Beneath the sands of beaches exists a concealed world brimming with life. Researchers at Stanford University have recently analyzed how microbial communities within coastal groundwater react to the intrusion of seawater. 



Published in the journal <a href="https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.70009" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Microbiology</a>, the study highlights the remarkable diversity of these vital ecosystems and explores their potential responses to the challenges posed by rising sea levels.



These findings highlight the essential role of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-laid-the-foundation-for-early-life-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbes</a> thriving in coastal groundwater just beneath sandy beaches.&nbsp;



Although largely unnoticed, these microorganisms help regulate the flow of nutrients and chemicals between land and sea, contributing significantly to the maintenance of clean coastal waters.&nbsp;



As sea levels rise, a deeper understanding of how these ecosystems function will be crucial for their protection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vital-role-of-microbial-communities">Vital role of microbial communities</h2>



“Beaches can act as a filter between land and sea, processing groundwater and associated chemicals before they reach the ocean,” said study co-first author Jessica Bullington, a Ph.D. student in Earth system science at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a>.



“Understanding how these ecosystems function is key to safeguarding their services in the face of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-will-cost-coastal-cities-over-1-trillion-in-damages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea level rise</a>.”



Microbial communities in these underground settings are responsible for breaking down excess nutrients - such as nitrogen from natural plant decay or from agricultural and wastewater sources - that would otherwise flow unfiltered into the ocean.&nbsp;



By decomposing these materials, the beach microbes effectively clean the water and play a pivotal part in balancing coastal water chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbial-community-composition-and-resilience">Microbial community composition and resilience</h2>



Researchers conducted their investigation at Stinson Beach, a site north of San Francisco. The beach exemplifies a “high-energy” environment, where the surf is vigorous, yet few detailed scientific examinations of its microbiome exist.&nbsp;



Over two weeks, the team collected around-the-clock samples during both wet and dry seasons to capture varying tidal stages. By analyzing the microbial DNA with high-resolution gene sequencing, they obtained unparalleled insights into microbial community composition and resilience.



The results showed that microbial populations were generally stable amid changing tidal conditions and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-seasonal-temperature-changes-over-11000-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seasonal fluctuations</a>. However, an event known as wave overtopping - when ocean water surged onto the beach’s aquifer - significantly altered the microbial makeup.&nbsp;



These overtopping incidents, expected to become more common with rising seas, can disrupt microbial filtering processes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beach-microbes-in-complex-communities">Beach microbes in complex communities </h2>



“These microbes live in complex communities, many with specialized roles that include processing nutrients and even producing or consuming greenhouse gases,” said co-senior author Christopher Francis, a professor of Earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.&nbsp;



“The microbial community’s resilience under typical conditions is encouraging, but disturbances like wave overtopping highlight their vulnerability to climate change,” added co-first author Katie Langenfeld, who is now a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a>.



By identifying the ways in which these microbes respond to sudden inflows of seawater, the research underscores how delicate the system can be.&nbsp;



Frequent disturbances make it more difficult for microbial communities to carry out tasks like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/excess-nutrients-are-creating-ocean-dead-zones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nutrient</a> processing, potentially leading to cascading effects in nearby ocean waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-coastal-management">Implications for coastal management</h2>



Stinson Beach and similar coastal areas face a future shaped by rising seas. As water levels increase, beach sands are likely to shift, altering groundwater flow and threatening to undermine the natural services that subterranean microbial communities provide. This research, therefore, offers a timely contribution to debates on coastal resilience.



Study co-senior author Alexandria Boehm is a professor of environmental studies in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Stanford School of Engineering.



“We rely on these microbial communities for essential biogeochemical cycling at the land-sea interface,” said Professor Boehm. "If their capacity diminishes due to climate impacts, we could see cascading effects on coastal water quality and marine life.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-framework-for-future-studies">A framework for future studies</h2>



With these findings, scientists now have a more comprehensive foundation for understanding how beach <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/groundwater-has-a-vital-role-in-ecosystem-survival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">groundwater</a> ecosystems function and cope with environmental changes.&nbsp;



The findings at Stinson Beach can help guide coastal policymakers who must balance the needs of development, conservation, and climate adaptation. 



By recognizing the importance of microbes as natural water purifiers, strategies can be put in place to preserve or restore beach habitats in ways that bolster microbial stability.



The ongoing research at Stanford - led by Bullington and her collaborators - adds to the growing body of work on coastal health. These communities beneath the sand remain largely out of sight, yet their ecological significance is increasingly clear.&nbsp;



As sea levels rise and human impacts intensify, the tiny inhabitants of beach groundwater may become crucial allies in preserving the balance and cleanliness of coastal zones worldwide.



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Hidden beach microbes help protect coastal waters

Beneath the sands of beaches exists a concealed world brimming with life. Researchers at Stanford University have recently analyzed how microbial communities within coastal groundwater react to the intrusion of seawater.  Published in the journal Environmental Microbiology, the study highlights the remarkable diversity of these vital ecosystems and explores their potential responses to the challenges posed by rising sea levels. These findings highlight the essential role of microbes thriving in coastal groundwater just beneath sandy beaches.&nbsp; Although largely unnoticed, these microorganisms help regulate the flow of nutrients...

A storm system that included as many as six tornadoes churned through southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, injuring about 40 people. 

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gulf-waters-eating-away-at-small-towns-outside-of-new-orleans-levees-2/">New Orleans</a> East was hit particularly hard by the storms – quite a blow to an area that was previously devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. About 20 people were hurt there when an EF2-strength tornado touched down, tearing roofs off of houses and sending the New Orleans Police Department scrambling to assist with emergency response efforts.

The storm damaged <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>’s Michoud Assembly Facility and the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">USDA</a>’s National Finance Center’s Primary Business Center. There were only minor injuries among the people in those buildings. 

Brittany Ross lived in a trailer park in eastern New Orleans. When the storm hit, her trailer “started shaking, kind of twisting,” she told the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a>. The wind lifted her home up before slamming it back down again. She and two others were able to crawl from the remains of the trailer and escape to safety. 

The six tornadoes prompted Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards to take an aerial tour of the damage. He also declared a state of disaster in order to provide relief to those affected. 

The storms also swept through Baton Rouge, damaging structures and causing minor injuries. Several homes were destroyed in Killian, a town just east of Baton Rouge. There, an elderly couple were injured, with one suffering a broken arm and the other one a broken leg. The town’s mayor, Craig McGehee, was amazed the couple survived.

“How you manage to get blown completely across the street with cinderblocks flying and no worse than a couple broken limbs — apparently the good Lord was looking after them,” he said. 

Quarter-sized hail fell in Little Rock Arkansas and high winds and waterspouts plagued the coast of northwest Florida as the storm moved eastward. Wind gusts up to 62 miles per hour were reported in Henning, Tennessee.

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image: Max Becherer/<a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/01abe9849ed7468797cedd17ae1b3a7f">AP</a>

Six tornadoes tear through southeast Louisiana

A storm system that included as many as six tornadoes...

The bald eagle has been the U.S. national emblem for over 200 years, chosen because of its immense strength, majesty, and longevity. It’s understandable, then, that Americans become distressed at seeing one of these beautiful creatures harmed in any way. 

This was the case on Sunday when a photographer noticed a bald eagle with a leg hold trap attached to its foot.

Photographer Susan Boardman observed the bald eagle moving around on the ground in the woods in Bonneauville, Pennsylvania. She noticed that the bird seemed to be struggling before she saw the leg trap, which was attached to a long chain. Although it had trouble getting off the ground, the eagle managed to fly away, trap in tow. 

Leg hold traps are used to catch fur-bearing animals such as foxes, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/grizzly-bear-wolves-dinner/">wolves</a>, raccoons, and bobcats. They are supposed to be placed in such a manner that the bait isn’t visible from the air. 

Wildlife rehabilitators and bird-welfare volunteers have sounded the alarm and are on the lookout for the unfortunate bird. Large birds of prey can be dangerous to people who aren’t trained in handling them, so experts urge caution to anyone who may spot the eagle. 

“There’s really not much the average person can do,” wildlife rehabilitator Wendy Ebersole told the<a href="http://www.yorkdispatch.com"> York Dispatch</a>. “Obviously, no one should try to handle the bird.”

She worries that if the bird can’t be located and the trap removed in a timely manner, the bird won’t survive. Eagles need the use of their talons in order to catch food, eat, and defend themselves from predators, she said.  

Boardman agrees. In an e-mail to the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a>, she said, "Without intervention, this eagle will probably die. He can't hunt or fly high enough to get out of harm's way. It was heartbreaking to see him like this.”

--

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image: Susan Boardman, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4631baf1ce3d4b21937637c05af0d381/concern-grows-bald-eagle-leg-trap-attached-foot">AP</a>

Wildlife experts concerned about bald eagle caught in leg trap

The bald eagle has been the U.S. national emblem for...

While everyone was at home watching TV on Friday night, the U.S. and Japan were shooting down a missile in space. Relax – no one was under attack. The joint effort was part of a missile block test for a $3.2 billion defense system designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. 

The test, carried out at around 10:30 p.m. off the coast of Kauai in Hawaii, was a success. The Aegis Missile Defense System and Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptor installed onboard the USS John Paul Jones was able to track, locate, and shoot down a ballistic missile, according to the<a href="https://www.mda.mil"> U.S. Missile Defense Agency</a> (MDA).

Friday’s test marked the third flight test of the SM-3 Block IIA guided missile. However, it was the first intercept test, as well as the first time such a missile was launched from an Aegis ship. The U.S. Navy also said this is the first intercept engagement using the Aegis Baseline 9.C2 (BMC 5.1) weapon system.

The U.S. and Japan have cooperated since 2006 on development of the Standard Missile-3. The MDA reports that America has invested $2.2. billion on the system and Japan has spent approximately $1 billion. 

The missile block test took place as tensions have escalated over North Korea’s <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-nuclear-reactor-design/">nuclear</a> weapons cache. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned of an “effective and overwhelming” response should North Korea attack the U.S. or its allies. 

"Today's test demonstrates a critical milestone in the cooperative development of the SM-3 Block IIA missile," said MDA Director Vice Admiral  Jim Syring in a statement. 

”The missile, developed jointly by a Japanese and U.S. government and industry team, is vitally important to both our nations and will ultimately improve our ability to defend against increasing ballistic missile threats around the world.”

--

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

U.S. and Japan conduct successful missile block test

While everyone was at home watching TV on Friday night,...

Nearly 252 <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/shattered-asteroid-millions-years-ago/">million </a>years ago, our planet experienced something scientists have deemed The Great Dying. What happened during the event isn’t any more cheerful than its name; the Earth lost up to 96% of its marine species, as well as nearly 70% of terrestrial vertebrates.

Why these species died out is a question that’s baffled scientists for years. A new study has added yet another theory to the mix: could waves have caused this kind of mass extinction? 

New evidence points to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/app-helps-fishermen-sell/">shoaling</a> as a possible source of The Great Dying. Shoaling refers to the phenomenon that happens when waves grow taller as they reach shallow water while heading towards the shore. This causes changes in water density and velocity, stirring up the ocean floor. 

Researchers believe that when the ocean floor became churned up, it stirred up sulfides that made the water uninhabitable for many ocean species. They aren’t sure why there would have been such a sudden increase in shoaling. They do know that sulfide is toxic to animals in high concentrations.

They also know that the area around Pangea – a former supercontinent – had high levels of sulfide on the ocean’s floor. The team, which included Yanen Shen from the<a href="http://en.ustc.edu.cn"> University of Science and Technology of China</a>, studied rocks found in what was once the Panthalassic Ocean. They collected rocks from areas near Canada and Japan and noted a mixture of various types of sulfur. 

"The shoaling of sulphidic waters, therefore, would kill marine animals in the Permian-Triassic oceans," said Shen in a statement. The team believes that the sulfur may have caused the mass extinction, as well as the recovery process that took nearly 10 million years. 

"This study illustrates how environmental changes could have had a devastating effect on Earth's early biosphere, and may have present-day relevance because global warming and eutrophication are causing development of sulfidic zones on modern continental shelves, threatening indigenous marine life,” the study authors wrote. Their findings were published in the journal<a href="http://www.pnas.org"> PNAS</a>. 

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Yanen Shen,<a href="http://en.ustc.edu.cn"> University of Science and Technology of China</a>

&nbsp;

Did ocean waves cause The Great Dying?

Nearly 252 million years ago, our planet experienced something scientists...

Cosmic rays sounds like something out of a Ziggy-Stardust-era David Bowie song, but they’re real. It also turns out that these radiation clouds that appear at high altitudes may be problematic for frequent airline travelers. 

Scientists have always known that people were exposed to some degree of radiation when they traveled by airplane. Things like cosmic rays and solar wind sometimes penetrate the magnetic field around the Earth, creating low levels of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fukushima-radiation-levels-high/">radiation</a> through which air passengers soar when they fly. Levels of this radiation are higher in the polar regions, and longer flights subject passengers and crew to more radiation than shorter ones. 

How much radiation are we talking, here? Experts previously estimated that it would take a flight of approximately 12.5 hours to deliver as much radiation as a chest X-ray. That’s if the flight stays in the high latitudes and isn’t zipping past the polar regions or traveling when there are solar storms.

Meanwhile, they reported that mid-latitude flights take around 25 hours and flights around the equator take 100 hours to deliver the same amount of radiation.

New research has revealed that the levels in radiation clouds may be higher than scientists once thought, however.

W. Kent Tobiska and his team from<a href="http://www.spacewx.com"> Space Environment Technologies</a> ran tests that found surges in radiation level data that spiked as high as double what they had previously expected. He believes that radiation particle belts trapped in Earth’s magnetic field may sometimes “leak” and move into the Earth’s stratosphere. Flying through these particle clouds could cause the kinds of spikes seen in the research. 

If Tobiska’s theory is confirmed, scientists will need to find a way to identify the location of such clouds so that air crews can avoid them during flights. The team’s findings were published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1542-7390/">Space Weather</a>. 

--
By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air travelers fly through radiation clouds, study shows

Cosmic rays sounds like something out of a Ziggy-Stardust-era David...

A leading association of hemp advocates is suing the<a href="https://www.dea.gov/index.shtml"> Drug Enforcement Administration</a> (DEA) over claims that the agency violated a court order when it started cracking down on products made with hemp in letters sent out last December.

For decades, cannabis has been illegal under U.S. federal law. However, regulation of cannabis has also lead to a crackdown on hemp, its non-psychoactive cousin. While the form of cannabis we traditionally know as marijuana has high (no pun intended) amounts of THC, industrial hemp has amounts of less than 0.3%. In other words, you could smoke a truckload of hemp and not get high.

Despite this, products like hemp seed and hemp seed oil remained illegal for years in the U.S. In 2004, the<a href="https://www.thehia.org"> Hemp Industries Association</a> (HIA) sued the DEA in a case that became known as the “Food Rules Challenge.” The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the HIA, ruling that hemp does not belong on the list of Schedule I controlled substances. In 2014, Congress passed a Farm Bill that gave permission for states to grow hemp under a special licensing program. 

Late last year, the DEA struck again, this time working with the<a href="https://www.nd.gov/ndda/"> North Dakota Department of Agriculture</a> (NDDA) to send correspondence to<a href="https://www.healthyoilseeds.com"> Healthy Oilseeds, LLC</a>. The company was informed that in order to ship their hemp protein powder and hemp seed oil products, they’d have to get a permit from the DEA.  

The HIA is fighting back, claiming that the DEA has overstepped its bounds, violating the intent of the Farm Bill, as well as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which prevents authorities from using funds to stop the “transportation, processing, sale, or use of industrial hemp.” They have filed a Petition for Review with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“It is disappointing that the industry has to revisit the issue, and take this step to compel DEA to obey the law,” said Joe Sandler, HIA’s lead counsel.

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

After DEA letter, hemp advocates are hitting back

A leading association of hemp advocates is suing the Drug...

Bogus global warming data at the center of new debate. A whistleblower from the<a href="http://www.noaa.gov"> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has released evidence claiming that the organization used manipulated data to influence world leaders ahead of the 2015 UN climate conference in Paris.

The paper released by NOAA denied any supposed “pause” in global warming since 1998 and instead reported that world temperatures had been rising at an unanticipated rate. 

It likely influenced top policymakers such as President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron when they met in Paris for the conference that year. There, world leaders came together to work on an agreement for their nations to cut back on the use of fossil fuel in an effort to prevent further warming. 

Both sets of data used to compile the report were flawed. One set focused on temperature measurements from the Earth’s surface, while the other measured the temperature at the surface of the seas. The latter set is so flawed that NOAA is calling for it to be replaced because it used unreliable methods that overstate temperatures levels and how quickly they are rising.

This information came to light when John Bates, a top scientist at NOAA, gave an exclusive interview to the<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html"> Daily Mail</a>. He objected to the publication of the Pausebuster paper, a report that he said was never subjected to NOAA’s typically-rigorous internal evaluation process. 

Bates accused Thomas Karl, the lead author of the paper, of “insisting on decisions and scientific choices that maximized warming and minimized documentation… in an effort to discredit the notion of a global warming pause.” Bates said Karl “rushed so that he could time publication to influence national and international deliberations on climate policy.”

For his part, Karl denies that the intention of publishing the Pausebuster data without putting it through further review was to influence lawmakers about to convene for the climate conference. “There was no discussion about Paris,” he said.

This scandal is sure to add fuel to the fire of the heated debate over the science behind climate change.

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

World leaders swayed by bogus global warming data

Bogus global warming data at the center of new debate....

When a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-nuclear-reactor-design/">nuclear</a> catastrophe happens, scientists rely on robotic probes to give them an insider’s view of conditions at the site. Such is the case at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. However, radiation levels are currently so high at the plant that even robotic welfare is being put in jeopardy. Why? They’ll melt. 

On March 11, 2001, a tsunami developed after an undersea earthquake shook the area off the coast of Fukushima. The giant wave killed more than 18,000 people and wiped out the nuclear plant there, sending three reactors into meltdown.

Since then, the Japanese government has worked hard to clear up the site, a process that it expects to cost as much as $190 billion and span decades. Part of the reason the cleanup is moving so slowly is the high radiation levels around the site.

Until recently, scientists at the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) used radiation-resistant robot probes with attached cameras to wander through reactors and monitor conditions. The robots are about two feet long and small enough to move through a 4-inch-wide pipe that leads into the reactor’s containment vessel.

Radiation levels are measured in seiverts per hour. Robot probes are made to withstand exposure levels up to 530 sieverts per hour – and levels inside one of the reactors have just hit that critical threshold. Robots sent in to operate at that exposure level will shut down within a mere two hours. 

Thankfully, TEPCO reports that the radiation is confined within the reactor and there are no leaks. They say that the high radiation levels are likely confined to a single point. This means that if a robot is moving around, it can likely continue to operate within the reactor – providing real hope for a continued monitoring and recovery process. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fukushima radiation levels hit high, endangering robots

When a nuclear catastrophe happens, scientists rely on robotic probes...

Imagine living where the air pollution levels are so high that dead birds drop out of the sky and fall to the ground around you, or where the simple act of breathing in and out carries the same health risk as smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. That’s what people in Mexico City have experienced for decades, leading city officials to test programs to improve air quality.

First, they restricted driving on a couple of days during the week. It didn’t do much to affect pollution levels. The latest step in their bid for cleaner air extended the driving restrictions to include Saturdays.

The restriction program functions based on vehicle license plate numbers. Plates ending in certain numbers can’t be driven on certain days of the week between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. The ban applies both to personal and commercial vehicles. 

However, the driving restrictions aren’t producing results. According to a study published in the journal<a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/"> Scientific Reports</a>, air pollution levels in Mexico City aren’t dropping. Scientists looked at data from 29 air pollution monitoring stations positioned around the city. Data collected from 2005 to 2012 indicated that emission levels of carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, large and small particulates, as well as sulfur dioxide did not reduce after implementation of the driving restrictions.

<a href="http://www.berkeley.edu">University of California Berkeley</a> Associate Professor Lucas W. Davis found no indication of an increased number of people using public transportation, making him think that people are purchasing multiple vehicles or using services like Uber to get around driving restrictions.

“Saturday driving restrictions are a flawed policy,” he said. “It's a big hassle for people and does not improve air quality.”

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 
Source: Lucas W. Davis, <a href="http://www.berkeley.edu">University of California Berkeley</a>

Driving restrictions fail to improve Mexico City air quality

Imagine living where the air pollution levels are so high...

Whenever the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/california-rainstorms-instagram/">weather</a> gets crazy, meteorologists always seem to blame it on El Niño. Drenching floods? El Niño, of course. Winter tornadoes? That darned El Niño! Mid-December heatwave? You can’t show off your ugly Christmas sweater when El Niño keeps messing with the weather! 

The target of our weather-related wrath, El Niño, is a phenomenon that occurs in the equatorial Pacific region. It’s part of the larger El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and scientists say that ENSO’s behavior is becoming increasingly difficult to predict. 

The news comes from Fei Zheng of the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a>. "The forecasting reliability during the period 2002-2011 was relatively lower than that in the 1980s and 1990s,” he said. His team went to work to find out why. 

Their study, published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-8007/">Geophysical Research Letters</a>, looked at 20 state-of-the-art weather models and analyzed their prediction skills. They found that the Bjerknes Feedback (BF) intensity is the best factor through which to monitor ENSO and determine its predictability. 

Why has the BF intensity varied so much over the past 10 years? Scientists say it’s because of sensitivity of the zonal winds to zonal sea level pressure (SLP) gradient in the area. Anomalies in zonal wind in the equatorial Pacific can cause SLP variations, which can then transfer to surface temperature and precipitation fields via the BF. 

What does all this mean? Zheng suggests a change in the specific factors that scientists monitor closely when watching ENSO. Going forward, he says, “"More attention should be paid to off-equatorial processes in the prediction of ENSO during the low-ENSO predictability period."

Perhaps this will give the rest of us a better idea of when to eschew a sweater for a pair of flip flops – or buy an inflatable raft. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Fei Zheng, <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a>

Why has El Niño has gotten so unpredictable?

Whenever the weather gets crazy, meteorologists always seem to blame...

There could be an entire lost world just under your feet. That’s what scientists found under the white-sand island of Mauritius – a piece of a lost continent from approximately 200 million years ago. 

They believe that the fragment of crust was a piece of Mauritia, an ancient lost continent that once sat between Madagascar and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-crisis-india/">India</a>. Mauritia formed when the supercontinent Gondawa broke into pieces. 

“Mauritia acted as a buffer zone between the western Indian subcontinent and eastern Madagascar, and was fragmented by numerous tectonic and volcanic events that occurred in that region since the early Cretaceous,” wrote the authors of the study. 

Scientists, including Lewis Ashwal from <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za">Wits University</a>, discovered the “lost continent” in the form of zirconium crystals that are between 2.5 billion and three billion years old. The material, which had been covered by lava from volcanic eruptions on Mauritius, was discovered in an outcropping of tracheae rocks. 

How do they know their finding is a part of a continent rather than just an extremely old piece of rock? 

"Earth is made up of two parts - continents, which are old, and oceans, which are ‘young,’” Ashwal explained. “On the continents you find rocks that are over four billion years old, but you find nothing like that in the oceans, as this is where new rocks are formed. Mauritius is an island, and there is no rock older than 9 million years old on the island.” 

“However, by studying the rocks on the island, we have found zircons that are as old as 3 billion years,” he said. 

The authors of the study wonder if other continental fragments may be hidden beneath layers of lava. 

“Evidence is accumulating that old continental crust may occur beneath some young ocean-island volcanoes, contributing contaminating components to their chemical and isotopic compositions,” they wrote. 

Ashwal and his colleagues published their findings in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Lewis Ashwal, <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za">Wits University</a>

Lost continent discovered lurking under Mauritius

There could be an entire lost world just under your...

Congressional Republicans have introduced a bill that would sell off a chunk of American public land the size of Connecticut. House Bill 621, introduced by<a href="http://chaffetz.house.gov"> Jason Chaffetz</a> of Utah, proposes the sale of 3.3 million acres of land that’s currently maintained by the <a href="https://www.blm.gov">Bureau of Land Management</a>.

While BLM land is leased out for oil, gas, and timber production, it’s also used by the public for camping, hiking, and mountain biking. It’s popular among fisherman, hunters, and other outdoorsmen. 

Apart from human industry and enjoyment, BLM land gives essential cover to animals such as gray wolves and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/grizzly-bear-wolves-dinner/">grizzly bears</a>. Big game such as elk and big-horned sheep use low-lying BLM land as a grazing spot during the winter months when the mountains are covered in snow.

The public land being targeted for “disposal” is spread across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. <a href="https://chaffetz.house.gov/sites/chaffetz.house.gov/files/land%20disposal%20report.pdf">Representative Chaffetz’s website</a> features a chart that maps out the lands that will be affected. 

The land potentially being offloaded was first identified in a 1997 survey by the Clinton Administration. Their goal was to offset $7.8 billion in aid being offered to the Florida Everglades, which had been heavily damaged by polluted runoff from the sugarcane industry. However, the survey warned that the lands being considered may not be ideal for disposal due to cultural significance, as well as the existence of endangered species.  

In addition to the overall loss of land, outdoor enthusiasts worry that the sale of certain swaths of land could cut off access to other publicly-owned areas. This happened in <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/coronado/">Coronado National Forest</a>, where the sale of a ten-acre parcel cut off public access to hundreds of thousands of acres.   

“Last I checked, hunters and fishermen were taxpayers,” said New Mexico resident Jason Amaro to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">The Guardian</a>. As the representative of the southwest chapter of <a href="http://www.backcountryhunters.org">Backcountry Hunters and Anglers</a>, Amaro is upset that his state will potentially lose 800,000 acres of BLM land. 

“That word ‘disposal’ is scary,” Amaro said. “It’s not ‘disposable’ for an outdoorsman.”

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

House Republicans plan massive ‘disposal’ of public land

Congressional Republicans have introduced a bill that would sell off...

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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

[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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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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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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" 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> 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...