The solar system, billions of years old, holds many secrets about its formation. Among its fascinating residents is Chiron, a centaur orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. 



New findings by scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shed light on this hybrid of comet and asteroid, revealing unprecedented insights into its surface chemistry and activity.



The study was led by Dr. Noemí Pinilla-Alonso of the University of Oviedo and Dr. Charles Schambeau from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Their findings could reshape our understanding of centaurs and the solar system’s early history.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-capsules-of-the-solar-system">Time capsules of the solar system </h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-objects-called-centaurs-29p-continue-to-perplex-nasa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centaurs</a> are objects with dual characteristics, straddling the line between asteroids and comets. 



Chiron, discovered in 1977, is unique even among centaurs. It exhibits comet-like behavior, including a coma - a cloud of gas and dust - alongside distinct surface and interior features.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso emphasizes that centaurs act as “time capsules,” preserving information about the solar system’s formation. "All small bodies in the solar system talk to us about how it was back in time,” she explained. 



Chiron’s activity, driven by solar heating, offers a rare opportunity to explore these preserved secrets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unprecedented-chemical-diversity-in-a-centaur">Unprecedented chemical diversity in a centaur</h2>



Using <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>, the team discovered that Chiron's surface hosts carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ice. Its coma contains methane and other gases, marking the first detection of such diversity in a centaur. 



“These results are like nothing we’ve seen before,” noted Dr. Schambeau from <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCF</a>.



JWST’s advanced capabilities allowed the researchers to study Chiron even at its farthest point from the Sun. This distance usually limits the activity of similar objects, such as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).



Unlike <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/comet-will-be-visible-for-the-first-time-in-50000-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comets</a> closer to the Sun, Chiron’s thinner coma offers clearer insights into its surface chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chiron-s-ice-and-gas-dynamics">Chiron's ice and gas dynamics</h2>



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso noted that Chiron’s dual nature makes it invaluable for studying processes in both comets and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-large-asteroids-will-pass-near-earth-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asteroids</a>. 



"What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface and the coma,” she said.



This dual observation provides critical information about the ice layer's thickness, porosity, and chemical properties.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-Chiron_coma_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-Chiron_coma_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1s.webp" alt="Artist's impression of 2060 Chiron, an active centaur, surrounded by a faint disc of debris. Bright icy deposits and active areas are visible on its surface. Credtis: William D. González Sierra of the Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida." class="wp-image-1954508"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist's impression of 2060 Chiron, an active centaur, surrounded by a faint disc of debris. Bright icy deposits and active areas are visible on its surface. Credtis: William D. González Sierra of the Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida.</figcaption></figure>



JWST’s observations revealed the coexistence of primordial ices, such as methane and water, and newer compounds formed through surface processes. 



“Every active centaur we observe shows some peculiarity,” said Dr. Pinilla-Alonso. Understanding these peculiarities may uncover patterns across these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/once-in-a-lifetime-comet-will-be-easily-visible-this-month/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enigmatic objects</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-oddball-among-centaurs">An oddball among centaurs</h2>



Chiron stands out due to its unusual behavior, including comet-like activity and potential rings of debris. 



Dr. Schambeau describes it as “an oddball” with a unique thermophysical process. He analyzed methane in Chiron’s coma, linking its outflow to sun-heated regions on its surface.



These findings deepen our understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-chiron_debris-disk_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1big.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">centaurs’ evolution and behavior</a>. 



Chiron’s dynamic environment provides clues about how solar heating influences its surface and subsurface, offering a glimpse into processes shaping similar bodies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-origins-and-future-of-chiron">Origins and future of Chiron</h2>



Chiron likely originated in the TNO region before moving into its current orbit. Gravitational interactions with giant planets alter the paths of centaurs, exposing them to varied environments.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso explained that centaurs typically remain in the giant planets’ region for about a million years before being ejected. “They may end their lives as Jupiter Family comets or return to the TNOs region."



Chiron’s journey across the solar system exposes it to solar radiation, driving surface changes and creating its unique chemical composition. 



Understanding this evolution provides valuable insights into the early solar system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-chiron-s-discovery">Broader implications of Chiron’s discovery</h2>



The study’s implications extend beyond Chiron. Identifying gases and ices on distant objects enhances our understanding of the solar system’s building blocks. 



These findings could also inform future research on centaurs and other icy bodies.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso noted that JWST’s spectra revealed intricate details about Chiron’s ices and their interactions. "Based on our new JWST data, I’m not so sure we have a standard centaur."



Further studies may uncover shared traits among centaurs, offering a clearer picture of their origins and diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-more-about-centaurs">Learning more about centaurs</h2>



The researchers from <a href="https://www.uniovi.es" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oviedo</a> and UCF plan to continue observing Chiron as it approaches the Sun.



Closer proximity will enable more detailed studies of its surface and coma, potentially uncovering new chemical and physical properties.



Future research may also explore seasonal variations and illumination effects on Chiron’s ice reservoir. Such studies could refine our understanding of how centaurs interact with their environments and evolve over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unveiling-the-mysteries-of-the-solar-system">Unveiling the mysteries of the solar system</h2>



The JWST, an international collaboration led by NASA, has revolutionized space science. 



Its ability to observe distant objects like Chiron is solving long-standing mysteries about the solar system and beyond. These discoveries highlight the telescope’s transformative impact on planetary science.



“JWST has made these detections accessible. These results enhance our understanding of Chiron’s interior composition and its unique behaviors,” concluded Dr. Schambeau.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-chapter-in-solar-system-exploration">New chapter in solar system exploration</h2>



Chiron’s unique chemistry and activity mark a significant milestone in understanding the solar system’s origins. 



The ongoing research, powered by JWST’s capabilities, promises to unravel more secrets about this enigmatic centaur and its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">counterparts</a>.



Through Chiron, scientists are not just uncovering the past - they are laying the groundwork for future exploration of icy bodies across the solar system.



“The analysis of Chiron’s gases and ices opens new frontiers and opportunities for exciting research,” said Dr. Pinilla-Alonso.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2024/12/aa50124-24/aa50124-24.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>.



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Rare asteroid-comet hybrid is unlike anything ever seen before

The solar system, billions of years old, holds many secrets about its formation. Among its fascinating residents is Chiron, a centaur orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. New findings by scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shed light on this hybrid of comet and asteroid, revealing unprecedented insights into its surface chemistry and activity. The study was led by Dr. Noemí Pinilla-Alonso of the University of Oviedo and Dr. Charles Schambeau from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Their findings could reshape our understanding of centaurs...

<div>Researchers have flown aircraft over an oil and gas field and pinpointed -- with unprecedented precision -- sources of methane leaks in real time. Also since Scientists find a new way to locate methane leaks it has help improve so much.</div>
<div>

The technique led to the detection and immediate repair of two leaks in natural gas pipelines in the Four Corners region of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-states-global-waste/">U.S.</a> Southwest. The approach could inform strategies for meeting new federal limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Methane emissions have spiked in recent decades along with the boom in natural gas drilling.

"If there's a desire to identify and address the largest methane emitters, our approach provides a way to do that. The method shows that you can easily fly over an area and actually see the plumes in real time," said Eric Kort, assistant professor of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan and co-author on a paper about the research to be published in PNAS.

Kort collaborated on deploying the new approach, which was developed by Christian Frankenberg of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA's</a> Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. The overall project is led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The team previously used satellite measurements to identify the Four Corners region as a hotbed for methane emissions. The new work builds on the previous finding by zooming in on the region with enough detail to pinpoint individual methane plumes instead of giving an averaged view for an area many miles wide.

Methane is the primary component of natural gas, but when it's released directly into the air, it's a potent greenhouse agent that plays a role in warming the planet. Scientists find a new way to locate methane leaks

The Obama administration has set targets of cutting methane emissions by up to 45 percent of 2012 levels by 2025. In May, the EPA released the first round of regulations. To meet the goals, however, the sources of so-called fugitive methane emissions must be found.

For a long time, there's been a discrepancy between methane levels measured from point sources on the ground, and levels measured higher in the atmosphere, says co-author Colm Sweeney, a scientist with NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

The atmosphere holds stores of the gas whose sources on the ground are difficult to locate. This new detection technique can help locate them. The pipeline leaks it identified are a good example of how. Operators can't always know where a pipeline may be leaking, and pipelines can be hard to access for testing from the ground.

All told, the team identified 250 methane plumes emanating from natural gas processing facilities, storage tanks, well pads, pipeline leaks, a coal mine venting shaft and natural sources. Not all of these plumes can be mitigated, the researchers say.

Although some represent leaks, others result from relatively unavoidable losses. Still others illuminate instances where an energy company has focussed on capturing a different resource, such as oil, and loses some of the natural gas that was buried with it. And the coal mine venting shaft is necessary to protect miners from explosions.

To conduct the research, the team flew two specially instrumented Twin Otter aircraft over a 1,900-square-mile area where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.

Each aircraft carried a unique imaging spectrometer that operates a bit like an infrared camera. One imaged at near-infrared wavelengths and the other at thermal wavelengths. Two additional NOAA program aircraft flew low over and around the larger sources measuring the concentration of methane in the plumes as calibration points for the NASA remote measurements.

Statistical analysis showed that 10 percent of the methane sources the researchers identified were responsible for more than half of the observed point-source emissions in the region. This analysis confirmed the so-called "fat" or "heavy" tail statistical distribution they expected to see.

"A relatively small number of sources emit a disproportionate share of emissions," Kort said. "As far as we know, this is the first direct observation of this heavy tail distribution of sources over an entire basin."

The pattern is common in both nature and human behavior, explained JPL's Frankenberg.

"Take earthquakes, for instance. A lot of smaller earthquakes are happening all the time and you don't even feel them. What actually matters are the few big ones," he said.

Kort said a satellite could possibly be designed to detect methane plumes in this way.
###
The paper is called "Airborne remote measurements of fat-tail methane emitters in the Four Corners region." The research was funded by NOAA and NASA. NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences is located at the University of Colorado Boulder.

</div>

Scientists find a new way to locate methane leaks

Researchers have flown aircraft over an oil and gas field...

<div>Financial loss from hurricanes could triple from climate change. When hurricanes like Katrina in 2005 or Sandy in 2012 impact on highly populated regions they bring about tremendous damages. More than 50 percent of all weather-related economic losses on the globe are caused by damages due to tropical cyclones. Researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) now analyzed the magnitude of future hurricane losses in relation to economic growth. Showcasing the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-states-global-waste/">United States</a> they found that financial losses per hurricane could triple by the end of the century in unmitigated climate change, while annual losses could on average rise by a factor of eight. Most importantly and contrary to prevalent opinion, they conclude that economic growth will not be able to counterbalance the increase in damage.</div>
<div>

"So far, historical losses due to tropical cyclones have been found to increase less than linearly with a nation's affected gross domestic product (GDP)", Tobias Geiger explains. "However, if you analyze losses with respect to per capita income and population growth separately, this reveals a different picture: Our analysis for the United States shows that high income does not protect against hurricane losses. As the number and intensity of tropical cyclones is projected to increase under unchecked global warming, by the end of the century average hurricane losses with respect to national GDP could triple."

The researchers worked with cutting-edge models linking the storm's wind speed, the exposed population, and per capita <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">GDP</a> to reported losses, using a newly designed data set for socio-economic and hazard-related predictors. "We used information about historical hurricane tracks for the Eastern United States to identify the connection between the affected population, average per capital income and associated damages.", Katja Frieler adds. "Finally, we applied this relationship to thousands of potential future hurricane tracks that could affect the Eastern United States until 2100 under different levels of global warming." Also the Financial loss from hurricanes could triple from climate change causing a lot more damage than expected.

Climate change and its consequences: how much can we adapt to?

"Some people hope that a growing economy will be able to compensate for the damages caused by climate change - that we can outgrow climate change economically instead of mitigating it. But what if damages grow faster than our economy, what if climate impacts hit faster than we are able to adapt?," Anders Levermann says. "We find that this is the case with hurricane damages in the United States, the hope in economic growth as an answer to climate change is ill-founded. While adaptation to unavoidable impacts of global warming is important, climate mitigation remains of vital relevance to prevent or damp still avoidable consequences".
###
Article: Geiger, T.; Frieler, K.; Levermann, A. (2016): High-income does not protect against hurricane losses. Environmental Research Letters 11 084012. [DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084012]

Link to the article: <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084012" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084012</a>

For further information please contact:
PIK press office
Phone: +49 331 288 25 07
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:press@pik-potsdam.de">press@pik-potsdam.de</a>
Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/PIK_Climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@PIK_Climate</a>
<a href="http://www.pik-potsdam.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.pik-potsdam.de</a>

</div>

Financial loss from hurricanes could triple from climate change

Financial loss from hurricanes could triple from climate change. When...

<div>Tropical Depression 6 forms in the Atlantic. Tropical Depression 6 developed in the far eastern North Atlantic Ocean and NASA and NOAA satellites provided infrared and visible views at the storm.</div>
<div>

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite collected data as the newest <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=atlantic+ocean&amp;cvid=ab03a344d2054131a2bee2f578f8cb9f&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Atlantic Ocean</a> tropical depression was forming on August 16, 2016 at 4:31 p.m. EDT (2031 UTC). GPM data showed that the forming tropical cyclone was getting organized. A strong band of rainfall south of the center of the low's circulation was shown with data from GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments. DPR measurements found that an intense shower in this band was dropping rain at a rate of over 155 mm (6.1 inches) per hour.

GPM's radar data (DPR Ku Band) data was used to create a 3-D slice through the forming tropical depression. The 3-D image, created at <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/nasa-telescope-will-capture-millions-of-galaxies/">NASA's</a> Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. showed intensity and heights of precipitation in some tall storms reached heights of over 15 km (9.3 miles).Tropical Depression 6 forms in the Atlantic

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed the depression within an hour after it formed. AIRS looked at Tropical Depression 6 (TD6) in infrared light on Aug. 16 at 11:41 p.m. EDT (0341 UTC on Aug. 17) gathering temperature data of the system's clouds. Strong thunderstorms were seen north of the center of circulation where cloud top temperatures exceeded minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Storms with temperatures that cold are high in the troposphere and NASA research has shown they have the ability to generate heavy rain.

On Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. EDT the National Hurricane Center discussion noted "The depression's overall cloud pattern and low-level wind field have continued to improve, although cloud tops have warmed considerably near the center since the previous advisory."

NOAA's GOES-East satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Depression 6 in the far eastern Atlantic on Aug. 17 at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1645 UTC). NOAA manages the GOES series of satellites and the NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland uses the satellite data to create images and animations.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) the center of Tropical Depression Six (TD6) was located near 14.0 degrees north latitude and 36.4 degrees west longitude, about 840 miles (1,350 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. The Cape Verde islands are made up of two small archipelagos, located about 400 miles off of Africa's west coast.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the depression is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 kph) and this motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the depression is likely to become a tropical storm today, Aug. 17.
###
For the latest forecasts on TD6, visit the National Hurricane Center website: <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.nhc.noaa.gov</a>.

</div>

Tropical Depression 6 forms in the Atlantic

Tropical Depression 6 forms in the Atlantic. Tropical Depression 6...

The race is on to win President Barack Obama's attention as he puts some final touches on his environmental legacy.
Conservation groups, American Indian tribes and federal lawmakers are urging his administration to preserve millions of acres as national monuments. Such a designation often prevents new drilling and mining on public lands, or the construction of new roads and utility lines.
The flurry of activity is creating enthusiasm - and tensions - in several parts of the country.
Efforts are underway in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and elsewhere to get Obama to designate new national monuments. Proponents aren't just focused on land. They're also looking to greater protections for vast swaths of ocean bottom off the coasts of New England, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deserts_of_California">California</a> and Hawaii.
Obama has created or expanded 24 national monuments during his seven-and-a-half-year tenure, covering more acreage than any other president. Almost nobody thinks he's done yet. Environmental groups are urging him to go big as he leaves office.
"What he's done in terms of protection has been good, but what he does next is how we measure whether his legacy is great or not," said Sharon Buccino of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Proponents of the various monument proposals know that the next administration will have other immediate priorities. Some presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, never exercised their powers to designate national monuments through the 1906 Antiquities Act. The proponents recognize the window of opportunity could be closing for several years.
They're also aware that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coal-plants-closed-trump/">Obama's</a> immediate predecessors, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, waited almost exclusively until their final months in office to designate national monuments, so there is a chance Obama will become even more active.
That's disconcerting for many members in Congress, particularly Republicans, who say the Antiquities Act wasn't designed to bolster a president's legacy.
"Presidents are starting to abuse this authority as they leave the office. If they actually tried to do this on the first day so that Congress had some ability to respond to it, and the people did, I'd be more comfortable about what their motives are," said GOP Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, won't discuss specific national monument possibilities, but said Obama "certainly feels we have more to do to protect this planet from climate change, so we'll see how this plays out."
Bishop said lawmakers would work with the administration on additional protections for some public lands, but environmental groups and others are less willing to compromise knowing they can go to the president to get a national monument designation.
"It actually impedes the ability of bringing everyone together knowing the president has this power to create a monument whenever he wants to," Bishop said.
Goldfuss said the administration works to get extensive local feedback before making any monument determination. She and others such as Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack feed the president information, but in the end, it's his decision.
"It is all about taking the long view here and recognizing there are things of importance to future generations, and the president is in a good spot to make that determination," Goldfuss said.
Bishop's state is home to perhaps the most talked about effort, the proposed Bears Ears National Monument.
Utah's Republican-dominated Legislature overwhelming voted for a resolution opposing the monument. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said a monument designation would bring more visitors but not necessarily more resources, leading to an increase in vandalism and environmental degradation.
Bishop wants instead additional protections for about 1.4 million acres of the Bears Ears area and opening up other lands for gas and oil exploration and recreation.
Matt Keller, the national monuments campaign director for the Wilderness Society, said he believes the prospects for a monument designation in Bears Ears are promising. Jewell's fact-finding trip to the region last month shows the administration is serious about protecting the thousands of artifacts and rock carvings documenting how Native Americans lived through the centuries.
"A big priority for them is protecting lands that are inclusive of diverse populations and tell the story of the American people a little more broadly," Keller said.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Obama puts final touches on his environmental legacy

The race is on to win President Barack Obama's attention...

<div>Reducing pollution from oil production. Last year, dozens of major oil companies and oil-producing nations agreed to end the routine flaring of natural gas from wells by 2030. This burning off of uncaptured methane in addition to simply letting it escape into the air -- a process called venting -- releases pollutants and the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Now in ACS' journal Energy &amp; Fuels, researchers report a strategy that could help producers work toward this goal of reducing pollution from oil production.</div>
<div>

Although the percentage of gas from oil production that is vented or burned off rather than captured has decreased over the past few years, the total volume is still considerable. Operations in the Northwest's Bakken Formation, one of the largest oil reservoirs in the U.S., flares and vents an estimated 250 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. Oil production in Texas' Eagle Ford formation flares and vents nearly 100 million standard cubic feet per day. Environmentalists and others have called for oil companies to capture the gas, which could be used to generate power or recover even more oil, rather than burn it off or release it into the atmosphere. But the infrastructure to do this hasn't caught up with the rapid growth of oil production. Milind Deo and colleagues set out to design a better facility for handling gas associated with oil operations.

The researchers investigated the application of staged separation, using a high-pressure step followed by a lower-pressure one, and demonstrated that this could reduce the rates of venting and flaring by up to 70 percent. The concept of staged separation has been used in production from conventional oil reservoirs, but has not been widely applied in the production of liquids from shale formations. Upfront costs would be higher than separating oil and gas in one step, but in the long run, the cuts in waste gas would result in a more sustainable process, the researchers say.
###
The authors acknowledge funding from an industry consortium at the <a href="https://egi.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Energy and Geosciences Institute at the University of Utah</a>.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact <a href="mailto:newsroom@acs.org">newsroom@acs.org</a>.

Follow us: <a href="https://twitter.com/ACSpressroom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Chemical-Society-Pressroom/130342583687829" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a>

</div>

Reducing pollution from oil production

Reducing pollution from oil production. Last year, dozens of major...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Tropical Storm Chanthu was bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the big island of Japan when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead. Tropical Storm Chanthu seen moving over northern Japan causing a huge concern on wind speed.</div>
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed Chanthu in infrared light on Aug. 16 at 12:47 p.m. EDT (1647 UTC) gathering temperature data of the system's clouds.

Although the storm appeared elongated, strong thunderstorms were still occurring around the center of circulation although they appeared to be weakening. Some cloud top temperatures of the strongest storms exceeded minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Storms with temperatures that cold are high in the troposphere and<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA"> NASA</a> research has shown they have the ability to generate heavy rain. The storm also appeared somewhat elongated from northwest to southeast, likely as a result of interaction with land.

At 11 p.m. EDT on Aug. 16 (0300 UTC on Aug. 17) the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued their final warning on Chanthu. At that time the tropical storm was located approximately 171 nautical miles north-northeast of Yokosuka, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nearly-complete-duck-billed-dinosaur-fossil/">Japan</a>. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots/62 kph). Chanthu has tracked northwestward at 15 knots (17.2 mph/27.7 kph). Tropical Storm Chanthu seen moving over northern Japan has also caused a lot of tropical weather, wind speed and rain.

The Japan Meteorological Agency noted that at 8:50 a.m. EDT (12:50 UTC) on Aug. 17, Chanthu was centered near 44.0 degrees north latitude and 143.0 degrees east longitude, over the north central part of the island of Hokkaido. Chanthu was moving to the north at 40 mph (35 knots/62 kph).

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecast noted that vertical wind shear is rapidly increasing (25 to 30 knots) as Chanthu tracks along the western edge of a subtropical ridge

</div>
<div></div>

Tropical Storm Chanthu seen moving over northern Japan

Tropical Storm Chanthu was bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Unexpected complexity in coral reefs complicates restoration efforts. Coral reefs are delicate ecosystems, which are endangered by climate change and human activities. The restoration of these underwater environments is typically carried out by transplanting corals from healthy reefs to compromised ones. This practice can be problematic, as it overlooks the local characteristics of each reef, and may reduce genetic diversity.</div>
The first step towards an ecologically mindful restoration is the detailed understanding of the population structure and genetic variation of each reef. Yuna Zayasu and Chuya Shinzato, from the Marine Genomics Unit of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), investigated 298 colonies from 15 locations across the Nansei Archipelago, in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nearly-complete-duck-billed-dinosaur-fossil/">Japan</a>. They compared the DNA of one of the most widespread coral, scientifically known as Acropora tenuis, to gain a deeper comprehension of its genetic diversity. Their project was a collaboration between several institutions: the Japanese Fisheries Research Agency, the University of the Ryukyus, OIST Marine Biophysics Unit and the OIST Marine Genomics Unit. Their results are published in Ecology and Evolution.

"We wanted to check the genetic correlation between different colonies," Zayasu explained. The researchers used a technique similar to the one commonly employed for paternity test, comparing 13 DNA portions for each different sample of the coral. Such portions are called 'microsatellites'. "The results show that there are at least two different populations of A. tenuis in the Nansei, despite the fact that there is no geographic boundary between these populations." Also the Unexpected complexity in coral reefs complicates restoration efforts causing a lot more harm than expected.

[caption id="attachment_2410504" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2410504" src="http://cff1.greenatom.earth/uploads/2016/08/17101214/cff1.greenatom.earthuploads20160817101211media.eurekalert.orgmultimedia_prodpubweb122019_web-27dce3dc8a4abc18c7d297664527be9547acc776-50dc84b3b00c254ae34595c876a06b843f76399a-150x150.jpg" alt="coral Acropora tenuis" width="150" height="150" /> coral Acropora tenuis[/caption]

The finding is particularly interesting, because it questions the previous assumption that A. tenuis has the ability to easily disperse throughout the Nansei islands. This assumption was based on the importance attributed to the main marine current in the Nansei - the Kuroshio Current - in the life cycle of the coral. Specifically, on the influence that the Kuroshio could have while the coral is in its larva form, swimming to select a settlement site.

Zayasu and colleagues are suggesting that there are other factors that are key to explain the complex population structure. Specifically, a local current - ignored in coral studies to date - that flows in the opposite direction of the Kuroshio. This new hypothesis is supported by the fact that the Kuroshio Current flows from south to north, while one of the A. tenuis population shows signs of north to south expansion. The south of Okinawa Island is the potential contact point of the two populations.

"While we have clearly detected two populations, it is possible that there are more," Zayasu said. "Whole genome analysis - that allows full access to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">DNA</a> of an organism - could in the future reveal more detailed population relationship, possibly even highlighting historical events such as local extinction and recovery."

The uniqueness of the coral reef that this study presents is noteworthy, because if each reef is a distinctive environment for unique varieties of corals, reef restoration should aim to protect the specific characteristics of each local habitat and population.


</div>
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Unexpected complexity in coral reefs complicates restoration efforts

Unexpected complexity in coral reefs complicates restoration efforts. Coral reefs...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Slower snowmelt reduces available drinking water. Also Western communities are facing effects of a warming climate with slower and earlier snowmelt reducing streamflows and possibly the amount of water reaching reservoirs used for drinking water and agriculture, according to a study published in July.</div>
"As the climate warms, there is actually a slower snowmelt - both in timing and rates, which makes for a less efficient streamflow," Adrian Harpold, ecohydrologist at the University of Nevada, Reno said. Harpold, who initiated the study two years ago at the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/organizations/environment-colorado/">Colorado</a> Boulder, is a co-author of the paper published in AGU publications Geophysical Research Letters.

"I know, it's counterintuitive, but with a warming climate snowmelt starts sooner in the season, and at a slower rate because the warming occurs earlier when days are shorter and we have less sunlight," he said. "What makes runoff less efficient is that slower snowmelt reduces the amount of moisture being pushed deep into the subsurface where it is less likely to evaporate" Slower snowmelt reduces available drinking water also causing  a lot more damage for the agriculture too.

Higher snow melt rates can develop a pressure gradient that forces moisture deeper into the ground. With lower snow melt rates less water leaves the subsurface where the root systems of trees, bushes and grasses can access the water, which increases the amount of evapotranspiration into the atmosphere.

"It's ubiquitous in the western U.S.; the trends are consistent to all mountain ranges across the West," Harpold said.

Harpold, who's Nevada Mountain Ecohydrology Lab is based in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, continued to work with the team from CU Boulder after coming to the University of Nevada, Reno.

The researchers used an exclusive modeling system to study the effects of slower snowmelt across various regions of the western United States including the Cascade range, the Sierra Nevada range, the Wasatch range and the Rocky Mountains. All of these areas see significant seasonal snow accumulation and generate water resources for downstream communities.

"Theo did the heavy lifting with the interpretation of the results and the writing of the paper," Harpold said of lead author of the study Theodore Barnhart, a graduate researcher at the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research at CU Boulder.

"Of all the regions we studied, streamflow from Colorado's Rocky Mountains is most sensitive to a change in snowmelt," Barnhart said. "This analysis suggests that all of the regions studied will experience a decrease in streamflow with a decrease in snowmelt rate, with some regions exhibiting more streamflow sensitivity than others."

"The Sierra is affected similarly and, besides the Truckee River basin, Northern California will feel an impact from the reduced and early streamflows," Harpold said. "The snowpack in the Sierra is one massive reservoir that our communities, forests and river environments have come to rely on.

"Given that 60 million people in the western U.S. depend on snowmelt for their water supply, the future decline in snowmelt-derived streamflow may place additional stress on over-allocated water supplies," said Noah Molotch the director of the Center for Water Earth Science &amp; Technology CWEST in the CU Boulder Department of Geography and also a co-author of the paper.
###
Additional co-authors of the study "Snowmelt rate dictates streamflow" are, from CU Boulder, Ben Livneh, John Knowles and Dominik Schneider. The study was funded through the National Science Foundation with additional assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> Earth and Space Science Fellowship.

Harpold's interests are in understanding the fate and transport of water, energy, and biogeochemical solutes at the landscape scale through improved understanding of ecohydrologically mediated processes. His research threads between basic and applied science. He received his doctorate from Cornell University and his masters and batchelors from Virginia Tech. He spent time as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Colorado and the University of Arizona.

</div>

Slower snowmelt reduces available drinking water

Slower snowmelt reduces available drinking water. Also Western communities are...

<div>Managing methane emissions from livestock manure. It is currently not possible to quantify emissions of methane from livestock manure. This is a significant problem, in particular at a time where the EU Commision requires Denmark to reduce drastically emissions of greenhouse gases from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/urban-agriculture-food-desert/">agriculture.</a> Without methods to quantify emissions, it is also not possible to document effects of changes in management.</div>
<div>

A new research article, published this week in the journal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">PLOS ONE</a>, addresses this challenge and proposes a method which could be an important step towards quantifying methane emissions and degradation processes associated with manure management.Managing methane emissions from livestock manure

The specific challenge is that the mainly liquid manure (slurry) is collected in pits under animal confinements for up to a month before exported to an outside storage tank, or for treatment. During this period degradation of manure organic matter begins and may lead to emissions of both methane and carbon dioxide. However, animals in the house are also a source of both gases, and in practice emissions from livestock and their manure cannot be separated. As a result, the total emission of methane from manure in pits and outside storage tanks, and the degradation of manure organic matter, cannot be verified.

The new method proposed here is based on laboratory measurements of methane production in liquid manure samples collected on farms. A simple model is used to calculate daily emissions. This model can then be used to evaluate effects of changes in management or treatment of the manure, for example biogas treatment.

Methane is, after carbon dioxide, the most important source of greenhouse gases from agriculture, and the most important on-farm source. Here the largest single source is animal digestion, especially in ruminants such as cattle, whereas on pig farms manure is the main source. Since the residence time of methane in the atmosphere is short compared to other greenhouse gases, a reduction of methane will be particularly effective in the short term at reducing climate forcing. Moreover, methods to reduce methane emissions from manure are already available (biogas treatment, slurry acidification). For these reasons methane emissions from livestock manure is an obviouos target for greenhouse gas mitigation.

Degradation of manure organic matter leads to emissions of methane, but even larger emissions of carbon dioxide. Both methane and carbon dioxide contain carbon from manure organic matter that is degraded. This loss of organic carbon is critical for the biogas potential of manure which is directly related to the degradable organic matter left in the manure. For example, a shorter collection period would likely increase biogas production while at the same time reducing methane emissions, but currently these effects cannot be documented. The article discusses this synergy and concludes that a new method must also be able to quantify the emission of carbon dioxide, in order to estimate the loss of degradable organic matter from slurry pits. Plans to further develop the method have been described in a new research proposal in collaboration with research institutions in Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain and Sweden, and a Swedish company.


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Managing methane emissions from livestock manure

Managing methane emissions from livestock manure. It is currently not...

The orange-and-black automated signs lining state highways still warn that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/southern-california-mountain-lions-extinction/">California</a> is in severe drought, but Californians this summer are getting a second chance to show whether they can save water without the state ordering them. California lifts mandatory water restrictions showing a huge change in the savings of water.
After lifting nine months of mandatory state water restrictions for families and non-farm businesses, authorities caution that they could impose state limits again as soon as this winter should the state's 39 million people return to water-wasting, drought-oblivious ways.
"We've been clear at a state level we're still in a drought, there's still a need for conservation," Max Gomberg, conservation manager for the state Water Resources Control Board. But "we don't need people to go to extraordinary measures like they did last year."
While an El Nino system brought some rain and snow to Northern California last winter, nearly two-thirds of the state remains in severe drought or worse for a fifth year. But citing the slightly improved precipitation, California by June lifted a 25-percent mandatory conservation order in effect for cities and towns statewide for most of a year.
On Tuesday, the state announced that all but 68 of the 411 larger water districts had gotten out from under the threat of localized conservation orders from the state. The water agencies did that by declaring they had enough water to get by even if the drought lasts another three years.
Environmental groups are skeptical all the water districts have as robust a water supply as they claim, and say lifting of mandatory conservation sends the wrong message to ordinary Californians as the drought persists. California lifts mandatory water restrictions
"Moving to zero percent mandatory conservation - it's a confusing message to be sending to California. We're in the midst of the hottest summer on record and fighting raging wildfires," said Tracy Quinn, senior water policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council environmental group.
Water agencies, however, say they have built water-conservation into their operations now.
Most water districts had to raise rates last year, which gives consumers an incentive to save, said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies trade group. Most water <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">districts</a> also offered water-saving incentives, such as paying customers to remove thirsty lawns.
What the lifting of mandatory conservation means is that this summer, unlike last, Californians don't have to do things like keep a bucket in the shower to catch water for reuse, the water-industry representative said.
"It is the end of inconvenience, but it is not the end of conservation," Tim Quinn said.
Californians didn't do well the last time someone asked them to voluntarily save water. In 2014, requested by Gov. Jerry Brown to cut water use 20 percent given the drought, Californians managed less than half of that.
Brown made 25 percent conservation mandatory for cities and towns in spring 2015.
This time around, state officials will be happy if Californians manage around 20 percent water savings, compared to the benchmark water-use year of 2013, said Gomberg, the state water official. If people manage just 10 percent conservation or less now, that would be cause for concern for state water officials when they revisit the matter after January, Gomberg said.
In Palm Springs, water-agency spokeswoman Ashley Metzger said Wednesday that local water officials were still pushing hard on conservation programs, including kicking off a new rebate program promoting lawn removing at noon that day.
"Oh, my goodness, yes," Metzger said, when asked if she expected strong demand for the lawn-removal rebates.
Metzger's district, the Desert Water Agency, is now asking customers to keep water use down by 10- to 13 percent, voluntarily, she said.
The Palm Springs message to water users in summer 2016? "We have a strong local supply but there's a still a statewide issue" with water, Metzger said. "I think it's definitely a nuanced message."
---
Information from: The Sacramento Bee, <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/">http://www.sacbee.com</a>
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California lifts mandatory water restrictions

The orange-and-black automated signs lining state highways still warn that...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Study: Meadow full of flowers benefit mankind The more it swarms, crawls and flies the better it is for humans. This is the finding of a study published in "Nature". More than 60 researchers from a number of universities were involved, including the Technical University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/space-agencies-asteroid-defense/">Munich</a>, the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Bern and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels of the food chain provides higher levels of ecosystem services, the team reports. Even rather unpopular insects and invisible soil-dwelling organisms are important in maintaining a wide range of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">ecosystem</a> services. The results underline the necessity of maintaining species-rich ecosystems for the good of humanity.</div>
Grasslands full of flowers are not only beautiful they also provide many important services for humans. These include food production, alongside supporting services such as soil development, regulating services such as pest control and climate regulation and cultural services such as the use of the grassland for recreation. A grassland is also a complex ecosystem containing many species belonging to different levels in the food chain, so called "trophic levels".Study: Meadow full of flowers benefit mankind

Humans are causing declines in biodiversity for many of these groups and evidence from experiments on plants suggests this might threaten ecosystem services. However, studies had not looked at diversity at many trophic levels at the same time.

A 60-strong research team, led by Dr. Santiago Soliveres from the University of Bern, therefore studied all groups in a grassland food chain for the first time. They collected data on a total of 4600 species of animal and plant from nine trophic groups, including often neglected ones such as micro-organisms in the soil and insects that live in the soil or on the plants. "The data was collected as part of a programme supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in 150 grasslands across Germany, the so called 'Biodiversity Exploratories'", says Professor Wolfgang Weisser of the Chair for Terrestrial Ecology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) - "it constitutes the most extensive ecological sampling in Europe."

[caption id="attachment_2410693" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2410693" src="http://cff1.greenatom.earth/uploads/2016/08/17135013/cff1.greenatom.earthuploads20160817135012media.eurekalert.orgmultimedia_prodpubweb122073_web-068b81c384ef161d31636e90882885eb763237d4-60cd34d80bee67f439da6cbaae34562fadad43d9-150x150.jpg" alt="Meadow clary (Salvia pratense)" width="150" height="150" /> Meadow clary (Salvia pratense)[/caption]

Biodiversity required within all trophic groups

"Working out how different groups affect ecosystem services is like trying to solve a very complicated puzzle but with our extensive data we are able to put together a coherent picture of how important individual groups are for fourteen ecosystem services. Each ecosystem service is dependent on at least three groups and the higher the number of species within the group, the more reliably the ecosystem service is provided. In addition, each individual group influences at least one ecosystem service," Soliveres, lead author for the study, summarises the results.

Dr. Eric Allan from the University of Bern adds: "Many different groups are important for providing essential ecosystem services. In order for nature to continue 'working' reliably for us we therefore need to protect biodiversity at all levels in the food chain, including in often overlooked groups such as microbes or insects. This is especially important for regulating processes and cultural services."

The importance of overlooked organisms

Microbes and insects are overlooked and are not generally considered in conservation. However, this study shows that view needs to change because many insects and soil organisms play a central role, alongside plants, in supplying the services we depend on. "Plants supply biomass which forms the beginning of the food chain, but insects act as pollinators and soil organisms increase soil fertility through the breakdown and retention of chemical elements such as phosphorus. The more different species there are, particularly within these three groups, the more positive the effect on all services," explains Soliveres.

Often, fertiliser is applied to the soil in order to increase soil fertility and thus increase plant growth. Fertilisers help in the short term, but if biodiversity is reduced, then the downsides outweigh this. Maintaining high levels of biodiversity throughout the food chain is therefore more economical and wiser in the long term than destroying it for short term gains.

The importance of biological diversity for ecosystem services has been underestimated

"If biodiversity is rapidly destroyed, what consequences does this have for humans? What courses of action are available? Thus far, there has been insufficient research into this, which is one of the reasons why the international biodiversity council IPBES was founded," explains Prof. Markus Fischer from the Institute of Plant Science at the University of Bern and head of the Biodiversity Exploratories project. This study also shows that the importance of biological diversity has been underestimated because previous research only focussed on individual trophic groups: "Our extensive research programme demonstrates how important it is to study the broader context and that there is a need for action to protect ecosystems," summarises Fischer.


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<div></div>

Study: Meadow full of flowers benefit mankind

Study: Meadow full of flowers benefit mankind The more it...

Feds: July 2016 was the hottest month on record. More federal scientists have confirmed we just sweated through <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-tides-earthquakes/">Earth's</a> hottest month on record.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calculates that last month's average global temperature was 62.01 degrees (16.67 degrees Celsius). That beats the old record set in July 2015 by a ninth of a degree and is 1.57 degrees above the 20th-century average. July 2016 is Earth's hottest month.
It's the 15th consecutive global heat record. Records go back to 1880. Also Feds: July 2016 was the hottest month on record causing excessive record heat.
January through July is also beating out 2015 for hottest year-to-date by .34 degrees (.19 Celsius).
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> and Japan's weather office earlier proclaimed July 2016 the hottest on record. The British meteorological office hasn't calculated the number yet. A University of Alabama Huntsville team that uses satellites, not ground measurements, says it was the second warmest. Also making everyone question the global warming that has recently been shown to have changed a lot over the years as proven.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about ourPrivacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Feds: July 2016 was the hottest month on record

Feds: July 2016 was the hottest month on record. More...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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