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...

Reunion Island in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/tropical-cyclones-indian-ocean/">Indian Ocean</a> formed from a volcanic hotspot that erupted and covered most of what is now India with basalt lava. 

The island is of particular interest to geologists because the rocky formation came from an ancient pocket of magma deep within the Earth’s mantle. 

Heat from the planet’s early years caused extreme melting which then separated the Earth into two layers, the core and the mantle. Later, the mantle would rise and sink and create the crust in the process. 

This continual process of melting, sinking, and rising along with the motion of the mantle mixed the different elements and materials together until everything is blended together deep within the Earth. 

However, older stubborn pockets remain, and from these researchers can garner a better timeline for some of the volcanic formations on Earth. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://carnegiescience.edu/">Carnegie Institution for Science</a> conducted a study using isotopic data to reveal the evolutionary timeline of the Reunion Islands. 

Isotopes go through a process of radioactive decay that transforms into new elements and researchers can date this decay to find out the age of the element in question. 

The Carnegie researchers used this process to date mantle pockets within the earth to find the age of the magma plumes that created the Reunion Island. 

The research team focused on samarium-146, which decays and forms neodymium-142. Samarium-146 was present when the Earth first formed, which means that examining neodymium-142 can provide information about the Earth’s geological history. 

The results, published in the journal Nature, show that even through billions of years of mixing within the mantle, the origin of the Reunion Island was a well preserved old pocket of dating back to the very beginnings of the Earth’s history. 

The findings could have on future studies delving into the Earth's evolutionary history. 

“The mantle differentiation event preserved in these hotspot plumes can both teach us about early Earth geochemical processes and explain the mysterious seismic signatures created by these dense deep-mantle zones,” said Bradley Peters, the study's lead author. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Courtesy of Bradley Peters

The formation of Earth still impacts modern volcanic activity

Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean formed from a volcanic...

Volcanic hotspots are regions within the Earth’s mantle where the hot materials that form volcanoes are transported to the surface. There are several volcanoes in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/non-native-frogs-hawaii/">Hawaiian Islands</a> that are fed by a hotspot, and researchers are focusing on this particular region to learn more about its potential movement over millions of years.

A theory that hotspots are stationary was first proposed for the Hawaiian Islands, but scientists soon found evidence to the contrary. The most significant proof that hotspots move around is a striking bend of about 60 degrees in the Hawaiian volcanic chain, which originated 47 million years ago. 

Study co-author Dr. Bernhard Steinberger is a researcher at the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences</a>.

“If you try to explain this bend with just a sudden change in the movement of the Pacific Plate, you would expect a significantly different direction of motion at that time relative to adjacent tectonic plates,” said Dr. Steinberger. “But we have not found any evidence for that.”

Scientists have suggested that, while the Pacific Plate changed the direction of its movement, the Hawaiian hotspot moved rapidly south and then stopped. When the hotspot movement is accounted for, a smaller shift in Pacific Plate movement can explain the transformation of the Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain.

Dr. Steinberger also collaborated with researchers at <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> in a separate study that corroborates this theory of Hawaiian hotspot movement. The analysis was focused on the rock dating of volcanoes in the Rurutu volcanic chain and also in the Louisville chain.

The scientists investigated the relative movement of these three volcanic chains over millions of years based on their geography and age. They ultimately determined that the movement of hotspots under the Rurutu and Louisville has been quite small compared to the strong movement of the Hawaiian Emperor hotspot between 60 and 48 million years ago.

“This makes it very likely that mainly the Hawaii hotspot has moved,” said Steinberger. 

Geodynamic modeling indicated that the Hawaiian hotspot moved at the rate of several tens of kilometers per million years.

“With more field data and information about the processes deep in the mantle, we hope to explain in more detail how the bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor chain has evolved,” said Dr. Steinberger.

The study 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

Hawaiian volcanic hotspot capable of rapid movement

Volcanic hotspots are regions within the Earth’s mantle where the...

Researchers at the <a href="http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter Medical School</a> have conducted the first large-scale analysis to determine whether swimming in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/previously-hidden-sources-of-ocean-pollution-discovered/">ocean</a> is associated with an increased risk of certain ailments. The study revealed that people who swim or bathe in the sea are significantly more prone to stomach bugs, earaches, and other illnesses.

“We don't want to deter people from going into the sea, which has many health benefits such as improving physical fitness, well-being and connecting with nature,” said lead author Dr. Will Gaze. 

“However, it is important that people are aware of the risks so they can make informed decisions. Although most people will recover from infections with no medical treatment, they can prove more serious for vulnerable people, such as the very old or very young, or those with pre-existing health conditions.”

The researchers found that exposure to ocean water doubled the risk of general ear ailments. In particular, the odds of an earache increased by 77 percent. In addition, the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses was found to increase by 29 percent for those who swim in ocean water.

“In high-income countries like the UK, there is a perception that there is little risk to health of spending time in the sea,” said study co-author Dr. Anne Leonard.

“However, our paper shows that spending time in the sea does increase the probability of developing illnesses, such as ear ailments and problems involving the digestive system, such as stomach ache and diarrhoea. We think that this indicates that pollution is still an issue affecting swimmers in some of the world's richest countries.”

Despite significant improvements in the quality of ocean water in recent years, there is still pollution present from industrial waste, sewage, and other sources.

The team based its analysis on 19 previous studies that involved thousands of participants. The research provided the experts with information on links between sea bathing and the incidence of illness in high-income countries including the United States, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Norway.

“We have come a long way in terms of cleaning up our waters, but our evidence shows there is still work to be done,” said Dr. Gaze. “We hope this research will contribute to further efforts to clean up our coastal waters.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ije">International Journal of Epidemiology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Swimming in the ocean linked to certain illnesses

Researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School have conducted...

On a remote Norwegian island covered with ice, an abandoned coal mine has been converted into a massive vault to store the seeds of worldwide species so that they can be accessed in the event of a catastrophe. The security of the “doomsday" seed vault has been threatened by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-winter-sports/">climate change</a>, and Norway responded with a $13 million plan to reinforce it.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was built on the island of Spitsbergen about 800 miles from the North Pole. Since it opened in 2008, the seed bank has accumulated over a million seed samples from thousands of species.

While the vault was designed to survive a disaster as destructive as nuclear war, an unprecedented Arctic warming event led to a structural failure in 2016. Historically warm temperatures caused rain to fall across the Arctic region instead of snow, and the entrance to the vault was exposed.

Hege Njaa Aschim, a representative of the Norwegian government, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">The Guardian</a>:

“It was not in our plans to think that the permafrost would not be there and that it would experience extreme weather like that. A lot of water went into the start of the tunnel and then it froze to ice, so it was like a glacier when you went in.”

The meltwater did not do any harm to the seeds, but it did cause experts to reevaluate the security of the vault. Norway has now developed a $13 million construction plan to further safeguard the seed bank.

According to <a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/id627/">Norway’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food</a>, the modification of the seed vault will include “construction of a new, concrete-built access tunnel, as well as a service building to house emergency power and refrigerating units and other electrical equipment.”

On February 26, a ten-year-anniversary celebration was held at the seed vault, as representatives of international seed banks carried in 76,000 new samples for storage.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Jon Georg Dale hosted the event. 

“It is simply impressive that 1 million seed samples from all over the world have now found their way to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault,” said Dale. “It confirms the important role of the seed vault as a worldwide insurance for food supply for future generations and an ever-growing population.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change threatens security of Norway’s global seed vault

On a remote Norwegian island covered with ice, an abandoned...

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, corn has become a primary source in the creation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biofuel-compete-oil/">biofuels</a> to power cars and airplanes.

But the environmental impact and water supply needed to grow corn make it better suited to be used as a food than a biofuel resource.

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> have found that switchgrass may be an attractive new option for the creation of biofuel.

The study, led by John Field and published in the journal Nature Energy, showed that the carbon footprint of growing switchgrass was a fraction of the size of traditional fossil fuel sources. 

Field and his colleagues specialize in working with non-edible plants to create cellulosic biofuels. Switchgrass and other plants could serve as an excellent alternative to high impact crops like corn. 

“They don't require a lot of fertilizer or irrigation,” Field said. “Farmers don't have to plow up the field every year to plant new crops, and they're good for a decade or longer.”

For the study, the researchers analyzed an area in Kansas because the state has a cellulosic biofuel production plant. 

To examine the environmental impact and carbon footprint of switchgrass, the researchers used DayCent, a modeling system developed by Colorado State University in the 1990s. DayCent models plant growth and its response to weather and climate as well as its carbon cycle. 

Using DayCent, the research team was able to test whether switchgrass, grown for biofuel purposes, would be an effective alternative to traditional fossil fuels and have a reduced carbon footprint. 

The resulting carbon footprint of switchgrass was -11 to 10 grams of carbon dioxide per megajoule. Megajoules are commonly used to measure carbon emissions. 

To put that number in perspective, the carbon footprint of gasoline is 94 grams per megajoule. 

In addition to providing a smaller environmental impact, the researchers also found that switchgrass was effective for carbon storage. 

“What we saw with switchgrass is that you're actually storing carbon in the soil,” said John Field, the first author of the study. “You're building up organic matter and sequestering carbon.”

The results are promising, and the researchers are excited about the implications their work could have on future biofuel research. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Switchgrass may be better than corn as a biofuel source

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, corn has...

For residents of Southern California’s Orange County, finding a clean beach is more important than a scenic view or a sandy beachfront, according to a new study. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> weighed the economic benefits of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-reduce-plastic-pollution/">beach cleanup</a> and found that a concerted effort to remove debris and plastics from coastlines could equate to a 46 million dollar boost to the economy of Orange County alone. 

Besides aiding the economy, beach cleanup would also help preserve important coastal landmarks and conserve marine habitats. 

Tim Haab, a co-author of the study, notes that the research is the first of its kind to put a dollar value on beach cleanup and how ocean and beach pollution impact visitors.

The findings were published in the journal Marine Resource Economics. 

For the study, Haab and his colleagues, in collaboration, with the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) marine debris program, conducted a two-part study that included survey responses of beachgoers and analyzing beach data from California. 

Data was collected on ocean debris from 31 California beaches and the debris ranged from plastics, trash from rivers, to litter from visitors. 

The researchers also surveyed 4,000 randomly selected Orange County residents by mail and received 1,436 completed responses back. 

The surveys included questions about which beaches residents preferred to visit and what they considered a good beach spot. 

The survey responses ranked clean beaches and water quality much higher than scenic beauty, parking, or sandiness.

These responses were then used to calculate the cost of traveling long distances to a nicer, more desirable beach rather than visiting a closer, dirty beach. 

"A lot of work has been done to quantify the physical costs of ocean debris, but until now we haven't been able to quantify the economic benefit of cleaning up the beaches and preventing the problem in the first place," Haab said.

The results showed that beach cleanup efforts would be cost effective and save residents the money they would spend on extra travel time. 

If beach debris were reduced by 25 percent, the calculated savings would be $29.5 million, or almost $13 per Orange County resident. If 75 percent of debris were removed from beaches, the savings would be $46.5 million, or $42.30 per resident in a three month period. 

The results show the economic value of cleaner beaches, which according to the researchers is an important factor for policymakers. 

 “We put a dollar value on beach cleanup efforts. This is important because it helps government agencies quantify the benefits of efforts to keep marine debris out of our waterways and off of our beaches,” said Christopher Leggett, the study’s co-author. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Cleaning up beaches can boost local economies

For residents of Southern California’s Orange County, finding a clean...

A research team led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> is the first to calculate how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/groundwater-depletion-carbon-dioxide/">carbon</a> could be accumulated in American forests if they were strengthened through reforestation efforts.

Forests in the United States store enough carbon to offset approximately ten percent of the country's annual greenhouse gas emissions, but scientists are warning that this carbon sink is becoming less effective and may level off by mid-century. 

The research team set out to determine the potential carbon sequestration of two different strategies: by planting more trees after wildfires and by allowing forests to take over some marginal croplands. The experts also investigated the ability of restorative topsoils to store carbon.

Luke Nave is an ecologist and biogeochemist at the University of Michigan and the study's lead author.

“Where reforestation is happening - either through planting of trees or through encroachment - these lands are actively adding carbon to a large pool that will continue to grow for many decades,” said Nave.

“The topsoils of reforesting lands provide a significant long-range solution to the problem of the declining carbon-sink strength of U.S. forests, and they help to mitigate climate change. Even modest increases in the amount of land being reforested would have a multiplicative impact on nationwide carbon sequestration.”

The research team investigated forestlands that have experienced major disturbances such as intense wildfires over the last few decades. They found that only about 7 percent of the forestlands available for restoration have been replanted. 

The experts also found that reforestation efforts on marginal croplands have only reached about 10 percent of their potential to expand carbon storage. The study authors said that this discovery highlights “the substantial C-sink capacity of this land-use transition if these lands are allowed to continue returning towards a natural forest condition.”

Furthermore, the study revealed that topsoils used in reforestation projects across the United States are currently storing 13 to 21 million metric tons of carbon each year, which is equivalent to about 10 percent of the country's total forest carbon sink.

According to Nave, reforesting topsoils will capture a cumulative 1.3 to 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon over the next century, accounting for nearly half of the carbon stored in all of the forest soils across the United States. This amount could be drastically increased by expanding the country's reforesting acreage, which is currently at around 200,000 square miles.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Reforestation efforts help combat greenhouse gas emissions

A research team led by the University of Michigan is...

Research from the <a href="http://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/university-of-potsdam.html">University of Potsdam</a> has confirmed that humans began altering Earth’s ecosystems hundreds of years before the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychological-impact-industrial-revolution/">Industrial Revolution</a>. An international team of scientists has found that a drastic transformation in the rainforest of Central Africa was driven by human activity more than 2,600 years ago.

When researchers analyzed lake sediments in southern Cameroon 20 years ago, they discovered that older sediment layers contained tree pollen that would have been found in a dense forest environment. Newer sediments contained evidence that the primitive forest had rapidly transitioned into tropical grasslands, an event that became known as the “rainforest crisis.”

The impacts on the forest, which abruptly recovered 600 years later, were thought to be a result of dramatic changes in precipitation that altered the climate. For the current study, scientists set out to examine other factors that may have led to the rainforest crisis.

Using evidence preserved in the lake sediments, the team assembled models of vegetation and climate change independently of one another. The results of the study showed a major change in vegetation, yet no significant changes in precipitation were found at the time of the event.

“The rainforest crisis is proven, but it cannot be explained by a climate change,” said lead author Yet Garcin. “In fact, in over 460 archaeological finds in the region, we have found indications that humans triggered these changes in the ecosystem.” 

While archaeological remains dating back 3,000 years are rarely found in Central Africa, evidence of human activity spiked around the time of the rainforest crisis 2,600 years ago. The rapid expansion of humans is likely related to the movement of Bantu-speaking people into the region, and coincides with the earliest production of iron and oil palm use in the area.

“The combination of regional archaeological data and our results from the sediments of Lake Barombi shows convincingly that humans strongly impacted the tropical forests of Central Africa thousands of years ago, and left detectable anthropogenic footprints in geological archives,” said study contributor Dirk Sachse.

“We are therefore convinced that it was not climate change that caused the rainforest crisis 2,600 years ago, but it was the growing populations that settled in the region and needed to clear the forest for exploiting arable land,” said Garcin. 

The research also demonstrates that nature has powerful regenerative abilities. Around the time human pressure decreased in Central Africa around 2,000 years ago, the forest ecosystems rebounded.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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: B. Brademann / GFZ

Human activity reshaped African forest ecosystems

Research from the University of Potsdam has confirmed that humans...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.utoledo.edu/">University of Toledo</a> have tracked the migratory routes of tiny songbirds and found that the presence of these birds in their non-breeding sites is a strong predictor of population stability. This indicates that the birds are exposed to more difficult conditions and threats across the regions where they spend their winters.

The golden-winged warbler is a rare songbird that is about the size of a ping pong ball and weighs less than three pennies. The tiny birds have breeding sites in the Appalachian Mountains and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antidepressants-fish-great-lakes/">Great Lakes</a>. In the wintertime, the birds migrate south to the tropical climates of Central and South America.

The research team monitored the birds over the course of five years using tags to calculate their light-based location across thousands of miles. Data obtained from the geolocators revealed that different populations did not mix between their nesting grounds and their non-breeding tropical sites. 

The information showed a strong migratory connectivity, and confirmed that populations of golden-winged warblers stick together all year.

“These golden-winged warblers that breed throughout the Great Lakes region and Appalachian Mountains are going to different areas in the winter,” said study co-author Dr. Henry Streby. 

“That's pivotal because those tropical areas experienced different rates of forest loss during the last 60 years. When we look at forest-loss rates, it correlates closely with golden-winged warbler population changes on breeding grounds thousands of miles away."

The experts discovered that declining populations of warblers spent their winters in northern South America, while stable populations resided in Central America during the non-breeding season.

“They're separate, and it's remarkable,” said PhD student researcher Gunnar Kramer. “Most species we track like this don't show strong connections between breeding sites and wintering sites.”

The researchers explained that conservationists must shift their focus toward preventing further deforestation in Venezuela to protect the habitat of the golden-winged warbler, a species that is now being considered for federal protection.

“If the winter habitat keeps disappearing, the warblers that winter in northern South America won't survive and come back to the Appalachian Mountains no matter how much breeding habitat is available to them,” said Streby.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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: Gunnar Kramer

Tropical deforestation threatening rare songbird populations

Researchers at the University of Toledo have tracked the migratory...

For the first time ever, researchers have witnessed life rebounding in the world's driest desert. If this desert soil provides a habitat suitable enough for organisms to survive in, the scientists believe there is a great potential for life on Mars.

An international team led by <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> planetary scientist Dirk Schulze-Makuch investigated the driest region of the Atacama Desert in South America, where it does not rain for decades at a time.

The hyper-arid environment of the Atacama Desert is the most similar place on Earth to the surface of Mars. Scientists have long speculated whether microbes found in the Atacama soil reside here permanently or if they are simply blown in by the weather.

When the team arrived at the desert in 2015, it actually rained. After this rare event, the researchers detected an explosion of biological activity in the desert soil.

The scientists analyzed soil samples and found several native species of microbial life. When the researchers returned over a year later, they discovered that these specialized bacteria have adapted to survive by going dormant for decades without water and then reactivating when it finally rains.


“In the past, researchers have found dying organisms near the surface and remnants of DNA but this is really the first time that anyone has been able to identify a persistent form of life living in the soil of the Atacama Desert,” said Schulze-Makuch. 

“We believe these microbial communities can lay dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years in conditions very similar to what you would find on a planet like Mars and then come back to life when it rains.”

Schulze-Makuch will return the Atacama Desert to investigate how the native microbial inhabitants have evolved. The team also hopes to look for life in the Don Juan Pond, a shallow in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-monster-discovered-antarctica/">Antarctica</a> that is so salty that it rarely ever freezes.

“There are only a few places left on Earth to go looking for new lifeforms that survive in the kind of environments you would find on Mars,” said Schulze-Makuch. “Our goal is to understand how they are able to do it so we will know what to look for on the Martian surface.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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: Dirk Schulze-Makuch

Life in Earth’s driest desert could mean life exists on Mars

For the first time ever, researchers have witnessed life rebounding...

Groundwater is an essential component of the ecosystems that surround us, as well as a major contributor to our own water supply. However, when it comes to studying hydrological processes, the transitional zone beneath soils and above groundwater is commonly overlooked. The underground layer of bedrock that often exists under soil in mountainous environments has now been found to hold significant amounts of water. Researchers believe that it plays a role as an important reservoir for trees, particularly in times of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-megadroughts/">drought</a>.

A recent study from The <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> and <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>, found that the water contained within the fractures and pores of the rock may play a vital role in the water cycle, at both a local and global level.

“There are significant hydrologic dynamics in weathered bedrock environments, but they are not traditionally investigated because they are hard to access,” says Daniella Rempe, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences and lead author of the paper. “The study was designed to investigate this region directly.”

Through analysis of a field site in Northern California, the researchers found that up to 27 percent of annual rainfall was stored as “rock moisture,” the water within the pores and cracks of the bedrock. This rock moisture varies depending on the region and topography, but the study’s authors believe that it could explain how trees in the areas studied experienced very little stress from the significant 2010-2015 drought, which killed over 100 million trees in California.

“How trees can survive extended periods of severe drought has been a mystery,” explains Richard Yuretich, director of the National Science Foundation's Critical Zone Observatories program, which funded the study. “This study has revealed a significant reservoir of trapped water that has gone unnoticed in the past. Research of this kind can help greatly in managing natural resources during times of environmental stress.”

Using a neutron probe to measure levels of hydrogen — and thus water levels — in nine wells drilled into bedrock along a steep forested hillslope, the researchers found that this rock layer built up a supply of 4 to 21 inches of rock moisture during the winter wet season. Even in a significant drought year, the maximum amount of rock moisture in each well stayed about the same. This finding shows that it doesn’t matter whether there is a lot of rain or a drought during the winter dry season, as the total rainfall amount does not influence rock moisture levels.

Their results also showed that average rock moisture at all of the wells exceeded the average soil moisture measurements for all locations studied. “Soils are important, but when it comes to determining if a place is going to experience water stress, it could be the underlying rock that matters most,” says Rempe. “This is the first time this has been demonstrated in a multi-year field study.”

These findings hold implications beyond water availability in the locations studied. The authors believe that the potential for rock moisture to travel back to the atmosphere via evaporation from tree leaves, or flow down into groundwater means that it could have a significant impact on the environment and climate.

“At present, most, if not all, of global climate and hydrological models neglect moisture stored in rocks,” says Zong-Liang Yang, a professor in the <a href="http://www.jsg.utexas.edu/dgs/">Jackson School’s Department of Geological Sciences</a>, who was not involved in the research. “This study fills a critical gap in our understanding.”

[caption id="attachment_1114928" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Rock-Moisture.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1114928 size-medium" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Rock-Moisture-300x300.jpg" alt="University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences." width="300" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences.[/caption]

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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

Forests survive droughts through hidden sources of rock moisture

Groundwater is an essential component of the ecosystems that surround...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> are describing the challenges faced by King penguins as the climate changes across the Antarctic region. While this species has survived dramatic climate shifts in the past, the scientists warn that this is the first time that they also face the impacts of human activities. 

“The main issue is that there is only a handful of islands in the Southern Ocean and not all of them are suitable to sustain large breeding colonies,” explained first author Robin Cristofari.

When King penguins search for a site to reproduce and raise chicks for a year, they have some very specific requirements. The penguins need an island with a smooth beach and mild winter temperatures so that no sea ice forms. Most importantly, they need an abundant food source nearby to feed their chicks regularly.

For thousands of years, King penguins have been able to depend on a region where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-monster-discovered-antarctica/">Antarctic</a> waters collide and large concentrations of krill and other fish can be found, known as the Antarctic Polar Front. However, this natural boundary is beginning to drift away from the islands where most King penguins currently live as a result of climate change.

Parents must now swim farther to find food for their chicks. The researchers predict that, for most colonies, the length of the foraging trips will soon exceed the amount of time the offspring can survive without food. This will lead to massive population crashes if the King penguins do not relocate their colonies.

The research team used data from the King penguin’s genome to model worldwide population changes that have occurred over the last 50,000 years. The scientists discovered that past climate change and the subsequent shifts in marine currents and in the location of the Antarctic Polar Front have always been associated with critical episodes for the King penguin. 

The researchers pointed out that King penguins have already survived this exact same crisis several times in the last 50,000 years. 

“Extremely low values in indices of genetic differentiation told us that all colonies are connected by a continuous exchange of individuals,” said co-author Emiliano Trucchi. “In other words, King penguins seem to be able to move around quite a lot to find the safest breeding locations when things turn grim.”

But now, for the first time in history, the King penguins are dealing with the influence of global warming caused by human activities, and the strongest impacts can be seen in polar regions.

“There are still some islands further south where King penguins may retreat, but the competition for breeding sites and for food will be harsh, especially with the other penguin species like the Chinstrap, Gentoo or Adélie penguins, even without the fisheries,” explained co-author Celine Le Bohec. 

“It is difficult to predict the outcome, but there will surely be losses on the way. If we want to save anything, proactive and efficient conservation efforts but, above all, coordinated global action against global warming should start now.”

The study is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Copyright: Celine LeBohec

King penguins face tough decisions due to global warming

Researchers from the University of Vienna are describing the challenges...

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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 



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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

[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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NTU...

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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

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



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



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



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



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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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