Earth, the only known planet to support life, owes much of its habitability to water. Understanding when and how water arrived on Earth is crucial for piecing together the story of life’s origins. 



Scientists have long debated whether water was present from the planet’s formation or if it arrived later through external sources. 



A recent study led by a Rutgers-New Brunswick scientist challenges existing theories, suggesting that water arrived much later than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-cycles-through-plants-with-unexpected-speed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously believed</a>.



The findings indicate that Earth received water toward the final stages of its formation. This discovery could reshape scientific understanding of the conditions necessary for life.



By examining isotopes in Earth’s rocks and comparing them with meteorites, researchers have provided new insights into the timing and process of water’s arrival on our planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-of-life-s-origins">Timing of life’s origins</h2>



Scientists seek to pinpoint when key <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/comets-may-have-delivered-water-to-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ingredients for life</a> first appeared on Earth. Water, energy, and a mix of organic chemicals known as CHNOPS - carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur - are essential for life to emerge. 



Determining when these components arrived can offer clues about the timing of life’s formation.



Katherine Bermingham is an associate professor in the <a href="https://eps.rutgers.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences</a> at Rutgers and lead author of the study.



“When water was delivered to the planet is a major unanswered question in planetary science,” said Bermingham. “If we know the answer, we can better constrain when and how life developed.”



Her research suggests that water was not present during the early phases of Earth’s formation, as some theories propose. Instead, the planet acquired it much later through a process known as late accretion, when additional material from space continued to shape Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-examining-the-building-blocks-of-planets">Examining the building blocks of planets</h2>



Bermingham specializes in cosmogeochemistry, a field that examines the chemical composition of planetary materials to understand their origins. 



By analyzing Earth rocks and extraterrestrial materials such as meteorites, she investigates how rocky planets, including Earth, formed and evolved.



In this study, Bermingham’s team used thermal ionization mass spectrometry, a precise method for measuring isotopic compositions. 



They developed a new analytical approach to examine isotopes of molybdenum, an element found in both Earth’s crust and meteorites.



Isotopes are variations of an element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, which gives them slightly different atomic masses while maintaining identical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/distress-signals-earths-water-cycle-is-becoming-more-erratic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chemical properties</a>.



“The molybdenum isotopic composition of Earth rocks provides us with a special window into events occurring around the time of Earth’s final core formation, when the last 10% to 20% of material was being assembled by the planet. This period is thought to coincide with the Moon’s formation,” explained Bermingham.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comparing-meteorites-and-earth-rocks">Comparing meteorites and Earth rocks</h2>



To track Earth’s early chemical history, the team examined meteorite samples from the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution. Scientists classify meteorites into two main groups based on their place of origin in the solar system.



The first group, known as “CC” meteorites, likely formed in the outer solar system, where conditions were wetter. The second group, “NC” meteorites, originated in the inner solar system, where conditions were much drier. 



This study focused on meteorites from the NC group to compare their chemical composition with Earth rocks.



The researchers analyzed molybdenum isotopes in rocks from Greenland, South Africa, Canada, the United States, and Japan. 



These rocks date back to the time of the Moon’s formation and are believed to contain elements added to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-other-planets-collected-first-water-from-unexpected-source-planetesimals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth</a> during this period.



By comparing the isotopic signatures of meteorites and Earth rocks, the team sought to determine whether the Moon-forming event delivered a significant amount of water to Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-water-may-have-arrived-late">Earth’s water may have arrived late</h2>



“Once we gathered the different samples and measured their isotopic compositions, we compared the meteorites’ signatures with the rock signatures to see if there was a similarity or a difference,” Bermingham said. “And from there, we drew inferences.”



The analysis revealed that the molybdenum composition of Earth rocks closely matched that of NC meteorites, which originated in the drier inner solar system. 



This finding suggests that Earth’s building blocks primarily came from a region of the solar system where water was scarce.



This contradicts a popular theory that a significant amount of Earth’s water arrived during the Moon-forming event. 



Instead, the study indicates that water was delivered in smaller amounts long after the Moon formed, during the later stages of planetary development.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-the-source-of-earth-s-water">Rethinking the source of Earth’s water</h2>



“We have to figure out from where in our solar system Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-discovery-earths-building-blocks-contained-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">building blocks</a> - the dust and the gas - came and around when that happened,” Bermingham said. “That’s the information needed to understand when the stage was set for life to begin.”



If most of Earth’s original material came from the drier inner solar system, then the Moon-forming event was likely not a major contributor of water. Instead, water must have arrived in smaller portions later. 



This conclusion challenges the idea that a single event provided Earth with the majority of its water. 



The study supports the view that water accumulated gradually over time, arriving through a combination of asteroid impacts and other processes occurring well after the planet had taken shape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-questions-about-life-s-early-conditions">Questions about life’s early conditions</h2>



“Our results suggest that the Moon-forming event was not a major supplier of water, unlike what has been thought previously,” Bermingham said. “These findings, however, permit a small amount of water to be added after final core formation, during what is called late accretion.”



This discovery raises new questions about how long it took for Earth to become habitable. If water arrived later than previously thought, then life may have taken longer to emerge. 



This could also have implications for understanding other planets, particularly those that scientists consider candidates for life.



By refining the timeline of Earth’s water history, this study contributes to a broader effort to understand planetary evolution. If water arrived late on Earth, then other planets might have followed a similar pattern. 



This could mean that life-supporting conditions take longer to develop than scientists once assumed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-in-the-search-for-earth-s-water">What’s next in the search for Earth’s water?</h2>



The study represents a step forward in unraveling Earth’s past, but it also highlights the many unanswered questions about the origins of water and life. 



Future research will likely focus on refining models of planetary accretion, analyzing additional meteorite samples, and exploring other isotopic markers that could provide further insights.



Other Rutgers contributors to the study include Linda Godfrey, an assistant research professor, and Hope Tornebene, a laboratory researcher in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 



The research continues to push the boundaries of planetary science, bringing us closer to understanding how Earth became a world capable of supporting life.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703724005751?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta</a>.



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Water arrived on Earth gradually over time, not in one big event

Earth, the only known planet to support life, owes much of its habitability to water. Understanding when and how water arrived on Earth is crucial for piecing together the story of life’s origins. Scientists have long debated whether water was present from the planet’s formation or if it arrived later through external sources. A recent study led by a Rutgers-New Brunswick scientist challenges existing theories, suggesting that water arrived much later than previously believed. The findings indicate that Earth received water toward the final stages of its...

Study: Twice As Much Trash In Landfills As Previously Estimated. Americans are sending more than twice as much trash to landfills as the federal government has estimated, according to a new study.

It turns out that on average America tosses five pounds of trash per person per day into its landfills, according to an analysis of figures from the same study, which is based on actual landfill measurements instead of government estimates.

For years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency relied on estimates to determine how much trash was being sent to landfills. But in 2010, the agency required most municipal landfills to measure and report how much trash was heading into the dumps, as part of an effort to lower heat-trapping methane emissions. Researchers at Yale University looked at the records for more than 1,200 landfills and calculated amounts, predominantly based on weights.

They figured it was 289 million tons in 2012, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. For the same year, EPA estimated the figure to be 135 million tons.

The Yale team calculated that in 2013, waste sent to landfills rose to 294 million tons. With 316 million people, that comes to 1,871 pounds per person in that year, the last for which there are figures.

Jon Powell at Yale's Center for Industrial Ecology said the amount is different because of the way his team calculated it: Adding up actual measurements instead of estimates based on what businesses told government indirectly. The EPA partially funded the study.

Three outside experts said they trust the Yale numbers more than the EPA's. However, Thomas Kinnaman, a Bucknell University professor who studies the economics of solid waste and recycling, added the findings don't matter much, because landfills have plenty of room to expand. Powell found that for every year's worth of trash filled on average in the United States, landfills add 2.7 years' worth of capacity.

If Powell's data is correct, Americans aren't recycling as much as authorities thought. EPA estimated that Americans recycled 34.5 percent of their waste in 2012, but if the amount of trash matches Powell calculation, the recycling rate would be 21.4 percent. But the data may not match up well, Powell cautioned.

Americans don't seem to generate more trash than other cultures, Bucknell's Kinnaman said. And not all of the waste is from homes. Powell said a sampling, which may not be representative nationally, showed that 12.8 percent of the material that flowed into the landfill was construction and demolition debris.

---

Online:

Nature Climate Change: <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nature.com/nclimate</a>

---

Seth Borenstein can be followed at <a href="http://twitter.com/borenbears" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/borenbears</a>

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Study: Twice As Much Trash In Landfills As Previously Estimated

Study: Twice As Much Trash In Landfills As Previously Estimated....

110873423

Colorado's High Court Will Decide If Cities Can Ban Fracking. The Colorado Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether cities can ban fracking, stepping into a high-stakes battle over whether local governments can impose tougher oil and gas rules than the state.
The court will hear cases from Longmont, where voters banned hydraulic fracturing in 2012, and Fort Collins, where voters approved a 5-year moratorium in 2013.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association sued the two cities, and lower courts overturned the local restrictions, saying regulation is the state's prerogative. The cities and several environmental groups appealed.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals underground to crack open formations and make it easier to recover oil and gas. It's a widespread practice that led to an energy boom in Colorado, the nation's No. 7 energy-producing state, and elsewhere.
The state Supreme Court's decision could settle a long-simmering battle fought on multiple fronts in Colorado, including public health, the environment and property rights.
"I would say this is pretty huge," said Tanya Heikkila, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver who studies fracking policy debates.
The state has generally taken the position that only it has the power to regulate the oil and gas industry, and that local governments can participate in decisions about how drilling and fracking occur but not whether it should be allowed.
"Local governments obviously still want some say in the `whether,'" Heikkila said. "The Supreme Court decision will clarify that issue."
Critics say fracking endangers public health and underground water supplies. The industry maintains it is safe.
Fracking has also intensified battles over property rights in Colorado. Landowners - sometimes called surface owners - often don't own the rights to the minerals underneath their property, setting up disputes over where and how the mineral owners can drill. Noise, lights and health worries generate complaints when drilling rigs set up near homes or schools.
New York state has banned fracking, citing environmental and public health risks. Energy-rich Texas and Oklahoma enacted laws in May that prevent local governments from banning fracking.
One of the proponents of the Longmont ban, a group called Our Longmont, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to weigh in.
"This is an issue with profound consequences for our community and its residents," Our Longmont President Kaye Fissinger said.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association also welcomed the court's intervention and predicted the local restrictions wouldn't survive. Spokesman Doug Flanders said the group has been working on finding workable solutions to the disputes.
<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorados-high-court-will-decide-if-cities-can-ban-fracking-2/">Longmont</a> Assistant City Manager Sandy Seader said the city is ready to defend its ban. A Fort Collins official didn't immediately return a call.
The court didn't indicate when it might rule.
---
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Colorado's High Court Will Decide If Cities Can Ban Fracking

Colorado's High Court Will Decide If Cities Can Ban Fracking....

Colorado's High Court Will Decide If Cities Can Ban Fracking. The<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=colorado&amp;cvid=28e727ed259f42d0a8fde4da5d531e85&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> Colorado</a> Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether cities can ban fracking, stepping into a high-stakes battle over whether local governments can impose tougher oil and gas rules than the state.
The court will hear cases from Longmont, where voters banned hydraulic fracturing in 2012, and Fort Collins, where voters approved a 5-year moratorium in 2013. The Colorado Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether cities can ban fracking, stepping into a high-stakes battle over whether local governments can impose tougher oil and gas rules than the state.
The Colorado <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/life-in-deep-ocean-sediments-can-survive-boiling-hot-temperatures/">Oil</a> and Gas Association sued the two cities, and lower courts overturned the local restrictions, saying regulation is the state's prerogative. The cities and several environmental groups appealed.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals underground to crack open formations and make it easier to recover oil and gas. It's a widespread practice that led to an energy boom in Colorado, the nation's No. 7 energy-producing state, and elsewhere.
The state Supreme Court's decision could settle a long-simmering battle fought on multiple fronts in Colorado, including public health, the environment and property rights.
"I would say this is pretty huge," said Tanya Heikkila, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver who studies fracking policy debates.
The state has generally taken the position that only it has the power to regulate the oil and gas industry, and that local governments can participate in decisions about how drilling and fracking occur but not whether it should be allowed.
"Local governments obviously still want some say in the `whether,'" Heikkila said. "The Supreme Court decision will clarify that issue."
Critics say fracking endangers public health and underground water supplies. The industry maintains it is safe.
Fracking has also intensified battles over property rights in Colorado. Landowners - sometimes called surface owners - often don't own the rights to the minerals underneath their property, setting up disputes over where and how the mineral owners can drill. Noise, lights and health worries generate complaints when drilling rigs set up near homes or schools.
New York state has banned fracking, citing environmental and public health risks. Energy-rich Texas and Oklahoma enacted laws in May that prevent local governments from banning fracking.
One of the proponents of the Longmont ban, a group called Our Longmont, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to weigh in.
"This is an issue with profound consequences for our community and its residents," Our Longmont President Kaye Fissinger said.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association also welcomed the court's intervention and predicted the local restrictions wouldn't survive. Spokesman Doug Flanders said the group has been working on finding workable solutions to the disputes.
Longmont Assistant City Manager Sandy Seader said the city is ready to defend its ban. A Fort Collins official didn't immediately return a call.
The court didn't indicate when it might rule.
---
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Emissions Scandal To Cost Volkswagen Over $7 Billion. The crisis enveloping Volkswagen AG, the world's top-selling carmaker, escalated Tuesday as the company issued a profit warning following a stunning admission that some 11 million of its <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/biomass-solar-power-hydrogen-fuels/">diesel</a> vehicles worldwide were fitted with software at the center of a U.S. emissions scandal.
In a statement, the German company said it was setting aside around 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to cover the fallout from the scandal that is tarnishing VW's reputation for probity, raised questions over the future of its CEO Martin Winterkorn and seriously undermining its share price.
In the wake of its statement and emissions scandal, VW's share price was down another 18.7 percent at 108.75 euros and near a four-year low. The fall comes on top of Monday's hefty 17 percent decline and means the company has lost an eye-watering 25 billion euros or so in just two days of frenzied trading.
The trigger to the company's market woes was last Friday's revelation from the U.S.'s Environmental Protection Agency that VW rigged nearly half a million cars to defeat U.S. smog tests. Emissions Scandal To Cost Volkswagen Over $7 Billion
The company then admitted that it intentionally installed software programmed to switch engines to a cleaner mode during official emissions testing, and apologized for it. The software then switches off again, enabling cars to drive more powerfully on the road while emitting as much as 40 times the legal pollution limit.Emissions Scandal To Cost Volkswagen Over $7 Billion
In its statement Tuesday, Volkswagen gave more details, admitting that "discrepancies" related to vehicles with Type EA 189 engines and involved some 11 million vehicles worldwide.
"A noticeable deviation between bench test results and actual road use was established solely for this type of engine," it said. "Volkswagen is working intensely to eliminate these deviations through technical measures."
To cover the necessary service measures and what it says are "other efforts to win back the trust of our customers," VW said is setting aside some 6.5 billion euros in the current quarter. There was no mention of any fines or penalties. The EPA has indicated that it could, in theory, fine VW up to $18 billion.
The costs, VW conceded, may be subject to revaluation in the light of ongoing investigations. As a result, it said 2015 earnings targets will be adjusted but it didn't specify by how much.
The company added that the software is also installed in other vehicles with diesel engines but that that for the "majority of these engines the software does not have any effect."
Volkswagen said that new vehicles with EU 6 diesel engines currently on sale in the European Union comply with legal requirements and environmental standards.
The company's statement was clearly a shock in the markets, not least the number of vehicles involved, which is more than VW's 2014 sales of around 10 million vehicles.
Christian Stadler, professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School, said he was surprised at the scale of the VW's potential infringement but noted that companies which transgressed U.S. regulations rarely pay the full fine that local authorities say could be imposed.
"I don't think this is a life-threatening event but it's clear it's going to be very expensive," he said.
VW's troubles appear to be escalating around the world.
South Korea said Tuesday it would investigate emission levels of Volkswagen diesel vehicles in the wake of the rigging scandal in the U.S. that has heaped pressure on Winterkorn. The German government is to also conduct new emissions tests in VW's diesel cars, while France called for a wider Europe-wide investigation into Volkswagen's practices - and into those of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/red-sinningia-speciosa/">French</a> carmakers.
Even before Tuesday's statement, a member of Volkswagen's supervisory board suggested that heads will roll in the wake of the scandal, though he said it was too soon to start assigning blame.
Speaking on Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio, Olaf Lies cautioned against "over-hasty calls for resignations."
Lies, who is also the economy minister of the German state of Lower Saxony, which holds a 20 percent stake in Volkswagen, said he was sure there would be "personal consequences" once the investigation is complete.
The shockwaves from the scandal enveloping Volkswagen were being felt far and wide across the sector as traders wondered who else may get embroiled. Germany's Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, was down 6 percent, while BMW AG fell 5.3 percent. France's Renault SA was 5.5 percent lower.
"It's an auto sector shaking incident," said Connor Campbell, a financial analyst at Spreadex.
Questions about the scandal
German automaker Volkswagen AG admits that it rigged U.S. emissions tests so it would appear that its diesel-powered cars were emitting fewer nitrogen oxides, which can contribute to ozone buildup and respiratory illness. Here are some questions and answers about the ongoing crisis.
Q. Which vehicles does this affect?
A. Volkswagen installed software in roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars sold in the U.S. since 2008, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The software turned on the cars' full emissions control systems when the cars were being tested by the government, and then turned off those systems during normal driving. The Jetta, Beetle, Audi A3 and Golf from the 2009-2015 model years are affected, as well as the Passat from the 2014-2015 model years. Volkswagen has halted the sale of 2015 models and is prohibited from selling 2016 models until they are fixed.
Q. What does Volkswagen say?
A. The EPA Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn issued a statement Sunday saying that the company will fully cooperate with government investigations and has ordered an internal probe. Winterkorn said, "I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public."
Q. Why would Volkswagen do this?
A. Experts think Volkswagen may have wanted to avoid the cost of additional hardware to meet tough U.S. emissions standards, so it came up with a cheaper software fix. The software also would have helped the cars' fuel economy numbers, since they get better gas mileage when the emissions control system is turned off.
Q. What should customers do?
A. Volkswagen will fix the cars for free as soon as it develops a remedy. Owners will be notified when there's a fix. In the meantime, the cars are safe to drive. Car buying site Edmunds.com cautions owners against selling the cars right now if they don't have to, since they can expect a lower trade-in value.
Q. Does this affect other diesel vehicles in the U.S.?
A. Not so far. Thirteen brands currently offer diesels in the U.S., including Ram, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. West Virginia University, which conducted the tests that led to the discovery of Volkswagen's software, said the BMW it tested passed.
Q. What's next?
A. The U.S. government could fine Volkswagen $37,500 per vehicle for the violations, a total of more than $18 billion. The U.S. Justice Department, the California Air Resources Board and German authorities are also investigating. Winterkorn could also face scrutiny from Volkswagen's board, which meets Friday, and investors, who watched the company's shares plunge 17.1 percent Monday to a three-year low.
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Emissions Scandal To Cost Volkswagen Over $7 Billion

Emissions Scandal To Cost Volkswagen Over $7 Billion. The crisis...

US Rejects Greater Sage Grouse Protections. The greater sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird whose vast range spans 11 Western states, does not need federal protections, the Interior Department said Tuesday, following a costly effort to reverse the species' decline without reshaping the region's economy.
The fight over whether to list the bird as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-track-endangered-green-turtles-in-western-australia/">endangered</a> or threatened recalled the battle over the spotted owl 25 years ago, in which federal protection greatly impeded the logging economy. The Obama administration, affected states and outside groups have committed more than $750 million to saving the grouse without Endangered Species Act protections that many argued would threaten the oil and gas industry and agriculture.US Rejects Greater Sage Grouse Protections
Tuesday's announcement signaled that the Obama administration believes it has struck a delicate balance to save the birds from extinction without crippling the West's economy. It also could help defuse a potential political liability for Democrats heading into the 2016 election - federal protections could have brought much more sweeping restrictions on oil and gas drilling, grazing and other human activities from California to the Dakotas.
The government provides some level of habitat protections on 67 million acres of federal lands, including 12 million acres where strict limits on oil and gas limits will be enforced, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said. That's more than a third of the animal's total range and does not include millions of acres of private land shielded by conservation easements or where restoration work has occurred.
"It does mean a brighter future for one amazing, scrappy bird," Jewell said during a formal announcement at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge just north of Denver. "This is the largest, most complex land conservation effort ever in the history of the United States of America."
The governors of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Nevada joined Jewell, who said the decision showed that federal wildlife laws can serve as a "catalyst for conservation" while still allowing for economic development.
Elected officials and interest groups gave a mix of praise and condemnation.
Petroleum industry representatives said measures enacted to prop up the bird's population threaten to choke off oil and gas production. That echoed previous concerns raised by the governors of Montana and Wyoming over federal land-use plans intended to preserve the grouse's shrinking habitat.
Some conservation groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and National Audubon Society, said the case demonstrates that cooperation among governments and private interest groups can preserve imperiled species. Other advocates said loopholes in federal land-use plans allow too much development.
Greater sage grouse once numbered an estimated 16 million birds. Over the last century, they lost roughly half their habitat to development, livestock grazing and an invasive grass that's encouraging wildfires in the Great Basin of Nevada and adjoining states. An estimated 200,000 to 500,000 birds now occupy sagebrush habitat spanning 11 states.
Tuesday's finding reverses a 2010 determination that the sage grouse were in precipitous decline. Under a federal court settlement with the group WildEarth Guardians, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service faced a Sept. 30 deadline to decide the bird's status.
Erik Molvar with WildEarth Guardians said Interior officials had turned an opportunity to help the grouse into "an epic conservation failure." He said exceptions, modifications and waivers within federal land-use plans means protections could evaporate with the stroke of a pen.
Republicans cast the issue as evidence of endangered-species laws run amok. Congress last year voted to block Fish and Wildlife from spending money on efforts to change the bird's legal status.
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop said the decision on grouse was a "cynical ploy" intended to mask the fact that the Obama administration was imposing limits on development across the West.
"Do not be fooled," the Utah Republican said in a statement. "With the stroke of a pen, the Obama administration's oppressive land management plan is the same thing as a listing" under the Endangered Species Act.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, countered that Republicans attack Obama either way - when his administration lists a species as endangered and when it decides against a listing.
The administration has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into conservation measures in hopes of patching together enough sagebrush habitat to ensure the bird's long-term survival. Federal officials worked with state governments to adopt their own habitat protection plans, which included local restrictions on energy development and setting aside private and public lands as habitat.
The administration also is proposing to withdraw mining claims on 10 million acres considered key habitat.
In addition, sales of oil and gas leases that were previously deferred on more than 8 million acres will undergo a 90-day review before a final decision is made.
At the center of the fracas has been Wyoming, home to roughly 40 percent of the bird's population and a hub of fossil fuel development, with huge potential for wind energy and uranium mines.
Efforts to avoid protections in Wyoming have resulted in a significant impact: No drilling may take place near vital sage grouse breeding grounds during nesting season. Oil and gas wells in areas deemed as core habitat must be clustered together and directionally drilled from well pads.
Other states have adopted similar plans.
Here are some questions and answers about the sage grouse:
---
WHAT IS A SAGE GROUSE?
Mottled brown and easily overlooked in their native setting as a rock or a piece of wood, the sage grouse is not much to look at until spring breeding season. That's when the males puff their chests and flare their feathers in courtship displays at special areas called leks.
The greater sage grouse flies but not well, sometimes killing themselves by flying into barbed-wire fences.
They're also shy, and they keep clear of tall objects - cliffs, trees, transmission towers and windmills - that offer a handy perch for raptors.
In spring, they eat insects and forbs, switching to sagebrush in fall. Mostly they keep hunkered down and out of sight amid the pungent-smelling, olive-green shrubs for which they're named.
---
WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?
Sage grouse once numbered in the millions. They're down to several hundred thousand now with the incursion of oil and gas drilling, homes, roads and other trappings of human civilization into their habitat, the vast "sagebrush sea" in the lower open country of the West.
No state has more sage grouse or more at stake than Wyoming, home to as many as half a million of the birds and the region's biggest coal, natural gas and uranium mining industries.
In the Great Basin states of Nevada, western Utah and small portions of Idaho, Oregon and California, an invasive species called cheatgrass has run rampant in the sagebrush. Cheatgrass burns hotter and is more susceptible to wildfire than sagebrush - and fires in cheatgrass-infested sagebrush are burning up sage grouse habitat at an alarming rate.
Some environmentalists say only tight restrictions on development and grazing can save the sage grouse. Others, including the petroleum industry, say cooperation between government and the private sector can help the bird while not wreaking economic havoc.
---
WHAT'S BEEN DONE ALREADY?
Wyoming officials began preparing for the possibility of federal protection for the sage grouse more than a decade ago. The state was first to designate sage grouse core habitat where development would face certain restrictions, an approach copied by other states and Interior itself.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service have approved new policies for sage grouse in 10 of the 11 sage-grouse states. They include spacing out oil and gas wells and prohibiting drilling during sage grouse mating season. Interior officials describe these changes as the biggest land-planning effort the government has undertaken for a single species.
---
WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE?
Last year, Congress approved a budget provision that prohibits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service from spending any money on putting into place any listing of the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered. Such "budget riders" typically remain in effect until they're overturned - unlikely while a Republican majority remains in place. Republicans have pointed to the sage grouse issue as an example of potential government overreach.
---
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SAGE GROUSE?
Last year, Fish and Wildlife decided to list the Gunnison sage grouse of Colorado and Utah as a threatened species, a decision being challenged by Colorado.
Precedent exists for deciding that enough has been done to warrant keeping sage grouse off the endangered or threatened list. In April, Fish and Wildlife decided against listing the Mono Basin sage grouse, a genetically distinct population of the greater sage grouse that lives along the Nevada-California line.
Of the three, the greater sage grouse is by far the most numerous and widespread.
---
Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyo.
© 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.

US Rejects Greater Sage Grouse Protections

US Rejects Greater Sage Grouse Protections. The greater sage grouse,...

Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years. Volkswagen became the world's top-selling carmaker trumpeting the environmental friendliness, fuel efficiency and high performance of diesel-powered vehicles that met America's tough Clean Air laws.
VW's success story was so good that pollution-control advocates did their own tests, hoping to persuade other countries to enforce the same strict standards.
Instead, they got a foul-smelling surprise: In actual driving, the VWs spewed as much as 40 times more pollution from tailpipes than allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years
"We ran the program to show that U.S. diesels are clean," said John German, senior fellow with the International Council on Clean Transportation, the group that blew the whistle on Volkswagen. "Turned out we found a violator."
The <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/gentoo-penguins-are-not-one-species-but-four/">EPA</a> and the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;cvid=fd080693bd5c40978847ead77d982ee9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a> Air Resources Board announced the violations on Friday, accusing VW of installing software that switches on pollution controls during smog tests, then switches them off again so that drivers can enjoy more engine power on the road.
VW got away with this scheme for seven years, and according to the EPA, didn't come clean even when repeatedly confronted with evidence of excessive pollution.
Industry analysts say the company was likely trying to reduce costs and improve performance, to match its marketing.
Instead, VW's stock plunged a stunning 17 percent on Monday, costing the company $15 billion in market value in a single day. It also outraged customers, turned up the heat on the CEO, and could bring up to $18 billion in penalties from the U.S. government alone.
The company stopped selling the vehicles and likely will have to recall nearly 500,000 Jetta, Golf, Beetle and Audi A3 cars dating to the 2009 model year.
CEO Martin Winterkorn promised a company investigation as he apologized on Sunday, saying VW had broken the trust of customers and the public. He also pledged to cooperate with government investigations.
U.S. diesel emissions limits, mainly for ozone-causing nitrogen oxide, are more strict than those in Europe. Removing the chemical requires additional hardware. Instead, VW used secret software - an algorithm that detects when cars are being tested on treadmill-like devices called dynamometers, and stealthily switches the engines to a cleaner mode.
Because smog tests are almost always done on dynamometers, VW got away with the scheme for seven years, until the "clean transportation" advocates went to West Virginia University, which tests emissions using equipment that fits in car trunks.
WVU tested three cars in real-world conditions - a 2012 VW Jetta, a 2013 VW Passat and a BMW X5 SUV. The BMW passed, but the university found significantly higher emissions from the Volkswagens, according to the EPA.
The university and the council reported their findings to the EPA and CARB in May 2014, but VW blamed the problem on technical issues and unexpected conditions. The automaker even did a recall late last year, without much improvement, the EPA said.
Only when the EPA and CARB refused to approve VW's 2016 diesel models for sale did the company explain what it had done.
"We met with VW on several occasions, and they continued to dispute our data, so we'd return to the lab," recalled CARB spokesman Dave Clegern. "Over time, VW had no other explanations left, and it was our lab staff who actually got VW to admit that there was, in fact, a defeat device."
VW's diesel cars represent just a fourth of its U.S. sales, so the company was probably trying to avoid the cost of more sophisticated pollution controls, since it sells far more diesels in Europe, said Alan Baum, a consultant in Detroit who advises automakers on fuel economy regulations.
"That enabled them to offer the diesel without some of the additional hardware and software in the U.S.," Baum said.
The scheme also gave VWs better mileage, German said.
The scandal is already damaging VW's reputation as the people's car. European regulators announced parallel investigations, and the EPA said it is expanding its probe to make sure other automakers aren't using similar devices.
VW board members reportedly planned a crisis meeting Wednesday ahead of their regular board meeting. And at the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said "we are quite concerned by some of the reports that we've seen about the conduct of this particular company."
VW CEO Winterkorn will face difficult questions in the coming days.
"I'd be surprised if Winterkorn can ride this out, but in Germany there's often a slightly slower process in these matters," said Christian Stadler, a professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School.
For a company to engage in such blatant trickery, top executives must have been informed, said Guido Reinking, a German auto expert.
Winterkorn is an engineer by training who led research and development across the VW group beginning in 2007, and became chairman of the management board the same year.
The illegal software was made and installed in vehicles with 2.0-liter diesel engines during the model years 2009 through 2015, the EPA said.
Car owners do not need to take any immediate action. The cars threaten public health, but the violations pose no safety hazards, and the cars remain legal to drive and sell while Volkswagen comes up with a plan to repair them at company expense, the EPA said.
VW didn't acknowledge its scheme until Sept. 3, EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said Monday. On Sept. 9, without making any reference to VW, the Justice Department announced a renewed commitment to holding individual executives accountable for corporate wrongdoing. And when the EPA announced VW's violations on Friday, it noted that in addition to the corporate fines of $37,500 per vehicle, individuals could be fined $3,750 per violation of the Clean Air Act.
On Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said his subcommittee will determine whether auto buyers were deceived. "The American people deserve answers and assurances that this will not happen again. We intend to get those answers."
---
Matthew Daly in Washington, D.C., Pan Pylas in London, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Judy Lin in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
© 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.

Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years

Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years. Volkswagen became...

&nbsp;

The indications of climate change are all around us today but now researchers have revealed for the first time when and where the first clear signs of global warming appeared in the temperature record and where those signals are likely to be clearly seen in extreme <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-describe-how-rainfall-can-literally-move-mountains/">rainfall</a> events in the near future.

The new research published inEnvironmental Research Letters gives an insight into the global impacts that have already been felt, even at this very early stage, and where those impacts are likely to intensify in the coming years.

"We examined average and extreme temperatures because they were always projected to be the measure that is most sensitive to global warming," said lead author from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, Dr Andrew King.

"Remarkably our research shows that you could already see clear signs of global warming in the tropics by the 1960s but in parts of Australia, South East Asia and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=africa&amp;cvid=030615452b1f4bebbb89227758738e73&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Africa</a> it was visible as early as the 1940s."

The reason the first changes in average temperature and temperature extremes appeared in the tropics was because those regions generally experienced a much narrower range of temperatures. This meant smaller shifts in the temperature record due to global warming were more easily seen.

The first signal to appear in the tropics was the change in average temperatures. Later extreme temperature events showed a global warming signal.

Closer to the poles the emergence of climate change in the temperature record appeared later but by the period 1980-2000 the temperature record in most regions of the world were showing clear global warming signals.

One of the few exceptions to this clear global warming signal was found in large parts of the continental United States, particularly on the Eastern coast and up through the central states. These regions have yet to manifest obvious warming signals according to the models but it is expected they will appear in the next decade.

While temperature records generally showed pronounced indications of global warming, heavy rainfall events have yet to make their mark. The models showed a general increase in extreme rainfall but the global warming signal was not strong enough yet to rise above the expected natural variation.

"We expect the first heavy precipitation events with a clear global warming signal will appear during winters in Russia, Canada and northern Europe over the next 10-30 years," said co-author Dr Ed Hawkins from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, UK.

"This is likely to bring pronounced precipitation events on top of the already existing trend towards increasingly wet winters in these regions."

Importantly, the findings closely correspond to observational datasets used by the IPCC (Chapter 10 - Detection and Attribution of Climate Change) in its most recent report, which showed increasing temperatures caused by global warming.

---

<a href="http://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of New South Wales</a>

When Did Global Warming First Appear?

&nbsp; The indications of climate change are all around us...

Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years. Volkswagen became the world's top-selling carmaker trumpeting the environmental friendliness, fuel efficiency and high performance of diesel-powered vehicles that met America's tough Clean Air laws.
VW's success story was so good that <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=pollution&amp;cvid=b7f48dd572074429ad1448fd7edbf3a0&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">pollution</a>-control advocates did their own tests, hoping to persuade other countries to enforce the same strict standards. Volkswagen Software Thwarted Pollution Regulations For Seven Years
Instead, they got a foul-smelling surprise: In actual driving, the VWs spewed as much as 40 times more pollution from tailpipes than allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"We ran the program to show that U.S. diesels are clean," said John German, senior fellow with the International Council on Clean Transportation, the group that blew the whistle on Volkswagen. "Turned out we found a violator."
The EPA and the California Air Resources Board announced the violations on Friday, accusing VW of installing software that switches on pollution controls during smog tests, then switches them off again so that drivers can enjoy more engine power on the road.
VW got away with this scheme for seven years, and according to the EPA, didn't come clean even when repeatedly confronted with evidence of excessive pollution.
Industry analysts say the company was likely trying to reduce costs and improve performance, to match its marketing.
Instead, VW's stock plunged a stunning 17 percent on Monday, costing the company $15 billion in market value in a single day. It also outraged customers, turned up the heat on the CEO, and could bring up to $18 billion in penalties from the U.S. government alone.
The company stopped selling the vehicles and likely will have to recall nearly 500,000 Jetta, Golf, Beetle and Audi A3 cars dating to the 2009 model year.
CEO Martin Winterkorn promised a company investigation as he apologized on Sunday, saying VW had broken the trust of customers and the public. He also pledged to cooperate with government investigations.
U.S. diesel emissions limits, mainly for ozone-causing nitrogen oxide, are more strict than those in Europe. Removing the chemical requires additional hardware. Instead, VW used secret software - an algorithm that detects when cars are being tested on treadmill-like devices called dynamometers, and stealthily switches the engines to a cleaner mode.
Because smog tests are almost always done on dynamometers, VW got away with the scheme for seven years, until the "clean transportation" advocates went to West Virginia University, which tests emissions using equipment that fits in car trunks.
WVU tested three cars in real-world conditions - a 2012 VW Jetta, a 2013 VW Passat and a BMW X5 SUV. The BMW passed, but the university found significantly higher emissions from the Volkswagens, according to the EPA.
The university and the council reported their findings to the EPA and CARB in May 2014, but VW blamed the problem on technical issues and unexpected conditions. The automaker even did a recall late last year, without much improvement, the EPA said.
Only when the EPA and CARB refused to approve VW's 2016 diesel models for sale did the company explain what it had done.
"We met with VW on several occasions, and they continued to dispute our data, so we'd return to the lab," recalled CARB spokesman Dave Clegern. "Over time, VW had no other explanations left, and it was our lab staff who actually got VW to admit that there was, in fact, a defeat device."
VW's diesel cars represent just a fourth of its U.S. sales, so the company was probably trying to avoid the cost of more sophisticated pollution controls, since it sells far more diesels in Europe, said Alan Baum, a consultant in Detroit who advises automakers on fuel economy regulations.
"That enabled them to offer the diesel without some of the additional hardware and software in the U.S.," Baum said.
The scheme also gave VWs better mileage, German said.
The scandal is already damaging VW's reputation as the people's car. European regulators announced parallel investigations, and the EPA said it is expanding its probe to make sure other automakers aren't using similar devices.
VW board members reportedly planned a crisis meeting Wednesday ahead of their regular board meeting. And at the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said "we are quite concerned by some of the reports that we've seen about the conduct of this particular company."
VW CEO Winterkorn will face difficult questions in the coming days.
"I'd be surprised if Winterkorn can ride this out, but in Germany there's often a slightly slower process in these matters," said Christian Stadler, a professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School.
For a company to engage in such blatant trickery, top executives must have been informed, said Guido Reinking, a German auto expert.
Winterkorn is an engineer by training who led research and development across the VW group beginning in 2007, and became chairman of the management board the same year.
The illegal software was made and installed in vehicles with 2.0-liter diesel engines during the model years 2009 through 2015, the EPA said.
Car owners do not need to take any immediate action. The cars threaten public health, but the violations pose no safety hazards, and the cars remain legal to drive and sell while Volkswagen comes up with a plan to repair them at company expense, the EPA said.
VW didn't acknowledge its scheme until Sept. 3, <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/gentoo-penguins-are-not-one-species-but-four/">EPA</a> spokeswoman Liz Purchia said Monday. On Sept. 9, without making any reference to VW, the Justice Department announced a renewed commitment to holding individual executives accountable for corporate wrongdoing. And when the EPA announced VW's violations on Friday, it noted that in addition to the corporate fines of $37,500 per vehicle, individuals could be fined $3,750 per violation of the Clean Air Act.
On Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said his subcommittee will determine whether auto buyers were deceived. "The American people deserve answers and assurances that this will not happen again. We intend to get those answers."
---
Matthew Daly in Washington, D.C., Pan Pylas in London, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Judy Lin in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
© 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.

When Did Global Warming First Appear?. When global warming first appeared in the temperature record

The indications of climate change are all around us today but now researchers have revealed for the first time when and where the first clear signs of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/evolution-is-no-match-for-global-warming/">global</a> warming appeared in the temperature record and where those signals are likely to be clearly seen in extreme rainfall events in the near future.

The new research published inEnvironmental Research Letters gives an insight into the global impacts that have already been felt, even at this very early stage, and where those impacts are likely to intensify in the coming years. When Did Global Warming First Appear?

"We examined average and extreme temperatures because they were always projected to be the measure that is most sensitive to global warming," said lead author from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, Dr Andrew King.

"Remarkably our research shows that you could already see clear signs of global warming in the tropics by the 1960s but in parts of Australia, South East Asia and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=africa&amp;cvid=e466eab6270340c48fef9444311d4e93&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Africa</a> it was visible as early as the 1940s."

The reason the first changes in average temperature and temperature extremes appeared in the tropics was because those regions generally experienced a much narrower range of temperatures. This meant smaller shifts in the temperature record due to global warming were more easily seen.

The first signal to appear in the tropics was the change in average temperatures. Later extreme temperature events showed a global warming signal.

Closer to the poles the emergence of climate change in the temperature record appeared later but by the period 1980-2000 the temperature record in most regions of the world were showing clear global warming signals.

One of the few exceptions to this clear global warming signal was found in large parts of the continental United States, particularly on the Eastern coast and up through the central states. These regions have yet to manifest obvious warming signals according to the models but it is expected they will appear in the next decade.

While temperature records generally showed pronounced indications of global warming, heavy rainfall events have yet to make their mark. The models showed a general increase in extreme rainfall but the global warming signal was not strong enough yet to rise above the expected natural variation.

"We expect the first heavy precipitation events with a clear global warming signal will appear during winters in Russia, Canada and northern Europe over the next 10-30 years," said co-author Dr Ed Hawkins from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, UK.

"This is likely to bring pronounced precipitation events on top of the already existing trend towards increasingly wet winters in these regions."

Importantly, the findings closely correspond to observational datasets used by the IPCC (Chapter 10 - Detection and Attribution of Climate Change) in its most recent report, which showed increasing temperatures caused by global warming.

---

<a href="http://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of New South Wales</a>

When Did Global Warming First Appear?. When global warming first...

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists as a threat to the planet's climate.
The <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Democratic&amp;cvid=79cf9cf63e9e4eb2935c6c3fee261ad9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Democratic</a> presidential candidate said she decided to speak out after concluding the ongoing debate over whether the pipeline should be built had become a distraction to larger efforts to fight climate change.
That distraction, she said, is "unfortunately, from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward to deal with the other issues. Therefore I oppose it." Hillary Clinton Opposes Keystone XL Pipeline
Clinton's announcement came as she has ceded ground in some polls to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has long opposed the project. It also followed the appearance of protesters at some of her recent campaign events holding signs that read, "I'm Ready for Hillary to say no KXL."
The former secretary of state had previously said she shouldn't take a position on the issue, because she didn't want to interfere with the Obama administration as it considers whether to allow construction of a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada's tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.
The announcement was viewed with disappointment in Canada, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said as recently as last month that he was confident the next U.S. president would approve the project.
"This is not a debate between Canada and the U.S.," said Stephen Lecce, a spokesman for Harper. "We know the American people support the project. We will not engage in presidential primary debates."
Less reluctant was Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who said on Twitter that Clinton's decision proves she "favors environmental extremists over U.S. jobs."
Spurred on by environmental activists and liberals who play a key role in the Democratic primaries and vigorously oppose the pipeline project, Clinton had expressed impatience in recent weeks over the Obama administration's drawn-out deliberations.
Her campaign said the White House was briefed on Clinton's position prior to her comments and she privately made her opposition to the pipeline known when she discussed her plans with labor officials in recent weeks.
Clinton is scheduled to raise money in California over three days beginning Sunday and was sure to face questions from donors on why she had yet to stake out a position.
Tom Steyer, a leading environmentalist and top Democratic donor, said it was a "clear example of people power overcoming the special interests" and credited Clinton for joining with "thousands of Americans calling on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline in favor of building an American economy powered by clean energy."
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Clinton was being "blatantly dishonest" when she said her role at the State Department had prevented her from taking a position. Concern about Vice President Joe Biden political future played a role, too, he said.
"Clearly, Hillary Clinton's rapid decline in the polls and the prospect of the vice president entering the race caused her to change course," Priebus said in a statement.
Clinton announced her decision moments after Pope Francis arrived in Washington at the start of a closely watched visit to the United States. Her opposition came in response to a question from a Drake University student attending a forum on prescription drugs.
"I was in a unique position having been secretary of state, having started this process and not wanting to interfere with the ongoing decision making," Clinton said. "I thought this would be decided by now and therefore I could tell you whether I agree or disagree. But it hasn't been decided and I feel now I've got a responsibility to you and other voters who ask me about this."
Clinton's main rivals for the Democratic nomination have campaigned against the project. Sanders, who has surpassed Clinton in some polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, said in a statement he was "glad that Secretary Clinton finally has made a decision and I welcome her opposition to the pipeline. Clearly it would be absurd to encourage the extraction and transportation of some of the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet."
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who trails Clinton and Sanders by a wide margin in polls, used the moment to criticize the Democratic front-runner, saying her late-breaking opposition to Keystone is akin to how she arrived at her positions on gay marriage, offering driver's licenses for people not living in the country legally and the Syrian refugee crisis.
"On issue after issue," O'Malley said in a statement, "Secretary <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hilary-clinton-brings-al-gore-help-climate-change-issues/">Clinton</a> has followed - not forged - public opinion. Leadership is about stating where you stand on critical issues, regardless of how they poll or focus group."
Clinton said she would roll out a plan aimed at fighting climate change in a few days and noted proposals released earlier in the campaign that would bolster solar energy and produce more renewable energy.
She said the nation had "a lot of work to do" and that shifting to more renewable energy would create jobs.
---
Thomas reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
---
Follow Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KThomasDC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/KThomasDC</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/catherine-lucey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/catherine-lucey</a>
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Hillary Clinton Opposes Keystone XL Pipeline

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the...

Hillary Clinton Opposes Keystone XL Pipeline. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists as a threat to the planet's climate.
The Democratic presidential candidate said she decided to speak out after concluding the ongoing debate over whether the pipeline should be built had become a distraction to larger efforts to fight climate change.
That distraction, she said, is "unfortunately, from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward to deal with the other issues. Therefore I oppose it."
Clinton's announcement came as she has ceded ground in some polls to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has long opposed the project. It also followed the appearance of protesters at some of her recent campaign events holding signs that read, "I'm Ready for Hillary to say no KXL."
The former secretary of state had previously said she shouldn't take a position on the issue, because she didn't want to interfere with the Obama administration as it considers whether to allow construction of a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada's tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.
The announcement was viewed with disappointment in Canada, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said as recently as last month that he was confident the next U.S. president would approve the project.
"This is not a debate between Canada and the U.S.," said Stephen Lecce, a spokesman for Harper. "We know the American people support the project. We will not engage in presidential primary debates."
Less reluctant was Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who said on Twitter that Clinton's decision proves she "favors environmental extremists over U.S. jobs."
Spurred on by environmental activists and liberals who play a key role in the Democratic primaries and vigorously oppose the pipeline project, Clinton had expressed impatience in recent weeks over the Obama administration's drawn-out deliberations.
Her campaign said the White House was briefed on Clinton's position prior to her comments and she privately made her opposition to the pipeline known when she discussed her plans with labor officials in recent weeks.
Clinton is scheduled to raise money in California over three days beginning Sunday and was sure to face questions from donors on why she had yet to stake out a position.
Tom Steyer, a leading environmentalist and top Democratic donor, said it was a "clear example of people power overcoming the special interests" and credited Clinton for joining with "thousands of Americans calling on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline in favor of building an American economy powered by clean energy."
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Clinton was being "blatantly dishonest" when she said her role at the State Department had prevented her from taking a position. Concern about Vice President Joe Biden political future played a role, too, he said.
"Clearly, Hillary Clinton's rapid decline in the polls and the prospect of the vice president entering the race caused her to change course," Priebus said in a statement.
Clinton announced her decision moments after Pope Francis arrived in Washington at the start of a closely watched visit to the United States. Her opposition came in response to a question from a Drake University student attending a forum on prescription drugs.
"I was in a unique position having been secretary of state, having started this process and not wanting to interfere with the ongoing decision making," <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hilary-clinton-brings-al-gore-help-climate-change-issues/">Clinton</a> said. "I thought this would be decided by now and therefore I could tell you whether I agree or disagree. But it hasn't been decided and I feel now I've got a responsibility to you and other voters who ask me about this."
Clinton's main rivals for the Democratic nomination have campaigned against the project. Sanders, who has surpassed Clinton in some polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, said in a statement he was "glad that Secretary Clinton finally has made a decision and I welcome her opposition to the pipeline. Clearly it would be absurd to encourage the extraction and transportation of some of the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet."
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who trails Clinton and Sanders by a wide margin in polls, used the moment to criticize the Democratic front-runner, saying her late-breaking opposition to Keystone is akin to how she arrived at her positions on gay marriage, offering driver's licenses for people not living in the country legally and the Syrian refugee crisis.
"On issue after issue," O'Malley said in a statement, "Secretary Clinton has followed - not forged - public opinion. Leadership is about stating where you stand on critical issues, regardless of how they poll or focus group."
Clinton said she would roll out a plan aimed at fighting climate change in a few days and noted proposals released earlier in the campaign that would bolster solar energy and produce more renewable energy.
She said the nation had "a lot of work to do" and that shifting to more renewable energy would create jobs.
---
Thomas reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
---
Follow Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KThomasDC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/KThomasDC</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/catherine-lucey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/catherine-lucey</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.

Hillary Clinton Opposes Keystone XL Pipeline. Hillary Rodham Clinton said...

Tiny Carbon-Capturing Micromotors May Help Clean The Atmosphere. Machines that are much smaller than the width of a human hair could one day help clean up carbon dioxide pollution in the oceans. Nanoengineers at the University of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;cvid=7968e46599c34661bdd10709d015112c&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a>, San Diego have designed enzyme-functionalized carbon-capturing micromotors that rapidly zoom around in water, remove carbon dioxide and convert it into a usable solid form.

The proof of concept study represents a promising route to mitigate the buildup of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas in the environment, said researchers. The team, led by distinguished nanoengineering professor and chair Joseph Wang, published the work this month in the journalAngewandte Chemie. Tiny Carbon-Capturing Micromotors May Help Clean The Atmosphere

"We're excited about the possibility of using these micromotors to combat ocean acidification and global warming," said Virendra V. Singh, a postdoctoral scientist in Wang's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/surge-in-alcohol-industry-funded-research-may-be-cause-for-concern/">research</a> group and a co-first author of this study.

In their experiments, nanoengineers demonstrated that the micromotors rapidly decarbonated water solutions that were saturated with carbon dioxide. Within five minutes, the micromotors removed 90 percent of the carbon dioxide from a solution of deionized water. The micromotors were just as effective in a sea water solution and removed 88 percent of the carbon dioxide in the same timeframe.

"In the future, we could potentially use these micromotors as part of a water treatment system, like a water decarbonation plant," said Kevin Kaufmann, an undergraduate researcher in Wang's lab and a co-author of the study.

The micromotors are essentially six-micrometer-long tubes that help rapidly convert carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate, a solid mineral found in eggshells, the shells of various marine organisms, calcium supplements and cement. The micromotors have an outer polymer surface that holds the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which speeds up the reaction between carbon dioxide and water to form bicarbonate. Calcium chloride, which is added to the water solutions, helps convert bicarbonate to calcium carbonate.

The fast and continuous motion of the micromotors in solution makes the micromotors extremely efficient at removing carbon dioxide from water, said researchers. The team explained that the micromotors' autonomous movement induces efficient solution mixing, leading to faster carbon dioxide conversion. To fuel the micromotors in water, researchers added hydrogen peroxide, which reacts with the inner platinum surface of the micromotors to generate a stream of oxygen gas bubbles that propel the micromotors around. When released in water solutions containing as little as two to four percent hydrogen peroxide, the micromotors reached speeds of more than 100 micrometers per second.

However, the use of hydrogen peroxide as the micromotor fuel is a drawback because it is an extra additive and requires the use of expensive platinum materials to build the micromotors. As a next step, researchers are planning to make carbon-capturing micromotors that can be propelled by water.

"If the micromotors can use the environment as fuel, they will be more scalable, environmentally friendly and less expensive," said Kaufmann.

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<a href="http://www.ucsd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of California San Diego</a>

Tiny Carbon-Capturing Micromotors May Help Clean The Atmosphere

Tiny Carbon-Capturing Micromotors May Help Clean The Atmosphere. Machines that...

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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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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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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

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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



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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



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

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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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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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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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



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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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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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



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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

[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...