Antarctica’s winter sea ice usually forms a bright lid over millions of square miles. So when a massive, black patch was spotted by NASA scientists for the first time, satellite operators were taken aback, to say the least.



Then roughly a year later, the situation got even stranger. The gap, called a polynya, swelled to the size of Switzerland and stayed open for weeks.



Only after it refroze did researchers start piecing together how such an enormous opening in the ice could appear hundreds of miles from the nearest shoreline - right above a submerged plateau named Maud Rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-polynyas-the-basics">Understanding polynyas - the basics</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Southern Ocean</a> is normally a layer cake. A thin cap of cold, relatively fresh water floats over saltier, warmer layers, and that slight density difference keeps the column from churning. 



A mid‑ocean polynya needs the cake to collapse. Salt must slip into the surface, make the top layer heavier, and flip the stack. 



Once that happens, convection kicks in, the lid fractures, heat pours skyward, and the ocean “breathes” gases.



Coastal versions manage something similar each year because fierce winds shove ice away from land. Out on the high seas, though, the phenomenon is much less common.



<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Rise" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maud Rise</a>, a 4,600‑foot‑tall seamount, may provide the missing ingredient by diverting currents and trapping water in tight spirals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stubborn-patch-over-maud-rise">Stubborn patch over Maud Rise</h2>



History backs that hunch. Between 1974 and 1976, a much larger hole lingered over Maud Rise each winter. 



The Maud Rise polynya was discovered in the 1970s, when remote‑sensing satellites capable of observing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-antarctic-sea-ice-loss-is-causing-severe-storms-around-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea ice</a> over the Southern Ocean were first launched. 



It persisted through consecutive winters from 1974 to 1976, and oceanographers at the time assumed it would become an annual occurrence. But since the 1970s, it has occurred only sporadically and for brief intervals.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/antarctica_sea-ice-hole_Maud-Rise-polynya_switzerland-size_blue-ice_credit-NASA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/antarctica_sea-ice-hole_Maud-Rise-polynya_switzerland-size_blue-ice_credit-NASA_1s.webp" alt="An arial view of the Maud Rise polynya. Scientists were baffled as to how this formed but now have an explanation. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory" class="wp-image-1966649" style="width:300px;height:auto"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An arial view of the Maud Rise polynya. Scientists were baffled as to how this formed but now have an explanation. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory</figcaption></figure>



“2017 was the first time that we've had such a large and long‑lived polynya in the Weddell Sea since the 1970s,” said Aditya Narayanan of the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a>, lead author of the study in Science Advances. 



He joined colleagues to probe the comeback with robotic floats, tagged elephant seals, and a high‑resolution <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrinking-sea-ice-what-record-lows-tell-us-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean model</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-salt-storms-and-a-hidden-conveyor">Salt, storms, and a hidden conveyor</h2>



During those winters, the clockwise Weddell Gyre sped up. That spin drew a deep layer of warm, salty water nearer the surface, softening ice from below. Yet the meltwater should have freshened the lid and shut down mixing.



"This upwelling helps to explain how the sea ice might melt. But as sea ice melts this leads to a freshening of the surface water, which should in turn put a stop to the mixing," explained Fabien Roquet, a Professor in Physical Oceanography at the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Gothenburg</a> and co-author of the research. 



"So, another process must be happening for the polynya to persist. There must be an additional input of salt from somewhere."



Roaring extratropical storms supplied part of that punch. Their swirling winds flung sea ice outward and dragged briny water toward Maud Rise. 



Atmospheric rivers - plumes of moist air stretching a thousand miles - added warmth from above, helping strip away stratification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ekman-transport-as-the-missing-shove">"Ekman transport" as the missing shove</h2>



A final push came from physics first described a century ago. When wind blows across the ocean, Earth’s rotation deflects the surface flow roughly 90 degrees, a process called <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_currents/04currents4.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ekman transport</a>. 



The model showed this flow steering salt‑laden water onto the northern flank of Maud Rise, exactly where the 2017 hole opened. 



“Ekman transport was the essential missing ingredient that was necessary to increase the balance of salt and sustain the mixing of salt and heat towards the surface water,” said co‑author Alberto Naveira Garabato, also from the University of Southampton.



The storms didn’t just move ice; they herded the right water into the right spot, letting convection roar. By late September, the opening had vented more than twenty times the heat that normally seeps through unbroken ice before finally freezing again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polynyas-have-a-global-impact">Polynyas have a global impact</h2>



A hole in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/southern-ocean-absorbs-more-co2-than-previously-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern Ocean</a> sea ice may look local, yet its fingerprints show up far away. 



“The imprint of polynyas can remain in the water for multiple years after they've formed," noted Professor Sarah Gille from University of California San Diego (<a href="https://www.ucsd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCSD</a>), another co-author of the research



"They can change how water moves around and how currents carry heat toward the continent. The dense waters that form here can spread across the global ocean.” 



Deep convection hauls carbon‑rich water upward, where it can release CO₂, and sends newly formed, oxygen‑rich brine sliding along the seafloor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



That heavy brine eventually feeds the global conveyor belt of currents that helps regulate climate. Because the Maud&nbsp;Rise mechanism hinges on a stronger gyre and stormier skies, its future frequency could ride on winds already shifting as the planet warms.



“For the first time since observations began in the 1970s, there's a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-low-antarctic-sea-ice-and-rapid-melting-pace-stuns-climate-scientists/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negative trend in sea ice</a> in the Southern Ocean, which began around 2016. Before then, it had remained somewhat stable," Professor Gille concluded.



The same rise of warm, salty water that primed the 2017 hole now seems to be thinning ice across Antarctica’s fringe.



Scientists will watch the next few winters closely. Whether the polynya returns or not, its story shows that the frozen edge of the world can still spring surprises - and that what happens far south seldom stays there, for the wider planet.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj0777" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



-----



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Massive hole the size of Switzerland appeared in the Antarctica sea ice, now we know why

Antarctica’s winter sea ice usually forms a bright lid over millions of square miles. So when a massive, black patch was spotted by NASA scientists for the first time, satellite operators were taken aback, to say the least. Then roughly a year later, the situation got even stranger. The gap, called a polynya, swelled to the size of Switzerland and stayed open for weeks. Only after it refroze did researchers start piecing together how such an enormous opening in the ice could appear hundreds of miles from...

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-nations-bans-trade-of-african-grey-parrots/">United Nations</a> has appointed a Mexican diplomat as the top U.N. official leading the fight against global warming.
Patricia Espinosa said in a statement Thursday that she is "grateful and honored" to be named executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The appointment was announced by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The 57-year-old Espinosa is Mexico's ambassador to Germany so she won't have to move far - the U.N.'s climate secretariat is in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.
She will succeed Costa Rican Christiana Figueres who is stepping down in July after six years as the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=un&amp;cvid=999bb9b80a4540539b4c60532eed7175&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">U.N.'s</a> climate boss.UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief
Espinosa's main task will be to ensure that countries implement a landmark agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, reached in Paris in December.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (born October 21, 1958) is a Mexican politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She was Mexican Ambassador to <a title="Austria" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria">Austria</a>, <a title="Germany" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany">Germany</a>, <a title="Slovenia" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia">Slovenia</a> and Slovakia and served as <a title="Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Mexico)">Secretary of Foreign Affairs</a> in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón.

She graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Relations from <a title="El Colegio de México" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Colegio_de_M%C3%A9xico">El Colegio de México</a> and earned a diploma in International Law at the <a title="Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Institute_of_International_and_Development_Studies">Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies</a> in <a title="Switzerland" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland">Switzerland</a>. She is married and has two children

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief. The United...

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest. It's that time of year in the Southwest - and as far as Alaska - when dust storms take shape, raising health and safety risks as plumes of dirt take to the sky.
A dry winter means the Southwest is seeing a greater number of dust storms. Experts say the infamous haboobs, as they're known in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/phoenix-heavy-air-pollution/">Phoenix</a> area, will likely be active this summer when monsoon season begins. Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest
In southern Arizona, a series of dust blasts on Interstate 10 near the New Mexico border have shut down the highway at least seven times in the past few weeks, sending drivers on a 60-mile detour. The dust is coming from a farm near San Simon, Arizona, that was readied for planting but never seeded, leaving loose soil that is easily picked up by winds.
That's caused zero-visibility storms that resulted in car accidents. Arizona State troopers now preemptively close the highway every time a storm approaches in an effort to keep drivers safe.
State officials say they're seeking fines against the farm's owner because he hasn't cooperated fast enough. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has watered the land to the tune of $20,000 a day for several days and is now using a biodegradable liquid designed to control dust erosion. The state plans to bill the landowner.
"Things can turn very quickly. And you're seeing that all over that place right now, but in other areas in Colorado, parts of Oklahoma," said Dave DuBois, climatologist at New Mexico State University.
DuBois said environmental conditions like drought, along with land use practices, affect how dusty the air will be. This calendar year has been particularly dry in the Southwest, which increases the risk of blowing dust.
"It's amazing to see the same issues whenever there's a dry spell combined with a land use practice of disturbing the soil. I mean it could be in Idaho, it could be Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas."
Scientists have also kept track of dust storms in more remote places like Alaska, where webcam images show cloud-like plumes of dirt circling near the upper Copper River in southeastern Alaska.
University of Arizona meteorologist Mike Leuthold says predicting dust storms is difficult because they form quickly.
Leuthold also specializes in forecasting haboobs in the Phoenix area. This year could see the giant walls of dust that roll in with thunderstorms more active because of the dry winter, Leuthold said.
In southern Arizona, the dust storms on I-10 have posed risks to both health and public safety, authorities say.
"To us it comes down to if we have to add 50 miles onto someone's trip to avoid any fatality or serious injury, we're just going to do it. We're just going to close the highway for the safety of everyone," Kameron Lee, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said.
Lee said authorities don't take the decision to shut down the highway lightly. Closures have economic repercussions, especially for commercial drivers who regularly use I-10.
Dust also poses health hazards to people with breathing or lung disorders.
Caroline Oppleman, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said the department at first thought the landowner was cooperating but realized he isn't acting fast enough. The Associated Press made several attempts via email and phone to contact the landowner, identified as David Turner by the department.
The department will seek fines of up to $10,000 a day against Turner, Oppleman said.
"In our opinion, he's not really moving with the urgency and quickness in the response that we would expect. We have to take whatever steps we need to take to mitigate that dust," she said.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest. It's...

New water conservation plan in California. Officials with water districts throughout drought-stricken California said Wednesday they support a proposed move to put the agencies in control of water conservation after a wet winter eased conditions in some parts of the state.
A proposal being considered by the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento would allow local districts to compare their water supplies and demand then set savings goals into January.
Shannon Catullo of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-water-conservation-plan-in-california/">South Tahoe</a> Public Utility District and other officials told the board they favor the plan. New water conservation plan in California
At her home in Irvine, Lee Nguyen says she's done her part to save water and supports local control over conservation efforts.
"I wash my veggies and I save water," she said, explaining that she uses it on her plants. "I save water for myself, for all of us, and for the environment."
Her supplier, the Irvine Ranch Water District in Orange County, led the push for a regional approach. Fiona Sanchez, director of water resources for the district, said she is confident that districts statewide will carefully study their supply and demand ratio.
"If agencies are not taking it seriously, it will be very evident they can't meet their customers' demands," she said.
If the change is made, some districts might set strict conservation goals for residents and businesses, while others could determine it is time to lift conservation mandates altogether.
California is in its fifth year of drought. Regulators are considering the new approach after El Nino storms delivered nearly average amounts of rain and snow this winter in Northern California, filling key reservoirs.
Southern California, however, remains deep in drought.
Bans on wasting water by washing sidewalks with a hose or cars without a shut-off nozzle would become permanent under the proposed regulation.
Max Gomberg, a senior climate scientist for the state water board, said Californians understand the drought remains critical. He doesn't expect people to suddenly begin wasting water with any changes.
"Californians have shown that when there's a serious drought and a need to conserve, people step up and pitch in," he said.
The new approach would be welcomed by Southern California landscaper Greg Gritters, who says local water officials are best suited to manage their supplies.
His clients have had to choose between keeping their lawns green at the expense of huge water bills or turn down their sprinklers and watch their yard turn brown.
"Either way they're unhappy," said Gritters, owner of Vintage Landscape in Coachella Valley.
-----
Taxin reported from Irvine, California.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

New water conservation plan in California

New water conservation plan in California. Officials with water districts...

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines. The growing number of coal industry bankruptcies make it increasingly likely taxpayers will get stuck with the huge environmental costs of abandoned mines.
Analysts say it's only a matter of when, where and how many more coal mines will close. Concerns are growing bankrupt coal companies can't meet their cleanup and reclamation obligations. Coal industry <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coal-industry-bankruptcies-creating-more-abandoned-mines/">bankruptcies</a> creating more abandoned mines
State and federal regulators for years have allowed coal companies to promise to clean up mines instead of setting aside money to do so. The practice is called <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=self+bonding&amp;cvid=432ae3c669a64602b99b20794ef33280&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">self-bonding</a>.
The Associated Press has counted up more than $3.3 billion in coal self-bonding obligations in nine top coal-mining states. That includes $2.3 billion in self-bonding by the three biggest coal companies in Chapter 11: Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy., rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Coal is primarily used as a fuel. While coal has been known and used for thousands of years, its usage was limited prior to the <a title="Industrial Revolution" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution">Industrial Revolution</a>. With the invention of the steam engine coal consumption increased. As of 2016, coal remains an important fuel as it supplied about a quarter of the world's <a title="Primary energy" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_energy">primary energy</a> and two-fifths of <a title="Electricity generation" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_generation">electricity</a>. Some <a title="Iron" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron">iron</a> and <a title="Steel" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel">steel</a> making and other industrial processes burn coal.

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines. The growing number...

La Niña is coming!. One of the strongest El Niños on record has been dominating the tropical Pacific Ocean for the past year. But beneath the surface, a deep pool of cool water has been sliding slowly eastward for the past couple of months. This massive, slow-motion wave is a favorable sign that La Niña—the cool phase of the ENSO climate pattern—might develop.

This animated gif shows where temperatures in the top 300 meters (~1,000 feet) of the Pacific Ocean at the equator were warmer or cooler than average during 5-day periods centered on three dates this spring: March 14, April 13, and May 3.

As the weeks pass, the layer of warm water at the surface contracts to the central Pacific and becomes very shallow, a sign that the current El Niño is on its way out. By the final frame of the animation, the cold pool is just breaching the surface of the eastern Pacific off South America. (You can see these cool-water breakthroughs in our map of April 2016 surface temperatures.)

ENSO (which scientists pronounce “en-so,” like a word) is short for El Niño-Southern Oscillation. ENSO is a natural climate pattern in which the central-eastern tropical Pacific swings back and forth between a warm and rainy state (El Niño) and a cooler and drier state (La Niña).

ENSO’s impacts on wind, air pressure, and rain throughout the tropics can have cascading side effects around the whole globe, including shifting the location of the mid-latitude jet streams that guide storms towards the United States. El Niño and La Niña also tend to have seesawing impacts on the Atlantic and eastern Pacific hurricane seasons.

The influence of ENSO on temperature and precipitation in the United States is weakest in summer and strongest in winter. Last week, NOAA continued the previous month’s La Niña watch, indicating that conditions were favorable for La Niña to develop by fall. Read more about it on our ENSO blog.

---

<a href="http://www.noaa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NOAA</a>

La Niña is coming!

La Niña is coming!. One of the strongest El Niños...

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas? Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas?. Many factors related to warming will conspire to raise the planet's oceans over coming decades -- thermal expansion of the world's oceans, melting of snow and ice worldwide, and the collapse of massive ice sheets.
<div>

But there are a few potential brakes. One was supposed to be heavier snow in Antarctica. Warmer air will hold more moisture and thus generate more snow to fall inland and slightly rebuild the glacier, according to climate model projections.

Not so fast, says a University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/mount-rainier-in-washington/">Washington</a> study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The authors looked at evidence from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core to get a first clear look at how the continent's snowfall has varied over 31,000 years.

"It's allowed us to look at the snow accumulation back in time in much more detail than we've been able to do with any other deep ice core in Antarctica," said lead author T.J. Fudge, a UW postdoctoral researcher in Earth and space sciences. "We show that warmer temperatures and snowfall sometimes go together, but often they don't."

For example, the record includes periods before 8,000 years ago, as Earth was coming out of its last ice age, when the air temperature went up by several degrees without any boost in the amount of snowfall.

"Our results make it clear that we cannot have confidence in projections of future snowfall over Antarctica under global warming," said co-author Eric Steig, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences.

The plateau of East Antarctica, the site of most previous ice cores, is relatively high and dry. About 80 percent of the continent's precipitation falls on the lower, stormier edges, like where this core was drilled in 2006-2011. (To prepare scientists for conditions during a West Antarctic snowstorm, Fudge notes, researchers had to practice navigating outside with a bucket over their heads.) The 2.1-mile, or 3.5-kilometer, ice core preserves climate history in enough detail to show individual snow years.

Many climate models predict that warming temperatures will mean more snow in Antarctica in the future. When more snow falls inland at the upper edge of the flowing ice sheet, it counteracts mass lost to melting or calving at the edges. This extra snowfall would reverse 2 to 4 centimeters, or about 1 inch, of global sea-level rise by 2100, researchers said.

"It's not a huge component," Fudge acknowledges, "but if you live close to sea level, centimeters certainly matter."

The new study, however, shows that temperature is an unreliable predictor of Antarctic snowfall.

"Depending on what part of the record you look at, you can draw different conclusions," Fudge said. "During some of the more abrupt climate changes, from when we had ice sheets to our current climate state, there's actually no relationship between temperature and snowfall."

The large variation seen in the historical record probably reflects shifts in atmospheric patterns and how storm tracks reach Antarctica, Fudge said. Research is increasingly showing that winds play a big role in Antarctic temperature, sea ice and weather patterns, especially on shorter timescales, and that the gale-force winds that whip around the continent are connected to weather patterns in the tropics.

"For sea-level rise, we're not really interested in what happens over thousands of years," Fudge said. "We're interested in what happens over the next few hundred years. At that shorter timescale, the variability in how the storms reach the continent matters much more than a few degrees of warming."

The snowfall record may help to understand how winds affect Antarctic weather, and how atmospheric connections with the tropics influence the amount of relatively warm ocean water that laps at the frozen continent's edge.

"By getting models to better capture the variability in our snowfall record, we actually will get a better idea of how the warm ocean is going to interact with the ice sheets at the edge, and those will have an even bigger impact on sea level, eventually," Fudge said.
###
The study, published online April 28, 2016 was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. Other co-authors are UW doctoral student Bradley Markle; UW faculty members Edwin Waddington, Howard Conway and Michelle Koutnik; Kurt Cuffrey at the University of California, Berkeley; Christo Buizert at Oregon State University; and Kendrick Taylor at Nevada's Desert Research Institute.

For more information:

Fudge
<a href="mailto:tjfudge@uw.edu">tjfudge@uw.edu</a>
650-743-5227

Steig
<a href="mailto:steig@uw.edu">steig@uw.edu</a>
206-685-3715

</div>

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas?

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas? Will more...

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals. The biggest decision many children have regarding their diets may be deciding whether to have fries with a fast-food burger. However, a new educational software application under development at the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/asian-tiger-mosquito-has-established-itself-in-illinois/">Illinois</a> is introducing middle school students to the topic of climate change and eco-friendly meals, showing them how their dietary choices affect the planet.
<div>

The Food for Thought app displays a dinner plate that students fill by touching the computer screen and dragging their food selections onto the plate. As students create a meal, the app graphically tallies the nutritional data and carbon footprint associated with each food item and with the overall meal, such as the amount of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=calories&amp;cvid=84f9d6b1831f4c9199df2a64ffb77643&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">calories</a> in a salad and the amount of water that would be used in growing the lettuce.

"There are two learning goals here: Make kids aware of the causes and impacts of climate change, and help them become data literate -- that is, knowledgeable consumers of the media," said curriculum and instruction professor Emma Mercier.

Mercier's research team videotaped groups of students from University Laboratory High School in Urbana, Illinois, as they explored climate change issues at the local and global levels. The students examined various graphs, representations and images that were provided via traditional learning materials and on 27-inch multitouch screens, while the researchers observed the amount of support that students needed to interpret the data and how they used the information.

The capstone activity of the nine-day curriculum was a visit to the high-tech Illinois Digital Ecologies and Learning Laboratory (IDEALL) in the College of Education at the university, where the students used the Food for Thought app on the lab's 55-inch multitouch tabletop computer screens.

By entering information from food diaries they had kept over the previous weekend, the students were able to view the carbon footprints associated with their food intake. They also were challenged to create a meal that had the least impact on the environment yet still provided sufficient calories.

"The excitement level -- and noise -- in this room was astounding," Mercier said. "The teachers who observed their students' work in the lab said that even the kids who are usually difficult to engage were very engaged with this activity. The students saw that they play a role in climate change and that even the small choices they make do matter. One student said the curriculum had prompted her to order something other than a steak while eating out at a restaurant with her parents."

"Using food as the focal point for promoting awareness of climate change was really brilliant," said University Laboratory High School science and engineering teacher Sharlene Denos, whose students participated in the activities. "Seventh- and eighth- graders don't have control over what cars their families buy or whether they retrofit their homes, but they are in charge of their food. The thought process with the app is one that they can take with them to the grocery store. It's something that can really empower the students to keep thinking about environmental issues and keep the conversation going with their families and friends."

Developing technologies for teachers to use in teaching children about climate change is important because climate change is associated with more than 40 percent of the disciplinary content in the Next Generation Science Standards for kindergarten through 12th-grade education, Mercier said.

Based on a framework developed by the National Research Council, the Next Generation Science Standards comprise a set of core ideas that students are expected to know by the time they graduate high school. The Illinois State Board of Education adopted the standards in 2014.

The data that the research team collected during the trial with the University Laboratory High School students will be used to better understand how learners engage in collaborative problem-solving and to develop technologies that support collaborative learning about climate change. Mercier plans to apply for additional grant funding to refine the Food for Thought app, with the goal of making it available to area schools in the near future.

Doctoral student Susan Kelly provided content knowledge and designed the curriculum for the project, while Kelly Cole, a senior in computer engineering, was the software developer. Lu Lawrence, a master's student in the College of Education's Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching and Agency program, was the graphic designer.
###
The project is funded by a $30,000 Arnold O. Beckman Award from the Campus Research Board.

</div>

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals. The biggest...

Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap. Texas would rely more on treated toilet water and pumping rainwater into aquifers to serve its booming population over the next half-century under the state's 2017 water plan approved Thursday.
Several years removed from a historic drought that brought more attention to funding water projects, Texas Water Development Board officials unanimously OK'd a $62.6 billion plan that outlines more than 5,500 varying strategies for solving the growing state's water woes.
"This is the best plan yet, in my view," board chairman Bech Bruun said before the vote in Austin. "The most comprehensive, detailed plan."Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap
Texas' population is projected to grow by 73 percent from 29.5 million in 2020 to 51 million in 2070, according to the board's plan. Demand for water will follow - a projected increase of 17 percent by 2070.
<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservation-planning-in-the-amazon-should-be-redirected-to-freshwater-species/">Conservation</a> was the most frequently recommended strategy in the new plan, which also calls for supplies from treated toilet water to increase sevenfold - from 3.9 billion gallons to 28.3 billion gallons - by 2070.
Some Texas cities turned to toilet-to-tap reuse during 2011, the driest year ever in Texas. Big Spring in West Texas uses a direct potable reuse, meaning the treated effluent is put directly in the distribution system. In North Texas, Wichita Falls had a direct potable reuse project but is converting it to indirect potable reuse, meaning it will be filtered through an environmental buffer, such as a lake or an aquifer, before it goes into distribution.
And El Paso's advanced toilet-to-tap purification plant will be the largest direct water reuse project in the U.S. when it begins operating in 2018.
Capital costs for conservation projects went from $1 billion in the 2012 water plan to $4 billion in the new one. Strategies recommended to get water from aquifer storage and subsequent withdrawals increased 350 percent from the 2012 state water plan. The recommendation is for this water to result in 49.5 billion gallons in 2070.
Twenty-six new reservoirs are also part of the plan, most of those in the eastern half of the state.
The head of one environmental group said the 2017 plan is a "big improvement" from the last one.
"The last drought exposed the huge amount of water waste in the Texas economy, from leaking water mains and irrigation systems to profligate water use in industry," Environment Texas director Luke Metzger said. "This new water plan recognizes the powerful role that conservation and ending water waste plays in meeting our water needs."
Water providers estimated they will need about $36.1 billion in state assistance to build their projects. They can apply for loans from $2 billion from the state's Rainy Day Fund, a move voters approved in 2013. That money, through interest earnings and revenue bonds, could grow to $27 billion over 50 years.
The state's water plan, done every five years, is based on recommendations from 16 regional water planning groups. It will be submitted to the state's top elected officials and lawmakers by January.
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This story has been corrected to show that water provided estimated needing $36.1 billion in state assistance, not $36.1 million.
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Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap

Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap. Texas would rely more on...

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016. The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped by the biggest amount on record last month, a rise amplified by El Nino, scientists say.

Carbon dioxide levels increased by 4.16 parts per million in April compared to a year earlier, according to readings at the National Oceanic and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-beyond-moon/">Atmospheric</a> Administration's Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Until this year, the biggest increase was 3.7 ppm. Records go back to 1950.

April's carbon dioxide level of 407.42 was a record 2.59 ppm rise from March. Carbon dioxide levels are cyclical, peaking in May and then dropping until fall. That's on top of a steady 2.5 to 3 ppm yearly increase from the burning of fossil fuels, which means each year the world sets new record for levels of heat-trapping gas in the air.Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016

The increase "is the biggest we've ever seen," said NOAA global atmospheric monitoring director Jim Butler . "That's scary but it is amplified by El Nino, there's no question."

El Nino is a natural warming of part of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide and warms the globe a bit. In many places El Nino means more drought and fires, which release more carbon dioxide into the air and decreases carbon dioxide sucked up by plants, said NOAA senior scientist Pieter Tans, who keeps track of greenhouse gases.

Butler said scientists need to watch measurements over the next several months or even a year to see how much of this large increase is an El Nino-driven blip that will go away as the weather phenomenon fades and is replaced by its cool flip side, La Nina.

It's not just that carbon dioxide levels are growing, but that they've been growing at a record faster pace over the past four years, even without El Nino, Tans said.

"The El Nino boost is on top of the large emissions from fossil fuels which continue at a high level," said Ralph Keeling , who directs the carbon dioxide program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

A recent study shows a slowing and even leveling of carbon dioxide spewed by the burning of fossil fuels. There's a five-to-10 year lag before those changes are noticeable in the atmosphere, so emissions are a better indicator of progress - or lack of it - in fighting global warming, said Corinne Le Quere who monitors emissions at the University of East Anglia in England.

The trouble is, even if emissions stop growing and plateau at the current amount, carbon dioxide levels in the air will continue to increase "because carbon dioxide doesn't disappear really" from the air, Tans said.

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Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016

Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016. The...

EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use. Federal regulators announced tightened limits Thursday for human exposure to an industrial chemical used for decades in such consumer products as non-stick pans, stain-resistant carpets and microwave popcorn bags.
The cancer-causing chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA, has been found in the tap water of dozens of factory towns near industrial sites where it was manufactured. DuPont, 3M and other U.S. chemical companies voluntarily phased out the use of PFOA in recent years.EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use
Also at issue is the related chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, used in firefighting foam.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued the stricter standards for the chemicals after years of pressure from public health experts and advocacy groups. The agency said the new limits were prompted by recent scientific studies linking <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">PFOA</a> and PFOS to testicular and kidney cancers, as well as birth defects and liver damage.
"EPA will continue sharing the latest science and information so that state and local officials can make informed decisions and take actions to protect public health," said Joel Beauvais, the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Water. "This is an important part of our broader effort to support states and public water systems as we work together to strengthen the safety of America's drinking water."
Trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS can be detected in the blood of almost every <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/american-lobsters-and-sea-scallops-may-shift-as-temperatures-rise/">American</a> as the result of exposure through food and consumer products. But of specific concern to regulators is the risk posed to residents in the relatively small number of communities where higher levels of PFOA and PFOS have been found in public drinking water.
EPA now says long-term exposure to either chemical at concentrations above 70 parts per trillion could have adverse health impacts. That's significantly lower than the agency's prior advisory level based on short-term exposure of 400 parts per trillion.
Under the EPA's new guidance, water systems where concentrations of PFOA or PFOS are found above 70 parts per trillion are advised to promptly notify local residents and consult with their state drinking water agencies.
EPA said public notification is especially important for pregnant or nursing women because of the impact the chemicals can have on the development of fetuses and infants who are breastfed or drinking formula made with tap water.
In 2013, EPA ordered about 4,800 public water systems nationwide to test for PFOA. More than 100 cities and towns in 29 states had trace amounts of PFOA, but none exceeded 400 parts per trillion.
However, the new lower limit means that a handful of those communities will now qualify as having water with contamination levels above the advised threshold.
EPA's national survey also did not include many smaller communities located near sites where the chemicals were used for decades.
Hoosick Falls, New York, is located near a plastics plant and where the water supply system serves just 4,500 people, wasn't included in the testing. PFOA levels of 600 part per trillion were discovered in village wells in 2014 because residents demanded testing amid concerns about what they perceived as a high cancer rates.
More recently, testing turned up PFOA concentrations of about 100 parts per trillion in the drinking water of nearby Petersburgh, New York, and North Bennington, Vermont, which also had plastics plants. A second round of water testing in North Bennington recently yielded readings of up to 2,730 parts per trillion - nearly 40 times the EPA's new advisory limit.
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Follow Michael Biesecker on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/mbieseck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/mbieseck</a>
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EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use

EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use. Federal regulators announced...

Feds: Plains All American Pipeline was negligent in oil spill. A pipeline company responsible for spilling more than 120,000 gallons of oil on the California coast failed to prevent corrosion in its pipes, detect the rupture or respond swiftly as crude streamed toward the ocean, federal regulators said Thursday.
Plains All American Pipeline operators working remotely in <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/earth-from-space-houston-texas/">Texas</a> had turned off an alarm that would have signaled a leak and, unaware of the ongoing spill, restarted the hemorrhaging line along the Santa Barbara County coast, compounding the problem and delaying the shutdown, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in its final investigation report.
"A number of preventable errors led to this incident and the company's failures in judgment, including inadequate assessment of this line, and faulty planning made matters worse," said agency Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez said. "What happened is completely unacceptable and we will hold the company accountable."
The report was issued on the one-year anniversary of the spill and just two days after Plains was indicted in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on 46 criminal counts, including four felonies of polluting state waters and three dozen misdemeanors of harming wildlife.
Beaches and campgrounds along the scenic coast nearby were closed two weeks shy of Memorial Day weekend as an oil plume spread nine miles into the Pacific Ocean. They remained closed for weeks in the aftermath as tar balls washed ashore more than 100 miles away in Los Angeles County and more than 220 birds, such as pelicans, and nearly 140 marine mammals, mostly sea lions, died.
The agency previously said severe corrosion led to a 6-inch gash in the pipe. The final report said the company failed to follow up after an inspection in 2012 indicated the pipe had deteriorated to less than half its thickness.
Robert Bea, an engineering professor at University of California, Berkeley, who has read the report, said regulators had allowed Plains to ignore federal guidelines for at least nine years as the company underestimated the risks of a breach from corrosion and exceeded the maximum allowable pressure given the weaknesses in the pipe.
The report said the spill occurred just before 11 a.m. on May 19, 2015, when operators in the Midland, Texas, control room restarted a pump and oil surged at high pressure through the 2-foot-wide pipe known as Line 901.
"Pressure ultimately was the final nail in the coffin when the pipeline just said, 'I give up,'" Bea said. "It was clearly run to failure."
Within three minutes of restarting, pressure plunged to 199 psi, triggering a low-pressure alarm that quickly reset when pressure climbed just above 200 psi, the report said. The alarm was set to be tripped at such a low pressure that it never sounded again as oil flowed out the pipe at just above 200 psi.
A leak detection system that also would have sounded alarms had been disabled by an operator who was dealing with another problem. Failing to detect the leak, the controller even restarted the line after the spill occurred.
Houston-based Plains has apologized for the spill, but said it wouldn't comment on the report because of ongoing investigations and pending lawsuits. It previously said the spill was an accident not a crime.
In addition to the state criminal charges, federal prosecutors are investigating the incident and the company could face fines for violating federal pipeline safety regulations.
Dominguez declined to discuss possible penalties Plains could face, but said her agency is focused on enforcement actions and would soon issue an industry advisory on lessons learned from the disaster.
The spill was the largest on the U.S. coast since the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon explosion. While the Plains spill was just a fraction of the size of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons, it happened on hallowed ground for environmentalists.
A blowout on an offshore rig in the Santa Barbara channel in 1969 blackened the shores and gave rise to the environmental movement.
"As we know, no community is immune," said Rep. Lois Capps, D-California, who is working with lawmakers to pass a bill to improve pipeline safety. "And 46 years later, I found myself once again witnessing the devastation of an oil spill on the Central Coast."
The leak was discovered after firefighters responding to reports of a petroleum stench found oil spilling from a ravine onto Refugio State Beach, a pristine and popular park for swimming and camping.
Multiple class-action lawsuits from landowners, fishermen and business owners who say the spill crippled a thriving tourism industry are still pending. Some investors have filed suit alleging they were misled about the integrity of company pipelines.Feds: Plains All American Pipeline was negligent in oil spill
The report said the costs from the spill through the end of last year were estimated at $143 million, though the company reported in its annual report that it expects that figure to rise to $269 million.
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Feds: Plains All American Pipeline was negligent in oil spill

Feds: Plains All American Pipeline was negligent in oil spill....

GOP Congress Agenda

Native American archaeological site may delay oil pipeline construction. Discovery of a Native American archaeological site that may have cultural significance could further delay construction of a $3.8 billion oil pipeline if government officials require the route to be moved.
Houston-based Dakota Access LLC wants to build the pipeline - designed to carry a half-million barrels of oil a day - from northwest North Dakota to a storage facility in south-central Illinois. Construction has begun in North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois, but the Iowa Utilities Board has not authorized work to begin.
On Friday, Iowa State Archaeologist John Doershuk said his office had received information indicating a possible Native American site in northwest Iowa that, if confirmed, could result in relocation of the pipeline. He said details should start falling into place by next week, "as we confirm site characteristics and ownership/jurisdiction, as well as position relative to the planned pipeline construction activities."
Doershuk said in an email that those construction activities "may then be shifted, although the necessity of this course of action remains to be determined," he said.
Final approval for the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=iowa&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=ff7e62d1209f45ee947cff73b19e4d69&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AXK1c4IvZoNqPoPnS%21QRLOMAjS%21RFp6jzZWJ7AkCsIYKL8eGEXIoI*zhTsEOwhxr43z8jRrKMt8zh2mEm1NE8ScrG*sngBWJfaLaMQlAT9Ka&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Iowa</a> section is pending because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must issue permits for the pipeline to cross the <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/missouri-breaks-complex-fire-montana/">Missouri</a> and Mississippi rivers, hasn't issued its permits. A Corps spokesman said permits for the Iowa leg of the project are 60 to 120 days away.
Iowa was the last state to issue a permit for the pipeline, and the permit requires that Dakota Access prove it has all required federal and state permits before starting construction in Iowa.
Dakota Access is pressuring the Iowa Utilities Board to let it begin work at sites outside the jurisdiction of the Corps, but the board has declined to act quickly, saying it is reviewing comments from all sides before making a decision. Last week, the company said it had to start laying pipe this week in order to finish before winter and avoid disturbing farmland for a second growing season.
The Corps' main goal is to avoid impact to the environment and historically significant sites, and that often means working with the applicant to reroute the pipeline to avoid a sensitive area, said agency spokesman Ron Fournier, who serves a Corp district including Iowa and Illinois.
"If this is a significant Indian historical site that certainly could delay the permitting process if we have to get involved in realignments and avoid and minimize issues," Fournier said.
Dakota Access spokeswoman Vicki Granado said the company will continue to work with regulatory agencies "as we continue to move forward in preparation for the start of construction in Iowa."
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Native American archaeological site may delay oil pipeline construction

Native American archaeological site may delay oil pipeline construction. Discovery...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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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

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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

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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



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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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



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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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