Regarding Timothy's move to camp out along a bear trail, biologist Larry Van Daele said that "bears wishing to traverse the area would have had to either wade in the [nearby] lake or walk right next to the tent." He went on to clarify that "a person could not have designed a more dangerous location to set up a camp." Photo credit: Lion's Gate Films / Discovery Docs

Biologist Larry Van Daele

Regarding Timothy's move to camp out along a bear trail, biologist Larry Van Daele said that "bears wishing to traverse the area would have had to either wade in the [nearby] lake or walk right next to the tent." He went on to clarify that "a person could not have designed a more dangerous location to set up a camp." Photo credit: Lion's Gate Films / Discovery Docs

Though Timothy's actions seemingly belonged to a deranged person, he knew the risks, and he knew that nothing he was doing was considered safe, but a part of him truly thought the bears were his friends. Timothy made himself believe that his beloved Alaskan grizzlies would never hurt him. Photo credit: thebearshome_ / Instagram

Bear BFFs

Though Timothy's actions seemingly belonged to a deranged person, he...

Grand Turk Island and its stunning coral reefs. Today’s Image of the Day comes courtesy of the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=89865&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_previous">NASA Earth Observatory</a> and features an overhead look at Grand Turk Island. The photo was taken by an astronaut on board the International Space Station.

Grand Turk Island is only 6 miles long and is located at the southern end of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island is situated on top of a carbonate bank that is almost twice its size. Waves can be seen breaking against the side of the carbonate platform, looking like a thin white line along the left side of the image. Along the north and east coasts of Grand Turk Island sit beautiful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dead-zones-coral-reefs/">coral reef</a> systems that continue to stretch east all the way to the Bahamas.

Grand Turk Island is an island in the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=turks+and+caicos+islands&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=f453038449f0430282bd184033a8d5ff&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfMDPkuf0g9xTFb4nuuTdLwAql84LWZ*HAmtZDvsFFLnoDv4kof%21XqS08RpUbs8hXm6fPixurilCsGtOlrrkmdUf&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Turks and Caicos Islands</a>. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands (the smaller of the two archipelagos that make up the island state) with 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). Grand Turk contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town and the JAGS McCartney International Airport. The island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the territory, and has the second largest population of the islands at approximately 3,720 people.
Grand Turk was first colonised in 1681 by Bermudians, who set up the salt industry in the islands. In 1766 it became the capital of the country. For some time, at least until the early 19th century, Grand Turk was often referred to as Grand Cay, not to be confused with either Grand Cay in the Bahamas or Grand Cayman.
The name comes from a species of cactus on the island, the Turk's Cap Cactus (Melocactus intortus), which has a distinctive cap, reminiscent of an Ottoman fez.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=89865&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_previous">NASA Earth Observatory</a>

Grand Turk Island and its stunning coral reefs

Grand Turk Island and its stunning coral reefs. Today’s Image...

Lake Eyre is shown here in this Image of the Day from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=89723">NASA Earth Observatory</a> taking a detailed look at the features of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/australian-bushfire-smoke-made-its-way-around-the-globe/">Australia’s</a> largest inland lake. Lake Eyre can be easily seen from space thanks to its massive, white-floored lake bed that is usually completely dry.

Lake Eyre - Australia's Largest Inland Lake

Lake Eyre is shown here in this Image of the...

IDL TIFF file

Extensive Shanghai urban development can be seen here in this photo from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=89853&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_image">NASA Earth Observatory</a>, showing just how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shanghai-plans-limit-population/">Shanghai</a> has changed over the past 30 years. Shanghai urban development has grown at an unprecedented rate since the 1980s, when the Chinese government began engaging in foreign trade and investment.

Shanghai urban development increasing dramatically

Extensive Shanghai urban development can be seen here in this...

Parallel ridges across the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/new-river-gorge-national-park-in-west-virginia/">Virginia</a> border can be seen quite clearly here in this Image of the Day. While these parallel ridges stretching across the Virginia border are located just a few kilometers away from each other, they have little else in common. The image was captured by the <a href="http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/operational-land-imager-oli/">Operational Land Imager</a> (OLI) on board the Landsat 8 satellite.

Parallel ridges across the Virginia border

Parallel ridges across the Virginia border can be seen quite...

Today’s Image of the Day comes from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/03/Etna_erupts">European Space Agency</a> and features a look at the erupting Mount Etna volcano in Sicily. The photo was captured this week by the ESA’s Sentinel 2-A satellite. 

Mount Etna is not only the largest active <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/mount-etna-volcano-erupts/">volcano</a> in Europe, but also one of the most continuously erupting volcanoes in the world. This week’s eruption, however, was unusually violent and sudden.

In the center of the image, lava flow can be seen oozing out of the Earth. The surrounding blue is actually snow that has been colored in order to distinguish it from clouds floating above.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/03/Etna_erupts">ESA</a>

This week’s violent eruption at Mount Etna

Today’s Image of the Day comes from the European Space...

The Great Escarpment is pictured here in this Image of the Day from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=89830&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_image">NASA Earth Observatory</a> and features a look at the wide variety of vegetation elevations in Africa’s Great Escarpment. The Great Escarpment is a formation located in the central <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-kalahari-desert-in-south-africa/">Southern African</a> plateau consisting of steep slopes, deep valleys, and sharp ridges.

The Great Escarpment in Africa

The Great Escarpment is pictured here in this Image of...

Today’s Image of the Day comes from an exciting new study performed by a team of scientists at <a href="https://www.unsw.com/">UNSW Sydney</a> and the <a href="http://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a>. According to their research, blenny fish on the South Pacific island of Rarotonga have developed the ability to jump onto rocks and survive out of water to escape from <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/small-bird-mobs-attack-predators/">predators</a>.

"Avoiding predators might be an explanation of why some animals move from their ancestral homes into starkly different environments, but evidence for this is rare because it is difficult to collect," Dr. Terry Ord, who led the study.

"Our study of blennies on Rarotonga is the first to examine the pressures driving fish out of the water. There obviously have to be some major benefits for fish to make the dramatic shift onto land. Otherwise, why would they do it? It turns out the aquatic environment is a nasty place for blennies, full of enemies wanting to eat these small fish. But life is less hostile on the rocks, with birds their main worry,” Ord said.

The team of researchers reported their findings in a report published in <a href="http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/an/current">The American Naturalist</a>.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Credit: Chris Fulton ANU

Blenny fish in the South Pacific can survive out of water

Today’s Image of the Day comes from an exciting new...

Shelterbelts lined across the steppes of southern Russia are clearly seen here in this photo from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a>. The photo was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station looking down on an area near the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/phytoplankton-bloom-volga-river-russia/">Volga River</a>. Shelterbelts, also known as windbreaks, are long rows of trees planted strategically to protect sensitive crops and soil from wind erosion.

Shelterbelts in southern Russia protect crops

Shelterbelts lined across the steppes of southern Russia are clearly...

The January 2020 eruption of the Taal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-hot-spot-volcanoes-revealed/" data-type="news" data-id="1895520">volcano</a> in the Philippines became electrified and led to an hours-long thunderstorm, with thousands of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. A new study conducted by the <a href="http://usgs.gov">United States Geological Survey</a>, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Vaisala Inc. highlights how advances in global lightning detection can provide new ways to characterize explosive volcanism.



According to scientists, explosive volcanic eruptions can create lightning that is detected around the world almost instantaneously. Since the radio waves produced by lightning travel at the speed of light, they can be detected extremely fast even from highly remote areas.&nbsp;



“As soon as the volcanic ash plume rose high enough to freeze, its electrical activity lit up our sensors,” said study lead author Alexa Van Eaton, a physical volcanologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. “It’s the perfect storm - explosive eruptions can create lightning that is detected around the world.”



Moreover, since satellite images and hundreds of photos and videos posted on social media were also available, Van Eaton and her colleagues could form a more complex picture of how the eruption developed and caused the massive thunderstorm.



“Much more can be done to characterize an eruption when there are camera perspectives from all angles,” said Van Eaton. &nbsp;“The eruption took place in a major urban area, so people posted pictures of volcanic lightning as it was happening, revealing a highly electrified region at the base of the umbrella cloud. Understanding the evolution of volcanic lightning helps us recognize the early warning signs of ash hazards to aircraft.”



However, the researchers admitted that remote-sensing studies such as this one can only provide “a broad-brush picture of an eruption” and cannot replace the work of local geologists that know the area very well.



Further research is needed to explain in more detail the miniature sparks observed in photos of the ash plume. “We were surprised to find the high-altitude umbrella cloud crawling with these tiny, blue&nbsp;streamers” that are distinct from lightning because they are discharges of cold rather than hot plasma. “It’s still an enigma how these little ribbons of ionized air relate to powerful lightning,” concluded Van Eaton.&nbsp;



The study is published by the <a href="https://www.geosociety.org/">Geological Society of America</a> in the journal Geology.



---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Explosive volcanic eruption triggered an hours-long thunderstorm

The January 2020 eruption of the Taal volcano in the...

When a breeder of tarantulas noticed, in 2018, that several of his spiders were becoming sick and dying, he approached parasitologist Adler Dillman from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>. The ailing tarantulas were characterized by what appeared to be a white discharge in and around the oral cavity. On closer inspection, however, it became clear that the white mass was a large infestation of nematode <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worms-without-ears-can-hear-through-their-skin/">worms</a> intertwined together inside and around the spider’s mouth.&nbsp;



Dillman and his colleagues examined the worms and, based on a combination of morphological and morphometrical data, and unique DNA sequences, they identified a new species of nematodes. There are more than 25,000 different species of nematode worms and they are among the most abundant animals on Earth. They parasitize a wide range of living organisms, but this is only the second time that a species has been found to infect tarantulas.



The scientists named the new species Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi, after Jeff Daniels, the American actor, musician and producer. They named it in Daniels’ honor because his character in the 1990 film ‘Arachnophobia’ saves a town from a deadly infestation of spiders.&nbsp;



“His character in the film is a spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are,” said Dillman, who led the team that discovered the nematode.



“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why? Is there a resemblance?’” joked Daniels. “Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and 'Arachnophobia.' Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”



The scientists investigated the lifecycle of the worms, and where exactly they resided in the infected spiders. They found that infestations of worms occurred in the mouth area and on the pedipalps, special appendages near the mouth that the spiders use to sense and manipulate food. No worms were found in the stomachs of infected spiders.&nbsp;



Once infected, spiders lost the ability to use their jaws and feed themselves, and began to show strange behavior, such as walking on the very tips of their legs. The infection would ultimately prove fatal for a tarantula, as it would starve to death.&nbsp;



“It may take months because tarantulas don’t have to eat particularly often. However, if they get this infection, they will die of starvation,” Dillman said.&nbsp;



When culturing the nematode worms in the laboratory, the researchers noted that they ate bacteria such as E. coli and did not appear to feed off the parasitized spiders themselves. This led the researchers to conclude that the worms may be feeding on the bacteria found around the oral cavity of the spider.&nbsp;



However, there is not yet an understanding of how the worms change tarantula behavior or render the pedipalps and jaws non-functional. Dillman is planning additional studies to investigate this, as well as how breeders can treat or even prevent infections in their captive-bred tarantulas.



The researchers found that the average lifespan of jeffdanielsi nematodes in the laboratory was 11 days. These worms are mostly hermaphrodites – each individual produces sperm as well as eggs. Furthermore, they fertilize themselves and each produces approximately 160 offspring within its 11-day lifespan.



Although this is only the second time that nematode parasites have been found infecting tarantulas, Dillman feels this reflects the fact that little research is done on these spiders. Nematode worms are very common parasites and it would be unusual if there were no species that parasitized tarantulas.



“Nematodes have been around for hundreds of millions of years. They’ve evolved to infect every kind of host on the planet including humans,” he said. “Any animal you know of on planet Earth, there’s a nematode that can infect it.”



The team’s work describing jeffdanielsi has recently been&nbsp;<a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-parasitology/article-abstract/108/1/30/476785/TARANTOBELUS-JEFFDANIELSI-N-SP-PANAGROLAIMOMORPHA?redirectedFrom=fulltext">published</a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/journal-of-parasitology">Journal of Parasitology</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists have discovered worms that kill tarantulas

When a breeder of tarantulas noticed, in 2018, that several...

Protecting 30 percent of land and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-heat-reached-a-record-high-for-the-sixth-straight-year/">sea</a> by 2030 is an important benchmark, but it will not be enough to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, according to a team of more than 50 scientists from 23 countries. 



The experts delivered a synthesis of the science supporting 21 targets in a draft of the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/article/draft-1-global-biodiversity-framework">Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework</a>, a plan being negotiated by the United Nations.



The scientists are calling for systematic changes, including substantial reductions in damaging fisheries and farming subsidies, great reductions in overconsumption, and limiting global warming to 1.5°C.&nbsp;



Paul Leadley, a professor at Paris-Saclay University, is also an assessment leader and past chair of <a href="http://www.biodiscovery.com/">BioDISCOVERY</a>.



“The target of protecting 30% of all land and seas is important and attracting a lot of attention. And expanding protected areas is a good start if done well, but far short of what's needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss - called ‘bending the curve’ for biodiversity."



"There’s very good evidence that we will fail again to meet ambitious international biodiversity objectives if there’s too much focus on protected areas at the expense of other urgent actions addressing the threats to biodiversity.”&nbsp;



“Governments are clearly struggling with the breadth and depth of the ‘transformative changes’ needed to bend the curve for biodiversity, and sometimes seem unwilling to face up to it.&nbsp; But deep changes are necessary and will greatly benefit people in the long run.”



The key points highlighted in the study were that reversing biodiversity loss requires transformative change, coordinated at every level. Along with these changes, assessments must be carried out and greater monitoring efforts funded. Perhaps most importantly, action must be taken immediately to be impactful.&nbsp;



“The sooner we act the better. Time lags between action and positive outcomes for biodiversity can take decades so we must act immediately and sustain our efforts if we are to reach the global goals by 2050," said study co-author Maria Cecilia Londoño Murcia of the Humboldt Institute.



"The time needed for safeguarding and restoring ecosystem structure, function and resilience is particularly critical for people and communities whose livelihoods and well-being directly depend on these systems and the benefits they provide.”&nbsp;



---By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sweeping changes needed to reverse biodiversity loss

Protecting 30 percent of land and sea by 2030 is...

One of the most striking discoveries in Astrophysics over the past decades is that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-free-floating-planets-found-in-the-milky-way/">planets</a> or satellites with oceans beneath layers of rock or ice are quite common in our solar system. Some major examples of these “interior water ocean worlds” (IWOWs) are the icy satellites of giant planets, such as Europa, Enceladus, or Titan, or distant planets like Pluto.&nbsp;



Mimas is the small, innermost moon of Saturn, which was previously thought to be a frozen, inert satellite. By identifying a curious libration, or oscillation, in the rotation of Mimas, a research team led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has discovered that this satellite is in fact an IWOW. The experts found a liquid, internal ocean hidden under a thick icy shell.



“Because the surface of Mimas is heavily cratered, we thought it was just a frozen block of ice,” said study lead author Alyssa Rose Rhoden, an expert in the Geophysics of icy satellites at SwRI. “IWOWs, such as Enceladus and Europa, tend to be fractured and show other signs of geologic activity.”&nbsp;



“Turns out, Mimas’ surface was tricking us, and our new understanding has greatly expanded the definition of a potentially habitable world in our solar system and beyond. If Mimas has an ocean, it represents a new class of small, ‘stealth’ ocean worlds with surfaces that do not betray the ocean’s existence.”



According to the scientists, tidal heating within this satellite must be large enough to keep the ocean from freezing, but small enough to maintain a thick, steady-state ice shell covering it. Further research is needed to shed more light on the complex factors leading to this peculiar equilibrium on Mimas, and to clearly understand how its ocean formed and evolved.



“Although our results support a present-day ocean within Mimas, it is challenging to reconcile the moon’s orbital and geologic characteristics with our current understanding of its thermal-orbital evolution,” Rhoden said.&nbsp;



“Evaluating Mimas’ status as an ocean moon would benchmark models of its formation and evolution. This would help us better understand Saturn’s rings and mid-sized moons as well as the prevalence of potentially habitable ocean moons, particularly at Uranus. Mimas is a compelling target for continued investigation,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103521005091?via%3Dihub">Icarus</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Stealth” ocean discovered on one of Saturn’s moons

One of the most striking discoveries in Astrophysics over the...

Insects don’t have noses and are not able to “smell” the roses in the familiar sense of the word. Instead, most odor molecules are detected by chemoreceptors that occur on an insect’s antennae. Using these chemical receptors, insects are capable of perceiving and differentiating between thousands of&nbsp;airborne compounds. They use these chemical signals to locate forage <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-plants-wont-survive-the-loss-of-seed-dispersing-animals/">plants</a> and mates, as well as to avoid predators.



But now, new research indicates that common air pollutants present in rural and urban environments may be hampering the ability of insects to detect the chemical signals so crucial to their activity as pollinators.&nbsp;



A team of scientists from the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a> has conducted the first study to observe that common air pollutants, including diesel exhaust fumes and ozone, have a negative impact on the success of pollination by insects.&nbsp;



“We knew from our previous lab studies that diesel exhaust can have negative effects on insect pollinators, but the impacts we found in the field were much more dramatic than we had expected," said Dr. Robbie Girling, who led the project.



These previous laboratory studies by members of the Reading team showed that&nbsp;chemicals in <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/news-archive/press-releases/pr649662.html">diesel fumes react with and can change the scents of flowers such that the insects cannot locate the flowers. </a>The research suggested that pollution could contribute to the ongoing declines in pollinating insects, by making it harder for them to locate the pollen and nectar that form their food.



In the new study, the researchers aimed to gather evidence showing how air pollution affects different species of pollinating insects, some of which rely on scent more heavily than others.



The study, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, used a purpose-built fumigation facility to regulate levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) – present in diesel exhaust fumes – and ozone in an open field environment. They then observed the effects these pollutants had on the pollination of black mustard plants by free-flying, locally-occurring pollinating insects over the course of two summer field seasons.



Although the experiments made use of pollution levels that were way below the maximum acceptable levels considered as safe in the US, the results of the field experiments were dramatic. The researchers observed 62 to 70 percent fewer pollinator visits to the plants located in polluted air. This reduction was seen in seven different groups of pollinators, including bees, moths, hoverflies and butterflies.&nbsp;



There were also 83 to 90 percent fewer visits to flowers by these insects, and ultimately a 14 to 31 percent reduction in pollination success, based on the measurement of seed yield and other factors.



“The findings are worrying because these pollutants are commonly found in the air many of us breathe every day," said Dr. James Ryalls. "We know that these pollutants are bad for our health, and the significant reductions we saw in pollinator numbers and activity shows that there are also clear implications for the natural ecosystems we depend on.”



Insects are important pollinators of crops upon which we depend for food and so a reduction in pollinating activity could have far-reaching economic and social consequences. Around 70 percent of crop species rely on insects for pollination; these include apples, strawberries and cocoa.&nbsp;



In addition, pollination supports around eight percent of the total value of agricultural food production, worldwide. The pollinating activity of insects thus generates hundreds of billions of pounds worth of economic value each year.&nbsp;



Furthermore, far higher levels of air pollutants are found in many areas around the world where people and businesses breach the regulations. For example, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/air-pollution-england-defra-labour-who-nitrogen-dioxide-luke-pollard-b404484.html?r=55147">2019 analysis</a> recorded illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide present in local authorities, in large areas of northern England (including Cheshire and Gateshead), and in southern England (including Wiltshire, Chichester and rural areas such as the New Forest).



“This truly cross-disciplinary work demonstrated very clearly how atmospheric pollutants negatively impact on pollination with direct consequences for food production as well as the resilience of our natural environment," concluded study co-author Dr. Christian Pfrang.



Their results are published today in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118847">&nbsp;journal&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-pollution">Environmental Pollution</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollutants confuse pollinators and reduce food production

Insects don’t have noses and are not able to “smell”...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> describes the environmental threat of monogenetic volcanoes. Even though these volcanoes only erupt once in their lifetime, the eruption can last for years or even decades.&nbsp;



A recent study led by the University of Buffalo, which is published in the journal Geosphere, provides an overview of what we know about monogenetic volcanism in the U.S. Southwest over the past 2.58 million years. During this geologic period - known as the Quaternary - more than 1,800 monogenetic volcanoes erupted across Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and parts of California’s eastern edge.



“Monogenetic means ‘one life,’” explained study lead author and UB volcanologist Greg Valentine. “So a monogenetic volcano will erupt once, and that eruption may last for several days to several decades, but after that, the volcano is basically dead."



“In the United States, most volcanic hazards-related attention has rightly gone to places like Hawaii, and to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, where we have big stratovolcanoes like Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens, which will have many eruptive episodes over a long life, with widespread hazardous effects. In the past, these smaller monogenetic volcanoes really haven’t been looked at from a focus on hazards; they have been instead studied mainly for what they tell us about the deep Earth."



“Recently, however, there has been more buzz in the research community about how we need to take a look at the kinds of hazards these volcanoes might pose. My experience with the general public is that most people are surprised to know that there are so many young volcanoes in the Southwest.”



The study highlights gaps in our knowledge of one life volcanoes, and the researchers hope that it can serve as a launchpad for future research.



Based on the number of volcanoes that erupted in the study region during the Quaternary Period, the chances of a new volcano emerging in the area within 100 years would be about 8 percent, said Valentine. However, he noted that this figure does not account for buried volcanoes, or the fact that a single eruption can create multiple vents. 



“There’s so much uncertainty here, and this is part of the problem. It’s kind of a wide-open research field. When you look at the region from the perspective of volcanic hazards, we really have very little information. Most of the volcanoes have not been dated, so we don’t know how old they are, except that they likely formed sometime within the Quaternary Period. Very few have been studied in detail.”



Video Credit: NSF



---



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

Exploring the threat of monogenetic volcanoes

[sendtonews key="P5bkO4xjjs-1674414-12187" 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 Cancún, located on the northeast coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.



With a long stretch of tropical beaches on the Caribbean Sea, Cancún is one of Mexico’s top tourist destinations.



The Cancún Island resort area, just off the coast, is linked by two causeways at each end.&nbsp;



To the north of Cancún, Isla Contoy is an important nesting place for more than 150 species of birds.



The El Eden Ecological Reserve is located 50 kilometers northwest of Cancún, and Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protected Area is located near the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula.



According to ESA, Yum Balam is home to several endangered species including jaguars, crocodiles and monkeys.



Video Credit: ESA



---



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

The city of Cancún on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula

[sendtonews key="UtMTZC8H4W-1611866-12187" 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 a time lapse of the Northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, captured from space. The images were acquired in November of 2021 during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, the Alpha mission. 



According to ESA, the camera was set up to take pictures at intervals of two per second, and the time lapse video plays 25 pictures a second.&nbsp;



The fascinating light show, which can be viewed at both the north and south poles, is produced when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million miles per hour. Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles, creating the fascinating waves of light.&nbsp;



The earliest known record of the northern lights is in a cave painting in France that dates back 30,000 years.&nbsp; In 1619, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei named the northern lights "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn (Aurora) and the Greek god of the north wind (Boreas).



When Pesquet shared the stunning Alpha mission video on social media, he noted that the pictures were taken from the docked Crew Dragon spacecraft windows. Pesquet said it was the strongest aurora the crew had seen during their six months in space.



Updates on the Alpha mission can be found on Twitter via @esaspaceflight.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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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

Spectacular astronaut view of the northern lights

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