The year 2024 has been marked by a series of extreme weather events that forced billions of people to face the harsh reality of a changing climate.



Persistent droughts gripped southern Africa and Central America, while devastating floods swept through Spain. In the Southeast U.S., Hurricane Helene unleashed its fury.



An international team of scientists led by Dr. Wenxia Zhang analyzed these events as part of a study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.



The study highlights the year's notable extremes - rainfall, flooding, tropical cyclones, and droughts. The researchers examined their causes, the role of global warming, and the challenges of building a climate-resilient future.



“Most extreme events have a large random element,” said Dr. James Risbey of CSIRO. “Some extremes are more likely when larger-scale drivers such as ENSO influence weather patterns.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-el-nino-and-climate-change">Role of El Niño and climate change</h2>



El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon, influenced many of 2024's extreme rainfall and drought events, particularly during the winter of 2023/24. 



However, El Niño alone does not explain the severity of these events. Attribution science has revealed that human-induced climate change has amplified the impacts of such natural patterns, making extreme weather more intense and destructive.



“The climate change influence can be direct through physical processes causing the extreme, or indirect in influencing the weather, large scale drivers, and key baselines,” explained Dr. Risbey.



Dr. Zhang, an expert at the <a href="http://www.cas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>, noted that anthropogenic warming enhances atmospheric moisture and evaporation, intensifying rainfall and droughts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-in-understanding-climate-extremes">Challenges in understanding climate extremes</h2>



Attribution science, which studies the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-added-41-extra-days-of-dangerous-heat-in-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">role of climate change</a> in specific extreme weather events, has made significant progress. 



However, challenges remain, particularly when observed weather extremes do not match predictions from climate models. These inconsistencies reduce confidence in the results and make it harder to draw precise conclusions about the role of human-induced climate change in individual events.



Dr. Michael Brody of <a href="https://www.gmu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">George Mason University</a> emphasizes that improving our ability to attribute extreme events to climate change requires a deeper understanding of how climate systems work. 



Enhanced attribution methods can provide more reliable insights, which are crucial for shaping recovery efforts after disasters and creating better preparedness plans for the future. 



Accurate attribution enables decision-makers to allocate resources effectively, minimize risks, and build resilience in vulnerable communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forecasting-and-warning-systems">Forecasting and warning systems</h2>



Forecasting and effective warnings can save lives. While Hurricane Helene was well-predicted, its impact exposed vulnerabilities in underprepared communities.



“Increasing the quality of forecasts is important, but acting upon them to reduce vulnerabilities is crucial," said Dr. Piotr Wolski of the <a href="https://uct.ac.za" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cape Town</a>.



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/valencia-floods-a-tragedy-fueled-by-extreme-weather/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">devastating floods</a> in Spain during October <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2024-confirmed-as-earths-hottest-year-in-recorded-history/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2024</a> highlight the critical need to reduce the impacts of extreme weather and strengthen community resilience towards climate change. 



Such disasters often result in widespread frustration and anger, especially when people feel unprepared or unsupported.



Dr. Wolski stresses that simply issuing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scorching-summer-of-2024-could-make-it-the-hottest-year-on-record/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warnings</a> is not enough. It is essential to ensure that these warnings are communicated clearly, reach those at risk, and are acted upon effectively. By taking these steps, we can address vulnerabilities, reduce harm, and help communities recover more quickly.



The events in Spain serve as a reminder that better preparation and response systems are vital to managing the challenges of a changing climate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-climate-extremes">Preparing for climate extremes</h2>



The events of 2024 highlight the growing urgency to understand and address the causes of extreme weather.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-are-wreaking-havoc-on-the-global-water-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Climate change</a> has made such events more intense and frequent, impacting millions of lives and communities. To reduce these effects, it is crucial to develop better systems for predicting extreme weather, ensuring that warnings reach people effectively and on time.



Clear communication and quick action can make a significant difference in saving lives and minimizing damage when disasters strike. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-embracing-climate-resilience">Embracing climate resilience</h2>



Additionally, adopting climate resilience - measures that help communities prepare for and adapt to changing climate conditions - offers a proactive way to reduce vulnerabilities and build safer, more sustainable futures.



As extreme climate events grow more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-ocean-warming-in-2024-is-a-warning-for-our-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unpredictable and severe</a>, our ability to predict and respond quickly will determine how well we can protect lives and adapt to these challenges. 



Embracing climate resilience means not just responding to disasters but preparing for them in ways that safeguard people and their livelihoods in an increasingly unstable world.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00376-025-4540-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Advances in Atmospheric Sciences</a>.



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Climate extremes in 2024: What have we learned?

The year 2024 has been marked by a series of extreme weather events that forced billions of people to face the harsh reality of a changing climate. Persistent droughts gripped southern Africa and Central America, while devastating floods swept through Spain. In the Southeast U.S., Hurricane Helene unleashed its fury. An international team of scientists led by Dr. Wenxia Zhang analyzed these events as part of a study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The study highlights the year's notable extremes - rainfall, flooding, tropical...

Water balance found to influence soil pH and fertility

Even casual fans of nature and environmental science understand that the pH level of soil is a major indicator of the soil’s ability to store nutrients and provide for vegetation growth. As such, soil pH serves as a significant controlling factor in the ultimate landscape of a terrestrial ecosystem. But a recent study published in the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20139.html">Nature</a> journal highlights that pH soil does not regulate plant fertility on its own. Rather, environmental conditions can easily sway soil pH balance. 

The study illustrates how even minor changes in water balance can quickly change the pH level from alkaline to acidic soils. Until now, however, it has not been clear how to quantify the exact threshold of soil pH balance. While topography and mineralogy are clear contributing factors, climate conditions appear to play an important overarching role.

A team led by J.E. Johnson of the <a href="http://globalecology.stanford.edu/">Carnegie Institution</a> for Science at Stanford University extracted a random sample from a compilation of 60,291 soil pH measurements. They found that the sudden transition from alkaline to acid soil pH occurs at the very point that mean annual precipitation starts to exceed mean annual potential evapotranspiration. 

The team concluded that climate conditions can certainly create a nonlinear pattern in soil chemistry. Moreover, they indicate that the very conditions under which soil currently maintains pH balance are out of balance with modern climate.

Water balance found to influence soil pH and fertility

Water balance found to influence soil pH and fertility Even...

While traipsing across Rannoch Moor in Scotland on Sunday, Melvin Nicholson saw a rare sight: a “fog bow.”

Nicholson described spotting the white arc on the snowy moor as magical.

Like a rainbow, a fog bow is created when moisture in the air bends the sun’s light, causing us to see an arc made up of various colors in the sky. 

But unlike a rainbow, a fog bow is colorless, because the droplets of water that make up fog are much smaller than those that make up rain. Some fog bows, also called cloudbows, have a red outer edge and blue inner edge, but most are completely white. The white light forms an arc through the air much like any other rainbow, however.

According to Nicholson, they can usually only be seen if the sun is behind you.

Although fog bows are relatively rare, Nicholson has joined the ranks of several Scottish photographers to catch a glimpse of one. Scotland is a wet country with relatively mild winters, ideal conditions for fog.

Fog bows aren’t just a Scottish phenomenon, though. In recent years, they’ve been spotted and photographed in Ireland, Finland, Australia, and several U.S. states including Massachusetts, Missouri, California and North Carolina.

In some cases, they can form what appears to be a full circle instead of a standard rainbow’s arc, due to reflections.

Want to spot one for yourself? Fog bows always appear in the fog or mist, and usually when the sun is bright and high in the sky. They do sometimes appear at night, if light from the moon is very bright. A thin fog is best, and they’re often spotted over the ocean. 

---

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Stunning image of a rare 'fog bow' snapped on the Scottish moors

While traipsing across Rannoch Moor in Scotland on Sunday, Melvin...

When it comes to environmental hazards, many of the residents of volcanic Iceland take a pragmatic approach. Instead of focusing on travel disruptions, smoke-filled skies and falling ash, they focus on the positive: how fresh volcanic eruptions might draw another flock of tourists to the island country.

Iceland first took advantage of the growing volcanic tourism trade in spring 2010, after the volcano <a href="http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=372020">Eyjafjallajokull</a> erupted after centuries of dormancy. 

The new volcanic activity grounded travelers all over Europe for days, but when they could travel again, they visited Iceland to take in cooler lava formations, geysers and hot springs fueled by Eyjafjallajokull.

Iceland is hoping for a similar travel boom if <a href="http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=372030">Katla</a> – Eyjafjallajokull’s much more pronounceable cousin – erupts in the near future. The volcano has been dormant for a few decades, but tremors and rumblings around the peak have suggested it may be waking up.

If it does erupt soon, Katla would become the 33rd active volcanic site in the country. The sites, which offer otherworldly photo opportunities due to lava outcroppings, steamy displays and more, were mostly unknown outside of the island until Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption made it a European nuisance. 

As the media began calling and visiting Iceland to find out what, exactly, was going on, the country’s tourism officials took advantage to promote their own spin on eco-tourism. They quickly launched an “Inspired by Iceland” ad campaign on television and online, and shared it with the media. 

Iceland had half a million visitors in 2010, and is expected to tally 1.8 million in 2o16.

While Iceland officials acknowledge that the volcanic activity can be lethal to citizens and visitors alike – the country has taken steps to improve its monitoring systems over the past six years – they continue to turn new volcanic features into tourist attractions. 

Still, they are taking precautions. Residents of Vik, the town closest to Katla, have rehearsed emergency procedures in case the historically violent volcano erupts – a potential event that scientists said is long overdue. A new system will send alerts to locals’ mobile phones and emergency broadcasts to television, radio and social media.

But being prepared doesn’t mean that Iceland’s tourism industry can’t try to make the best of things – like advertising a new “volcanic hot tub” created by flowing lava from <a href="http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=373030">Bardarbunga’s</a> 2014 eruption meeting icy cold glacier water.

---

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Volcanic Iceland sells risky seismic activity as a tourist attraction

When it comes to environmental hazards, many of the residents...

Could a little bit of extra greenery on building façades help cool down urban heat islands? That’s what a group of scientists from the <a href="http://www.tu-berlin.de/menue/home/parameter/en/?no_cache=1">Technische Universität Berlin</a> and <a href="http://www.fu-berlin.de/en/">Freie Universität Berlin</a> set out to discover in a new study.

Some urban metropolitan areas are measurably hotter than surrounding rural land, and scientists have dubbed them “heat islands.” According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a>, cities with more than 1 million people can be anywhere from 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the surrounding region.

Though there are many potential causes of heat islands, scientists suspect the main culprits are replacing green space with asphalt and concrete, which absorb the sun’s heat.

Façade greening, the practice of planting greenery that takes up little space on the ground but can shade much of a building’s surface, is one step identified by scientists as a method to cool temperatures, according to <a href="http://oneecosystem.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=9280">the new study’s authors</a>. Additional vegetation in cities can reduce temperatures by providing shade and cool the air through evapotranspiration, according to the EPA.

The Berlin research team decided to look into how their city could implement façade greening, as well as any barriers stopping the practice’s adoption. 

They found that, under current conditions, the likelihood of Berlin implementing façade greening is only 2 percent, even though there is the potential for greening over about 1,400 acres of the city.

Financial incentives to adopt façade greening and other programs could raise the adoption rate to 14 percent, the team said. However, better success would require the willingness of building owners, city officials and other involved parties, as well as a combination of supportive programs and education. 

The researchers used Bayesian networks to determine the likelihood of Berlin adopting façade greening programs on a larger scale. A Bayesian network is an analytical graphical model of a real world system that takes into account the “actors,” current conditions, planned changes, parameters that won’t change, the desired outcome, and more. 

In the case of Berlin, data for the model was collected by interviewing two façade greening experts and two climate protection commissioners from different administrative areas of the city.

The study was published in <a href="http://oneecosystem.pensoft.net/">One Ecosystem</a>.

---

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists: green facades could cool urban heat islands

Could a little bit of extra greenery on building façades...

Scientists can now get a very close look at how plants make oxygen using water molecules, thanks to an international team of researchers.

Led by Dr. Johannes Messinger from <a href="http://www.umu.se/english">Umea University</a> in Sweden, the scientists used experimental molecular studies to produce high-resolution images of photosystem II, a protein complex in the light-dependent reactions of the process of photosynthesis.

The images will allow researchers to take a close look at the step-by-step conversion of two water molecules into one oxygen molecule that takes place during this part of photosynthesis, Messinger said.

Plants play a large role in mitigating the effects of climate change, according to the researchers. In addition to absorbing atmospheric carbon from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, plants also convert water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen.

If humans can learn how plants split water molecules, they can do the same, providing more oxygen in the atmosphere and hydrogen as a cleaner source of energy than carbon-based fuels, Messinger said.

The visualization of the plants’ process was created with the help of the X-ray free electron laser at Stanford University’s <a href="https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/">SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory</a>.

The team grew microcrystals of the photosystem II protein, then placed them on a conveyor belt. The laser was used to stimulate the crystals similar to sunlight and jumpstart the water splitting process. 

The crystals were then hit with superfast X-ray pulses to visualize them. The study describes how the scientists were able to use the data gathered during this experiment to produce high-resolution images showing the structural differences in the photosystem II protein at different stages of the water splitting process.

Messinger has since joined the Molecular Biometrics Programme at <a href="https://www.uu.se/en/">Uppsala University</a>.

—

Researchers on verge of solving how plants make oxygen

Scientists can now get a very close look at how...

Climate change to set new highs in US weather records.

Love those hot August nights? You may be getting more of them if increasing heat records are any indication, according to a new study led by Dr. Gerald Meehl of the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a>.

Daily temperature records were a little lopsided in the United States in the first decade of the 21st century  – about twice as many heat records were set as cold milestones, the researchers found.

Under normal weather conditions, the country should see about the same number of heat records and cold records averaged over a decade, the scientists said. However, the number of heat records has been steadily outpacing the number of cold records, and it’s getting worse fast, <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/11/15/1606117113.abstract">the study stated</a>. 

The scientists used their data, collected from weather stations around the country from the 1930s through the modern day, to project what the weather could look like in 2100, and got a shock. If hot weather continues to set new records at current rates, the U.S. could be seeing 15 heat records for every 1 cold record if the average temperature of the country rises just 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit, the scientists said.

The researchers tied their findings to warming temperatures around the globe. Meehl said that a 4.5-degree hike in temperatures could come after only 50 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate.

The scientists pointed out that many of the heat records being broken were set in the “warm” 1930s, when drought in the Midwest caused a devastating Dust Bowl that caused enormous damage to the U.S. economy. During that time, there was 1.1 heat record set for every cold record, the researchers said.

Monitoring shifts in temperatures from decade to decade is vital because most temperature changes are gradual and people only notice the weather extremes, the team said. Keeping an eye on records can point to a shift before those extremes begin, they said.

The study was published in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

&nbsp;

Hot hot heat: study predicts climate change will set more U.S. heat records

Climate change to set new highs in US weather records....

If climate change alters winter weather conditions in western Europe, deep sea coral in the North Atlantic could suffer, according to <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/11/160494">a new study</a> by researchers at the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/">University of Edinburgh</a>. 

The scientists studied a specific species of deep water coral called Lophelia pertusa, which depends on current patterns to spread coral larvae from one site to another. The coral grows in a number of Marine Protected Areas as well as on seamounts and several oil and gas platforms in the North Atlantic off the coast of Scotland.

The research team found that the coral larvae are dependent on the North Atlantic Oscillation, an annual weather pattern. According to the <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/teleconnections/nao/">U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a>, changes in the NAO can lead to abnormal temperatures, pressure systems and storm patterns.

And according to the University of Edinburgh team, changes in the NAO can also send coral larvae drifting away toward areas they don’t normally end up – such as mid-Atlantic coral populations during a negative phase of the NAO, for example. 

The problem is when this disrupts connections between various coral populations. The reefs depend on exchanging coral larvae to build stronger structures, the research team said. Reefs that become isolated due to shifting ocean currents are at higher risk to diseases and damage, said study co-author Dr. Alan Fox of the university’s School of GeoSciences.

The Marine Protected Areas being established internationally are not well-connected with each other, the researchers found – especially when changes to the NAO are taken into account.

The scientists used data from a number of protected sites in Scotland’s waters and computer modeling to track the dispersal of coral larvae in 40-year runs. 

The coral reefs provide habitat for a number of marine species to safely reproduce and hide from deep sea predators, the researchers noted. 

The study was published in the November issue of <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Royal Society Open Science</a>.

Deep sea coral in North Atlantic faces threat from climate change

If climate change alters winter weather conditions in western Europe,...

Cement found to absorb CO2 emissions from the atmosphere

In recent years, cement manufacturing has come under fire by environmentalists due to the high levels of carbon dioxide realized in the process. But a new study indicates that over time, most of the carbon dioxide emitted gets absorbed by building materials. 

A team led by Steven Davis, associate professor of Earth system science at the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a>, Irvine, published a study in Nature Geoscience, reporting that cement can be an effective “sink” for carbon dioxide emissions. “Sink” is a term often used to refer to anything that removes large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and hides it away so that it can no longer contribute to climate change.

According to Davis, “it sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. The cement poured around the world since 1930 has taken up a substantial portion of the CO2 released when it was initially produced.”

David and his team, that included colleagues from Europe, China, and other U.S. institutions, measured the CO2 emissions released during manufacturing and compared them to the amount of CO2 ultimately reabsorbed by the material. They determined that “cement is a large, overlooked and growing net sink” for CO2 emissions.

During cement manufacturing, CO2 is released into the atmosphere when limestone (calcium carbonate) is converted to lime (calcium oxide). Fossil fuels are also burned to generate the heat required to break up limestone.But through a process known as carbonation, CO2 is absorbed the pores of cement materials like concrete. 

It is estimated that over 76 billion tons of cement were produced worldwide from 1930 to 2013, releasing a total of 38.2 gigatons of CO2 were released into the atmosphere. However, the team concluded that 43% of those emissions were gradually reabsorbed.

According to Davis, “cement has gotten a lot of attention for its sizable contribution to global climate change, but this research reinforces that the leading culprit continues to be fossil fuel burning.”

Cement absorbs CO2 emissions from the atmosphere

Cement found to absorb CO2 emissions from the atmosphere In...

According to climate scientists, if greenhouse gas emissions continue polluting the atmosphere at the current pace, Americans later this century will have to endure, on average, about 15 daily record high temperatures for every time that the mercury notches a record low.

That ratio of record high temperatures to record lows may turn out to be much higher if the pace of emissions increases and produces even more warming, according to the study led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

"More and more frequently, climate change will affect Americans with record-setting heat," said NCAR senior scientist Gerald Meehl, lead author of the new paper. "An increase in average temperatures of a few degrees may not seem like much, but it correlates with a noticeable increase in days that are hotter than any in the record, and nights that will remain warmer than we've ever experienced in the past."

The 15-to-1 ratio of record highs to lows is based on temperatures across the continental United States increasing by slightly more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) above recent years, which is about the amount of warming expected to occur with the current pace of greenhouse gas emissions.

Over the last decade, in contrast, the ratio of record high temperatures to record lows has averaged about two to one.

The new research appears next week in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." It was funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is NCAR's sponsor. The study was co-authored by NCAR scientist Claudia Tebaldi and by Dennis Adams-Smith, a scientist previously at Climate Central and now at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

Hotter days

In a 2009 study, Meehl and colleagues found that the ratio of record daily high temperatures to record daily low temperatures has steadily increased since the 1970s as average temperatures over the United States have warmed. Computer models at that time indicated that the ratio could continue to increase during this century, although the research team looked into just one scenario of future emissions. The scientists also found that the models were overstating the ratio of record highs to record lows in recent years compared to observations.

By digging further into the issue and analyzing why the models differed from observations, Meehl and his co-authors have now produced a better calibrated projection of future record-breaking daily highs across the U.S. They based their projections on the average temperature increase over the continental United States, rather than on a particular scenario of future emissions.

By about 2065, for example, U.S. temperatures will rise by an average of slightly more than 3 degrees C (5.4 degrees F) if society maintains a "business as usual" increase in the emission of greenhouse gases. Under such a scenario, the ratio of record daily high temperatures to record daily lows will likely be about 15 to 1, although it could range anywhere from 7 to 1 up to 22 to 1, the study found.

If temperatures increase even more this century, the ratio of record highs to record lows will jump substantially. For example, if temperatures climb more than 4 degrees C (7.2 degrees F), Americans could experience about 38 record highs for every record low. Such an outcome could occur if society does not make any efforts to mitigate the production of greenhouse gases.

"Every degree of warming makes a substantial amount of difference, with the ratio of record highs to record lows becoming much greater," Meehl said. "Even with much warmer temperatures on average, we will still have winter and we will still get record cold temperatures, but the numbers of those will be really small compared to record high maximums."

If temperatures were not warming, Meehl said, the ratio of record highs to record lows would average out to about one to one.

Instead, record high temperatures have already become a common occurrence in much of the country. The ratio of record highs to lows has averaged about 2 to 1 over the first decade of the 21st century, but there is considerable year-to-year variation. The ratio was about 5 to 1 in 2012, dropping to about 1 to 1 in 2013 and 2014, then almost 3 to 1 in 2015. The unusual warmth of 2016, resulting from both climate change and natural patterns such as El Niño, has led to 24,519 record daily maximums vs. 3,970 record daily minimums -- a ratio of about 6 to 1.

Precipitation and the warm 1930s

A key part of the study involved pinpointing why the models in the 2009 study were simulating somewhat more daily record high maximum temperatures compared with recent observations, while there was good agreement between the models and the observed decreases in record low minimums. The authors focused on two sets of simulations conducted on the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model (version 4), which is funded by DOE and NSF and developed by climate scientists across the country.

Their analysis uncovered two reasons for the disparity between the computer models and observations.

First, the models tended to underestimate precipitation. Because the air is cooled by precipitation and resulting evapotranspiration -- the release of moisture from the land and plants back to the atmosphere -- the tendency of the computer models to create an overly dry environment led to more record high temperatures.

Second, the original study in 2009 only went back to the 1950s. For the new study, the research team also analyzed temperatures in the 1930s and 1940s, which is as far back as accurate recordkeeping will allow. Because the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s were unusually warm, with many record-setting high temperatures, the scientists found that it was more difficult in subsequent years to break those records even as temperatures warmed. However, even taking the warm 1930s into account, the model-simulated and observed ratio of record highs to record lows has been increasing.

"The steady increase in the record ratio is an immediate and stark reminder of how our temperatures have been shifting and continue to do so, reaching unprecedented highs and fewer record lows," said Tebaldi. "These changes pose adaptation challenges to both human and natural systems. Only a substantial mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions may stop this increase, or at least slow down its pace."

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.colorado.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Colorado, Boulder</a>

Record high temperatures will soon outnumber record low temperatures 15 to 1

According to climate scientists, if greenhouse gas emissions continue polluting...

Gina McCarthy, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, insists that President-elect Donald Trump will not derail the progress made by the United States in fighting climate change and creating clean energy jobs, arguing "the inevitability of our clean energy future is bigger than any one person or nation."

McCarthy said the world is "in a spectacularly different place today than we were when President (Barack) Obama took office," citing new environmental rules and actions to help create thousands of jobs in clean energy such as wind and solar power.

Eight years ago, "developing countries pointed a finger at us" over U.S. refusal to act against climate change, McCarthy said.

Now, other countries "are wondering if the U.S. will turn its back on science and be left behind," she said. "That is the choice we face."

McCarthy did not mention Trump by name. The Republican has called climate change a hoax and has vowed to undo many of Obama's environmental policies.

McCarthy said that would be a mistake, calling climate change the biggest threat to U.S. and global prosperity.

"The train to a global clean energy future has already left the station," she said. "We can choose to get on board - to lead - or we can choose to be left behind, to stand stubbornly still. If we stubbornly deny the science and change around us, we will fall victim to our own paralysis."

While she is proud of the Clean Power Plan imposed by Obama to cut carbon pollution form coal-fired power plants, McCarthy said those who claim the plan is the driving force behind a U.S. transition to clean-energy jobs "give us too much credit."

The plan was "designed to follow the clean-energy transition already under way," she said, citing huge increases in wind and solar power in recent years. According to the Department of Energy, there are now more than three solar power jobs in the U.S. for every job mining coal.

Twenty-four states had lower greenhouse gas emissions in 2015 than in their annual goals for 2022 under the Clean Power Plan, including states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Dakota, McCarthy said.

McCarthy also hailed a clean water rule imposed by Obama and measures to reduce smog and mercury emissions from industrial sources. All have been targeted by Trump and congressional Republicans, but McCarthy said she is confident they will withstand legal challenges planned or underway.

"I am very confident in the work we've done. EPA has done its job well," McCarthy said.

Nick Loris, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said Obama's legacy on global warming and other environmental regulations was nothing to brag about.

From the 2015 Paris climate agreement to the Clean Power Plan to new rules limiting oil and gas drilling, Obama has "levied bundles of new regulations on businesses and the American people - killing jobs, raising energy prices and having nearly zero impact on global temperatures," Loris said.

----

&nbsp;

Source: Associated Press

EPA chief: Trump will not derail clean energy and climate change progress

Gina McCarthy, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, insists...

Ocean acidification could drive a huge loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats, according to new research published in Nature Climate Change.

The work by biodiversity researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and colleagues in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and China, combines dozens of existing studies to paint a more nuanced picture of the impact of ocean acidification.

While most research in the field focuses on the impact of ocean acidification on individual species, the new work predicts how acidification will affect the living habitats, such as corals, seagrasses, and kelp forests, that form the homes of other ocean species.

"Not too surprisingly, species diversity in calcium carbonate-based habitats like coral reefs and mussel beds were projected to decline with increased ocean acidification," said UBC zoologist and biodiversity researcher Jennifer Sunday, who led the study. Species that use calcium carbonate to build their shells and skeletons, like mussels and corals, are expected to be particularly vulnerable to acidification.

"The more complex responses are those of seagrass beds that are vital to many fisheries species. These showed the potential to increase the number of species they can support, but the real-world evidence so far shows that they're not reaching this potential. This highlights a need to focus not only on individual species, but on how the supportive habitat that sets nature's stage responds and interacts to climate change."

The researchers combined data and observations from 10 field studies that measured the impact of underwater volcanic vents, which release carbon dioxide and mimic the conditions of future ocean acidification, on the density of habitat-forming species. They combined that data with 15 studies looking at how changes in habitat typically impact local species to make their predictions.

"We've known for a while that there will be big losers and some winners with climate change," said UBC marine ecologist Christopher Harley, senior author on the paper.

"We don't have time to measure the impact of climate change on each individual species, but using this approach allows us to make reasonable predictions. Now we have a much clearer picture of how some losers can drag biodiversity down with them, and how some other species might be able to help their habitat mediate a response to acidification.

"For example, in the Pacific Northwest, the number of medium to large-sized edible saltwater mussels is likely to decrease as the chemistry of our oceans changes, and this is bad news for the hundreds of species that use them for habitat," added Harley.

The researchers focused their study on the impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs, mussel beds, kelp forests, and seagrass meadows that form the homes of thousands of marine species. They used observations of altered habitats around the world to project how changes in these habitats brought on by ocean acidification will impact the number of species that each habitat can support.

The researchers were able to test their predictions against real-world data from two sites: a coral reef near Papua New Guinea, and a group of seagrass beds in the Mediterranean. In the case of the coral reef, the diversity and complexity of marine life in the area decreased as acidification increased. Despite predictions that the seagrass beds would fare well under increased levels of carbon dioxide, no increases in biodiversity was observed.

Because there are so few test sites to use to directly test the model, the authors want to expand on the approach.

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of British Columbia</a>

Study predicts how ocean acidification will impact species

Ocean acidification could drive a huge loss of biodiversity in some...

Most of the meltwater in Greenland's fjords comes from icebergs, not glaciers. Greenland icebergs lose up to half of their volume as they move through the narrow inlets, according to new research.

Greenland, the world's largest island, is almost entirely covered by a permanent ice sheet that has been shrinking and melting as global warming increases temperatures. In fjords, narrow inlets where glaciers meet the sea, ice breaks off from glaciers to form dense packs of icebergs.

The new study finds 10 to 50 percent of iceberg melting happens in the fjords, not in the open ocean as assumed by previous research. As a result, more than half of all meltwater entering Greenland's glacial fjords can come from these dense packs of icebergs, outweighing the amount of freshwater coming from the island's glaciers, according to the new study.

"We should now be able to better measure the freshwater fluxes that are coming off of Greenland," said Ellyn Enderlin, a glaciologist at the University of Maine in Orono, and lead author of the new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. "That could be really important when we're thinking about how Greenland melts, how that influences ocean circulation and climate."

The new study could help scientists better understand what happens at the ice-ocean interface where glaciers meet the water, according to Jason Amundson, a geophysicist at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, who was not involved in the new study.

"The reason that's interesting is that there's been quite a few studies in the past 20 years that have shown that the stability of ... glaciers depends on what happens at the ice-ocean interface," he said.

Melting point

The Greenland Ice Sheet releases more than 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of meltwater per year, according to the authors. Previous research found half of this meltwater comes from icebergs and half comes from glaciers, but the amount icebergs melted in fjords before they reached the ocean remained a mystery.

In the new study, Enderlin and her colleagues used satellite images of two Greenland fjords to calculate the total volume of icebergs within them. Tracking the icebergs over the course of days, weeks and months allowed the researchers to calculate how much volume the icebergs lost through melting before they reached the ocean.

The researchers determined that from October to April, melting icebergs dominate the freshwater flux into the fjords losing up to half of their volume -- glaciers barely melt during the cold winter months. At their peak, these dense packs of icebergs melted at a rate of around 1,000 cubic meters per second (260,000 gallons per second), the equivalent of filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool every two and a half seconds. Even during the warm summer months, underwater glacier melting only occurs at a maximum rate of 400 cubic meters per second (about 100,000 gallons per second).

Icebergs are tiny in size compared to glaciers, but they contribute such a large fraction of meltwater to fjords because their large surface area allows them to melt more quickly, according to Enderlin.

"If you took an ice cube and put it in your drink, one solid ice cube would melt pretty slowly, but if you took it out, hit it with a hammer and put it back in, it would melt a lot faster," she said.

Enderlin and her team also used satellite images to estimate the iceberg distribution in the two fjords, which they used to calculate the icebergs' total underwater surface area. Multiplying the melting rate by the total underwater surface area, Enderlin and her colleagues found more meltwater in the fjords was coming from icebergs than from glaciers throughout most of the year.

"What I see now is that iceberg melting is huge, and so if you don't take that into account you're going to come up with some crazy high estimates for glacier melting that might not be representative," Enderlin said.

Melting icebergs in the fjords create a layer of cold freshwater near glaciers. This freshwater can affect water circulation in the fjords, which can affect how glaciers melt and recede, Enderlin said.

Ocean circulation patterns could also be disrupted depending on where the icebergs melt and release their freshwater, according to Enderlin. Ocean circulation is a major driver of heat movement from the tropics to the poles, and disruptions to it could cause chaotic and unpredictable changes to weather and climate, she said.

Enderlin hopes to expand her studies on iceberg meltwater flux to other areas, like Antarctica. She said she will continue the work she started with Gordon Hamilton, who was a glaciologist at the University of Maine in Orono, and a co-author of new study. Hamilton died in October while doing research in Antarctica.

"I would say that really this was sort of our joint brainchild," Enderlin said. "I bounced lots of ideas off of him ... He was really instrumental to [the research] and it was sad that he couldn't see it come to be finally."

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.agu.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Geophysical Union</a>

Most of the meltwater in Greenland fjords comes from icebergs

Most of the meltwater in Greenland's fjords comes from icebergs,...

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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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

[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...