human society gives them the chance or not.&nbsp;



“These changes are the results of our actions, the grand experiment that we humans have run on this planet since the industrial age when we started burning fossil fuels,” Balch said. “The future of the Gulf of Maine relies on us keeping our carbon dioxide emissions down, and that choice is completely under our control.”



The research is published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21698961">Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences</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

Gulf of Maine has been transformed by warming waters

Years of data that was recently analyzed by researchers at...

According to The Ocean Foundation, an estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen is deposited in oceans annually with the potential to harm marine life such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hawaiian-corals-are-surprisingly-resilient-to-ocean-warming/">corals</a>, algae, sea urchins, fish and mammals. It seems that fans of reef ecosystems may inadvertently be killing the very life forms that they love the most.&nbsp;



Sunscreens may contain many different chemical and physical components that protect skin from sunburn. They also contain preservatives such as fungicides and anti-bacterial agents that prolong shelf life. Unfortunately, many of these ingredients are known to be toxic to reef biota, a situation that has led some countries to ban the use of certain sunscreens in order to protect living reef organisms.&nbsp;



Scientists have known for some time that oxybenzone, an organic compound found in many sunscreens, is toxic to corals. However, the exact mechanism by which oxybenzone causes harm has not been understood, meaning that sunscreen manufacturers wishing to replace oxybenzone with alternatives may use substances that have exactly the same devastating impact on the corals. A study led by scientists from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has now investigated this mechanism.&nbsp;



<a href="http://profiles.stanford.edu/william-mitch">William Mitch</a>, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, became interested in the issue several years ago when he heard about Hawaii’s then-pending ban on “reef-toxic” sunscreen. With funding from the&nbsp;<a href="http://woods.stanford.edu/">Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment</a>, he and&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/john-pringle">John Pringle</a>, a professor of genetics in the&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford School of Medicine</a>, and colleagues, have worked to establish the chemical and biological mechanisms whereby oxybenzone damages corals. Their surprising findings are published today in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



“It would be a sad irony if ecotourism, aimed at protecting coral reefs, was actually exacerbating their decline,” said study lead author&nbsp;<a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/djordje-vuckovic">Djordje Vuckovic</a>, a PhD student in civil and environmental engineering. “My hope is that our research will help lead the way to developing coral-safe sunscreens.”



In their study, Mitch, Pringle, Vuckovic, and other Stanford researchers used anemones as study animals, rather than corals, which are harder to experiment with. They found that anemones exposed to oxybenzone in artificial seawater all died within 17 days if they were exposed to sunlight. Anemones kept in similar conditions but without sunlight, remained alive.&nbsp;



“It was strange to see that oxybenzone made sunlight toxic for corals – the opposite of what it is supposed to do,” said Mitch. “The compound is good at absorbing light within the waveband we tested, which is why it’s so common in sunscreens.”



Oxybenzone absorbs sunlight in the ultraviolet range, and would normally release this light energy in the form of heat, thereby protecting skin from sunburn caused by ultraviolet rays. However, the researchers found that anemones and corals processed oxybenzone in such a way that the resulting metabolic products formed damaging free radicals when exposed to sunlight.



In an additional twist to the story, it seems that the symbiotic algae living inside the tissues of coral polyps protect their hosts by absorbing the toxins from oxybenzone metabolism into their own cells. But, as ocean waters warm, stressed corals expel their algal partners, which results in “bleaching.” These corals are then more vulnerable to the toxic effects of oxybenzone because the corals no longer have their algal residents to protect them.&nbsp;



Other research has shown that oxybenzone is not be the only sunscreen ingredient of concern. Many ingredients have similar chemical structures to oxybenzone and may well be metabolized in the same way, producing potent phototoxic metabolites. In addition, some sunscreens marketed as coral-safe contain minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Although these sunscreens protect skin from sunburn in a different way, the mineral particles wash off into the water and, if they are very small, can be ingested by corals and other marine filter feeders, with as-yet unknown consequences.&nbsp;



The researchers hope that their findings will help guide the development and marketing of effective, coral-safe sunscreens so that ocean-loving tourists are not complicit in the demise of the fragile reef ecosystems by their attempts to avoid the effects of the sun’s radiation.&nbsp;



“In environmental science, as in medicine, a sound understanding of basic mechanisms should provide the best guidance for the development of practical solutions,” said Pringle. “Our study also illustrates the enormous power of collaborations between scientists with very different backgrounds and expertise,” said Mitch.



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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

Sunscreen ingredients make sunlight toxic for corals

According to The Ocean Foundation, an estimated 14,000 tons of...

The ocean exhibits a “memory” - the ocean temperature tomorrow typically looks a lot like it does today, with only slight changes. As a result, the ocean's memory is often used for predicting various conditions.&nbsp;



Ocean memory decline is a collective response across <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forested-areas-may-help-protect-pollinators-in-a-warming-climate/">climate</a> models to human-induced warming. As greenhouse-gas concentrations continue to rise, memory decline will become increasingly evident, as if the ocean is developing amnesia.



“We discovered this phenomenon by examining the similarity in ocean surface temperature from one year to the next as a simple metric for ocean memory,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/huidshi/">Hui Shi</a>, lead author and researcher at the Farallon Institute in Petaluma, California.&nbsp;



Ocean memory is related to the thickness of the uppermost sea layer, known as the mixed layer. Deeper mixed layers have greater heat content, which results in more thermal inertia that translates into memory. However, the mixed layer over most oceans will become shallower in response to continued global warming, resulting in a decline in ocean memory.&nbsp;



“Other processes, such as changes in ocean currents and changes in the energy exchange between the atmosphere and ocean, also contribute to changes in ocean memory, but the shoaling of the mixed layer depth and resulting memory decline happens in all regions of the globe, and this makes it an important factor to consider for future climate predictions,” said study co-author Robert Jnglin Wills.



The thinning mixed layer is also found to increase random fluctuations of the sea surface temperature. Although the ocean will not become much more variable from one year to the next, helpful signals for prediction will be reduced. This can create new challenges in understanding oceans under further warming conditions, and could influence how we manage sensitive marine ecosystems.&nbsp;



“Reduced memory means less time in advance for a forecast to be made. This could hinder our ability to predict and prepare for ocean change including marine heatwaves, which are known to have caused sudden and pronounced changes in ocean ecosystems around the world,” said study co-author Michael Jacox, a research scientist at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey, California.



For the management of fisheries, estimates are used that assume a stable environment similar to the past. Reduced memory might make estimation inaccurate. This would require new approaches to include real-time ocean monitoring.&nbsp;



“Reduced ocean memory together with increased random fluctuations suggest intrinsic changes in the system and new challenges in prediction under warming,” said study co-author Professor Fei-Fei Jin of the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Mānoa</a>.



This phenomenon could also impact biological resources. Depending on whether species adapt, future changes in their population can be better estimated and predicted by taking ocean memory loss into consideration.&nbsp;



Land-based impacts on temperature, precipitation as well as extreme events might also be affected by ocean memory decline due to their dependence on sea surface temperature as a predictability source.&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm3468">Science Advances&nbsp;</a>



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

The ocean is losing its memory and becoming less predictable

The ocean exhibits a “memory” - the ocean temperature tomorrow...

Today, on <a href="https://worldoceanday.org/">World Ocean Day</a>, the global community unites to raise awareness about ocean <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-land-conservation-stop-the-biodiversity-crisis/">conservation</a>. This year's focus is the 30×30 goal, a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30 percent of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030.&nbsp;



In 2020, a comprehensive report by more than 100 economists and scientists confirmed just how valuable that the establishment of more protected areas would be for the global economy.&nbsp;



The experts considered various scenarios of protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean. The study revealed that the benefits of protected areas outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least five to one.&nbsp;



In May 2019, the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services revealed that one million species are threatened with extinction. The study also showed that three-quarters of the land-based environment and about 66 percent of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions.



The authors of the IPBES report said that it is not too late to conserve and restore nature, but that transformative change - such as expanding and effectively managing the current network of protected areas - will be needed.&nbsp;



"Leading scientists worldwide have determined a healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate and biodiversity crises," says the World Ocean Day network.



"By supporting 30×30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems - specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity.  Currently, less than 17 percent of land and eight percent of the ocean worldwide is protected."



"The good news is, due to the efforts of the growing global 30×30 movement, including those involved in the World Ocean Day network, more than 90 countries have already committed to protecting at least 30 percent of their land and ocean by 2030."



"With your help, and by working with youth and organizational leaders worldwide, together we will continue to grow the global movement to protect at least 30 percent of our blue planet by 2030 and safeguard our future."



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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

World Ocean Day: Take action to protect and restore nature

Today, on World Ocean Day, the global community unites to...

In recent winters, Northeast China has experienced more frequently persistent cold events with very low temperatures lasting for over three consecutive days. Such <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-hot-and-cold-weather-events-may-share-the-same-mechanism/">extreme weather events</a> had devastating effects on agriculture, transportation, power infrastructure, and health. 



For instance, the prolonged cold event of -30°C to -40°C observed in Northeast China and eastern Inner Mongolia Province from mid-January to mid-February, 2012, affected 41 thousand people, damaged 25 thousand houses, and led to $1.8 million in economic losses. Thus, understanding what drives the occurrence of such events is crucial for both scientists and the larger public.



While previously, scientists have argued that these persistent cold events are triggered by cold air from the polar regions, a recent study led by the <a href="https://en.nuist.edu.cn/">Nanjing University of Information Science &amp; Technology</a> (NUIST) has identified another crucial factor driving the occurrence of such events: the tropical thunderstorms related to eastward-propagating low-frequency cloud clusters (known in the meteorological community as the Madden-Julian oscillation).&nbsp;



“We found that occurrence probabilities of persistent extreme cold events over Northeast China are significantly increased when cloud clusters are located over the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific,” explained study lead author Yitian Qian, a postdoctoral fellow at NUIST. “But the triggering mechanisms of tropical cloud clusters in the two basins (Indian Ocean vs. western Pacific) on the Northeast China’s cold events are distinct.”



According to the scientists, when the cloud clusters of Madden-Julian oscillation are located over the Indian Ocean, a cooling effect induced by ascending motion over Northeast China emerges, leading to the occurrence of persistent extreme cold events. However, when the tropical cloud clusters propagate toward the western Pacific region, extreme cold in Northeast China is caused by cold air transportation from northern regions.



“Understanding the influential factors of persistent extreme cold events in Northeast China may help us to better assess the model prediction skill and thus improve the models’ accuracy in predicting the disastrous extreme cold events in Northeast China in a few weeks ahead,” concluded study corresponding author Pang-chi Hsu, an expert in Atmospheric Science at NUIST.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/atmospheric-and-oceanic-science-letters">Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters</a>.



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

Tropical thunderstorms trigger extreme cold events in China

In recent winters, Northeast China has experienced more frequently persistent...

The importance of coral reefs in aquatic ecosystems cannot be underestimated. They are the engineers of the deep sea, creating habitat and helping to secure the survival of many species on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/how-the-ocean-and-climate-influence-each-other/">ocean</a> floor.&nbsp;



Yet, these heroes of the ocean are not invincible. Coral survival is impacted by changes in their environment, such as fluctuations in temperature, acidity, oxygen, and food availability. Any of these factors can affect the health of corals and the survival of the creatures who depend on them.&nbsp;



Researchers at the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences of the University of Bremen (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/university-of-bremen-marum">MARUM</a>) wanted to know more about how corals are affected by environmental change. To investigate, they examined the cold-water coral species Lophelia pertusa.&nbsp;



“We looked back into the past to understand how Lophelia pertusa reacted to environmental changes," said study first author Rodrigo da Costa Portilho-Ramos.



The study considered the most crucial environmental parameters over the last 20,000 years. This time period represents the warming of the planet since the last glaciation.&nbsp;



The experts found that L. pertusa would disappear and then reappear from an area when the oxygen content or food supply changed. They also discovered that temperature and salinity did not seem to affect the ability of the coral to survive or reproduce.&nbsp;



“We therefore assume that food supply and availability of oxygen are the primary factors that determine the life or death of cold-water corals," said Portilho-Ramos.



The research team could not determine the effect of acidification over the long term because it was not possible to measure the history of acidification in the ocean.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Deep-sea corals affect many aspects of the marine ecosystem, from nutrient cycles to fish reproductive success. The team believes the information gathered in their study will help inform future marine conservation in an ever-changing climate.&nbsp;



"Here, we present the synthesis of 6 case studies from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, revealing that food supply controlled by export production and turbulent hydrodynamics at the seabed exerted the strongest impact on coral vitality during the past 20,000 years, whereas locally low oxygen concentrations in the bottom water can act as an additional relevant stressor," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"The fate of cold-water corals in a changing ocean will largely depend on how these oceanographic processes will be modulated. Future ocean deoxygenation may be compensated regionally where the food delivery and food quality are optimal."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLoS Biology</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

Global warming and corals: How the past informs the present

The importance of coral reefs in aquatic ecosystems cannot be...

In winter and early spring, freezing rain is an increasingly frequent weather disaster in many regions of the world, sometimes occurring even in the tropics. Since it has a significant negative impact on electrical transmission infrastructure, transportation systems, and the general public, understanding the causes triggering this phenomenon is essential. A research team led by the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a> (IAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has now investigated the relation between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skin-hair-products-air-pollution/">air pollution</a> and the emergence of such weather events.



In order for freezing rain to occur, raindrops need to remain supercooled (below 0°C) in the atmosphere. While previous studies have attributed the presence of supercooled drops in the atmosphere to the lack of ice nuclei, recent research has found that this is in fact not the case, since ice nuclei remain in supercooled drops when snow melts and forms these drops at even higher and warmer atmospheric levels. According to the IAP researchers, elevated soluble chemicals help the drops stay supercooled through a chemical effect known as “freezing point depression.”



The scientists reached this conclusion by conducting a long-term measurement of the physical and chemical composition of freezing rain at Mount Heng in southcentral China. Since the elevation of the sampling site is 1265.9 meters, above the top of the atmospheric boundary layer, low temperatures in the winter favor the occurrence of supercooled fog and freezing rain. However, chemical analyses over a seven-year period have found that the freezing rain at Mount Heng was acidic, with higher concentrations of soluble ions and organic matter than those in rain. The study revealed that, as the concentrations of soluble ions (particularly ammonium nitrate) increase, the ambient temperatures of freezing rain showed decreasing trends.



“This study presented the first chemical view on freezing rain, a physical phenomenon in traditional belief,” said study co-author Ronald Stewart, an expert in Atmospheric Physics at the <a href="https://umanitoba.ca/">University of Manitoba</a> in Canada. “The higher ionic concentration may depress the temperature needed to freeze raindrops and this process prolongs the existence of freezing rain.”



“Against the background of global warming, the influencing area of the freezing rain will shift northward, and the effect of freezing point depression induced by air pollution in northern China may be amplified,” concluded co-author Xiaying Zhu, a climate scientist at the <a href="http://bcc.ncc-cma.net/">Beijing Climate Center</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231022002059?via%3Dihub#!">Atmospheric Environment</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

Air pollution increases freezing rain in the Northern Hemisphere

In winter and early spring, freezing rain is an increasingly...

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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



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.

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



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.

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center&nbsp;



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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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