Corals act more like us humans than one might think. These aquatic structures host an array of marine life while also depending on their microenvironment to survive and grow. Just like humans take multivitamins to stay healthy, corals rely on essential nutrients to thrive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-multivitamins-for-corals">Multivitamins for corals</h2>



Enter the researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). They've been busy in the lab, testing an innovative concept: nutrient-infused tiles aimed at supercharging the immune system of corals. It's like a daily multivitamin, but for corals. 



The goal? They aim to prevent coral bleaching, and to help corals to weather the stress of shifting ocean temperatures and to bounce back from harsh climate events such as hurricanes.



"We are studying how corals react when grown on substrates that have been infused with essential metal micronutrients, like manganese, zinc, and iron," explained Colleen Hansel, a senior scientist and marine chemist at <a href="https://www.whoi.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WHOI</a>.



There's an urgency to this work, as rapidly warming waters and an active hurricane season make field trials difficult.



However, hope is not lost. Preliminary data harvested from a year’s worth of lab experiments suggests that corals which received a nutrient boost early on were more resilient and resistant to heat stress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reef-brought-to-life">A reef brought to life</h2>



Armed with this data, the team's next plan is to take these nutrient-infused tiles and embed them in an artificial reef. 



Designed by experts at the University of the Virgin Islands (<a href="https://www.uvi.edu/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UVI</a>), this 20 sq. meter (216 sq. ft.) concrete setup will offer a safe home to juvenile corals that need multivitamins.



It also doubles as a settling spot for coral larvae, while the nutrient-rich tiles ensure vitamins are dispersed into the surrounding waters. This not only promotes coral growth, but also prepares them for environmental stressors.



"The artificial reef we're building is going in next to a natural reef that has been severely impacted by marine heat waves and extreme storm events," explained Marilyn Brandt, a coral disease ecologist at the UVI.



This man-made marvel won't just fend off storm surges and erosion, it will also create a habitat for corals struggling to adapt to climate change effects. The ultimate goal of the reef's establishment is to help restore the natural reefs in the area.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-corals-and-multivitamin-tiles">Monitoring corals and multivitamin tiles</h2>



To ensure the ongoing success of this cutting-edge approach, continuous monitoring and adaptation are integral. Scientists plan to deploy advanced monitoring systems that will track <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-is-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral health</a> metrics in real-time. 



This will include assessments of coral growth rates, color changes indicative of stress, and local water conditions. Such data will allow researchers to alter their strategies promptly, adjusting nutrient concentrations or tile placements as necessary to optimize coral resilience.



A dynamic interplay between technology and ecological understanding will ultimately support these living structures in adapting to ever-changing marine environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community-engagement-and-education">Community engagement and education</h2>



Beyond laboratory experiments and scientific endeavors, community engagement plays a pivotal role in coral conservation. Educational initiatives aim to involve local communities and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/60-percent-global-coral-reefs-face-bleaching-rising-temperatures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raise awareness</a> about the importance of coral ecosystems. 



Workshops, seminars, and hands-on restoration activities promote a sense of stewardship among residents and visitors alike. By incorporating traditional knowledge and local insights, these programs ensure a holistic approach to coral reef preservation.



As communities learn and participate in restoration efforts, they contribute to a sustainable model that may serve as a blueprint for similar conservation projects globally.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balancing-the-ecosystem">Balancing the ecosystem</h2>



Of course, in the grand scheme of the ocean world, balance is key. While the "multivitamin" tiles will help corals, researchers are cautious that they don't end up favoring a specific coral type or promote the intrusion of unwanted species.



As a result, Brandt, Hansel, and their colleagues are keen to examine this while generating a diverse environment beneficial to the reef ecosystem.



"We need to be sure an artificial reef looks and sounds as similar to a natural reef as possible," said Hansel. "That doesn't consist of just coral, but also sponges, anemones, and other biogeochemical components of the reef ecosystem."



Thus, it's evident that these nutrient-infused tiles, created with dedication and an innovative spirit, could provide a vital lifeline for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-illuminates-fish-interactions-in-coral-reefs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral reefs</a> in these changing times.



Could this be the answer to coral resilience? As with much in science, time and rigorous testing will tell. For now, let's look forward to more revealing studies on this exciting development.



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'Multivitamins' could save coral reefs from climate destruction

Corals act more like us humans than one might think. These aquatic structures host an array of marine life while also depending on their microenvironment to survive and grow. Just like humans take multivitamins to stay healthy, corals rely on essential nutrients to thrive. Multivitamins for corals Enter the researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). They've been busy in the lab, testing an innovative concept: nutrient-infused tiles aimed at supercharging the immune system of corals. It's like a daily multivitamin, but for corals. The goal?...

About 6,000 years ago, most of the mangrove forests on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/toxic-algal-blooms-will-become-more-frequent-off-the-u-s-west-coast/">coast</a> of Oman mysteriously vanished. A new study from the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/the-university">University of Bonn</a> suggests that the collapse of these coastal ecosystems was caused by climatic changes.

The experts report that the mangroves went extinct at an extremely fast rate, and most of the forests were lost within a few decades. The researchers found no evidence that falling sea levels or human disturbances contributed to the extinctions. 

Mangrove forests grow in coastal areas that are under water at high tide, yet dry at low tide. They depend on a warm climate, and most species need sea surface temperatures of at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Mangroves are also sensitive to water salinity, and their tolerance limit varies among species. 

"This is why we find them nowadays mostly in regions where enough rain falls to reduce salinization of the soil," explained study lead author Valeska Decker, an expert at the Institute for Geosciences at Bonn.

Fossil remains show that there were once many mangrove lagoons on the coast of Oman that mostly disappeared. Over the past few years, Decker has compiled numerous geochemical, sedimentological, and archaeological findings into an overall picture. "From our point of view, everything suggests that the collapse of these ecosystems has climatic reasons."

Just over 6,000 years ago, a low-pressure trough known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone moved to the south, but it is not entirely clear why and how fast the zone shifted. 

"That this was the case has been well documented for several years," explained Decker. "Our results now indicate that this climate change had two effects: On the one hand, it caused salinization of the soil, which put the mangroves under extreme stress. On the other hand, the vegetation cover in the affected areas decreased in general due to the greater drought." 

As erosion increased, the wind carried large amounts of barren soil into the lagoons that dried up the mangrove forests. According to Decker, the ecosystems probably disappeared within a few decades.

Previous studies suggest that the environmental changes were gradual, and the mangrove forests struggled up until a certain threshold was reached and then collapsed very quickly. Today, mangroves are only found in a few places in Oman.

"Archaeological findings also speak against a man-made ecological catastrophe. It is true that there were humans living in the coastal regions who used the mangroves as firewood. However, they were nomads who did not build permanent settlements. This meant that their need for wood was relatively low - low enough to rule out overuse as a cause."

Decker and her colleagues plan to investigate further, and their findings could be particularly relevant today as the climate is changing in many regions of the world at a very rapid pace. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research">Quaternary Research</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mangrove forests in Oman were wiped out by climate change

About 6,000 years ago, most of the mangrove forests on...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">UC Boulder</a> have investigated the air quality of gyms, specifically focusing on the impacts of high bodily <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/long-term-emissions-cuts-are-needed-to-slow-ocean-acidification/">emissions</a> during workouts, which are intensified by chemical reactions with cleaners. The experts report that one exercising individual emits as many chemicals from their body as up to five sedentary people.

The study shows that human emissions, including amino acids from sweat or acetone from breath, react with bleach cleaners to form new airborne chemicals with unknown impacts to indoor air quality.

"Humans are a large source of indoor emissions," said study lead author and CIRES research scientist Zachary Finewax. "And chemicals in indoor air, whether from our bodies or cleaning products, don't just disappear, they linger and travel around spaces like gyms, reacting with other chemicals."

In 2018, the CU Boulder team set up equipment to sample air quality in a weight room in the Dal Ward Athletic Center, a campus facility for university student athletes. The instruments measured a range of airborne chemicals before, during, and after athletic workouts. 

The analysis revealed that the athletes' bodies produced 3 to 5 times the emissions during a workout compared to when they were at rest.

"Using our state-of-the-art equipment, this was the first time indoor air analysis in a gym was done with this high level of sophistication. We were able to capture emissions in real time to see exactly how many chemicals the athletes were emitting, and at what rate," said study co-author Demetrios Pagonis.

Many gym facilities use chlorine bleach-based products to sanitize equipment on a frequent basis. When the cleaning products combine with emissions from sweat, they create a new cocktail of chemicals.

The researchers found that chemicals called N-chloraldimines were produced in the gym air from the mixing of bleach products and amino acids. This means that chlorine from bleach cleaner sprayed onto equipment was reacting with the amino acids released from sweating bodies, explained the study authors.

Further research is needed to determine the specific impacts that these compounds may have on indoor air quality. Compounds that are chemically similar, which form from the reaction of ammonia mixing with bleach, are known to be harmful to human health.

"Since people spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, it's critical we understand how chemicals behave in the spaces we occupy," said study co-author Professor Joost de Gouw. 

While all of the data was collected for this study prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the experts say that a modern gym with low occupancy and good ventilation may still be relatively safe for a workout, especially if masks are used.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/16000668">Indoor Air</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gym air quality is impacted by reactions of sweat and bleach

Researchers at UC Boulder have investigated the air quality of...

Nitrogen is considered to be the most essential nutrient for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/how-do-plants-develop-resistance-to-potentially-deadly-pathogens/">plant</a> growth. In a new study focused on the small flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana, scientists have discovered that plants have a strategy for finding their preferred nutrients by adjusting their root growth.

Plants including maize, beans, and Arabidopsis prefer nitrogen in the form of nitrate, and grow better on soil that is rich in nitrate. Other plants, such as rice, prefer nitrogen in the form of ammonium. If the type of nitrogen that is available in the soil fluctuates, plants have to adjust as quickly as possible to achieve optimal growth. 

Study co-author Professor Eva Benková is a developmental biologist and a professor at the <a href="https://ist.ac.at/en/home/">Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria</a>. She explained that one of the most important questions is understanding the role of plant hormones in adaptation to the nitrogen availability. "How do the machineries within a plant cope with their changing environment?" 

To investigate, the researchers compared how Arabidopsis seedlings that were grown exclusively on ammonium reacted once they were transferred to soil containing either ammonium or nitrate.

When living in suboptimal soil, a plant will try to maintain its root growth as long as possible to reach a more suitable form of nitrogen. The processes used to maintain the root growth are the cell proliferation in the meristem, a plant tissue consisting of undifferentiated cells, and the cell expansion. A plant must strike a good balance between these two processes for healthy growth.

The study revealed that when Arabidopsis was provided with ammonium, its less preferred form of nitrogen, the meristem produced fewer cells. Instead, the cells very quickly expanded and elongated.  

"Once we moved the plants to the nitrate, suddenly the meristem became bigger, more cells were produced and there was a different kinetics in cell expansion," explained Professor Benková. "Now Arabidopsis could afford to put more energy into cell division and optimized its root growth differently."

A plant hormone called auxin determines whether a plant will invest more energy in cell proliferation or cell elongation. Auxin, which is essential for all developmental processes, is transported in a very controlled way from one cell to the next.

Species proteins known as efflux carriers control the transport of auxin out of the cells. These proteins regulate the flow of auxin depending on where they are located within the cell.

Professor Benková and her team were particularly interested in the auxin transporter PIN2, which mediates the flow of auxin at the very tip of the root. The researchers determined that PIN2 primarily controls the balance between cell division and cell elongation. "We observed that once we moved plants onto the nitrate, the localization of PIN2 changes. Thereby, it changes the distribution of auxin."

The study also revealed that the behavior of PIN2 is influenced by its phosphorylation status. "What really surprised us was that one modification, the phosphorylation of such a big protein like an efflux carrier, can have such an important impact on the root behavior," noted Professor Benková. 

Phosphorylation targets an amino acid of PIN2 that is present in many different plant species, which indicates that PIN2 could be universally involved in plant adaption strategies to changing nitrogen sources. Next, the researchers will investigate the mechanisms which control the change of the phosphorylation status.

The study is published in <a href="https://www.embopress.org/journal/14602075">The EMBO Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plants adjust roots to reach their preferred form of nitrogen

Nitrogen is considered to be the most essential nutrient for...

Geysers do not forecast explosive volcanic activity in Yellowstone. The reawakening of the world's tallest active geyser is not a forewarning of explosive <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/why-australias-east-coast-is-a-hotbed-of-volcanic-activity/">volcanic</a> activity in Yellowstone National Park, according to a study from <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a>. In 2018, the Steamboat Geyser entered into a prolonged period of frequent activity after three and a half years of dormancy.

Yellowstone National Park has over 10,000 hot springs and geysers. Some of the geysers erupt as frequently as 300 times a year, while others remain dormant for decades at a time. 

"Hydrothermal explosions - basically hot water exploding because it comes into contact with hot rock - are one of the biggest hazards in Yellowstone," said study senior author Professor Michael Manga. "The reason that they are problematic is that they are very hard to predict; it is not clear if there are any precursors that would allow you to provide warning."

The researchers established that the ground around the Steamboat Geyser has risen, and that seismic activity increased somewhat before the geyser reawakened. In addition, the area is currently radiating more heat into the atmosphere. However, no other dormant geysers in the basin have restarted, and the temperature of the groundwater propelling Steamboat's eruptions has not increased. 

"We don't find any evidence that there is a big eruption coming. I think that is an important takeaway," said Professor Manga, who has studied geysers around the world and created some in his own laboratory.

The experts set out to answer three questions about Steamboat Geyser, including why it reawakened and why its activity is so variable. The team also wanted to know how the geyser has the potential for such powerful explosions. While minor eruptions of 10 to 15 feet are much more frequent, major eruptions have thrown water more than 375 feet into the air. 

The researchers managed to answer two out of three questions. First, by comparing geysers in the United States, Russia, Iceland, and Chile, the team determined that the deeper the reservoir, the higher the eruption jet. Steamboat Geyser, with a reservoir about 82 feet below ground, has the highest column of up to 377 feet. Meanwhile, two of the other geysers that were measured in Chile had eruptions of only about three feet high from up to 16-foot-deep reservoirs.

"What you are really doing is you are filling a container, it reaches a critical point, you empty it and then you run out of fluid that can erupt until it refills again," said Professor Manga. "The deeper you go, the higher the pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling temperature. And the hotter the water is, the more energy it has and the higher the geyser."

The researchers also analyzed historical records that included weather data and seismometer and readings to predict which factors cause the variability of Steamboat's eruptions, which ranges from three to 17 days. 

The study authors concluded that variations in rainfall and snowmelt were likely responsible for most of this variability. For example, melting snow and rainfall in the warmer months will fill the reservoir up faster, providing geysers with enough water to erupt more frequently.

Professor Manga and his team were unable to determine why Steamboat Geyser reawakened on March 15, 2018, after three years and 193 days of inactivity. They found no definitive evidence that it was triggered by new magma rising below the geyser.

According to Professor Manga, studies of water eruptions from geysers could give insight into the eruptions of hot rock from volcanoes.

"What we asked are very simple questions and it is a little bit embarrassing that we can't answer them, because it means there are fundamental processes on Earth that we don't quite understand."

"One of the reasons we argue we need to study geysers is that if we can't understand and explain how a geyser erupts, our hope for doing the same thing for magma is much lower."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Geysers do not forecast explosive volcanic activity in Yellowstone

Geysers do not forecast explosive volcanic activity in Yellowstone. The...

Researchers at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> have found scientific evidence that people who travel frequently are significantly happier than those who do not. The study also revealed that individuals who are constantly thinking about and discussing their travel plans are more likely to go on regular vacations. 

"This research shows the more people talk about and plan vacations the more likely they are to take them," said study lead author Chun-Chu Chen. "If you are like me and chomping at the bit to get out of dodge and see someplace new, this research will hopefully be some additional good motivation to start planning your next vacation."

The researchers set out to examine whether frequent travelers have higher levels of life satisfaction, and why these individuals travel more frequently than others. 

A survey of 500 respondents showed that individuals who personally value tourism are more likely to gather travel-relevant information, which leads to more frequent traveling. 

The team also found that frequent travelers are, in fact, more satisfied with their life. The findings indicate that travel and tourism can be an important life domain affecting how people evaluate their overall quality of life.

Survey participants who reported regularly traveling at least 75 miles away from home also reported being substantially happier when asked about their overall well-being.  

Previous studies that examined the health and wellness benefits of tourism experiences, including stress relief, were primarily focused on the effect of a single trip or vacation. The current investigation looked at the sustained benefits of travel over the course of a year.

"While things like work, family life and friends play a bigger role in overall reports of well-being, the accumulation of travel experiences does appear to have a small yet noticeable effect on self-reported life satisfaction," said Chen. "It really illustrates the importance of being able to get out of your routine and experience new things."

When travel restrictions due to COVID-19 begin to relax, the research could have important implications for both tourists and the tourism industry. Chen said that based on the results of the study, travel companies, resorts, and even airlines could launch social media campaigns to spark people's interest in discussing their opinions about travel.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://cognizantcommunication.com/publication/tourism-analysis-an-interdisciplinary-tourism-hospitality-journal/">Tourism Analysis</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People who travel frequently are happier

Researchers at Washington State University have found scientific evidence that...

In a surprising new study, experts at <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia Engineering</a> have found that drylands are not getting drier. The researchers discovered that soil moisture exerts a negative feedback on surface <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/breakthrough-may-greatly-improve-the-production-of-clean-water/">water</a> availability in drylands, which offsets some of the anticipated decline.

It was previously expected that as a result of global warming, surface water availability would increase in wet regions and decrease in dry regions.

As a result of rising temperatures, the atmosphere will become more humid. This climate factor is expected to amplify the existing pattern of water availability, causing the "dry-get-drier, and wet-get-wetter" responses to global warming.

However, the Columbia team wondered why climate model predictions do not project significant "dry-get-drier" responses over drylands, even when researchers use the high emissions global warming scenario. 

Study co-author Sha Zhou theorized that soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks may play an important part in future predictions of water availability in drylands.

The researchers discovered a long-term soil moisture regulation of atmospheric circulation and moisture transport that largely offsets the potential decline of future water availability in drylands.

"These feedbacks play a more significant role than realized in long-term surface water changes," said Zhou. "As soil moisture variations negatively impact water availability, this negative feedback could also partially reduce warming-driven increases in the magnitudes and frequencies of extreme high and extreme low hydroclimatic events, such as droughts and floods. Without the negative feedback, we may experience more frequent and more extreme droughts and floods."

By combining a multi-model land-atmosphere coupling experiment with a new statistical approach developed for the study, the researchers found strong declines in surface water availability in response to global warming. The drying of soil moisture actually negatively feeds back onto water availability.

"Our work finds that soil moisture predictions and associated atmosphere feedbacks are highly variable and model dependent," said study co-lead author Pierre Gentine. "This study underscores the urgent need to improve future soil moisture predictions and accurately represent soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks in models, which are critical to providing reliable predictions of dryland water availability for better water resources management."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drylands are not getting drier as temperatures rise

In a surprising new study, experts at Columbia Engineering have...

A new method of identifying heat-stressed corals could help scientists pinpoint the species that need protection from rising <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-icebergs-affect-seawater-and-ocean-currents-far-from-the-continent/">ocean</a> temperatures. Experts led by <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> have developed a tool that can detect a coral's response to heat stress based on chemicals produced for metabolism.

"This is similar to a blood test to assess human health," said study senior author Professor Debashish Bhattacharya. "We can assess coral health by measuring the metabolites (chemicals created for metabolism) they produce and, ultimately, identify the best interventions to ensure reef health." 

"Coral bleaching from warming waters is an ongoing worldwide ecological disaster. Therefore, we need to develop sensitive diagnostic indicators that can be used to monitor reef health before the visible onset of bleaching to allow time for preemptive conservation efforts."

Coral reefs provide habitat for an estimated 25 percent of all marine life, including over 4,000 species of fish, while supporting the livelihoods of about 500 million people. Warming ocean temperatures, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, unsustainable fishing, and invasive species are all major threats to the future survival of corals.

Heat stress can lead to the loss of algae that live in symbiosis with corals, which results in bleaching that can be deadly. The Rutgers team set out to identify the chemical indicators of stress by examining how Hawaiian stony corals respond to heat. 

The scientists exposed the heat-resistant Montipora capitata and heat-sensitive Pocillopora acuta coral species to several weeks of warm seawater in tanks at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. Next, they investigated the metabolites that were produced and compared them with other corals not subjected to heat stress.

"Our work, for the first time, identified a variety of novel and known metabolites that may be used as diagnostic indicators for heat stress in wild coral before or in the early stages of bleaching," said Professor Bhattacharya.

Currently, the researchers are validating their coral diagnosis results in a much larger study. They are also developing a "coral hospital" that could check coral health in the field through metabolite and protein indicators.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New tool can detect heat stress in corals

A new method of identifying heat-stressed corals could help scientists...

By 2040, an estimated 635 million people will be impacted by the sinking of the ground's surface, according to a study from <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">AAAS</a>. This potentially destructive hazard, known as land subsidence, has a range of natural and human-induced causes such as groundwater removal.

"Subsidence due to groundwater depletion is a slow and gradual process that develops on large time scales (months to years), producing progressive loss of land elevation (centimeters to decimeters per year) typically over very large areas and variably affects urban and agricultural areas worldwide," explained the researchers.

"Subsidence permanently reduces aquifer-system storage capacity, causes earth fissures, damages buildings and civil infrastructure, and increases flood susceptibility and risk." 

A research team led by Gerardo Herrera Garcia conducted a large-scale literature review which revealed that, during the past century, land subsidence due to groundwater depletion occurred at 200 locations in 34 countries. 

The study indicates that within the next two decades, 19 percent of the world's population - accounting for 21 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product - will be affected by land subsidence.

"During the next decades, global population and economic growth will continue to increase groundwater demand and accompanying groundwater depletion and, when exacerbated by droughts, will probably increase land subsidence occurrence and related damages or impacts."

"To raise awareness and inform decision-making, we evaluate potential global subsidence due to groundwater depletion, a key first step toward formulating effective land-subsidence policies that are lacking in most countries worldwide."

Policies that implement constant monitoring of high-risk areas and damage evaluation could help reduce the impacts of subsidence where it will hit hardest. These will be areas with increased population density, high groundwater demand, and irrigated areas that are suffering water stress.

The researchers found that their model is 94 percent capable of distinguishing between subsidence and non-subsidence areas. The model showed that most of the 635 million inhabitants in high-risk areas are located in Asia, with a total exposed GDP of $9.78 trillion. 

The experts noted that while the model does not consider existing mitigation measures, potentially resulting in overestimates of subsidence exposure, their research still represents a step forward to effective policies.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Land subsidence will affect 635 million people by 2040

By 2040, an estimated 635 million people will be impacted...

Both teens and adults who vape are more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/focus-on-the-positive-to-make-better-decisions-during-turbulent-times/">decisions</a>, according to researchers at the <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester Medical Center</a> (URMC). The results of two separate investigations confirmed the link between vaping and mental fog. 

The experts also found that kids were more likely to experience mental fog if they started vaping before the age of 14.

Previous studies have uncovered an association between vaping and mental impairment in animals, but the URMC team is the first to establish the same link in humans. 

"Our studies add to growing evidence that vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to tobacco smoking," said lead author Dr. Dongmei Li.

The studies, which were published in the journals Tobacco Induced Diseases and Plos One, were focused on the response of over 18,000 middle and high school students in the National Youth Tobacco Survey. Data was also analyzed from adults who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System phone survey, including more than 886,000 responses.

The surveys asked similar questions about smoking and vaping habits, as well as about issues with memory, attention, and mental function.

The analysis revealed that people who smoke and vape are most likely to report struggling with mental function, regardless of their age. Following just behind that group, people who only vape or only smoke reported mental fog at similar rates that were significantly higher than those reported by people who do neither. 

Among teens, those who started vaping as early as eight to 13 years old were more likely to have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

"With the recent rise in teen vaping, this is very concerning and suggests that we need to intervene even earlier," said Dr. Li. "Prevention programs that start in middle or high school might actually be too late."

According to the researchers, adolescence is a critical period for brain development, especially for executive mental function, which means tweens and teens may be more susceptible to nicotine-induced brain changes. 

The experts noted that further studies are needed to follow kids and adults over time in order to gain a better understanding of the cause and effect of vaping and mental fog.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.org/">Tobacco Induced Diseases</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Vaping interferes with memory, focus, and decision-making

Both teens and adults who vape are more likely to...

In the midst of one of the worst <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/people-value-nature-more-during-covid-19-pandemic/">pandemics</a> in modern history, many people are following CDC and WHO recommendations to wear face coverings in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. A new study from <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">UW Madison</a> has investigated how face masks may affect a child's ability to communicate and interpret the emotions of others. 

"Of particular concern for parents and teachers is how wearing masks might impact children’s social interactions," wrote the study authors.  

"While much research has documented how children infer emotions from facial configurations and how this ability predicts children’s social and academic competence, uncertain is how children make these inferences when part of the face is occluded by a mask. The current study explores how children draw emotional inferences from faces partially occluded by surgical masks and, as a comparison, sunglasses."

The researchers determined that the use of face coverings does not always prevent children from recognizing facial expressions, despite the fact that many nonverbal cues are no longer visible. 

"We now have this situation where adults and kids have to interact all the time with people whose faces are partly covered, and a lot of adults are wondering if that's going to be a problem for children's emotional development," said study lead author Ashley Ruba.

For the investigation, children between the ages 7 to 13 were shown photographs of faces displaying sadness, anger, or fear. The faces were either covered by a surgical mask or sunglasses. The children correctly identified sadness about 28 percent of the time, anger 27 percent of the time, and fear 18 percent of the time.

"Not surprisingly, it was tougher with parts of the faces covered. But even with a mask covering the nose and mouth, the kids were able to identify these emotions at a rate better than chance," explained Ruba.

The results reflect differences in the way emotional information is conveyed by the face. For example, sunglasses made it more difficult to recognize anger and fear, which indicates that the eyes and eyebrows are important to those facial expressions. Fear was also the trickiest emotion for children to identify behind a mask.

The findings suggest that if children perform better than chance at recognizing emotions with a mask in place, they are likely to do even better in real-life situations.

"Emotions aren't conveyed solely through your face," said Ruba. "Vocal inflections, the way that someone positions their body, and what's going on around them, all that other information helps us make better predictions about what someone is feeling."

The research shows that children can grow in their emotional capabilities, even if some of their social interactions are happening through face coverings.

"I hope this settles some nerves," said Ruba. "Kids are really resilient. They're able to adjust to the information they're given, and it doesn't look like wearing masks will slow down their development in this case."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

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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

Face masks do not slow the emotional development of children

In the midst of one of the worst pandemics in...

A recent study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> is providing new insight into where iceberg <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/summer-meltwater-is-drilling-giant-holes-through-greenlands-ice/">meltwater</a> enters the Southern Ocean. The research lays the groundwork for large Antarctic icebergs to be included in global climate models. 

Some Antarctic icebergs are massive - as big as the size of New York City - but they have been largely overlooked in climate models. The researchers have developed the first model of its kind to represent how the icebergs deteriorate as they drift around Antarctica.

Climate scientists are interested in icebergs because the fresh water they put into the ocean affects currents. The water's density, which is a major driver of ocean currents, is affected by temperature and salinity. These two variables are changed by the cold meltwater from Antarctic icebergs. As a result, the ocean currents that are crucial in regulating global climate are impacted. 

Previous climate models essentially ignored tabular icebergs, which are mostly flat on top. Tabular icebergs survive much longer and behave differently than smaller icebergs. 

"We know that large tabular icebergs deliver about half of the freshwater from the Antarctic ice sheets to the Southern Ocean, and their importance in the climate system will likely increase over the coming century," said study lead author Mark England. 

"We think this an important step forward towards including these giant icebergs in global climate models and being able to incorporate their effects into climate change projections."

"In the North Atlantic, icebergs have been systematically monitored since the Titanic sunk more than a century ago, and models have been developed to make operational forecasts of their drift and deterioration over time," said study co-author Professor Ian Eisenman. "But such models really had not been developed for the large tabular icebergs that break off Antarctica and drift in the Southern Ocean, which could be important for future climate change."

The team used a previous model developed by Professor Eisenman's lab that includes variables like winds, currents, and sea surface temperature to predict where Antarctic icebergs will drift over time. Based on this information, the experts created a new model to predict how frequently large tabular icebergs would break up.

The researchers found that the "parent" iceberg does not actually melt much. Instead, they calve their own smaller "children" icebergs - smaller chunks of ice that are delivered far away from the Antarctic continent. When these smaller chunks melt, they inject cold freshwater into the Southern Ocean.

The experts stress that these larger icebergs, especially given the possibility of a dramatically increased number of them in the future, need to be taken into consideration when developing climate models.

"Our results show that giant icebergs spread Antarctic freshwater much further from the coast than previous studies have assumed," said study co-author Till Wagner. "This may have important consequences for the dynamics of the Southern Ocean."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

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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

Antarctic icebergs affect seawater and ocean currents far away

A recent study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at...

The frozen ground in the northern hemisphere is estimated to contain about twice as much carbon as Earth's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-beyond-moon/">atmosphere</a>. But now, these permafrost soils are collapsing under warmer conditions, and releasing unknown amounts of carbon in the process. 

An international team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">CSU</a> Professor Thomas Borch investigated how the thawing process may be affecting microorganisms in the soil. 

The experts tested the theory that thawing increases the availability of organic carbon for microorganisms to process, subsequently releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. Both of these heat-trapping gases accelerate climate warming and cause more permafrost to thaw in a vicious cycle. 

"The organic material naturally present in the samples accumulated as peat over thousands of years. With permafrost thaw, microbes become active and are able to decompose the peat," said study co-lead author Andreas Kappler. "We also know that iron minerals preserve organic carbon from biodegradation in various environments - and thus they could be a carbon sink even after the permafrost has thawed."

The reactive iron is present as a kind of rust that could potentially trap the organic material in what is referred to as a "rusty carbon sink." The team analyzed the storage potential of the rusty carbon sink at a permafrost peatland in Abisko, Sweden. The researchers collected samples of the soil porewater and drill cores of the active layer along a permafrost thaw gradient. 

The permafrost soil samples were used to evaluate how much organic material was bound to reactive iron minerals, how stable these iron-carbon associations are with permafrost thaw, and whether the microorganisms present could use the material as a source of energy. 

The study revealed that microorganisms are, in fact, able to use the iron as a food source, thereby releasing the bound organic carbon.

"That means the rusty carbon sink cannot prevent the organic carbon from escaping from the thawing permafrost," said Kappler. "Based on data available from elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, we expect that our findings are applicable for permafrost environments worldwide," added study co-lead author Casey Bryce.

The researchers explained that the rusty carbon sink is only found in intact permafrost soils and is lost during permafrost thaw. 

"It appears that the previously iron-bound carbon is highly bioavailable and, therefore, bacteria could immediately metabolize it into greenhouse gas emissions," said study co-author Monique Patzner. "This is a process which is currently absent from climate-change prediction models and must be factored in."

The researchers will now investigate how this newly discovered process affects greenhouse gas emissions, and will study the chemical nature and fate of the organic matter released from permafrost soils. According to Professor Borch, these further inquiries should help to improve our understanding of carbon cycling in these sensitive ecosystems.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms">Nature Communications</a>.

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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

Permafrost soils are collapsing under rising temperatures

The frozen ground in the northern hemisphere is estimated to...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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