Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have made breakthrough discoveries about human migration patterns across Europe during the first millennium AD.&nbsp;



Using advanced DNA analysis techniques, they traced the movement of populations across the continent, offering new insights into how ancient groups interacted and reshaped the genetic landscape of Europe.&nbsp;



The findings, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08275-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>, highlight a dynamic era of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-first-arrived-in-europe-1-3-million-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migration</a> and cultural evolution that shaped the foundation of modern European societies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-lens-for-genetic-analysis">A new lens for genetic analysis</h2>



At the heart of the research is Twigstats, a new analytical method that allows scientists to identify subtle genetic differences between populations that are otherwise very similar.&nbsp;



Traditional tools have been effective in studying major population shifts, such as those between hunter-gatherers and early farmers, but they often miss finer-scale changes. 



Twigstats overcomes this limitation, offering a sharper lens to examine the genetic complexities of historical migrations.



Leo Speidel, the study’s first author, emphasized the significance of this innovation. “Twigstats allows us to see what we couldn’t before, in this case migrations all across Europe originating in the north of Europe in the Iron Age, and then back into Scandinavia before the Viking Age.”



By applying this tool to over 1,500 genomes from individuals who lived between the years 1 and 1000 AD, the researchers reconstructed migration patterns spanning key historical periods, including the Iron Age, the fall of the Roman Empire, the early medieval Migration Period, and the Viking Age.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-migrations-into-southern-europe-nbsp">Human migrations into Southern Europe&nbsp;</h2>



Historical records from the Roman Empire mention conflicts with Germanic groups beyond its borders. 



The genetic evidence uncovered by Twigstats supports these accounts, revealing waves of migration from Northern Germany and Scandinavia into Southern Europe during the early first millennium.



This migration left its mark on the genetic makeup of regions such as southern Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and southern Britain.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/early-human-migration_through-europe_3-waves_credit-Francis-Crick-Institute_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/early-human-migration_through-europe_3-waves_credit-Francis-Crick-Institute_1s.webp" alt="Three waves of migrations across Europe were identified in the paper. Credit: Leo Speidel, The Francis Crick Institute" class="wp-image-1955656"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Three waves of migrations across Europe were identified in the paper. Credit: Leo Speidel, The Francis Crick Institute</figcaption></figure>



In some cases, individuals carried exclusively Scandinavian-like ancestry, indicating significant movement of people from the north.&nbsp;



These findings align with the linguistic evolution of Germanic languages, with one branch remaining in Scandinavia, another becoming extinct, and the third forming the basis of modern German and English.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scandinavian-influence-in-pre-viking-britain">Scandinavian influence in pre-Viking Britain</h2>



An unexpected discovery was the presence of Scandinavian ancestry in Britain centuries before the Viking Age.&nbsp;



The researchers identified a second-to-fourth-century individual from York who exhibited 25% early Iron Age Scandinavian ancestry.&nbsp;



This predates the Anglo-Saxon and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vikings-landed-in-the-americas-500-years-before-columbus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Viking</a> migrations traditionally associated with Scandinavian influence in Britain. The finding highlights the long-standing connections between Scandinavia and the British Isles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-migrations-into-scandinavia">Human migrations into Scandinavia</h2>



The study also uncovered a later migration wave into Scandinavia between 300 and 800 AD, preceding the Viking Age. 



Genetic evidence shows that many individuals from this period carried ancestry from Central Europe. This influx likely reflects sustained population movements rather than isolated events.



On the Swedish island of Öland, individuals with Central European ancestry were found to have grown up locally, based on biomolecular analysis of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bronze-age-teeth-discovery-highlight-the-evolution-of-the-human-diet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">teeth</a>. This suggests a lasting integration of migrants into Scandinavian communities.&nbsp;



Archaeological evidence points to periods of conflict in Scandinavia during this time, which may have influenced these movements, though more research is needed to understand the underlying causes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-viking-age-and-genetic-mixing">The Viking Age and genetic mixing</h2>



The Viking Age, known for its raiding and settlement activities, left a significant genetic footprint across Europe. The research confirmed that many individuals in Viking-controlled territories carried mixed local and Scandinavian ancestries.&nbsp;



For example, Viking remains in present-day Ukraine and Russia were linked to Sweden, while those in Britain traced ancestry to Denmark.



Mass graves in Britain containing Viking warriors who died violently further support historical accounts of raiding parties and battles. These findings illustrate the profound impact of Viking expansion on the genetic and cultural landscape of Europe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-richer-understanding-of-human-migrations">A richer understanding of human migrations </h2>



These discoveries add depth to historical narratives of human migration patterns during the first millennium AD.&nbsp;



Peter Heather, co-author and professor of Medieval History at <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King’s College London</a>, emphasized the significance of Twigstats.&nbsp;



“Historical sources indicate that migration played some role in the massive restructuring of the human landscape of western Eurasia. Twigstats opens up the exciting possibility of finally resolving these crucial questions,” said Professor Heather. 



The study not only validates historical accounts but also offers new perspectives on the scale and trajectories of these migrations.&nbsp;



By integrating genetic data with archaeological and historical records, researchers can build a more comprehensive understanding of how human populations evolved during this transformative period.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-future-research">Implications for future research</h2>



The success of Twigstats marks a turning point in the study of ancient migrations.&nbsp;



“The goal was a data analysis method that would provide a sharper lens for fine-scale genetic history,” said senior author Pontus Skoglund, group leader of the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Francis Crick Institute</a>.



The team plans to expand the record of ancient genomes to apply Twigstats to other regions and populations worldwide. This could reveal previously unknown migration patterns and deepen our understanding of how human societies have interacted and adapted over millennia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-intersection-of-genetics-and-history">The intersection of genetics and history</h2>



As researchers continue to refine genetic analysis techniques, studies like this offer valuable insights into the complex interplay of migration, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-sets-human-culture-apart-from-other-animals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">culture</a>, and genetics.&nbsp;



By tracing the movements of ancient populations, scientists not only uncover the roots of modern societies but also provide a framework for understanding the enduring impact of human mobility on the world today.&nbsp;



The discoveries made possible by Twigstats represent a significant step forward in unraveling the mysteries of human history.



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Ancient DNA reveals human migration patterns in the first millennium AD

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have made breakthrough discoveries about human migration patterns across Europe during the first millennium AD.&nbsp; Using advanced DNA analysis techniques, they traced the movement of populations across the continent, offering new insights into how ancient groups interacted and reshaped the genetic landscape of Europe.&nbsp; The findings, published in the journal Nature, highlight a dynamic era of migration and cultural evolution that shaped the foundation of modern European societies. A new lens for genetic analysis At the heart of the research is...

<div>Global warming could create substantial economic damage in agriculture, a new study conducted by a team of scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research finds. Around the globe, climate change threatens agricultural productivity, forcing up food prices. While financial gains and losses differ between consumers and producers across the regions, bottom line is that consumers in general will likely have to pay more for the same basket of food. As the additional expenditure for consumers outweighs producers' gains, increasing net economic losses will occur in the agriculture and food sector towards the end of the century. However, economic losses could be limited to 0.3 percent of global <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/damaging-air-pollution-agriculture/">GDP</a> - depending on agricultural trade policies.</div>
<div>

"Agriculture is very sensitive to climate change - even a small increase of global mean temperatures can have significant effects on regional crop yields, affecting both the profitability of agricultural production and the share of income spent on food", lead author Miodrag Stevanovi? says. "Our study quantifies economic impacts and analyses the role of international trade as an adaptation measure. We find that economic losses in agriculture could add up to the annual amount of roughly 0.8 percent of global GDP at the end of the century with a very restricted trade regime. As small as this percentage sounds, it actually translates to losses of 2.5 trillion US Dollars and is comparably higher for regions with limited agricultural resources with respect to growing agricultural demand, for example the Middle East, Africa and India. In contrast, further trade liberalization in agricultural commodities could reduce financial damage globally by 65 percent, to 0.3 percent of global GDP."

Trade can balance economic impacts on agriculture due to climate change

"Both global warming and free trade favor northern regions like Europe and the US, since producers' gains increase as trade patterns shift northwards. At the same time, southern regions like Africa or India could theoretically reduce climate-change-related damages by half through more liberalized food markets," co-author Alexander Popp explains. "Irrespective of our assumptions on global trade, climate change will result in reduced crop yields in many areas. At the same time, intensifying production or expanding cultivated land into previously untouched areas may come at a risk: it could lead to additional greenhouse gas emissions through tropical deforestation or increased fertilizer use". This could then further enhance climate change pressure on agriculture.

The researchers combined 19 different climate projections with simulations of crop growth to assess economic impacts of climate change in the agricultural sector. While the magnitude of damage varies with different assumptions on crop productivity response to climate change, CO2 plant fertilization effect or socio-economic projection, the study still highlights the important role of trade as a key measure to partly reduce climate change impacts. Modelling challenges such as adverse effects of extreme weather events still remain.

Risks of food shortages also call for poverty reduction measures

If food prices increase due to climate change impacts, households will not only have to spend more on their food consumption, but could also face risks of insufficient access to food and malnutrition. "The best way to avoid these risks is to limit climate change. However, for impacts that cannot be avoided, an open and diversified trade system can be an important adaptation option. It can account for changes in global patterns of agricultural productivity and thus allow for reducing production costs and enhancing food security," says Hermann Lotze-Campen, chair of PIK's research domain Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities. "As climate change will have an amplifying effect on the gap between developed and developing countries, reductions in trade barriers will have to be accompanied by measures for poverty reduction and social safety nets".

Article: Stevanović, M.; Popp, A.; Lotze-Campen, H.; Dietrich, J.P.; Müller, C.; Bonsch, M.; Schmitz, C.; Bodirsky, B.; Humpenöder, F.; Weindl, I.: The impact of high-end climate change on agricultural welfare. Science Advances.

Link to the article: <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/8/e1501452" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/8/e1501452</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: @PIK_Climate <a href="http://www.pik-potsdam.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.pik-potsdam.de</a>

</div>

Climate change threatens agricultural productivity around the world

Global warming could create substantial economic damage in agriculture, a...

<div>Global climate models don't work on a regional level One size does not always fit all, especially when it comes to global climate models, according to Penn State climate researchers. Global climate models don't work on a regional level</div>
<div>

"The impacts of climate change rightfully concern policy makers and stakeholders who need to make decisions about how to cope with a changing climate," said Fuqing Zhang, professor of meteorology and director, Center for Advanced Data Assimilation and Predictability Techniques, Penn State. "They often rely upon climate model projections at regional and local scales in their decision making." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

Zhang and Michael Mann, Distinguished professor of atmospheric science and director, Earth System Science Center, were concerned that the direct use of climate model output at local or even regional scales could produce inaccurate information. They focused on two key climate variables, temperature and precipitation.

They found that projeGlobal climate models don't work on a regional level ctions of temperature changes with global climate models became increasingly uncertain at scales below roughly 600 horizontal miles, a distance equivalent to the combined widths of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. While climate models might provide useful information about the overall warming expected for, say, the Midwest, predicting the difference between the warming of Indianapolis and Pittsburgh might prove futile.

Regional changes in precipitation were even more challenging to predict, with estimates becoming highly uncertain at scales below roughly 1200 miles, equivalent to the combined width of all the states from the <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/phytoplankton-blooms-persist-in-the-north-atlantic-ocean/">Atlantic Ocean</a> through New Jersey across Nebraska. The difference between changing rainfall totals in Philadelphia and Omaha due to global warming, for example, would be difficult to assess. The researchers report the results of their study in the August issue of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.

"Policy makers and stakeholders use information from these models to inform their decisions," said Mann. "It is crucial they understand the limitation in the information the model projections can provide at local scales."

Climate models provide useful predictions of the overall warming of the globe and the largest-scale shifts in patterns of rainfall and drought, but are considerably more hard pressed to predict, for example, whether New York City will become wetter or drier, or to deal with the effects of mountain ranges like the Rocky Mountains on regional weather patterns.

"Climate models can meaningfully project the overall global increase in warmth, rises in sea level and very large-scale changes in rainfall patterns," said Zhang. "But they are uncertain about the potential significant ramifications on society in any specific location."

The researchers believe that further research may lead to a reduction in the uncertainties. They caution users of climate model projections to take into account the increased uncertainties in assessing local climate scenarios.

"Uncertainty is hardly a reason for inaction," said Mann. "Moreover, uncertainty can cut both ways, and we must be cognizant of the possibility that impacts in many regions could be considerably greater and more costly than climate model projections suggest."
###
Also working on this project was Wei Li, former post-doctoral fellow at Penn State now at NOAA/NWS/NCEP/Environmental Modeling Center, College Park, Md.

The National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research supported this work.

</div>

Global climate models don't work on a regional level

Global climate models don't work on a regional level One...

<div>Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-carbon-dioxide-sink/">carbon dioxide</a>, according to a new study from the University of Southampton.</div>
<div>

The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, provides insight into the long-term impacts of rising CO2 and the implications for global food security and nature conservation.

Lead author Professor Gail Taylor, from Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, said: "Atmospheric CO2 is rising - emissions grew faster in the 2000s than the 1990s and the concentration of CO2 reached 400 ppm for the first time in recorded history in 2013. Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide

"On the one hand, more CO2 is known to be good for plants, at least in the short-term because this drives up photosynthesis and plant growth including crop growth and food production. Indeed recent decades have seen the planet becoming greener as vegetation growth is stimulated as CO2 rises.

"Until now, few reports had given us any insight into the long-term impacts of rising CO2 over multiple generations and none have been undertaken on the molecular signature underpinning such adaptation. One reason for this is that's it's a difficult problem to crack - to find plants that have been exposed to conditions of the future, but are available today." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

[caption id="attachment_2412054" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2412054" src="http://cff1.greenatom.earth/uploads/2016/08/24111727/cff1.greenatom.earthuploads20160824111724media.eurekalert.orgmultimedia_prodpubweb122495_web-56b507053fc7b3fa1677613fb819c266c1e90aca-073b9f35bc1753030dd1376d5f791a5ab0d22e7e-150x150.jpg" alt="Plantago lanceolata" width="150" height="150" /> Plantago lanceolata[/caption]

To address this problem, the researchers used a unique resource - naturally high CO2 springs where plants have been subjected to more CO2 over many hundreds of years and multiple plant generations. Taking plantago lanceolata plants from a 'spring' site in Bossoleto, Italy and comparing the molecular signature with the same plants from a nearby 'control' site (at today's CO2) revealed striking differences in the total gene expression (the process by which specific genes are activated to produce a required protein).

Professor Taylor said: "The study shows that when we take plants from these two places that represent the atmosphere of today with that of the future (out to 2100), and place them together in the same environment, the plants from spring sites were bigger and had a better rate of photosynthesis. Most importantly, plants from the spring sites had differences in the expression of hundreds of genes.

"In particular, we predict from these gene expression data that planetary greening will continue - it won't switch off or become acclimated as CO2 continues to rise, but some of the extra carbon in future plants is likely to go into secondary chemicals for plant defence. This is associated with more gene expression underpinning plant respiration."

One of the most interesting findings was that stomatal pores on the surface of the leaf (small holes that control the uptake of CO2 for photosynthesis and the loss of water vapour) increase in number after multi-generation exposure to future CO2. The team predicted that pore number would decline, in line with past research over geological timescales using fossil plants.

Professor Taylor added: "This is a counter-intuitive finding but strongly suggests that stomatal pore numbers increase, since we have identified several key regulators of stomatal number that are sensitive to future high CO2. One of those is SCREAM (SCRM2), which is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein family that acts to regulate plant developmental transitions.

"We don't understand the full consequences of this developmental change but it shows that plants will adapt in unpredictable ways to future CO2 over multiple generations. This question is pressing - we need to know how food crops may evolve over future generations in response to the changing climate, whether planetary greening is likely to continue and the impacts of this for global nature conservation."
###
This research was funded by the FP7 Framework for Research Programme of the EU, as part of the EXPEER consortium 'Experimentation in ecosystem research', NERC and the British Council.

</div>

Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide

Plants are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Plants are...

<div>Typhoon Lionrock's rainfall rates and cloud heights were analyzed as it continued to intensify when the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed overhead.</div>
<div>

Since Aug. 15, 2016 Japan has been by hit by three tropical cyclones called Mindulle, Chantu and Kompasu. Tropical cyclone Lionrock may be the next to affect <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nearly-complete-duck-billed-dinosaur-fossil/">Japan</a>. Lionrock formed east of Japan on Aug. 18, 2016 and passed by to the south of Japan as a tropical storm. Lionrock then interacted with tropical storm Mindulle which spun by to the east. Mindulle, although somewhat weakened by Lionrock's outflow, hit Tokyo killing at least 2 people. Lionrock moved to the southeast of Okinawa and became a powerful typhoon.

The GPM core observatory satellite passed over typhoon Lionrock twice in two days. On Aug. 23 at 2:11 p.m. EDT (1811 UTC) GPM saw Lionrock when it was first classified as a typhoon. At that time, Lionrock had winds of about 75 mph (65 knots). GPM's Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instrument sliced through the western edge of the typhoon's eye. Rainfall was measured at a rate of over 222 mm (8.8 inches) per hour in intense storms on that side of the eye wall.

Lionrock was a much more powerful typhoon with winds of about 115 mph (100 knots) when the GPM satellite flew over again on Aug. 24, 2016 at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 UTC). This made it a category three on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) showed an area of very heavy precipitation occurring just southeast of the powerful typhoon's eye and intense rainfall within bands of thunderstorms feeding into the center of circulation.

GPM's Radar (DPR Ku Band) sliced through Lionrock and those data were used to show a 3-D cutaway view of precipitation structure within the typhoon. DPR showed that some of the tall thunderstorm towers in Lionrock's eye wall reached heights almost 17 km (10.5 miles).GPM is a joint mission between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Aug. 25 Typhoon Lionrock was centered near 23.7 degrees north latitude and 131.1 degrees east longitude, about 246 nautical miles southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Lionrock has tracked northeastward at 3.4 mph (3 knots/5.5 kph). Maximum sustained winds were near 126.6 mph (110 knots/203.7 kph).

Typhoon Lionrock is expected to continue tracking to the northeast and maintain typhoon strength as it heads toward Honshu, Japan's main island by Aug. 29 and Aug. 30.


</div>
<div></div>

Typhoon Lionrock continues to strengthen

Typhoon Lionrock's rainfall rates and cloud heights were analyzed as...

<div>Amphetamine concentrations in streams alter the aquatic food web.Pharmaceutical and illicit drugs are present in streams in Baltimore, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/flash-flooding-devastates-maryland/">Maryland</a>. At some sites, amphetamine concentrations are high enough to alter the base of the aquatic food web. So reports a new study released today in the journal Environmental Science &amp; Technology, which is one of the first to explore the ecological consequences of stimulant pollution in urban streams.</div>
<div>

Lead author Sylvia S. Lee conducted the work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Lee, now with the Environmental Protection Agency, comments, "Around the world, treated and untreated wastewater entering surface waters contains pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs that originate from human consumption and excretion, manufacturing processes, or improper disposal. We were interested in revealing how amphetamine exposure influences the small plants and animals that play a large role in regulating the health of streams." Amphetamine concentrations in streams alter the aquatic food web

Lee and her collaborators measured concentrations of pharmaceutical and illicit drugs at six stream sites along an urban-to-rural gradient in Baltimore, Maryland. Numerous drugs, including amphetamine, were detected in stream sites, with illicit drug levels highest in the most urban streams. Sampling was performed in 2013 and 2014. Suburban and urban fieldwork focused on the Gwynns Falls watershed, which is part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long-Term Ecological Research program. The two rural streams were located in Oregon Ridge watershed, the closest forested region.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

Field sampling was then followed up with an artificial stream experiment to determine how amphetamine - a biologically active, highly addictive, and widely used drug - affects stream life. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of amphetamine medications in the treatment of conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. At the same time, stimulants like methamphetamine, ecstasy, and cocaine are also used illicitly.

Co-author <a href="http://www.caryinstitute.org/science-program/our-scientists/dr-emma-j-rosi-marshall" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Emma J. Rosi-Marshall</a>, a freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute, comments, "We have every reason to suspect that the release of stimulants to aquatic environments is on the rise across the globe, yet little is known about the ecological consequences of this pollution. We found that when artificial streams were exposed to amphetamine at a concentration similar to what we found in parts of the Gwynns Falls watershed, there were measurable and concerning effects to the base of the aquatic food web."

After recreating natural stream attributes in the Cary Institute's Artificial Stream Facility, four streams received a target amphetamine concentration of 1 μg L-1 and four streams were maintained as controls. Researchers monitored ecosystem effects over three weeks. Among their findings: in streams with the amphetamine addition, the growth of biofilms was significantly suppressed, the composition of bacterial and diatom communities changed, and aquatic insects emerged earlier.

The field component of this study is one of the first to report amphetamine in wastewater-impacted environments at concentrations approaching 1 μg L-1. The laboratory component confirms that amphetamine is present in the Gwynns Falls watershed at concentrations that have the potential to affect stream ecosystem structure and function.

Rosi-Marshall concludes, "As society continues to grapple with aging wastewater infrastructure and escalating pharmaceutical and illicit drug use, we need to consider collateral damages to our freshwater resources. More work is needed on the ecological fate of these pollutants and the threat they pose to aquatic life and water quality. Ultimately, solutions will lie in innovations in the way we manage wastewater."
###
In addition to Lee and Rosi-Marshall, the paper's research team included graduate student Alexis M. Paspalof (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), environmental chemist Daniel D. Snow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), PhD candidate Erinn Richmond (Monash University), and microbial ecologist John J. Kelly (Loyola University Chicago). Funding was provided in part by the Wallace Genetic Foundation, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long-Term Ecological Research program, the Hudson River Foundation, and the Polgar Foundation.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

<a href="http://www.caryinstitute.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies</a> is one of the world's leading independent environmental research organizations. Areas of expertise include disease ecology, forest and freshwater health, climate change, urban ecology, and invasive species. Since 1983, Cary Institute scientists have produced the unbiased research needed to inform effective management and policy decisions.

</div>

Amphetamine concentrations in streams alter the aquatic food web

Amphetamine concentrations in streams alter the aquatic food web.Pharmaceutical and...

<div>Tropical Storm Lester forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Also When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the eastern Pacific Ocean. Therefore it looked at a newly developed tropical depression that would later strengthen into Tropical Storm Lester. Aqua analyzed the depression with an infrared eye and saw indications it was strengthening.</div>
<div>

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard Aqua provided temperature data on Tropical Depression 13E on Aug. 24 at 4:17 p.m. EDT (2017 UTC). AIRS infrared data showed that the depression had some powerful thunderstorms with high cold cloud tops (as cold as -63F/-53C).

By 5 p.m. EDT the low pressure area was officially recognized as Tropical Depression 13E. The depression formed about 455 miles (730 miles) southwest of Manzanillo, <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/samalayuca-sand-dunes/">Mexico</a>. The depression strengthened into a tropical storm at 5 a.m. on Aug. 25. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

On Aug. 25, the National Hurricane Center said the cloud pattern of Lester continues to gradually become better organized, with developing convective banding features surrounding a small central dense overcast and expanding upper-level outflow. Tropical Storm Lester forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Lester was located near latitude 16.6 degrees north latitude and 112.5 degrees west longitude. That's about 465 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Tropical Storm Lester forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Lester was moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph) and a gradual turn toward the west is expected over the next 48 hours. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts.

Infrared data from the AIRS instrument shows that the waters that lie ahead of Lester are at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius), warm enough to keep maintaining the storm's strength.

Continued strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Lester is likely to become a hurricane on Friday, Aug. 26, according to NHC.


</div>
<div></div>

Tropical Storm Lester forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Tropical Storm Lester forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Also...

Magnificent CME Erupts on the Sun - August 31

<div>Solar eruptions to changes in Earth's cloud cover A team of scientists from the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space) and the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has linked large solar eruptions to changes in Earth's cloud cover in a study based on over 25 years of satellite observations.</div>
<div>

The solar eruptions are known to shield <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-tides-earthquakes/">Earth'</a>s atmosphere from cosmic rays. However the new study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, shows that the global cloud cover is simultaneously reduced, supporting the idea that cosmic rays are important for cloud formation. The eruptions cause a reduction in cloud fraction of about 2 percent corresponding to roughly a billion tonnes of liquid water disappearing from the atmosphere. Solar eruptions to changes in Earth's cloud cover

Since clouds are known to affect global temperatures on longer timescales, the present investigation represents an important step in the understanding of clouds and climate variability.

"Earth is under constant bombardment by particles from space called galactic cosmic rays. Violent eruptions at the Sun's surface can blow these cosmic rays away from Earth for about a week. Our study has shown that when the cosmic rays are reduced in this way there is a corresponding reduction in Earth's cloud cover. Since clouds are an important factor in controlling the temperature on Earth our results may have implications for climate change", explains lead author on the study Jacob Svensmark of DTU. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA's</a> view.

Very energetic particles

These particles generate electrically charged molecules -- ions -- in Earth's atmosphere. Ions have been shown in the laboratory to enhance the formation of aerosols, which can serve as seeds for the formation of the cloud drops that make up a cloud. Whether this actually happens in the atmosphere, or only in the laboratory is a topic that has been investigated and debated for years.

When the large solar eruptions blow away the galactic cosmic rays before they reach Earth they cause a reduction in atmospheric ions of up to about 20 to -30 percent over the course of a week. So if ions affect cloud formation it should be possible to observe a decrease in cloud cover during events when the Sun blows away cosmic rays, and this is precisely what is done in this study.

The so-called 'Forbush decreases' of the cosmic rays have previously been linked to week-long changes in Earth's cloud cover but the effect has been debated at length in the scientific literature. The new study concludes that "there is a real impact of Forbush decreases on cloud microphysics" and that the results support the suggestion that "ions play a significant role in the life-cycle of clouds".

Arriving at that conclusion was, however, a hard endeavor; Very few strong Forbush decreases occur and their effect on cloud formation is expected to be close to the limit of detection using global atmospheric observations measured by satellites and land based stations. Therefore it was of the greatest importance to select the strongest events for study since they had to have the most easily detected effect. Determining this strength required combining data from about 130 stations in combination with atmospheric modeling.

This new method resulted in a list of 26 events in the period of 1987-2007 ranked according to ionization. This ranked list was important for the detection of a signal, and may also shed some light on why previous studies have arrived at varied conclusions, since they have relied on events that were not necessarily ranked high on the list.

Possible long term effect

The effect from Forbush decreases on clouds is too brief to have any impact on long-term temperature changes.

However since clouds are affected by short term changes in galactic cosmic radiation, they may well also be affected by the slower change in Solar activity that happens on scales from tens to hundreds of years, and thus play a role in the radiation budget that determines the global temperature.

The Suns contribution to past and future climate change may thus be larger than merely the direct changes in radiation, concludes the scientists behind the new study.


</div>
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Solar eruptions to changes in Earth's cloud cover

Solar eruptions to changes in Earth's cloud cover A team...

<div>As temperatures warm, Snowfall in Antarctica will increase When Antarctica's air temperature rises, moisture in the atmosphere increases. That should mean more snowfall on the frozen continent. So why hasn't that trend become evident in Antarctica's surface mass balance as climate models predict?</div>
<div>

In a new study, scientists used historical records and climate simulations to examine that question. They found that the effect of rising temperatures on snowfall has so far been overshadowed by Antarctica's large natural climate variability, which comes from random, chaotic variations in the polar weather. By mid-century, however, as temperatures continue to rise, the study shows how the effect of human-induced warming on Antarctica's net snow accumulation should emerge above the noise. As temperatures warm, Snowfall in Antarctica will increase

The expectation of more snowfall is something of a silver lining as temperatures rise. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/limiting-global-warming-prevent-deaths/">Global warming</a> is already increasing sea level through melting ice and thermal expansion. The increase in snowfall over Antarctica could help reduce the amount of global sea level rise by 51 to 79 millimeters, or about 2 to 3 inches, by the year 2100, according to the study. That would be a small but important benefit: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates global sea level rise will be at least 10 times that by 2100 under the same high-emissions scenario used in the new study.

"Increased snowfall over Antarctica is the sole process connected to global warming that is thought to have a significant mitigating effect on global sea level rise," said lead author Michael Previdi, a professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "While the magnitude of this effect is uncertain, it is likely that the balance of different processes determining Antarctica's net contribution to global sea level rise will be decidedly different in the future than it has been in the recent past."

On a continental scale, surface mass balance is the difference between the amount of snowfall that accumulates and the amount of snow lost to sublimation. It affects global sea level because the amount of water on earth is essentially constant, so when more water is stored as snow or ice on land, less water is available to contribute to rising seas.

For the study, published this week in the journal Environmental Research Letters, Previdi and co-author Lorenzo Polvani of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory evaluated surface mass balance simulations from 35 coupled atmosphere-ocean climate models, which simulate the physical forces that affect Antarctica.

The models allow scientists to quantify both the human influence on surface mass balance and the influence of natural variability. The scientists found that from 1961 to 2005, global warming increased Antarctica's surface mass balance by 124 billion tons per year, smaller in magnitude than natural year-to-year variability, which was found to be plus or minus 126 billion tons per year.

When the scientists looked at all 35 models, 46 percent of the individual simulations showed a statistically significant trend in surface mass balance from 1961 to 2005, the year that most of the models' historical simulations end. The likelihood of seeing a statistically significant trend in surface mass balance rises as the models forecast ahead in time. After 2015, the models cross a threshold where it becomes "likely," with a 66 percent chance, that evidence of anthropogenic climate change will emerge in Antarctica's surface mass balance. By 2040, it becomes "very likely," with a higher than 90 percent chance.

Previdi and Polvani repeated their analysis with different emissions scenarios and also considered surface mass balance trends starting in 1979, at the dawn of the satellite era. The analyses showed similar results, with the global warming signal "very likely" to emerge by mid-century.

"The apparent discrepancy between models and observations can be easily reconciled by considering the large surface mass balance variations generated naturally within the Antarctic climate system," they write.

Previous studies also found no significant change in the total Antarctic surface mass balance in recent decades, though a 2013 ice core study found a 10 percent increase in surface mass balance in coastal regions since the 1960s. All temperature records, meanwhile, indicate that Antarctica warmed from 1961 to 2005. Ice cores also show a strong relationship between the continent's surface mass balance and temperature changes through history, including the end of the last ice age when temperatures rose dramatically.
###
The paper, "Anthropogenic Impact on Antarctic Surface Mass Balance, Currently Masked by Natural Variability, to Emerge by Mid-Century," is available from the author.

Scientist contact: Michael Previdi: <a href="mailto:mprevidi@ldeo.columbia.edu">mprevidi@ldeo.columbia.edu</a> 845-365-8631

More information: Kevin Krajick, senior editor, science news, The Earth Institute <a href="mailto:kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu">kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu</a> 212-854-9729

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is Columbia University's home for Earth science research. Its scientists develop fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world, from the planet's deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean, providing a rational basis for the difficult choices facing humanity. <a href="http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/LamontEarth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@LamontEarth</a>

The Earth Institute, Columbia University mobilizes the sciences, education and public policy to achieve a sustainable earth. <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.earth.columbia.edu</a>.

</div>

As temperatures warm, Snowfall in Antarctica will increase

As temperatures warm, Snowfall in Antarctica will increase When Antarctica's...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">System 99L forms over Hispaniola When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA's</a> Aqua satellite passed over the tropical low pressure area known as System 99L it was located over Hispaniola. The AIRS instrument aboard Aqua analyzed the low pressure area in infrared light.</div>
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard Aqua provided temperature data on System 99L on Aug. 25 at 1:47 p.m. EDT (1747 UTC) . AIRS infrared data showed that the depression had some powerful thunderstorms with high cold cloud tops (as cold as -63F/-53C). NASA research has shown that storms with cloud top temperatures that cold can generate heavy rainfall. System 99L forms over Hispaniola

A weak area of low pressure extending from eastern Cuba northward to the central Bahamas is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. The upper level winds from this low pressure system will be keeping System 99L from developing further for the next couple of days as it moves west-northwestward at about 10 mph. Conditions could become a little more favorable for development early next week when the system moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Regardless of development of the storm heavy rains with the potential to cause flash floods and mud slides are likely over Hispaniola today and over eastern and central Cuba through the weekend. Gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall are likely over portions of the Bahamas, and will likely spread into parts of South Florida and the Florida Keys over the weekend.


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System 99L forms over Hispaniola

System 99L forms over Hispaniola When NASA's Aqua satellite passed...

<div>NASA analyzes rainfall from Tropical Storm Lester The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed Tropical Storm Lester after it became the 12th named storm of the 2016 eastern Pacific Ocean on Aug. 25.</div>
<div>

GPM, a joint mission between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> and the Japan <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/polar-bear-hair-architecture-aerospace/">Aerospace</a> Exploration Agency, analyzed Lester's rainfall rates and cloud heights.

Lester was far away from the Mexican coast and headed toward the west-northwest. Low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures are expected to assist in Lester's intensification to hurricane status today, Aug. 26. NASA analyzes rainfall from Tropical Storm Lester

Tropical storm Lester had wind speeds of about 35 knots (40 mph) when the GPM core observatory satellite passed over on August 25, 2016 at 6:26 a.m. EDT (1026 UTC). Data from GPM satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments showed that Lester was getting organized. Moderate intensity bands of rain were revealed curving around the eastern side of the tropical storm. DPR found that rain was falling at a rate of over 54 mm (2.1 inches) per hour in these rain bands.

A 3-D examination of precipitation was performed on tropical storm Lester using DPR (Ku Band) radar data captured with this pass. This examination found that cloud top heights were reaching about 12km (7.4 miles) in the tallest storms.

Lester is currently located about 510 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja, California and is moving west at 7 miles per hour. The maximum sustained winds within the storm are 60 mph which is still below hurricane strength, however higher gusts have been reported. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Lester could become a hurricane tonight or on Saturday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km) from the center.


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NASA analyzes rainfall from Tropical Storm Lester

NASA analyzes rainfall from Tropical Storm Lester The Global Precipitation...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Study: fracking chemicals may harm fertility More than 15 million Americans live within a one-mile radius of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) operations. UOGs combine directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," to release natural gas from underground rock.</div>
<div></div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Scientific studies, while ongoing, are still inconclusive on the potential long-term effects fracturing has on human development. Today, researchers at the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/missouri-breaks-complex-fire-montana/">Missouri</a> released a study that is the first of its kind to link exposure to fracking chemicals released during hydraulic fracturing to adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes in mice. Scientists believe that exposure to these chemicals also could pose a threat to human development.</div>
"Researchers have previously found that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic or block hormones -- the chemical messengers that regulate respiration, reproduction, metabolism, growth and other biological functions," said Susan C. Nagel, Nagel, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health in the School of Medicine. "Evidence from this study indicates that developmental exposure to fracking and drilling chemicals may pose a threat to fertility in animals and potentially people. Negative outcomes were observed even in mice exposed to the lowest dose of chemicals, which was lower than the concentrations found in groundwater at some locations with past oil and gas wastewater spills."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

Researchers mixed 23 oil and gas chemicals in four different concentrations to reflect concentrations ranging from those found in drinking water and groundwater to concentrations found in industry wastewater. The mixtures were added to drinking water given to pregnant mice in the laboratory until they gave birth. The female offspring of the mice that drank the chemical mixtures were compared to female offspring of mice in a control group that were not exposed. Mice exposed to drilling chemicals had lower levels of key hormones related to reproductive health compared to the control group.

"Female mice that were exposed to commonly used fracking chemicals in utero showed signs of reduced fertility, including alterations in the development of the ovarian follicles and pituitary and reproductive hormone concentrations," Nagel said, who also serves as an adjunct associate professor of biological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science. "These findings build on our previous research, which found exposure to the same chemicals was tied to reduced sperm counts in male mice. Our studies suggest adverse developmental and reproductive health outcomes might be expected in humans and animals exposed to chemicals in regions with oil and gas drilling activity."
###
The study, "Adverse Reproductive and Developmental Health Outcomes Following Prenatal Exposure to a Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Mixture in Female C57BI/6 Mice," was published in the journal Endocrinology. Authors of the study include: Christopher D. Kassotis of Duke University in Durham, N.C.; John J. Bromfield of the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL; Kara C. Klemp, Chun-Xia Meng, Victoria D. Balise and Chiamaka J. Isiguzo of the University of Missouri; Andrew Wolfe of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD; R. Thomas Zoeller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, MA; and Donald E. Tillitt of the U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia Environmental Research Center in Columbia, MO. Study: fracking chemicals may harm fertility as shown in image.

The research was funded by the University of Missouri Research Council and Mizzou Advantage, a crowd-funding campaign on Experiment.com, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's STAR Fellowship Assistance Agreement awarded to Christopher D. Kassotis. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

</div>

Study: fracking chemicals may harm fertility

Study: fracking chemicals may harm fertility More than 15 million...

<div>The cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/non-human-nature-rights/">Philippines</a> masked the full impact of greenhouse gases on accelerating sea level rise, according to a new study. Mount Pinatubo eruption masked accelerating sea level rise</div>
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"These scientists have disentangled the major role played by the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo on trends in global mean sea level," said Anjuli Bamzai, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funded the research. "This research is vital as society prepares for the potential effects of climate change." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a>

Satellite observations of the ocean surface, which began in 1993, indicated the rate of sea level rise was holding fairly steady at about 3 millimeters per year. As the pace of warming oceans and melting glaciers and ice sheets accelerated, scientists expected to see a corresponding increase in the rate of sea level rise. Analysis of the satellite record has not borne that out, however.

Researchers have now determined that the expected increase in sea level rise due to climate change was likely hidden because of a happenstance of timing: Pinatubo erupted in 1991, two years before the first satellite observations of the ocean began. The eruption, which temporarily cooled the planet, caused sea levels to drop and effectively distorted calculations of sea level rise in subsequent decades.

The study lends support to climate model projections that show the rate of sea level rise escalating over time as the climate warms. The findings were published today in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, published by Nature Publishing Group.

"When we used climate model runs designed to remove the effect of the Pinatubo eruption, we saw the rate of sea level rise accelerating in our simulations," said National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientist John Fasullo, who led the study. "Now that the impacts of Pinatubo have faded, this acceleration should become evident in the satellite measurements in the coming decade, barring another major volcanic eruption."

Study co-author Steve Nerem of the University of Colorado Boulder, added: "The study shows that large volcanic eruptions can significantly impact the satellite record of global average sea level change. So we must be careful to consider these effects when we look for the effects of climate change in the satellite-based sea level record."

The findings have implications for the extent of sea level rise this century and may be useful to coastal communities planning for the future. Decision-makers have debated whether communities should make plans based on the steady rate of sea level rise as measured by satellites in recent decades, or based on the accelerated rate expected in the future as predicted by climate scientists.

Reconstructing a pre-Pinatubo world

Fasullo and Nerem, along with Benjamin Hamlington of Old Dominion University, wanted to pin down how quickly sea levels were rising in the decades before the satellite record began.

Prior to the launch of the international TOPEX/Poseidon satellite mission in late 1992, sea level was mainly measured using tide gauges. For the researchers, variations in measurement technique and location meant that the pre-satellite record was best used to get a ballpark estimate of global mean sea level.

To complement the historic record, the research team ran the NCAR-based Community Earth System model 40 times with slightly different -- but historically plausible -- starting conditions. The resulting simulations characterize the range of natural variability in the factors that affect sea levels. The model was run on the Yellowstone system at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center.

A separate set of model runs that omitted volcanic aerosols -- particles spewed into the atmosphere by an eruption -- was also assessed. By comparing the two sets of runs, the scientists were able to pick out a signal (in this case, the effect of Mount Pinatubo's eruption) from the noise (natural variations in ocean temperature and other factors that affect sea level).

"You can't do it with one or two model runs -- or even three or four," Fasullo said. "There's just too much accompanying climate noise to understand precisely what the effect of Pinatubo was. We could not have done it without large numbers of runs."

Using models to understand observations

Analyzing the simulations, the research team found that Pinatubo's eruption caused the oceans to cool and sea levels to drop by about 6 millimeters immediately before TOPEX/Poseidon began making observations.

As the sunlight-blocking aerosols from Mount Pinatubo dissipated in the simulations, sea levels began to slowly rebound to pre-eruption levels. This rebound swamped the acceleration caused by the warming climate and made the rate of sea level rise higher in the mid- and late 1990s than it otherwise would have been.

This higher-than-normal rate of sea level rise in the early part of the satellite record made it appear as though the rate of sea level rise was not accelerating over time. In fact, according to the study, if the Pinatubo eruption had not occurred -- leaving sea level at a higher starting point in the early 1990s -- the satellite record would have shown a clear acceleration.

"The satellite record is unable to account for everything that happened before the first satellite was launched," Fasullo said. "This study is a great example of how computer models can give us the historical context that's needed to understand some of what we're seeing in the satellite record."

Understanding whether the rate of sea level rise is accelerating or remaining constant is important because it drastically changes what sea levels might look like in 20, 50 or 100 years.

Because the study's findings suggest that acceleration due to climate change is already under way, the acceleration should become evident in the satellite record in the coming decade, Fasullo said.

Since the original TOPEX/Poseidon mission, newer satellites, including the recently launched Jason-3, will continue to track sea level.

"Sea level rise is potentially one of the most damaging effects of climate change, so it's critical that we understand how quickly it will rise in the future," Fasullo said. "Measurements from Jason-3 will help us evaluate what we've learned in this study and help us better plan for the future."
###
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy also funded the study.

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Mount Pinatubo eruption masked accelerating sea level rise

The cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines...

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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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" 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.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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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...