Researchers from Japan and Thailand have found that microplastics are invading all three parts of coral anatomy - the exterior mucus, tissue, and skeleton. This alarming discovery may offer new clues about the "missing plastic problem."



A whopping 70% of the plastic litter that has entered the oceans has vanished without a trace. The researchers propose that corals may be the unsuspecting culprits, absorbing microplastics from the oceans, acting as a "plastic sink."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enormous-issue-of-plastic-pollution">Enormous issue of plastic pollution</h2>



We can’t deny, plastics have made our lives easier. But <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-are-infiltrating-the-human-body-even-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at what cost</a>? The repercussions of our reliance on plastics are becoming evident, damaging ecosystems in ways that are still being unearthed. 



Picture this - an estimated total of 4.8 to 12.7 million tons of plastics make their way into marine environments each year.



Study lead author Suppakarn Jandang is a professor at <a href="https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kyushu University</a>’s Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (<a href="https://www.riam.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/index-e.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RIAM</a>) in Japan.



“In Southeast Asia, plastic pollution has become a significant issue. Collectively, nearly 10 million tons of plastic waste are dumped annually, equivalent to 1/3 of the world’s total,” said Professor Jandang.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extracting-microplastics-from-corals">Extracting microplastics from corals</h2>



To battle plastic pollution, RIAM partnered with Thailand's <a href="https://www.chula.ac.th/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chulalongkorn University</a> in 2022, initiating the Center for Ocean Plastic Studies. 



Led by Professor Atsuhiko Isobe from RIAM, the research team set out to explore the impact of microplastics on local coral reefs. The experts focused on the coast of Si Chang Island in the Gulf of Thailand, known for its reef flats and anthropological study potential.



Each coral has three anatomical parts: surface mucus on the outside, tissue on the inside, and a skeleton made of calcium carbonate deposits. The researchers developed a simple yet effective way to extract and identify microplastics from corals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-microplastics-in-corals">Identifying microplastics in corals</h2>



The team collected 27 coral samples, discovering 174 microplastic particles which were mostly the width of a human hair.



Among these particles, 38% were found in the surface mucus, 25% in the tissue, and a shocking 37% in the coral skeleton. 



The most common microplastics were nylon, polyacetylene, and PET. The findings suggest that corals might be playing a role in the missing plastic problem. 



“Since coral skeletons remain intact after they die, these deposited microplastics can potentially be preserved for hundreds of years. Similar to mosquitos in amber,” explained Professor Jandang.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-threat-to-marine-life">Threat to marine life</h2>



The infiltration of microplastics into coral anatomy represents a grave threat to marine biodiversity. As primary ecosystems in tropical waters, coral reefs support a vast array of organisms. 



However, when microplastics invade these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-seeding-increases-resistance-to-extreme-heatwaves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">corals</a>, the repercussions ripple through the food chain. Fish that depend on coral for shelter and sustenance may inadvertently consume these plastics, leading to bioaccumulation. 



This process not only adversely affects marine health but also poses a threat to human populations reliant on seafood. The delicate balance of these ecosystems is at risk, highlighting the urgency for targeted interventions aimed at mitigating plastic pollution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-action-is-needed">Global action is needed</h2>



Recognizing the profound implications of their findings, the research team advocates for stronger global initiatives to combat the proliferation of microplastics. 



Efforts to reduce plastic production and enhance waste management systems are imperative. On this front, international cooperation is essential for enacting regulations and fostering sustainable practices. 



Innovations in biodegradable materials and increased recycling rates could curtail further environmental degradation.



By emphasizing education and awareness campaigns, the scientific community can rally public support for policies aimed at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-process-converts-microplastics-into-valuable-graphene-wonder-material/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preserving our oceans</a>. Continued research will be pivotal in devising sustainable solutions to safeguard marine biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-our-oceans">Future of our oceans</h2>



While the results are eye-opening, the team agrees that more global studies on an array of coral species are needed for a comprehensive understanding. 



“We also do not know the health effects of microplastics on coral and the larger reef community. There is still much to be done to accurately evaluate the impact of microplastics on our ecosystem,” said Professor Isobe.



The story of plastic's invasion in the oceans is still unfolding, and the role of corals in this narrative is just beginning to be understood.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724063666?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science of The Total Environment</a>.



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Microplastics found in the tissue and skeletons of corals

Researchers from Japan and Thailand have found that microplastics are invading all three parts of coral anatomy - the exterior mucus, tissue, and skeleton. This alarming discovery may offer new clues about the "missing plastic problem." A whopping 70% of the plastic litter that has entered the oceans has vanished without a trace. The researchers propose that corals may be the unsuspecting culprits, absorbing microplastics from the oceans, acting as a "plastic sink." Enormous issue of plastic pollution We can’t deny, plastics have made our lives easier....

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> are reporting that warm-blooded animals have a better chance of adapting to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-california-vegetation/">climate change</a> than cold-blooded animals. The research was based on over 270 million years of data on animals such as birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

“We see that mammals and birds are better able to stretch out and extend their habitats, meaning they adapt and shift much easier,” said lead author Jonathan Rolland. “This could have a deep impact on extinction rates and what our world looks like in the future.”


The researchers compared data from the current distribution of animals with fossil records and phylogenetic information for 11,465 species. The team reconstructed where animals have lived over the past 270 million years and analyzed what temperatures they needed to survive in these regions.

The study revealed that the Earth's changing climate throughout history significantly impacted where animals resided. For example, warm and tropical conditions 40 million years ago made the planet suitable for many species to thrive. 

Birds and mammals were able to adapt during the subsequent cooling phase of the planet, which enabled them to move into extreme northern and southern regions.

“It might explain why we see so few reptiles and amphibians in the Antarctic or even temperate habitats,” said Rolland. “It's possible that they will eventually adapt and could move into these regions but it takes longer for them to change.”

According to Rolland, animals that can regulate their body temperatures might be better able to survive in these places because they can keep their embryos warm and take care of their offspring.

“These strategies help them adapt to cold weather but we rarely see them in the ectotherms or cold-blooded animals,” said Rolland.

The research team believes that understanding the past evolution and adaptations of species can provide important insight into how future climate change may impact Earth’s biodiversity.

The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Birds and mammals are the most likely to survive climate change

Researchers from the University of British Columbia are reporting that...

Greenhouse gas emissions and warmer temperatures have brought the Earth to a point of no return as far the impacts of global warming are concerned. 

But even though the effects of climate change are being felt with increasing severity, reducing emissions is vital to the preservation and conservation of resources as well the biodiversity of ecosystems. 

Now, new research has found that unless emissions are reduced to meet the same goals at the Paris Accord, almost half of all California’s natural vegetation will be at risk from climate stress, and that’s excluding factors like increased wildfires or insect attacks. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/"> University of California, Davis</a> and published in the journal Ecosphere. 

The results show that if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-water-conservation-benefits/">California</a> were to cut carbon emissions to meet the projected goals set by the Paris Accord, the amount of vegetation at risk would be cut in half. The Paris Accord aimed to halt global temperatures from increasing past two degrees. 

“At current rates of emissions, about 45-56 percent of all the natural vegetation in the state is at risk, or from 61,190 to 75,866 square miles," said James Thorne, the lead author of the study. “If we reduce the rate to Paris accord targets, those numbers are lowered to between 21 and 28 percent of the lands at climatic risk.” 

The researchers created maps of California under different climate scenarios, and each map highlights the risk to the state’s wide range of vegetation. 

The business-as-usual map shows that over half of all vegetation in southwestern California, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada is at risk. 

The maps were commissioned by the <a href="https://www.dfg.ca.gov/">California Department of Fish and Wildlife </a>and is helping aid policymakers, state agencies, and land managers in creating a plan for mitigating the effects of climate change and persevering California’s natural resources. 

“In California, we have good information on the vulnerability of fish and wildlife to climate change,” said Whitney Albright, a project manager with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “But we were missing this crucial piece of climate risks to underlying habitat. This study helped fill the information gap. We've already started to use its data in our conservation planning efforts.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change puts half of California vegetation at risk

Greenhouse gas emissions and warmer temperatures have brought the Earth...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> have discovered that changes in the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean have influenced rainfall in the Western Hemisphere for thousands of years. This is a significant breakthrough that will help scientists understand how the interaction of these systems affected Earth’s climate in the past, leading to better predictions for the future.

“The mechanisms that seem to be driving this correlation [in the past] are the same that are at play in modern data as well,” said lead author Kaustubh Thirumalai. “The Atlantic Ocean surface circulation, and however that changes, has implications for how the rainfall changes on continents.”

The changing currents in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-snakes-atlantic-ocean/">Atlantic Ocean</a> are a key component of Earth’s climate, shifting warm water from the tropics toward the poles. 

The research team took a detailed approach to tracking ocean circulation changes by studying three sediment cores extracted from the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. The cores provided the researchers with insight into factors which affected the strength of the Atlantic Ocean current over the past 4,400 years in 30-year increments.


“If we go back in increments of 30, we're well positioned to understand things on the order of centuries,” said Thirumalai. “And the question we decided to ask was what can those reconstructions of temperature and salinity tell us about the greater Atlantic Ocean surface circulation.”

The study revealed that the Atlantic Ocean surface circulation was much weaker during the Little Ice Age compared to how it is today. 

Next, the researchers set out to determine if ocean currents in the Atlantic corresponded with rainfall in the Western Hemisphere, and how this association may have changed over time. The experts found that Atlantic Ocean surface currents correlated with rainfall patterns both in the past and the present.

“It was remarkable,” said Thirumalai. “These patterns that are based on decadal analysis of modern data, and then the hydroclimate proxies that give the salinity in the oceans and the rainfall on land seem to show the same picture.”

The findings of this research highlight a strong association between activity in the Atlantic Ocean and rainfall patterns, as well as the far-reaching impacts of this interaction.

“The study demonstrates a robust century-scale link between ocean circulation changes in the Atlantic basin and rainfall in the adjacent continents during the past 4,000 years,” said study co-author Terry Quinn. “And hence it provides a baseline for predictions on how that part of the climate system may behave in the future.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Atlantic Ocean currents influence rainfall patterns

Experts at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered...

On Thursday, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> announced it would roll back a 1995 regulation on major polluters known as the “once in, always in” policy.

The change would allow companies identified as “major sources” of hazardous air pollution to be reclassified as “area sources” once they’ve limited their air pollution emissions below a certain threshold. 

Under the 1995 policy, once a company fell on the list of major polluters it would always be subject to “major source” air pollution standards, whether or not it addressed its pollution problems.

“This guidance is based on a plain language reading of the statute that is in line with EPA’s guidance for other provisions of the Clean Air Act,” said Bill Wehrum, assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, in a news release. “It will reduce regulatory burden for industries and the states, while continuing to ensure stringent and effective controls on hazardous air pollutants.”

The change will reduce “unnecessary regulatory burdens” on businesses that may deter businesses from attempting to reduce pollution, the EPA news release said. A number of states, organizations and industries requested the change, the agency said.

But some conservationists are criticizing the change. 

“This is among the most dangerous actions that the Trump EPA has taken yet against public health,” John Walke, the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2018/180125-0">Natural Resource Defense Council</a>’s clean air director, said in a statement. “Rolling back longstanding protections to allow the greatest increase in hazardous air pollutants in our nation’s history is unconscionable.”

The change will “drastically weaken” regulations meant to protect people from health problems like cancer, brain damage and infertility linked to mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxins that released into the air by major polluters, Walke said.

The rollback is an “appalling attack” on public health, John Coequyt, the global climate policy director for the environmental group Sierra Club, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>.

The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act">Clean Air Act</a> defines a “major source” of pollution as a company or facility that emits 10 tons per year of any single hazardous air pollutant, or 25 tons per year or more of a combination of hazardous air pollutants. Facilities that have the potential to emit air pollution at those levels can also be defined as major sources.

According to Thursday’s announcement, the EPA determined that it didn’t have the authority to ban facilities from being reclassified as “area sources” once their hazardous emissions fall below the major source threshold.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

EPA rolls back 'once in, always in' regulation on major polluters

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would roll...

It’s eclipse time again! This week, a total lunar eclipse will be visible during the early hours of January 31st. 

Lunar eclipses are only possible when the moon is full, and January 2018 will be one of the rare months with two full moons, also known as a blue moon. 

Unlike the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/great-american-total-solar-eclipse/">solar eclipse</a> of 2017, you can safely watch the lunar eclipse without eye protection, and the lunar eclipse will be visible to anyone who gets up early enough to see it if skies are clear. 

According to <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2018/1/18/how-to-watch-a-total-lunar-eclipse-and-get-students-observing-the-moon/?utm_source=iContact&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=NASA/JPL%20Edu&amp;utm_content=edunews_20180124">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) at the <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a>, for those in North America, the coming lunar eclipse will be the only total lunar eclipse event visible this year. 

“For the (continental) U.S., the viewing will be best in the West,” said Gordon Johnston, a program executive and lunar blogger. “Set your alarm early and go out and take a look.”

Eclipses are only possible when the stars and planets align in a specific way. For a solar eclipse, it happens when the moon moves between the Earth and sun during its orbit around the Earth. The moon casts a shadow as it blocks the light and moves in front of the sun. 

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are on the same plane with the sun and moon on opposite sides of the Earth, and the Earth casts a shadow over the moon. 

The coming eclipse is noteworthy for three reasons. It’s a supermoon as the moon will be brighter than usual, it’s a blue moon because it’s the second full moon in the same month, and during the actual eclipse the moon will turn a reddish color making it a blood moon. 

The “Super Blue Blood Moon” will begin on January 31st in the middle of the night, and the total lunar eclipse will start just before dawn 

For those lucky enough to be graced with clear skies, the total lunar eclipse will be a site not to be missed. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandett@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Super blue blood moon lunar eclipse will occur January 31st

It’s eclipse time again! This week, a total lunar eclipse...

It’s well known that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-sea-turtles/">climate change</a> will be having a major impact on coastal regions around the world as glaciers and ice sheets melt, causing sea level to rise globally. But now this isn’t just a concern for the future, as for the first time an international research team has discovered evidence that sea-level rise is already affecting high and low tides in both the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. 

Through combining a computer model with 100 years of observations, the researchers found that global sea-level rise is increasing the tidal range — which is the distance between high and low tides — in many areas throughout each bay. 

In 2015, Andrew Ross, a meteorology doctoral student at <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a>, noticed a bizarre pattern occurring while testing a numerical computer model for tidal research. A distinct pattern of changes to the high and low tides of Chesapeake Bay would result upon adding one meter of sea-level rise. “We weren’t sure why it was there, but it was unique enough that we thought it should show up in observations, too, if it was actually real,” says Ross, now a postdoctoral research associate, Princeton University. “So we started looking at the observations, doing more comparisons.”

Together with a team of researchers, Ross began working to pinpoint the precise effects of sea-level rise through subtracting other forces that affect changes to the tidal range. These forces include predictable ones such as the orbit of the moon around Earth, as well as less predictable ones like the effect of dredging a bay. They also analyzed tidal gauge records from 15 locations in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays, the oldest of which dated back to 1901.

The researchers paired information from isolated data of the influence of sea-level rise on tides to a computer model that could adjust the overall sea level, simulating the effects of either the past or future. They found that both the tide gauge data and the model generally agreed on the main effects of sea-level rise on tides. Analysis showed that one meter of sea-level rise increased the tidal range by up to 20 percent in some areas. Based on the physical characteristics of the bay, sea-level rise varied. “In the Delaware Bay, as you go upstream toward Philadelphia, the shore lines are converging in a sort of funnel shape, and so we see that amplifies sea-level rise’s effects on the tides,” said Ross. “That amplification gets magnified the farther you go upstream.”

For the Chesapeake Bay, the shape resulted in a different pattern of effects – in some cases slightly decreasing the tidal range. The shape of the bay is longer and less of a funnel, compared to the Delaware Bay. When a wave enters the Chesapeake Bay from the ocean, it hits the end of the bay and reflects back towards the ocean, either adding to or subtracting from the size of the waves it hits. Waves travel faster in deeper water, so a higher sea level leads to faster wave speed. This changes where incoming and outgoing waves meet, which can have a cascading effect on tide patterns throughout the bay.

“When people think about flooding associated with sea-level rise, they often think everything will just go up, including the tides, but the reality is that in some cases, the tidal range may stay the same or decrease,” explains Raymond Najjar, a professor of oceanography at <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a>. “It all depends on the geometry of the bay and the speed of waves, which we know are affected by rising sea levels.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change has already altered the Delaware, Chesapeake bays

It’s well known that climate change will be having a...

Last summer I travelled with my partner Erin throughout the state of Colorado.  Most of our trip was climbing mountains but we also hiked to alpine lakes, camped in the woods, wandered Great Sand Dunes National Monument.  

At first I thought it was an isolated incident, someone hiking a 14er (mountain of 14,000 ft +) with a wireless speaker playing their music.  I cringed, myself preferring the sound of squeaking Pikas and Marmots to music while in the mountains.  

Then it happened again.  As I was descending Mt. Massive above tree line, a man playing loud rock music stopped me to ask how far it was to the summit.  I was polite but inwardly angry.  How is it this man’s right to impose his music on other hikers, much less wildlife, especially in a wilderness area?  Wandering on the sand dunes at night near the trickle of a stream, Erin and I went looking for stars and a place to lay on the sand and watch them.  Tourists played their music as they wandered on the dunes near us, shattering any illusion of solitude, destroying the remnant of quiet nature.

Finishing up with a bouldering session near Tucson this winter, a man with blonde dreadlocks asked us if it was ok to play music while he and his partner climbed on the other side of the boulder.  I felt a little better that at least I was being asked for my permission.  Erin and I were leaving anyway and said that music was ok, we were heading out.

Running through parks or even hiking on trails, headphones are omnipresent and they give an easy excuse for ignoring other people around you.  Headphones are a poor substitute for solitude though, they only create a wall, not a place of self-reflection or connection to the Earth.  I watched a woman moving up a mountain in Colorado, listening to her headphones; as the woman hiked quickly uphill, clouds gathered and thunder rumbled ominously.  Thunder is a dangerous situation at that elevation, especially when moving up the mountain.  I wondered if the woman was fool hardy, inexperienced or perhaps tuned out of her immediate environment by music, not being fully present on a mountain full of hazard.

The last time I went into REI to price and compare different climbing rope, something clicked.  It wasn’t that hundreds of people decided on their own that wireless speakers and music were good to carry into the outdoors.  Wireless speakers were being marketed for outdoor recreation.  I understand some music, especially if you’re out in a remote location for months, it can be comforting.  The main problem is when we never turn off our music and listen to our surroundings or connect to each other.  A mountain is NOT a gym, it is a sacred place, listen to it.  A fellow hiker is NOT a distraction or annoyance but a person with whom you might share more than you suspect.  Wildlife should be respected, watched, loved at a distance and not disturbed by your inconsiderate music. Can you imagine a world where music is always playing?  Would you replace bird song with Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds?  I love both and both have their place but bird song lives deeper within us than human music.

Some would argue that at least people listening to music are getting outside.  Isn’t what we want is more people outdoors?  I would argue that more people aren’t getting outside because of portable music, instead it’s changing the reality for people who already get outside.  

Stats from the National Parks Service suggest that in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-parks-trump-ghost-teddy-roosevelt/">National Parks</a> at least, a smaller percentage of the population is recreating out of doors.  I don’t think access to an iPod is going make a person take to a mountain trail instead of a gym treadmill but even if it does it highlights the problem.  Using portable music creates the illusion that you are in an environment, let’s say a gym, that is under human control.  As more and more people learn to rock climb not on a cliff face but inside of a gym, it’s ever more important to emphasize the difference between the two.  Climbing in a gym can be a real challenge and the hardest climbs are much harder than the easiest outdoor climbs but the outdoors offers so much more.  You aren’t likely to be surprised by an encounter with a wild animal or caught in a rainstorm inside of a gym.  

Cacti, trees, clouds, rattlesnakes and dirt are all minimized inside gyms.  A gym also has one major difference from outside, a gym can be anywhere.  A climbing gym in Rapid City South Dakota looks very similar to a climbing wall in Grand Junction, Colorado but the outside climbing is radically different.  In South Dakota you’d be climbing dark granitic rock surrounded by ponderosa pine.  In Grand Junction it’d be light colored sandstone surrounded by high desert piñon-juniper woodlands.  It’s the natural environment and the unobstructed, wild freedom that goes with it which is threatened, not a trip to the gym and not your music.  

Further down the line, I worry that people absorbed in their own music will miss wildlife.  In missing wildlife, there may be no awareness when the forests, mountains and deserts are bereft of wild creatures.  The scariest thing of all is a loss of a wild environment without anyone even noticing.       

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Is portable music ruining the outdoors?

Last summer I travelled with my partner Erin throughout the...

A new study has revealed that sandwiches are having a substantial impact on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oceans-buffer-greenhouse-gas/">greenhouse gas emissions</a>. In the first study of its kind, researchers at <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/">The University of Manchester</a> have tracked the carbon footprint of a sandwich by examining its entire life cycle including production, packaging, and food waste.

The research team focused on 40 sandwich recipes for their investigation. The highest carbon footprints were found in sandwiches that contained bacon, ham, or sausage, as well those made with cheese or prawns. 

The most carbon intensive process was discovered in sandwiches served on all-day breakfast menus that include eggs, bacon, and sausage. The study revealed that the production of just one of these sandwiches generates a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.) that is comparable to driving a car for 12 miles.

The lowest carbon footprint was found in a sandwich made at home with ham and cheese. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that sandwiches made at home could reduce carbon emissions in half compared to eating out.

According to the British Sandwich Association (BSA), more than 11.5 billion sandwiches are consumed each year in the UK. Around half of those are made at home and the other half are bought in shops, supermarkets, and service stations.

“Given that sandwiches are a staple of the British diet as well as their significant market share in the food sector, it is important to understand the contribution from this sector to the emissions of greenhouse gases,” said study co-author Adisa Azapagic.

“For example, consuming 11.5 billion sandwiches annually in the UK generates, on average, 9.5 million tonnes of CO2 eq., equivalent to the annual use of 8.6 million cars.”

The researchers established that the biggest contributor to the carbon footprint of a sandwich is the agricultural production and processing of the ingredients, which generates up to 67 percent of the CO2 eq. for fast food sandwiches. In addition, the refrigeration of sandwiches in the supermarket can account for up to 25 percent of their overall contribution to emissions.

“We need to change the labelling of food to increase the use-by date as these are usually quite conservative,” said Professor Azapagic. “Commercial sandwiches undergo rigorous shelf-life testing and are normally safe for consumption beyond the use-by date stated on the label.”

The study authors pointed out that reducing certain ingredients that have a higher carbon footprint such as cheese and meat would not only help to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, but would also contribute to healthier diets with less calories.

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/sustainable-production-and-consumption/">Journal of Sustainable Production and Consumption</a>.

-

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Even your sandwiches have an environmental impact

A new study has revealed that sandwiches are having a...

The severe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoke-toxic-gases-wildfires/">wildfires</a> that plagued California during the summer and fall of 2017 cost millions in damages was just another indication of the increasing effect of climate change. 

As temperature increase and droughts become more and more frequent, the risk of fires will also increase. 

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> satellite instruments can detect wildfires and can send vital data about the size and location to land managers. These satellites and technology are crucial to understanding how wildfires spread, the range and direction of the smoke direction, and how the fires impact the ecosystems. 

“NASA's satellite, airborne and field research capture the full impact of fires in the Earth system, from rapid detection of actively burning fires, transport of smoke and changes in ecosystems in the days to decades following fire,” said Doug Morton, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Satellites collect data across the globe several times throughout the day, some as frequently as every five to fifteen minutes.

There are two different types of satellites that monitor the Earth and send data back. First is the polar orbiters that can take detailed looks of views and smoke around the world, and second are the geostationary satellites. 

There are dozens of instruments that help specifically with monitoring and analyzing fires, and this data is critical to disaster response efforts. 

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument collects data on carbon monoxide concentrations and pollution from burning fires. 

The Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) instrument focuses on smoke plumes, as measuring their height can then dictate how far the smoke will travel in the atmosphere. 

Other instruments can provide both visible imageries during the day and infrared imagery at night, with thermal detectors that reveal fire hotspots that are actively burning, their smoke plumes, and heat signatures from the fires. 

Temperature, smoke plumage, pollution from smoke particles, location, and the extent of damage are all necessary to understanding, combating, and preventing fires across the globe, and NASA instruments provide crucial data to accomplish this task. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites can be crucial tools in battling wildfires

The severe wildfires that plagued California during the summer and...

The world’s coral reefs are facing critical challenges from the growing threat of climate change and bleaching. But now, a new study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has revealed that plastic trash is further distressing corals by making them 20 times more susceptible to tissue loss and disease.

“Plastic debris acts like a marine motorhome for microbes,” said study lead author Joleah Lamb. “Plastics make ideal vessels for colonizing microscopic organisms that could trigger disease if they come into contact with corals.”

“Plastic items - commonly made of polypropylene, such as bottle caps and toothbrushes - have been shown to become heavily inhabited by bacteria. This is associated with the globally devastating group of coral diseases known as white syndromes.”

The researchers have found that the likelihood of disease increases from four to 89 percent when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/theresa-may-plastic-plan/">plastic</a> debris meets coral. According to the experts, around 11.1 billion plastic items are entangled on reefs across the Asia-Pacific region. They predicted that this amount will increase by 40 percent over the next seven years.

Corals are essentially animals with living tissue that build upon one another and form reefs. Plastics contain bacterial pathogens  that disrupt fragile coral tissues and their microbiome.

“What's troubling about coral disease is that once the coral tissue loss occurs, it's not coming back,” explained Lamb. “It's like getting gangrene on your foot and there is nothing you can do to stop it from affecting your whole body.”

The study was focused on 159 coral reefs in Indonesia, Australia, Myanmar, and Thailand. The researchers visually monitored the reefs to look for tissue loss and disease lesions. The presence of plastic debris ranged from 0.4 items per 100 square meters in Australia to 25.6 items per 100 square meters in Indonesia. 

Lamb pointed out that approximately 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year. According to the researchers, the amount of plastic waste on coral reefs will increase to around 15.7 billion items by 2025. This amount of debris has the potential to cause skeletal eroding band disease, white syndromes, and black band disease.

“Our work shows that plastic pollution is killing corals,” said senior author Drew Harvell. “Our goal is to focus less on measuring things dying and more on finding solutions. While we can't stop the huge impact of global warming on coral health in the short term, this new work should drive policy toward reducing plastic pollution.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</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

Plastic trash makes corals 20 times more susceptible to disease

The world’s coral reefs are facing critical challenges from the...

If you were to think about what would be the biggest factor controlling snowmelt in the springtime, you’d probably guess that warmer temperature is the major player. But a new study published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-8007/">Geophysical Research Letters</a> has found that it’s dust, not spring warmth, that controls the pace of spring snowmelt around the head of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-removal-colorado-river/">Colorado River.</a>

This is the first study to focus on whether warmer air temperatures or a coating of dust on the snow has a stronger influence on spring runoff. The lead researcher, Tom Painter of <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>, has been assessing the consequences of dust on snowmelt around the world. For this study, he and his colleagues assessed data on air temperature and dust in a mountain basin in southwestern Colorado from 2005 to 2014, as well as the streamflow from three major tributary rivers carrying snowmelt from these mountains to the Colorado River. This river basin spans roughly 246,000 square miles across seven states. 

Their results revealed that, even in years with unusually warm spring air temperatures, the effects of dust dominated the pace of the spring runoff. Surprisingly, there was almost no statistical correlation between the pace of runoff and air temperature. “We found that when it’s clean, the rise to the peak streamflow is slower, and generally you get a smaller peak.” Painter says, “When the snowpack is really dusty, water just blasts out of the mountains.” 

However, this doesn’t mean that air temperatures in the region should be ignored when considering streamflows and flooding. Temperature controls precipitation such as snow and rain, so ultimately it does determine how much snow is there to be melted in the first place. Painter also points out that “as air temperature continues to climb, it’s going to have more influence.

Windblown dust has also increased in the southwestern United States due to changing climate patterns and human land-use decisions. With rainfall decreasing in some regions and more human disturbances of land, winds are able to pick up more dusty soil to drop in the Colorado Rockies to the northeast. Historical analyses have found that there is an annual average of five to seven times more dust falling on the Rocky Mountain snowpack than there was prior to the mid-1800s.

While the negative impacts of dust in the air are well understood (i.e. reduced air quality), the impacts of dust once it has been deposited are not as well known. “Given the reliance of the western U.S. on the natural snow reservoir, and the Colorado River in particular, it is critical to evaluate the impact of increasing dust deposition on the mountain snowpack,” says McKenzie Skiles, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a>.

This same increase of dust in the snowpack is being seen in mountain ranges all over the world, including the Alps and Himalayas. The results of this study have not only an impact on the climate change currently happening in the U.S., but across the globe as well.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA

Dust plays a surprising role in controlling Rockies snowmelt

If you were to think about what would be the...

Scientists have moved the Doomsday Clock another 30 seconds forward, and it’s now just 2 minutes to midnight. This marks the closest we as humanity has come to a possible apocalypse since the Cold War. 

The Doomsday Clock was originally created by the <a href="https://thebulletin.org/">Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists</a>, a group of Manhattan Project veterans who were fearful of the consequences their work on nuclear weapons would have. 

The Doomsday Clock was first formed in response to the looming threats of nuclear warfare, and its movement is determined by the state of global affairs, the nuclear arsenals onhand, and the power wielded by government rulers

Today the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is a wide-reaching organization of nuclear experts, scientists, and even Nobel Laureates who regularly meet to discuss the current global political and economic climate and the increased risks of nuclear threats. 

The Bulletin has also taken climate change into consideration, calling it as big a threat to humanity as nuclear weapons.

 In 2007, it was <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-removed-websites/">climate change</a> that inspired the move to five minutes to midnight. 

Today the clock lurched another 30 seconds forward thanks to rising temperatures and the increased rhetoric involving nuclear warfare. 

It's now two minutes to midnight, a sobering move since that last time the clock was that close to midnight, the panic of the Cold War was at its peak. 

One of the driving forces cited by the experts leading up the clock’s new position was the clashing of President Trump and Kim Jong Un, who have been locked in a seemingly petty quarrel while carelessly waving the threat of nuclear weapons back and forth. 

“We have members of Congress, White House advisers, and even the president implying that they think war with a nuclear state is not only likely, but potentially desirable,” Alex Wellerstein, an expert in nuclear weapon history told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/25/after-a-missile-scare-and-insult-war-with-north-korea-its-time-to-check-the-doomsday-clock/?utm_term=.179f2804012b">Washington Post</a>. “That's unusual and disturbing.”

If the Doomsday Clock moves any closer to midnight, we as a globe will be in uncharted territory, even though the clock is not a predictor of the apocalypse, but a reflection of current events and imminent risks. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight apocalypse

Scientists have moved the Doomsday Clock another 30 seconds forward,...

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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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[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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