Two remarkable objects orbiting low-mass stars have been detected in our cosmic vicinity. This fascinating discovery was confirmed through observations from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft.



Gaia’s primary mission is mapping stars, so its ability to detect these unusual star companions highlights its unexpected contributions to exoplanet research. 



The newly confirmed objects, Gaia-4b and Gaia-5b, challenge existing models of planet formation around low-mass stars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stars-with-hefty-companions">Stars with hefty companions</h2>



Gaia-4b, classified as a “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-jupiter-discovered-in-the-great-bear-constellation/">Super-Jupiter</a>,” orbits the star Gaia-4 roughly 244 light-years away. Gaia-5b - considered a brown dwarf - travels around Gaia-5, located about 134 light-years from Earth.



“Gaia-4b is about twelve times more massive than Jupiter. With an orbital period of 570 days, it is a relatively cold gas giant planet,” explained Guðmundur Stefánsson, an astronomer at the University of Amsterdam.



“With a mass of around 21 Jupiters, Gaia-5b is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brown-dwarfs-detected-outside-the-milky-way-for-the-first-time/">brown dwarf</a>, more massive than a planet but too light to sustain nuclear fusion to be a star.”



Typically, such hefty objects are rarely found around low-mass stars, prompting astronomers to question traditional theories of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-formation-new-insights-mechanics-physics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planet formation</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-wobbling-stars">Mapping the wobbling stars</h2>



Since its 2013 launch, <a href="https://earth.esa.int/eogateway">ESA</a>’s Gaia spacecraft has been constructing the largest and most detailed three-dimensional map of our Milky Way, charting the positions and movements of over two billion celestial objects. 



Central to these recent findings is Gaia’s specialty: astrometry, the precise tracking of stellar motion. By repeatedly scanning the sky with dual optical telescopes, Gaia detects the minute “wobble” a star exhibits if it’s influenced by an orbiting companion. 



In contrast to the transit method - which spots planets crossing in front of a star - astrometry is best suited to identifying massive objects in wide orbits, including Super-Jupiters and brown dwarfs that might otherwise be missed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-power-of-multiple-detection-methods">Power of multiple detection methods </h2>



“Gaia was repeatedly scanning these stars, building up an increasingly detailed picture over time,” Stefánsson said.&nbsp;



“In 2022, Gaia Data Release 3 included a list of stars that appear to be moving as though pulled by an exoplanet. Using ground-based spectroscopic data and the radial velocity technique to investigate these stars, we confirmed our first planet and our first brown dwarf.”



The research highlights how multiple detection methods can together reveal new celestial bodies and clarify their nature.



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="cgpihgb49C-4304237-12187" type="single"]</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intriguing-companions-to-modest-stars">Intriguing companions to modest stars</h2>



In the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-enormous-fermi-bubbles-discovered-towering-above-and-below-our-milky-way-galaxy/">Milky Way</a>, 75% of stars fall into the low-mass category, ranging from about 10% to 65% of the Sun’s mass. It's been considered unlikely for huge gas giants or brown dwarfs to form around such stars, as smaller stars possess less material in their protoplanetary disks - material from which planets coalesce.



“About 75% of the stars in the Milky Way are low-mass stars, and when massive planets do occur around them, they cause a larger wobble and therefore a stronger astrometric signature that is easier to detect,” noted Stefánsson.



Finding Gaia-4b and Gaia-5b orbiting stars of modest mass challenges this assumption, illustrating that even limited-mass stellar environments can produce exceptionally large companions.&nbsp;



This discovery encourages astronomers to refine or reconsider current models of how planets and brown dwarfs take shape, potentially exploring alternate scenarios - like disk instability or other yet-unknown processes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-milestone-in-exoplanet-studies">A milestone in exoplanet studies</h2>



Gaia-4b’s detection marks a milestone in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exoplanet-discovery-nasa-identifies-over-5500-distant-worlds/">exoplanet</a> studies, as it was confirmed using Gaia data exclusively.&nbsp;



Historically, exoplanet candidates emerged from a combination of Gaia findings and data from its predecessor, Hipparcos. Gaia’s increasing precision, however, allows researchers to spot these signal “wobbles” without additional satellite missions.



“Gaia has seen the telltale signs of known exoplanets before, but this time Gaia revealed an entirely new extrasolar world,” said Johannes Sahlmann, Gaia Project Scientist at ESA.



This accomplishment foreshadows the impact of future Gaia data releases, particularly in 2026, when a more extensive set of observations (spanning 5.5 years) is expected.&nbsp;



Astronomers anticipate hundreds or even thousands of discoveries, including not only gas giants and brown dwarfs but also smaller, rocky planets that challenge the limits of observational methods.



“This discovery is an exciting tip-of-the-iceberg for the exoplanet discoveries we can expect from Gaia in the future,” said ESA research fellow Matthew Standing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-era-in-exoplanetary-science">A new era in exoplanetary science</h2>



As the Gaia spacecraft continues its sky-mapping mission, astronomers stand on the cusp of a golden age in exoplanet research.&nbsp;



Upcoming data releases promise to unveil a broader spectrum of planetary systems, shedding light on how giant bodies form in environments once assumed too resource-poor to support them.



By providing continuous, highly accurate measurements of stars across the galaxy, Gaia is enabling scientists to piece together the puzzle of planetary system architectures - from small, dim red dwarfs to stars much larger than our Sun.&nbsp;



The mission is bound to disrupt long-standing theories, opening the door to new questions about how diverse exoplanetary systems can be and how nature assembles them.



Ultimately, these findings serve as a reminder that our universe remains brimming with surprises.&nbsp;



Image/ Video Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC/M. Marcussen



-----



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Wobbling stars reveal giant companions

Two remarkable objects orbiting low-mass stars have been detected in our cosmic vicinity. This fascinating discovery was confirmed through observations from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft. Gaia’s primary mission is mapping stars, so its ability to detect these unusual star companions highlights its unexpected contributions to exoplanet research. The newly confirmed objects, Gaia-4b and Gaia-5b, challenge existing models of planet formation around low-mass stars. Stars with hefty companions Gaia-4b, classified as a “Super-Jupiter,” orbits the star Gaia-4 roughly 244 light-years away. Gaia-5b - considered a brown dwarf - travels around...

ENV-SMOG

GM: Pollution control hardware changes caused SUV mileage drop. A change in pollution control hardware between model years cut the gas mileage on some General Motors SUVs and forced it to correct the figures on window stickers, the company said Wednesday.
GM announced last week that the fuel economy was overstated by one-to-two miles per gallon on the 2016 GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave.GM: Pollution control hardware changes caused SUV mileage drop
But Consumer Reports magazine questioned why the 2016 mileage would be worse than the 2015 models when little was changed between model years and the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dogs-hurt-legs-jumping-cars/">SUVs</a> from each year had the same engines and transmissions.
GM spokesman Nick Richards said Wednesday he doesn't know why the pollution hardware was changed. But he said the SUVs from all model years comply with clean air laws. The mileage was recalculated for 2016 but never made it onto the window stickers, he said.
The mistake was discovered recently by engineers who were working on the 2017 model stickers. The company said the mistake was inadvertent and that it informed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
GM now is in the process of tracking down 170,000 owners of 2016 models to give them new stickers, Richards said. It's likely that they'll get some money, too. In similar cases automakers including Hyundai and Kia compensated owners for the difference in window sticker mileage estimates.
Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' auto testing chief, said GM's explanation still doesn't make sense. He said he's not aware of any change in pollution control standards that would require any hardware change and that it's rare for a company to make such alterations between model years.
"If they changed that car for pollution reasons and the 2015s passed pollution controls, I don't understand why they would do that and cut fuel economy by 10 percent," Fisher said.
EPA spokeswoman Laura Allen deferred comment on the mileage to GM and didn't answer questions about whether the agency is investigating. But Richards said GM employees "continue to work with the EPA on this issue."
GM told dealers to stop selling the roughly 60,000 of the SUVs on their lots until new stickers could be printed. Richards said most dealers now have the new stickers and can resume sales once they're glued to the windows.
For a front-wheel-drive version, the 2016 fuel economy of the SUVs was revised to 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined. The 2015 models got 17 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway and 19 combined.
© 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.

GM: Pollution control hardware changes caused SUV mileage drop

GM: Pollution control hardware changes caused SUV mileage drop. A...

Fish can adapt warm water but not extreme heat. Fish can adjust to warmer ocean temperatures, but heat waves can still kill them, a team of researchers from Sweden, Norway and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/australian-bees-adapted-their-vision-to-forage-at-night/">Australia</a> reports in an article published this week in Nature Communications.

"A species might adapt and grow well (in warmer waters) but once you get strong heat spells, the water temperature might reach lethal temperatures and kill them," said Fredrik Jutfelt, an associate professor in biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology who was senior author of the study. Fish can adapt warm water but not extreme heat

Jutfelt and his colleagues studied European perch that live in a unique enclosed basin of warm water off the Swedish coast. The man-made basin, called the Forsmark Biotest Enclosure, was created three decades ago as a 1-km2 open-air laboratory by piping warm water from the nearby Forsmark nuclear power plant into an enclosed basin.

The result is water that is between five and 10 degrees C warmer than the surrounding Baltic Sea, but that otherwise experiences natural daily and seasonal fluctuations. It offers researchers a kind of crystal ball on what can happen to fish in a warmer world.

"It's a fantastic model for studying climate change effects," Jutfelt said. "It's a whole natural ecosystem experiencing long-term warming."

Plastic floors....

In experiments conducted in 2012 and 2013, researchers compared the Biotest perch to European perch by putting perch from outside of the enclosure into tanks filled from warm water from the enclosure l to see how their metabolic rates changed.

The resting metabolism for the Biotest fish was lower than for the perch from outside of the enclosure, the researchers found, which showed that the Biotest fish had been able to adjust their metabolisms to the overall higher temperatures in the basin over time.

"When we warmed up the reference perch quickly, their resting metabolic rate went up dramatically, whereas the Biotest fishes' resting metabolic rates were significantly lower at the same temperature," said Timothy Clark, a senior research fellow at the University of Tasmania in Australia who was part of the research team.

The researchers described this metabolic adaptation as a "plastic floor," meaning that there was some flexibility in the ways the Biotest fish had adjusted their resting metabolisms to the warmer temperatures.

...but concrete ceilings

But the fish that inhabited the Biotest enclosure weren't able to make the same kind of change in their ability to tolerate temperature extremes, the researchers found.

For example, perch living in the Baltic outside of the Biotest enclosure were able to survive in temperatures that were as much as 10 degrees C warmer than the water temperatures they had been used to living in during the summer.

The fish inside the Biotest enclosure, while adjusted to much warmer waters than the Baltic fish, were only able to survive temperatures that were 4.6 degrees C warmer than the waters they were used to living in during the summer. The researchers called this phenomenon a "concrete ceiling," because the Biotest enclosure fish were unable to tolerate much more of a maximum temperature than their free-living Baltic brethren.

"Even though the (Biotest) fish had been there for at least their lifetime, if not for generations, there was very little change in the lethal temperature" the fish could tolerate, Jutfelt said. "They have almost completely adjusted their resting physiology to the higher temperatures. But there has been very little adjustment in their tolerance to lethal temperatures."

In other words, Jutfelt said, the fish are living very close to their lethal limit.

"They have a very small safety margin to their lethal temperature," he said.

Weak link in physiological adaptation

Jutfelt said this limited ability to adjust to higher maximum lethal temperatures was a potential "weak link" in the ability of fish to adjust to climate change.

"Rather than having problems with their growth rates and normal daily life, the real problem will be with short heat spells," he said.

If this finding holds true for other fish species, he said, then fish living in northern lakes or the ocean may appear to be healthy even as water temperatures climb. But if waters warm too much, from a strong heat wave, the apparently well-adapted fish populations might die, he said.

"We think this might be important in fish (overall), the fact that they might not be able to adjust their tolerance to maximum levels," he said. "We think that might be the bottleneck for survival."

First author Erik Sandblom, from the University of Gothenburg's Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, agreed.

"In a future with a warmer climate and more extreme weather, it will be more difficult for fish to survive," he said.

<hr />
<a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a>

Fish can adapt warm water but not extreme heat

Fish can adapt warm water but not extreme heat. Fish...

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-nations-bans-trade-of-african-grey-parrots/">United Nations</a> has appointed a Mexican diplomat as the top U.N. official leading the fight against global warming.
Patricia Espinosa said in a statement Thursday that she is "grateful and honored" to be named executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The appointment was announced by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The 57-year-old Espinosa is Mexico's ambassador to Germany so she won't have to move far - the U.N.'s climate secretariat is in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.
She will succeed Costa Rican Christiana Figueres who is stepping down in July after six years as the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=un&amp;cvid=999bb9b80a4540539b4c60532eed7175&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">U.N.'s</a> climate boss.UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief
Espinosa's main task will be to ensure that countries implement a landmark agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, reached in Paris in December.
© 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.
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (born October 21, 1958) is a Mexican politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She was Mexican Ambassador to <a title="Austria" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria">Austria</a>, <a title="Germany" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany">Germany</a>, <a title="Slovenia" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia">Slovenia</a> and Slovakia and served as <a title="Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Mexico)">Secretary of Foreign Affairs</a> in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón.

She graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Relations from <a title="El Colegio de México" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Colegio_de_M%C3%A9xico">El Colegio de México</a> and earned a diploma in International Law at the <a title="Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Institute_of_International_and_Development_Studies">Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies</a> in <a title="Switzerland" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland">Switzerland</a>. She is married and has two children

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief

UN appoints Patricia Espinosa as new climate chief. The United...

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest. It's that time of year in the Southwest - and as far as Alaska - when dust storms take shape, raising health and safety risks as plumes of dirt take to the sky.
A dry winter means the Southwest is seeing a greater number of dust storms. Experts say the infamous haboobs, as they're known in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/phoenix-heavy-air-pollution/">Phoenix</a> area, will likely be active this summer when monsoon season begins. Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest
In southern Arizona, a series of dust blasts on Interstate 10 near the New Mexico border have shut down the highway at least seven times in the past few weeks, sending drivers on a 60-mile detour. The dust is coming from a farm near San Simon, Arizona, that was readied for planting but never seeded, leaving loose soil that is easily picked up by winds.
That's caused zero-visibility storms that resulted in car accidents. Arizona State troopers now preemptively close the highway every time a storm approaches in an effort to keep drivers safe.
State officials say they're seeking fines against the farm's owner because he hasn't cooperated fast enough. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has watered the land to the tune of $20,000 a day for several days and is now using a biodegradable liquid designed to control dust erosion. The state plans to bill the landowner.
"Things can turn very quickly. And you're seeing that all over that place right now, but in other areas in Colorado, parts of Oklahoma," said Dave DuBois, climatologist at New Mexico State University.
DuBois said environmental conditions like drought, along with land use practices, affect how dusty the air will be. This calendar year has been particularly dry in the Southwest, which increases the risk of blowing dust.
"It's amazing to see the same issues whenever there's a dry spell combined with a land use practice of disturbing the soil. I mean it could be in Idaho, it could be Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas."
Scientists have also kept track of dust storms in more remote places like Alaska, where webcam images show cloud-like plumes of dirt circling near the upper Copper River in southeastern Alaska.
University of Arizona meteorologist Mike Leuthold says predicting dust storms is difficult because they form quickly.
Leuthold also specializes in forecasting haboobs in the Phoenix area. This year could see the giant walls of dust that roll in with thunderstorms more active because of the dry winter, Leuthold said.
In southern Arizona, the dust storms on I-10 have posed risks to both health and public safety, authorities say.
"To us it comes down to if we have to add 50 miles onto someone's trip to avoid any fatality or serious injury, we're just going to do it. We're just going to close the highway for the safety of everyone," Kameron Lee, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said.
Lee said authorities don't take the decision to shut down the highway lightly. Closures have economic repercussions, especially for commercial drivers who regularly use I-10.
Dust also poses health hazards to people with breathing or lung disorders.
Caroline Oppleman, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said the department at first thought the landowner was cooperating but realized he isn't acting fast enough. The Associated Press made several attempts via email and phone to contact the landowner, identified as David Turner by the department.
The department will seek fines of up to $10,000 a day against Turner, Oppleman said.
"In our opinion, he's not really moving with the urgency and quickness in the response that we would expect. We have to take whatever steps we need to take to mitigate that dust," she 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.

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest

Dry winter means more dust storm danger in Southwest. It's...

New water conservation plan in California. Officials with water districts throughout drought-stricken California said Wednesday they support a proposed move to put the agencies in control of water conservation after a wet winter eased conditions in some parts of the state.
A proposal being considered by the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento would allow local districts to compare their water supplies and demand then set savings goals into January.
Shannon Catullo of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-water-conservation-plan-in-california/">South Tahoe</a> Public Utility District and other officials told the board they favor the plan. New water conservation plan in California
At her home in Irvine, Lee Nguyen says she's done her part to save water and supports local control over conservation efforts.
"I wash my veggies and I save water," she said, explaining that she uses it on her plants. "I save water for myself, for all of us, and for the environment."
Her supplier, the Irvine Ranch Water District in Orange County, led the push for a regional approach. Fiona Sanchez, director of water resources for the district, said she is confident that districts statewide will carefully study their supply and demand ratio.
"If agencies are not taking it seriously, it will be very evident they can't meet their customers' demands," she said.
If the change is made, some districts might set strict conservation goals for residents and businesses, while others could determine it is time to lift conservation mandates altogether.
California is in its fifth year of drought. Regulators are considering the new approach after El Nino storms delivered nearly average amounts of rain and snow this winter in Northern California, filling key reservoirs.
Southern California, however, remains deep in drought.
Bans on wasting water by washing sidewalks with a hose or cars without a shut-off nozzle would become permanent under the proposed regulation.
Max Gomberg, a senior climate scientist for the state water board, said Californians understand the drought remains critical. He doesn't expect people to suddenly begin wasting water with any changes.
"Californians have shown that when there's a serious drought and a need to conserve, people step up and pitch in," he said.
The new approach would be welcomed by Southern California landscaper Greg Gritters, who says local water officials are best suited to manage their supplies.
His clients have had to choose between keeping their lawns green at the expense of huge water bills or turn down their sprinklers and watch their yard turn brown.
"Either way they're unhappy," said Gritters, owner of Vintage Landscape in Coachella Valley.
-----
Taxin reported from Irvine, California.
© 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.

New water conservation plan in California

New water conservation plan in California. Officials with water districts...

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines. The growing number of coal industry bankruptcies make it increasingly likely taxpayers will get stuck with the huge environmental costs of abandoned mines.
Analysts say it's only a matter of when, where and how many more coal mines will close. Concerns are growing bankrupt coal companies can't meet their cleanup and reclamation obligations. Coal industry <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coal-industry-bankruptcies-creating-more-abandoned-mines/">bankruptcies</a> creating more abandoned mines
State and federal regulators for years have allowed coal companies to promise to clean up mines instead of setting aside money to do so. The practice is called <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=self+bonding&amp;cvid=432ae3c669a64602b99b20794ef33280&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">self-bonding</a>.
The Associated Press has counted up more than $3.3 billion in coal self-bonding obligations in nine top coal-mining states. That includes $2.3 billion in self-bonding by the three biggest coal companies in Chapter 11: Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy., rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Coal is primarily used as a fuel. While coal has been known and used for thousands of years, its usage was limited prior to the <a title="Industrial Revolution" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution">Industrial Revolution</a>. With the invention of the steam engine coal consumption increased. As of 2016, coal remains an important fuel as it supplied about a quarter of the world's <a title="Primary energy" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_energy">primary energy</a> and two-fifths of <a title="Electricity generation" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_generation">electricity</a>. Some <a title="Iron" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron">iron</a> and <a title="Steel" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel">steel</a> making and other industrial processes burn coal.

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines

Coal industry bankruptcies creating more abandoned mines. The growing number...

La Niña is coming!. One of the strongest El Niños on record has been dominating the tropical Pacific Ocean for the past year. But beneath the surface, a deep pool of cool water has been sliding slowly eastward for the past couple of months. This massive, slow-motion wave is a favorable sign that La Niña—the cool phase of the ENSO climate pattern—might develop.

This animated gif shows where temperatures in the top 300 meters (~1,000 feet) of the Pacific Ocean at the equator were warmer or cooler than average during 5-day periods centered on three dates this spring: March 14, April 13, and May 3.

As the weeks pass, the layer of warm water at the surface contracts to the central Pacific and becomes very shallow, a sign that the current El Niño is on its way out. By the final frame of the animation, the cold pool is just breaching the surface of the eastern Pacific off South America. (You can see these cool-water breakthroughs in our map of April 2016 surface temperatures.)

ENSO (which scientists pronounce “en-so,” like a word) is short for El Niño-Southern Oscillation. ENSO is a natural climate pattern in which the central-eastern tropical Pacific swings back and forth between a warm and rainy state (El Niño) and a cooler and drier state (La Niña).

ENSO’s impacts on wind, air pressure, and rain throughout the tropics can have cascading side effects around the whole globe, including shifting the location of the mid-latitude jet streams that guide storms towards the United States. El Niño and La Niña also tend to have seesawing impacts on the Atlantic and eastern Pacific hurricane seasons.

The influence of ENSO on temperature and precipitation in the United States is weakest in summer and strongest in winter. Last week, NOAA continued the previous month’s La Niña watch, indicating that conditions were favorable for La Niña to develop by fall. Read more about it on our ENSO blog.

---

<a href="http://www.noaa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NOAA</a>

La Niña is coming!

La Niña is coming!. One of the strongest El Niños...

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas? Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas?. Many factors related to warming will conspire to raise the planet's oceans over coming decades -- thermal expansion of the world's oceans, melting of snow and ice worldwide, and the collapse of massive ice sheets.
<div>

But there are a few potential brakes. One was supposed to be heavier snow in Antarctica. Warmer air will hold more moisture and thus generate more snow to fall inland and slightly rebuild the glacier, according to climate model projections.

Not so fast, says a University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/mount-rainier-in-washington/">Washington</a> study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The authors looked at evidence from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core to get a first clear look at how the continent's snowfall has varied over 31,000 years.

"It's allowed us to look at the snow accumulation back in time in much more detail than we've been able to do with any other deep ice core in Antarctica," said lead author T.J. Fudge, a UW postdoctoral researcher in Earth and space sciences. "We show that warmer temperatures and snowfall sometimes go together, but often they don't."

For example, the record includes periods before 8,000 years ago, as Earth was coming out of its last ice age, when the air temperature went up by several degrees without any boost in the amount of snowfall.

"Our results make it clear that we cannot have confidence in projections of future snowfall over Antarctica under global warming," said co-author Eric Steig, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences.

The plateau of East Antarctica, the site of most previous ice cores, is relatively high and dry. About 80 percent of the continent's precipitation falls on the lower, stormier edges, like where this core was drilled in 2006-2011. (To prepare scientists for conditions during a West Antarctic snowstorm, Fudge notes, researchers had to practice navigating outside with a bucket over their heads.) The 2.1-mile, or 3.5-kilometer, ice core preserves climate history in enough detail to show individual snow years.

Many climate models predict that warming temperatures will mean more snow in Antarctica in the future. When more snow falls inland at the upper edge of the flowing ice sheet, it counteracts mass lost to melting or calving at the edges. This extra snowfall would reverse 2 to 4 centimeters, or about 1 inch, of global sea-level rise by 2100, researchers said.

"It's not a huge component," Fudge acknowledges, "but if you live close to sea level, centimeters certainly matter."

The new study, however, shows that temperature is an unreliable predictor of Antarctic snowfall.

"Depending on what part of the record you look at, you can draw different conclusions," Fudge said. "During some of the more abrupt climate changes, from when we had ice sheets to our current climate state, there's actually no relationship between temperature and snowfall."

The large variation seen in the historical record probably reflects shifts in atmospheric patterns and how storm tracks reach Antarctica, Fudge said. Research is increasingly showing that winds play a big role in Antarctic temperature, sea ice and weather patterns, especially on shorter timescales, and that the gale-force winds that whip around the continent are connected to weather patterns in the tropics.

"For sea-level rise, we're not really interested in what happens over thousands of years," Fudge said. "We're interested in what happens over the next few hundred years. At that shorter timescale, the variability in how the storms reach the continent matters much more than a few degrees of warming."

The snowfall record may help to understand how winds affect Antarctic weather, and how atmospheric connections with the tropics influence the amount of relatively warm ocean water that laps at the frozen continent's edge.

"By getting models to better capture the variability in our snowfall record, we actually will get a better idea of how the warm ocean is going to interact with the ice sheets at the edge, and those will have an even bigger impact on sea level, eventually," Fudge said.
###
The study, published online April 28, 2016 was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. Other co-authors are UW doctoral student Bradley Markle; UW faculty members Edwin Waddington, Howard Conway and Michelle Koutnik; Kurt Cuffrey at the University of California, Berkeley; Christo Buizert at Oregon State University; and Kendrick Taylor at Nevada's Desert Research Institute.

For more information:

Fudge
<a href="mailto:tjfudge@uw.edu">tjfudge@uw.edu</a>
650-743-5227

Steig
<a href="mailto:steig@uw.edu">steig@uw.edu</a>
206-685-3715

</div>

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas?

Will more snow in Antarctica offset rising seas? Will more...

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals. The biggest decision many children have regarding their diets may be deciding whether to have fries with a fast-food burger. However, a new educational software application under development at the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/asian-tiger-mosquito-has-established-itself-in-illinois/">Illinois</a> is introducing middle school students to the topic of climate change and eco-friendly meals, showing them how their dietary choices affect the planet.
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The Food for Thought app displays a dinner plate that students fill by touching the computer screen and dragging their food selections onto the plate. As students create a meal, the app graphically tallies the nutritional data and carbon footprint associated with each food item and with the overall meal, such as the amount of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=calories&amp;cvid=84f9d6b1831f4c9199df2a64ffb77643&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">calories</a> in a salad and the amount of water that would be used in growing the lettuce.

"There are two learning goals here: Make kids aware of the causes and impacts of climate change, and help them become data literate -- that is, knowledgeable consumers of the media," said curriculum and instruction professor Emma Mercier.

Mercier's research team videotaped groups of students from University Laboratory High School in Urbana, Illinois, as they explored climate change issues at the local and global levels. The students examined various graphs, representations and images that were provided via traditional learning materials and on 27-inch multitouch screens, while the researchers observed the amount of support that students needed to interpret the data and how they used the information.

The capstone activity of the nine-day curriculum was a visit to the high-tech Illinois Digital Ecologies and Learning Laboratory (IDEALL) in the College of Education at the university, where the students used the Food for Thought app on the lab's 55-inch multitouch tabletop computer screens.

By entering information from food diaries they had kept over the previous weekend, the students were able to view the carbon footprints associated with their food intake. They also were challenged to create a meal that had the least impact on the environment yet still provided sufficient calories.

"The excitement level -- and noise -- in this room was astounding," Mercier said. "The teachers who observed their students' work in the lab said that even the kids who are usually difficult to engage were very engaged with this activity. The students saw that they play a role in climate change and that even the small choices they make do matter. One student said the curriculum had prompted her to order something other than a steak while eating out at a restaurant with her parents."

"Using food as the focal point for promoting awareness of climate change was really brilliant," said University Laboratory High School science and engineering teacher Sharlene Denos, whose students participated in the activities. "Seventh- and eighth- graders don't have control over what cars their families buy or whether they retrofit their homes, but they are in charge of their food. The thought process with the app is one that they can take with them to the grocery store. It's something that can really empower the students to keep thinking about environmental issues and keep the conversation going with their families and friends."

Developing technologies for teachers to use in teaching children about climate change is important because climate change is associated with more than 40 percent of the disciplinary content in the Next Generation Science Standards for kindergarten through 12th-grade education, Mercier said.

Based on a framework developed by the National Research Council, the Next Generation Science Standards comprise a set of core ideas that students are expected to know by the time they graduate high school. The Illinois State Board of Education adopted the standards in 2014.

The data that the research team collected during the trial with the University Laboratory High School students will be used to better understand how learners engage in collaborative problem-solving and to develop technologies that support collaborative learning about climate change. Mercier plans to apply for additional grant funding to refine the Food for Thought app, with the goal of making it available to area schools in the near future.

Doctoral student Susan Kelly provided content knowledge and designed the curriculum for the project, while Kelly Cole, a senior in computer engineering, was the software developer. Lu Lawrence, a master's student in the College of Education's Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching and Agency program, was the graphic designer.
###
The project is funded by a $30,000 Arnold O. Beckman Award from the Campus Research Board.

</div>

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals

Computer app whets children's appetites for eco-friendly meals. The biggest...

Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap. Texas would rely more on treated toilet water and pumping rainwater into aquifers to serve its booming population over the next half-century under the state's 2017 water plan approved Thursday.
Several years removed from a historic drought that brought more attention to funding water projects, Texas Water Development Board officials unanimously OK'd a $62.6 billion plan that outlines more than 5,500 varying strategies for solving the growing state's water woes.
"This is the best plan yet, in my view," board chairman Bech Bruun said before the vote in Austin. "The most comprehensive, detailed plan."Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap
Texas' population is projected to grow by 73 percent from 29.5 million in 2020 to 51 million in 2070, according to the board's plan. Demand for water will follow - a projected increase of 17 percent by 2070.
<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservation-planning-in-the-amazon-should-be-redirected-to-freshwater-species/">Conservation</a> was the most frequently recommended strategy in the new plan, which also calls for supplies from treated toilet water to increase sevenfold - from 3.9 billion gallons to 28.3 billion gallons - by 2070.
Some Texas cities turned to toilet-to-tap reuse during 2011, the driest year ever in Texas. Big Spring in West Texas uses a direct potable reuse, meaning the treated effluent is put directly in the distribution system. In North Texas, Wichita Falls had a direct potable reuse project but is converting it to indirect potable reuse, meaning it will be filtered through an environmental buffer, such as a lake or an aquifer, before it goes into distribution.
And El Paso's advanced toilet-to-tap purification plant will be the largest direct water reuse project in the U.S. when it begins operating in 2018.
Capital costs for conservation projects went from $1 billion in the 2012 water plan to $4 billion in the new one. Strategies recommended to get water from aquifer storage and subsequent withdrawals increased 350 percent from the 2012 state water plan. The recommendation is for this water to result in 49.5 billion gallons in 2070.
Twenty-six new reservoirs are also part of the plan, most of those in the eastern half of the state.
The head of one environmental group said the 2017 plan is a "big improvement" from the last one.
"The last drought exposed the huge amount of water waste in the Texas economy, from leaking water mains and irrigation systems to profligate water use in industry," Environment Texas director Luke Metzger said. "This new water plan recognizes the powerful role that conservation and ending water waste plays in meeting our water needs."
Water providers estimated they will need about $36.1 billion in state assistance to build their projects. They can apply for loans from $2 billion from the state's Rainy Day Fund, a move voters approved in 2013. That money, through interest earnings and revenue bonds, could grow to $27 billion over 50 years.
The state's water plan, done every five years, is based on recommendations from 16 regional water planning groups. It will be submitted to the state's top elected officials and lawmakers by January.
---
This story has been corrected to show that water provided estimated needing $36.1 billion in state assistance, not $36.1 million.
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Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap

Texas water plan: More toilet-to-tap. Texas would rely more on...

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016. The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped by the biggest amount on record last month, a rise amplified by El Nino, scientists say.

Carbon dioxide levels increased by 4.16 parts per million in April compared to a year earlier, according to readings at the National Oceanic and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-beyond-moon/">Atmospheric</a> Administration's Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Until this year, the biggest increase was 3.7 ppm. Records go back to 1950.

April's carbon dioxide level of 407.42 was a record 2.59 ppm rise from March. Carbon dioxide levels are cyclical, peaking in May and then dropping until fall. That's on top of a steady 2.5 to 3 ppm yearly increase from the burning of fossil fuels, which means each year the world sets new record for levels of heat-trapping gas in the air.Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016

The increase "is the biggest we've ever seen," said NOAA global atmospheric monitoring director Jim Butler . "That's scary but it is amplified by El Nino, there's no question."

El Nino is a natural warming of part of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide and warms the globe a bit. In many places El Nino means more drought and fires, which release more carbon dioxide into the air and decreases carbon dioxide sucked up by plants, said NOAA senior scientist Pieter Tans, who keeps track of greenhouse gases.

Butler said scientists need to watch measurements over the next several months or even a year to see how much of this large increase is an El Nino-driven blip that will go away as the weather phenomenon fades and is replaced by its cool flip side, La Nina.

It's not just that carbon dioxide levels are growing, but that they've been growing at a record faster pace over the past four years, even without El Nino, Tans said.

"The El Nino boost is on top of the large emissions from fossil fuels which continue at a high level," said Ralph Keeling , who directs the carbon dioxide program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

A recent study shows a slowing and even leveling of carbon dioxide spewed by the burning of fossil fuels. There's a five-to-10 year lag before those changes are noticeable in the atmosphere, so emissions are a better indicator of progress - or lack of it - in fighting global warming, said Corinne Le Quere who monitors emissions at the University of East Anglia in England.

The trouble is, even if emissions stop growing and plateau at the current amount, carbon dioxide levels in the air will continue to increase "because carbon dioxide doesn't disappear really" from the air, Tans said.

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Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016

Carbon dioxide levels reach record level in April 2016. The...

EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use. Federal regulators announced tightened limits Thursday for human exposure to an industrial chemical used for decades in such consumer products as non-stick pans, stain-resistant carpets and microwave popcorn bags.
The cancer-causing chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA, has been found in the tap water of dozens of factory towns near industrial sites where it was manufactured. DuPont, 3M and other U.S. chemical companies voluntarily phased out the use of PFOA in recent years.EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use
Also at issue is the related chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, used in firefighting foam.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued the stricter standards for the chemicals after years of pressure from public health experts and advocacy groups. The agency said the new limits were prompted by recent scientific studies linking <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">PFOA</a> and PFOS to testicular and kidney cancers, as well as birth defects and liver damage.
"EPA will continue sharing the latest science and information so that state and local officials can make informed decisions and take actions to protect public health," said Joel Beauvais, the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Water. "This is an important part of our broader effort to support states and public water systems as we work together to strengthen the safety of America's drinking water."
Trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS can be detected in the blood of almost every <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/american-lobsters-and-sea-scallops-may-shift-as-temperatures-rise/">American</a> as the result of exposure through food and consumer products. But of specific concern to regulators is the risk posed to residents in the relatively small number of communities where higher levels of PFOA and PFOS have been found in public drinking water.
EPA now says long-term exposure to either chemical at concentrations above 70 parts per trillion could have adverse health impacts. That's significantly lower than the agency's prior advisory level based on short-term exposure of 400 parts per trillion.
Under the EPA's new guidance, water systems where concentrations of PFOA or PFOS are found above 70 parts per trillion are advised to promptly notify local residents and consult with their state drinking water agencies.
EPA said public notification is especially important for pregnant or nursing women because of the impact the chemicals can have on the development of fetuses and infants who are breastfed or drinking formula made with tap water.
In 2013, EPA ordered about 4,800 public water systems nationwide to test for PFOA. More than 100 cities and towns in 29 states had trace amounts of PFOA, but none exceeded 400 parts per trillion.
However, the new lower limit means that a handful of those communities will now qualify as having water with contamination levels above the advised threshold.
EPA's national survey also did not include many smaller communities located near sites where the chemicals were used for decades.
Hoosick Falls, New York, is located near a plastics plant and where the water supply system serves just 4,500 people, wasn't included in the testing. PFOA levels of 600 part per trillion were discovered in village wells in 2014 because residents demanded testing amid concerns about what they perceived as a high cancer rates.
More recently, testing turned up PFOA concentrations of about 100 parts per trillion in the drinking water of nearby Petersburgh, New York, and North Bennington, Vermont, which also had plastics plants. A second round of water testing in North Bennington recently yielded readings of up to 2,730 parts per trillion - nearly 40 times the EPA's new advisory limit.
---
Follow Michael Biesecker on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/mbieseck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/mbieseck</a>
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EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use

EPA tightens rules on PFOA chemical use. Federal regulators announced...

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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

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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"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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