From coastlines to capital cities, healthcare workers are warning about the immediate need for a treaty to end plastic pollution.



The danger of a global health disaster is at its highest level as United Nations-led negotiations to form a plastic treaty continue to remain dead-locked due to ongoing disputes.



Plastic pollution not only endangers human health, but threatens to harm our planet itself. Without decisive action, the consequences could be irreversible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-treaty-negotiations">Plastic treaty negotiations</h2>



At the forefront of this urgent plea for action are researchers from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Portsmouth</a>.



The experts recently spotlighted the matter in an article published by the British Medical Journal, following their participation in the plastic treaty negotiations in Busan last December.



The negotiations concluded without any agreement being reached, and this pushed further discussions into 2025.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-skyrocketing-plastic-production">Skyrocketing plastic production</h2>



With global annual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-production-increases-create-identical-plastic-pollution-increase/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic production</a> currently at an alarming 400 million tonnes and expected to double by 2040, the scientists see health care professionals playing an increasingly crucial role.



The need of the hour, they say, is for more robust scientific evidence showing the impact of plastic pollution on human health. 



Such data will fortify the treaty process and guide the creation of targeted policies to reduce human exposure to plastic pollution.



"The treaty to end plastic pollution represents a historic opportunity to protect human health. If the treaty is to meet this challenge, its text must include specific measures to mitigate the health effects of plastic pollution, human health targets and metrics to measure progress towards improved health outcomes," noted Professor Steve Fletcher, the director of the Revolution Plastics Institute.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-health-versus-plastic-pollution">Human health versus plastic pollution</h2>



The article focuses on two critical health concerns linked to plastic pollution. 



First, there are the omnipresent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-are-infiltrating-the-human-body-even-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microplastics</a> - tiny particles found in the air we breathe, waterways, polar ice, soil, and in our food.



Humans are constantly ingesting, inhaling, and absorbing these particles. They have been detected in numerous organs and tissues, from the brain and blood to the placenta and liver. Microplastics have even been found in breast milk and semen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-open-burning-of-plastic-waste">Open burning of plastic waste</h2>



The other critical issue is the harmful health effects of inhaled <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-can-make-other-pollutants-more-toxic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toxic pollutants</a> that are released from the open burning of plastic waste. This danger is particularly acute in areas with deficient waste management systems.



The emissions from such open burns, which are loaded with toxic chemicals, particulate matter, and microplastics, are associated with serious health conditions. These include respiratory infections, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/steep-rise-in-cardiovascular-disease-expected-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiovascular diseases</a>, and chronic conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).



Dr. Cressida Bowyer, the Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute, has extensively studied the perils of open burning of plastic waste. 



"With 16% of global municipal waste burned openly, rising to 40–65% in low-and middle-income countries, vulnerable populations bear the brunt of this crisis. The toxic fumes from burning plastic are a silent but deadly contributor to global health burdens. Urgent action is needed to eliminate this dangerous practice and protect public health," she warned.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vulnerable-populations-are-affected-the-most">Vulnerable populations are affected the most</h2>



The longer the world waits to finalize a binding plastic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-plastics-treaty-countries-with-nothing-to-lose-delayed-progress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">treaty</a>, the more devastating the health impacts of plastic pollution will become.



Studies show that vulnerable populations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are disproportionately exposed to the harmful effects of plastics. 



This disparity is most apparent in regions with inadequate waste management systems, where open burning of plastic waste is rampant and environmental contamination intensifies daily.



Beyond its environmental toll, plastic pollution worsens global health inequalities. Microplastics and toxic chemicals from mismanaged plastic waste seep into the food chain, water sources, and also into the air.



Toxic emissions, especially in urban areas, have been linked to respiratory diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treaty-needed-to-end-plastic-pollution">Treaty needed to end plastic pollution</h2>



Health experts warn that without the necessary steps of action, these health crises will intensify and spread aggressively, straining health systems and threatening the health of future generations.



But dealing with plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue; it is an important step to ensuring the global public's health.



The message is clear. As responsible stewards of the planet and protectors of human health, it's time for all health professionals to take a determined stand against the harms of plastic pollution.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.q2890" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Medical Journal</a>.



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Plastic treaty is a 'historic opportunity' to stop a human health crisis

From coastlines to capital cities, healthcare workers are warning about the immediate need for a treaty to end plastic pollution. The danger of a global health disaster is at its highest level as United Nations-led negotiations to form a plastic treaty continue to remain dead-locked due to ongoing disputes. Plastic pollution not only endangers human health, but threatens to harm our planet itself. Without decisive action, the consequences could be irreversible. Plastic treaty negotiations At the forefront of this urgent plea for action are researchers from the...

Coral bleaching is one of the major consequences of climate change, and is affecting some of our most diverse ecosystems – coral reefs – all around the world. Bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise, causing corals to expel algae from their tissue in response to stress from negative environmental pressures. Without this algae, the corals starve.

Researchers have recently discovered that nearshore corals at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (HBNP) on O’ahu, Hawaii are at risk of coral bleaching as seawater temperatures around the world continue to rise. Between 2014 and 2015, they found that 47% of reef flat corals at HBNP bleached overall and 9.8% of corals died in these locations.

The findings of the research team, which was led by the late Dr. Paul Jokiel of the <a href="http://www.himb.hawaii.edu/">Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology</a>, found that temperature is the most influential factor in coral bleaching events at HBNP. 

These warmer ocean temperatures that are devastating reefs worldwide are related to significant increase in global carbon emissions over the past several decades. As the researchers explain, regardless of past and current efforts to prevent bleaching from occurring, carbon will continue to be absorbed by the ocean and thus water temperatures will continue to rise.

Jokeil’s Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP) has been collecting data from the HBPN since 1999. Analysis reveals that there was a significant decrease in shallow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hawaii-ban-sunscreens-reefs/">coral</a> cover as far back as 2002.

The geography of the bay in the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is such that it separates the shallow nearshore from the deeper seaward regions, as it stretches from one end of the bay to the other. The barrier it provides, along with its two channels, have significant impacts on how cool water is carried from the open ocean to the shore, as well as how the water exits the bay.

The patterns of this water flow were a major part of the study, as the researchers attempted to understand why bleaching was more significant in certain areas of the bay. They determined that bleaching was most devastating in the areas where water would pool and warm for long periods of time. Areas that had more of a circulation pattern experienced less bleaching.

If living coral tissue continues to decline, the reef will erode and will no longer be able to provide shelter and food to the diverse sea life that calls the reef home. 

Dr. Ku'ulei Rodgers explains, “Global climate change poses a direct threat to the biological sustainability of the protected reefs of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and a clear economic and cultural threat to the state of Hawaii.”

If global warming continues and causes coral bleaching to increase, we will lose some of our most diverse and spectacular ecosystems.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>

Coral bleaching wreaking havoc at popular Hawaiian destination

Coral bleaching is one of the major consequences of climate...

The Amazon rainforest is responsible for absorbing around 25% of the carbon that is removed from the atmosphere by forests worldwide. There are concerns that deforestation is driving this region to a tipping point - in which abundant rainforests would transform into dry savanna. However, new research is emerging that suggests that the Amazon rainforest has a naturally-occurring border that gives it staying power. 

Satellite data that shows savanna and rainforest side-by-side suggests that these regions have bistability, or alternative stable states. This means that events such as fires and drought could tip a large part of the rainforest into a state of savannah, where it would be locked until balance was restored.

Bert Wuyts, a fourth-year PhD student at the <a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, set out to see if this theory was accurate. 

"I decided to take a fresh look at the data and a very different picture emerged when I controlled for seasonality and took out all the data points from satellite images that represented locations that had been subjected to human influence. Suddenly the property of bistability disappeared almost completely,” explained Wuyts.

Wuyts made this discovery in the first year of his PhD. He teamed up with <a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> professor Alan Champneys, a theorist in the department of Engineering Mathematics and an expert on land use change from the School of Geographical Sciences. 

The team analyzed the data for two years, and were able to identify key determining factors in the forest-savanna boundary that previous studies have overlooked. According to the reaction-diffusion theory, which is widely used to predict spatial interaction, there should be a distinct boundary between forest and savanna. This means that forest and savanna are equally stable. 

Another determining factor is the proximity of the region to human activities. Logging and fire-induced erosion shift forest-savanna borders toward wetter conditions, which are more favorable for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/palm-oil-plantations-tropical-butterflies/">rainforests</a>. 

The findings of this study establish that deforestation does not have the power to push exposed areas of the Amazon rainforest to a tipping point. These regions should be able to bounce back after human activities are ceased. 

On the other hand, a significant decrease in rainfall may result from having fewer trees in the rainforest. The researchers did not factor in the potential outcome of less rain, and further research is needed to explore this issue. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>

How the Amazon rainforest could bounce back from deforestation

The Amazon rainforest is responsible for absorbing around 25% of...

During Greenland's hottest summers on record, 2010 and 2012, the ice in Rink Glacier on the island's west coast slid through the glacier's interior in a gigantic wave. According to a new <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2591/nasa-discovers-a-new-mode-of-ice-loss-in-greenland/">NASA</a> study, it was “like a warmed freezer pop sliding out of its plastic casing.”

The wave persisted for four months, with ice from upstream continuing to move down to replace the missing mass for another four months, the study said.

This was the first research study to precisely track a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/montana-glaciers-quickly-disappearing/">glacier's</a> loss of mass from melting ice using the horizontal motion of a GPS sensor.

The wave could not have been detected by the usual methods of monitoring Greenland's ice loss, such as measuring the thinning of glaciers with airborne radar, NASA said.

"You could literally be standing there and you would not see any indication of the wave," said Eric Larour, a coauthor of the study. "You would not see cracks or other unique surface features."

The long pulse of mass loss, called a solitary wave, is a new discovery that may increase the potential for sustained ice loss in Greenland as the climate continues to warm, with implications for the future rate of sea level rise, the study said.

During the two summers when solitary waves occurred, the surface snowpack and ice of the huge basin in Greenland's interior behind Rink Glacier held more water than ever before. In 2012, more than 95 percent of the surface snow and ice was melting, NASA said.

Meltwater may create temporary lakes and rivers that quickly drain through the ice and flow to the ocean. Once the water had formed pathways to the base of the glacier, the wave of intense loss began.

Researchers did not quantify the exact size and speed of the 2010 wave, but the patterns of motion in the GPS data indicate that it must have been smaller than the 2012 wave but similar in speed.

"We know for sure that the triggering mechanism was the surface melting of snow and ice, but we do not fully understand the complex array of processes that generate solitary waves," said Surendra Adhikari, leader of the study.

Previously known processes combined to make the mass move so quickly, scientists theorize.  The huge volume of water lubricated the base of the glacier, allowing it to move more rapidly, and softened the side margins where the flowing glacier meets rock or stationary ice.

The changes allowed the ice to slide downstream so fast that ice farther inland couldn't keep up.

"Intense melting such as we saw in 2010 and 2012 is without precedent, but it represents the kind of behavior that we might expect in the future in a warming climate," added coauthor Erik Ivins. "We're seeing an evolving system."

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2591/nasa-discovers-a-new-mode-of-ice-loss-in-greenland/">NASA</a>

Scientists discover intense melting wave of glacier in Greenland

During Greenland's hottest summers on record, 2010 and 2012, the...

Soil microbes from historically wetter sites emit significantly more carbon than microbes from historically drier regions, a new study found.

The findings could improve the accuracy of climate modeling and provide scientists a better understanding of distinct regional differences in microbial life, the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> said.

Soil microbes add between 44 billion and 77 billion tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-emissions-income-gap/">carbon</a> to the atmosphere each year, more than all fossil fuels combined. This occurs through a process called respiration.

Warming of the earth is expected to increase soil respiration but forecasters have found it difficult to predict the amount of the increase.

The study found that in regions with historically high rainfall, soil microbes would respire twice as much carbon to the atmosphere as microbes from drier regions.

Microbes from the wettest areas were four times as sensitive to shifts in moisture as their counterparts from the driest areas.

"Current models assume that soil microbes at any site around the world exhibit the same responses to environmental change and do so instantaneously," said Christine Hawkes, a Professor of Integrative Biology, "but we demonstrated that historical rainfall shapes the soil respiration response."

It is unclear whether the insight into how soil microbes respond to moisture will drastically change the results of worldwide climate modeling efforts. Incorporating the new discovery into ecosystem models, however, could help improve predictions based on local or regional differences in soil respiration and climate history.

Hawkes and the research team conducted three long-term studies involving field research and lab experiments occurring over six years.

“We tested this three different ways, and we couldn't get the soils to do anything different," Hawkes said. "This suggests that rainfall legacies will constrain future soil function, but we need further study to figure out by how much and for how long."

The research, published in the the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, also highlights previously unknown nuances about the communities of underground microbes. Although microbes are simple and microscopic, they still have distinctive traits. 

Through decomposition and respiration, soil microbes affect the balance between carbon trapped underground and emitted into the atmosphere, and the balance differs from from one regional community to the next, the study found.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>

Study: Rainfall affects carbon emissions from soil microbes

Soil microbes from historically wetter sites emit significantly more carbon...

Until now, the desalination of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saltwater-waste-injections-triggered-earthquakes/">salt water</a> has been an expensive and environmentally risky process. But a newly developed system can now recover nearly all the water from highly-concentrated salt solutions, promising an end to water shortages in arid areas.

The new system, developed by engineers at the <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>, reduces concerns over disposal of high salinity brine from fracking, the university said. 

Reverse osmosis is the most common method of removing salt from seawater, wastewater, and brackish water, but it is not capable of treating highly concentrated salt solutions called brines. Brines are generated in massive amounts during reverse osmosis and fracking.

Brines must also be disposed of properly to avoid environmental damage.

The new research involves the development of a carbon nanotube-based heating element that will vastly improve the recovery of fresh water during the membrane distillation processes.

"In an ideal scenario, thermal desalination would allow the recovery of all the water from brine, leaving behind a tiny amount of a solid, crystalline salt that could be used or disposed of," said David Jassby, an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, who led the research project.

One way to treat brine is membrane distillation, a thermal desalination technology in which heat drives water vapor across a membrane, allowing further water recovery while the salt stays 

"Unfortunately, current membrane distillation processes rely on a constant feed of hot brine over the membrane, which limits water recovery across the membrane to about 6 percent,” Jassby said. 

The University of California researchers developed a self-heating carbon nanotube-based membrane that only heats the brine at the membrane surface. The new system reduced the heat needed in the process and increased the yield of recovered water to close to 100 percent.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nnano/">Nature Nanotechnology</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>

New desalination system offers fresh water solutions

Until now, the desalination of salt water has been an...

We are all aware that vegetation plays a role in the Earth's climate, but it may play a bigger one than we knew.

A new study analyzing satellite data shows that vegetation can alter weather and climate patterns by up to 30 percent, according to scientists with <a href="http://engineering.columbia.edu/">Columbia Engineering</a>. The study found that the feedback between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere is actually very strong.

The findings could lead to major improvements in weather prediction, the scientists said, which would in turn boost crop and water management, drought prediction, and more.

"While we can currently make fairly reliable weather predictions, as, for example, five-day forecasts, we do not have good predictive power on sub-seasonal to seasonal time scale, which is essential for food security," said Dr. Pierre Gentine, who guided the study. "By more accurately observing and modeling the feedbacks between photosynthesis and the atmosphere, as we did in our paper, we should be able to improve climate forecasts on longer timescales."

Scientists already knew that photosynthesis, the process used by many plants to synthesize energy from sunlight, produces water vapor. That vapor can create cloud cover that affects local weather patterns and, eventually, the Earth’s climate.

But this is the first study to quantify just how much of an effect vegetation can have.

The largest feedback loops the researchers discovered were in monsoon, wet, and semi-arid regions, they said. These “hotspots” have an important role in Earth’s climate, helping to determine the balance of carbon dioxide and the height of the Earth’s boundary layer, the lowest part of the atmosphere.

"Current Earth system models underestimate these precipitation and radiation feedbacks mainly because they underestimate the biosphere response to radiation and water stress response," doctoral student Julia Green said. Green is the lead author of the study.

The team is now researching how changes in the Earth's climate might affect or shift “hotspots” that help regulate the weather.

The study will be published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2957">Nature Geoscience</a>. It was funded by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> and the <a href="https://energy.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Vegetation could alter Earth's climate up to 30 percent

We are all aware that vegetation plays a role in...

Studies worldwide have begun looking at the heat island effect in cities, from how hot they could get to how to mitigate the effects. But a new study has taken a unique approach: determining how much these heat islands could cost cities in the wake of a changing climate.

An international team of economists looked at the day-to-day costs of running more than 1,600 of the world’s major cities, then factored in how those costs will go up as temperatures rise. 

They paid special attention to the heat island effect – when city centers are measurably hotter than the less developed land around them. 

Heat islands occur when natural greenery, water and other surfaces are replaced by heat-trapping concrete and asphalt, and can be magnified once cars, air conditioning units, and other heat producing machines are added to the mix.

Although strategies like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-green-facades-cool-urban-heat-islands/">facade greening</a> can help to mitigate the effects, many cities have not begun to implement these techniques yet.

The new study by economists from the <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a> in the UK, <a href="https://www.vu.nl/en/">Vrije University Amsterdam</a>, and <a href="https://www.unam.mx/">La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</a> found that cities with the hottest heat islands could expect to lose 10.9 percent of their GDP by 2100 due to climate change. This is nearly twice the expected global average loss of 5.6 percent.

The heat island effect could also add an extra two degrees of heat to cities that don’t take steps to mitigate it by the end of the century, researchers said.

"Any hard-won victories over climate change on a global scale could be wiped out by the effects of uncontrolled urban heat islands,” Dr. Richard S.J. Tol of the University of Sussex said in a press release. "We show that city-level adaptation strategies to limit local warming have important economic net benefits for almost all cities around the world."

However, even small-scale local changes could help to vastly cool the heat island effect, the economists found.

For example, installing “cool roofs” in just a fifth of a city and half of the concrete sidewalks to “cool pavement” can save as much as 12 times the cost of installation, the researchers said.

The study will be published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE3301">Nature Climate Change</a>. It was funded by the <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en">European Union</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change could be costly for heat island cities

Studies worldwide have begun looking at the heat island effect...

Among the funding cuts suggested in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget? Federal money for an earthquake warning system along the West Coast – and experts say it could tank the project before it gets off the ground.

“Eliminating the $10 million/year that the government has been spending would stop the program and waste the $23 million that has already been invested,” Dr. Lucy Jones said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrLucyJones/posts/10155346024875762">statement on Facebook</a>. “The talented scientists and technicians that are working on the project now will go to other jobs, so their experience and expertise would be lost. Many life- and money-saving measures would not be available when the next earthquake strikes.”

Jones is a retired seismologist from the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, which has been working with universities along the Pacific Coast on the project. The funding cuts would affect the USGS and, in turn, the earthquake warning system project.

The early warning system, dubbed ShakeAlert, is being developed with the goal of giving people five to 10 seconds of warning so they can find a safe spot to ride out a major quake. The system is already undergoing testing, but needs more seismic sensors installed in Northern California, Oregon and Washington to be truly effective.

Under the current funding plan, scientists expected a limited public rollout as early as next year, according to the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/">Los Angeles Times</a>. The U.S. would join countries that already have early warning systems in place, such as Mexico and Japan.

The states where the early warning system would operate have also invested in the system. The <a href="http://www.caloes.ca.gov/">California Office of Emergency Services</a> has partnered with ShakeAlert and the state has invested $10 million. The <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, <a href="http://berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> and <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">Caltech</a> have all contributed resources toward the project. The <a href="https://www.moore.org/">Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation</a> has also supported the project.

Jones isn’t alone in her concerns about the proposed cuts to the earthquake warning system.

“We cannot stop now, just as monitoring stations are being built out and the system is expanding its reach,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RepAdamSchiff/posts/10154364665481831">said on Facebook</a>. “Support for the early warning system in Congress is sustained, growing and bipartisan, and we will not accept this attempt by the president to cut a vital funding stream for a program that will protect life, property and critical infrastructure.”

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, notes that the budget must pass through several committees including the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and the Environment, which he chairs.

“As the appropriations process moves forward, I will work to provide our agencies with the resources necessary to fulfill their missions while also finding efficiencies to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used judiciously,” he said <a href="https://calvert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397577">in a statement</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earthquake warning system could fall to federal budget cuts

Among the funding cuts suggested in President Donald Trump’s proposed...

Scientists have discovered potentially dangerous space fragments that could hit the Earth and cause massive destruction. Each year, starting at the end of October, there is a meteor shower called the Taurids display, dubbed 'nature's fireworks.” It is created by debris left behind by Encke's comet, named for the astronomer who discovered it's annual trajectory in 1819.

But now, researchers from the <a href="http://www.asu.cas.cz/en/about/about-the-institute">Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Science</a> have found two asteroids, called 2015 TX24 and 2005 UR, which are part of a previously undiscovered branch of the Taurids' debris.

The Earth only passes through this branch once every few years, causing greater numbers of shooting stars. Future encounters are projected for 2022, 2025, 2032 and 2039. 

The rocks measure 650 feet to 900 feet (200 to 300 meters) across and have been registered on the International Astronomical Union’s list of "potentially hazardous" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroid-killed-dinosaurs-worst-place/">asteroids</a>.

The Czech team is worried that the hidden debris field may contain even larger objects.

“Since asteroids of sizes of tens to hundreds meters pose a threat to the ground even if they are intrinsically weak, impact hazard increases significantly when the Earth encounters the Taurid new branch every few years,” the study authors wrote.

Further study is needed on these “'potentially hazardous objects, which can be large enough to cause significant regional or even continental damage on the Earth,” the authors wrote in a study published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.08633.pdf">Arxiv</a>.

A 1908 blast in Russia the size of 185 Hiroshima bombs that was felt as far away as Britain has been blamed on Taurid meteors, the story said.

Known as the Tunguska event, the blast happened after a large fireball was seen crossing the Siberian sky on June 20, 1908.

The explosion lit up the sky in the United States and there were reports that the blast was felt as far away as Britain.

If a Taurids chunk were massive enough to pass through the atmosphere and hit the ground, it would cause unprecedented destruction.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.asu.cas.cz/en/about/about-the-institute">Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Science</a>, <a href="http://dailym.ai/2r0DBru">Daily Mail</a>

Scientists worry that a meteor shower could be hiding asteroids

Scientists have discovered potentially dangerous space fragments that could hit...

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles to lose 100 gallons of water per person per day to the atmosphere through evaporation in the summer of 2010, a new study found. Moreover, over-irrigation resulted in the loss of 70 billion gallons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-clouding-lake-tahoe/">water</a> per year.

Lawns accounted for 70 percent of the water loss, while trees accounted for 30 percent, according to the study funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a> and published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-7973/">Water Resources Research</a>.

The study, based on measurements before Los Angeles mandated watering restrictions in 2014, show a “pattern of systemic overwatering of the city's lawns, and a surprising water efficiency of its tree cover.” The researchers found a correlation between water loss and household income.

"California's recent drought highlights the need for urban water conservation," says Tom Torgersen, program director in the Division of Earth Sciences in NSF's Geosciences Directorate.

Researchers measured evapotranspiration (ET), the evaporation of water from the soil and the transpiration, or release of water vapor, from plants

In Los Angeles, the greatest ET was due to turf grass and seed-producing trees.

"Both provide an alleviation of the urban heat island effect and reduce the need for air conditioning," Torgersen says. "However, the benefit is not evenly shared. The higher the median income, the greater the local ET, with cooler temperatures in wealthier areas and higher temperatures in poorer sections of the city.”

ET rates in the wealthiest neighborhoods, they found, were roughly twice those of poorer neighborhoods.

Trees use far less water than grassy lawns, the study said. Under dry conditions, trees will rein in transpiration so they can retain water.

"It's surprising that we can maintain the tree canopy of L.A. with relatively little water," said Diane Pataki of the University of Utah, one of the researchers in the study. "There's this assumption that we need abundant irrigation to support trees. But we can drastically reduce water use and still have trees."

Los Angeles' watering restrictions were lifted this spring after a very wet winter. At present, it's too early to tell whether Los Angeles residents' watering patterns and landscaping choices will return to pre-drought excesses, Pataki said.

"Whether the drought changed people's landscape preferences in a lasting way, that's something we still need to find out," she said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a>

Over watering lawns lost Los Angeles 70 billion gallons of water

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles...

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause millions of people to lose sleep, with the poor and elderly most affected, according to a new study.

If climate change is not addressed, temperatures in 2050 could cost people in the United States millions of additional nights of insufficient sleep per year, the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> study said. By 2099, the figure could rise by several hundred million more nights of lost sleep annually.

"Sleep has been well-established by other researchers as a critical component of human health,” said Nick Obradovich, who conducted much of the research as a doctoral student in political science at the University of California San Diego. “Too little sleep can make a person more susceptible to disease and chronic illness, and it can harm psychological well-being and cognitive functioning." 

The study analyzed federal health survey data from 765,000 U.S. residents between 2002 and 2011. It then linked data on self-reported nights of insufficient sleep to daily temperature data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.

The analysis showed that increases in nighttime temperature by 1 degree Celsius translate to three nights of insufficient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-robbing-sleep/">sleep</a> per 100 individuals per month.

Those earning below $50,000 a year and those over the age of 65 are most severely affected, the study found. 

The study also paints a bleak picture for the future based on climate projections for 2050 and 2099 by NASA Earth Exchange.

Warmer temperatures could cause six additional nights of insufficient sleep per 100 individuals by 2050, and approximately 14 extra nights per 100 by 2099.

"The U.S. is relatively temperate and, in global terms, quite prosperous," Obradovich said. "We don't have sleep data from around the world, but assuming the pattern is similar, one can imagine that in places that are warmer or poorer or both, what we'd find could be even worse."

The study, published by <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>, is the largest real-world study to date to find a relationship between reports of insufficient sleep and unusually warm nighttime temperatures. It is also the first to apply the discovered relationship to projected climate change.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a>

Why climate change will make sleep more difficult

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause...

Millions of people are impacted by natural disasters every year. These events often have the power to devastate entire regions, and can be very difficult to predict. A new study reveals that human exposure to natural disasters has doubled over the last 40 years, due mainly to population growth and urban development. 

The team behind the study set out to get a better look at how much of the global population resides in regions that are susceptible to extreme weather events. 

The researchers analyzed satellite observation data from the last 40 years, focusing their assessment on earthquakes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/campi-flegrei-volcano-erupt/">volcanoes</a>, tsunamis, floods, and tropical cyclones. The evaluation revealed that an alarming number of people are vulnerable to natural disasters. 

The team determined that earthquakes are the biggest threat to the largest amount of people. Between 1975 and 2015, the amount of people living in areas prone to seismic activity nearly doubled. This number grew from 1.4 billion to 2.7 billion, which is the equivalent of one out of every three people.

Flooding is the most frequent of the weather events examined for this study. In 2015, 1 billion people in 155 countries were found to be exposed to flood risk. The team established that 76.9 percent of those at risk are located in Asia. 8 million occupants of Germany are also more likely to experience flooding, along with 5.7 million residents of France. 

Although regions of Asia are the most vulnerable to tsunami events, Japan has the most populated areas that are exposed to the likelihood of tsunamis. China and the United States also have heavily populated regions that are at high risk of tsunami activity. 

Volcanic activity threatens around 400 people globally. The researchers noted that these people live in close proximity to the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. 

Previous research that was conducted to determine the number of people impacted by natural disasters focused primarily on climate change. The authors of this study took a new approach by examining the connection between population growth, urban development, and extreme weather exposure. 

As the world's population and metropolitan areas continue to grow, the impact of natural disasters will continue to grow as well. The findings of this study are published in the <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-atlas-human-planet-2017how-exposed.html">Atlas of the Human Planet 2017</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-atlas-human-planet-2017how-exposed.html">Atlas of the Human Planet 2017</a>

Global risk of natural disasters has doubled since 1975

Millions of people are impacted by natural disasters every year....

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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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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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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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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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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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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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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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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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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

[sendtonews key="yPSXGZek1I-2312529-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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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

[sendtonews key="u0TYxxqfF7-2186404-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA’s...