The scorching heatwaves we experience, the wildfires that rage across nations, and the invisible carbon dioxide that fills the air are severely impacting our planet.



In 2023, the world saw extreme heatwaves that fueled substantial wildfires and induced severe droughts across the globe. 



What's more, these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-wildfires-are-gaining-even-more-speed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adverse conditions</a> significantly weakened the land's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. 



The result? A notable surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, growing the scale of concern about accelerating climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-atmospheric-carbon">Heat and atmospheric carbon </h2>



Data from Hawaii's <a href="https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/mlo/aboutus/aboutus.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mauna Loa Observatory</a> showed that atmospheric carbon concentrations skyrocketed by an alarming 86% in 2023 compared to 2012. This increase sets a new record high since tracking of these levels began in 1958.



Interestingly, the rise in carbon dioxide levels cannot solely be pointed towards fossil fuel emissions. These, it seems, only rose by roughly 0.6 percent.



So, what's the primary culprit behind the spike in emissions? It's likely due to weakened <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-fire-risk-has-grown-exponentially-in-a-hotter-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon absorption</a> by natural ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weakened-carbon-sink">Weakened carbon sink </h2>



An international team of scientists backed by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Extreme_heat_weakens_land_s_power_to_absorb_carbon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a> Science for Society Near-Realtime Carbon Extremes project - along with the Climate Change Initiative RECCAP-2 project - set out to investigate the root causes of this event.



The experts used global vegetation models and satellite data to expedite a carbon budget report for 2023.



Land typically absorbs about one-third of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions. However, in 2023, this absorption capacity fell to a mere one-fifth of its usual level, marking the weakest performance by land carbon sink in two decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-heat-and-carbon-storage-capacity">Extreme heat and carbon storage capacity </h2>



“Our research shows that 30% of this decline was driven by the extreme heat of 2023, which fueled massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultrafine-particles-in-wildfire-smoke-change-weather-patterns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfires</a> that ravaged vast areas of Canadian forest and triggered severe drought across parts of the Amazon rainforest," said Philippe Ciais, a scientist from France’s Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences.



"These fires and droughts led to substantial vegetation loss, weakening the land ecosystem’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. This was further compounded by a particularly strong El Niño, which historically reduces the carbon absorption capacity in the Tropics." 



The situation was made worse by a particularly potent El Niño, which historically reduces carbon absorption capacity in the tropics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-emitted-from-wildfires">Carbon emitted from wildfires</h2>



Widespread wildfires across Canada and droughts in the Amazon in 2023 released nearly the same amount of carbon to the atmosphere as North America's total fossil fuel emissions. 



This finding highlights the severe impact of climate change on natural ecosystems.



The Amazon rainforest, one of the planet's most essential carbon sinks, is showing signs of long-term distress. Some regions of the Amazon that no longer absorb carbon have shifted into net sources of carbon emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-declining-capacity-to-absorb-carbon">Earth's declining capacity to absorb carbon </h2>



The declining capacity of Earth's land ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide may signify that these natural carbon sinks are nearing their limits. 



They won't be able to continue to provide the mitigation service of absorbing half of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.



"Consequently, achieving safe global warming limits will require even more ambitious emission reductions than previously anticipated," Ciais adds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-earth-s-carbon-cycle">Saving Earth's carbon cycle</h2>



The study also highlights that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">current climate models</a> might be underestimating the pace and impact of extreme events such as droughts and fires on the degradation of these crucial carbon reservoirs.



"Understanding the knock-on effects of climate change on the carbon cycle is imperative, and the two ESA study projects demonstrate the importance of Earth observation in developing methodologies to provide rapid assessment of these impacts globally," said Stephen Plummer, <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a> Earth Observation Applications Scientist.



"These results are particularly alarming, especially considering the difficulty the world is having limiting warming to 1.5°C, as laid out in the Paris Agreement," noted Clement Albergel, ESA’s Acting Head of the Actionable Climate Information Section.



Given these alarming revelations, it's vital that we ask ourselves: how can we contribute to mitigating these effects? Can we consume less, recycle more, and seek out greener alternatives in our daily lives? The need for climate action could not be more urgent.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwae367/7831648?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Science Review</a>.



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Extreme heat of 2023  weakened Earth's carbon storage capacity

The scorching heatwaves we experience, the wildfires that rage across nations, and the invisible carbon dioxide that fills the air are severely impacting our planet. In 2023, the world saw extreme heatwaves that fueled substantial wildfires and induced severe droughts across the globe. What's more, these adverse conditions significantly weakened the land's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. The result? A notable surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, growing the scale of concern about accelerating climate change. Heat and atmospheric carbon Data from Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory showed...

A new survey reveals a recent jump in the number of Republicans who agree that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a> is caused by an increase in carbon emissions from human activities.

Researchers from the<a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/"> Yale Program on Climate Change Communications</a> conducted the research, which included survey responses from 1,067 registered voters.

The goal of the project was to better understand how registered voters from all parties view global warming and climate policies.

The results were reported by <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-05-10/political-winds-not-science-sway-conservative-republicans-on-climate-change">U.S. News &amp; World Report</a> and showed a sudden 9-point uptick in registered GOP voters who said they believed climate change was fueled by emissions.

There was a 14-point leap in the liberal and moderate Republican voters who agreed with climate change studies, and there was even a 5-point rise among conservative Republican voters who  feel more must be done to mitigate climate change.

This now means that over <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/a-majority-of-registered-voters-think-global-warming-is-caused-mostly-by-human-activities/">59 percent of registered voters</a> in the United States believe climate change is driven by humans.

For the Yale researchers, the switch in Republican voters was surprising and the reason, according to U.S. News, is tribal politics. 

It could be argued that with the rise of the Tea Party after Obama’s inauguration, tribal politics drove many Republicans to completely denounce climate change even though a few short years before more than half of conservative Republicans agreed that climate change was a reality.

“The entire Republican Party takes this hard right turn. And on the issue climate change, they go from 'Climate change is real and an official part of our platform' to going all the way out on the last twig of the limb and saying climate change is a hoax,” Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale climate project, told U.S. News. 

During Obama’s and now Trump’s presidencies, the number of GOP voters who agree with climate change science has varied several times. When President Trump announced he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord, that number dropped.

“Trump and his administration clearly and loudly said that climate change is either a hoax or it's not a serious problem or we're going to pull out of Paris,” said Leiserowitz. “He put [Scott] Pruitt in charge of the EPA, who's going to rescind the Clean Power Plan. So you saw Republican voters in particular falling in line with what their leadership told them.” 

However, the recent survey shows that more and more GOP voters believe in climate change and the president’s standing on climate change haven’t shifted. What is causing the decrease in deniers?

According to Leiserowitz, it’s because focus has shifted to other policies and issues and fewer Republican leaders are discussing climate change as part of their platform.

“When Republican leaders aren't talking about climate change much ... Republican views start to rebound,” said Leiserowitz says. “When they stop talking about it, people forget. They go on with their lives.”

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communications is dedicated to understanding how climate change information “flow[s] between individuals and through societies” and what influences perceptions of climate change.

The recent survey shows that climate change perceptions are not set in stone and that more GOP voters now agree climate change is a man-made problem.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Survey: Recent jump in Republicans who say climate change is real

A new survey reveals a recent jump in the number...

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to accidentally step on a patch of ice, you’re probably well aware of what happens next. The fact that ice is slippery – much to the chagrin of unassuming pedestrians – has been known for years. It’s why we use ice as a surface for sports such as speed skating, curling, and hockey. But while the slipperiness of ice is common knowledge, it’s not entirely understood from a science perspective.

In 1886, an Irish physicist by the name of John Joly presented the first scientific explanation for low friction on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-glacial-meltwater-sea-level/">ice</a>. He posited that when an object touches the surface of the ice, the local contact pressure is so high that the ice melts, creating a liquid water layer that lubricates the sliding. Currently, the consensus is that although liquid water at the ice surface does reduce sliding friction on ice, it is not melted by pressure. Rather, the ice is melted by frictional heat produced during sliding.

Researchers Daniel Bonn, a professor at the <a href="http://www.uva.nl/en/home">University of Amsterdam</a>, and Mischa Bonn, from the <a href="http://www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/home/en">Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research</a>, have now demonstrated that friction on ice is more complicated than previously thought. Using macroscopic friction experiments at temperatures ranging from 0 °C to -100 °C, they showed that the ice surface transforms from an extremely slippery surface at typical winter sports temperatures, to a surface with high friction at -100 °C.

In determining this, the research team performed spectroscopic measurements of the state of water molecules at the surface, and compared these with molecular dynamics simulations. This combination of theory and experiment determined that two types of water molecules exist at the ice surface: water molecules that are stuck to the underlying ice, bound by three hydrogen bonds, and mobile water molecules that are bound by only two hydrogen bonds. The mobile water molecules continuously roll over the ice, powered by thermal vibrations.

When the temperature is increased, the two types of surface molecules are interconverted: the quantity of mobile molecules is increased at the expense of molecules that are stuck to the surface of the ice. Interestingly, this change in mobility of the topmost water molecules at the ice surface – caused by increases in temperature – perfectly matches the temperature-dependence of the measured friction force. In other words, the larger the mobility at the ice surface, the lower the friction, and vice versa.

Ultimately, the researchers conclude that the high mobility of the surface water molecules is responsible for the slipperiness of ice. They also determined that, while the surface mobility continues to increase all the way up to 0°C, this is not an ideal temperature for sliding on ice. Experiments showed that the friction is minimal at a temperature of -7°C, which is the exact same temperature used at speed skating rinks. So although this study – published in the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jpclcd">Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters</a> – is the first to uncover the hidden complexities of ice’s slippery nature, it seems like the sports world has known the ideal ice temperature all along.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why is ice so slippery? It’s more complicated than you may think

If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to accidentally step on...

Research has <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-global-warming/">proven</a> that 2017’s record-breaking and devastating hurricane season was made worse by the effects of climate climate. The big four storms, Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria, did untold amounts of damage with strong winds, flooding, and major storm surges. 

Now, a new study found that rapid intensification, the process by which major hurricanes quickly increase their wind speed by 25 knots (28.8 miles per hour) within a 24-hour period, is happening at a stronger and faster rate compared to 30 years ago. 

The major influencing factors behind rapid intensification are the temperature of the ocean’s surface, the heat content in the ocean, wind directions, and humidity. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory </a>and the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association</a> (NOAA) examined hurricane rapid intensification to see what was driving the changes in speed and force of this process. 

The results were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. 

For the study, the researchers analyzed 30 years of satellite hurricane data starting in 1986 through 2016, collected from the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/">NOAA's National Hurricane Center</a> and the <a href="http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/jtwc.html">U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.</a>

16 separate climate models were also used in the study so that the researchers could isolate any impacts on hurricanes from global warming. 

The researchers found that storms are growing more powerful in a 24 hour period quicker than they used to. 

In fact, the results showed that rapid intensification is boosting wind speed 13 mph more than 30 years ago, with an average 4.3 mph added each decade. 

Warmer upper ocean layers and less vertical wind shear can both affect hurricane force and speed, but the researchers found that biggest impact on recent changes in rapid intensification is the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) climate cycle. 

The AMO can cause changes in ocean temperature and wind patterns that can, in turn, create optimal conditions for strong hurricanes.

“This was a surprise, that the AMO seems to be a bigger influence in rapid intensification than other factors, including overall warming,”  said Karthik Balaguru, the first author of the study. 

Increasing rapid intensification has been occurring more in the central and eastern Atlantic which, as the researchers note, is where the AMO increased ocean heat content and where Irma, Jose, and Maria all underwent rapid intensification. 

The study explains the many factors behind strong hurricanes and shows how much climate oscillations and ocean temperature can influence the strength and speed of storms.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Report: Hurricanes are now getting stronger faster

Research has proven that 2017’s record-breaking and devastating hurricane season...

The hottest ocean waters ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico fueled the strength of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-deaths-flood/">Hurricane Harvey</a>, according to a new study. The warm seawater evaporated massive amounts of moisture during the storm, which ultimately generated catastrophic rainfall and flooding in the Houston area.

Study lead author Kevin Trenberth is a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). 

“We show, for the first time, that the volume of rain over land corresponds to the amount of water evaporated from the unusually warm ocean,” said Trenberth.

“As climate change continues to heat the oceans, we can expect more supercharged storms like Harvey.”

Data collected by Argo, a network of floats that measure temperature as they move up and down in the water, enabled the team to compare temperatures in the upper 160 meters of the Gulf waters before and after the storm. The experts used measurements of rainfall on land made available by NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement.

As a storm moves over the ocean, it usually leaves behind cold water after evaporating warm surface waters. However, the scientists found that there was so much heat in the upper layer of the Gulf during Hurricane Harvey that surface waters were continuing to warm up, generating more energy to fuel the storm system.

For a hurricane to continue to gain strength, ocean temperatures must be above 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The near-surface ocean temperature was over 86 degrees Fahrenheit before the hurricane, and remained around 83 degrees Fahrenheit after the storm passed through. 

Once Hurricane Harvey made landfall, the system continued to draw strength and water from the warm ocean.

“The implication is that the warmer oceans increased the risk of greater hurricane intensity and duration,” said Trenberth. “While we often think of hurricanes as atmospheric phenomena, it's clear that the oceans play a critical role and will shape future storms as the climate changes.”

Trenberth said that the research highlights the increased threat of future supercharged hurricanes due to climate change.

“We know this threat exists, and yet in many cases, society is not adequately planning for these storms,” said Trenberth. 

“I believe there is a need to increase resilience with better building codes, flood protection, and water management, and we need to prepare for contingencies, including planning evacuation routes and how to deal with power cuts.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23284277">Earth's Future</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hurricane Harvey was intensified by record-breaking ocean heat

The hottest ocean waters ever recorded in the Gulf of...

After a week of lava and toxic gas spewing from fissures in the ground, geologists are warning that Hawaii’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kilauea-volcano-continues-threaten/">Kilauea volcano</a> could soon explode.

The <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">United States Geological Survey</a> (USGS) have kept a constant eye on Hawaii’s Big Island where residents of the Leilani Estates community were asked to evacuate. 

Dozens of buildings have been destroyed by the lava and lava flow from the fissures has covered at least 116 acres, according to a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-kilauea-volcano-explosion-lava-lake-today-2018-05-10/">CBS</a> report.

The lava line has been crawling closer to a geothermal power plant and employees of the now- closed plant have been working to remove dangerous flammable solvents from the plant in order to avoid any potential catastrophes. 

It’s the steady stream of lava that is raising concerns of an explosion. As the lava lake in the crater of volcano recedes there’s a potential for the lava to come in contact with the groundwater and the resulting steam could cause a powerful explosion. 

According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/us/hawaii-kilauea-volcano/index.html">CNN</a>, the explosions could send “ballistic projectiles,” some the size of massive boulders, hurtling towards the sky. 

“As the lava levels inside the volcano drain lower, the danger of an eruption can actually increase,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-kilauea-volcano-explosion-lava-lake-today-2018-05-10/">writes CBS reporter</a> Carter Evans. “When the molten rock reaches groundwater levels, pressurized steam can cause an explosion, shooting rocks and ash miles away from the crater.” 

An explosion like this has occurred on the island before in 1924 and rocks weighing almost 15 tons along with ash and steam were sent five miles into the air. 

Residents have been warned about the potential for acid rain, ash, and dangerous eruptions, and the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/k-lauea-volcano-erupts">USGS</a> reports that activity at the summit of the volcano is elevated. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Geologists say Kilauea volcano could soon explode

After a week of lava and toxic gas spewing from...

The Bahamian anole lizard is a popular exotic pet, and its knack for escaping captivity has allowed anole populations to pop up throughout the Western Hemisphere. With its ability to live within such a large geographic range – not to mention its abilities as an escape artist – it seems like the anole would be equipped to adapt and thrive in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">changing climate</a>. However, a new study published in <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a> has found that the opposite could be true.

Michael Logan, a post-doctoral fellow at the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> in Panama, studies the brown anole throughout its home range in the Bahamas. In his most recent study, he found that the anole’s genetic makeup is shockingly ill suited for future climate scenarios. His results have led him to believe that the anole is unlikely to adapt quickly enough in order to keep pace with the current rate of environmental change.

“Brown anoles have huge population sizes and therefore should have loads of genetic variation in most traits, permitting rapid adaptation,” says Logan. “Instead, we found that genetic variation in several traits that are critical under climate change is basically zero.”

Like all lizards, brown anoles are ectotherms, meaning they rely on the temperature of their environment in order to control their body heat. In this study, Logan and his colleagues captures brown anoles from two distinct, isolated habitats in the Bahamas. One is relatively cool and forested, while the other is a hot, sunny peninsula. Under laboratory conditions, they raised hundreds of offspring from the two populations, and then tested them in certain experiments once they reached adulthood.

The researchers used gel packs and heating lamps to create an environment ranging from 20°C to 48°C, and recorded where the lizards moved and how they adjusted to temperature changes. They also ran a series of analyses to better understand the offspring’s inherited traits and their potential to evolve. 

Their results were surprising, especially since the lizards they originally found had been from different, isolated populations in contrasting environments. The researchers did find evidence that populations were adapted to their local environments, but genetic results indicated that the lizards had little built-in capacity to inherit traits that would allow them to evolve with climate change. The author’s note that one possible explanation for this is that strong selection pressure in the past – which caused them to adapt to different environments in the first place, eliminated future genetic variation.

This research has important implications for the future of other ectotherms as well. “If genetic variation in thermal traits is rock bottom for a species like the brown anole that has huge population sizes and a super-wide geographic distribution,” ponders Logan, “what will it be for most other species that typically have much smaller population sizes and live relatively isolated, specialized lifestyles?”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Even Earth’s most resilient lizards may succumb to climate change

The Bahamian anole lizard is a popular exotic pet, and...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.vai.org/">Van Andel Research Institute</a> (VARI) are reporting that ancient microbes which survive in some of the world's harshest conditions share a similar molecular mechanism with humans. The shared system, which is used to respire and conserve energy, has adapted to its changing surroundings for billions of years.

The team used the powerful Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope at VARI to analyze the highest resolution images ever obtained of MBH, a molecular complex involved in microbial respiration. The experts discovered that the structure of MBH is strikingly similar to Complex I in humans.

Study co-author Dr. Michael W.W. Adams has been studying MBH for 20 years.

“Nature is really good at finding molecules that work and then modifying them and using them over and over again. This is a prime example,” said Dr. Adams. “Knowing the structure of MBH provides us with new insights into how Complex I evolved and how it might work.”

In living organisms, respiration produces usable energy by converting electrical energy into a chemical form, and MBH and Complex I play key roles in this process. Prior to this study, however, no clear evolutionary connection had been established between the two molecular complexes.

“The determination of MBH's structure fills in some important missing pieces that reveal how life adjusted to sweeping changes in the environment throughout the millennia,” said co-senior author Dr. Huilin. “This solves a fundamental, long standing mystery in biology.”


Despite their similarities, the complexes have some notable differences. MBH's structure has a mechanism for changing electrical energy into chemical energy that is simpler than that found in Complex I. Furthermore, MBH is used to expel hydrogen gas, while Complex I in humans is used to expel carbon dioxide.


MBH is considered to be an ancient respiratory system because it can be found in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/empire-state-building-microbes/">microbe</a> known as Pyrococcus furiosus, which grows best in boiling water and has lived in volcanic marine vents for billions of years. This environment is similar to the atmospheric conditions present many years ago when the planet was much more volatile.

Complex I has the ability to interact with more molecules compared to MBH, an adaptation that likely emerged alongside a shift in the Earth's atmospheric composition.

“It is amazing to see these two distantly related systems reorganize their shared elements to adjust to their different living conditions,” said study first author Dr. Hongjun Yu. “It looks as if nature is playing with its own building blocks.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ancient microbes reveal how humans adjust to changing climates

Scientists at Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) are reporting that...

There are few historical landmarks that garner as much fascination as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

The result of a shallow foundation built in weak soil, the tower’s famous tilt has drawn millions of tourists and baffled scientists over the years. 

How does the tower stay upright and why didn’t it just topple over, especially given the weak soil and the history of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earthquakes-yellowstone-supervolcano/">earthquakes</a> in the area?

Engineers have worked to stabilize the bell tower and in 1990, the site was closed to the public for the next 11 years. Some of the soil was even removed from underneath part of its foundation which actually decreased its tilt.  

Although these stabilization efforts have been successful, there is still the question of how the tower was able to stay put during an earthquake.

Now, a new study has found an answer to why the tower is unaffected by seismic activity and survived at least four major earthquakes that struck the area since 1280. 

A team of 16 researchers led by Camillo Nuti, a professor at <a href="http://www.uniroma3.it/">Roma Tre University</a> conducted the research. 

The team examined the Leaning Tower of Pisa and found that surprisingly the very soil that caused the tower to tilt in the first place is what has kept it firmly in place all these years. 

The results found that something called dynamic soil-structure interaction allows the tower to stay upright. During an earthquake, the inflexibility of the tower and the weak soil stop any seismic resonance from affecting the structure. 

The tower’s relationship with the unstable soil around it is also why the tower didn’t collapse before the restoration efforts went underway. 

“Ironically, the very same soil that caused the leaning instability and brought the Tower to the verge of collapse, can be credited for helping it survive these seismic events,” said George Mylonakis, professor at the University of Bristol.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

The secret to how the Leaning Tower of Pisa sustains earthquakes

There are few historical landmarks that garner as much fascination...

Forests with a diverse mix of plants and trees are more productive than forests with only a single kind of species, also known as a monoculture. 

Mixed forests do better on all five of the Earth’s continents but still, many forest managers are unconvinced, sticking to monocultures. 

That is why researchers from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/homepage/">Technical University of Munich (TUM</a>) conducted an expansive international overview study reviewing research on mixed forest productivity in order to aid in future forest management on a global scale. 

“We know of the many advantages of mixed forests,” said Hans Pretzsch, a co-author of the study. “Mixed-species forests are ecologically more valuable as versatile habitats. They mitigate climate change, as they mean a higher carbon sink.”

The researchers reviewed 600 studies that examined why mixed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-thinning-forests-saving-water/">forests</a> were more productive. Of those 600, the researchers filtered out 126 case studies from 60 areas around the world from 1997 to 2016. 

Long-term studies, which the 126 were, make for better research because measurements and data come from years of record keeping which provides a more accurate picture of how environments respond to different factors. 

Many of the studies were conducted in Bavaria, some of which are the oldest forestry experiments in the world. Experimental areas with mixed forests and monocultures in Bavaria were first set up in the 1870s and measurements are still taken today. 

After analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that trees in mixed forests have better access to light, water, and soil nutrients compared to monocultures. The complex network of root systems compliment each other which allows for better absorption with mixed species. 

“This makes mixed stands more resilient during dry years. In addition, they are more stable against pests and visually more appealing,’ said Pretzsch. 

The researchers say that the results show that choosing a combination of tree species creates more resilient and productive forests. 

“Based on these findings, the interactions between the individual tree species will be studied in more detail at the TUM,” said Pretzsch.

In order to do this, the researchers will expand the Bavarian plots to include more than a hundred hectares of mixed stand experiments. 

“This will be highly interesting for science and provide practical decision-making aids,” said Pretzsch. “In light of climate change and the increasing ecological, economic, and social requirements that forests need to fulfill, mixed stands will increase in importance throughout the world.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Photo: L. Steinacker/<a href="https://www.tum.de/en/homepage/">Technical University of Munich</a> (TUM)

Mixed forests are more economically and ecologically valuable

Forests with a diverse mix of plants and trees are...

An investigation by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">The Washington Post</a> has revealed that the original draft of a Department of Defense (DOD) document was very straightforward in its references to climate change. By the time the official report was submitted to Congress over a year later, however, the term “climate change” had been omitted 22 times.

<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/department-defense-climate-related-risk-dod-infrastructure-initial-vulnerability">The Climate-Related Risk to DoD Infrastructure Initial Vulnerability Assessment Survey</a> was published in January 2018. Climate change was replaced all but one time with related terms such as “extreme weather,” and was alluded to with phrases such as “planning for and managing risk and uncertainty.”

The document is based on data gathered in the first-ever study to poll officials at different military bases about the impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

John Conger served as a Pentagon official under President Obama and was involved in the initiation of the web-based survey. Conger told The Washington Post that altering the text changes “the feeling of urgency in the report, but not its fundamental conclusion - that our military installations are clearly experiencing climate impacts.”

Out of around 3,500 military sites analyzed in the study, over 700 experienced negative effects from drought, wind, and “non-storm surge related flooding.” 

Although one of the primary focuses of the survey was to assess the threat of sea-level rise at coastal military sites, the subject was never directly addressed in the official Pentagon report.

Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn is a member of the Center for Climate and Security Advisory Board and served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment under President Obama.

“The wordsmithing, not saying ‘climate,’ I could live with that,” Admiral McGinn told the Washington Post. “But taking out … maps of critical areas of flooding, that’s pretty fundamental. And the Arctic, that’s huge, for a lot of reasons, not just for Department of Defense, but for the Coast Guard, and commercial shipping business.”

The censorship of climate change content is nothing new under the Trump administration. Just a year after President Trump took office, “climate change” and “global warming” began disappearing from government websites, including those belonging to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There has been growing concern about how the deletion of these terms as well as entire pages related to the issue of climate change may affect critical policies. 

The <a href="https://envirodatagov.org/">Environmental Data &amp; Governance Initiative</a> (EDGI) has closely monitored the removal of climate change content from government agency websites. 

The group emphasized that the EPA is restricting access to valuable information for state and local governments and policymakers by overhauling climate change web pages. For example, a website describing Obama's Clean Power Plan was taken down by the EPA.

EDGI <a href="https://envirodatagov.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Part-3-Changing-the-Digital-Climate.pdf">reported</a>: “Months before the EPA’s proposed repeal of the rule, the website was removed and its URL began redirecting to a single page about President’s Trump Executive Order on Energy Independence, which called for a review of the Plan.”

According to EDGI, the alteration of climate change content in federal documents and web pages “extends a longer campaign to ‘manufacture doubt’ on human-caused climate change.”

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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

Govt report revised to drastically cut mention of climate change

An investigation by The Washington Post has revealed that the...

The NASA spacecraft mission <a href="https://mms.gsfc.nasa.gov/">Magnetospheric Multiscale</a> (MMS) has revealed what happens to the turbulent energy that is created when solar wind collides with the Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-magnetic-field-reverse/">magnetic field</a>. The energy forms into high-speed electron jets as the moving electric charge breaks down and reconnects.

This type of magnetic reconnection occurs throughout the universe, and understanding the process as it relates to the Earth could help scientists better understand other processes in outer space.

“Turbulence occurs everywhere in space: on the sun, in the solar wind, interstellar medium, dynamos, accretion disks around stars, in active galactic nuclei jets, supernova remnant shocks and more,” explained study co-author Michael Shay.

Study lead author Tai Phan is a senior fellow in the Space Sciences Laboratory at the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>.

“MMS discovered electron magnetic reconnection, a new process much different from the standard magnetic reconnection that happens in calmer areas around Earth,” said Phan. “This finding helps scientists understand how turbulent magnetic fields dissipate energy throughout the cosmos.”

Standard magnetic reconnection is observed in Earth's magnetosphere, but electron magnetic reconnection takes place much farther away in a highly turbulent zone called the magnetosheath. This is where solar wind hits like a shock wave and surrounds the planet.

“The turbulence in the magnetosheath contains a lot of magnetic energy,” said Phan. “People have been debating how this energy is dissipated, and magnetic reconnection is one of the possible processes.”

Using data from MMS, the research team observed electron magnetic reconnection for the first time, and determined that the process creates electron jets instead of the ion jets that are generated by standard magnetic reconnection.


“We now have evidence that reconnection does happen to dissipate turbulent energy in the magnetosheath, but it is a new kind of reconnection,” said Shay.

According to Phan, it was unknown prior to this study if magnetic reconnection could take place in the magnetosphere because the plasma is highly chaotic in that region. 

The activity detailed by MMS had been previously overlooked by scientists who were looking for ion jets instead of electrons, which move about 40 times faster than ions accelerated by standard reconnection.

MMS instruments were not fast enough to capture the turbulent reconnection, but the experts managed to detect the process by developing a technique of combining separate data points.

Amy Rager worked at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</a> to develop the technique.

“The key event of the paper happens in 45 milliseconds. This would be one data point with the regular data,” said Rager. “But instead we can get six to seven data points in that region with this method, allowing us to understand what is happening.”


The scientists are hopeful that more surprising events will be discovered in existing datasets using their new method.


The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

When solar wind collides with Earth’s magnetic field

The NASA spacecraft mission Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) has revealed what...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> are reporting that beavers can dramatically improve the quality of water in rivers while preventing the loss of valuable soils from surrounding farms and fields.

In collaboration with the <a href="http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/">Devon Wildlife Trust</a>, the researchers conducted an experiment which revealed that enclosures constructed by beavers can reduce the input of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-soil-killing-superbugs/">soil</a> and nutrients into water systems by the tons.

The study was focused on a single family of beavers, which have lived within a fenced site in West Devon since 2011. A total of 13 dams built by the beavers have slowed the flow of water and created a series of deep ponds.

The researchers found that the dams had trapped more than 100 tons of sediment, 70 percent of which was soil from grassland upstream. Further analysis revealed that the sediment contained high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are nutrients that cause issues for wildlife found in rivers and streams.

Richard Brazier is a professor of Earth Surface Processes and the lead author of the study.

“It is of serious concern that we observe such high rates of soil loss from agricultural land, which are well in excess of soil formation rates,” said Professor Brazier. 

“However, we are heartened to discover that beaver dams can go a long way to mitigate this soil loss and also trap pollutants which lead to the degradation of our water bodies.”

“Were beaver dams to be commonplace in the landscape we would no doubt see these effects delivering multiple benefits across whole ecosystems, as they do elsewhere around the world.”


Devon Wildlife Trust has also been conducting a second project that is focused on wild beavers in the River Otter. Peter Burgess is the Director of Conservation and Development at the wildlife charity.


“Our partnership with Exeter University working on both our fenced and unfenced beaver trials is revealing information which shows the critical role beavers can play, not only for wildlife, but the future sustainability of our land and water,” said Burgess. “It is truly inspiring to have our observations confirmed by detailed scientific investigations.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10969837">Earth Processes and Landforms</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: Michael Symes/Devon Wildlife Trust

Beavers help reduce water pollution and soil erosion

Scientists at the University of Exeter are reporting that beavers...

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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 



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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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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

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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



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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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