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...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles the Red List of Threatened Species, the most comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-500-animal-species-are-lost-but-are-they-extinct/">species</a>. This list informs conservation policy around the world. 



The process for categorizing species however, is laborious and dependent on human experts which often leads to bias. Because of this, many species have never been evaluated, which has caused gaps in protective measures for potential species at risk.&nbsp;



A new study presents a machine learning tool to resolve this challenge by assessing extinction risk. The tool was used to identify the unlisted reptile species that are more likely to be threatened than assessed species.&nbsp;



There are 4,369 reptile species that were previously unable to be prioritized for conservation. Using the machine learning model, the study assigned IUCN extinction risk categories to the 40 percent of the world’s reptiles that lacked assessments or were classified as data deficient (DD).



The researchers found that the number of threatened reptile species is much higher than what is represented on the IUCN Red List. Surprisingly, unassessed and data deficient reptiles were more likely to be threatened than species that had been assessed. 



According to the researchers, the findings show that reptile conservation is much worse than estimated. Immediate action is critical to support reptile biodiversity. The study identifies specific regions and taxa that are most likely to be threatened. The experts argue that these areas should be prioritized for conservation planning. The study's methodology can also be used to help bridge the gap of other, lesser known species.&nbsp;



“Importantly, the additional reptile species identified as threatened by our models are not distributed randomly across the globe or the reptilian evolutionary tree," said study co-author Shai Meiri. "Our added information highlights that there are more reptile species in peril – especially in Australia, Madagascar, and the Amazon basin – all of which have a high diversity of reptiles and should be targeted for extra conservation effort."



"Moreover, species rich groups, such as geckos and elapids (cobras, mambas, coral snakes, and others), are probably more threatened than the Global Reptile Assessment currently highlights, these groups should also be the focus of more conservation attention.”



Study co-author Uri Roll said the research could be very important in helping the global efforts to prioritize the conservation of species at risk.



"Our world is facing a biodiversity crisis, and severe man-made changes to ecosystems and species, yet funds allocated for conservation are very limited," said Roll.



"Consequently, it is key that we use these limited funds where they could provide the most benefits. Advanced tools- such as those we have employed here, together with accumulating data, could greatly cut the time and cost needed to assess extinction risk, and thus pave the way for more informed conservation decision making.”



To better understand the factors that are contributing to reptile extinction risk, further studies are needed to ensure that conservation plans include newly identified threatened species.&nbsp;



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

Number of endangered reptiles is much greater than estimated

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles the...

<a href="https://sites.google.com/d51schools.org/phs-fish-hatchery">Palisade High School</a>, a twenty minute drive from where I live in Colorado, has something unusual - a fish hatchery. When I read about this, I had to visit the school to see for myself.



Razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus), the only fish raised at Palisade’s hatchery, once lived throughout the Colorado River Basin from Wyoming to Baja California, Mexico.&nbsp;As is typical of many fish native to the western US, damming of rivers, introduction of non-native sport fishes and irrigation channels have taken a toll.



The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/23162/174781799">critically endangered fish</a> is still found in small and fragmented populations throughout the Colorado River Basin and a few reservoirs created by the river. Razorback suckers are missing from large parts of their former southern range. Since 1991, the fish has been formally protected by the US federal government.&nbsp;



According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the fish population is still dropping. There is some hope, as the razorback sucker has been re-established in the Grand Canyon and more southerly parts of its range but it’s still a struggle. A teacher and his students are doing something about it, while also looking more closely at the connection between humanity and the rest of nature. 



I met Pat Steele on a cool, windy spring day in front of Palisade High School. He warmly welcomed me to the school and walked with me along the edge of a sport’s field towards a gate in the chain link fence. He talked over the wind as we walked, telling me how all the money for their fish hatchery came from local donors. Beyond the gate was a small shed, which Steele said was previously used to store astronomy equipment for the school. 



The inside of the shed was filled with three large black tanks with small clear windows cut in the sides. Around the corner was an aeration pump system. Inside the tanks there were approximately 300 fish. The shed was filled with the sound of water bubbling and pumps humming. Pat said he hopes to make the fish hatchery central to the school. Chemistry students could monitor the pH of the water for instance or art students could practice Japanese fish printing with the few fish that accidentally die and are frozen. 



Pat also teaches a river dynamics class, something of utmost importance for understanding the western landscape and our place in it, especially in these challenging times. He hopes this sort of teaching and the hands-on work with the fish, creates a connection between students and the river. His students hosted a class of younger students from another nearby school and showed them invertebrates and fish living in the river. The students walked from their school along the river, picking up trash as they went. To me, this seems like a perfect model for environmental education - personal, hands-on and tailored to the student’s own backyard as well as scientifically rigorous.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



In Palisade High School’s fish hatchery, students and a handful of special volunteers do all of the work. They change filters and water, monitor the health of the fish and isolate any that are acting strangely. Before they’re released, the students insert rice-grain sized PIT tags into the fish just behind their fins. These tags allow scientists to check the provenance of the fish they catch and hopefully monitor the success of the school’s hatchery program. At the end of all this work, the fish are released into the Colorado River, which is a short walk away from the hatchery they’re raised in.&nbsp;



Palisade High School isn’t alone in this endeavor, although it seems to be the first inland project of its kind. When Pat Steele was planning on creating a hatchery he took a few students with him to Petaluma, California to visit Casa Grande High School and<a href="https://abc7news.com/coho-salmon-extinction-casa-grande-high-school-fish/11062269/"> their hatchery</a>. Casa Grande’s United Anglers has been running a hatchery since 1993. Typically the school raises steelhead trout but recently they were asked to take care of endangered Coho Salmon, due to rising water temperatures at their hatchery at Lake Sonoma.         



The<a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/wa/newsroom/features/?cid=nrcs144p2_036468"> US Department of Agriculture </a>reports that in the first year of a program in Washington State, 350 students from six to seven classes helped raise salmon. By 2006, that number had grown to 1,100 students in twenty schools in three counties. In this program, the fish are hatched in small tanks within the classroom from 500 eggs delivered by the <a href="https://yakamafish-nsn.gov/">Yakama Indian Nation </a>Fish Hatchery. The students place the eggs within gravel at the bottom of the tank. As they learn about the life cycle of the fish, they can watch them develop right in their class.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Seeing Palisade’s modest hatchery with its three tanks along with the nature trail behind the school within a stone’s throw of the Colorado River, I couldn’t help but be hopeful. I felt more hopeful for the environment than I’ve felt in a long time. The hatchery seems like the perfect balance of a project doing something directly beneficial for an endangered fish as well as giving indirect benefits. The indirect benefits are in the minds of the students who handle the fish, who watch them and try to understand their lives and the lives of everything in those great streams of water everyone in the west depends upon.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We want kids to understand the fish, get to know them," said Steele. "Every time they go by the river or they drive over it or whatever…hopefully it makes them think about being a little more sensitive to water conservation, you know, taking care of our rivers."



Image Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service



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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

Colorado high school is fighting to save razorback suckers

Palisade High School, a twenty minute drive from where I...

Recently, the western United States has witnessed a dramatic increase in wildfires due to climate change and past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-supercharge-forest-disturbances/">forest</a> and fire management practices. Policymakers are currently weighing options for distributing the costs of wildfire suppression and mitigation across households in both low- and high-hazard areas.&nbsp;



According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.rff.org/">Resources for the Future</a> (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution from Washington, DC, while other anthropogenic hazards such as pollution and waste facilities overwhelmingly affect economically vulnerable communities, wildfire hazard is disproportionally borne by high-income, white, and elderly communities, and by owners of high-value properties.



“In spite of increased attention to the distribution of environmental and climate-related risks across socioeconomic groups, and its relevance to current wildfire-related policy debates, the distribution of wildfire hazard was previously not well understood,” said study lead author Matthew Wibbenmeyer, an environmental and natural resources economist at RFF.&nbsp;



By using granular spatial data to study residential properties in the western United States and their relative risk for wildfire exposure, Dr. Wibbenmeyer and his colleagues have found that the top ten percent most valuable homes in this region are 70 percent more likely to be in high hazard areas than median-value properties. According to the researchers, this is due to the fact that wildfire hazard often goes hand-in-hand with access to benefits such as proximity to nature, scenic views, and recreational opportunities.



However, the experts warn that their findings also reveal disproportionate exposure to wildfire hazards among the lowest-value properties in the western United States, and among Native American communities.&nbsp;



“Wildfire mitigation policies that deliver financial assistance to high-hazard areas could be subsidizing wealthy households. However, high wildfire hazard areas are quite heterogeneous, so addressing concerns associated with costs of increasing wildfire hazard may call for a geographically targeted approach focused on reducing the burden for the most vulnerable communities,” concluded study co-author Molly Robertson, a research associate at RFF.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac60d7">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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

Wildfire hazard disproportionately affects wealthy homeowners

Recently, the western United States has witnessed a dramatic increase...

Anyone who’s heard of the problems in the Everglades probably knows that released <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/praying-mantises-are-becoming-more-popular-as-pets/">pets</a> can become invasive. Non-native plants and animals often outcompete native wildlife and harm ecosystems. Unfortunately, releasing a pet into the wild can mean hurting other wild creatures.&nbsp;



Unsurprisingly, fish are one of the most commonly released pets. In fact, released pets make up one third of aquatic invasive species. Goldfish have been domesticated for thousands of years and are extremely popular. These fish have established non-native populations all over the planet.&nbsp;



Now, a study published in the journal <a href="https://neobiota.pensoft.net/">NeoBiota</a> looks at goldfish and another pet fish, the white cloud mountain minnow in Northern Ireland. The researchers developed new techniques for assessing the potential risks and impacts of invasive pet species.&nbsp;



Goldfish, in particular, appeared to be dangerous to the native ecology of Ireland. Goldfish ate more food than either the white cloud mountain minnow or native Irish fishes. Goldfish were also brave, a trait thought to promote invasive behavior.&nbsp;



“Our research suggests that goldfish pose a triple threat. Not only are they readily available, but they combine insatiable appetites with bold behavior," explained study lead author Dr. James Dickey from Queen’s University Belfast.



"While northern European climates are often a barrier to non-native species surviving in the wild, goldfish are known to be tolerant to such conditions, and could pose a real threat to native biodiversity in rivers and lakes, eating up the resources that other species depend on.”



The scientists hope that they not only show that goldfish are potentially dangerous to ecology, but also help others assess risks of goldfish and other pets in other locations in the world.&nbsp;



“Our research highlights that goldfish are high risk, but we hope that the methods developed here can be used to assess others in the pet trade across Ireland and further afield," said Dr. Dickey.



"Readily available species are most likely to be released, so limiting the availability of potentially impactful ones, alongside better education of pet owners, is a solution to preventing damaging invaders establishing in the future.”



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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

Releasing goldfish is a threat to native wildlife

Anyone who’s heard of the problems in the Everglades probably...

As people leave less productive farmlands to move into urban areas, the abandoned farms can possibly revert to a more wild state. Such reversions to native plants, animals and ecology is not only good for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hedgehogs-are-spreading-the-superbug-mrsa-to-humans/">wildlife</a>, but can also help combat climate change.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a> shows that much of this "abandoned" farmland is eventually recultivated instead of being reverted to a natural state.



“As people move from rural areas into cities, there is a chance for wildlife and the climate to gain ground - literally - as abandoned farms and pastures revert back to forests and grasslands,” said study co-author Professor David Wilcove of the <a href="https://environment.princeton.edu/">High Meadows Environmental Institute</a> (HMEI). “Our work shows that this is not happening because the ‘abandoned’ lands are being rapidly recultivated.”



“Unless countries and policymakers develop better regulations and incentives to allow these lands to recover, this chance to restore ecosystems will not be fully realized,” said study lead author Christopher Crawford, a PhD candidate who is advised by Professor Wilcove. “It will remain a missed opportunity to fight climate change and biodiversity loss.”



To understand the process of abandoned farmland regenerating, the researchers looked at satellite photos from 11 locations scattered across four continents. Some of the locations were in the United States, Brazil, Bosnia, Herzegovina, China, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia. Croplands in these locations were abandoned for a host of reasons including war, socioeconomic changes and environmental factors. In China, some of the land was restored due to incentives to plant trees on marginal farmlands.&nbsp;



Across the sites, farmland was abandoned for an average of less than 14 years, with land in China staying abandoned longer than in most places, probably due to incentives. The scientists estimate that land should be abandoned for at least 50 years for significant biodiversity and climate benefits to be seen.&nbsp;



“Without incentives for restoration, cropland abandonment rarely lasts long enough to yield benefits for biodiversity or carbon sequestration,” Crawford said. “For abandoned croplands to reach levels of carbon stocks and biodiversity comparable to more intact natural ecosystems, they typically need at least 50 years of regeneration.”



Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in China, where land stayed abandoned longer, show that incentives can work. The researchers also propose that unused croplands - which are not necessary for food - should be made into formally protected lands.&nbsp;



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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

Restoring abandoned farms could help fight climate change

As people leave less productive farmlands to move into urban...

The <a href="https://www.cabi.org/products-and-services/one-health-resources-cabi/one-health-journal-cabi/">CABI One Health</a> journal has published a commentary calling on government and experts to “recognize the importance of animal welfare for sustainable development, and to aspire to harm animals less and benefit them more as part of sustainable development governance.”



This commentary comes ahead of the UN Stockholm+50 Conference on June 2-3, 2022. The conference will include a number of environmental proposals and suggestions to address <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-threatens-the-health-of-billions-of-people/">climate change</a>.&nbsp;



The commentary calls attention to the fact that animal welfare has not been considered since the UN Conference on the Human Environment began 50 years ago. To be clear, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development may include protecting species as a whole, but ideas on how to protect the welfare of those animals were not considered. The commentators are perplexed as to why animal welfare has not been a part of the discussion.



“Human, animal, and environmental health are linked,” explained Jeff Sebo of New York University, a lead author of the commentary. “Governments need to take steps to include animals in sustainable development governance for the sake of human and non-human animals alike.”



To see an example of the link between the environment, humans, and non-human animals, look no further than the industrial animal agriculture complex.



The commentary authors noted that animal agriculture requires more land and water and produces more pollution and waste than plant-based foods. And, of course, the industry is the leading cause of climate change.



We can also consider the current outbreaks of bird flu which have led to the deaths of millions of birds and can be attributed to overcrowding and the overuse of antibiotics.&nbsp;



Cleo Verkuijl of the Stockholm Environment Institute mentions an even more omnipresent disease caused by a lack of attentiveness to animal welfare. “COVID-19 reminds us that industries like industrial animal agriculture and the wildlife trade not only harm and kill many animals per year but also contribute to global health and environmental threats that imperil us all.”&nbsp;



Over 180 experts have endorsed the commentary as of May 23, 2022. But, its authors encourage more experts and governments to acknowledge the “intrinsic value of animals and consider their interests when making policy decisions that affect them.”&nbsp;



Professor Maria José Hötzel of the Federal University of Santa Catarina emphasizes that “governments cannot afford to wait another 50 years to take this issue seriously.”&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

Animal welfare is essential to sustainable development

The CABI One Health journal has published a commentary calling...

Divers who visit ocean coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/without-action-coral-reefs-could-disappear-in-the-next-three-decades/">reefs</a> can hear the sounds of the reef organisms as they go about their daily business of feeding, communicating and moving about. The underwater sounds are reminiscent of static on a poorly-tuned radio, or the tantalizing hiss of eggs and bacon frying in the pan. In fact, when it is teeming with life, a coral reef is one of the noisiest places in the ocean, say scientists.



The characteristic sounds come from many sources, including the rasp of urchin and starfish teeth as they graze against the hard surfaces, shrimps that stun their prey with loud bubbles produced by their pincers, and fish that pluck off bits of coral. Added to these are the distant sounds of dolphins and whales communicating, and the zinging of tiny bubbles of oxygen as they zoom towards the sea surface. In fact, the more complex the soundscape, the more healthy the reef.&nbsp;



For researchers, sound recordings of these underwater activities could be an effective and economical way to assess the health of vulnerable reefs, since reefs that degrade tend to become quieter and less diverse in their acoustic characteristics. This type of monitoring offers a long-term and nonintrusive way to assess the state of reefs around the world, which are threatened by the effects of fishing, pollution and climate change.&nbsp;



At the upcoming 182nd Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, Lauren Freeman of the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, will present the results of her experiments using passive acoustic monitoring to evaluate the health of coral reefs. Her presentation, "Coral Reef and Temperate Coastal Soundscape Features Evident in Directional and Omnidirectional Passive Acoustic Time Series," will take place on May 25th.



Freeman and her team used an acoustic array to monitor reefs off the coast of Hawaii, with the premise that degraded coral reefs become unsuitable for marine organisms and, as they abandon the communities, the soundscapes become less rich and diverse. In degraded communities, there tend to be fewer fish calls and a greater preponderance of high frequency noise from algae photosynthesizing and releasing bubbles of oxygen, which ring out as they rise through the water.



“There is a natural competition between corals and macroalgae on all coral reefs. In most cases with a dying or degraded reef, the macroalgae is winning and covers a lot more of the surface,” said Freeman. “On a pristine reef, you would see very little macroalgae, and a lot of herbivorous fish that help eat the macroalgae.”&nbsp;



Freeman and her team compared the results from Hawaii to similar data from Bermuda and New England. Interestingly, Hawaii and Bermuda both showed a characteristic reef evening chorus, where the sound levels increased immediately prior to sunset. The New England reef underwent similar changes near dusk. &nbsp;&nbsp;



“Almost every time I conduct an experiment, we learn more about the complexities and intricacies of ambient biological soundscapes,” said Freeman. “It's so exciting to continue to discover more about ocean ecosystems.”



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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

Healthy coral reefs crackle with the sounds of busy inhabitants

Divers who visit ocean coral reefs can hear the sounds...

The Corn Belt is a region in the midwestern United States that is dominated by agriculture, including western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas. A new study led by <a href="https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a> has found that climate change will make the U.S. Corn Belt unsuitable for cultivating corn and other major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetically-modified-crops-could-reduce-climate-impacts/">crops</a> by 2100. 



According to the researchers, this transition will be inevitable without major technological advances in agricultural practices, as well as significant diversification beyond the major commodity crops that currently make up the bulk of U.S. agriculture.



“Climate change is happening, and it will continue to shift U.S. cultivation geographies strongly north,” said study author Emily Burchfield, an environmental scientist at Emory. “It’s not enough to simply depend on technological innovations to save the day. Now is the time to envision big shifts in what and how we grow our food to create more sustainable and resilient forms of agriculture.”



Currently, 80 percent of U.S. agricultural lands are cultivated with only five types of crops – alfalfa, corn, hay, soy, and wheat. By drawing upon historical land-use data classifying where these crops are grown, Professor Burchfield developed computational models to project biophysically driven shifts in cultivation to 2100 under low-, moderate-, and high-emissions scenarios. The results revealed that, even under moderate-emissions scenarios, the cultivation geographies of these major crops will all shift strongly north, with the Corn Belt becoming unsuitable to the cultivation of corn by the end of the century.



“These projections may be pessimistic because they don’t account for all of the ways that technology may help farmers adapt and rise to the challenge,” Professor Burchfield&nbsp;said. “But relying on technology alone is a really risky way to approach the problem. If we continue to push against biophysical realities, we will eventually reach ecological collapse.”



In her opinion, a better solution would be for agricultural systems to diversify beyond this handful of major crops. “One of the basic laws of ecology is that more diverse ecosystems are more resilient,” explained Professor Burchfield. “A landscape covered with a single plant is a fragile, brittle landscape. And there is also growing evidence that more diverse agricultural landscapes are more productive.”



“We need to switch from incentivizing intensive cultivation of five or six crops to supporting farmers’ ability to experiment and adopt the crops that work best in their particular landscape. It’s important to begin thinking about how to transition out of our current damaging monoculture paradigm toward systems that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable for farmers, and climate-smart."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6c3d">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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

The U.S. Corn Belt will take a hard hit from climate change

The Corn Belt is a region in the midwestern United...

In a new study, scientists have investigated whether a relationship exists between air pollution and COVID severity. The researchers examined the levels of common air pollutants in Ontario, Canada, and the incidence of more serious cases of COVID-19 in people who resided in those areas.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed data on all 151,105 people, aged 20&nbsp;years and older, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, and who did not live in a long-term care facility.&nbsp;They noted whether these people were hospitalized, admitted to an ICU or died as a consequence of developing COVID-19.&nbsp;



To find out whether there was an association between long-term exposure to air pollution and disease severity, the researchers modeled each participant’s historical exposure to three common air pollutants present in the areas where they resided. The pollutants of interest were fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3).&nbsp;



Before analyzing the data, the researchers adjusted for several potentially confounding factors, including date of diagnosis, sex and age, being part of an outbreak, having essential worker status, participants’ neighborhood socioeconomic status, health care access (including previous influenza vaccination history), and previous outpatient visits to hospital.



"We observed that people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who lived in areas of Ontario with higher levels of common air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2&nbsp;and O3) were at elevated risk of being admitted to the ICU after we adjusted for individual and contextual confounding factors, even when the air pollution level was relatively low," explained Dr.&nbsp;Hong Chen, Health Canada and ICES.



In particular, the results showed that people infected with SARS-CoV-2 had an elevated risk of being hospitalized when they had historical long-term exposure to PM2.5&nbsp;and O3, and an increased risk of death from COVID-19 if they had chronic exposure to ground-level O3.&nbsp;



These results add to the growing reports linking levels of ambient air pollution to COVID-19 severity from other countries, including Spain and Mexico.



"Given the ongoing pandemic, our findings that underscore the link between chronic exposure to air pollution and more severe COVID-19 could have important implications for public health and health systems," wrote the study authors.



The researchers emphasize the need for more extensive research into the exact mechanisms through which long-term exposure to air pollution may influence the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/20/E693">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a>.



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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

Severity of COVID symptoms linked to air pollution

In a new study, scientists have investigated whether a relationship...

According to a new report released by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.interacademies.org/">InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)</a>, climate change is threatening the health of billions of people worldwide through a range of both direct and indirect pathways, including heat-related mortality and morbidity, extreme weather events such as droughts or floods, decreases in crop yields, changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases, and wildfires causing widespread exposure to air pollution. These factors lead to a wide range of health hazards, such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, water- and food-borne disease, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seafood-trade-takes-fish-away-from-malnourished-populations/">malnutrition</a>, and mental disorders.



“Billions of people are at risk, therefore we call for action against climate change to benefit health and also advance health equity,” said report co-author Robin Fears, the Biosciences Program Director at IAP. Since fossil-fuel and biomass-related emissions account for a substantial proportion of the total health burden caused by pollution, Dr. Fears and his colleagues – including over 80 scientists from all regions of the world – argue that strategies to cut emissions can lead to major health benefits, while also curbing climate change.



Moreover, since global warming is already reducing food and nutrition security, promoting dietary changes - such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and reduction in meat intake - can also have major health and environmental benefits. In addition, urgent climate action could also avert significant increases in the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, which are currently amplified by environmental disruptions that facilitate spillovers from animals to humans of a wide range of dangerous pathogens.&nbsp;



The IAP report highlights the fact that, although climate change affects the health of all people, the burden is far from being distributed evenly or fairly. “Instead, it falls most heavily on those in low socio-economic conditions and marginalized people, and is influenced by intersecting factors such as health status, social, economic, and environmental conditions, and governance structures,” explained report co-author Sherilee Harper, an expert in the relation between climate and health at the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/index.html">University of Alberta</a> in Canada.&nbsp;



“Climate change impacts exacerbate inequities and injustices already experienced by vulnerable populations, many of which are founded in colonialism, racism, discrimination, oppression, and development challenges. We emphasize that health-related adaptation efforts must prioritize Indigenous Peoples, aging populations, children, women and girls, those living in challenging socioeconomic settings, and geographically vulnerable populations.”



Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, healthcare systems, and mitigation policies can support adaptation and decrease future health risks associated with climate change, while equity at the local, regional, and international scale in both research and policy responses is absolutely necessary to protect all the vulnerable populations.



The full report can be found <a href="https://www.interacademies.org/publication/health-climate-emergency-global-perspective">here</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

Climate change threatens the health of billions of people

According to a new report released by the&nbsp;InterAcademy Partnership (IAP),...

When it comes to protecting nature and tackling climate change, 2022 is a "make or break" year, according to one of the world's leading marine biologists. Professor Callum Roberts, a research scholar at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>, says that failure to agree to ambitious global targets would "greatly increase the risk of irreversible long-term damage to the global life support system." He warns that plans to protect 30 percent of both <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/coastal-wetlands-are-threatened-by-salt-water-intrusion/">land</a> and sea by 2030 - an initiative called 30x30 - are "by no means a done deal."



Professor Roberts spoke earlier this week at an event in New York called: "What will it take to protect the oceans?” The event comes at a critical time in history, when key global treaties are being discussed, including those that will be the focus of the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in China.



"We are belatedly realizing that the two greatest challenges of our time - biodiversity loss and climate change - are closely linked," says Professor Roberts. "We cannot solve either without bold, effective action on both."



The renowned oceanographer emphasizes that 30x30 represents the "scale and pace of progress needed" – and achieving this will depend on global agreement at COP15.&nbsp;



The dates for this conference are still to be confirmed, and Professor Roberts says this short notice is very concerning given the importance of the decisions to be made. He also warns that protected areas are only worthwhile if they are well managed and have the support of local communities.



"Paper parks (areas that are poorly protected and managed) are still prevalent in the global conservation portfolio," says Professor Roberts. "They will not stop biodiversity loss, slow climate change or deliver the many other benefits to nature and human well-being that effective protected areas have been shown to provide."



"Therefore, some argue that there should be targets set for quality of protection as well as quantity. But setting the bar too high risks the emerging political consensus around adopting 30x30 in the first place. Negotiations are therefore delicate."



Even if the 30x30 plan is agreed upon, there is no global agreement in place to create protected areas in international waters beyond the 200 nautical mile limits of national jurisdiction. "That might seem like a small problem, except for the fact that these international waters cover 43 percent of the surface of the Earth," says Professor Roberts.



He explains that the international community has been working to address this "gaping hole" for nearly 20 years. "There can be no 30x30 without a successful conclusion to this negotiation," says Professor Roberts. He emphasizes that a "massive uptick" in public and private investment is required to deliver the necessary protection. "There is no second chance; it’s now or never."



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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

Protecting nature from catastrophe: it's "now or never"

When it comes to protecting nature and tackling climate change,...

Moths are an important source of food for migrating birds and bats, and are also fascinating creatures in their own right. As climate change intensifies, moths (as well as birds and bats) are increasingly impacted. Now, a team of researchers has created a computer model that predicts the movements of different moths in a changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-may-become-a-side-effect-of-climate-change/">climate</a>.&nbsp;



"There is widespread concern that species will fail to track climate change if habitat is too scarce or insufficiently connected. Targeted restoration has been advocated to help species adapt, and a 'conductance' metric has been proposed, based on simulation studies, to predict effective habitat configurations. However, until now there is very little empirical evidence on how the configuration of habitat is affecting expansion at species' cool range margins," explained the study authors.



"We analyzed the colonization events that have occurred in continuously monitored trap locations for 54 species of southerly distributed moths in Britain between 1985 and 2011."



The model shows that moths coming from suburban and farmland habitats, both essential for pollination as well as food sources, have a hard time crossing some landscapes.&nbsp;



The scientists set out to identify which features of the landscapes slowed the moths down, making it hard for them to move with changing temperatures. The study revealed that some moths have a harder time moving northward.&nbsp;



“These new computer models will help us to target habitat restoration in the most effective places to help species adapt to climate change by shifting their ranges across the country," said Dr. Jenny Hodgson, the study's lead author from the University of Liverpool.



The main objective of the research is to better prioritize conservation efforts. With this important data in hand, moth migration pathways can be protected, allowing the insects the chance to adapt to a changing climate.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Previous research has shown how severe fragmentation of habitats in our UK landscapes is preventing the ability of species to shift their ranges in response to climate warming. We urgently need targeted habitat restoration to help species adapt to climate change," said study co-author Professor Tom Oliver, an ecologist at the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a>.&nbsp;



"Utilizing predictions like these would enable us to effectively create moth motorways, helping endangered moth species reach new, more suitable regions more quickly in their bid to survive.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</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

Moths may struggle to move in response to climate change

Moths are an important source of food for migrating birds...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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



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



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



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



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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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