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The world is changing, and so is the climate. Sudden temperature drops, unexpected frosts, and shifting weather patterns challenge ecosystems in many ways. 



For plants, these changes are especially harsh. Unlike animals, they cannot migrate, seek shelter, or generate body heat in cold weather. Instead, they rely on internal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-warming-alters-plant-germination-and-disrupts-ecosystem-balance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adaptations to survive</a>.



Varvara Dikaya at <a href="https://www.umu.se/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Umeå University</a> explored this challenge in her doctoral research. She studied a protein which plays a key role in plant adaptation to low temperatures.



The findings reveal that this protein participates in multiple signaling pathways, enabling plants to survive harsh conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cold-response-strategies-of-plants">Cold response strategies of plants </h2>



Unlike animals, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shaded-plants-capture-light-beyond-the-visible-spectrum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> cannot seek warmth or migrate. Their survival depends on internal mechanisms that adjust to temperature shifts. 



Past research focused on molecules like amino acids and sugars, which help prevent freezing. Scientists also studied core temperature-response mechanisms, but many crucial components remained unknown.



Dikaya’s <a href="http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1933796" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> uncovers a missing piece of this puzzle - RNA splicing. This process determines which proteins are produced in plant cells, directly impacting cold response strategies.



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



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-cells-communicate-with-each-other-through-rna/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RNA</a> splicing is like an editing process for your genes, making sure your cells get the right instructions to build proteins. 



When a gene gets copied into RNA, it includes extra sections called introns that don’t actually code for anything useful. 



Before the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rna-world-unraveling-mysteries-life-origin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RNA can do its job</a>, the cell cuts out these introns and stitches together the remaining pieces, called exons. 



This process turns a raw RNA transcript into a polished, ready-to-go messenger RNA (mRNA) that cells can use to make proteins.



Sometimes, cells splice RNA in different ways, mixing and matching exons to produce multiple proteins from the same gene. 



This alternative splicing is why our relatively small number of genes can make such a huge range of proteins. When splicing goes wrong, though, it can lead to diseases like cancer and genetic disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-splicing">The role of splicing </h2>



"Splicing acts as a central hub controlling the information flow from DNA to RNA, defining which proteins are synthesized from a certain gene," explained Dikaya, who is a doctoral student in the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University and <a href="https://www.upsc.se" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Umeå Plant Science Center</a>.



Her research focused on PORCUPINE, a protein discovered when scientists observed that plants with a mutation in this gene became unusually cold-sensitive. The mutation's spiky shoot tips inspired the name.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-temperature-drops">Impact of temperature drops</h2>



"The PORCUPINE mutant appears normal under ambient temperature conditions but cannot develop properly in the case of even a mild temperature drop," the team noted.



"Already at 16 degrees, the mutant grows shorter roots with increased root hair density and much smaller rosettes than normal. This is very special,."



Dikaya’s work reveals that cold temperatures trigger an increase in PORCUPINE RNA in cells. This suggests that the plant produces more of this protein to cope with the stress. 



However, PORCUPINE is not just a passive responder. It actively participates in the spliceosome, a complex that processes RNA before it transforms into proteins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-player-in-rna-processing">Key player in RNA processing</h2>



PORCUPINE is not just a responder to cold; it is an active participant in RNA processing. 



This protein is part of the spliceosome, a complex molecular machine that modifies RNA before it is translated into proteins. Without proper RNA splicing, plants cannot produce the proteins they need to survive.



By studying PORCUPINE’s role in the spliceosome, Dikaya and her team discovered that it influences multiple genetic pathways. 



Some of these pathways control how plants sense and react to cold temperature shifts. Others regulate growth patterns that determine whether a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predicting-how-climate-change-will-alter-plant-growth-cycles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant</a> can withstand stress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-network-of-cold-responses">A network of cold responses</h2>



Dikaya and her colleagues identified several genes controlled by PORCUPINE, all of which influence how plants respond to temperature changes. Her research highlights how intricate these responses are, involving multiple overlapping pathways.



"Our findings show the complexity of the cold response in plants. It is important to understand all aspects and identify fundamental mechanisms that could be applied later on in a practical manner," Dikaya noted.



"Such knowledge will be essential to create more resilient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bioelectric-future-harnessing-the-natural-energy-of-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> capable of withstanding environmental challenges in the future, even though it is still a long way to go."



Her work provides a deeper understanding of how plants adjust to fluctuating temperatures. This knowledge could pave the way for crops that can better withstand future climate uncertainties.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-cold-resistant-plants">Future of cold-resistant plants</h2>



The challenges of climate change are not going away, and neither is the need for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/phantom-nutrient-the-secret-force-that-fuels-plant-growth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">resilient crops</a>. 



If researchers can harness the knowledge gained from studies like Dikaya’s, they may be able to develop plant varieties that thrive despite temperature fluctuations.



Although there is still much to learn, this research brings us one step closer to understanding the intricate mechanisms that allow plants to survive. In the years ahead, discoveries like this could reshape agriculture and help ensure food security in a changing world.



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Plants have an amazing ability to 'rewire' themselves to survive winter

The world is changing, and so is the climate. Sudden temperature drops, unexpected frosts, and shifting weather patterns challenge ecosystems in many ways. For plants, these changes are especially harsh. Unlike animals, they cannot migrate, seek shelter, or generate body heat in cold weather. Instead, they rely on internal adaptations to survive. Varvara Dikaya at Umeå University explored this challenge in her doctoral research. She studied a protein which plays a key role in plant adaptation to low temperatures. The findings reveal that this protein participates in...

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change. In November of 2017, researchers at the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/">Salk Institute for Biological Studies</a> in San Diego launched the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/harnessing-plants-initiative/">Harnessing Plants Initiative</a> in an effort to exploit the natural ability of plants to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and combat <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-warming-cost-trillions/">climate change</a>. 

The Salk team, led by executive director Professor Joanne Chory, was granted $35 million last week through The Audacious Project at the TED 2019 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

“Every year plants and other photosynthetic organisms take up an incredible amount of CO2 - like twentyfold more than we ever put up when we burn fossil fuels - but then at the end of the growing season most plants just die, and they decompose, and it goes back up as CO2. That's been a real problem,” Professor Chory told <a href="https://www.wired.com/">WIRED</a> at the TED conference. 

According to the Salk Institute, plants capture 746 gigatons of CO2 and then release 727 gigatons of CO2 back into the atmosphere on a yearly basis. This natural system would work perfectly well if not for an additional annual contribution of 37 gigatons of CO2 from human activities. Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change 

The researchers aim to engineer plants that can take up more CO2 and also store it for much longer in the soil.

“There are a lot of geoengineering efforts to come up with ways of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air,” said chemical biologist Joseph Noel. “Plants do this anyway, so why not try a biological solution as well.”

Plants have roots made of a protective substance called suberin, which is the same material as the cork in a wine bottle and is very effective in capturing carbon. If the world’s crop plants were modified to have larger and deeper roots, the CO2 may remain buried in the dirt for hundreds of years as opposed to being released after fall harvest. 

“We don't want to change photosynthesis, because plants are already so good at it,” said Professor Chory. “But we want them to make bigger roots and deeper roots with more suberin. We think we can get them to make 20 times what they make now pretty easily.”

According to WIRED, the team believes that their method has the potential to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 20 to 46 percent. 

“These plants will be stronger and more sustainable,” said Professor Chory. “The old adage is, feed the soil not the plant.”

Currently, the researchers are experimenting with ways to engineer crop plants with increased suberin and root systems that are bigger and grow deeper into the ground. 

The team is working as quickly as possible. Beyond the swift action needed to mitigate climate change, Professor Chory is suffering from Parkinson's disease. 

“My days are going to be numbered in a way that I can see,” she told WIRED. “So that gives me a sense of urgency.”

Salk President Rusty Gage expressed his gratitude for Professor Chory’s work and leadership. 

“Joanne’s passion and commitment, as well as her decades of research into the biology of plants, has set the foundation for this revolutionary and ambitious approach,” said Professor Gage. “We are immeasurably proud of her and the entire Salk plant biology team for taking such a leadership role in combating climate change.”

For more information on the Harnessing Plants Initiative, check out this <a href="https://youtu.be/JSv5UkuRV-A">video</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change. In...

The world’s forests play an essential role in the carbon cycle. Because trees act as carbon sinks, storing carbon and emitting oxygen, there have been a number of proposed climate mitigation solutions that involve reforestation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-trillion-trees-cancel-emissions/">planting more trees to cancel out emissions</a>.  

The more trees there are, the less carbon can be captured from the atmosphere. Some high-latitude boreal forests in remote northern regions have been storing carbon for hundreds of years. 

Some have suggested that increases in temperature driven by climate change could prove boost reforestation efforts, as warming temperatures speed up tree growth. 

However, researchers from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> have found that accelerated tree growth will not lead to increases in carbon storage. Instead, this accelerated growth will result in more carbon in the atmosphere because fast growth leads to less resilient trees that will die sooner. 

In other words, even though increases in temperatures accelerate tree growth, trees that grow quickly will also die young. 

The researchers discussed their findings in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. 

“As the planet warms, it causes plants to grow faster, so the thinking is that planting more trees will lead to more carbon getting removed from the atmosphere,” said Professor Ulf Büntgen, the lead author of the study. “But that’s only half of the story. The other half is one that hasn’t been considered: that these fast-growing trees are holding carbon for shorter periods of time.”

[caption id="attachment_1872677" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/tree.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1872677" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/tree.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="975" /></a> Image Credit: Ulf Buntgen[/caption]

For the study, the researchers collected and analyzed core samples taken from more than 1,100 mountain pine trees, dead and alive, from the Spanish Pyranese and 660 Siberian larch trees from the Russian Altai. 

The researchers used tree ring data from the cores to reconstruct past climate conditions, growth rates, and total lifespan for the trees sampled. 

While harsh and cold conditions during the pre-industrial era resulted in slow tree growth, the trees were also stronger and lived longer. Trees that shot up due to increases temperature in the first 25 years died off sooner, the researchers found. 

The sooner a tree dies, the sooner the carbon stored during the tree’s life is released to the atmosphere. 

“We wanted to test the ‘live fast, die young’ hypothesis, and we’ve found that for trees in cold climates, it appears to be true,” said Büntgen. “We’re challenging some long-held assumptions in this area, which have implications for large-scale carbon cycle dynamics.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Ulf Buntgen

Climate change may boost tree growth, but these trees will also die faster

The world’s forests play an essential role in the carbon...

As humans continue to pump more and more <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/co2-levels-highest-ever/">carbon emissions</a> into the atmosphere, plants are working overtime to counteract climate change through <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/altering-photosynthesis-crops-less-water/">photosynthesis</a>.

The question is, how long can this positive relationship between hard-working photosynthesizing plants and atmospheric carbon levels continue? 

Plants and trees take in carbon and emit oxygen as part of the photosynthesis process. Forests and green spaces serve as carbon sinks, where large amounts of carbon can be stored over time, which is why many climate change mitigation strategies involve reforestation proposals. 

Warming temperatures linked to climate change and increases in CO2 emissions are speeding up plant growth, but how plants are responding to carbon emissions on a global level has not been well understood. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a>, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/OandA">CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere</a> and the <a href="https://www.univ-lorraine.fr/">Université de Lorraine</a> in France conducted a study to measure the terrestrial biosphere’s global response to carbon emissions and climate change. 

The study was published in the journal Trends in Plant Science. 

“We know that terrestrial plants are currently absorbing more CO2 than is released into the atmosphere through the combination of fire, decomposition, plant respiration, and land-use change,” said Lucas Cernusak, the leader of the research. “This is commonly known as the land carbon sink, and we know it’s currently slowing the rate at which atmospheric CO2 is increasing. What we don’t know is how strong that response is, and how long we can count on it.”

The researchers used terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) to model photosynthesis trends over the years. GPP measures global photosynthesis by calculating the total amount of carbon taken in by plants on land over a period of time.  

After analyzing the data, the researchers modeled the relationship between carbon emissions and plant growth dating back to the beginning of the industrial era. The model showed a steady rise in global photosynthesis in tandem with increases in CO2 emissions. 

“We expected the two would correlate, since CO2 stimulates photosynthesis, but given the complexity of plant and environmental interactions we were impressed by how closely they have kept pace,” said Cernusak. “We can say that plants are working hard - the response is at the highest end of the expected range.”

The researchers next studied how increases in CO2 emissions impact photosynthesis at an individual leaf level and the global scale. 

“This is an important step forward in the long and complex task of gauging how terrestrial vegetation will respond to climate change in the longer term,” said Cernusak. 

Despite the consistent increase in photosynthesis due to rising CO2 emissions over the years, it’s not a relationship that can continue. 

As temperatures climb and the impacts of climate change grow more severe, weather extremes like drought, heatwaves, and flooding will put more and more stress on plants and trees and decrease productivity. 

Without land carbon sinks to help buffer climate change, atmospheric greenhouse emissions will rise, and climate extremes will snowball.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plants have been working overtime to mitigate climate change

As humans continue to pump more and more carbon emissions...

Scientists at <a href="http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a> have found antiseptic properties in three plants which were recommended for use on soldiers injured in the Civil War. The study revealed that extracts from the white oak, tulip poplar, and the devil's walking stick offer natural protection from dangerous <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-travel-thousands-miles/">bacteria</a> associated with wound infections. 

During the Civil War, the Confederate Surgeon General commissioned a guide to traditional plant remedies that could assist physicians who faced shortages of conventional medicines. The current study identified three plants from the guide as containing antimicrobial activity against one or more strains of the drug-resistant bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Study senior author Cassandra Quave is an assistant professor at Emory's Center for the Study of Human Health and an ethnobotanist, which means that she studies how plants are used in traditional healing practices. 

“Our findings suggest that the use of these topical therapies may have saved some limbs, and maybe even lives, during the Civil War,” said Professor Quave. “Ethnobotany is essentially the science of survival - how people get by when limited to what's available in their immediate environment. The Civil War guide to plant remedies is a great example of that.”

If the researchers can identify the active ingredients responsible for the antimicrobial activity, they will be able to improve upon modern wound care. 

“It is my hope that we can then test these molecules in our world-renowned models of bacterial infection,” said study co-author Daniel Zurawski. “I've always been a Civil War buff. I am also a firm believer in learning everything we can garner from the past so we can benefit now from the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors.”

“I was surprised to learn that far more Civil War soldiers died from disease than in battle,” said study first author Micah Dettweiler. “I was also surprised at how common amputation was as a medical treatment for an infected wound.”

Francis Porcher, a botanist and surgeon from South Carolina, compiled a book of medicinal plants found in the Southern states, including plant remedies used by Native Americans and enslaved Africans. Published in 1863, “Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests” described 37 species for treating gangrene and other infections. 

Based on Porcher's specifications, the Emory team collected extracts from white oak bark and galls, tulip poplar leaves, and the devil's walking stick leaves. Lab tests showed that extracts from the white oak and tulip poplar inhibited the growth of S. aureus, while the white oak extracts also inhibited the growth of A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae. 

“Plants have a great wealth of chemical diversity, which is one more reason to protect natural environments,” said Dettweiler. “I'm interested in plants because, even though they don't move from place to place, they are extremely powerful and important.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Stephen Nowland, Emory University

Plants used as Civil War injury remedies prove effective against tough bacteria

Scientists at Emory University have found antiseptic properties in three...

Origins of cannabis traced back 28 million years to the Tibetan Plateau. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> has reviewed more than 150 existing fossil pollen studies in an effort to better understand the human-related history and evolution of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-compound-psychosis/">cannabis</a> in Asia.

The experts traced the origin of cannabis back 28 million years to a region that sits 10,700 feet above sea level on the the Tibetan Plateau. The distribution of the pollen indicates that cannabis likely emerged near the Qinghai Lake.

This region is only a few hundred kilometers northwest of the Baishiya Karst Cave, which was inhabited by Denisovans at least 160,000 years ago. At this time, however, the planet was in the midst of an ice age and it is not known whether cannabis could have persisted in the harsh conditions. Origins of cannabis traced back 28 million years to the Tibetan Plateau 

The researchers also found evidence that the cannabis strain of hemp first spread to Europe, followed by China and then into India. This movement was facilitated by the formation of the Tibetan Plateau, which occurred when the Indian and Asian land masses collided. 

“Early floristic exchanges between India and Asia were shaped by plate tectonics,” wrote the researchers. As the Indian plate migrated towards the Asian plate, it made a 'glancing contact' with Sumatra 57 (million years ago), followed by Burma, and then a 'hard collision' with Tibet 35 (million years ago).”

“The glancing contact between continents resulted in floristic exchanges during the Eocene. Cannabis holds significance in human history and life today as a triple-use crop. First, its fruits (seeds) provide valuable protein and essential fatty acids.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/334">Vegetation History and Archaeobotany</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Origins of cannabis traced back 28 million years to the Tibetan Plateau

Origins of cannabis traced back 28 million years to the...

Pest management for crops is a growing concern worldwide as climate change is predicted to increase crop losses and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warmer-temps-rise-stink-bugs/">pest infestations</a>. 

In a future where populations are already set to increase food demand and drain precious resources, any added strain to agriculture could be disastrous for food availability. 

According to the <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/blog/global-scientists-meet-integrated-pest-management-idea-sharing">United States Department of Agriculture</a>, the United States loses 20 to 25 percent of crop yields to pests, diseases, or post-harvest losses. In developing countries, those losses increase to 40 to 50 percent. 

A crucial part of pest management is knowing which pests are likely to infest an area or which crops are vulnerable to infestation.

Now, a new study has found that some pests are lurking under the radar, present but unobserved and not factored into any management strategies. 

In a new study published in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> found that there is a more than 75 percent chance that many pests fall under the category of “unobserved but present.” 

Unobserved but present pests were identified in China, India, and southern Brazil, which helps emphasize the widespread issue. 

For the study, the researchers reviewed and analyzed data from the <a href="https://www.cabi.org/">Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)</a> pest distribution database.

1,739 pests were incorporated into a model to help show where unobserved pests might be present. 

“Our model allows us to quantify the risk that a certain pest is present in a certain place,” said Dr. Dan Bebber, a member of the research team. “Our trick for testing model accuracy was to use pest observations from China published in the Chinese literature, which have not yet been incorporated into global pest databases.” 

The models will hopefully help improve pest management and reduce the risk of infestations once farmers and agriculture administrators have a more accurate understanding of pest prevalence. 

If unobserved pests are targeted quickly enough, the threat of infestation can be eradicated, but the key is early detection. 

“That early stage is crucial if we want to stop the spread - so these are the pests we should be focussing our efforts on,” said Dr. Bebber. “Prior studies have often assumed that unreported pests in a global distribution database represent a true absence. Our analysis provides a method for quantifying these ‘pseudo-absences’ to enable improved distribution modelling and risk analysis.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Merle Shepard, Gerald R Carner &amp; PAC Ooi

Crop pests are a growing problem and may be hiding in plain sight

Pest management for crops is a growing concern worldwide as...

Plant blindness is a term first used 20 years ago by researchers who noticed that people are becoming disconnected from the plant kingdom and unable to identify the plants that make up our natural world. 

These days, people are having a harder and harder time even naming the plants that go into the food we eat every day as global diets shift from plant-based to processed. Meanwhile, we may lose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-animal-species-extinction/">thousands of plants in the future</a> due to climate change.

Researchers from the<a href="https://ciat.cgiar.org/"> International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)</a> say that people need to be made aware of losses in plant biodiversity and conservation campaigns need to focus as much attention on plant declines as they do on land and marine animals. 

In a paper published in the journal Plants, People, Planet, the researchers outline several recommendations for curing plant blindness and ensuring our natural world is protected. 

Part of plant blindness is not understanding the crucial value that plants have to the environment, economy, and culture. We eat plants as food, they clean our air and provide oxygen for us to breath, and many medicines use natural compounds found in plants. 

“Unfortunately, we’re losing species faster than we can study and account for them,” said Tara Moreau, a co-author of the study. “Plant extinction should not be an option, and public education is key.”

Thousands valuable plants worldwide are at risk of extinction, and nowhere is plant blindness more apparent than on our own dinner plates.

“But despite the blindness even in these food plants, they still represent an excellent and particularly powerful medium to connect people to plants, biodiversity, and conservation,” said Colin Khoury, a co-author of the study. “Food is a great way to educate ourselves about our own histories, and to understand how plants connect us around the world.” 

In the study, the researchers highlight the important role that botanic gardens and seed banks can play not only in future plant preservation, but also in connecting people to plants. 

There are 3,500 botanic gardens in the world and these house one-third of all known plant species. More than 60,000 horticulturists, taxonomists, and plant experts work in botanic gardens promoting conservation and education. 

Botanic gardens are also often popular tourist destinations that allow people a glimpse at rare flora not easily accessible otherwise. 

CIAT is working on creating a visitor-friendly gene bank to further educate people on the importance of plants and seed biobanks. 

Conservation strategies and campaigns should utilize botanic gardens and seed banks to help ensure plant biodiversity persists and fight plant blindness. 

“In an era confronted by many global problems such as climate change, habitat destruction, plant and animal extinctions, population explosion, hunger and poverty, we cannot afford to ignore plant blindness any longer,” said Sarada Krishnan, a fellow co-author of the study. “Without plants there is no life. We need to rewrite the plant narratives to bring plants front and center. For this, we need to craft new approaches to attract the next generation to the plant sciences.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Krishnan et al.

Why plant blindness poses an increasing threat amidst a changing climate

Plant blindness is a term first used 20 years ago...

Critical new research from the <a href="https://gee.ethz.ch/">Crowther Lab</a> has revealed that restoring forests is the single most effective solution for mitigating climate change. The researchers determined that new <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/forest-fires-snow-melt-earlier/">forests</a> could take up two-thirds of the CO2 that has been released into the atmosphere by human activities. 

The experts also found the potential to increase the world's forest land by a third without impacting existing cities or agricultural practices. Once mature, an area of trees the size of the United States could store 205 of the 300 billion tons of man-made CO2.

The study is the first of its kind to quantify how many trees the Earth can support, where they could exist, and how much carbon they could store. The researchers emphasize that the need for action is urgent because the climate is already changing and subsequently reducing the amount of land that can support new forests. 

"We all knew restoring forests could play a part in tackling climate change, but we had no scientific understanding of what impact this could make. Our study shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today and it provides hard evidence to justify investment. If we act now, this could cut carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25%, to levels last seen almost a century ago," said study senior author Professor Tom Crowther.

"However, it will take decades for new forests to mature and achieve this potential. It is vitally important that we protect the forests that exist today, pursue other climate solutions, and continue to phase out fossil fuels from our economies in order to avoid dangerous climate change."

The future scenarios proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that limiting climate change to 1.5°C will require up to an extra billion hectares of forest by 2050, even while drastically reducing emissions. The new study confirms that this scenario projection is "undoubtedly achievable under the current climate."

The Crowther Lab team determined that forests could be regrown on 1.7 to 1.8 billion hectares of land in areas that are not currently used as urban or agricultural land. If cropland and urban areas were included, the researchers identified an additional 1.4 billion hectares of land where forests could be regrown.

"Our study provides a benchmark for a global action plan, showing where new forests can be restored around the globe," said lead author Dr. Jean-François Bastin. "Action is urgent and governments must now factor this into their national strategies to tackle climate change."

More than half of the potential to restore trees was found in just six countries: Russia, the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and China.

"Although government action is essential to make the most of this opportunity, this is a climate solution we can all get involved in and make a tangible impact. You can grow trees yourself, donate to forest restoration organizations or just invest your money responsibly in businesses which are taking action on climate change," said Professor Crowther. 

"Our forests are the world's biggest natural ally in the fight against climate change but without them, we will lose the fight to keep global warming below 1.5 C. That's why it's crucial that we act to restore forests whilst drastically cutting our global carbon emissions," said Will Baldwin-Cantello, Global lead on Forests at <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">WWF</a>.

"This new research demonstrates how much natural capacity our planet has to grow and sustain additional forest; now, the challenge is to understand how and where we can accelerate this implementation, whilst still feeding our growing global population."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

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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

Forest restoration can make a major impact in battling climate change

Critical new research from the Crowther Lab has revealed that...

Many conifer species are on the road to extinction from climate change. A new study led by <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> has revealed that many conifer species will be threatened with extinction by 2070 as a result of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/infrastructure-climate-change-extremes/">climate change</a>. The research was focused on 55 conifer groups, including fir and pine trees. 

Based on global warming predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), up to a quarter of the tree species examined for the study will face extinction in a matter of decades. The groups that are the most at risk are native to small islands.

"Our work shows that species native to relatively small islands are in a lot of danger from climate change, and relatively soon," said study co-author Professor Dov Sax. "But the work also helps us to identify which species are most at risk and which are least at risk, which helps to prioritize conservation."

While traditional risk assessments have assumed that trees can only withstand the climate extremes of their native habitats, the current investigation took a new approach by pursuing a more realistic estimate of the climate conditions that a certain tree species can handle.

"If you just look at conditions in native ranges and you model risk off of that, you'd conclude that everything on small islands is doomed," said Profeessor Sax. "But we know that many of these species have survived past instances of climate change, so what we wanted to do here was think about what conditions species could potentially thrive in if they needed to."

The researchers used data on where members of a given species are known to survive beyond their native ranges and categorized the groups into three categories of climate niches. Next, the researchers used IPCC estimates of future warming to see which were in danger. Under the IPCC's most extreme climate scenario, 23.6 percent of the species will be pushed outside of their fundamental niches.

"At first, we were encouraged to discover that most species show a lot of wiggle room in their climatic niches," said study co-author Kyle Rosenblad. "But alarmingly, all this wiggle room still isn't enough to buffer some of them from predicted changes in climate."

On one end of the spectrum, the Canary Island Pine is expected to stay within its fundamental niche and will not be threatened with extinction. To the opposite extreme is the Bermuda Cedar, which is expected to be pushed out of its fundamental niche and even out of its tolerance niche. In other words, there will be no place on its native island where the Bermuda Cedar will be able to survive. 

"We found a whole range of range of species that will look like they're fine," said Professor Sax. "They'll be alive and you may even see some seedlings. But since they can't reproduce sufficiently to maintain their population on their own, they'll actually be on the road to extinction."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

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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

Many conifer species are on the road to extinction from climate change

Many conifer species are on the road to extinction from...

Trees play an important role in keeping the air clean by filtering out particulates and absorbing greenhouse gases, including about 25 percent of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions. However, scientists have long speculated that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-tree-growth/">trees</a> and plants will eventually reach a breaking point where they can no longer remove CO2 from the air.

An international research team led by <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has determined that trees will likely continue to absorb carbon dioxide at beneficial rates through the end of the century. Beyond that point, the ability of trees to store pollutant gases is not yet clear.

Study lead author César Terrer is a postdoctoral scholar in Earth System Science at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy &amp; Environmental Sciences. 

"Keeping fossil fuels in the ground is the best way to limit further warming," said Terrer. "But stopping deforestation and preserving forests so they can grow more is our next-best solution."

Along with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, carbon dioxide provides the nourishment that trees need to grow. But as the atmospheric levels of CO2 continue to rise, trees will need more nitrogen and phosphorus to balance their diet. The uncertainty of how much additional CO2 trees will be able to take up - despite the limitations of these other nutrients - makes it difficult to accurately predict future global warming patterns.

"Planting or restoring trees is like putting money in the bank," said study co-author Professor Rob Jackson. "Extra growth from carbon dioxide is the interest we gain on our balance. We need to know how high the interest rate will be on our carbon investment."

Based on statistical methods, machine-learning, and satellite data, the experts quantified how much soil nutrients and climate factors limit the ability of plants and trees to absorb extra carbon dioxide. They found that the CO2 levels expected by the end of the century should increase plant biomass by 12 percent, enabling plants and trees to store more carbon dioxide. 

The researchers identified important partnerships that develop between trees and soil microbes to help them take up the additional nitrogen and phosphorus they need to balance their diets. 

The study emphasizes the critical role of tropical forests, such as those in the Amazon, which have the greatest potential to store additional carbon.

"We have already witnessed indiscriminate logging in pristine tropical forests, which are the largest reservoirs of biomass in the planet," said Terrer. "We stand to lose a tremendously important tool to limit global warming."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

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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

How much longer will trees continue to absorb carbon dioxide?

Trees play an important role in keeping the air clean...

According to the authors of a new study in the journal New Phytologist, the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds is a "striking example" of the consequences associated with human activities. The researchers say this phenomenon could have major implications for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/food-production-environmental-impact/">food production</a>. 

Resistant individuals appear gradually within a weed population as a result of repeated exposure to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/increased-levels-herbicides-adults/">herbicides</a>. Most studies of herbicide resistance are conducted after this transformation has already occurred.

"If the evolution of resistance can be anticipated, however, proactive management to slow or prevent resistance traits evolving can be advocated," explained the study authors. 

Alopecurus myosuroides is a weed species which has been particularly damaging to crops across the UK, where it is known as black-grass. The species has developed resistance to a number of herbicides used to control it. The researchers set out to analyze how the world's most widely used herbicide, glyphosate, may be affecting this superweed.

The team used population monitoring, glyphosate sensitivity testing, quantitative genetics, and epidemiological analyses to identify the underlying conditions which are required for black-grass to begin to vary genetically and tolerate glyphosate. 

Based on data collected from more than 100 fields, the team found "pronounced, heritable variability in glyphosate sensitivity" among A. myosuroides populations across the UK.

A report in <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a> warns that the superweeds will cause massive crop losses, drive up food prices, speed up climate change, and harm wildlife. “It is not a matter of if but when we are going to be losing chemical control of these weeds,” said Adam Davis of the University of Illinois.

According to the <a href="http://www.weedscience.org/">International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds</a>, there are 256 species of herbicide resistant weeds worldwide, affecting 93 crops in 70 countries.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14698137">New Phytologist</a>.

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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

Superweeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

According to the authors of a new study in the...

A study from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California Riverside</a> has confirmed that Joshua trees are unable to adapt to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-droughts-hotter/">climate change</a>. Unless dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are achieved, the iconic trees are not likely to survive beyond this century. 

The researchers set out to investigate the findings of previous studies which suggested that global warming will have a deadly impact on the trees. The team also wanted to determine whether the trees have already been affected by climate change. 

Millions of tourists visit the Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California every year. As a species, Joshua trees date back to the Pleistocene era around 2.5 million years ago, and individual trees live up to 300 years. 

The adult trees can store large amounts of water for surviving droughts, but younger trees and seedlings are not capable of building up reserves. A recent drought in California that lasted 376 weeks made some regions too dry to support new plants, and climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of such dry spells. 

The UC Riverside team concluded that, even in the best-case scenario of climate mitigation, just 19 percent of Joshua tree habitat will exist after the year 2070. With no reduction in carbon emissions, the park will retain only 0.02 percent of the suitable habitat for Joshua trees.

The researchers gathered and analyzed data from more than 4,000 specimens. They discovered that Joshua trees have been migrating to higher elevations where there is cooler weather and more moisture in the ground. The adult trees are not reproducing as much in the dry season, and the young plants are not surviving.

The study also revealed that fewer than 10 percent of Joshua trees survive wildfires. Based on this research, the U.S. Park Service will remove invasive plants to reduce the fire risk for Joshua trees.

"Fires are just as much a threat to the trees as climate change, and removing grasses is a way park rangers are helping to protect the area today," said study lead author Lynn Sweet. "By protecting the trees, they're protecting a host of other native insects and animals that depend on them as well."

Sweet hopes that the study will inspire people to take protective environmental action. "The fate of these unusual, amazing trees is in all of our hands. Their numbers will decline, but how much depends on us."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://eco-sphere.com/">Ecosphere</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Joshua trees may not exist by the end of the century

A study from the University of California Riverside has confirmed...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image 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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



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.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" 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.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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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.

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



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.

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&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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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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 



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.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



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.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



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.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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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 the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; 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.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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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.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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.

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



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.

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 a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



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.

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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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.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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.

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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