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 little more than a month after a 7.5 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea, a 6.9 magnitude tremor occurred near the coast and triggered a tsunami warning earlier today. 

Papua New Guinea’s location within the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pressure-released-earthquakes/">Pacific Ring of Fire</a>, a horseshoe-shaped string of volcanoes along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, makes seismic activity common. 

According to<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ring-fire/"> National Geographic</a>, 90 percent of all earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire and 75 percent of the world’s active volcanoes are located in that region. 

Although no damage was reported, resort goers near where the quake struck felt the shaking and ran out of buildings in fear of collapse. 

“We felt the earthquake, everything was moving so we went out of the building,” May Dovon, a receptionist at the Rapopo Plantation Resort told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/earthquake-papua-new-guinea-tsunami-warning">The Guardian</a>. “Nothing was damaged.” 

The earthquake struck around 100 miles southwest of the town of Rabaul on New Britain Island. 

According to the Guardian, the area where the quake was felt was much remote than where the earlier 7.5 quake struck. 

The latest earthquake triggered a tsunami warning that was issued by the <a href="http://ptwc.weather.gov/">Pacific Tsunami Warning Center</a> which went out to all coastlines located within 200 miles of the epicenter of the earthquake. 

The tsunami warning was later called off, but while no damage has been reported for this quake the country is still recovering from the earlier quake. 

The February earthquake caused major landslides, damaged water supplies and killed 100 people. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earthquake near Papua New Guinea triggers tsunami warning

A little more than a month after a 7.5 earthquake...

As experts and elected officials across the globe are developing and implementing strategies to offset the harmful impacts of human-induced climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to doubt the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">reliability of climate science</a>.

In a memo obtained by <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/">HuffPost</a> this week, regional staff members of the EPA are encouraged to openly question the impact of human activities on climate change.

The email includes eight talking points on how to discuss preparedness for natural disasters while emphasizing that the driving force behind our growing climate crisis is uncertain. 

According to HuffPost, one of the talking points recommended by the EPA states: “While there has been extensive research and a host of published reports on climate change, clear gaps remain including our understanding of the role of human activity and what we can do about it.”

Another talking point in the memo reads:

“Human activity impacts our changing climate in some manner. The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.”

EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman defended the email, stating that the document is “not an official memo,” but is “simply an email among colleagues.”

President Trump and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt have consistently expressed doubt about climate change. 

Earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its latest four-year action plan without any mention of the phrase “climate change,” just as the EPA had done in its own strategic four-year plan last year. 

More recently, the EPA announced a new policy that will greatly limit the type of research that can be used as the basis for new environmental regulations. 

Critics argue that the policy, which requires raw data to substantiate scientific research, will enable the EPA to disregard important studies that are necessary to protect Americans from serious threats such as air and water pollution.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

EPA staff encouraged to question human impact on climate change

As experts and elected officials across the globe are developing...

Organic soils, such as those found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dwindling-peatlands-climate-change/">peatlands</a>, fens, swamps, and bogs are a significant source of nitrous oxide, commonly called laughing gas. 

Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that has aided in both global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer. 

A new study has found that draining peatlands or irrigating well-drained organic soils drastically increases nitrous oxide emissions. 

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.ut.ee/en">University of Tartu,</a> Estonia and the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/">University of Birmingham</a> and published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03540-1">Nature Communications</a>. 

The results highlight the need for the conservation and protection of peatlands as nitrous oxide emissions are major drivers of climate change. 

“Nitrous oxide is no laughing matter - it is a significant contributor to global climate change and depletion of the ozone layer, which protects our planet from cosmic radiation,” said Ülo Mander, an author of the study. “Organic soils, such as fens, swamps, bogs and drained peatlands, make up more than one-tenth of the world's soil nitrogen pool and are a significant global source of laughing gas.”

The researchers conducted fields surveys in 58 peatland sites all around the world, including areas in the United States, Australia, Brazil, South America, and Europe. 

The data from the field surveys was used to create models that could predict changes in nitrous oxide emissions depending on the concentrations of soil nitrate, water content, and temperature. 

Nitrate concentration and moisture levels were the two biggest factors impacting emissions. 

The researchers found that drained peatlands and irrigated peatlands are the biggest culprits behind laughing gas emissions. 

“Our findings show that artificial drainage will be the primary driver of future changes in laughing gas emission from organic soils,” said Jaan Pärn, the study’s lead author. “This effect will be more pronounced in tropical regions leading to more nitrous oxide emitted to the atmosphere. Therefore, conservation and restoration of tropical fens and swamp forests should be made a priority to avoid and reduce emissions of this grim laughing gas.”

Predicting the response of organic soils to changes in moisture and temperature was a key part of the study, and allowed the researchers to understand the influencing factors behind increased nitrous oxide emissions. 

The results will hopefully aid in future peatland conservation efforts and management policies in order to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Dr. Taavi Pae

No laughing matter: draining peatlands releases nitrous oxide

Organic soils, such as those found in peatlands, fens, swamps,...

How much would you be willing to pay for clean water, forest conservation, or flood control? For the people of <a href="http://time.com/4634937/flint-water-crisis-criminal-charges-bottled-water/">Flint, Michigan</a>, the recent water crisis has made access to safe drinking water a top priority. 

Some ecosystem service programs trade environmental protection services for a fee, but researchers from the <a href="https://missouri.edu/">University of Missouri</a> set out to determine which services the public was willing to pay for in different parts of the United States.

It turns out people are willing to pay more for improved water quality more than anything else, but the results show that when looking to implement an ecosystem service program, it’s important to start local as priorities change in different regions. 

For example, people who deal with frequent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-roads-flooding-frequently/">flood</a> damage would likely be more interested in programs that provide flood control. 

“People in different areas of the country have different priorities, and that's hard to coordinate at a national level,” said Francisco Aguilar, a member of the research team. “If someone lives in a floodplain, they are going to be a lot more willing to pay for flood controls. Still, people from around the nation consistently seem to be willing to pay for water quality improvements.”

The results were published in the journal Ecosystem Services.

For the study, the researchers surveyed more 1,000 U.S households nationwide. The participants in the survey were asked about their preferences for various hypothetical ecosystem services with a fee added to monthly utility bills. 

The results showed that clean water was a top priority nationwide but other services such as habitat protection and flood control programs had different levels of importance depending on each participant's locations. 

Landscape beauty was one of the services ranked least important for all the survey responders. 

The results show that location and attitude toward the environment are better indicators than income and demographics when it comes what services people are willing to pay for.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Study: Public willing to pay more for clean water, flood control

How much would you be willing to pay for clean...

Deserts are defined as regions that experience 100 millimeters (less than 4 inches) of rain per year, or less. As such, the title of “desert” is expanded to the Arctic basin and the continent of Antarctica as well, despite them not inspiring the typical desert images of sand and heat. Those two regions happen to be the largest deserts in the world, by definition. But the world’s largest warm-weather desert – the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/snow-falls-sahara-desert/">Sahara Desert</a> – is quite sizable as well, as it is roughly the size of the continental United States. And according to new research, it’s only getting bigger.

In the first study to assess century-scale changes to the boundaries of the Sahara Desert, researchers from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> (UMD) have found that this desert has expanded in size by about 10 percent since 1920. Their findings – published in the <a href="https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/publications/journals/journal-of-climate/">Journal of Climate</a> – also suggest that other deserts could be doing the same.

The researchers assessed rainfall data in Africa that spans from 1920 to 2013, and found that the Sahara increased in size by 10 percent during this time. The most significant periods of expansion for the desert occurred in the summer, and resulted in an almost 16 percent increase in the desert’s average seasonal area over the 93-year period covered by the study. 

“Our results are specific to the Sahara, but they likely have implications for the world’s other deserts,” says Sumant Nigam, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science at UMD and senior author of the study.

Their results point to human-caused climate change as one of the main culprits behind this expansion, as well as natural climate cycles such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). 

“Deserts generally form in the subtropics because of the Hadley circulation, through which air rises at the equator and descends in the subtropics,” explains Nigam. “Climate change is likely to widen the Hadley circulation, causing northward advance of the subtropical deserts. The southward creep of the Sahara however suggests that additional mechanisms are at work as well, including climate cycles such as the AMO.”

The southern border of the desert is adjacent to the Sahel – a semi-arid transition zone that lies between the Sahara and the fertile savannas further south. As the Sahara expands, it pushes back the Sahel, causing a major disruption to the area’s grassland ecosystems and the societies that inhabit them. Lake Chad is also caught in the middle of this desert expansion. 

“The Chad Basin falls in the region where the Sahara has crept southward. And the lake is drying out,” says Nigam. “It’s a very visible footprint of reduced rainfall not just locally, but across the whole region. It’s an integrator of declining water arrivals in the expansive Chad Basin.”

Researchers determined through statistical methods that natural climate cycles are responsible for about two-thirds of their observed expansion of the Sahara, while the remaining one-third they attribute to climate change. However, they do state that longer climate records extending across several climate cycles are needed to reach more definitive conclusions.

There are far-reaching implications for the future of the Sahara, given the results of this study. These implications also expand to other subtropical deserts around the world. Studies such as this are only increasing in their importance. As the world’s population continues to increase, any reduction in arable land and the necessary rainfall to grow crops could mean a future of food scarcity that affects millions.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Mamadou Faye/courtesy Wassila Thiaw, NOAA CPC

Impacted by climate change, the Sahara Desert is getting bigger

Deserts are defined as regions that experience 100 millimeters (less...

A team of American and Canadian scientists report that, at some point in the next 10 years, it may be feasible to affordably capture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/uk-cut-carbon-emissions/">carbon dioxide</a> (CO2) emissions from power plants and convert the CO2 waste for many important uses such as biofuels.

“Similar to how a plant takes carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water to make sugars for itself, we are interested in using technology to take energy from the sun or other renewable sources to convert CO2 into small building block molecules which can then be upgraded using traditional means of chemistry for commercial use,” said study first author Phil De Luna. “We're taking inspiration from nature and doing it faster and more efficiently.”

Thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted from power plants each year. The new study has identified a series of small, useful molecules that could be made from captured carbon dioxide.

For example, hydrogen, methane, and ethane could be used in biofuels, while CO2-derived formic acid could be used by the pharmaceutical industry.

Current technologies that can capture CO2 waste are still relatively new, but strategies are being developed for commercial use. This gives the researchers hope that CO2 capture and conversion will soon become a reality. 

Technology which stimulates chemical reactions through electricity, or electrocatalysis, has the potential to expand the process of carbon capture and conversion within the next 5 to 10 years. According to the team, molecular machines or nanotechnology could drive conversion 50 years from now.

“This is still technology for the future, but it's theoretically possible and feasible, and we're excited about its scale up and implementation,” said study co-author Oleksandr Bushuyev. “If we continue to work at this, it's a matter of time before we have power plants where CO2 is emitted, captured, and converted.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/joule">Joule</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Capture and conversion of carbon emissions may soon be possible

A team of American and Canadian scientists report that, at...

The split between the Democrat and Republican parties in the United States seems to be widening every day. Divisive issues span from taxes and gun control to healthcare and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>. Now, a new Gallup poll – detailed in <a href="about:blank">The Washington Post</a> – has found that fewer Republicans say they believe in a scientific consensus on climate change, while an increasing number of Democrats believe that the effects of global warming have already begun.

Unfortunately, it’s rather unsurprising that Republicans would trend this way. In the past year, President Trump withdrew from the 2015 Paris climate accord and removed climate change from a list of top national security threats, while also referring to global warming as a “hoax.” Luckily, for all those that side with the scientists on this issue, the results of the poll show that 9 out of 10 Democrats worry about global warming and believe it is caused by human activities. Despite this trend on the left, only one in three Republicans share that sentiment. Over two-thirds of Republicans believe that the seriousness of global warming is “generally exaggerated,” while only 1 in 25 Democrats do. Over the past year, these positions have shifted even further apart.

Of the more than 1,000 adults nationwide surveyed by Gallup, 45 percent believe that global warming will pose a serious threat in their lifetimes. This happens to be the highest overall percentage recorded since Gallup first asked the question over 20 years ago. This means that, even with these partisan divisions, almost half of Americans believe that effects of climate change have already begun. Still, the split between Democrats and Republicans on this question was 82 percent versus 34 percent agreeing respectively. For Democrats, that number is up almost 10 percent since early 2017. But for Republicans, the number dropped from 41 percent in 2017, to 34 percent for this poll.

One of the more worrying responses from Republicans was for the question of whether they agreed that most scientists believe global warming is occurring. Only 42 percent of Republicans said yes, which is down almost 10 percent from a year earlier and returns to a level last seen in 2014. Furthermore, only 35 percent of Republicans said they believe global warming is caused by human activities – down from 40 percent last year. While the point of science is progress, it seems like Republicans are regressing in their belief of a scientific consensus.

Individuals caught in the middle between the two parties also regressed in their beliefs about climate change. The number of Independents who believe global warming is caused by human behavior fell from 70 percent to 62 percent in the past year. 

Given these intensely partisan times, unfortunately it’s not very surprising that the public perception of science has also become political. This poll is really a microcosm for how divide our nation has become in the past year, and just like our changing climate, it doesn’t seem like it will get better anytime soon.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/03/28/partisan-split-on-climate-grows-even-as-u-s-fears-are-on-the-rise-poll-finds/?utm_term=.df7ceb16504a">Washington Post</a>

New poll shows widening political split on climate change

The split between the Democrat and Republican parties in the...

Biologists at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> are reporting that 90 percent of the world's coastal freshwater turtles will struggle with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-displace/">rising sea levels</a> by the end of this century. 

The research represents the first comprehensive global study of freshwater turtles that are commonly found in water that is slightly salty, or brackish.

“About 30 percent of coastal freshwater species have been found or reported in a slightly saltwater environment,” said lead author Mickey Agha. “But they tend to live within a low-level range of salinity. If sea level rise increases salinity, we don't yet know if they'll be able to adapt or shift their range.”


The majority of turtle species live in freshwater environments such as lakes, streams, and ponds. While some turtles can tolerate high levels of salinity, others tend to lose body mass in salty water and can die as a result of exposure.

The study was first focused on pond turtles in the semi-salty waters of Suisun Marsh in northern California. The team established that the turtles faced threats of drought, water diversions, and increased sea level rise - all of which can result in saltier habitats - with climate change. 

The biologists broadened their scope to examine how other coastal freshwater turtles around the world may be affected as well. 

The biggest threat to freshwater turtles was found on the island of New Guinea, where many species will lose over 20 percent of their habitat range with sea level rise. The other species that were found to be the most at risk are in Southeast Asia, Australia, and southeastern North America.

The findings of the study highlight the need for further research to investigate whether freshwater turtles will be able to adjust to their rapidly changing habitats.

“If we've underestimated the impact of sea level rise along coastlines, we don't yet know whether these turtles can adapt or shift fast enough to move with the changing salinity, or whether that part of its range will be gone forever,” said Agha.

Professor Brian Todd added: “This is a species that is slow to evolve. If we rely on natural selection to sustain them, they will likely disappear.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1469185x">Biological Reviews</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: Todd Stailey/Tennessee Aquarium

Freshwater turtles across the planet threatened by sea level rise

Biologists at the University of California, Davis are reporting that...

A new study has found that high tides are flooding roadways much more frequently along the eastern coast of the United States. Researchers are reporting that coastal roads in this region have experienced a 90 percent increase in flooding over the last 20 years.

Study co-author Jennifer Jacobs is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the <a href="https://www.unh.edu/">University of New Hampshire</a>.

“This could be just the beginning of impact on these areas,” said Jacobs. “With the continued rise in sea levels, nuisance-flood frequency is projected to grow and the effect on the physical roads and the people that live along the coastline is concerning.”

According to the study, high tide floods threaten over 7,500 miles of roadways along the entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coast-cities-reduced-emissions/">East Coast</a>, including over 400 miles of interstate. The researchers have estimated that this flooding causes drivers over 100 million hours of delays each year. By 2100, that number is expected to rise to over 3.4 billion hours.

The study also revealed that high tide flooding could occur almost daily at certain sites along the coast of New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida and the District of Columbia by the middle of this century. This trajectory is based on intermediate levels of sea rise.

“As tidal coastal flooding increases in the coming years, there will also be issues with the transportation infrastructure,” said Jacobs. “We've already seen billions of dollars in damage to coastal roadways from recent hurricanes. In the future, with rising sea levels, we expect to see more frequent issues, more damage, and impact to roadways even farther inland.”

The researchers pointed out that critical transportation infrastructure is at risk from sea level rise alone, which is projected to swell up somewhere between one and eight feet along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/">Transportation Research Record</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: Melissa Paly

Coastal roads flooding far more frequently in the eastern U.S.

A new study has found that high tides are flooding...

Researchers have discovered that the smooth texture of beach glass, river rocks, and dune sands is formed in the exact same way. Despite the diversity of these particles, they are all rounded in the process of colliding with other particles.

Study lead author Douglas J. Jerolmack is a geophysicist at the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a>.

“We show that wind-blown sand, river pebbles, and wave-worked pebbles all round in the same way by colliding,” said Jerolmack. “And, more important, we show how nature selects for the conditions that lead to this universal behavior.”

The research team combined lab experiments and field measurements with mathematical models for their investigation into how particles round. 

The models used in the study were created to prove the Poincare conjecture, a breakthrough in pure mathematics that was formulated around the turn of the 20th century. The researchers found that the same equations used in these mathematical models represent natural shape evolution as well.

By identifying a universal way that particles round, scientists can now reconstruct the history of other particles. The research may also enable scientists to track the small pieces of sediment that chip off of larger particles. These tiny scraps ultimately build beaches, floodplains, and wetlands.

The research team demonstrated how simple geometry predicts a common shape evolution for most sediments. Whether they were blowing in the wind or being tossed around in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-oceans-triple/">ocean</a> or river, collisions with other particles caused all of the particles to round in an identical manner.

As a result of the research, the scientists now have the mathematical tools they need to reconstruct the transport history of any particle based on its shape. This will allow experts to more accurately forecast how landscapes will change over time.

The study is published in in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Beach glass, river rocks, and dune sands all form the same way

Researchers have discovered that the smooth texture of beach glass,...

The Earth-Moon system is thought to have been formed by a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-theory-formation-moon/">collision</a> between two large planetary objects with unique isotopic compositions. But the explanation for why the Earth and Moon don’t have unique isotopic characteristics themselves, like most planets in our Solar System, has eluded scientists for years… until now.

A new study from Richard C. Greenwood and colleagues sought to determine the origins of our Moon, which is thought to have formed after a collision between a proto-Earth and a solid impactor. The results were published by the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> (AAAS). 

Through analysis of a vast collection of lunar and terrestrial samples, the researchers found support for the theory of a collision with extremely high energy. This impact was so high energy that it resulted in a nearly complete mixing of materials between proto-Earth and its impactor. Furthermore, their findings also suggest that the majority of water on Earth was delivered before the Moon-forming impact, rather than later, as is often proposed.

The researchers analyzed the oxygen isotopic compositions of an extensive collection of lunar and terrestrial samples. Their results showed a 3- to 4-parts per million (ppm) difference between the oxygen isotopic concentrations of the lunar rocks and the terrestrial basalts. However, no significant difference was found between the lunar samples and terrestrial olivine, which is a common mineral in Earth’s subsurface.

These findings are consistent with high-energy impact simulations, the researchers say, which suggest a near-complete mixing. The study’s authors suggest that the 3- to 4-ppm difference they discovered could be explained by a “late veneer,” referring to input of stony meteorite material to Earth in an impact event that occurred after the Moon-forming impact. 

Also of great significance, the authors say their findings further imply that a large percentage of the Earth’s water was present earlier than the major impact event that formed the Moon. They believe that no more than 5-30% of water was contributed to Earth from the late veneer process. Overall, this new research has advanced our knowledge about the formation of the Earth-Moon system, and how one of the most important resources for our survival (water) came to be on this planet. 

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Majority of Earth’s water was here before the moon-forming impact

The Earth-Moon system is thought to have been formed by...

A team of researchers has found that information and computer technologies (ICT) are making a surprisingly large contribution to carbon dioxide emissions. Professor Lotfi Belkhir of <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a> is urging for the issue to be addressed right away.

The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of tech devices and the infrastructure associated with them such as data centers. Professor Belkhir published an article in <a href="http://theconversation.com/au">The Conversation</a> to share the study findings and create awareness of this growing problem. 

“We found that the relative contribution of ICT to the total global footprint is expected to grow from about one percent in 2007 to 3.5 percent by 2020 and reach 14 percent by 2040,” wrote Professor Belkhir.

The investigation revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/addiction-smartphones-imbalances-brain/">smartphones</a> have a much more significant impact than that of of PCs, laptops, and computer monitors. Between 2010 and 2020, the emissions generated by smartphones will jump from 4 to 11 percent.

“In absolute values, emissions caused by smartphones will jump from 17 to 125 megatons of CO2 equivalent per year (Mt-CO2e/yr) in that time span, or a 730 percent growth,” explained Professor Belkhir.

The rise in harmful emissions from smartphones will primarily come from their production and not their use, according to the study. The infrastructure used to provide data services, however, will also make a substantial contribution to carbon dioxide emissions.

“For every text message, video download, photo exchange, email or chat, there’s a 24/7 power-hungry server in some data center that’s making it happen,” wrote Professor Belkhir.

He pointed out that software companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo are ultimately driving the growth of ICT and related infrastructure.

“At the societal level, we must demand that all data centers run exclusively on renewable energy,” Belkhir concluded in the article.

“At the individual level: Hold on to your smartphone for as long as you can, and, when you do upgrade, make sure you recycle your old one. Sadly, only one percent of smartphones are being recycled today.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-cleaner-production/">Journal of Cleaner Production</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

Smartphones drive more carbon emissions than other devices

A team of researchers has found that information and computer...

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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

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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

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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



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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

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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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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

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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



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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



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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



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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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