There is a green deficit in our cities, and it's more serious than you think. A new study led by RMIT University in Australia highlights this glaring issue. The study measured access to nature in eight global cities and found most of them to be grossly deficient in canopy cover.



This is despite these cities having a significant number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-have-an-amazing-ability-to-adapt-to-new-climates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trees</a> in sight. The discrepancy lies in the lack of adequate "canopy cover" - the overhead layer of branches and leaves that provide shade, reducing temperatures and increasing green cover.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-troubling-tree-deficit">Troubling tree deficit</h2>



Less than 30 percent of buildings in cities such as New York City, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and Denver were found to be in neighborhoods with adequate canopy cover.



New York and Amsterdam scored almost 0% for canopy cover, while a whopping 92 and 50 percent of their buildings, respectively, had views of at least three <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/resilient-trees-can-help-safeguard-cities-from-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trees</a>.



This research, a collaborative effort with the Technical University of Munich, studied over 2.5 million buildings across eight cities using the "3-30-300" rule, an emerging sustainable cities measure.



This innovative rule states that every home, school, and workplace should have a view of at least three <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-one-third-of-the-worlds-trees-face-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trees</a>, be located in a neighborhood with at least 30% canopy cover, and be within 300 meters of a park.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-canopy-cover-champions">Canopy cover champions</h2>



Among the cities studied, only Seattle and Singapore could pass the 30% canopy benchmark. In these cities, 45% and 75% of buildings, respectively, have the luxury of enjoying adequate shading.



But the access to parks is not consistent. Singapore and Amsterdam scored high, while Buenos Aires and New York City trailed behind.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-more-canopy-cover">Need for more canopy cover</h2>



Dr. Thami Croeser, a lead researcher and an <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RMIT University</a> research fellow, found it alarming that a majority of the buildings studied failed the 30% tree canopy test.



Considering that 2023 was the hottest year on record and 25% of the global population experienced dangerous levels of extreme heat, canopy cover is an urgent requirement to cool down our cities, noted Dr. Croeser.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-of-tree-cover-in-cities">Benefits of tree cover in cities</h2>



"Previous research has shown depression, anxiety, obesity and heatstroke are more prevalent in urban areas that lack access to shady <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-trees-is-important-but-reforestation-can-help-too/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree</a> canopy and green open spaces," said Dr. Croeser.



Environmentally, urban trees play a critical role in improving air quality by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, while also filtering harmful particulate matter. 



Additionally, trees are essential for stormwater management, as their roots absorb rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding.



By storing carbon, urban forests help offset greenhouse gas emissions. They also provide vital habitats for birds, insects, and other wildlife, enhancing urban biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insufficiency-of-current-practices">Insufficiency of current practices</h2>



Dr. Croeser is critical of current methods of street design or retrofitting, which tend to prioritize infrastructure like cabling and pipelines over tree growth.



He advocates for a change in our practice, to prioritize green infrastructure and incorporate trees into early stages of design.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-struggles-of-urban-trees">Struggles of urban trees</h2>



Urban trees face a tough life. They are planted in compacted soil, covered with asphalt and lack proper water access.



Dr. Croeser argues that improving these conditions can greatly enhance the growth and longevity of urban trees, thus increasing canopy cover. The "3-30-300" rule might be relatively new, but it is rapidly gaining global acceptance.



This benchmark was devised by Dutch urban forestry expert Professor Cecil Konijnendijk.to set a definitive, evidence-based minimum for nature in cities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions</h2>



Professor Wolfgang Weisser from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Munich</a> and Dirk Voets, Senior Advisor Geospatial at Cobra Groeninzicht, have expressed support of the "3-30-300" rule and are optimistic about its potential.



The study is a clarion call for us to reassess our urban designs. The findings reach out to a global audience to advocate for more harmonious co-existence with nature in our urban spaces.



The research may ultimately be a catalyst for significant change, leading us to build more sustainable, liveable, and delightful cities.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53402-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Most cities lack sufficient canopy cover, despite visible trees

There is a green deficit in our cities, and it's more serious than you think. A new study led by RMIT University in Australia highlights this glaring issue. The study measured access to nature in eight global cities and found most of them to be grossly deficient in canopy cover. This is despite these cities having a significant number of trees in sight. The discrepancy lies in the lack of adequate "canopy cover" - the overhead layer of branches and leaves that provide shade, reducing temperatures and...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.rug.nl/?lang=en">University of Groningen</a> shows that the wildlife in Africa’s Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is being “squeezed” to the core by increasing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-activity-shrink-natural-habitats-species/">human activity</a>. After analyzing 40 years worth of data, researchers realized that, in some areas within the Serengeti-Mara region, there has been a 400% increase in human population and a 75% decrease in Kenyan wildlife populations in a single decade.

"This finding alters our view on what is needed to protect biodiversity,” said lead author Dr. Michiel Veldhuis, via the study published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

Although the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, which spans 40,000 square kilometers, is protected, human activity around the protected area borders has a negative impact on plants, animals, and soils. Human population growth and increase in livestock within the buffer zones between protected and unprotected land has limited the space for wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle migration. Therefore, these larger species are spending more time grazing less nutritious grasses than in decades past, thus changing the vegetation, occurrence of natural fires, and changing grazing habits of other native species.

[caption id="attachment_1870410" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/border-of-Maswa-Game-Reserve.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870410" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/border-of-Maswa-Game-Reserve.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></a> The border of the Maswa Game Reserve, Image Credit: Michiel Veldhuis, University of Groningen[/caption]

"The intense compression of a large protected area, such as the Serengeti-Mara, should ring alarm bells because most other protected areas are far smaller in size and therefore experience even more intense pressures from human activities impinging on their borders,” said contributing researcher Dr. Joseph Ogutu from the <a href="https://www.uni-hohenheim.de/en/english">University of Hohenheim</a>. “In countries where far more wildlife are still found outside than inside protected areas, such as Kenya where more than 65% of wildlife occur outside protected areas, expanding human population size, livestock and human activities pose serious and unprecedented threats to wildlife populations."

The effects of human population increase trickle down the entire natural food chain, and has the potential to damage microorganisms that help the ecosystem absorb nutrients necessary to fight the effects of climate change, such as drought.

[caption id="attachment_1870411" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Wildebeest-in-the-Serengeti-National-Park-Tanzania.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870411" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Wildebeest-in-the-Serengeti-National-Park-Tanzania.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Wildebeest in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Image Credit: James Probert, University of Liverpool[/caption]

"There is an urgent need to rethink how we manage the boundaries of protected areas to be able to conserve biodiversity,” Dr. Veldhuis said. “The future of the world's most iconic protected area and their associated human population may depend on it."

"We should rethink our protected area strategy, making sure that conservation efforts do not stop at protected area boundaries,” added contributing researcher Dr. Simon Mduma.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Han Olff, University of Groningen

The iconic Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is being stifled by human activity

A new study from the University of Groningen shows that...

Scientists have found 53 alien marine species that have made the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/galapagos-islands-ban-fireworks/">Galápagos</a><a href="http://www.earth.com/news/galapagos-islands-ban-fireworks/"> Islands</a> their home. Prior to this study, published in <a href="http://www.aquaticinvasions.net/">Aquatic Invasions</a>, only five species were previously documented.

"This increase in alien species is a stunning discovery, especially since only a small fraction of the Galápagos Islands was examined in this initial study," said coauthor Greg Ruiz, a marine biologist with the <a href="https://serc.si.edu/">Smithsonian Environmental Research Center</a>.

"This is the greatest reported increase in the recognition of alien species for any tropical marine region in the world," added lead author James Carlton, an emeritus professor of the <a href="https://mystic.williams.edu/">Maritime Studies Program of Williams College-Mystic Seaport</a>.

Ruiz and Carlton began their study in 2015 with field surveys of Santa Cruz and Baltra — two of the larger Galápagos Islands. The pair, along with Inti Keith of the <a href="https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/">Charles Darwin Foundation</a>, hung settlement plates from docks one meter underwater to see what species would begin to grow. The team also took samples from mangrove roots, floating docks and other coastal debris, as well as scanned records to see if identified marine species had been previously overlooked.

The researchers identified 30 new alien species believed to have been on the islands for decades, yet went unnoticed. Another 17 non-native species were previously falsely identified as native, however Ruiz, Carlton, and Keith found that they were actually alien. And a final alien species, called the bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata, was discovered in 1987, yet remained unidentified until now.

[caption id="attachment_1870371" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Amathia-verticillata.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870371" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Amathia-verticillata.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></a> Amathia verticillata, Image Credit: Dan Minchin/Marine Organism Investigations[/caption]

According to the research, most of the non-native species found were sea squirts, marine worms, and moss animals (bryozoans), and they all arrived on ships traveling from distant tropical locations, the team believes. 

Some of these alien species are invasive. The the bryozoan Amathia verticillata, for example, is known to damage pipes and fishing gear, as well as killing native seagrasses. And the date mussel Leiosolenus aristatus has already begun to attach itself to Galápagos coral.

"This discovery resets how we think about what's natural in the ocean around the Galápagos, and what the impacts may be on these high-value conservation areas," said Carlton.

Although the Galápagos have a very strict biosecurity program, instated to protect the native species of the islands by way of employing divers to inspect and turn away incoming marine vessels for inadvertently carrying non-native species, the risk for alien species invasion remains high.

The researchers say that the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2015 could cause the the predatory lionfish to the Galápagos, where it could wreak havoc on the native fish species. As could the invasive Indo-Pacific snowflake coral, which has already brought death to native coral in South America.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Galápagos Islands have far more invasive species than previously thought

Scientists have found 53 alien marine species that have made...

A research team led by Salim Al-Babili, an associate professor of plant science at the <a href="https://kaust.edu.sa/en">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a>, has found that by using plant hormones, they can hinder the growth of pesky weeds that threaten food security in Africa. 

Their findings will be published in <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25722611">Plants, People, Planet</a>.

Striga hermonthica, also known as purple witchweed, is a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/invasive-plants-change-environment/">mega-invasive plant</a> that is estimated to ruin up to 40% of the food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, thus putting 300 million people in danger. 

Striga is a parasitic plant that attaches itself to the root of other host plants. However, the scientists realized that if Striga has no host to attach to, it will die out.

Al-Babili and his colleagues therefore exploited a hormone in Striga called strigolactones, which is responsible for Striga’s germination. 

When treating a bare crop with strigolactones, the Striga plants were tricked into believing a host plant is near by. But when the Striga germinates and finds there is no host to attach its seeds to, the plant dies.

With this method, Al-Babili and team were able to reduce the number of Striga plants by more than half.

Al-Babili has been rewarded with a $5 million grant from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation to further his work reducing Striga population spread. 

The team notes that this method of treating the Striga problem doesn’t require additional water — it simply works when the rain falls — and can be applied to crop fields throughout crop rotation.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plant hormones can be used in the fight against crop invaders

A research team led by Salim Al-Babili, an associate professor...

Researchers have compared the number of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-organisms-dust/">antibiotic resistance</a> genes found in the water treatment plants of seven European countries. The study revealed that the number of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater corresponds with the number of such bacteria collected in samples from patients in that region. This number was also found to coincide with the overall antibiotic consumption in any given area.

On a positive note, the investigators determined that modern, well-functioning wastewater plants are effective in removing bacteria resistant to antibiotics from the water during the treatment process.

On the other hand, the study produced evidence that shows it is possible for a treatment plant to function as an incubator of antibiotic resistance under certain conditions. Out of 12 treatment plants studied, the number of antibiotic resistance genes increased during the purification process in one facility.

“In this study, 11 of the 12 wastewater treatment plants under investigation mitigated the resistance problem, which seems to indicate that modern plants work well in this regard,” said Marko Virta, a microbiologist at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a>.

“At the same time, an older plant or otherwise deficient purification process may end up increasing antibiotic resistance in the environment. We need more research findings from countries with high antibiotic consumption and less developed wastewater treatment practices.”

The researchers found that antibiotic use varies greatly by country in Europe. Southern Europeans use much more antibiotics compared to people in the north, which was reflected in the finding that residents of southern Europe tend to carry a much higher number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic use was also found to be higher in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and Ireland, while antibiotics are prescribed and used less in Finland, Norway, and Germany. According to the study, the number of resistance genes found in wastewater bound for purification accurately represented the levels of usage in these countries. 

The treatment plants were successful in eliminating resistance from most of the samples. The share of antibiotic resistance genes found in the wastewater only increased during purification at one Portuguese treatment plant, which turned the plant into an incubator of antibiotic resistance.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Levels of antibiotic resistance in a region can be measured in wastewater

Researchers have compared the number of antibiotic resistance genes found...

A new study from <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/">Portland State University</a> has revealed that there is greater potential for flooding and extreme heat in East Portland's low-income neighborhoods where there are fewer green spaces. In particular, the research was focused on nuisance flooding, which is the kind of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/historic-flooding-nebraska-iowa/">flooding</a> that shuts down roads, overwhelms storm drains, and flows into basements.

Portland is burdened with extreme heat in the summer months and frequent flooding in the winter and spring, and these conditions will only become worse as a result of climate change. 

The PSU researchers mapped winter flood and summer heat hazard potential and then compared it to sociodemographic and physical variables across individual neighborhoods, including population density, income, and green space.

The study revealed that the areas with the greatest combined hazard potential were poorer communities clustered in East Portland, Southeast Portland, and North Portland. By contrast, the city's wealthier neighborhoods in the western hills, central Northeast, and in the Southwest showed the lowest risk for extreme heat and flooding.

Heejun Chang is a Geography professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at PSU and the director of the Water as an Integrated System and Environment (WISE) research group.

“Not surprisingly, those poorer, low-lying areas on the eastside along Highway 205 are disproportionately exposed to floods and urban heat islands,” said Professor Chang. “Those are the potential target areas where the city needs to pay attention to.”


According to Professor Chang, planting trees is an easy and effective action to ease both urban heat and flooding. 

“If you can better manage land, you can better manage water in the urban areas. During the summer, trees can provide shading and reduce the heat island effect. But during winter, they can intercept the rainwater, hold water in the soils longer, and release water gradually.”

Professor Chang said that in some areas where impervious surface areas are too high, green roofs might be a better alternative. His team will continue to explore ways to expand green infrastructure to reduce the potential for extreme heat and nuisance flooding.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-disaster-risk-reduction">International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Low-income areas are more vulnerable to severe heat and flooding

A new study from Portland State University has revealed that...

Emissions from coal plants are climbing even amidst warnings that continued fossil fuel use will make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2030-limit-climate-change-warming/#.XJo0ZChKhPY">limiting global warming</a> to 1.5 Degrees Celsius almost impossible.

The <a href="https://www.iea.org/">International Energy Agency</a>, an organization that analyzes energy use for 30 of the world’s countries (the US included), recently released a report showing that CO2 emissions are increasing to meet growing energy demands. 

According to the report, energy demand increased by 2.3 percent in 2018. Fossil fuels, particularly coal plant emissions, met 70 percent of that growing demand. 

Greenhouse gas emissions to meet energy demand reached 33.1 billion tons last year, a record high and emissions overall increased 1.7 percent. 

Newer coal-fired power plants in Asia emitted more than ten billion tons of CO2, and these plants could continue emitting for the next 40 years.

What the report illustrates how that energy demand is outweighing efforts to reduce emissions. Even though more and more countries are turning to renewables, fossil fuels still reign supreme.

The United States is using less coal overall, but instead of relying more on renewables, the US is using more natural gas, which is still a fossil fuel.  

In India, 50 percent of the growing demand for energy was met using coal plants. 

If we want to limit warming and prevent catastrophic climate change on a global scale, there would have to be a drastic shift in energy use and CO2 emissions would have to decline by 78 percent in the next decade. 

“The growth in fossils is still greater than all the increases in renewables,” Rob Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University, told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/03/26/blow-climate-coal-plants-emitted-more-than-ever/?utm_term=.5efa5ccd3c75">Washington Post</a>. “What’s discouraging is that emissions in the U.S. and Europe are going up, too. Someone has to decrease their emissions significantly for us to have any hope of meeting the Paris commitments.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Coal plant emissions were higher than ever in 2018

Emissions from coal plants are climbing even amidst warnings that...

Rauhhautfledermaus (Pipistrellus nathusii)

When the sun goes down, we all instinctively reach for the lamps and light switches in our homes, attempting to prolong the light hours and continue our work (or maybe just brighten our current Netflix binge). And while these <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/artificial-light-pollution-causes-spring-to-come-early/">artificial lights</a> are of major benefit to our lives, they can be a hindrance to the lives of nocturnal animals – particularly in cities, where light is almost constant. However, the effects of artificial light likely varies across species, seasons, and types of light.

Now, a recent study published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</a> from the <a href="http://www.izw-berlin.de/">Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research</a> (IZW) has revealed new evidence of how exactly UV light emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps affect the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area. The study also investigates if tree cover could mitigate the effects of this light pollution.

The researchers found that bat responses to light pollution were complex. “We observed a higher activity of two pipistrelle bat species, the common pipistrelle and Nathusius' pipistrelle, in areas with high numbers of UV emitting street lamps,” says Tanja Straka, a scientist at the IZW's Department of Evolutionary Ecology and first author of the study. This may be because these bats are taking advantage of the insects that are attracted to UV emitting lamps. “However, all other species were less active at and even repelled by the lamps, irrespective of whether the light they emitted did or did not contain UV light,” Straka explains. 

In this study, the research team considered these effects in relation to tree cover. Bats use trees as shelter during the day, but at night when the street lamps come on, the trees can still provide shade for bats in lighted areas. The researchers’ goal was to determine how tree cover influences bat responses to artificial light.

Results showed that bat response to artificial light was intensified in areas with more tree cover. This may be due to increased tree presence also leading to more insects attracted to the vegetation. But mouse-eared bats were found to be present less in areas with lots of street lamps as well as denser tree cover. It seems that this species is more light sensitive, and avoids illuminated areas even when there is tree cover.

The researchers also observed that high-flying insectivorous bats were more active in areas when light emission from LED street lamps was mitigated by high tree coverage, compared to areas where LED lamps were present with fewer trees. Unlike UV lights, LED lights do no attract insects and so they’re likely less attractive as a foraging area for these bats. 

The team collected all of this information through analysis of over 11,000 bat calls recorded at 22 sites in the Berlin metropolitan area. They could identify species through the calls, and used this to calculate the activity of each species at each site. 

“The bottom line is that for bats the relation between artificial light and vegetation is complex and it varies between species, yet overall artificial light at night has negative consequences for bats,” explains Christian Voigt, the Head of Department. “Even those species that may hunt at street lamps opportunistically will suffer on the long run from the constant drain of insects dying at street lamps. Trees are important for urban bats, not only as a shelter but also as a source for prey insects. Hence artificial light should be avoided in habitats with many trees.”

Some solutions to reducing the negative effects of artificial lights on these species would be to add trees to the more brightly lit areas, or turn off the lights when the area is not in use. While these lights may be useful for our purposes, we have to remember that we share these areas with species that thrive in the dark.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Christian Giese

Street lamps and tree cover influence urban bat activity

When the sun goes down, we all instinctively reach for...

The Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland is growing again, reversing a 20-year pattern of melting, according to a new <a href="http://nasa.gov">NASA</a> study. 

The discovery was made as part of the <a href="https://omg.jpl.nasa.gov/portal/news">National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Oceans Melting Greenland</a> project, and the findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience. 

The Jakobshavn Glacier has been the largest source of ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet, and since 2012, the glacier started rapidly retreating about 1.8 miles and thinning 130 feet every year. 

Now, researchers have found that the glacier is growing back at around the same rate. Since 2016, the glacier has started thickening again due to a natural cooling and warming cycle of the North Atlantic called the North Atlantic Oscillation.

The waters around the glacier are around two degrees Celsius colder than they were when the glacier was melting at a rapid rate. 

While the study’s findings seem like good news overall, indicating that perhaps ocean warming and sea level rise from climate change is not as dire as previously thought, the researchers say that the exact opposite is true. 

The researchers warn this trend is only temporary, and Josh Willis, a co-author of the study and climate scientist, said that the results show that ocean temperatures are a major driving factor in glacial retreat. 

“The water is warming, too,” Willis told <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/one-part-of-greenland-ice-growing/">National Geographic</a>. “Oceans are doing a huge part of the work in terms of driving Greenland's ice melt.”

Willis also said that sea level projections would need to be reassessed given the study's findings. 

Even though temperatures have cooled slightly, the researchers say that conditions will take a turn for the warmer and this will increase melting in Greenland and the Arctic. 

The lead author, Ala Khazendar, compared the glacier’s current growth trend to an escalator, saying that ocean temperatures around the glacier are rising slowly, but the North Atlantic Oscillation allowed the glacier to jump down a few steps. 

Soon, the Oscillation will flip, and the glacier will shoot right back up to it’s usual melting patterns. 

“All this is an indicator of how sensitive glaciers are to ocean temperatures,” Khazendar told National Geographic. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Greenland glacier growing again, but experts warn it’s only temporary

The Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland is growing again, reversing a...

Rogue waves are becoming less frequent but more extreme. Although they’ve always existed, rogue waves have only recently begun to capture the attention of the scientific community. According to the <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/roguewaves.html">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA), scientists have only accepted <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/south-africa-turbulent-waters/#.XJU5aShKhPZ">rogue waves</a> as a real phenomenon over the past few decades. 

Rogue waves or “extreme storm waves” are waves that are twice as tall as the surrounding waves or sea state. They’ve been described as walls of water, and some rogue waves have been recorded as high as nearly 100 feet. 

Because of their unpredictability and their tremendous heights, rogue waves are a menace to shipping vessels and have even fatally swept people out to sea. 

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the<a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/"> University of Southampton</a> reviewed over 20 years of data from 15 buoys placed along the US western seaboard to better understand rogue waves and what causes them. Rogue waves are becoming less frequent but more extreme 

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41099-z">Scientific Reports</a>, and the researchers say the findings could help shipping industries reduce the risk of rogue waves damaging vessels and endangering the lives of crew members by knowing when and where rogue waves are more likely to occur. 

“Our research can help inform these industries and suggests that if data on rogue waves is to prove useful - geographical, seasonal and year-on-year variations need to be taken into account, rather than just relying on a single value for an entire region, for all time,” said Eric Srokosz, the research supervisor. 

According to the analysis, rogue waves are incredibly unpredictable, and instances of the phenomenon vary greatly depending on location and time of the year. 

The data showed that in the past two decades, the frequency of rogue wave events declined, but when rogue waves did happen, the size of the wave was bigger compared to the decades prior. 

Rogue waves are more common in winter and more likely to occur in calmer seas, according to the researchers. 

“The occurrence of rogue waves is difficult to predict, but simply understanding when and how these rare events occur is extremely important for mariners, both in terms of ship safety and economics,” said Alex Cattrell, a lead researcher for the study. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rogue waves are becoming less frequent but more extreme

Rogue waves are becoming less frequent but more extreme. Although...

Coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mass-coral-bleaching-common/#.XJUOKChKhPY">bleaching events</a> are becoming more common as ocean temperatures increase due to climate change. Despite efforts being made to recover reefs and studies that focus on the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on key coastal reef habitats, the outlook for corals seems grim. 

However, researchers from the <a href="https://www.fit.edu/">Florida Institute of Technology</a> and the<a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/"> University of California </a>have found that corals near the equator are less impacted by ocean warming compared to other reefs. 

The researchers detailed their findings in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from <a href="http://www.reefcheck.org/">Reef Check</a> which is a major citizen science initiative to survey the world’s corals, and the researchers reviewed 20 years of surveys from 3,500 coral study sites. The data revealed interesting insights into coral bleaching trends on a global scale. 

In regions where corals are exposed to higher temperatures, coral bleaching was more common, but in areas where temperatures varied from month to month, bleaching was far less likely. 

But the team found that corals near the equator experience less bleaching and that reefs along the equator are more resilient to ocean warming and acidification.

“We found that the reefs near the Equator were less affected by bleaching than elsewhere, despite similar thermal-stress levels at equatorial sites,” said Deron Burkepile, a co-author of the study.

One explanation could be that previous bleaching events wiped out corals that were more sensitive to temperature changes and the remaining corals have a stronger tolerance. 

“We are uncertain why equatorial reefs are more tolerant of recent temperature stress, but we do know that we must protect these equatorial reefs - and reefs everywhere - from other disturbances, lest we lose coral reefs that protect coastal inhabitants from storm waves and help feed millions of people worldwide,” said Rob van Woesik, a fellow co-author of the study.
--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Coral reefs near the equator are less susceptible to bleaching

Coral bleaching events are becoming more common as ocean temperatures...

An international team of researchers has uncovered the effects of high-latitude dusts on low-level cloud glaciation — the process of converting water droplets to ice. 

Published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>, this new information helps scientists understand how land surface factors contribute to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pollution-smoke-cloud-formation/">cloud formation</a>, as well as how clouds affect climate and perhaps even regulate climate on a global scale.

The ice crystals and water droplets within clouds maintain both the radiation balance of Earth’s atmosphere and Earth’s energy equilibrium. With the help of solids and minerals suspended in water droplets — called nucleation sites — water molecules begin to form ice crystals within clouds when cooled to 0-degrees Celsius. Dust particles act as ice nucleating particles (INPs) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which both help the ice and water droplet formation within the clouds.

Prior studies have often focused on dust that comes from arid and semi-arid regions in low-mid altitudes and its effect on cloud nucleation. But new information shows that dust can also originate from ice- and vegetation-free areas in high altitudes. Do these dust particles — say, those from regions of glacial outwash plains, or regions of sand and gravel deposits that were carried by glacial melt-off— have the same effect on cloud nucleation in comparison to dust from low-mid altitudes?

"We found that dusts derived from glacial outwash plains can serve as very efficient nuclei for ice nucleation, as compared with desert mineral dusts,” said corresponding author Yutaka Tobo, Ph.D. an assistant professor at the<a href="https://www.nipr.ac.jp/english/"> National Institute of Polar Research</a>. “This is because of the presence of small amounts of organic matter having very high ice nucleating ability.” 

“Our field experiments and model simulations further suggest that such glacially sourced dusts may contribute significantly to ice nucleation in Arctic low-level clouds, especially during summertime,” Dr. Tobo said.

Additional recent studies have shown that dust emissions can also occur in Greenland, North America, and Iceland, Dr. Tobo added. However, the team is not yet sure about the ice nucleating ability of dust from these high-latitude areas.

"In addition,” he added, “it is expected that the recent rapid and widespread retreat of glaciers may lead to more active dust emissions from high-latitudes in the future. Therefore, further comprehensive studies will be necessary to understand the possible impact of high-latitude dusts on current and future aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in the Arctic, which is more sensitive to climate change than any other region of the world.”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Yutaka Tobo, Ph.D., the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan

Dust in high latitudes impacts glaciation in Arctic clouds

An international team of researchers has uncovered the effects of...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> has found that deep in the Earth's interior, hot rock is flowing much more dynamically than what was previously realized. The flow of rock in the lower mantle was thought to move very slowly compared to that of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earthquakes-tear-earths-mantle-tibet/">upper mantle</a>, but researchers have found that this is not the case.

The discovery may ultimately help scientists understand the evolution of our planet and others in the solar system.

“We often picture the Earth's mantle as a liquid that flows but it isn't - it's a solid that moves very slowly over time,” said study lead author Dr. Ana Ferreira. “Traditionally, it's been thought that the flow of rock in Earth's lower mantle is sluggish until you hit the planet's core, with most dynamic action happening in the upper mantle which only goes to a depth of 660 km. We've shown this isn't the case after all in large regions deep beneath the South Pacific Rim and South America.”

“Here, the same mechanism we see causing movement and deformation in the hot, pressurised rock in the upper mantle is also occurring in the lower mantle,” added Dr Manuele Faccenda. “If this increased activity is happening uniformly over the globe, Earth could be cooling more rapidly than we previously thought.”

The study provides evidence of dynamic movement in the Earth's lower mantle where ancient ocean floors plunge toward the planet's core, stretching from the upper mantle to the lower mantle up to 1,200 kilometers deep.

The investigation was focused on large data sets collected from seismic waves formed during earthquakes. The researchers used this data to analyze what takes place deep in the planet’s interior. This technique is comparable to how radiation is used in CAT scans to see what is happening inside the body.

“In a CAT scan, narrow beams of X-rays pass through the body to detectors opposite the source, building an image. Seismic waves pass through the Earth in much the same way and are detected by seismic stations on the opposite side of the planet to the earthquake epicentre, allowing us to build a picture of the structure of Earth's interior,” explained Dr. Sung-Joon Chang.

By combining 43 million seismic data measurements with computer simulations, the researchers generated images to map how the mantle flows at depths of 1,200 kilometers below the surface. The images showed increased mantle flow beneath the Western Pacific and South America, where ancient ocean floors have shifted toward the Earth's core over millions of years.

The researchers will also use this model to examine how material moves up from the Earth's core to the surface, which will give scientists even more insight into how our planet evolved into its present state.

“How mantle flows on Earth might control why there is life on our planet but not on other planets, such as Venus, which has a similar size and location in the solar system to Earth, but likely has a very different style of mantle flow. We can understand a lot about other planets from revealing the secrets of our own,” concluded Dr Ferreira.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hot rocks in the Earth’s interior moving faster than previously thought

A new study led by University College London has found...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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