Lake Alakol has a way of catching you off guard. One moment the eastern Kazakh steppe looks endless and austere; the next, a glassy inland sea flashes jade and indigo against pale desert grass. 



The water smells faintly briny, the wind pushes hard from the northwest, and swallows write quick loops over the breakers. Even without postcard fame, the lake feels unforgettable.



Locals have long trusted these salty swells to soothe eczema, achy knees, and winter-rough hands. Doctors in nearby Koktuma see a steady stream of visitors every June hoping the minerals can do what ointments never quite manage. 



Science is still sorting out those claims, yet the setting alone - dry air, sun, and the hush of open land - works a kind of quiet magic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-salt-silence-and-healing-water">Salt, silence, and healing water</h2>



Lake Alakol lies in a closed basin about 1,000 square miles wide, fed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urzhar_(river)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Urzhar</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_(river)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emil rivers</a> and cut off from every ocean. Whatever pours in stays until the sun lifts it back out; salt and other minerals remain behind. 



Over centuries that constant loop raised salinity to roughly half that of the Atlantic, enough to keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-pushing-freshwater-fish-toward-the-poles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">freshwater fish</a> away but gentle enough for bold swimmers. 



The lake usually skins over for about two months at winter’s end, then cracks apart in early spring, leaving floating shards that sparkle like broken bottles.



Its surface size changes from year to year. A rainy spring can push the shoreline several hundred yards outward; three dry summers in a row pull it back. 



Those swings tinker with salt levels and with the algae that tint the water turquoise or rust red. People used to call that chameleon quality “the water’s mood.” 



Scientists at the <a href="https://www.esa.int" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Space Agency</a>, peering down with Sentinel-1 radar, now see the same shifts as color bands on monthly composites.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lake-alakol-captured-by-satellites">Lake Alakol captured by satellites</h2>



ESA analysts stacked three passes from March, April, and May 2025 and assigned them blue, green, and red. 



Where the images overlap, the ground shows up charcoal or silver; where things change - ice breaking, soil drying, crops greening - new hues flare. 



Alakol itself glowed mostly blue, proof that March ice still gripped much of the lake during the first scan. To the south, Aibi Lake in China’s Xinjiang region blushed pink where retreating water exposed salt flats in May.



The radar picture also picked out a fan-shaped burst of fields west of Alakol. Meltwater racing off the Dzungarian Alatau drops sand and silt as soon as it hits the plain, building fertile triangles perfect for wheat, onions, and apricots. 



Farmers here work narrow plots, each stage of growth marking the fan with another shade. What looks abstract from orbit translates on the ground to young rows, shoulder-high stalks, and the buzz of irrigation pumps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-also-love-lake-alakol">Birds also love Lake Alakol</h2>



Every spring, a sheet of feathers sweeps in from the south. Dalmatian pelicans cruise in first, their bills bright as fresh pumpkins. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/youll-never-guess-what-flamingos-are-doing-with-their-feet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greater flamingos</a> follow, legs stilted, shoulders hunched like old men in pink coats. 



For rare relict gulls - slate-gray wings, white eye crescents - Lake Alakol is one of the few safe nesting spots left on Earth. The birds crowd onto Ul’kun-Aral-Tyube Island, bickering over pebbly ground and guarding nests from sly foxes that swim across at night.



<a href="https://www.unesco.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNESCO</a> folded the lake system into its <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/mab" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Man and the Biosphere Programme</a> back in 2013, noting its slot on the Central Asian Flyway. 



Ramsar added a wetland designation as well, which nudged Kazakhstan to fence off breeding zones and limit boat traffic near the islands each breeding season. 



Success shows up not in spreadsheets but in sound: a dull roar at dawn when thousands of wings clap the air at once.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-people-on-the-shore">People on the shore</h2>



Traders riding Silk Road spurs once skirted these banks, swapping Sogdian silver coins for Chinese silk bolts beneath flapping yurt doors. 



Now tourists roll in on overnight trains from Almaty, step onto the platform at Koktuma, and blink at the sudden blue horizon. They rent bikes, buy salted perch for lunch, and post sunset shots that make the water look liquid copper.



Development remains modest - guesthouses, cedar-scented saunas, a scattering of cafés - but every new pier cuts habitat a little finer. Regional officials talk of zoning rules, stronger waste controls, perhaps a cap on shoreline construction. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lake-alakol-is-at-a-crossroads">Lake Alakol is at a crossroads</h2>



Hot summers already push evaporation higher, and climate forecasts warn that snowpack in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzungarian_Alatau" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dzungarian Alatau</a> could shrink by mid-century. 



If the inflow weakens, the lake’s salt will climb, and the delicate dance of microbes, brine shrimp, and birds could stumble.



Lake Alakol’s story reads like a lesson in balance. Mineral water glints under a hard sun, birds rest on speckled islets, farmers coax green rows from fan-shaped soils, and visitors float in water dense enough to lift them like corks. 



None of those pieces can be pulled free without tugging the others loose. Stand on the shingle at dusk, feel a cool spray on your face, and the message is plain: salt and silence can endure only if we let them.



Zoom in and see more <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/05/Earth_from_Space_Alakol_the_multicoloured_lake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">details of this magnificent lake by clicking here...</a>



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The most colorful lake in the world also has special healing powers

Lake Alakol has a way of catching you off guard. One moment the eastern Kazakh steppe looks endless and austere; the next, a glassy inland sea flashes jade and indigo against pale desert grass. The water smells faintly briny, the wind pushes hard from the northwest, and swallows write quick loops over the breakers. Even without postcard fame, the lake feels unforgettable. Locals have long trusted these salty swells to soothe eczema, achy knees, and winter-rough hands. Doctors in nearby Koktuma see a steady stream of visitors...

The air in UK public schools doesn't meet the safety standards issued by the World Health Organization. Air pollution has serious consequences, especially for developing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-on-playgrounds-help-protect-children-from-air-pollution/">children</a> who spend 30 percent of their day in polluted schools. According to a new paper published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231022003685?via%3Dihub">Atmospheric Environment</a>, there are straightforward ways to remedy the situation.&nbsp;



The health impacts of air pollution include behavioral problems; increased risk of cancer; and respiratory, lung, and brain diseases.



"Everybody, especially our children, deserves to live and work where the air is as clean and safe as possible," said study co-author Prashant Kumar. "Unfortunately, the reality is far from ideal, with many of our schools unwittingly exposing children to harmful pollutants. The problem is particularly bad at schools near busy roads."



Scientists with the <a href="https://www.surrey.ac.uk/">University of Surrey</a> Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) explored three ways to reduce indoor air pollution in schools. They tested installing a green screen along the school's perimeter and putting air purifiers in classrooms. The team also implemented a "school streets" initiative, which prevents cars from driving past schools at drop-off and pick-up times.&nbsp;



The researchers found that all of these methods improved air quality. Air purifiers lead to a 57 percent decrease in indoor air pollution, and the school streets initiative reduced pollutants by 36 percent. In addition, green screens reduced outdoor contaminants by up to 44 percent.



"Our partnership with Arup, Global Action Plan and the University of Surrey has shown there are practical ways that we can protect children in and around schools and can help guide schools to implement these solutions," said Kate Langford with the Health Effects of Air pollution program at <a href="https://urbanhealth.org.uk/">Impact on Urban Health</a>.



"These measures now need to be combined with efforts from local authorities at regional and national levels to improve air quality and create healthier places for children to live, learn and play."&nbsp;



"My simple plea to decision-makers in the UK is this: simple actions speak louder than words," said Kumar. "By giving every school resources to implement one of the measures detailed in our research, they could make a world of difference to tens of thousands of children in this country."&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Simple actions can reduce air pollution in schools

The air in UK public schools doesn't meet the safety...

For decades, archaeologists struggled to understand past peoples, while ecology has focused on current <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ecosystems-moving-north/">ecosystems</a>. However, both of these well-established scientific disciplines generally neglect the crucial questions of how humans and nature interacted and shaped each other across different geographical places and time periods. In order to fill these knowledge gaps and provide insights into how to solve today’s sustainability challenges, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.santafe.edu/">Santa Fe Institute</a> (SFI) has now defined a new field of scientific inquiry, archeoecology, which attempts to examine the complex interplay between humans and the ecosystems they were embedded in.



While archeologists or paleobiologists might investigate a particular relationship, such as how humans in New Guinea raised cassowaries during the Late Pleistocene, archeoecology aims to take a much broader view. “It’s about understanding the whole ecological context, rather than focusing on one or two species,” said study co-author Jennifer Dunne, an ecologist and Vice President for Science at SFI.



According to Dunne and her archaeologist colleague Stefani Crabtree, archaeoecology’s mission is to examine the past 60,000 years of interplay between humans and ecosystems, by showing not only how humans impacted nature, but also how the ecosystems they lived in shaped human culture and dynamics. To achieve this, archeoecology weaves together research questions, methods, data, and modeling tools from archaeology, ecology, and paleoecology. “What it’s doing is breaking down a traditional, but unnecessary, disciplinary separation between archaeology and ecology,” Dunne explained.



With humanity facing the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, archaeoecology could yield critical insights to help us navigate these contemporary environmental challenges. For instance, using an archaeoecological lens to analyze the situation of the Aral Sea during the height of the Silk Road can clarify how Soviet Union’s 1960s water diversion project and the subsequent desiccation of the Aral Sea impacted both the surrounding ecosystems and human communities.



“Every ecosystem on the planet is impacted by humans in one way or another,” Crabtree said. “It's naïve to look at just the last 100 years because people have been impacting ecosystems everywhere for many thousands of years. We need to understand the past to understand our present and future. Archaeoecology helps with that. We can learn from these experiments with sustainability in the past,” she concluded.



An in-depth definition of this new discipline and examples of its possible applications can be found in an article published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.010">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Archeoecology will examine the history of humans and nature

For decades, archaeologists struggled to understand past peoples, while ecology...

Last week, California became the first state to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, with the <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/">California Air Resources Board</a> (CARB) approving an ambitious phase-out plan which will require all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in California to be <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biden-lays-out-plan-for-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/">electric vehicles</a> or other types of zero-emissions vehicles. Now, other states such as Washington, Massachusetts, or Virginia are discussing their intentions to follow in the Golden State’s footsteps and implement similar initiatives.



Recently, the federal <a href="https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview">Clean Air Act</a> has allowed California to set more stringent greenhouse gas emissions standards than those currently implemented by the federal government, while offering the possibility of other states to set similar rules. About 16 states have opted to adopt California’s standards, meaning that a gas-powered car ban could apply to almost one third of the country’s auto market.



For instance, Washington started adopting California’s emissions standards in 2020 and has committed to reduce vehicle-related emissions by 68 percent by 2030. Other states, such as Massachusetts and Virginia, have also aligned their vehicle emission standards with those of California and plan to phase out gas-powered cars too.



Currently, electric vehicles account for about 5.6 percent sales in the United States – with a much higher percentage in California (16 percent), which is the largest automobile market in the country. Although automakers are generally supportive of the idea of producing and selling more electric vehicles, they have expressed skepticism that the ban on gas-powered cars could be implemented by 2035, due to the fact that there are not enough electric vehicle charging stations to accommodate a massive surge in demand, as well as the difficulty to get enough raw materials to make batteries for so many electric cars.



“These are complex, intertwined and global issues well beyond the control of either [California regulators] or the auto industry,” concluded John Bozzella, the president of the <a href="https://www.autosinnovate.org/">Alliance for Automotive Innovation</a>.&nbsp;



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

California moves to ban gas-powered cars by 2035

Last week, California became the first state to ban the...

Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) is considered by some to be the most costly crop pest in North America. Also known as tomato fruitworm, sorghum headworm, vetchworm, and cotton bollworm, this pest feeds on over a hundred different plant species, favoring the buds, flowers and fruits for forage. This results in extensive damage to many important <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-quality-can-help-crops-survive-rising-temperatures/">crops</a> each year. The pest is not a worm, but the larva of a moth that flies strongly and is able to migrate up to 400km in its lifetime, depositing eggs along the way.



In the past, corn earworms have been found to occur in North America up to the latitude of around 40o. Further north than this was always too cold for the larvae to survive the winter. However, with climate changing it is possible that the species’ distribution on the continent will change and that farmers, whose crops were previously spared the ravages of this insect, may find themselves in the line of sight. Although the species feeds preferentially on corn ears, it also infests crops such as tomatoes, peas, cabbage, lettuce, okra, peppers, spinach, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.&nbsp;



A new study from scientists at the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> has proposed that soil temperature can help predict the success of corn earworm pests and therefore prepare farmers to protect their crops as global warming advances. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that soil temperature can be a good predictor of where the pest will survive successfully over the winter, and this will enable farmers in those areas to use pesticides more effectively, thus reducing the financial and environmental impacts of this practice.&nbsp;



The researchers combined historical soil temperature data with long-term population data on corn earworms, along with information on how the pest survives cold conditions in a lab setting to better understand “overwintering success,” or how well the pest can survive underground during the colder winter months.&nbsp;



Greater overwintering success can expand the areas where the pest can live and thrive, the researchers say, as the pest can migrate long distances. Generally, greater overwintering success in more northern latitudes increases the potential for crop damage from this pest further north. Climate change also affects overwintering success.



“There is a preconceived notion that pests have little overwintering success north of 40 degrees latitude,” said study co-author Douglas Lawton, a former NC State postdoctoral researcher. “That may have been true in the 1930s, but now we have more data-guided evidence to ask and answer the question, ‘Where can this species actually overwinter?’”



The researchers identified three overwintering suitability zones throughout North America, based on four decades of soil temperature data. These geographic zones included a “Southern Range” where pests predictably survive over the winter months, a “Northern Limits” area where pests are generally unable to survive during winter months, and a “Transitional Zone” in between the northern and southern areas, where pests may or may not survive the winter depending on the weather.&nbsp;



“These areas are biologically relevant and supported through studies in the lab and the academic literature,” Lawton said.



The researchers used the three zones to show historical trends for corn earworm populations, and then used a model to make predictions about pest spread in future.&nbsp; They show that the Southern Range has expanded by 3 percent since 1981; strikingly, the model predicts that this region, where corn earworm survival is a given, will double in size by the end of the century and will shift well to the north. The other two zones are predicted to shrink in size during this time.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes, the overwintering zones are likely to shift northward,” said Anders Huseth, assistant professor of entomology at NC State and the paper’s other co-corresponding author.



These changes suggest larger populations of the pest may persist at higher latitudes in the future due to reduced low temperature lethal events during winter. In addition, because H. zea is a highly migratory pest, predicting when populations accumulate in one region can inform the likely population changes in other regions, explain the authors.&nbsp;



“This is the canary in the coal mine for agricultural pests,” said Professor Huseth. “Making sense of what’s taking place with this pest is really important for agricultural producers. We’ve shown here the element of uncertainty that can have demonstrable effects on farmers and potentially new opportunities for pesticide resistance selection. Our models visualize that change and provide touchstones for pest management.”



“Now we’d like to come up with a better forecasting tool for this pest, along with a risk-prediction model, in order to give growers better information about pest spread. Success here could reduce both costs for farmers and pesticide into the environment.”



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

Crop pest will spread northward as soil temperatures warm

Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) is considered by some to be...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thwaites-glacier-underground-lakes/">Thwaites Glacier</a> in West Antarctica – a colossus the size of Florida – is in a phase of fast retreat. This is causing widespread concern about how much and how fast this so-called "Doomsday Glacier" may give up its ice to the ocean, triggering dangerous changes in sea-level. The potential impact of the Thwaites Glacier’s retreat is spine-chilling: a total loss of the glacier and surrounding icy basins could raise the sea level from three to ten feet.



In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a> (USF), scientists mapped in high-resolution an important area of the seafloor in front of the glacier, providing a window into how fast Thwaites retreated in the past. By documenting over 160 parallel ridges which were created – like a footprint – as the glacier’s leading edge retreated, and analyzing the rib-like formations submerged 700 meters beneath the polar ocean, while factoring in the tidal cycle for the region, the experts were surprised to discover that the glacier had periods of extremely fast retreat in the past. For instance, at some point during the last two centuries, the glacier retreated at a rate of more than 2.1 kilometers per year – twice as fast as it did between 2011 and 2019.



“Our results suggest that pulses of very rapid retreat have occurred at Thwaites Glacier in the last two centuries, and possibly as recently as the mid-20th century,” said study lead author Alastair Graham, an associate professor of Geological Oceanography at USF.



“Thwaites is really holding on today by its fingernails, and we should expect to see big changes over small timescales in the future - even from one year to the next - once the glacier retreats beyond a shallow ridge in its bed,” added study co-author Robert Larter, a marine geophysicist at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> (BAS).



While previously, scientists thought that the Antarctic ice sheets are sluggish and rather slow to respond, these new findings show that the situation may be quite different and more worrisome. “Just a small kick to Thwaites could lead to a big response,” Professor Graham warned.



“This study is part of a cross-disciplinary collective effort to understand the Thwaites Glacier system better, and just because it’s out of sight, we can’t have Thwaites out of mind. This study is an important step forward in providing essential information to inform global planning efforts,” concluded Tom Frazer, dean of the USF College of Marine Science.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-01019-9">Nature Geoscience</a>.



Image Credit: NASA/OIB/Jeremy Harbeck



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Doomsday Glacier is retreating faster than expected

The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica – a colossus the...

The close genetic link between humans and other great apes such as bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas or orangutans, makes these animals highly vulnerable to our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-heightens-risk-of-most-infectious-diseases/">infectious diseases</a>. In a new study, an international team of experts from Portugal, the UK, Uganda, and Germany has investigated the behavior and expectations of tourists visiting great apes regarding their willingness to comply with disease protection measures. This study was conducted at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the researchers also created the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.protectgreatapesfromdisease.com/">Protect Great Apes from Disease</a>&nbsp;initiative.



The scientists asked nearly 1,000 tourists or potential future tourists to complete an online questionnaire. The analysis of their answers revealed that willingness to comply with disease prevention measures such as wearing masks depended upon several factors, including nationality, expectations about the visitor experience, and whether the participants believed that specific disease-risk measures were effective.



“We have developed visitor education and guide-training materials for use in African sites of great ape tourism,” said study lead author Ana Nuno, a research fellow in Sustainability at the <a href="https://www.unl.pt/en">NOVA University Lisbon</a>. “To do so, we first explored what factors seem to affect visitors’ compliance with disease mitigation measures.”



“This included asking them about their actions on previous visits, their willingness to comply in future, and exploring what factors should be promoted to increase their willingness to follow recommendations. To do so, we adapted a tool from the health literature which is commonly used for understanding why individuals may or may not act in the face of a threat to health.”



“Through this greater understanding of the visitors to wild African great ape tourism sites, we were able to identify ways of improving measures to reduce disease transmission,” added study co-author Kim Hockings, an expert in Ecology and Conservation at the<a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/"> University of Exeter</a>.



According to Dr. Hockings, this is important not only in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to prepare for future pandemics, when information will initially be limited, but preventive action will be urgently required.&nbsp;



Compared to other disease-mitigation measures, participants expressed less willingness to be vaccinated against Covid-19, wear a mask during trekking, or quarantine after international travel before visiting the apes. Fortunately, most respondents seemed willing to wear masks when in the proximity of the animals. Believing that each specific measure was effective in preventing disease was crucial for participants’ willingness to follow that recommendation.



“In the face of growing threats from future pandemics, we must minimize disease transmission while ensuring that tourism and research promote long-term support for the conservation of great apes and their habitats, as well as maximizing benefits for local communities,” Dr. Hockings concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10396">People and Nature</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Protecting great apes from tourists

The close genetic link between humans and other great apes...

Due to global climate change, sea ice levels in the Arctic ocean are decreasing quickly. However, monitoring sea ice has been difficult due to environmental conditions such as high winds and shifting distribution.&nbsp;



An international team of researchers led by Japanese scientists has compiled data collected during the <a href="https://mosaic-expedition.org/">MOSAiC</a> observational expedition to analyze the ice-ocean boundary layer (IOBL) as it melted and refroze. With this data, they were able to calculate the rate of growth and decline of sea ice.&nbsp;



“Owing to the complex patterns of heat and energy transfer, the physics of the cold oceans is complicated," said study lead author Dr. Yusuke Kawaguchi of <a href="https://www.aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/">The Atmospheric and Ocean Research</a> Institute at The University of Tokyo.



"Our objective was to quantify the thermodynamic growth and decay of the sea ice while incorporating effects of heat and salt exchange with near-surface water due to turbulent forces.”



By observing the sea from various angles and using data from the <a href="https://mosaic-expedition.org/">MOSAiC</a>, they determined that more ice was melting in the summer.&nbsp;



“Our first discovery was that in the summer, strong winds cause the mixing of water where the ice and ocean meet. We were able to show that enhanced heat transfer occurs right below the sea ice," explained Dr. Kawaguchi.



The experts also found that due to more ice melting, there was a drop in oceanic salinity, which caused changes in the point when ice refroze.



“As melt water accumulates beneath the sea ice, salinity of sea water decreases and then the freezing temperature increases. This terminates the melting of sea ice at an earlier timing because water gets easier to freeze," said Dr. Kawaguchi.



The team is looking forward to continuing their work with the hopes of creating an instrument that will simultaneously measure sea ice movement and salinity at the IOBL. With that simultaneous data, researchers will have a more accurate view of what the ice is doing.&nbsp;



“The extent of the Arctic sea ice may affect the regional climate in distant places, like Japan, via atmospheric disturbances. We believe that studying the sea ice will allow us to better predict future changes in the Earth’s climate.”



This study is published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021JC017975">Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Meltwater profiling can help predict Arctic sea ice changes

Due to global climate change, sea ice levels in the...

Monitoring forest ecosystems is highly challenging, since it generally needs a combination of software, collection systems, and computing environments which require increasing amounts of energy to function properly. Now, a research team from the University of Maine’s <a href="https://umaine.edu/wisenetlab/">Wireless Sensor Networks (WiSe-Net) Laboratory</a> has developed an innovative method of using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to make monitoring soil moisture more energy- and cost-efficient.



Soil moisture is an important variable in both forested and agricultural ecosystems, particularly under drought conditions, such as Maine experienced over the past summers. However, regardless of the robust soil moisture monitoring networks and the large, freely available databases, the high costs of using such technologies can be prohibited for researchers, farmers, or foresters investigating these issues.



By designing a wireless sensor network that uses artificial intelligence to learn how to be more energy efficient in monitoring soil moisture and processing the data, the scientists hope to significantly reduce the costs involved in such activities.&nbsp;



“AI can learn from the environment, predict the wireless link quality and incoming solar energy to efficiently use limited energy and make a robust low cost network run longer and more reliably,” explained study co-author Adi Abedi, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maine.



“Soil moisture is a primary driver of tree growth, but it changes rapidly, both daily as well as seasonally,” added study co-author Aaron Weiskittel, the director of the <a href="https://crsf.umaine.edu/">Center for Research on Sustainable Forests</a> at the University of Maine.&nbsp;



“We have lacked the ability to monitor effectively at scale. Historically, we used expensive sensors that collected at fixed intervals — every minute, for example — but were not very reliable. A cheaper and more robust sensor with wireless capabilities like this really opens the door for future applications for researchers and practitioners alike.”



Although this newly designed system focuses only on soil moisture, scientists hope that the same methodology could be extended to other types of sensors that could reliably measure features such as ambient temperature or snow depth.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10776-022-00572-9">International Journal of Wireless Information Networks</a>.&nbsp;



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Experts are using AI to monitor forests in Maine

Monitoring forest ecosystems is highly challenging, since it generally needs...

A new study led by Department of Energy’s <a href="https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/">SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory</a> has found that “diamond rain” – a long-hypothesized exotic type of precipitation occurring on giant icy planets such as Uranus and Neptune – could be more common than previously thought. The analysis revealed that the presence of oxygen could make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diamonds-found-buried/">diamond</a> formation more likely, allowing them to form and grow in many conditions throughout a variety of planets. These findings could help scientists fabricate nanodiamonds more efficiently, which would have a major impacts and applications in drug delivery, medical sensors, noninvasive surgery, sustainable manufacturing, and quantum electronics.



In an earlier <a href="https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2017-08-21-scientists-create-diamond-rain-forms-interior-icy-giant-planets.aspx">study</a>, the team mimicked the extreme temperatures and pressures from deep inside icy giants to observe diamonds as they formed. “The earlier paper was the first time that we directly saw diamond formation from any mixtures,” said co-author Siegfried Glenzer, the director of the High Energy Density Division at SLAC. “Since then, there have been quite a lot of experiments with different pure materials. But inside planets, it’s much more complicated; there are a lot more chemicals in the mix. And so, what we wanted to figure out here was what sort of effect these additional chemicals have.”



While in their previous research, the scientists studied a plastic material consisting of a mixture of hydrogen and carbon – which are key components of Uranus and Neptune’s chemical make-up – in more recent experiments they included other critical elements present in icy giants, such as oxygen, by using PET plastics. “PET has a good balance between carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to simulate the activity in ice planets,” said study lead author Dominik Kraus, a professor of Physics at the <a href="https://www.uni-rostock.de/">University of Rostock</a>.



Using high-power optical lasers and innovative methods such as X-ray diffraction and small-angle scattering, the experts investigated how the atoms of the material rearranged into small diamond regions, and measured how fast these regions grew. They discovered that, when oxygen was present, the nanodiamonds were able to grow at lower temperatures and pressures than previously thought. “The effect of the oxygen was to accelerate the splitting of the carbon and hydrogen and thus encourage the formation of nanodiamonds,” Kraus explained. “It meant the carbon atoms could combine more easily and form diamonds.”



According to the scientists, diamonds on Neptune and Uranus would become much larger that those produced in these experiments and, over thousands of years, they might slowly sink through the planets’ ice layers, assembling into a thick layer of bling around the solid planetary core.



In future studies, the team aims to include liquid samples containing ethanol, water, and ammonia – what icy giants are largely made of – to better understand how diamond rain forms on such planets. “The fact that we can recreate these extreme conditions to see how these processes play out on very fast, very small scales is exciting,” said co-author and SLAC scientists Nicholas Hartley.&nbsp;



“Adding oxygen brings us closer than ever to seeing the full picture of these planetary processes, but there’s still more work to be done. It’s a step on the road towards getting the most realistic mixture and seeing how these materials truly behave on other planets,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo0617">Science Advances</a>.&nbsp;



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Diamond rain may be common on giant icy planets

A new study led by Department of Energy’s SLAC National...

Interest in climate, or eco-anxiety – characterized as the chronic fear of environmental doom emerging from observing the impacts of climate change – has increased over the past years, and is particularly prevalent among young people. A recent study led by the&nbsp;<a href="https://cast.ac.uk/">Center for Climate Change and Social Transformations</a> at the University of Bath has now found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pandemic-stress-is-compounded-by-climate-anxiety/">climate anxiety</a> might be an important trigger for climate action, by helping eco-anxious people adapt their high-carbon lifestyles to become more environmentally friendly.&nbsp;



The scientists investigated the views of 1,338 UK adults over two time points, in 2020 and 2022, to assess the prevalence of eco-anxiety, identify the factors that predict it, and find out whether it could lead to behavioral changes and climate action. Although over three-quarters of the UK populations claim to be worried about climate change, the analysis revealed that only 4.6 percent reported experiencing climate anxiety in 2022 (a small increase from four percent in 2020). Younger individuals and those with higher generalized anxiety were more likely to experience eco-anxiety.



According to the scientists, this phenomenon should not be seen as a purely negative one. Instead, for many people it could be a motivating force for taking actions to reduce greenhouse emissions, such as saving energy, buying second-hand, borrowing, renting, or repurposing various items.



Interestingly, the researchers discovered that media exposure - for instance, TV images of raging storms and other extreme weather events - seemed to have a stronger influence on climate anxiety than direct, personal experience of climate impacts.



“With increasing media coverage of climate impacts, such as droughts and fires in the UK and devastating flooding in Pakistan, climate anxiety may well increase,” said study lead author Lorraine Whitmarsh, an environmental psychologist at the University of Bath. “Our findings suggest this can spur some people to take action to help tackle the issue – but we also know there are barriers to behavior change that need to be addressed through more government action.”



The experts highlight the importance of media as a motivating force for the lifestyle changes that are needed to mitigate climate change. “Our results suggest that the media could play an important role in creating positive pro-environmental behavior change, but only if they carefully communicate the reality of climate change without inducing a sense of hopelessness,” concluded co-author Lois Player, a graduate student in Psychology at Bath.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101866">Journal of Environmental Psychology</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Climate anxiety can lead to climate action

Interest in climate, or eco-anxiety – characterized as the chronic...

Avocado <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pheromones-could-help-get-deadly-palm-weevils-under-control/">weevils</a> are small beetles with long snouts that drill through fruit to lay their eggs, with their grubs or larvae boring into avocado seeds to feed, and rendering these fruits inedible. Now, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a> (UCR) has set to find ways of preventing the “evil” weevils from destroying California’s supply of avocadoes.&nbsp;



“They’re extremely hard to control because they spend most of their time deep inside the fruit, where they’re very well protected from insecticides and natural enemies,” said UCR entomologist Mark Hoddle.



Since these insects are highly reclusive, they are rather understudied, with information about them hard to come by. “All books on avocado pest management will tell you these weevils are bad. They’re well recognized, serious pests of avocados, but we know practically nothing about them,” Hoddle explained.



While a common strategy of controlling weevils is to introduce other insects that feed on them, it will most likely fail to work in this case, since the natural enemies of these pests are extremely rare in areas where weevils are native, such as Mexico. Thus, to combat avocado weevils in Mexico and to prevent them from being introduced into California, Hoddle and his colleagues set to identify these creatures’ specific pheromones – chemicals insects produce and release into the environment to be “smelled” by their conspecifics in order to guide their foraging or mating behaviors.



“We could flood avocado orchards with so much pheromone that males and females can’t find each other, and therefore can’t reproduce,” Hoddle said. “This would reduce damage to fruit and enable growers to use less insecticides.”&nbsp;



Other pheromone-directed control strategies could include mass trappings, using the pheromones as a lure, or an “attract-and-kill” approach, where the pheromones attract the weevils to small but lethal sources of insecticide.



In an initial phase of this project, the scientists collected weevil pheromones from an area in Mexico with large weevil populations, and attempted to synthesize them in the laboratory. “Weevil pheromones have complicated structures. When they’re made in a lab, they can have left- or right-handed forms,” said Hoddle.&nbsp;



Until now, the team made a mixture of both forms to see if the blend would work as an attractant. However, weevils did not seem to be particularly attracted to it, suggesting that one of the forms in the blend could be antagonizing the response to the other. In a next step, the researchers aim to synthesize the individual forms of the chemicals and test the weevil’s response to each in Mexican avocado orchards.&nbsp;



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Weevil pheromones could save California’s avocado orchards

Avocado weevils are small beetles with long snouts that drill...

Edible seaweed is a superfood that contains a large variety of vitamins, minerals and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/olive-varieties-contain-different-levels-of-antioxidants/">antioxidants</a>. Now scientists at <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a> are exploring ways to enrich seaweed and use it as a global, sustainable food crop.&nbsp;



Led by PhD student Doron Ashkenazi, the team has been carrying out research on a local algae, Ulva gracilaria. The researchers are growing the seaweed near fish farming operations where it becomes "enriched" and especially nutritious.&nbsp;



“Seaweed can be regarded as a natural superfood, more abundant in the necessary components of the human diet than other food sources,” said Ashkenazi. “Through the technological approach we developed, a farm owner or entrepreneur will be able to plan in advance a production line of seaweed rich in the substances in which they are interested, which can be used as health foods or nutritional supplements; for example, seaweed with a particularly high level of protein, seaweed rich in minerals such as iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, or in special pigments or antioxidants."&nbsp;



"The enriched seaweed can be used to help populations suffering from malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, for example disadvantaged populations around the world, as well as supplements to a vegetarian or vegan diet.”



Seaweed farming has advantages over traditional crops when it comes to growing as well. Unlike most agriculture, the aquaculture of seaweed requires no large amounts of land and no freshwater inputs. Seaweed grown near coasts also acts as a buffer, reducing nutrient loading, often due to fertilizer runoff.&nbsp;



Overall, seaweed is a “green” crop that lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it could be the perfect crop to feed a growing world population in a time of environmental crises.&nbsp;



“Technologies of this type are undoubtedly a model for a better future for humanity, a future where humans live in idyll and in health in their environment," said Ashkenazi.



This research was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1466856422001527">Innovative Food Science &amp; Emerging Technologies</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Seaweed “superfood” could help ease global food crisis

Edible seaweed is a superfood that contains a large variety...

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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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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 



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.

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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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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



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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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