If an extraterrestrial civilization existed with technology comparable to ours, would they be able to detect Earth and recognize evidence of human activity? If so, what signals would be most visible, and from how far away?



These thought-provoking questions have been explored in a new study led by Dr. Sofia Sheikh of the SETI Institute.



Using a theoretical, model-based approach, this research is the first to analyze multiple types of technosignatures - the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/searching-for-technosignatures-from-intelligent-life-in-the-cosmos/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">indicators</a> of advanced technology - together, rather than examining them separately. 



The results suggest that radio signals, particularly planetary radar emissions from the now-defunct Arecibo Observatory, would be the most detectable human-made signatures. These signals are potentially visible from as far as 12,000 light-years away.



Other signals, such as atmospheric pollutants, could also be detected, though at significantly shorter distances.&nbsp;



As observational technology continues to improve, scientists may be able to identify similar signatures on distant exoplanets, offering new ways to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-most-detectable-signals">Earth’s most detectable signals</h2>



Among all of the potential signals emanating from Earth, radio transmissions appear to be the most prominent on a galactic scale.&nbsp;



Radio telescopes remain the primary tool for <a href="https://www.seti.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SETI</a> (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research, as scientists scan the skies for unnatural radio waves that might originate from advanced civilizations.&nbsp;



Given the strength of Earth's planetary radar emissions, researchers hypothesize that if extraterrestrials use similar technology to search for signals, Earth might stand out as a detectable world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-atmospheric-technosignatures">Exploring atmospheric technosignatures</h2>



Beyond radio waves, the study explored atmospheric technosignatures, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-will-increase-dramatically-in-a-hotter-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollutants</a> such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - a byproduct of industrial activity.&nbsp;



Recent advances in space-based instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), could enable astronomers to detect such gases in exoplanet atmospheres.



According to the study’s findings, extraterrestrials equipped with similarly advanced telescopes could detect Earth's atmospheric pollutants from a maximum distance of 5.7 light-years, just beyond Proxima Centauri, the closest known exoplanetary system.



This suggests that industrial emissions could serve as an indirect way of identifying advanced civilizations. If scientists were to detect unusual levels of pollutants in an exoplanet’s atmosphere, it might hint at the presence of a technologically developed society.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-would-aliens-detect-on-earth">What would aliens detect on Earth?</h2>



As an observer approaches our planet, additional technosignatures become detectable. At closer distances, extraterrestrial astronomers would begin to detect multiple forms of human activity on Earth. 



City lights from urban centers could be visible from space. High-powered laser emissions used for communication, military applications, and scientific research would also be detectable. 



The thermal signature of cities, where artificial structures retain more heat than surrounding natural landscapes, would reveal urban heat islands. Additionally, the growing number of satellites and debris in Earth's orbit could be observed by advanced extraterrestrial telescopes.



Taken together, these overlapping signals would paint a compelling picture of an industrialized world, potentially making Earth one of the most recognizable planets to an alien observer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-earth-as-a-cosmic-mirror">Using Earth as a cosmic mirror</h2>



The experts emphasized that understanding Earth’s own technosignatures is critical for refining the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. By identifying which of our own signals are most detectable, researchers can better anticipate what kinds of signatures to look for on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exoplanet-discovery-nasa-identifies-over-5500-distant-worlds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exoplanets</a>.



Study co-author Macy Huston is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley’s Department of Astronomy.



“Our goal with this project was to bring SETI back 'down to Earth' for a moment and think about where we really are today with Earth's technosignatures and detection capabilities,” explained Huston.&nbsp;



“In SETI, we should never assume other life and technology would be just like ours, but quantifying what 'ours' means can help put SETI searches into perspective.”



Sheikh echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing that studying Earth's own impact on its environment can provide valuable insights into how extraterrestrial civilizations might be identified.



“One of the most satisfying aspects of this work was getting to use SETI as a cosmic mirror: what does Earth look like to the rest of the galaxy? And how would our current impacts on our planet be perceived?” said Sheikh.



“While of course we cannot know the answer, this work allowed us to extrapolate and imagine what we might assume if we ever discover a planet with, say, high concentrations of pollutants in its atmosphere.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-technosignature-research">The future of technosignature research</h2>



SETI research has long focused on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-aliens-sending-radio-signals-to-each-other/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radio signals</a> as the primary method for detecting extraterrestrial intelligence, but this study demonstrates the importance of a multi-wavelength approach - examining different forms of technosignatures across the electromagnetic spectrum.



Current and future telescopes will improve detection sensitivity, allowing scientists to expand the search for life beyond Earth. Advanced observatories may eventually identify new atmospheric technosignatures, such as alternative industrial pollutants or artificial climate alterations.



Additionally, long-term studies tracking the evolution of Earth's technosignatures may provide fresh insights into how civilizations modify their environments over time.



As new space-based observatories come online and human activities continue to reshape Earth’s atmospheric composition, periodic reassessments of the planet's detectability could refine our approach to discovering extraterrestrial life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-of-the-nbsp-study">Implications of the&nbsp;study</h2>



Ultimately, this study highlights both the strengths and limitations of current SETI efforts. While Earth is highly detectable via radio waves, other technosignatures - such as pollution - would require relatively close proximity for extraterrestrials to observe.&nbsp;



As astronomers continue their search, understanding these limitations will help shape strategies for identifying distant technological civilizations.



Whether or not intelligent extraterrestrial beings are currently observing Earth, this research emphasizes the importance of looking outward to understand our place in the cosmos.



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If aliens could detect Earth, what would they see?

If an extraterrestrial civilization existed with technology comparable to ours, would they be able to detect Earth and recognize evidence of human activity? If so, what signals would be most visible, and from how far away? These thought-provoking questions have been explored in a new study led by Dr. Sofia Sheikh of the SETI Institute. Using a theoretical, model-based approach, this research is the first to analyze multiple types of technosignatures - the indicators of advanced technology - together, rather than examining them separately.  The results suggest...

Brazil Plans To Curb Deforestation. Brazil pledged Tuesday to restore millions of acres of forests and expand renewable energy use, as the United States and Brazil worked to build momentum toward a budding global climate treaty.
Brazil's announcement stopped short of a commitment to bring deforestation down to zero, as many environmentalists had advocated. Still, the pledge offered some of the first signs of how Brazil intends to curb its emissions as part of the treaty. The vast majority of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/forest-degradation-is-more-destructive-than-deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon/">Brazil's</a> greenhouse gas emissions come from destruction in the Amazon rainforest.
As part of its plan, announced during Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's visit to the White House, Brazil is vowing by 2030 to restore and reforest 12 million hectares - an area roughly the size of Pennsylvania. The government is also pledging to "pursue policies aimed at eliminating illegal deforestation." Brazilian law allows landowners to legally cut 20 percent of trees in land, with some limitations.
Brazil also plans to expand renewable sources other than hydropower to between 28 percent and 33 percent of its total energy mix by 2030. And in the electricity sector, the U.S. and Brazil jointly announced intentions to increase their share of renewable, non-hydropower sources to 20 percent by 2030. That will require tripling the amount of renewable energy on the U.S. electricity grid, while doubling it in Brazil, officials said.
To meet that goal, the Obama administration is relying on controversial power plant emission limits that President Barack Obama has proposed, said Brian Deese, Obama's senior adviser, said boosting renewables that high in the U.S. would be dependent
"We believe that this is an ambitious target, but one that is actually achievable and will create new low-cost opportunities for the American economy," Deese said. "To achieve it, we're going to have to continue to hit our marks in implementing the regulations we've identified to date."
Rich and poor countries alike have been putting forth their commitments, known as nationally determined contributions, to reduce emissions as part of the treaty, which world leaders hope to finalize later this year in Paris. The U.S. has already announced its full commitment to the climate treaty: a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of up to 28 percent by 2025, compared to 2005 levels.
But a key sticking point in the climate treaty has been whether developing nations like Brazil will be willing to make substantial contributions. Brazil and other developing countries have balked, arguing that industrialized nations that have polluted more historically bear more of the responsibility for curbing climate change.
In another positive sign for the treaty's backers, China on Tuesday announced its highly anticipated contribution, pledging to reduce the intensity of its carbon emissions and to halt their growth by 2030. Officials said China would aim to reduce its emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60-65 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
"Developing nations have definitely stepped in and up on their commitment," said Jennifer Morgan, global climate director for the environmental group World Resources Institute. "Does every country need to do more? Yes. Are developing countries putting serious offers on the table? Absolutely."
Brazil still hasn't announced how much of an emissions cut it will pledge, but sought to use the reforestation announcement as an example of concrete steps the country can take to meet its eventual target. About 75 percent of Brazil's carbon dioxide emissions come from destruction of the Amazon, which acts as a giant absorber of carbon dioxide.
The announcement came on the second day of Rousseff's visit to Washington, where she met with Obama in the Oval Office on Tuesday morning. Later the two leaders were to take questions together from reporters before Rousseff has lunch with Vice President Joe Biden.
Obama and Rousseff have been working to show they've moved beyond tensions sparked by the revelation nearly two years ago that the U.S. was spying on Rousseff. She canceled a planned state visit in response. Officials in both countries say neither leader is interested in rehashing the spying issues this week and instead want to focus on ways to deepen cooperation.
---
Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon and Brad Brooks in Rio De Janerio contributed to this report.
---
Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP</a>
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Brazil Plans To Curb Deforestation

Brazil Plans To Curb Deforestation. Brazil pledged Tuesday to restore...

Coal pollution and global warming in Linfen China

China Announces Climate Pact Target For Paris Meeting. China on Tuesday announced its contribution to a global climate pact that's supposed to be adopted this year in Paris, pledging to reduce the intensity of its carbon emissions and to halt their growth by 2030.
During a visit to the French capital, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said in a statement that the world's most populous nation and top <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/peatlands-could-release-more-than-100-billion-tons-of-carbon-this-century/">carbon</a> polluter will aim to reduce its emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60-65 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
Beijing's goals, which were formally submitted to the U.N. later Tuesday, also included previously announced pledges to achieve a peak in overall emissions around 2030 and to raise the percentage of energy consumption from low-carbon sources to 20 percent by that year.
Li said the targets show "that <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=china&amp;cvid=c3a21db1695a40d8aaba342555395de8&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">China</a> is exerting its utmost in addressing climate change, and that China is fully committed to playing an even greater part in global governance and in advancing common development of mankind." China Announces Climate Pact Target For Paris Meeting
The U.S. and the European Union have already announced their climate targets, meaning the world's top three carbon emitters have now made pledges for the Paris deal, which would be the first agreement to require both developed and developing nations to take actions to curb global warming.
China announced some of its targets last year in a joint statement with the United States, injecting momentum into the climate talks by signaling that two countries that had previously been at odds in the negotiations were moving forward together.
After a meeting with Li, French President Francois Hollande said China's contribution "confirms its commitment to build an `ecological civilization.'"
Environmental groups also applauded China's contribution, though many had hoped for more ambitious targets.
"China has only ever been on defense when it comes to climate change, but today's announcement is the first step for a more active role," said Li Shuo of Greenpeace. "For success in Paris, however, all players - including China and the EU - need to up their game. Today's pledge must be seen as only the starting point for much more ambitious action."
---
Ritter reported from Stockholm.
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China Announces Climate Pact Target For Paris Meeting

China Announces Climate Pact Target For Paris Meeting. China on...

Environmentalists To California: Stop Offshore Fracking. Environmentalists Tuesday called on California Gov. Jerry Brown to halt plans for months of hydraulic fracturing in the waters off Southern California, warning that it could lead to chemical pollution or an oil spill.
<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;cvid=3c0783efe6b843aa8b4a143090899e5b&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a> state regulators this month approved nine permits for operator Thums <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/loggerhead-turtles-warming-climate/">Long Beach</a> Co. for so-called offshore fracking operations between August and December in Long Beach Harbor.
Hydraulic fracturing is used to extract oil or natural gas from rock formations by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals. The Center for <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=biological&amp;cvid=6adb65d9620c4110b635bc81948922c7&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Biological</a> Diversity said the permits open the way for the first offshore fracking in the state since 2013.
"Gov. Brown has to recognize that halting offshore fracking is critical to protecting marine animals and coastal communities from this toxic technique," center attorney Kristen Monsell said in a statement.
"Haven't we seen enough dead wildlife and polluted beaches?" she added, referring to a crude oil pipeline break near Santa Barbara in May that blackened the coast and spread goo on beaches as far as 100 miles away.
In a statement, state oil and gas Supervisor Steve Bohlen said the permits were the first issued for offshore operations since the state imposed new regulations on hydraulic fracturing. The wells are reached from artificial islands constructed offshore. Environmentalists To California: Stop Offshore Fracking
The regulations, which require pressure testing and monitoring, "emphasize environmental protection and transparency and are based on the best science available," Bohlen said.
Hydraulic fracturing has spurred an ongoing energy boom but raised widespread concerns that it might lead to groundwater contamination, increased air pollution and even earthquakes.
A recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency found that hydraulic fracturing has not caused widespread harm to drinking water in the United States, but warned of potential contamination of water supplies if safeguards are not maintained.
The Associated Press reported in 2013 that oil companies have used fracking at least 203 times over two decades in waters off Long Beach, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach - some of the region's most popular surfing strands and tourist attractions.
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Environmentalists To California: Stop Offshore Fracking

Environmentalists To California: Stop Offshore Fracking. Environmentalists Tuesday called on...

As a critical input to the decision-making process that will lead to the selection of ESA’s eighth Earth Explorer mission, the Reports for Mission Selection of the two candidate opportunity missions – CarbonSat and FLEX – are now available.

<a href="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/EarthObservation/SP1330-1_CarbonSat.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CarbonSat (PDF download)</a>

<a href="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/EarthObservation/SP1330-2_FLEX.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FLEX (PDF download)</a>

The selection will take place following a User Consultation Meeting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland on 15–16 September 2015, where the Earth observation scientific community is invited to participate. Reports for Earth Explorer Candidates CarbonSat and FLEX Now Available

In preparation for the selection, reports presenting the scientific and technical ambition of each mission were prepared. Following the consultation with the scientific community in September, the Earth Science Advisory Committee will provide their recommendations to ESA. The final decision on selection will be taken by ESA’s Programme Board for Earth Observation.

The CarbonSat mission aims to determine the global distribution of two of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: carbon dioxide and methane. Data from the mission would lead to a better understanding of the sources and sinks of these two gases and how they are linked to climate change. Reports for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cyanobacteria-may-shed-new-light-on-the-history-of-life-on-earth/">Earth</a> Explorer Candidates CarbonSat and FLEX Now Available

The Fluorescence Explorer mission, FLEX, aims to provide global maps of vegetation fluorescence, which can be converted into an indicator of actual photosynthetic activity. These data would provide information on plant health and stress, thereby improving our understanding of the global carbon cycle and supporting food security. The FLEX satellite would orbit in tandem with one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites.

---

<a href="http://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ESA</a>

Reports for Earth Explorer Candidates CarbonSat and FLEX Now Available

As a critical input to the decision-making process that will...

NASA Maps Beach Tar from California Oil Pipeline Spill. When an on-land pipeline ruptured north of Santa Barbara, California, on May 19 -- spilling 105,000 barrels of crude oil onto Refugio State Beach and about 21,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean in the north Santa Barbara Channel -- it created an environmental nightmare for local beaches and wildlife.

In support of the response to the Refugio Incident, as it is known, NASA deployed a De Havilland Twin Otter aircraft carrying a unique airborne instrument developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, to study the spill and test the ability of imaging spectroscopy to map tar on area beaches. The work is advancing our nation's ability to respond to future oil spills. NASA Maps Beach Tar from California Oil Pipeline Spill

The JPL-built Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) instrument uses spectroscopic measurement of energy reflected from Earth's surface to determine surface properties. In this case, AVIRIS-NG focused on applying imaging spectroscopy to the problem of accurately mapping the presence of oil-derived tar balls on the beaches, using direct, on-the-ground observations to verify the remote sensing data. AVIRIS-NG can capture spectral imagery that is commonly used to map ecosystems, minerals, land use and trace gases.

Prior to the flights, a team of scientists led by Principal Investigator Ira Leifer of Bubbleology Research International, Solvang, California, collected tar balls on an affected beach and analyzed them in a laboratory operated for the Department of Energy. The infrared spectral analysis confirmed the presence of unique petroleum hydrocarbon spectral features that would allow diagnostic mapping of beach tar from the air or space.

To support the AVIRIS-NG overflights of the larger region, the team deployed to a beach affected by tar from the spill to map beach tar and collect surface spectra, assisted by citizen scientists. They mapped a 220-foot (67-meter) span of the beach in detail, noting locations and coverage of tar on the beach. AVIRIS-NG then flew over the beach. Tar was detected successfully in the AVIRIS-NG spectral data, validating the effectiveness of this advanced remote measurement technique. The beach tar map was subsequently forwarded to the Incident Command for the Refugio Incident and was incorporated into the response's daily shoreline cleanup and assessment technique, also known as SCAT.

SCAT is a critical response component to an oil spill, but is highly subjective, qualitative and labor intensive. Applying remote sensing techniques to beach tar mapping in support of oil spill response is a breakthrough that promises to transform shoreline cleanup and assessment techniques by providing robust, rapid and repeatable maps at a resolution and fidelity not currently achievable. These maps can guide local, state, and federal stakeholders in assessing impacts to beaches and in restoring and recovering degraded, damaged or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment.

"Mapping tar on beaches using high-resolution imaging spectroscopy techniques that can identify tar of this type has never been done before, and is a natural extension of oil-on-water remote sensing," said Leifer. "NASA deployed AVIRIS-NG to the scene during the first week of the incident, collect ing timely data during the initial spill phases and contributing to the response."

"NASA is keenly interested in fostering development of new operational remote sensing technologies that improve disaster response for application by federal responders," said David Green, NASA Disasters Program manager at NASA headquarters in Washington. "The AVIRIS-NG deployment is an example of the proactive disaster response efforts NASA supports, including oil spills within the FOSTERRS interagency working group." FOSTERRS stands for the NASA-led Federal Oil Spill Team for Emergency Response Remote Sensing. The group brings together remote sensing expertise from a range of governmental agencies to support oil spill responses.

This effort built on a pioneering NASA campaign that assisted during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-track-the-flow-of-nutrients-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/">Mexico</a> in 2010 under science principal investigator Leifer. Then, AVIRIS imagery was processed to provide the first-ever maps of oil-on-water thickness, developed by a large multi-agency team. The current effort sought to leverage the greatly improved performance of AVIRIS-NG to map oil as tar on beaches.

Leifer coordinated the current Refugio Incident flights in support of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nasa&amp;cvid=7db815f464b14c3fa0ead82dcefef678&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">NASA's</a> Disasters Program. Also participating in the team was John DiBenedetto of Special Technology Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy contract lab, in collaboration with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For more information on AVIRIS NG, visit:

<a href="http://airbornescience.jpl.nasa.gov/instruments/avirisng" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://airbornescience.jpl.nasa.gov/instruments/avirisng</a>

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit:

<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nasa.gov/earth</a>

&nbsp;

NASA Maps Beach Tar from California Oil Pipeline Spill

NASA Maps Beach Tar from California Oil Pipeline Spill. When...

Gulf States Reach $18.7 Billion Settlement Over BP Oil Spill. BP and five Gulf states announced an $18.7 billion settlement Thursday that resolves years of legal fighting over the environmental and economic damage done by the energy giant's oil spill in 2010.
The BP oil spill settlement money will be used to resolve the Clean Water Act penalties; resolve natural resources damage claims; settle economic claims; and resolve economic damage claims of local governments, according to an outline filed in federal court. The settlement involves Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/earth-from-space-houston-texas/">Texas</a>. Gulf States Reach $18.7 Billion Settlement Over BP Oil Spill
"If approved by the court, this settlement would be the largest settlement with a single entity in American history; it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
The settlement announcement comes as a federal judge was preparing to rule on how much BP owed in federal Clean Water Act penalties. The judge had already found that 3.19 million barrels of oil - nearly 134 million gallons - spewed into the Gulf. Individual states also were pursuing litigation.
BP PLC chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said the settlement reflected the company's commitment to restoring the Gulf of Mexico economically and environmentally, and provided the company with closure going forward.
"It resolves the company's largest remaining legal exposures, provides clarity on costs and creates certainty of payment for all parties involved," Svanberg said.
The company had argued against a high Clean Water Act penalty, saying its spill-related costs already were expected to exceed $42 billion. It's also unclear how much BP will end up paying under a 2012 settlement with individuals and businesses claiming spill-related losses.
Costs incurred by BP so far include an estimated $14 billion for response and cleanup and $4.5 billion in penalties announced after a settlement of a criminal case with the government.
In 2012, BP reached the settlement with plaintiff's lawyers over economic and property damage claims arising from the spill. In its first-quarter earnings report for 2015, BP said it could estimate at least a $10.3 billion cost. But it also stressed that the cost could be higher, depending on how many legitimate claims were filed by a recently passed deadline.
---
Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus contributed to this report from Jackson, Mississippi.
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Gulf States Reach $18.7 Billion Settlement Over BP Oil Spill

Gulf States Reach $18.7 Billion Settlement Over BP Oil Spill....

BP and five Gulf states announced an $18.7 billion settlement Thursday that resolves years of legal fighting over the environmental and economic damage done by the energy giant's oil spill in 2010.
The BP oil spill settlement money will be used to resolve the Clean Water Act penalties; resolve natural resources damage claims; settle economic claims; and resolve economic damage claims of local governments, according to an outline filed in federal court. The settlement involves Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
"If approved by the court, this settlement would be the largest settlement with a single entity in American history; it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
The settlement announcement comes as a federal judge was preparing to rule on how much BP owed in federal Clean Water Act penalties. The judge had already found that 3.19 million barrels of oil - nearly 134 million gallons - spewed into the Gulf. Individual states also were pursuing litigation.
BP PLC chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said the settlement reflected the company's commitment to restoring the Gulf of Mexico economically and environmentally, and provided the company with closure going forward.
"It resolves the company's largest remaining legal exposures, provides clarity on costs and creates certainty of payment for all parties involved," Svanberg said.
The company had argued against a high Clean Water Act penalty, saying its spill-related costs already were expected to exceed $42 billion. It's also unclear how much BP will end up paying under a 2012 settlement with individuals and businesses claiming spill-related losses.
Costs incurred by BP so far include an estimated $14 billion for response and cleanup and $4.5 billion in penalties announced after a settlement of a criminal case with the government.
In 2012, BP reached the settlement with plaintiff's lawyers over economic and property damage claims arising from the spill. In its first-quarter earnings report for 2015, BP said it could estimate at least a $10.3 billion cost. But it also stressed that the cost could be higher, depending on how many legitimate claims were filed by a recently passed deadline.
---
Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus contributed to this report from Jackson, Mississippi.
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BP and five Gulf states announced an $18.7 billion settlement...

Polar Bears In Imminent Danger From Global Warming. About a third of the world's polar bears could be in imminent danger from greenhouse gas emissions in as soon as a decade, a U.S. <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=government&amp;cvid=0f92c82780c04d62964141a94ee4706a&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">government</a> report shows.
The U.S. Geological Survey, the Interior Department's research arm, said updated scientific models don't bode well for polar bear populations across the world, especially in Alaska, the only state in the nation with the white bears. Polar Bears In Imminent Danger From Global Warming
The report released this week is part of the U.S. Fish and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/some-cat-owners-care-about-their-pets-impact-on-wildlife-conservation/">Wildlife</a> Service's recovery plan for the polar bear. It is expected to be published Thursday in the Federal Register. Polar Bears In Imminent Danger From Global Warming
Greenhouse gases are blamed for the climate warming that's reducing the polar bear's summer sea ice habitat.
The effects of diminished sea ice will lead to population declines throughout the century. Scientists saw no rebound in population numbers in the projections that stretched to the year 2100.
The scientific models attempted to predict the effects on polar bear populations under two scenarios: one in which greenhouse gas emissions stabilized, and the other in which they continued unabated.
Under either scenario, the bears in the Alaska, Russia and Norway group - with an estimated population of about 8,500 - would start to be affected in either 2025 or 2030, said lead author Todd Atwood, an Alaska-based USGS research wildlife biologist.
He said the main reason is this part of the Arctic has suffered some of the most dramatic declines in summer sea ice.
Polar bears feed primarily on seals and use sea ice for feeding, mating and giving birth. When the sea ice retreats in the summer, polar bears are forced to land. A study earlier this year found the land-based food would not help a polar bear adapt to the loss of sea ice. The Office of Naval Research said the past eight years have had the eight lowest amounts of summer sea ice on record.
The USGS didn't predict specific number declines and instead projected whether a population would see a decreased or a greatly decreased population.
"That's not to say that we'll lose polar bears completely out of the area, but we think that they'll be at a greatly decreased distribution than what they currently are," Atwood said.
Polar bears in Canada and Greenland also could see dramatic population drops by 2050. Bears in the high Canadian Arctic fared the best in the two scientific models. They saw a "greatly decreased" population only under the worst-case scenario.
"Polar bears are in big trouble," said Rebecca Noblin, Alaska director for the Center for Biological Diversity. "There are other steps we can take to slow the decline of polar bears, but in the long run, the only way to save polar bears in the Arctic is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
The Center for Biological Diversity originally petitioned for polar bears to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In 2008, the species became the first to be listed because of global warming.
---
This story has been corrected to show the name of the organization that petitioned for polar bears to be listed as threatened is the Center for Biological Diversity.
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Polar Bears In Imminent Danger From Global Warming

Polar Bears In Imminent Danger From Global Warming. About a...

&nbsp;

Man-Made Landscapes Promote Bird Species Loss. Research led by the University of Exeter has found a substantial reduction in bird species living in cultivated mango orchards compared to natural habitats in Southern Africa. The results, which are published today in the journal Landscape Ecology, highlight the value of assessing habitats prior to land use change to predict the impact of agriculture on biodiversity.

The researchers monitored bird populations across cultivated mango orchards and natural habitats in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere region in <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=south+africa&amp;cvid=7b7d8ba979714cab87fa14eff0497f2b&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">South Africa</a>. They found that replacing a natural habitat with an agricultural landscape can result in a substantial decline in the richness of species living within the region. Man-Made Landscapes Promote Bird Species Loss

The scientists were aiming to ascertain whether agriculture could add novel habitat elements and thereby support additional bird species complementary to those already present in the natural areas - but found that in contrast, there was a loss of 35% of the bird species within the farmed land.

One of the study's authors, Dr Frank Van Veen of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, said: "Mango orchards are missing the low level woody scrub found in natural vegetation and the birds missing from the orchards are exactly those that have a life-style that depends on this layer of vegetation. These results show that simply measuring the vertical vegetation structure can help to predict negative effects of agriculture on biodiversity and suggest ways to mitigate these."

"This loss of richness has implications for the preservation and provision of the ecosystem, in particular pest control, seed dispersal and pollination. It is thus crucial for policy makers in countries such as South Africa, where natural habitats remain the predominant landscape features, to identify management strategies that provide the best balance between crop productivity and biodiversity conservation in the context of sustainable agriculture."

During the study, the team conducted 150 counts each at both natural habitat and mango orchard locations and measured aspects of habitat structure. Across all 300 survey points, a total of 14,278 birds representing 151 species were recorded. The results indicate that the lack of low level woody scrub in the mango orchards could account for the absence of some 26 insectivorous and nectarivorous species.

The diversity and abundance of bird species were both greater in natural habitats than in mango orchards, and whilst approximately a third of species recorded in the natural sites were unique to this habitat, there were no species unique to mango orchards.

Study author Yvette Ehlers Smith of the University of Exeter and The University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa added: "Our findings suggest that knowledge of habitat structure, along with species' life history traits can provide a predictive framework for effects that anthropogenic habitats may have on regional biodiversity, and allow management to reduce negative effects."

"The consequences of farmland management will have critical effects on conservation planning for biodiversity, as well as implications for food security. We recommend the inclusion of patches of natural vegetation, for example hedgerows, surrounding and within agricultural landscapes to increase habitat diversity and maintain natural levels of species richness."
###
'Response of avian diversity to habitat modification can be predicted from life-history traits and ecological attributes' by Yvette C. Ehlers Smith, David A. Ehlers Smith, Colleen L. Seymour, Elisa Thébault and F. J. Frank van Veen is published in the journal Landscape Ecology.

A copy of the paper can be found at: <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10980-015-0172-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10980-015-0172-x</a>

About the University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university and in the top one percent of institutions globally. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 19,000 students and is ranked 7th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide league table, 10th in The Complete University Guide and 9th in the Guardian University Guide 2015. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the University ranked 16th nationally, with 98% of its research rated as being of international quality. Exeter was The Sunday Times University of the Year 2012-13.

The University has four campuses. The Streatham and St Luke's campuses are in Exeter and there are two campuses in Cornwall, Penryn and Truro. The 2014-2015 academic year marks the 10-year anniversary of the two Cornwall campuses. In a pioneering arrangement in the UK, the Penryn Campus is jointly owned and managed with Falmouth University. At the campus, University of Exeter students can study programmes in the following areas: Animal Behaviour, Conservation Biology and Ecology, English, Environmental Science, Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Geology, History, Human Sciences, Marine Biology, Mining and Minerals Engineering, Politics and International Relations, Renewable Energy and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cryptozoology-legendary-mythical-animals/">Zoology</a>. Man-Made Landscapes Promote Bird Species Loss

The University has invested strategically to deliver more than £350 million worth of new facilities across its campuses in the past few years; including landmark new student services centres - the Forum in Exeter and The Exchange at Penryn - together with world-class new facilities for Biosciences, the Business School and the Environment and Sustainability Institute. There are plans for another £330 million of investment between now and 2016.<a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall</a>

About the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology and Conservation (CEC)

Staff at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, based on the Penryn Campus, undertake cutting-edge research that focusses on whole organism biology. The CEC has three interlinked research groups: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation, and Evolution which constitute 40 academics and over 100 early career researchers. It engages widely with businesses, charities and government agencies and organisations in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond to translate its research into societal impact. Staff at the CEC deliver educational programs to some 500 undergraduate and 100 postgraduate students.

A new £5.5 million Science and Engineering Research Support Facility (SERSF) is currently under construction at the Penryn Campus. The facility will bring pioneering business, science and engineering together and will provide space for the growing CEC alongside the University of Exeter Business School, which is expanding into Cornwall, and the University's Marine Renewables team.

The University of Exeter and Falmouth University are founding partners in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique collaboration between six universities and colleges to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

<a href="http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/cec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/cec/</a>

Man-Made Landscapes Promote Bird Species Loss

&nbsp; Man-Made Landscapes Promote Bird Species Loss. Research led by...

China Claims Air Quality Improves. Air quality in <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=bejiing&amp;cvid=705034c679b64fe6a632128fccdb1384&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Beijing</a>, notorious for its smoggy sky, improved during the first six months of 2015, the city government said.
The concentration of PM 2.5 - tiny airborne particles that are particularly harmful to human health - dropped by 15.2 percent from a year earlier to an average of 77.7 micrograms per cubic meter during the first half of the year, the government said, citing data from the municipal environment protection bureau. China Claims Air Quality Improves.
However, that level remains considerably higher than the 10 micrograms per cubic meter annual average considered safe by the World Health Organization.
The city government said the amounts of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sulfur-dioxide-emissions-china/">sulfur dioxide,</a> nitrogen dioxide and PM 10 particles also decreased. Beijing, alternatively romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's most populous capital city, with over 21 million residents within an administrative area of 16,410.5 km². The city, located in Northern China, is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban, suburban,
Chinese officials have vowed to clean up Beijing's foul air. Authorities have closed some polluting factories in the region, stepped up law enforcement of polluting industries and limited carbon emissions.
© 2015 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.

China Claims Air Quality Improves

China Claims Air Quality Improves. Air quality in Beijing, notorious...

Green Movement Entering Sports Through Green Sports Alliance. Andrew Ference was at the beginning of his NHL career when he met Dr. David Suzuki, who hosts a TV show in Canada. The conversation with the award-winning scientist changed the life of the young defenseman.
Ference told Suzuki about all the ways he's environmentally responsible at home. The famous environmentalist responded with a shrug.
"I was really patting myself on the back, and he just kind of looked at me and said `So what?'" Ference recalled. "He's like `Are you telling anybody about it? Are you inspiring other people to do it? Here you are, a hockey player in Canada and you have such an opportunity to stand for something good. I mean what do you do?' And I didn't have an answer."
The push from Suzuki inspired Ference to become one of the leading voices in the green movement in sports. The captain of the Edmonton Oilers started an initiative with the NHL Players Association to encourage his colleagues to go carbon neutral. He spoke in schools about the virtues of composting and renewable energy, and studied sustainability at Harvard.
Decades after he collected bottles to take to the recycling depot for money while he was growing up in Edmonton, Ference participated in an NHL panel at the fifth annual Green Sports Alliance Summit this week. He gave one of the keynote addresses at the conference attended by business and sports leaders across the country.
"Things have moved fast here in the last decade of people's awareness of sustainability," the 36-year-old Ference said. "Nobody used that word a decade ago. It wasn't just a common thing to use in everyday conversation, let alone corporate talk. And so the hockey world just kind of (came) along with the rest of the world."
What was once a small conversation about how sports affects the environment and vice versa has turned into an organized wave that influences the plans and construction of major sports venues around the country. The Natural Resources Defense Council, which helped create the Green Sports Alliance in 2010, advises the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and other leagues on green issues. The Green Sports Alliance has about 300 members.
"This movement is growing in membership. It's growing in influence," said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, the president of the Green Sports Alliance.
The NHL launched its green platform in 2010, and Hershkowitz said it has developed into "arguably the most robust leaguewide environmental program of any sports league or federation in the world." It focuses on increasing the energy efficiency and lowering the carbon footprint in each of its buildings, and engaging with fans and corporate and marketing partners in a substantive way.
"We are a sport that traces its roots to frozen ponds and cold climates, and while most of our games are played indoors now, the fact is the future of our game we believe depends on sustainable environmental practices," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Omar Mitchell, the senior director of sustainability for the league, said the NHL counterbalances its carbon footprint through the purchase of renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets as part of its partnership with Constellation, an energy company. Mitchell declined to disclose the cost of the RECs and offsets, but the NHL's energy program is believed to be the only one of its kind among the major North American sports leagues.
"That's our way of saying that we recognize what our footprint is, we recognize that we do have an environmental impact, and this is one way of mitigating those impacts," Mitchell said.
While sports leagues, teams and venues have come a long way - "From an environmental perspective, it is the golden age of stadium and arena design," Hershkowitz said - the industry still has a significant environmental impact around the world. Huge crowds at sports events produce a variety of environmental issues, and other concerns range from transportation for teams to simple care of the fields.
Two major topics at the summit in Chicago were food and transportation. The NRDC and GSA released a report highlighting increased sustainable food options at several major sports venues. There also was talk about partnerships between teams and public transit outlets.
"The systematic approach and the strategic approach that many sports people undertake are keep working and plugging away with the back-office operation at the same time making those public ones visible as long as you're doing them the right way," said Dr. Michael Pfahl, an associate professor in the department of sports administration at Ohio University.
Cost and access are two of the biggest problems when it comes to the green movement and the sports industry. While those are common problems, Hershkowitz thinks sports can be a positive force for change when it comes to environmental infrastructure.
"Are the sports venues the deciding factor in whether a city adopts a recycling ordinance or develops a composting facility? Probably not," he said. "Is a sports facility the deciding factor in having a city invest in mass transit? Probably not. But does the market and local influence of a prominent sports team, professional sports team or collegiate team, is that noticed by city planners? Absolutely."
---
Online:
Green Sports Alliance: <a href="http://greensportsalliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://greensportsalliance.org</a>
---
Jay Cohen can be reached at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap</a>
© 2015 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.

Green Movement Entering Sports Through Green Sports Alliance

Green Movement Entering Sports Through Green Sports Alliance. Andrew Ference...

Global Warming Causing Dramatic Changes To Arctic Tundra. Significant changes in one of the Earth's most important ecosystems are not only a symptom of climate change, but may fuel further warming, research suggests.

One of the biggest studies to date of key vegetation in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-icebergs-affect-seawater-and-ocean-currents-far-from-the-continent/">Arctic</a> tundra provides strong evidence that dramatic changes in the region are being driven by climate warming.

Studies of tundra shrubs - which act as a barometer of the Arctic environment - show that they grow more when temperatures are warmer. Increased shrub growth, driven by recent and future warming in the Arctic, could cause more warming in tundra ecosystems and for the planet as a whole.

Taller shrubs prevent snow from reflecting heat from the sun back into space, warming the Earth's surface. They can also influence soil temperatures and thaw permafrost. Increased shrubs can change the cycling of nutrients and carbon in soil, affecting its decomposition and the amount of carbon released to the atmosphere. All these factors can contribute to climate warming both in the Arctic and on a global scale.

Shrub species in wet landscapes at mid-latitudes of the Arctic are the most sensitive to climate warming, the study found. These areas are vulnerable to change as they store large amounts of carbon in frozen soil, which could be released by warming and permafrost thaw.

An international team of scientists at 37 sites in nine countries, led by the University of Edinburgh, studied records of shrub growth spanning 60 years by analysing annual growth rings in the plant stems, to explore links between climate and vegetation change.

The study, published in Nature Climate Change, was funded by the International Arctic Science Committee. The findings will help improve models of future changes to tundra ecosystems and the impacts of these changes on the global climate. Global Warming Causing Dramatic Changes To Arctic Tundra

Dr Isla Myers-Smith, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who co-ordinated the study, said: "Arctic shrub growth in the tundra is one of the most significant examples on Earth of the effect that climate change is having on ecosystems. Our findings show there is a lot of variation across this landscape. Understanding this should help improve predictions of climate change impacts across the tundra."

---

<a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Edinburgh</a>

Global Warming Causing Dramatic Changes To Arctic Tundra

Global Warming Causing Dramatic Changes To Arctic Tundra. Significant changes...

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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



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.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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 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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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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



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.

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 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?

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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



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.

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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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



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.

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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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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



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.

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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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 rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&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.

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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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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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.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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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"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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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...