The deep sea guards secrets of Earth’s past. Its sediment layers silently record carbon cycles, climate shifts, and ecosystem upheavals. Among the vast oceans, the Pacific holds the most heat and carbon. Yet, it remains one of the least explored when it comes to long-term climate data.



“It's easy to forget that two-thirds of our planet is covered with salty ocean water, especially when you don’t live near the coast,” said Professor Elizabeth Griffith from <a href="https://www.osu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ohio State University</a>. “It’s also hard to realize just how much of it we haven’t explored yet.”



Legacy data is thin. Only eight Pacific High sites have been sampled using modern drilling methods. These include Shatsky Rise, Hess Rise, Allison Guyot, Limalok Guyot, Lo-En Guyot, Ontong Java Plateau, Mid-Pacific Mountains,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Magellan Rise. 



Most of our insights still rely on decades-old <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sediment-in-the-great-blue-hole-reveals-an-alarming-storm-record/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sediment</a> cores, many of which are now partly degraded and depleted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pacific-sediment-holds-a-climate-record">Pacific sediment holds a climate record</h2>



Pacific Highs are submerged geological plateaus, rich in carbonate sediments ideal for preserving past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/darkening-oceans-are-shrinking-vital-marine-habitats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> signals. These sites sit above the carbonate compensation depth, where shells of tiny organisms survive long enough to become fossilized.



During warmer epochs, the deep ocean turned acidic, eroding many fossil records. Yet, these Highs remained relatively untouched. Sediment cores from sites like Shatsky Rise have revealed Earth’s ancient greenhouse climates, mass extinctions, oceanic anoxic events, and recovery patterns.



But sediment continuity is not guaranteed. Currents and internal tides sometimes erode layers. That’s why scientists argue for multi-site sampling. More complete and widespread records help piece together zonal and latitudinal ocean changes over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncovering-ancient-climate-clues">Uncovering ancient climate clues</h2>



Technology has transformed ocean drilling. Ships like the JOIDES Resolution enabled long, continuous core recovery from multiple holes per site. This method replaced the earlier “spot-coring” that often missed climate transitions.



Still, many key events - like the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary - are poorly represented in Pacific cores. New proxies now let researchers study microbial communities, biomarkers, and porewaters, but these methods need fresh <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-large-water-body-on-earth-does-not-touch-land-known-as-the-sargasso-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sediment</a>.



“When you’re extrapolating from such a huge time and spatial scale, you need more than one or two data points to get complete records and ground truth modeling,” said Professor Griffith.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urgent-need-for-pacific-sediment-cores">Urgent need for Pacific sediment cores</h2>



Gaps in spatial data limit model accuracy. Researchers stress the importance of gathering new cores to improve climate models, reduce uncertainty, and capture ecological transitions.



Scientific drilling helps reconstruct circulation patterns, biological pump dynamics, and responses to warming and acidification. These insights are crucial for understanding how oceans will absorb excess CO₂ and how marine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-secretly-reshape-landscapes-in-powerful-ways/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a> will adapt - or collapse.



The 2024 Ohio State workshop emphasized community-led research planning. Experts recommended revisiting sites with excellent preservation, like Hess Rise, and launching new expeditions to still-unexplored Highs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-effort-needed">Global effort needed</h2>



Scientific progress depends on global cooperation. “One of the benefits of the ocean drilling community has always been that it’s a larger effort,” said Professor Griffith.



“Working with legacy core material is a crucial part of my research, but it will never replicate the experience of sailing on a deep-sea scientific drilling expedition and fostering international collaboration at sea,” noted study co-author Batoul Saad.



The loss of the U.S. riserless drillship threatens this effort. Funding cuts and aging infrastructure make it harder to pursue long-term sediment recovery missions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-training-the-next-generation">Training the next generation</h2>



Pacific Highs are more than research sites. They are training grounds for the next wave of ocean scientists. Coordinated “expeditions” to core repositories and collaborative drilling missions centered on Pacific sediment cores will allow students and early-career researchers to engage deeply with Earth science.



“As individuals, much of the work of supporting science involves just being curious about the planet that we live on and that sustains us," said Professor Griffith.



"Once you become curious, realizing how much you impact your surroundings leads to better decisions and new scientific discoveries.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sampling-for-future-climate-models">Sampling for future climate models</h2>



Future reconstructions of Earth’s climate will depend on how well we sample the past. New drilling, combined with legacy data and emerging tools, will help clarify what the Pacific has to tell us.



As climate models evolve, grounding them in physical evidence becomes critical. The Pacific’s buried layers might just hold the clues to predicting tomorrow’s Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025PA005133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology</a>.



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Pacific sediment cores unlock millions of years of climate history

The deep sea guards secrets of Earth’s past. Its sediment layers silently record carbon cycles, climate shifts, and ecosystem upheavals. Among the vast oceans, the Pacific holds the most heat and carbon. Yet, it remains one of the least explored when it comes to long-term climate data. “It's easy to forget that two-thirds of our planet is covered with salty ocean water, especially when you don’t live near the coast,” said Professor Elizabeth Griffith from The Ohio State University. “It’s also hard to realize just how much...

In a recently released global water security assessment, United Nations water experts have raised major concerns, revealing that a majority of the world's population currently lives in water-insecure countries. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-water-reservoir-found-on-the-moons-surface/">Water</a> security is crucial to development, and the report suggests that we are far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of "clean water and sanitation for all" by 2030.



The report was released on the second day of the <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/water2023">UN 2023 Water Conference</a> and provides a multidimensional comparison of water security affecting 7.8 billion people across 186 countries. It offers insights midway through the Water Action Decade (2018-2028) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.



Dr. Charlotte MacAlister, the report's lead author and senior water security researcher at the <a href="https://unu.edu/">United Nations University</a> Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), emphasized the importance of water security.



"Without water security, countries are simply incapable of supporting freshwater ecosystems, livelihoods and human well-being," said Dr. MacAlister. She urged for policy discussions to center around these development challenges in the remaining seven years to fulfill SDG 6.



The assessment, published by UNU-INWEH, also known as the UN Think Tank on Water, criticizes the policymakers' primary focus on water scarcity mitigation. The experts argue that this narrow interpretation of water security has derailed the world from meeting SDG 6 by 2030.



To provide a more accurate understanding of global water security, the UNU-INWEH report evaluated water security across ten components: drinking water, sanitation, good health, water quality, water availability, water value, water governance, human safety, economic safety, and water resource stability. The findings are alarming, with 78 percent of the global population (6.1 billion people) currently living in water-insecure countries.



UNU-INWEH's Director, Professor Kaveh Madani, praised the report as "a major contribution" to the UN 2023 Water Conference, held from March 22-24 in New York. He highlighted the need for targeted policy, funding, and action to accelerate progress, meet the 2030 Agenda, and ensure that the most vulnerable and insecure are not left behind.



The global assessment's key findings expose numerous challenges, such as the critical levels of water security faced by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to various compounding factors. The report identified 23 countries as critically water-insecure, including 16 LDCs and 7 SIDS.



Furthermore, the assessment found that only 33 countries from three geographic regions are water-secure. Sweden tops the list, followed by numerous European countries, New Zealand, Cyprus, Australia, Japan, Israel, Kuwait, and Malaysia in the Asia-Pacific region, and Canada and the USA in the Americas.



The report also emphasized that abundant natural water availability does not guarantee water security. Many countries in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and the Americas with abundant freshwater resources suffer from high rates of WASH-attributed (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) deaths due to limited WASH access, poor water quality, and water having low economic value despite potentially high economic losses due to floods or droughts.



Additionally, access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation remains a distant dream for over half the global population. More than 70 percent (close to 5.5 billion people) do not have safe water access, with Africa having the lowest levels of access at just 15 percent of the region's population.



Worryingly, the situation is not improving. More people die globally from a lack of safe WASH services than those killed in water-related disasters, and 2019 saw increased rates of WASH-attributed mortality in 164 countries.



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UN: World is falling way behind on water security targets

In a recently released global water security assessment, United Nations...

A study examining <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-drives-a-spiritual-connection-with-giant-trees/">tree</a> rings in western North America has revealed that the record-breaking heat wave experienced in the summer of 2021 was the most extreme in over a millennium.



The research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npjclimatsci/">Climate and Atmospheric Science</a>, establishes a year-by-year record of summer average temperatures dating back to the year 950. The study indicates that the last 40 years, driven by human-influenced climate change, has been the hottest on record, and that the summer of 2021 was the hottest in over 1,000 years.



Lead author Karen Heeter, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University’s <a href="https://lamont.columbia.edu/">Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory</a>, explained the significance of the findings: “It’s not that the Pacific Northwest has never before experienced waves of high temperature. But with climate change, their magnitude is much hotter, and they have a much greater impact on the community.”



The tree-ring reconstruction and modern temperature readings show that the period between 1979 and 2021 saw a sustained increase in hot summers that were unrivaled in the last 1,000-plus years. Most of the hottest years have occurred since 2000.&nbsp;



The second-warmest period, as indicated by the tree rings, was from 1028 to 1096, during the so-called Medieval Climate Anomaly, when a natural warming trend is thought to have affected large parts of the planet. However, even these historical periods were considerably cooler than temperatures experienced in recent decades.



The researchers in this study collected tree-ring data from about 600 old conifers in northern Idaho and the Cascade ranges of Oregon and Washington. Using a relatively new technique called blue intensity, they measured the density of the tree rings, which can be translated into temperature data.&nbsp;



The summer of 2021 held the annual record, with an average temperature of 18.9 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit), while the hottest summer in prehistoric times was in 1080, with an average temperature of 16.9 degrees Celsius (62.4 degrees Fahrenheit).



Heeter experienced the 2021 heat wave firsthand, suffering in her un-air-conditioned apartment in Moscow, Idaho, as indoor temperatures reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit. She also noted the challenges faced in collecting data during that summer, as many target forests were on fire, and some areas were under evacuation orders.



The research highlights the vulnerability of communities that have not been historically exposed to extreme heat, as they are often poorly prepared to cope with such events. Heeter suggests that creating refuges where people can go when extreme heat events occur again could be a more feasible solution than installing air conditioning everywhere.&nbsp;



The experts warn that "communities across the world that have not been historically exposed to extreme heat are likely to experience greater morbidity and mortality."



The study's findings also underscore the global nature of the climate crisis, as even regions with historically moderate climates are experiencing unprecedented temperature extremes. As climate change continues to progress, the likelihood of such heat waves occurring more frequently increases, necessitating adaptation and preparedness measures in vulnerable communities around the world.



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Tree rings confirm the historic significance of 2021 heat wave

A study examining tree rings in western North America has...

A team of researchers led by Professor HU Sen from the <a href="https://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> (CAS) has discovered that impact glass beads in Chang'e-5 (CE5) lunar soils contain water. The study, published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01159-6">Nature Geoscience</a>, suggests that these glass beads may represent a new water reservoir on the Moon that is responsible for the dynamic ingress and egress of solar wind-derived water, acting as a buffer for the lunar surface water cycle.



Although many lunar missions have confirmed the presence of structural water or water ice on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tonights-worm-moon-marks-the-beginning-of-spring/">Moon</a>, the exact amount and location of water on the lunar surface has been the subject of intense research. The lunar surface water has attracted much attention due to its potential for in-situ resource utilization by future lunar exploration missions and other space missions.&nbsp;



The surface water on the Moon displays diurnal cycles and loss to space, indicating that there should be a hydrated layer or reservoir at depth in lunar soils to sustain the retention, release, and replenishment of water on the surface of the Moon.



Previous studies have been unable to explain the retention, release, and replenishment of water on the lunar surface, suggesting that there must be a yet-unidentified water reservoir in lunar soils that has the capacity to buffer the lunar surface water cycle.&nbsp;



Under the guidance of Professor HU Sen, doctoral student HE Huicun proposed that impact glass beads, a ubiquitous component in lunar soils with an amorphous nature, were a potential candidate for investigation of the unidentified hydrated layer or reservoir in lunar soils.



To identify and characterize the missing water reservoir on the Moon's surface, the researchers systematically characterized the petrography, major element composition, water abundance, and hydrogen isotope composition of the impact glass beads returned by the CE5 mission.&nbsp;



The CE5 impact glass beads have homogeneous chemical compositions and smooth exposed surfaces, characterized by water abundance up to about 2,000 μg.g-1, with extreme deuterium-depleted characteristics. The negative correlation between water abundance and hydrogen isotope composition reflects the fact that water in the CE5 impact glass beads comes from solar winds.



The researchers also analyzed water abundance along six transects in five glass beads, which showed the hydration profiles of solar wind-derived water. Some glass beads were overlapped by a later degassing event. The impact glass beads acted as a sponge for buffering the lunar surface water cycle. The researchers estimate that the amount of water contributed by impact glass beads to lunar soils varies from 3.0 × 1011 kg to 2.7 × 1014 kg.



"These findings indicate that the impact glasses on the surface of the Moon and other airless bodies in the solar system are capable of storing solar wind-derived water and releasing it into space," said Professor HU.



The discovery of a new water reservoir on the Moon provides important information for future lunar exploration missions and other space missions, as it may represent a valuable resource for sustained human presence on the Moon and beyond.



NASA's plan for a sustained presence on the Moon is part of the Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. However, this timeline has recently been pushed back due to funding and technical challenges, and the new target date for the Artemis III lunar landing mission is 2025.



The Artemis program is not just about landing humans on the Moon, but also establishing a sustainable presence there. NASA's long-term plan is to use the Moon as a testbed for technologies and systems that will be necessary for future crewed missions to Mars and other destinations.



To achieve this goal, NASA plans to build a Lunar Gateway, a small space station in orbit around the Moon, which will serve as a command center for human and robotic missions on the lunar surface. The agency is also developing a new lunar lander called the Human Landing System (HLS), which will transport astronauts from the Lunar Gateway to the surface of the Moon.



NASA aims to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon by 2028, which includes building a lunar base and conducting a range of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. The agency also plans to work with international partners and commercial companies to achieve this goal.



This study was a collaboration with Nanjing University, The Open University, The Natural History Museum, The University of Manchester, and the University of Science and Technology of China.&nbsp;



—



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New water reservoir found on the Moon’s surface

A team of researchers led by Professor HU Sen from...

In the Chesapeake Bay wetlands, evolution has occurred faster than previously thought. This may be minimizing the chance that coastal marshes can withstand future sea level rise.



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.nd.edu/">University of Notre Dame</a> evaluated the role evolution plays in the Chesapeake Bay by studying a type of grass-like plant called chairmaker’s bulrush.&nbsp;



The research team used historical seeds, modern plants, and computational models to demonstrate that “resurrected” plants were allocating more resources in their roots below ground, allowing them to store carbon more quickly than modern plants. This provides evidence that supports assumptions about evolutionary change.



“We think this surprising reduction in below-ground growth might be a response to increased pollution in Chesapeake Bay,” said Professor Jason McLachlan.



“Decades of pollution have resulted in higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the waters, and since these are plant nutrients, evolution might now favor plants that ‘invest’ less in expensive roots.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The seeds from the historical plants had remained underground since the mid-1900s. Using resurrection ecology, the historical plants were collected to germinate and grow.&nbsp;



While modern plants and samples from the mid-1900s grew above ground, they invested less into rooting deeper below ground. This created less biomass below ground and could reduce the capacity of wetlands to withstand flooding.



Using computational models, the researchers showed that the modern plants store carbon in soils 15 percent slower than the plants did in the mid-1900s.



“The research shows the role evolution plays as ecosystems are increasingly stressed by the impacts of human society,” said Professor McLachlan.&nbsp;



It can't be said with certainty that plants are investing more of their energy above ground because of pollution. However, the experts believe that the combination of their research techniques can support novel predictions of the impact of evolution. This could motivate others to further study the causes that drive evolutionary change.



“For reasons of inconvenience, science has often ignored what happens below ground. But we have learned so much in this study; there are so many secrets happening below ground," said study first author Megan Vahsen.



According to Professor McLachlan, the research further demonstrates the role evolution plays as ecosystems are increasingly stressed by the impacts of human society.&nbsp;



“Evolutionary change over almost a century played a destabilizing role for coastal ecosystems. Other species in other ecosystems might have responded differently to human environmental impact, perhaps providing more resilience to ecosystems, or perhaps having no impact at all."



The researchers hope that others will consider how evolutionary change can affect ecosystem resilience during future studies on the biological response to environmental change.&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Can coastal marshes withstand future sea level rise?

In the Chesapeake Bay wetlands, evolution has occurred faster than...

Although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-new-rna-viruses-identified-in-ocean-waters/">viruses</a> spill over from animals to humans quite often – as it most likely happened with SARS-CoV-2 three years ago – scientists still have a rather rudimentary knowledge of most animal viruses. Unfortunately, knowing the list of nucleotides that compose a virus’s genomic sequence offers very few hints about its possible ability to infect humans. 



According to a new perspective article published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.ade6985">Science</a>, instead of letting the next pandemic take us once more by surprise, the scientific community should invest in research aiming to proactively identify viruses which might infect humans.



“A lot of financial investment has gone into sequencing viruses in nature and thinking that from sequence alone we’ll be able to predict the next pandemic virus. And I think that’s just a fallacy,” said co-lead author Cody Warren, an assistant professor of Veterinary Biosciences at the <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a>.



“Experimental studies of animal viruses are going to be invaluable. By measuring properties in them that are consistent with human infection, we can better identify those viruses that pose the greatest risk for zoonosis and then study them further. I think that’s a realistic way of looking at things that should also be considered.”



According to Warren and his co-author Sara Sawyer – a professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> – knowing that an animal virus can attach to a human cell receptor does not fully clarify its zoonotic potential. 



To better understand this, scientists should devise experiments aiming to answer questions such as: If a virus can enter human cells, could it use these cells to make copies of itself and multiply? Can viral particles get past human innate immunity? Have humans ever been exposed to viruses from the same family?&nbsp;



The answers to such questions would enable scientists to assess which animal viruses may pass beyond their “pre-zoonotic” potential and pose significant threats to human health.



“Where it becomes difficult is that there may be many animal viruses out there with signatures of human compatibility. So which ones do you pick and choose to prioritize for further study? That’s something that needs to be carefully considered,” said Warren.



According to the scientists, a good starting point would be to assume that the viruses posing the most risks to humans come from viral families that have previously infected a variety of mammal and bird species, such as coronaviruses, orthomyxoviruses (which cause influenza), or filoviruses (which cause hemorrhagic diseases like Ebola or Marburg). Other possible candidates may include arteriviruses, which currently cause simian hemorrhagic fever in African monkeys and can easily replicate in human cells too.



Studying animal viruses early to better understand their zoonotic potential could help scientists and medical authorities prepare for their possible spill over to humans and could advance the development of treatments and vaccines.&nbsp;



“We are continually going to be exposed to the viruses of animals. Things are never going to change if we stay on the same trajectory. And if we stay complacent and only study those animal viruses after they jump into humans, we’re constantly going to be working backwards. We’ll always be behind,” concluded Warren.



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



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Which animal viruses will cause future pandemics?

Although viruses spill over from animals to humans quite often...

According to a recent study led by the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> (NC State), droughts and heatwaves are likely to make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-will-increase-dramatically-in-a-hotter-climate/">air pollution</a> worse for Californian communities that already have a high pollution burden, thus deepening pollution inequality along racial and ethnic lines. However, the experts argued that financial penalties for power plants could significantly reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, except during extreme heatwaves.



“We have known that air pollution disproportionally impacts communities of color, the poor, and communities that are&nbsp;already more likely to be impacted by other sources of environmental pollution,” said study lead author Jordan Kern, an assistant professor of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State. “What we know now is that drought and heatwaves make things worse.”



The experts estimated emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and fine particulate matter from power plants in California across 500 different climate scenarios that could occur in future years, based on historical wind, air, temperature, and solar radiation values on the West Coast between 1953 and 2008. Then they estimated air pollution within individual counties by using data about the location of power plants in California and the amount of electricity they would be generating under different climate scenarios.



The analysis revealed that pollution will be worse in the hottest and driest years, most likely due to increased demands in the use of air conditioning. Moreover, since droughts can impact the availability of hydropower, the excess electricity that will be necessary will rely on highly polluting fossil fuel plants.



“One of the things we were interested in was teasing apart the relative roles of drought, which can be chronic, lasting for months or years, versus heatwaves, which can happen like a flash in a pan,” Kern explained. “We found drought is a driver of chronic pollution exposure, but heatwaves are responsible for these incredible spikes in emissions in a short period of time.”



In addition, counties with a higher existing pollution burden, along with those more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity were more likely to be significantly impacted by a rise in emissions during droughts and heatwaves.



When they simulated the impact of three policies which taxed power generators for increasing air pollution, they found that such penalties could be highly efficient in reducing pollution during droughts, but unfortunately not during massive heatwaves.&nbsp;



“Penalties make the more damaging power plants more expensive to operate, while it makes clean power plants comparatively less expensive. It incentivizes the system to switch to rely on more clean power plants, but that stops happening during really massive heatwaves. The power operators have no choice but to turn on every power plant. They can’t switch from the dirty power plants to the clean ones,” Kern concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37080-0">Nature Communications</a>.



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



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Heatwaves will exacerbate air pollution inequalities

According to a recent study led by the North Carolina...

The Salish Sea surrounding the San Juan Islands has traditionally been a hotspot for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/southern-resident-killer-whales-are-undernourished/">Southern resident killer whales</a>, which would spend the summers feeding on Chinook salmon belonging to the Fraser River stock that passes through the islands on its way to spawning grounds upriver. However, based on 17 years of whale sighting data, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> (OSU) has found that, as salmon populations dropped, the time spent by Southern residents around the San Juan Islands decreased by more than 75 percent.&nbsp;



Since the whales’ main summer feeding grounds are becoming less productive and reliable, they have to search for prey elsewhere, raising concerns about the health of an already threatened species.



“This is an endangered population that is in decline with only 73 whales remaining, and prey limitation appears to be an important factor. A huge part of these whales’ time used to be spent feeding in this area,” said study lead author Joshua Stewart, an assistant professor of Quantitative Ecology at OSU.



The Southern resident killer whale population consists of three matriarchal pods – known as J, K, and L – which have traditionally been spotted in the Salish Sea between April and October. While the K and L ponds usually covered a wider geographic range, especially in winter and spring, the J pod was frequently seen in the Salish Sea to feed on returning salmon.



This iconic whale species has declined since 1995 and is currently officially listed as endangered. Previous studies have argued that the possible drivers of their decline include limited availability of their preferred prey, vessel disturbance in the Salish Sea, and high levels of pollutants in their core habitat.



As Chinook salmon populations were becoming less abundant around the San Juan Islands during summer, the number of days each pod of Southern residents was present in the area declined each year from 2004 to 2017. While the J pod was present in the region more frequently – with a high of 164 days in 2005 and a low of 36 days in 2017 – the L pod was spotted there for just 10 days in 2019, compared to a high of 103 days in 2004.



By comparing the whales’ presence with data on returning Chinook salmon, the experts identified a strong correlation between the whales’ presence and the salmon returns. “They went from spending the majority of their time in this habitat, to just a fraction of their summer. This shift is likely an effort to find alternative food sources,” Stewart explained.



According to co-author John Durban, a population ecologist at OSU, this lack of salmon is already impacting whales’ health. “This further suggests that lack of prey is likely the biggest stressor for these whales. The other stressors – pollutants and vessel disturbances – are compounded by the lack of prey. If there are fewer fish, disturbance by vessels may become more disruptive to their foraging success,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17487692">Marine Mammal Science</a>.



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



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Lack of prey is changing the behavior of killer whales

The Salish Sea surrounding the San Juan Islands has traditionally...

Earth,Hour,2023,Event.,Planet,Earth,With,Sunlight,In,Dark

Did you know that every year, millions of people around the world join together to save energy and protect our planet? Earth Hour is a special event that helps raise awareness about climate change and encourages people to take action. In this article, we'll explore what Earth Hour is, why it's important, and how you can join the cause!



What is Earth Hour?



Earth Hour is an annual event organized by the <a href="https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Donation2?df_id=14650&amp;14650.donation=form1&amp;s_src=AWE2010OQ18507A04091RX&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwlPWgBhDHARIsAH2xdNdGipaUbBibJeT4nCRMjFXavXPCisV4Ve63fIJVLxsFJ7ItleFx3NoaAg0GEALw_wcB">World Wildlife Fund</a> (WWF). It started back in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, and has since grown into a global movement. The main idea behind Earth Hour is for people to turn off their lights and electronic devices for one hour. This usually happens on the last Saturday of March, from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time. This year, the date is Saturday, March 25.



Why is Earth Hour Important?



<ol>
<li>Raising Awareness</li>
</ol>



Earth Hour helps to raise awareness about climate change and the need to save energy. By turning off our lights and electronics for just one hour, we can show our commitment to protecting the environment. This event gets people talking about important issues and helps to spread the word about saving energy.



<ol start="2">
<li>Reducing Energy Consumption</li>
</ol>



Even though it's just for one hour, Earth Hour can make a big difference in our energy use. When millions of people around the world participate, it adds up to a lot of energy saved. This helps reduce the demand for electricity, which can help lower greenhouse gas emissions.



<ol start="3">
<li>Strengthening Communities</li>
</ol>



Earth Hour brings people together. When we all take part in this event, we are working as a team to help protect our planet. This can help build stronger communities and create a sense of unity in the fight against climate change.



How Can You Get Involved?



<ol>
<li>Turn Off Your Lights</li>
</ol>



The easiest way to participate in Earth Hour is to simply turn off your lights from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM on Saturday, March 25, 2023. This small act can make a big difference when millions of people join in.



<ol start="2">
<li>Spread the Word</li>
</ol>



Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about Earth Hour. The more people who know about the event, the bigger the impact we can make. You can also use social media to help spread the word.



<ol start="3">
<li>Organize an Event</li>
</ol>



Get your community involved by organizing an Earth Hour event. This could be a candlelit dinner, a stargazing party, or a neighborhood gathering in the dark. Be creative and have fun while raising awareness for the environment!



<ol start="4">
<li>Make Energy-Saving Changes</li>
</ol>



Use Earth Hour as a starting point to make lasting changes in your life. Try to be more energy-efficient by turning off lights when you leave a room, using energy-saving light bulbs, or unplugging electronics when they're not in use.



Conclusion



Earth Hour is an important event that helps raise awareness about climate change and encourages us to take action. By simply turning off our lights for one hour, we can make a difference in the fight against climate change. So, mark your calendars and join millions of people around the world in celebrating Earth Hour. Together, we can protect our planet for future generations!



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Earth Hour: Saving our planet one light switch at a time

Did you know that every year, millions of people around...

Aerial,View,Of,Mist,,Cloud,And,Fog,Hanging,Over,A

Extreme storms are an underestimated cause of tree mortality in the Amazon, causing "windthrow" events in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/douglas-fir-trees-will-suffer-from-drier-air/">trees</a> are broken or completely uprooted. A team of experts at the Department of Energy’s <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> has investigated how increasingly intense thunderstorms in a warming climate will affect forest mortality and carbon storage across the Amazon rainforest.&nbsp;



The researchers determined that by the end of the century, the Amazon will likely experience 43 percent more large windthrow events that affect at least 25,000 square meters of forest. The study fills a major gap in climate models, helping to clarify the link between storm conditions in the atmosphere and forest mortality on land.



“Building this link between atmospheric dynamics and damage at the surface is very important across the board,” said Jeff Chambers, director of the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE)-Tropics project. “It’s not just for the tropics. It’s high-latitude, low-latitude, temperate-latitude, here in the U.S.”



“We want to know what these extreme storms and windthrows mean in terms of the carbon budget and carbon dynamics, and for carbon sinks in the forests."



“It’s a complicated system, and there are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle that we’re working on. In order to answer the question more quantitatively, we need to build out the land-atmosphere links in Earth system models.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the investigation, the researchers compared atmospheric data with a map of more than 1,000 large windthrow events. The analysis revealed that a measurement known as CAPE (convective available potential energy) is a good predictor of major blowdowns.&nbsp;



“Storms account for over half of the forest mortality in the Amazon,” said study first author Yanlei Feng. “Climate change has a lot of impact on Amazon forests, but so far, a large fraction of the research focus has been on drought and fire. We hope our research brings more attention to extreme storms and improves our models to work under a changing environment from climate change.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35570-1">Nature Communications</a>.



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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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Storms are a major source of forest mortality in the Amazon

Extreme storms are an underestimated cause of tree mortality in...

Leading researchers in healthcare, ocean science, and social science have evaluated the global human health and environmental impacts of plastic. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056">The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health report</a>, shows plastics as a hazard at every stage of their life cycle.



The Commission’s key findings include:



<ul>
<li>Plastics cause disease, impairment, and premature mortality at every stage of their life cycle, with the health repercussions affecting vulnerable, low-income, minority communities, particularly children.</li>



<li>Toxic chemicals that are added to plastics and routinely detected in people are known to increase the risk of miscarriage, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.</li>



<li>Plastic waste is found throughout the global environment, with <a href="https://microplastics.whoi.edu/">microplastics</a> occurring throughout the ocean and the marine food chain.</li>
</ul>



“It’s only been a little over 50 years since we’ve been aware of the presence of plastics throughout the ocean," said co-lead author John Stegeman of the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a>. “The Minderoo-Monaco Commission’s work is a significant leap forward in connecting the broad health implications of plastics - to the ocean and to humanity.”



Current plastic production, use, and disposal patterns are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harm to human health, the economy, and the environment. The researchers found that plastics account for four to five percent of all greenhouse gas emissions across their life cycle, making them a large-scale contributor to climate change.



The health repercussions of plastic production have been estimated to be $250 billion in a 12-month period. The experts also estimate that health care costs associated with chemicals in plastics cost hundreds of billions of dollars.&nbsp;



The presence of plastics is indicative of deeper social issues. The researchers found that fast food and discount stores prevalent in poorer communities are causing increased exposure to plastic packaging, products, and associated chemicals and impacts.



The report emphasizes the need to better understand and monitor the effects of plastics on marine species. It is particularly important to improve knowlege of the smallest micro- and nano-plastic particles (MNPs) and their impacts on the marine environment.



The Commission has urged a cap on global plastic production be included in the Global Plastics Treaty currently being negotiated at the UN. It is recommended that the Treaty address the impacts of plastics across their entire life cycle.&nbsp;



“Ocean health is intimately and intricately connected to human health,” said co-lead author Mark Hahn. “Our attention now needs to be on creating a broadly acceptable international agreement that addresses the full life cycle of plastics in order to prioritize the health of the ocean that supports us all.”



The Commission reports that these negative impacts could be avoided by implementing better production practices, alternative design, less toxic chemicals, and decreased consumption.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Ocean plastics are a hazard at every stage of their life cycle

Leading researchers in healthcare, ocean science, and social science have...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA) has found that global warming may cause a rise in the number and spread of Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-largest-bacterium-discovered-in-the-caribbean/">bacterium</a> that grows in warm shallow coastal waters and can infect cuts or insect bites during contact with seawater. According to the researchers, the number of V. vulnificus infections along the East Coast of U.S. – a global hotspot for such infections – has increased from 10 to 80 per year over the last three decades, with cases occurring further north each year.



While in the late 1980s, cases were found only in the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast below Georgia, today they can be found as far north as Philadelphia, and, by 2041-2060, they might even spread to encompass major population centers around New York, with cases doubling each year. Under medium-to-high emissions scenarios, by 2081-2100 infections may reach every Eastern U.S. state.



Although the number of cases is not very high at the moment, individuals infected with such bacteria have a one-in-five chance of dying and, even if they survive, this pathogen often damages their flesh and can lead to limb amputations or other similar outcomes. Moreover, this frequently called “flesh eating illness” is one of the most expensive diseases caused by a marine pathogen to treat in the US.



“The projected expansion of infections highlights the need for increased individual and public health awareness in the areas affected. This is crucial as prompt action when symptoms occur is necessary to prevent major health consequences,” said study lead author Elizabeth Archer, a postgraduate researcher in Environmental Sciences at UEA.



“Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are changing our climate and the impacts may be especially acute on the world’s coastlines, which provide a major boundary between natural ecosystems and human populations and are an important source of human disease.”



However, the scientists estimate that, if emissions are kept low, cases may extend northwards only as far as Connecticut. Besides measures to mitigate climate warming, individuals and health authorities should be warned in real time about the risk of such infections in specific areas, while greater awareness programs for at risk groups – such as the elderly and people with comorbidities – should be developed.



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



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Global warming increases risk of fatal bacterial infections

A new study led by the University of East Anglia...

A global network of thousands of sites known as&nbsp;“Key Biodiversity Areas” (KBAs) often contain species on the brink of extinction or ecosystems that are found in only a small area worldwide. According to a recent study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109953">Biological Conservation</a>, at least 80 percent of sites officially identified as being internationally important for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> are negatively affected by human infrastructure. In the near future, scientists expect this percentage to rise, with more KBAs containing power plants, mines, and oil and gas infrastructure.



Infrastructure is a major threat to biodiversity worldwide, often causing natural habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, increased disturbance/hunting by humans, direct mortality, and the spread of invasive species. Moreover, it can have far wider impacts beyond the development site.&nbsp;



The scientists assessed 15,150 KBAs on land and found that over 80 percent of them contained infrastructure such as roads (75 percent), power lines (37 percent), and urban areas (37 percent). Moreover, future forecasts estimate that infrastructure developments could lead to an additional 2,201 KBAs containing mines (from 754 to 2,955, or a 292 percent increase), an additional 1,508 KBAs containing oil and gas infrastructure (from 2,081 to 3,589; 72 percent increase) and an additional 1,372 KBAs containing power plants (from 233 to 1,605; 589 percent increase).



The analysis revealed that&nbsp;countries in South America, Sub-Saharan, central, and southern Africa, and parts of southeast Asia are the areas with the highest proportion of extractive claims, concessions, or planned development in their KBA networks, while all of the KBAs identified in Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Republic of the Congo, and Serbia have potential extractive claims, concession, or planned development.



“It’s concerning that human developments exist in the vast majority of sites that have been identified as being critical for nature,” said study lead author Ashley Simkins, a doctoral student in Zoology at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



“We recognize that infrastructure is essential to human development but it’s about building smartly. This means ideally avoiding or otherwise minimizing infrastructure in the most important locations for biodiversity. If the infrastructure must be there, then it should be designed to cause as little damage as possible, and the impacts more than compensated for elsewhere.”



“Infrastructure underpins our societies, delivering the water we drink, the roads we travel on, and the electricity that powers livelihoods,” said Wendy Elliott, Deputy Leader for Wildlife at the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wildlife Fund</a> (WWF). “This study illustrates the crucial importance of ensuring smart infrastructure development that provides social and economic value for all, while ensuring positive outcomes for nature. Making this happen will be the challenge of our time, but with the right planning, design, and commitment it is well within the realms of possibility.”



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



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Human infrastructure found in most key biodiversity areas

A global network of thousands of sites known as&nbsp;“Key Biodiversity...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&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> Staff Writer 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



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.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video 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.

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



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.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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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.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



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.

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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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.

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



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.

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



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.

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video 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.

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video 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.

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video 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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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