Top ocean experts have published a report that redefines the concept of sustainable fishing and proposes 11 “golden rules” that challenge the current flawed approach in fisheries management.&nbsp;



The report, released shortly before <a href="https://www.oceanweek.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brussels’ Ocean Week</a> and ahead of the <a href="https://ocean-climate.org/en/unoc2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UN Ocean Conference</a> in Nice, aims to halt the ongoing destruction of the oceans caused by fishing and ensure the restoration of abundant fish populations to sustain future generations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guiding-principles-of-sustainable-fishing-nbsp">Guiding principles of sustainable fishing&nbsp;</h2>



The rules are introduced at a time when scientists have dramatically downgraded their assessment of the ocean's health. The guiding principles underlying the rules aim to revolutionize the way we manage the ocean's exploitation.



According to the first guiding principle, fishing must minimize impacts on marine species and habitats, adapt to climate change, and promote the regeneration of depleted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-impacting-marine-life-more-than-we-realized/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine life</a>.



In addition, fishing must support the health, well-being, and resilience of communities, particularly the most vulnerable, rather than merely benefit corporations that funnel profits to owners and shareholders while others bear the costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-vision-of-sustainable-fishing-nbsp">A new vision of sustainable fishing&nbsp;</h2>



The researchers hope their work will serve as the foundation for a complete reform of the current mismanagement of the Earth's largest common resource - the ocean.



The scientists call on policymakers, retailers, fishers, and industry leaders to embrace this new vision and commit to implementing these reforms.



Today, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-fishing-gets-a-boost-from-genomics-roadmap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fishing</a> is widely recognized as the leading cause of ocean destruction. The authors of the report decided to collaborate after reaching a consensus that the current definition of “sustainable fishing” is dangerously outdated and contributes to the depletion of marine species, destruction of natural habitats and carbon sinks, and the decline of artisanal fishing communities worldwide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-outdated-concept-of-sustainability-nbsp">Outdated concept of sustainability&nbsp;</h2>



“The current concept of ‘sustainable fishing,’ adopted by governments and private actors since the post-war period is scientifically obsolete,” said lead author Callum Roberts, a professor at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a> and chief scientist at the <a href="https://convexseascapesurvey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Convex Seascape Survey</a>.&nbsp;



“It relies on a simplistic, productivist theory which assumes that as long as global catch volumes remain below a set limit, anyone can fish just about anything, anywhere, with any method.”



“Can we truly claim that all fishing gear is environmentally and socially equal? We currently label fisheries as sustainable without considering their impact on marine ecosystems or human factors, such as crew safety and rights,” added Jennifer Jacquet, a professor at the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Miami</a>.



The scientists denounce the outdated approach to sustainability, which fails to address key environmental, human, and developmental factors.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pressing-issues-like-biodiversity-loss-nbsp">Pressing issues like biodiversity loss&nbsp;</h2>



Despite widespread acceptance by industry and consumers, current sustainability standards overlook pressing issues like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-ocean-day-a-unified-approach-to-protect-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a> loss and climate change, while supporting high-capital industrial practices that primarily benefit the Global North.&nbsp;



These practices harm ecosystems, threaten artisanal fishing and food security, and jeopardize jobs, while undermining humans' universal right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-minimizing-environmental-harm">Minimizing environmental harm</h2>



The scientists reached another consensus: fisheries must be managed in a way that minimizes environmental harm while maximizing social benefits, particularly in the context of a rapidly warming planet and growing global hunger.



To address these challenges, a group of leading ocean researchers has developed a visionary approach to ocean exploitation.&nbsp;



This comprehensive, interdisciplinary definition of “fisheries sustainability” incorporates insights from biology, oceanography, social sciences, and economics.



The proposed rules provide a foundation for economic stakeholders and political leaders to transition to a sustainable fishing model that is viable for the long term.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-sustainable-fishing-nbsp">Rethinking sustainable fishing&nbsp;</h2>



The framework envisions a future where fishing ensures abundant fish stocks for humanity’s long-term needs.



“Our work advocates for fisheries that preserve ocean ecosystems’ vital functions, mitigate climate change, guarantee food security and respect human rights,” said Daniel Pauly, a professor at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a>.



This innovative approach recognizes the ecological, social, and ethical roles of fishing, proposing a systemic and sustainable model that involves market players, policymakers, and legal frameworks.&nbsp;



Roberts emphasized the need for a shift in perspective: “We must view fishing as a privilege rather than a right. Marine life is a public good that should both benefit society and nature, not be the object of a resource race driven by private gains.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ambitious-yet-realistic-proposals-nbsp">Ambitious yet realistic proposals&nbsp;</h2>



The proposals outlined in the report are ambitious yet realistic, with many actions rooted in proven successful practices.



The scientists urge policymakers, retailers, and fisheries managers to acknowledge the failures of current fishing practices and prioritize adopting the proposed golden rules.&nbsp;



Supermarkets, which are responsible for nearly two-thirds of European seafood sales, play a pivotal role in driving this transition. They can influence fishing practices through their sourcing policies, scrutinize “sustainability” labels, and respond to growing consumer concerns about the hidden impacts of their food.



“We are witnessing a growing disconnect between the widespread availability of supposedly sustainable fish products, the collapse of ocean <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-ecosystems-survive-extinctions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> and the frequency of reported human rights’ abuses. Supermarkets must stop misleading consumers,” said Pauline Bricault, markets campaign manager at <a href="https://www.bloomassociation.org/en/about-us/the-team-at-bloom/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BLOOM</a>.



“Both the IPCC and IPBES have set 2030 as a deadline for critical changes. Industry stakeholders have no more excuses, they must act now.”



The call to action is urgent, with 2030 looming as a critical deadline for implementing necessary changes to avert further damage to ocean ecosystems and ensure a sustainable future for global fisheries.



The report, titled “Rethinking sustainability of marine fisheries for a fast-changing planet,” was published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44183-024-00078-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">npj Ocean Sustainability</a>.&nbsp;



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‘Sustainable fishing’ must be redefined to halt ocean destruction

Top ocean experts have published a report that redefines the concept of sustainable fishing and proposes 11 “golden rules” that challenge the current flawed approach in fisheries management.&nbsp; The report, released shortly before Brussels’ Ocean Week and ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, aims to halt the ongoing destruction of the oceans caused by fishing and ensure the restoration of abundant fish populations to sustain future generations. Guiding principles of sustainable fishing&nbsp; The rules are introduced at a time when scientists have dramatically downgraded their...

If you’ve been living in the United States for the last couple of months, you might have noticed that it’s been a tad warmer than usual. A heat wave has hit the nation, stretching from coast to coast and resulting in 80 million Americans experiencing heat warnings in recent weeks. 

Cities such as Denver, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming have both seen record temperatures, and Chino, California – a city near Los Angeles – experienced a record temperature of a balmy 120°F. Canada is even feeling the heat, with a heat wave around Montreal that is believed to be responsible for roughly 70 deaths. Other deaths in New York and Pennsylvania have been blamed on high temperatures as well. With all that said, could there be a silver lining to this catastrophe?

The <a href="https://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> and <a href="https://www.muhlenberg.edu/">Muhlenberg College</a> have been running a twice-yearly survey since 2008, polling American attitudes about climate change. This past May – which was hotter than any May recorded in the contiguous US in 124 years of record keeping, according to the NOAA – they ironically also recorded a record high, but this time of Americans who believe there is solid evidence to global warming.

Their survey found that 73 percent of people now think there is evidence for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-warn-global-warming/">global warming</a>, and 60 percent believe that the warming is due in some part to human activities. Both of these findings are record highs for this survey.

“There’s lots of evidence that contemporary weather is a contributing factor to belief in climate change,” Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/11/heatwave-climate-change-americans-survey">The Guardian</a>. “But there are other factors. People are telling us they are experiencing a climate that isn’t what they remember in the past and the evidence itself, such as declining polar ice, is having an effect. Americans are moving to a lot more confident space on this.”

Whether or not the hot weather has played a hand in this ideological shift, it’s inspiring to see that Americans are now taking climate change more seriously. Still, there remains a massive divide between political parties when it comes to climate change acceptance. 

About 90% of Democrats who took this survey believe there is solid evidence of climate change, while only 50% of Republicans agree. But Borick points out that the discussion around climate change denial has shifted as well. 

“The talking points have turned more to the cost to mitigate climate change rather than deny its existence,” Borick told told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/11/heatwave-climate-change-americans-survey">The Guardian</a>. “That said, if you want one factor that influences your view on climate change, it’s party affiliation. Age, race and gender don’t even come close.”

While some people may disagree with the scientific evidence behind climate change, most people in America can agree that the last few months have been much hotter than usual. It can become a public health concern – particularly in cities, where hot weather can trigger smog-like conditions and raise ozone concentration. So if you are living in a city during this heat wave, do your best to stay indoors or get out of the city during the hottest parts of the day. And if you can, let everyone know that climate change is real.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study shows heat wave converting is some climate change deniers

If you’ve been living in the United States for the...

We know that industrial pollution and greenhouse gas emissions can have a long-lasting effect on our climate, but what about some of the other large-scale human activities that happen globally – can they affect the weather too? A new study funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> has found that crop irrigation can affect cloud formation above the very fields that are being irrigated.

Agricultural <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/irrigation-groundwater-depletion/">irrigation</a> adds enormous amounts of water to land in order to meet our growing population’s food demand. These activities are altering regional land use and land cover, which leads to lower atmosphere circulation, affecting cloud development and precipitation.

In a project named the Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX), scientists from a wide array of institutions began collecting data in late May throughout a 3,600-square-mile area in southeastern Nebraska. 

“Prior studies have found that the Great Plains is a hotspot where soil moisture plays an important role in cloud formation and precipitation,” says Nick Anderson, a program director in NSF’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences. “Changes in land use and irrigation for agricultural activities could be important in land-atmosphere interactions in this region. The results from this study will be valuable to our understanding of the link between irrigation and precipitation.”

For this project, scientists deployed 80 meteorological stations and measured several different data points. Their measurements include fluxes of water and energy from six irrigated and six non-irrigated areas, radar observations of lower atmosphere in three locations, weather balloon-based observations of the atmosphere in five locations, and two surface locations with instruments that collect data on the lower atmosphere.

Through analysis and the use of model applications, the data will be analyzed to determine the impacts of irrigation on precipitation in the Great Plains. 

“The experiment’s setting offers a unique opportunity to investigate the influence of these different land surface and land cover regions side by side,” says Rezaul Mahmood, director of the High Plains Regional Climate Center at the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a>. This data collection is ongoing through the end of July, and the results of the study may ultimately help agricultural planning and weather forecasting both nationally and internationally.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Agricultural irrigation changes Great Plains cloud formation

We know that industrial pollution and greenhouse gas emissions can...

A new study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has revealed that sea-level rise will have a negative impact on salt marshes across the United Kingdom by the end of this century. Furthermore, if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-fish-conservation/">climate change</a> is not mitigated, salt marshes in some regions of England could be lost as soon as the year 2040.

Salt tidal marshes, also known as coastal wetlands, rank among the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet. The research is focused on data from 800 salt-marsh soil cores. 

The study is unprecedented in using the geological record of salt marsh losses in the past to predict how they will be vulnerable to sea-level rise in the future.

An international team of scientists led by Professor Benjamin Horton found that, in the past, rising sea levels steadily waterlogged salt marshes across the UK region, wiping out the vegetation that protects the marshes from erosion.

Study co-author Robert E. Kopp is a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick and the director of the <a href="https://eoas.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences</a>.

Professor Kopp explained, “By 2100, if we continue upon a high-emissions trajectory, essentially all British salt marshes will face a high risk of loss. Reducing emissions significantly increase the odds that salt marshes will survive.”

Professor Horton pointed out that salt marshes provide important ecosystem services.

“They act as a buffer against coastal storms to protect the mainland and a filter for pollutants to decontaminate our fresh water,” said Professor Horton. “We also lose an important biodiversity hotspot. Salt marshes are important transitional habitats between the ocean and the land, and a nursery area for fish, crustacea, and insects.”

“The take-home point from this paper is how quickly we are going to lose these ecologically and economically important coastal areas in the 21st century."


Mangroves in tropical areas such as Singapore are just as vulnerable to sea-level rise as salt marshes.

“What is unknown is the tipping point that will cause a disintegration of mangroves to Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia,” said Professor Horton. “We are currently collecting data to address the future vulnerability of mangroves to sea-level rise.”

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Matthew Brain

Rising sea levels could make UK salt marshes disappear

A new study from Rutgers University has revealed that sea-level...

An international team of scientists led by <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> is reporting that rats must be eliminated on many tropical islands in an effort to protect coral reefs. Invasive rats are killing off seabirds in large numbers, and the researchers have identified previously undetermined consequences for the coral reefs that surround and protect the islands.

While it has been documented that invasive predators such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rats-major-cities-monitored/">rats</a> have annihilated seabird populations across most tropical islands, the impact that this was having on coral reefs was not known prior to this study.

The team investigated the health of tropical ecosystems in the northern reefs of the Chagos Archipelago.

“Seabirds are crucial to these kinds of islands because they are able to fly to highly productive areas of open ocean to feed,” said study lead author Professor Nick Graham. 

“They then return to their island homes where they roost and breed, depositing guano - or bird droppings - on the soil. This guano is rich in the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus. Until now, we didn't know to what extent this made a difference to adjacent coral reefs.”

Located in the central region of the Indian Ocean, the Chagos islands were ideal for this study because some of the islands are infested with black rats, while others are completely free of rats. The researchers compared the ecosystems surrounding six islands with rats and six rat-free islands.

The study revealed severe ecological damage caused by the rats that extended beyond the islands and into the sea. The experts found that islands without rats had substantially more seabirds as well as nitrogen in the soil. In the ocean, the increased nitrogen benefited macroalgae, filter-feeding sponges, turf algae, and fish on the adjacent coral reefs.

Fish were found to be about 50 percent more abundant in the waters adjacent to rat-free islands. In addition, the consumption of algae and dead coral, a replenishing process known as grazing, was over three times higher in the sea adjacent to islands that were free of rats.

“The results of this study are clear. Rat eradication should be a high conservation priority on oceanic islands,” said Professor Graham. 

“Getting rid of the rats would be likely to benefit terrestrial ecosystems and enhance coral reef productivity and functioning by restoring seabird derived nutrient subsidies from large areas of ocean. It could tip the balance for the future survival of these reefs and their ecosystems.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tropical islands without rats have healthier coral reefs

An international team of scientists led by Lancaster University is...

Living near green space has many positive effects, and studies have shown that urban green space specifically counters the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-exercise-seniors/">negative impacts of city pollution</a>. 

Now, a new study found that living in greener neighborhoods may also potentially guard against cognitive decline and decrease the risk of dementia among the elderly. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en">Barcelona Institute for Global Health</a> (ISGlobal) conducted the study which was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. 

The results show that cognitive decline, a natural indicator of the aging process, slows down slightly among people who live near green space. 

“There is evidence that the risk for dementia and cognitive decline can be affected by exposure to urban-related environmental hazards (such as air pollution and noise) and lifestyle (such as stress and sedentary behavior),” said Carmen de Keijzer, the study’s first author. “Recent evidence has shown cognitive benefits of green space exposure in children, but studies on the possible relations of exposure to green spaces and cognitive decline in older adults are still very scarce and often have inconsistent results.” 

For the study, the researchers followed up on 6,500 people ages 45 to 68 who were part of the UK Whitehall II Cohort Study after ten years. 

The participants were asked to complete a course of cognitive tests to measure verbal fluency, short-term memory, and mathematical reasoning at three different points during the follow-up. 

In order to see if greenspace influenced the test results, the researchers used satellite imagery to estimate how much green space the study participants were in proximity to. 

The results showed that there was a slight but definite influence with green space slowing cognitive declines. 

“Our data show that the decline in the cognitive score after the 10-years follow up was 4.6% smaller in participants living in greener neighborhoods,” said Keijzer. “Interestingly enough, the observed associations were stronger among women, which makes us think that these relations might be modified by gender.”

The results are significant as the researchers say that the number of dementia cases is expected to double between 2015 and 2050. 

“Although the differences in cognitive decline observed in our study are modest at individual level, they become much more significant if we consider these findings at population level,” said Payam Dadvand, the last author of the study. “If confirmed by future studies, our results may provide an evidence base for implementing targeted interventions aimed at decelerating cognitive decline in older adults residing in urban areas and hence improving their quality of life.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Huy Phan

Living in green spaces can guard against mental decline, dementia

Living near green space has many positive effects, and studies...

President Trump has announced that his nominee for the next Supreme Court Justice is Brett Kavanaugh, who critics say would fit right into the administration's agenda to roll back environmental regulations. As a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Kavanaugh has a history of ruling against regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

California Senator Kamala Harris told <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/">PBS NewsHour</a> in an interview with Judy Woodruff why she plans to oppose the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh. Senator Harris suggested that Kavanaugh could do a lot of damage by filling the critical “swing vote” seat, a position that will soon be vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Since 1988, Justice Kennedy has maintained a somewhat moderate balance in a sharply divided court, with four dedicated conservative judges on one side and four liberal judges on the other. 

“I would categorize this nomination differently, which is that this is one of the most important positions on the United States Supreme Court, because, of course, replacing Kennedy is about the swing vote on the United States Supreme Court,” Senator Harris told PBS.

“So I look at it more as what the significance of this nomination of this particular person for that seat, and on that basis, I am opposed to his nomination. And I am very concerned about what his nomination will mean for future generations on these issues and so many more.”

Senator Harris claims that Kavanaugh does not support people's fundamental rights, such as same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Judge Kavanaugh has also made his opinion on the role of the EPA very clear, suggesting in many separate rulings that the agency oversteps its boundaries.

Kavanaugh's written statements have consistently shown a lack of support for the authority of the EPA. In 2012, he wrote that the court felt the EPA was overreaching its power after the agency proposed a federal rule to reduce air pollution in downwind states.

During the debate over President Obama's Clean Power Plan in 2016, Judge Kavanaugh said that it is not the job of the EPA or the courts to come up with climate change solutions. Kavanaugh did acknowledge that climate change is happening and that humans are contributing, but he argued about the authority of the EPA to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

While some say that appointing Judge Kavanaugh would give the Supreme Court a nudge to the right, others believe his influence would be much more severe.

Robert Percival is a professor of Environmental Law at the <a href="https://umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>.

“It’ll be a very different court in the future,” Professor Percival told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>. “Kennedy at least had an open mind on this issue, but if he’s replaced by Kavanaugh, it will really be hard times for environmental law for the rest of my lifetime.”

-
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trump’s Supreme Court nom Kavanaugh has a history of opposing EPA

President Trump has announced that his nominee for the next...

Sea level rise can be difficult for climate models to accurately predict because there are so many different variables driving climate change.

However, one thing that climate researchers agree on is that even if the Paris Accord goals are met, we can expect to see at least to 2 to 4 feet of sea level rise by 2300. 

While studies that focus on sea level rise often emphasize the risks posed to coastlines and beaches, new research found that rising waters will cause cliffs along Southern California’s coast to experience serious erosion.

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">United States Geological Survey</a> (USGS) and the results show that 300 miles of coastal California cliffs could erode twice as fast as normal by 2100 and lose 135 feet of bluff top. 

To put that into context, Patrick Barnard, a USGS geologist, explained the seriousness of erosion by calculating how many tons of sand and rocks would be shed from the cliffs. 

“It’s a huge volume of material,” Barnard told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/07/11/california-will-have-a-terrible-choice-save-cliff-side-homes-or-public-beaches-from-rising-seas/?utm_term=.fb3382359030">Washington Post</a>. “We place this in a context of dump truck loads. It would be 30 million dump trucks full of material that will be eroded from the cliffs.” 

Thousands of homes and properties currently sit atop those cliffs and serious levels of erosion <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-levels-rise-economy/">could cause billions of dollars in damage</a> and displace residents.

To estimate erosion and sea level rise, the researchers modeled different sea level rise scenarios for 2100 with levels ranging from one and a half feet to over six feet. 

Next, the researchers used models to predict how the cliffs would respond to sea levels rising including crumbling and found that 300 miles of cliffs could lose anywhere between 62 and 135 feet. 

The erosion puts California in a precarious position, either focus conservation on the bluffs or beaches. 

Cliff erosion could be good for the beaches because it would provide much-needed sand and material to prevent beach erosion but the costs of damage and displacement would take a heavy toll. 

“Coastal change, cliff retreat, sea level rise, and extreme storms could expose more than 250,000 residents and $50 billion in property to erosion or flooding in Southern California by the end of the century,” said Barnard.

The researchers note that there is a good deal of unpredictability when it comes to sea level rise and erosion and the study only presents potential scenarios. 

How California’s cliffs will respond to sea level rise is not well understood and more research is needed in order to dictate appropriate conservation measures. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rising sea levels to intensify Southern California cliff erosion

Sea level rise can be difficult for climate models to...

Certainly the majority of plants, animals, fungi, etc. that have become extinct died long before people, let alone scientists, got around to describing them.  

Dinosaurs, the most famous of extinct animals, died off around 65 million years ago, before humans evolved and certainly before Linnaeus invented his way of scientifically classifying organisms.  According to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/extinction/massext/statement_03.html">PBS</a>, of all the organisms that ever ran, gasped, ate or simply grew in the soil, 99.9% are now extinct.

Oil spills, global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-biodiversity/">climate change</a>, over hunting, and starved feral cats have done a lot of damage, but not nearly that much.  The fact is, like every person you now know; every species alive today will someday be dead. Species, like individuals, have lifespans.  Just as we don’t use the argument, ‘they were eventually going to die anyway’ to justify the holocaust or school shootings, the rate of modern extinctions is inexcusable.  A vast number of modern extinctions are the fault of humans, too.

Most of us are aware of modern extinctions like that of the Dodo, the Passenger Pigeon and the Thylacine.  Most of us are also aware of a handful of the myriad of known threatened and endangered species. Most of us have heard of Jane Goodall’s beloved chimpanzee and vaguely know that dolphins and some fish species aren’t doing so well these days.  Less of us understand the size of the extinction event we’re tied up in at this very moment. There are so many more insects, amphibians, small mammals and others less charismatic than the Panda that may soon face extinction. 

Also, much like an individual human leaves children behind, species often diverge, leaving new species as ancestral ones become extinct.  Like many tragedies, there are many that are now dying, unknown and unrecognized, sometimes directly from human causes. 

In his book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cY4t7N5aR4cC&amp;q=pothole#v=snippet&amp;q=California&amp;f=false">The Secret Knowledge of Water</a>, Craig Childs talks about small, natural desert pools in California and the invertebrates discovered in them:

“They become genetically isolated over thousands, and then millions of years.  In 1992, after nearly all of the temporary vernal pools of California were destroyed by human development, researchers went out to catalog those still intact.  Of the sixty-seven species of crustaceans found in the remaining pools, thirty had never been documented anywhere on the planet…A quarter of these newly found species were each found in its own pool among the fifty-eight pools studied, meaning there is not much motion between one pool and the next.  What was lost in the hundreds of destroyed pools is unknown.” 

Imagine species dying off because of human actions and no one even realizing it until after the fact.  Perhaps you or I have stepped on one of the last of an exceedingly rare species of ant or swatted an insect thinking it a mosquito and precipitated extinction.  The thought is both depressing and awe inspiring in its suggestion of the number of life forms still inhabiting the planet with us.

The Simandou region of Guinea, West Africa is a land of lush and modest mountains covered in tropical forests.  The area is considered one of the world’s most biologically rich but also endangered forest habitats. Among mountains rising as high as 5440 feet above sea level, there are caves.  One of these caves contained a rare cockroach, Simandoa conserfariam, or the Simandoa Cave Cockroach.  The roach seems unremarkable to most, an animal with a smooth, dark grey body with darker heads and orange-ish legs.  

What makes these roaches unique is the fate of their cave home.  After scientists collected a few of the cave cockroaches, the cave itself was destroyed by a bauxite mining operation.  In a weird twist of fate, the cockroach now lives all over the world, fostered in small cages by pet enthusiasts with irregular love for arthropods.  You can even <a href="https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Extinct-in-the-Wild-Roach-bic255.htm">buy</a> a roach nymph online for $6.00 in the US.  

I’ve explored caves in search of tiny arthropods as a volunteer for projects involving Northern Arizona University and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  It’s easy for a spider, a millipede or a cricket living in the dark cracks of limestone to elude a researcher. You can spend a week or a month scouring a cave and still find new animals hiding in the dark.  Considering the fate of the Simandoa Cave Cockroach, it’s easy to imagine that many species weren’t lucky enough to be carried into captivity before dying off in their native habitats.

Another cockroach known for its ability to glow, mimicking a poisonous click beetle was discovered in Ecuador.  <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/11/new-species-of-bioluminescent-cockroach-possibly-already-extinct-by-volcanic-eruption/">Mongabay</a> reported that the roach, Lucihormetica luckae, may already be extinct.  In the case of the glowing cockroach, it vanished after 2010 when a volcano erupted near where it was discovered.  The cockroach is (or was) the only known example of a land animal using bioluminescence in mimicry. 

In animal taxonomy, vertebrates are more well-known than invertebrates.  Partly this is because there are fewer vertebrates and they are generally easier to find, partly we understand vertebrates better because we’re biased towards them.  Birds are intensively researched, both professionally and by ‘citizen scientist’ birders fascinated by their feathered neighbors. In an article in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(14)01618-2.pdf">cell.com</a>, Alexander Lees and Stuart Pimm paint a picture of some of the birds we may have lost in Brazil’s highly endangered Atlantic Forest and elsewhere in the world:

“The recent update of the IUCN Red List has identified 13 more bird species that went extinct after 1500, but before taxonomists could describe them. All of these were island species. We are still documenting the impacts of European explorers —and the rats and cats that came with them — that began centuries ago. We know about some early extinctions from anecdotal evidence, such as eyewitness accounts and drawings… Northeast Brazil has a similar, albeit less certain example: multiple travellers reported an all-black parrot, but no specimen exists…” 

If a species of bird can go extinct with little fanfare, without any scientific knowledge, it doesn’t bode well for other less conspicuous organisms.  

Nearly the reverse of an organism that goes extinct without being described scientifically is a so-called ‘Lazarus taxon’.  A Lazarus taxon is an organism thought to be extinct, sometimes recently and sometimes found only as a fossil but then later is found to actually be still alive.  

The classic example of a Lazarus taxon is the coelacanth.  The coelacanth can measure up to six feet in length and 200 pounds in weight.  The ocean is a vast place to hide for an animal that is dwarfed next to whales, sharks and giant squid.  The coelacanth was thought to have died off in the extinction event that took the dinosaurs 65 million years ago until a fisherman caught one off the coast of Madagascar in 1938.  A second specimen of coelacanth was found in Indonesia in 1998. 

There are a number of animals that were thought to be legend or extinct but turned out to be alive.  Gorillas were once thought by westerners to be a native myth, not a real animal. The Golden Bamboo Lemur was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered.  

The fact is, as much as we think we know about the natural world, we’re largely ignorant of even the basics of what organisms are now alive and which are extinct.  According to a paper published in <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127">PlosOne</a>, an estimated 86% of land species are undescribed by science and 91% of species in the ocean.  That leaves an enormous amount of mystery in the world and an enormous amount of potential to destroy life or leave it as it is.          

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Lost extinctions: When animals die off before science finds them

Certainly the majority of plants, animals, fungi, etc. that have...

More than two decades of conservation efforts to protect the endangered Nassau grouper have proven to be successful, as some populations of the species have strengthened across the Caribbean. However, research from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> has revealed that this restorative success may be substantially hindered due to climate change.

A team of marine scientists has found that the breeding habitats of the Nassau grouper are projected to decline by 82 percent during this century if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-displacement-climate-change/">climate change</a> is not mitigated. 

Acceptable spawning habitats are critical to the survival of these and other reef fish. Nassau groupers, for example, have a narrow temperature range that they can tolerate while spawning.

The experts also found that suitable habitats for non-spawning fish are projected to decline by 46 percent by 2100.

“The effects of climate change could override some of the successes of conservation efforts at local and regional scales,” said study co-author Brad Erisman. “That is, if Nassau grouper no longer migrate to spawn in a particular region because the water is too warm, then protecting spawning sites in that region will be ineffective.” 

“Likewise, if the months when spawning occurs in certain regions shifts in response to climate change, then seasonal protection measures in those regions will need to shift accordingly to ensure that spawning is still protected.”

The reproduction success of the Nassau grouper depends on large breeding events, called spawning aggregations, where hundreds to thousands of fish gather in the same region for a few days to mate. These events make the fish easy targets for commercial fishing, and overfishing is what caused the species to become endangered in the first place.

Many countries like the United States have banned the fishing of Nassau grouper, while other nations such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic have restricted fishing during spawning season.

Study co-author Rebecca G. Asch is an assistant professor of Fisheries Biology at <a href="https://www.ecu.edu/">East Carolina University</a>.

“To truly understand how climate will impact fishes, we need to know how it will impact the most vulnerable life history stage, spawning,” said Professor Asch. “If this link in the life cycle is jeopardized, the species as a whole will be in jeopardy.”

Grouper are preyed upon by large predators such as sharks, and the health of the marine ecosystem depends on such important components of the food chain.

“The loss of these important, energy-rich events has negative impacts that span entire food webs and ecosystems,” said Erisman.


According to the scientists, the breeding habitat for the Nassau grouper may only be reduced by 30 percent if major steps are taken to slow climate change.


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/loi/14724642">Diversity and Distributions</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Alfredo Barroso

Climate change threatens Caribbean reef fish conservation

More than two decades of conservation efforts to protect the...

Venus is the third most luminous object in the sky after the sun and moon and the brightest of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-orbit-lengthened-planets/">all the planets</a>. Yesterday evening, stargazers were privy to an exciting moment when Venus was within one degree of the star Regulus, one of the 21 brightest stars in the sky. 

Regulus is located in the constellation Leo and starting on July 7th, both Venus and Regulus began getting closer and closer to each other. 

At twilight on July 9th, <a href="https://www.space.com/41103-see-venus-moon-bright-star-regulus-july-2018.html">Space.com</a> reported that the two objects were so close and visible that they could be viewed without binoculars. 

As bright as Regulus is, it pales in comparison to Venus, which is 158 times more luminous than the star. 

Later this week, another celestial meeting will occur between the moon and Venus on July 15th. 

At this point, the moon will only be a few days in its beginning phases and just 12 percent illuminated but will be in close proximity to Venus. 

“For those in the eastern United States, they'll be separated by just over 2 degrees by mid-twilight. But for those in the western US, the view will be more striking, because they'll appear half as far apart.” writes Joe Rao, a Space.com columnist. 

As with Regulus, the event can be viewed with the naked eye but binoculars will boost your stargazing potential and you may even catch a glimpse of “Earthshine.” 

Earthshine occurs when sunlight reflects off the Earth and illuminates the darker side of the moon. 

Later this month, there will also be another lunar eclipse visible nearly everywhere but the continental United States, according to <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/venus-moon-regulus-conjunction-1013714?spMailingID=3715492&amp;spUserID=MzQ4OTU3MTYxNTkS1&amp;spJobID=1070386427&amp;spReportId=MTA3MDM4NjQyNwS2">Newsweek</a>.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

This week, you can see Venus in two dazzling celestial events

Venus is the third most luminous object in the sky...

Underneath London lies a network of tributaries that flow into the River Thames and River Lea. These rivers and waterways were once an important part of daily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fault-lines-london-earthquake/">London</a> life as they powered mills and provided water for cooking to city residents. 

The rivers have since been buried under pavement and concrete as London expanded through the years, but there have been several calls to unearth the rivers so they can once again be used and enjoyed. 

A <a href="http://files.1010global.org.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/LostRivers_heat_seeking_report.pdf">recent report</a> conducted by the climate charity <a href="https://1010uk.org/">10:10 Climate Action</a> and social enterprise Scene suggests that these rivers are an untapped source of low carbon energy that could provide heat to London’s neighborhoods with fuel pumps. 

If heat pumps were employed, it could potentially create a surplus of clean energy to the city and help London meet its zero-emission goals. 

“Of course, the water temperature is not warm enough to directly heat buildings. But through a combination of energy efficiency measures and the use of heat pumps, we have an incredible opportunity: lower costs, lower carbon emissions, better air quality, and greater energy resilience,” writes Louise Waters, Alex Schlicke and Vijay Bhopal, who authored the report. 

While the use of heat pumps placed in London's underground rivers could potentially provide low carbon heat, the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5933337/A-new-way-tackle-climate-change-Lost-rivers-heat-London-cut-capitals-emissions.html">Daily Mail</a> noted that these pumps have never been used at a scale this large and the report did not consider the financial ramifications of such a project. 

10:10 Climate Action explained the heat pump process and found that a sealed tube containing a gas refrigerant would be placed between a building and a nearby underwater river. 

The refrigerant would change from a gas to liquid as it passed through the tube and release huge amounts of energy in the process, more than enough to meet the heating needs of even Buckingham Palace during the coldest days of the year. 

The rivers carry the same name as the streets under which they currently lie such as the Fleet and Strand. 

One of the rivers, the Effra, was once the second largest river in London and today it could provide heat to several city areas all year round. 

“The Effra by Brockwell Park carries a sizeable flow – some 180 liters per second on average, rising to 250 liters per second at peak times – which represents a heat resource of around 3 megawatts,” the report authors stated. “Tapping into just a tenth of this resource could allow the lido to be kept at a comfortable temperature for swimming in the cooler spring and autumn months.”

London’s current mayor has stated that he wants the city to be a zero-carbon city by 2050, but reaching that lofty aim would require a major shift towards renewable energy and carbon regulations. 

“The mayor has set ambitious targets for phasing out gas burning in London over the coming years and we are going to need every bit of low-carbon heat we can get our hands on to meet these goals,” Leo Murray, director of campaigns at 10:10, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/09/lost-rivers-could-heat-london-to-cut-emissions">The Guardian. </a>

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By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

London’s lost rivers could heat the city, reduce emissions

Underneath London lies a network of tributaries that flow into...

In an article written for <a href="http://theconversation.com/au">The Conversation</a>, Dr. David Redding and Dr. Elizabeth Boakes of the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL) provide some troubling insight into the impact of human activities on our planet's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-key-measure-success/">biodiversity</a>.

According to the researchers, “fossil records show that current extinction levels are around 1,000 times the natural background rate.” The experts explain that habitat loss, hunting, climate change, and the introduction of invasive species are all accelerating this loss.

“Amphibians seem particularly sensitive to environmental change, with estimated extinction rates up to 45,000 times their natural speed,” write the researchers. “Most of these extinctions are unrecorded, so we do not even know what species we are losing.”

The experts point to the loss of the last male white rhino, Sudan, and question how we will be affected by species that are not as iconic or that we do not even know exist. They stress how healthy ecosystems provide invaluable services to humans and keep the planet balanced.

“Forests and wetlands prevent pollutants entering our water supplies, mangroves provide coastal defence by reducing storm surges, and green spaces in urban areas lower city-dwellers’ rates of mental illness,” the authors write in The Conversation. “A continued loss of biodiversity will disrupt these services even further.”

According to the experts, the stress that we are putting on ecosystems and the disturbances that we are causing to the Earth have never before occurred simultaneously. They warn that it is “quite a gamble to assume that we can so damage our planet while at the same time maintaining the seven billion humans that live on it.”


Dr. Redding and Dr. Boakes also emphasize that while some of the environmental damage we have done can still be reversed, extinction cannot. 


“Extinction is irrevocably final,” write the authors.


“We may not all agree, but extinction is broadening its reach, so consensus and urgent action are needed if we hope to control it.”

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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

Human activities are prompting alarming extinction rates

In an article written for The Conversation, Dr. David Redding...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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

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



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



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



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



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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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