Throughout history, Earth has faced cataclysmic events that reshaped its climate and ecosystems. Some of these events were triggered by asteroid impacts, leaving long-lasting effects on both land and sea. 



Scientists continue to study these possibilities, not just to understand past extinctions but to prepare for potential future threats.



A recent study by researchers from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at <a href="https://www.pusan.ac.kr/eng/Main.do" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pusan National University</a> in South Korea explores what would happen if a medium-sized asteroid struck Earth.



Using advanced climate models, the research team simulated how such an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-asteroid-2024-yr4-has-a-chance-of-hitting-earth-in-2032/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impact</a> could disrupt the atmosphere, weather patterns, and even global food security. The findings reveal a world drastically altered, with some life struggling to survive while other forms unexpectedly thrive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risk-of-an-asteroid-collision">Risk of an asteroid collision</h2>



Earth is surrounded by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-ingredients-building-blocks-of-life-found-in-asteroid-bennu-dust-sample/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">countless objects</a> with relatively close orbits. Most pose no immediate threat, but some have collision probabilities that cannot be ignored.



One of the more notable objects is the asteroid Bennu, which measures about 500 meters in diameter. According to recent studies, there is a 1-in-2700 chance that Bennu could collide with Earth in September 2182.



To put that probability into perspective, it is similar to flipping a coin 11 times and getting the same outcome every time. While such a scenario remains unlikely, the potential consequences are severe enough to warrant scientific investigation. 



If an asteroid of this size were to strike, the damage would go far beyond the initial impact zone, triggering worldwide disruptions that could last for years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simulating-an-asteroid-impact">Simulating an asteroid impact</h2>



To understand the potential consequences, researchers at <a href="https://ibsclimate.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ICCP</a> created an advanced climate model to simulate a medium-sized asteroid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-large-asteroids-will-pass-near-earth-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collision</a>. 



Their model assumed that an impact would release several hundred million tons of dust into the upper atmosphere. This dust would block sunlight, triggering a global cooling event similar to what happened after massive volcanic eruptions in Earth's past.



Unlike previous studies, which focused mainly on atmospheric and temperature changes, this research also examined the effects on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The team wanted to determine how plant life, both on land and in the ocean, would respond to the sudden climate shift.



Using the IBS supercomputer Aleph, the researchers ran multiple scenarios, varying the amount of dust injected into the atmosphere. The results showed widespread disruption to climate, atmospheric chemistry, and global photosynthesis for at least three to four years after the impact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-changes-due-to-asteroid-collision">Climate changes due to asteroid collision</h2>



The most extreme scenario revealed that solar dimming caused by dust would lead to a global surface cooling of up to 4°C. This drop in temperature would have a severe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-recent-mini-moon-2024-pt5-seems-to-be-a-lost-fragment-of-our-real-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impact</a> on agriculture, making it harder for crops to grow in many parts of the world. 



Rainfall would also decrease by around 15%, further worsening food production. In addition, the study predicted ozone depletion of about 32%, exposing life to harmful ultraviolet radiation.



While these changes would affect the entire planet, some regions would suffer more than others. Areas already prone to drought could experience even harsher conditions, while colder regions might see longer, more intense winters. 



The disruptions would make it difficult for many species, including humans, to adapt quickly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-on-land-and-ocean-ecosystems">Impact on land and ocean ecosystems</h2>



Dr. Lan DAI, a postdoctoral research fellow at ICCP and lead author of the study, explained how these changes would affect ecosystems across the globe.



“The abrupt impact winter would provide unfavorable climate conditions for plants to grow, leading to an initial 20–30% reduction of photosynthesis in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This would likely cause massive disruptions in global food security,” said Dr. Lan DAI.



While land plants would struggle with the sudden drop in temperature and reduced sunlight, the researchers found something surprising when they analyzed ocean plankton. Unlike their land-based counterparts, plankton displayed an entirely different response to the impact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-recovery-in-the-ocean">Surprising recovery in the ocean</h2>



The computer models showed that while photosynthesis on land declined sharply, ocean plankton rebounded quickly. Within six months, plankton levels returned to normal, and in some cases, they even surpassed pre-impact levels. 



This unexpected recovery was linked to the composition of the asteroid dust and its climate impact.



“We were able to track this unexpected response to the iron concentration in the dust,” said Professor Axel Timmermann, Director of the ICCP and co-author of the study.



Iron is a critical nutrient for algae, and in some parts of the ocean, natural iron levels are extremely low. When the asteroid struck, it released iron-rich dust into the atmosphere, which eventually settled into the ocean.



This sudden influx of iron created ideal conditions for algae growth, particularly in nutrient-depleted regions like the Southern Ocean and the eastern tropical Pacific. The result was an explosion of marine productivity, with algae blooms spreading across large ocean areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-boom-in-marine-life">Boom in marine life</h2>



The study found that silicate-rich algae, known as diatoms, benefited the most from the increased iron levels. 



These microscopic organisms form the base of the marine food chain, meaning their growth would attract higher levels of zooplankton, which feed on them. This process set off a chain reaction, boosting marine life at multiple levels.



“The simulated excessive phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms might be a blessing for the biosphere and may help alleviate emerging food insecurity related to the longer-lasting reduction in terrestrial productivity,” noted Dr. Lan DAI.



While terrestrial ecosystems would struggle for years after an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-test-simulation-shows-earth-not-prepared-prevent-large-asteroid-strike/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asteroid impact</a>, the ocean might become a refuge for certain species. This unexpected benefit could help balance some of the food shortages caused by declining crop yields on land.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-past-asteroid-strikes">Lessons from past asteroid strikes </h2>



Medium-sized asteroids have collided with Earth approximately every 100,000 to 200,000 years. These events have left permanent marks on the planet’s geological and biological history. 



Scientists believe that some of these impacts may have shaped human evolution by forcing early human populations to adapt to harsh environmental conditions.



“On average, medium-sized asteroids collide with Earth about every 100-200 thousand years. This means that our early human ancestors may have experienced some of these planet-shifting events before with potential impacts on human evolution and even our own genetic makeup,” said Professor Timmermann.



Studying these past events can help scientists understand how humanity might respond to a future impact. If a medium-sized asteroid were to strike again, modern technology and global cooperation could play a key role in minimizing its effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-asteroid-driven-climate-shifts-of-the-past">Asteroid-driven climate shifts of the past </h2>



The ICCP researchers plan to expand their study by simulating how early human populations might have responded to asteroid-driven climate shifts. Using agent-based computer models, they aim to recreate the survival strategies of ancient humans as they faced drastic environmental changes.



Understanding past events is crucial, but preparing for the future is just as important. While the chances of an asteroid collision remain low, having scientific models in place can help policymakers and researchers develop strategies to mitigate potential risks. 



From planetary defense initiatives to climate adaptation plans, the knowledge gained from these studies could one day prove vital for protecting life on Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq5399" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



-----



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Climate chaos: How an asteroid strike would change life on Earth

Throughout history, Earth has faced cataclysmic events that reshaped its climate and ecosystems. Some of these events were triggered by asteroid impacts, leaving long-lasting effects on both land and sea. Scientists continue to study these possibilities, not just to understand past extinctions but to prepare for potential future threats. A recent study by researchers from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea explores what would happen if a medium-sized asteroid struck Earth. Using advanced climate models, the research team simulated...

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Arctic Sea Ice Has Increased Since 2013. Measurements from ESA’s CryoSat satellite show that the volume of Arctic sea ice increased by a third following the unusually cool summer of 2013. This new finding suggests that ice in the northern hemisphere is more sensitive to changes in summer melting than it is to winter cooling.

Scientists at University College London (UCL) and the University of Leeds in the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=UK&amp;cvid=9fd5a8aeb6764a0b9004b0ecf4caeaf2&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">UK</a> used 88 million sea-ice thickness measurements taken by CryoSat between 2010 and 2014.

The study, published today in Nature Geoscience, shows a 14% reduction in the volume of summer sea ice between 2010 and 2012, but the volume of ice jumped by 41% in 2013, when the summer was 5% cooler than the previous year.

[caption id="attachment_2383011" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121938/arctic-sea-ice-autumn_1big_esa.png"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2383011" src="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121938/arctic-sea-ice-autumn_1big_esa-150x150.png" alt="Changes in autumn ice" width="150" height="150" /></a> Changes in autumn ice[/caption]

Lead author Rachel Tilling, from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at UCL, said, “The summer of 2013 was much cooler than recent years, with temperatures typical of those seen in the late 1990s.

“This allowed thick sea ice to persist northwest of Greenland because there were fewer days when it could melt. Although models have suggested that the volume of Arctic sea ice is in long-term decline, we know now that it can recover by a significant amount if the melting season is cut short.”

Launched in 2010, CryoSat measures the height of ice – both of that floating in the polar oceans and of the vast ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica. This information is essential for working out the thickness of the ice and how it is changing and, ultimately, how the volume of Earth’s ice is being affected by the climate.

The volume of Arctic ice has been steadily falling since the late 1970s, but was difficult to assess accurately before CryoSat.

[caption id="attachment_2383010" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121935/arctic-sea-ice-spring_1big_esa.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2383010" src="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121935/arctic-sea-ice-spring_1big_esa-150x150.jpg" alt="Spring average" width="150" height="150" /></a> Spring average[/caption]

Rachel added, “Until CryoSat was launched, it was tricky to measure the volume of Arctic sea ice as the pack drifts and measurements could not be taken across the whole region.

“Together with maps of sea-ice extent, our measurements of sea-ice thickness now complete the picture because they reveal what’s going on below the water, where most of the action happens.”

The team say although the first five years of CryoSat measurements have revealed important information on the state of Arctic sea ice, the record is still short to establish a long-term trend.

Professor Andrew Shepherd, Director of CPOM, said, “Understanding what controls the amount of Arctic sea ice takes us one step closer to making reliable predictions of how long it will last, which is important because it is a key component of Earth’s climate system.

“Although the jump in volume means that the region is unlikely to be ice free this summer, we still expect temperatures to rise in the future, and so the events of 2013 will have simply wound the clock back a few years on the long-term pattern of decline.

[caption id="attachment_2383009" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121929/cryosat_10big_esa.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2383009" src="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/20121929/cryosat_10big_esa-150x150.jpg" alt="Cryosat satellite" width="150" height="150" /></a> Cryosat satellite[/caption]

“Our goal is to make sure we do not lose this unique capability to monitor Arctic sea ice when the mission ends.”

The team now plans to use CryoSat’s measurements of changing sea-ice thickness to help improve the models that are used to predict future climate change, and also to assist maritime activities in the Arctic region, which can be dangerous and costly to navigate.

Tommaso Parrinello, ESA’s CryoSat Manager, said, “CryoSat has been in orbit for over five years now and still continues to demonstrate excellence by delivering the precise data that scientists need to advance polar science – we remain very proud of our satellite.”

---

<a href="http://www.esa.int" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">European Space Agency</a>

Arctic Sea Ice Has Increased Since 2013

Arctic Sea Ice Has Increased Since 2013. Measurements from ESA’s...

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

Update: Vatican Climate Meetings. The latest developments at the Vatican's meeting of mayors on fighting climate change and human trafficking. All times local.
---
12:15 p.m.
The mayor of Stockholm says climate negotiators at Paris talks later this year must "exclude fossil fuels" as an option and focus on long-term sustainable energy sources. Update: Vatican Climate Meetings
Mayor Karin Wanngaard says she had "great expectations" for the outcome but also was fully aware of the challenges. Stockholm is one of the world's leaders in using renewable energy sources: 75 percent of the city's public transport network runs on renewable energy. Wanngaard's goal is to make the Swedish capital fossil fuel-free by 2040.
"Climate negotiators must dare to push boundaries and exclude fossil fuels as an option and reward solutions that are long-term sustainable and recyclable," she told a Vatican conference on climate Tuesday.
---
11:55 a.m.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced new greenhouse gas emissions targets for the Big Apple at a Vatican summit aimed at keeping up the pressure on national leaders ahead of climate talks in Paris later this year.
De Blasio is a founding member of an alliance of cities around the world that have committed to reducing their emissions by 80 percent by 2050 or sooner.
At the Vatican conference Tuesday, De Blasio said New York was taking an interim step, committing to reducing its emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
"The Paris summit is just months away," De Blasio said. "We need to see it as the finish line of a sprint, and take every local action we can in the coming months to maximize the chance that our national governments will act boldly."
---
11:25 a.m.
The governor of California is denouncing global warming deniers who are "bamboozling" the public with propaganda and putting "troglodytes" into office rather than environmentally responsible leaders.
Gov. Jerry Brown was one of the keynote speakers Tuesday at a conference of eco-friendly mayors at the Vatican. California has enacted the toughest greenhouse gas emissions standards in North America.
To rousing applause, Brown denounced the "fierce opposition and blind inertia" in the U.S. by climate skeptics who he says are seeking to "falsify the scientific record" and convince politicians, scientists and the general public that global warming isn't happening.
Brown, a former Jesuit seminarian, urged the mayors to not be complacent in opposing them. He said climate deniers are spending "billions on trying to keep from office people such as yourselves and elect troglodytes and other deniers of the obvious science."
The mayors are expected to sign a Vatican declaration urging world leaders to take bold action at Paris climate talks this December.
---
11:00 a.m.
Environmentally friendly mayors from around the world are gathering at the Vatican for a two-day conference rallying momentum ahead of Paris climate negotiations later this year.
Pope Francis is expected to address the meeting later Tuesday. He's a new hero to the environmental movement, thanks to his recent encyclical denouncing the world's fossil fuel-based economy that he says exploits the poor and destroys the Earth.
The mayors are expected to sign a declaration at the end of the day demanding that their national leaders approve a "bold climate agreement" at Paris talks in December that keeps global warming at a safe limit for humanity.
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Update: Vatican Climate Meetings

Update: Vatican Climate Meetings. The latest developments at the Vatican's...

Desert woman thirsty dehydrated in Death Valley

Earth dialed the heat up in June 2015, smashing warm temperature records for both the month and the first half of the year.
Off-the-charts heat is "getting to be a monthly thing," said Jessica Blunden, a climate scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June was the fourth month of 2015 that set a record, she said.
"There is almost no way that 2015 isn't going to be the warmest on record," she added.
NOAA calculated that the world's average temperature in June hit 61.48 degrees Fahrenheit (16.33 Celsius), breaking the old record set last year by 0.22 degrees (.12 degrees Celsius). Usually temperature records are broken by one or two one-hundredths of a degree, not nearly a quarter of a degree, Blunden said.
And the picture is even more dramatic when the half-year is considered.
The first six months of 2015 were one-sixth of a degree warmer than the old record, set in 2010, averaging 57.83 degrees (14.35 Celsius).
The old record for the first half of the year was set in 2010, the last time there was an El Nino - a warming of the central Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. But in 2010, the El Nino petered out. This year, forecasters are predicting this El Nino will get stronger, not weaker.
"If that happens, it's just going to go off the charts," Blunden said.
June was warm nearly all over the world, with exceptional heat in Spain, Austria, parts of Asia, Australia and South America. Southern Pakistan had a June heat wave that killed more than 1,200 people - which, according to an international database, would be the eighth deadliest in the world since 1900. In May, a heat wave in India claimed more than 2,000 lives and ranked as the fifth deadliest on record. Earth dialed the heat up in June 2015, smashing warm temperature records for both the month and the first half of the year.
May and March also broke monthly heat records, which go back 136 years. Initially NOAA figured February 2015 was only the second hottest February on record, but new data came in that made it too the hottest, Blunden said. Earth has broken monthly heat records 25 times since the year 2000, but hasn't broken a monthly cold record since 1916.
"This is what anthropogenic global warming looks like, just hotter and hotter," said Jonathan Overpeck, co-director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona.
---
Online:
NOAA June global analysis: <a href="http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201506" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201506</a>
---
Seth Borenstein can be followed at <a href="http://twitter.com/borenbears" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/borenbears</a>
---
This story has been corrected with new data showing June was the fourth record-setting month of 2015, not the third.
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June 2015: Hottest Month On Record

Earth dialed the heat up in June 2015, smashing warm...

Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures. Eruptions of ash at five volcanoes shrouded the skies over parts of the Indonesian archipelago Wednesday, forcing three airports to close.
Mount Raung on Java island blasted ash and debris up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air after rumbling for several weeks, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plan-manage-wild-horses/">government</a> volcanologist Surono said. Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures
Ash erupted also from Gamalama and Dukono mountains on the Moluccas islands chain, Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island and Mount Karangetang on Siau<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=climate+change&amp;cvid=e7b1f990737d417eb76b70a2fb4d9b90&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> island,</a> darkening the skies, Surono said.
A total of more than 13,000 people have been evacuated due to the volcanic eruptions since last month, mostly from around the slopes of Sinabung in Tanah Karo District, added Surono, who uses a single name.
"Our evaluation showed there is no extraordinary natural phenomenon that triggered simultaneous eruptions of the five volcanoes," Surono said, adding that all the eruptions are natural and normal occurrences in a nation with about 130 active v<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/geysers-do-not-forecast-explosive-volcanic-activity-in-yellowstone/">olcanoes</a>.
Transport Ministry spokesman Julius Adravida Barata said Jember and Banyuwangi airports closed late Tuesday and Bali's international airport was closed for several hours on Wednesday, disrupting flights. Media reports said 37 flights to and from Bali's Ngurah Rai airport were cancelled.
An eruption of Raung early this month sparked chaos as the airport in the tourist hotspot of Bali and four other airports in the region were shutdown, stranding thousands of holiday-goers. Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures
Last week, the ministry closed Sultan Babullah airport in North Maluku's Ternate town after eruptions at Gamalama and Dukono sent volcanic ash up to 1,700 meters (5,570 feet) into the sky.
Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood-prone plains, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures
---
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Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures

Volcanic Eruptions in Indonesia Force Airport Closures. Eruptions of ash...

Outrage In Thailand Over Proposed Coal Power Plant. Plans to build an 800-megawatt coal power plant near some of Thailand's most popular beaches have sparked protests and a hunger strike by activists who say officials aren't considering its impact on the pristine environment that makes the area an international tourist destination.
More than 100 members of the Save Andaman from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/europe-coal/">Coal</a> Network this week staged a march and sit-in outside the prime minister's office in the nation's capital against plans to build the plant near southern Thailand's Andaman coast about 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Bangkok.
The tranquil Krabi province and its islands are famed for picturesque limestone cliffs and white sand beaches, one of which was the centerpiece of the Leonardo DiCaprio film "The Beach."
"If this power plant happens, southern <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=thailand&amp;cvid=bf335198eba8471a90fda8fad66baea6&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Thailand</a> will lose a lot," said Krabi resident Akradej Chakjinda, who has fasted since July 10 in protest. Outrage In Thailand Over Proposed Coal Power Plant
Protesters say the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, is pushing ahead with a bidding process for the plant and a seaport that would receive overseas shipments of coal before an environmental impact assessment has been completed. Plans to launch the bidding process were delayed until next month, which EGAT says is unrelated to the ongoing protests.
The coal plant is part of a critical energy infrastructure that will provide Thailand with energy security as natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand dry up within 10 years, EGAT says.
The state power authority has said it envisions building nine coal power plants in the south over the next two decades.
It had planned to begin the bidding process on this one in advance of the environmental review to save time, a government official said.
"I want to emphasize that this is totally legal and we will not sign any contract with the constructor who wins the bid process until we pass" the environmental assessment, Anuchart Palakawong Na Autthaya, head of environmental management for the project, told The Nation newspaper Monday.
Krabi remains Thailand's second-largest area of sea grass beds, which provide a feeding ground for the near extinct dugongs, a manatee-like marine mammal. It is also one of Thailand's major tourist draws. Tourism to the provinces along the Andaman coast generated more than 376 billion baht ($11 billion) in 2015, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Krabi and some of the islands off its coast are known as Thailand's most beautiful beaches, including Koh Phi Phi, which rose to international prominence after being featured in DiCaprio's film.
The Save Andaman from Coal Network, a loose collaboration of environmental, agricultural, tourist and other groups from southern provinces, began demonstrations July 10 but say their demands - which include a 3-year waiting period to see if the province can produce 100 percent renewable energy - have been ignored.
"I've seen the beauty of the Andaman Sea," said Daodin Patavatto, a Buddhist monk joining the protests. "The Andaman is not for one small group of people. It's for everyone."
----
Follow Ted Andersen on Twitter at (at)ted-d-andersen
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Outrage In Thailand Over Proposed Coal Power Plant

Outrage In Thailand Over Proposed Coal Power Plant. Plans to...

Arctic OffShore Drilling

Shell Granted Conditional Permits for Alaska Drilling. The Obama administration has given Royal Dutch Shell PLC approval to begin limited exploratory oil drilling off Alaska's northwest coast.
The two permits issued Wednesday clear the way for drilling in Chukchi Sea, but with conditions.
Shell can only drill the top sections of wells because the company doesn't have on site the critical emergency response equipment to cap the well in case of a leak. That equipment is aboard a ship headed to<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=portland&amp;cvid=2c612c94abc54468be5728c0e9d023d3&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> Portland</a>, Oregon, for repairs. Shell Granted Conditional Permits for Alaska Drilling
The Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a statement that Shell could submit an amended application for deeper drilling when the capping stack can be deployed within 24 hours.
"Without question, activities conducted offshore Alaska must be held to the highest safety, environmental protection and emergency response standards," said the bureau's director, Brian Salerno.
The department had given a conditional OK in May to Shell's drilling plan, pending the company's ability to obtain all necessary permits from state and federal agencies.
Some environmental groups worry the Arctic's remoteness and rugged conditions will hamper cleanup efforts in the event of a spill, risking devastation of a fragile ecosystem.
Proponents say drilling can be conducted safely with existing technologies and that future production decades from now will help sustain the country's energy needs and limit reliance on imports.
Shell and other companies hope to tap into one of the country's last great petroleum reserves. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic offshore reserves in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas at 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
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Shell Granted Conditional Permits for Alaska Drilling

Shell Granted Conditional Permits for Alaska Drilling. The Obama administration...

According to UN Climate Chief, Paris Conference is Last Chance for Hope. The December climate change conference in Paris is the last chance for a meaningful agreement that would offer hope for a planet at risk due to greenhouse gases, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hotter-summers-are-transforming-endangered-bunchgrass-prairies/">U.N.</a> climate chief Christiana Figueres said Wednesday.


[caption id="attachment_2383048" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/22122058/ad01a328-0244-4aeb-84af-10dcacb2fb67-big.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2383048" src="http://cff1.greenatom.net/uploads/2015/07/22122058/ad01a328-0244-4aeb-84af-10dcacb2fb67-big-300x214.jpg" alt="United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres, gestures as she speaks during an interview of the Associated Press in Paris, France, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Figueres says that the upcoming climate change conference in Paris is the last chance for a meaningful agreement. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)" width="300" height="214" /></a> United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres, gestures as she speaks during an interview of the Associated Press in Paris, France, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Figueres says that the upcoming climate change conference in Paris is the last chance for a meaningful agreement. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)[/caption]
Figueres is deep into preparations to broker a landmark, legally binding climate deal with more than 190 nations to keep global warming from reaching dangerous levels.
"Science is telling us that time is running out," Figueres said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We do not play with this anymore. We are at five minutes to 12 and Paris is the 12 o'clock strike of the clock."
So far, less than 50 of 194 nations have weighed in with commitments to slash carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to reduce global warming. Conference host French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that, with the current commitments, "we are still above" the overall goal of keeping the average global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F) compared with pre-industrial times.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said recently that negotiations - separate from the nations' commitments - are moving at a "snail's pace" but Figueres said "we continue to be optimistic about Paris."
The Paris agreement is to sign off on a structure that will serve as a guide for decreases in emissions and increases in resilience in the coming decades, along with what Figueres called an "instruction manual" on how to implement the accord.
Its complex parts should "untangle" shortly, she said. "So, I think we are on track."
Without an agreement, "we are going to be playing with fire," she added.
"Whatever gets done over the next 10 to 15 years, whatever gets invested particularly in the energy system ... is going to determine the energy matrix that we will have for at least 50 years. It is going to determine the quality of life of this century and beyond," Figueres said.
Asked about those who doubt the scientific evidence of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=global+warming&amp;cvid=3fd0dba4d2e448f39d3052045b7e8c23&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">global warming</a>, particularly in the United States - the nation which, after China, is the biggest polluter - Figueres had a simple response: consider the economic benefits of renewable energy, including growth, jobs and exports.
"With or without the science of climate change ... there is by now an unstoppable, irreversible technology and energy system trend, said Figueres. According to UN Climate Chief, Paris Conference is Last Chance for Hope
To limit the Earth's temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius requires a massive energy shift to renewable sources, and perhaps even capturing airborne carbon dioxide and storing it underground.
"Why would the United States industry want to leave the opportunity of growth? ... And the opportunity to export the technology? Because all countries are turning to renewable energy," she asked. "Why would the United States want to leave that to China?"
China, she said, "understands that this is what is coming down the pike, this is where job creation is."
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According to UN Climate Chief, Paris Conference is Last Chance for Hope

According to UN Climate Chief, Paris Conference is Last Chance...

New Jersey Warehouse Fire Smoke Visible from Space. New Jersey Warehouse Fire Smoke Visible from Space. A large warehouse fire that was fueled by plastics, autos and household goods sent plumes of black smoke into the air Wednesday that were visible from space.
The warehouse fire broke out early in the morning in the rear of the complex that is used by eight businesses in North Brunswick, Fire Chief Donald Salzmann said. The flames quickly overtook a sprinkler system and spread from one end of the building to the other.
Firefighters decided to let it burn out and could be on the scene dealing with hot spots through the evening, the chief said. By the middle of the day, most of the blaze was under control except for the section where a plastic plant was located, Salzmann said.New Jersey Warehouse Fire Smoke Visible from Space
The cause of the blaze was not known and the investigation would not begin until the flames were out.
The flames lit up the night sky, and the billowing thick smoke was visible on a weather satellite photo.
Residents of a nearby apartment building were ordered to leave after heat from the blaze set the siding on fire. Others were moved as a precaution over fears of potential <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=toxins&amp;cvid=5fbfd0db69e64253ac035473f9c54de0&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">toxins</a> being released from the burning plastic.
Officials were monitoring air quality and would continue to check the smoke for any health threats, Dwayne Harrington of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sea-stars-may-be-drowning-in-their-environment/">Environmental</a> Protection Administration said.
Officials had not detected any dangerous levels of toxins, Mayor Francis Womac III said.
The mayor recommended nearby residents stay inside and turn off their air conditioners as a precaution. Officials were helping residents with respiratory health problems move, if they were unable to do so.
About 75 nearby residents remained in a shelter.
Low water pressure was an issue and tanker trucks, along with firefighters from within a 20-mile radius, were brought to the scene.
A firefighter was treated at the scene for a hand injury.
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New Jersey Warehouse Fire Smoke Visible from Space

New Jersey Warehouse Fire Smoke Visible from Space. New Jersey...

Putting a definitive date on really old plant and animal remains is hard enough as it is. Now, researchers say accelerating CO2 levels in the atmosphere will soon make carbon dating unreliable.

The method of carbon dating puts a time of death on organic remains by comparing the levels of radioactive and nonradioactive carbon.

When the sun's rays react with nitrogen in the atmosphere, a radioactive isotope of carbon called carbon-14 is created. This isotope is absorbed by plants, and further up the food chain by herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.

All organic matter accretes this radioactive isotope while alive; but once deceased, carbon-14 begins decaying. By comparing the ratio of radiocarbon levels in decaying matter to those in the atmosphere, researchers can determine how long a plant, animal or organic-based material has been dead.

But the burning of fossil fuels, manmade carbon emissions, are dramatically increasing the amount of nonradioactive carbon in the atmosphere, throwing off the consistent ratios that make the dating technique possible.

"As carbon-14 decays over time the fraction will decrease so that's how we use it for dating," Heather Graven, researcher at Imperial College London and author of a <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/07/15/1504467112" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a> on the subject, <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33594658" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told BBC News</a>. "But we can also change this ratio of radioactive carbon to total carbon, if we are adding non-radioactive carbon and that's what's happening with fossil fuels, we get this dilution effect."

Graven says by 2050, a new pair of jeans will have the same radiocarbon date as something 10,000 years old.

"If we did any current measurements on new products, they will end up having the same fraction of radiocarbon to total carbon as something that's lost it over time due to decay," Graven said.

It's not the end of dating, as scientists have a few other techniques. But it may soon be the end of carbon dating, a method that revolutionized both archaeology and forensic science after it was developed in the 1940s.

"This finding has strong and as yet unrecognized implications for many applications of radiocarbon in various fields, and it implies that radiocarbon dating may no longer provide definitive ages for samples up to 2,000 years old," researchers concluded.

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UPI

Carbon Dating Will Soon be Unreliable Due to CO2 Emissions

Putting a definitive date on really old plant and animal...

Leonardo DiCaprio Raises $40 Million For The Earth. Leonardo DiCaprio raised over $40 million to help save the planet at an auction in Saint-Tropez, <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/arcachon-bay-in-southwestern-france/">France</a>, on Wednesday night.

The second annual Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation fundraising gala included a live auction with donated jewelry and artwork from the actor's personal collection, his publicist, Shawn Sachs, said Thursday.

Naomi Campbell, Orlando Bloom and Kate Hudson attended the event, which included performances by Elton John and John Legend.

Other items in the auction included an estate on DiCaprio's private Belize island, Blackadore Caye, and a special travel package donated by Prince Albert II of Monaco. Also Leonardo DiCaprio Raises $40 Million For The Earth for many other reasons in helping.

DiCaprio, whose films include "Titanic" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," started the environmental foundation in 1998 to help preserve the environment and habitats of wild animals.

The money funds grants, public campaigns and media initiatives supported by the foundation.

DiCaprio, 40, serves on the board of several environmental organizations. He said he hopes to work with governments to protect critically <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=endangered+species&amp;cvid=4618770443d84206bc017760c2480b9b&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">endangered species</a> and "conserve the jungles, coral reefs, and forest they call home."

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Online:

<a href="http://www.leonardodicaprio.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.leonardodicaprio.org</a>

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Leonardo DiCaprio Raises $40 Million For The Earth

Leonardo DiCaprio Raises $40 Million For The Earth. Leonardo DiCaprio...

Throughout Earth's history, rapid climate changes have precipitated megafauna extinctions. According to new research, abrupt global warming -- similar to today's accelerating temperatures -- is to blame for the disappearance of mammoths during the last ice age.

In a new study, Australian researchers compared and contrasted geologic records with the ancient DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating. The results showed that a succession of abrupt warming periods known as interstadials during the Pleistocene matched neatly with significant extinction events.

Until recently, researchers thought sudden and intense cold snaps were to blame for die-offs of large mammals throughout evolutionary history, but instead, the opposite seems to be true.

"This abrupt warming had a profound impact on climate that caused marked shifts in global rainfall and vegetation patterns," study author <a class="tpstyle" title="Alan Cooper" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Alan_Cooper/">Alan Cooper</a>, a professor at the University of Adelaide and Director of the Australian Center for Ancient DNA, <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news79662.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a recent press release</a>.

"Even without the presence of humans we saw mass extinctions," Cooper said. "When you add the modern addition of human pressures and fragmenting of the environment to the rapid changes brought by global warming, it raises serious concerns about the future of our environment."

The new research corresponds neatly with the extinction of mammoths and giant sloths some 11,000 years ago, as the last ice age came to an end.

Scientists say their work -- which was published <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/07/22/science.aac4315" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the journal Science</a> this week -- offers the most comprehensive timeline of climate change and species movement, data that will aid future research projects.

They also say the impacts of mankind on plants and animals shouldn't be discounted.

"It is important to recognise that man still played an important role in the disappearance of the major mega fauna species," said co-author Chris Turney, a professor at the University of New South Wales. "The abrupt warming of the climate caused massive changes to the environment that set the extinction events in motion, but the rise of humans applied the coup de grâce to a population that was already under stress."

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UPI

Study Suggests Sudden Warming to Blame for Mammoth Extinction

Throughout Earth's history, rapid climate changes have precipitated megafauna extinctions....

Hydrogen Gas to Blame for Rhode Island Beach Blast. Hydrogen Gas to Blame for Rhode Island Beach Blast. A mysterious blast on a Rhode Island beach likely was caused by the combustion of hydrogen gas buildup because of a corroded copper cable under the sand, investigators announced Friday.
Officials have spent nearly two weeks trying to figure out what happened on July 11 at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett, when witnesses heard a large boom and a woman from Connecticut was sent flying through the air into a jetty. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/san-francisco-facial-recognition-technology/">Police</a> almost immediately ruled out an explosive device or intentional act, but scientists were stumped about what could have caused the blast.
Janet Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management, said Friday that scientists at the University of Rhode Island had pinpointed it to hydrogen built up by the corrosion of an abandoned copper cable that previously was used by the U.S. Coast Guard and runs under the sand.
Coit said scientists took core samples of the beach, and the sand where the blast occurred had unusually high levels of hydrogen gas.
Arthur Spivack, an oceanographer with expertise in geo-chemistry at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography who worked on finding the cause, said hydrogen combustion is about the simplest chemical reaction there is. Hydrogen Gas to Blame for Rhode Island Beach Blast
"All you need is hydrogen and oxygen in the right mixture and it can combust," he said. "Everything we observed is consistent with hydrogen combustion."
Coit said they tested the beach for <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=hydrogen&amp;cvid=b5651a49a84d493187da7225b03440e0&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">hydrogen</a> on Friday, took 10 samples and hydrogen wasn't detected.
Kathleen Danise, 60, of Waterbury, Connecticut, suffered two fractured ribs and bruises in the blast. The beach fully reopened on Tuesday.
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Hydrogen Gas to Blame for Rhode Island Beach Blast

Hydrogen Gas to Blame for Rhode Island Beach Blast. Hydrogen...

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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



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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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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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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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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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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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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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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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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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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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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://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

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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

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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.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

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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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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...