Carbon credits have become a popular tool for offsetting the environmental impact of air travel. 



Every flight we take adds to the growing cloud of greenhouse gas emissions hovering over the planet. The aviation industry now emits more carbon dioxide than many individual nations. 



To soften the environmental blow, some airlines offer passengers the option to “offset” their emissions - usually by paying into forest protection schemes. 



The promise is simple: fund the preservation of trees, and they’ll absorb enough carbon to balance out your flight. But does it really work? A new study says not always.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-concerns-about-carbon-credits">Concerns about carbon credits</h2>



Researchers from <a href="https://www.bu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Boston University</a> and the nonprofit Clean Air Task Force recently examined how forest carbon credit systems are run and regulated in North America. 



These programs are often part of the voluntary carbon market, where companies and individuals can buy credits to compensate for their emissions. But the study found that the protocols behind many of these credits are weak - and in some cases, entirely ineffective.



“There’s been a lot of appetite for these credits so corporations can meet their sustainability goals, but some of the credits that have been sold have been found to be dubious at best,” said Lucy Hutyra, a BU College of Arts &amp; Sciences Distinguished Professor, and chair of Earth and Environment.



“This paper is not about whether the system is broken, let’s just scrap it; it’s looking at what works well, what doesn’t, and how we can improve it.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flaws-in-the-current-system">Flaws in the current system</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-carbon-credits-are-not-tied-to-forest-preservation-as-claimed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forest carbon credits</a> come in different forms. Some are part of mandatory systems; others are voluntary. At the cheaper end, they involve paying landowners to keep forests standing. 



On paper, each credit is a promise to absorb one ton of carbon dioxide somewhere to make up for one ton emitted elsewhere. But it’s not always that simple.



The researchers evaluated 20 forest carbon credit protocols and gave each one a score based on how effectively it guarantees climate benefits. Most didn’t score well. 



Only one protocol received a “satisfactory” rating - and it hasn’t even been used yet. None earned a “robust” rating or higher.



“Our results show that the protocols used to generate credits are a critical weak link in the forest carbon market system,” said BU alum Rebecca Sanders-DeMott, the Clean Air Task Force's director of ecosystem carbon science. 



“Without significant improvements, the integrity of the forest carbon market will remain at risk,” she stated.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-essential-role-of-forests">Essential role of forests</h2>



Forests play an essential role in absorbing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atmospheric-co2-could-push-temperatures-much-higher-than-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atmospheric carbon</a>. But depending on how a credit scheme is managed, the benefits may be overstated. 



One example is the use of “buffer zones,” which are extra preserved areas intended to act as insurance in case something happens to the main forest area, such as a wildfire or disease outbreak.



“In the current system, the buffer pool risks are very conservative, very low estimates of risk,” said Hutyra. “The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-wildfire-season-is-longer-peaks-earlier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfire</a> risk in one part of California could be really quite different than another part.”



They propose the establishment of larger buffer zones and detailed, location-specific risk maps to better reflect real-world threats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-credits-need-improvement">Carbon credits need improvement</h2>



In addition to managing risk better, the study highlights four other areas where the carbon market could improve. 



It lists 22 total recommendations - half are relatively simple to implement, like reassessing project risks every five years. The rest are more complex.



One major issue is something called “leakage.” If you protect one area of forest from development, but that simply pushes deforestation or construction to another location, you haven’t achieved a true reduction in emissions.



“The net effect is no actual change in the land <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-sinks-are-a-powerful-weapon-against-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon sink</a>, in real emissions to the atmosphere,” Hutyra explained.



To fix this, they suggest national and global tracking of land use changes and stronger incentives to support truly climate-positive outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-carbon-credits">What’s next for carbon credits </h2>



The research team is now focused on getting their recommendations into the hands of those who can make a difference. 



The Clean Air Task Force is preparing an easy-to-read version of the report, organizing webinars, and reaching out to groups who manage carbon credit protocols.



Even without strong federal interest in regulating these markets right now, the researchers are hopeful that their work will help steer voluntary efforts in a more effective direction.



“Global energy demand is rising and, while decarbonizing our energy systems is critical, it will take time - decades, in fact. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change are already being felt and are accelerating. Forests, which have long served as vital <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mixed-forests-with-many-tree-species-are-more-effective-at-carbon-storage/">carbon sinks</a>, are under increasing threat," said Sanders-DeMott.



"By taking these recommendations seriously, carbon market actors can help restore confidence in carbon markets and unlock the full potential of forests to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, buying us time as we scale the technologies we need to ensure a high-energy, zero-emissions future.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024EF005414" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's Future</a>.



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Forest carbon credits are failing, so what needs to change?

Carbon credits have become a popular tool for offsetting the environmental impact of air travel. Every flight we take adds to the growing cloud of greenhouse gas emissions hovering over the planet. The aviation industry now emits more carbon dioxide than many individual nations. To soften the environmental blow, some airlines offer passengers the option to “offset” their emissions - usually by paying into forest protection schemes. The promise is simple: fund the preservation of trees, and they’ll absorb enough carbon to balance out your flight. But...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digging-sea-otters-promote-eelgrass-genetic-diversity/">Eelgrass</a> is a coastal species of seagrass that is vital as a habitat for a diversity of fish and other aquatic creatures. Moreover, it provides shoreline protection and carbon sequestration. By combining ecological field methods and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), a research team from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has detected eelgrass wasting disease – caused by a pathogen called Labyrinthula zosterae – at nearly three dozen sites along a 1,700-mile area of the West Coast, from San Diego to southern Alaska. According to the experts, eelgrass wasting is linked to warmer-than-normal water temperatures, especially in early summer.



The researchers developed an AI system called Eelgrass Lesion Image Segmentation Application (EeLISA) which, when properly trained, can quickly analyze thousands of pictures of eelgrass leaves and reliably distinguish between diseased and healthy tissue. This computer program works 5,000 times faster than human experts, with comparable accuracy. As the application is fed more data, it gets increasingly “smarter” and can produce more consistent results.



“That’s really a key component,” said study co-lead author Brendan Rappazzo, a doctoral student in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at Cornell. “If you give the same eelgrass scan to four different people to label, they’ll all give variable measurements of disease. You have all this variation, but with EeLISA, it’s not only faster but it’s consistently labeled.”



“In traditional machine learning, you need large amounts of labeled data up front,” added study co-senior author Carla Gomes, a professor of Computing and Information Science at the same university. “But with EeLISA, we’re getting feedback from the scientists providing the images, and the system improves very rapidly. So, in the end, it doesn’t require that many labeled examples.”



The study involved a network of 32 sites along the Pacific coast, allowing scientists to investigate eelgrass wasting disease in different climates and environments. The findings suggest that warm-water anomalies were the key drivers of the disease, regardless of what normal temperatures were for each particular location. This proves that studying the complex connection between disease and climate change is necessary for all conditions, instead of only for eelgrass meadows located in warm regions.



“We have invested a decade developing the disease recognition tools to monitor these outbreaks at a large spatial scale because our early studies suggested eelgrass could be sensitive to warming-induced outbreaks,” said study co-senior author Drew Harvell, a professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. “Eelgrass is an essential marine habitat, and a critical link in the chain of survival for fishes such as salmon and herring.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.12152">Limnology and Oceanography</a>.



---



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

Warming water is driving eelgrass wasting disease

Eelgrass is a coastal species of seagrass that is vital...

Children all over the world are being affected by air pollution and the consequences of climate change. This is the finding of a review article published today in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/">New England Journal of Medicine</a>.&nbsp;



The article, written by Frederica Perera&nbsp;of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and&nbsp;Kari Nadeau&nbsp;of the <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> School of Medicine, looks at evidence of the multiple different ways in which air pollution and fossil fuel-driven climate change harm the health of children.&nbsp;



The experts cite dozens of research studies that find children’s health to be compromised by the consequences of air pollution and climate change. They state that all children are particularly vulnerable to health impacts from these sources as they are still in developmental stages. This applies to the fetus, infant, and child.&nbsp;



In addition, although all children are at risk, the greatest burden falls on those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The authors allude to the existence of significant inequities between different income groups and races. As one example, risks from heatwaves are greatest in low-income communities of color where discriminatory policies such as redlining created urban heat islands (characterized by heat-trapping asphalt, few trees, dense buildings, traffic, industry and highways), and where resources to protect children from heat are fewer.



Some examples of instances where climate changes have been linked to negative outcomes for the physical and mental health of children are as follows:



<ul><li>Extreme Heat.&nbsp;Exposure to heatwaves in utero is associated with increased risk for preterm birth and low birth weight, hyperthermia and death in infants, heat stress, kidney disease, and other illnesses in children.</li><li>Climate-Intensified Extreme Events.&nbsp;Globally, climate-related events have already contributed to more than 50 million children being forced to leave their homes. In the U.S. over 900,000 displacements, many of them involving children, occurred in 2020 as a result of disasters.&nbsp;</li><li>Air Quality.&nbsp;An estimated 7.4 million children in the U.S. were exposed to lung-damaging wildfire smoke every year between 2008 and 2012. This number has risen in recent years as large forest fires have become more frequent.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Food and Water Supply and Safety.&nbsp;In developing countries, climate-change-related food insecurity has led to a sharp increase in malnutrition, resulting in stunting of physical and mental development. Infection risk from waterborne pathogens like Salmonella is also exacerbated.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Change in Disease Vector Ecology.&nbsp;Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy can cause microcephaly, severe brain malformations, and other birth defects. The U.S. has also experienced a marked increase in Lyme disease, with the highest rates in children.</li><li>Air Pollution.&nbsp;One billion children worldwide are exposed to very high levels of air pollution. Air pollution is strongly associated with increased risks of infant mortality, adverse birth outcomes, asthma and other respiratory illness, developmental disorders, and lifelong health problems, including reduced cognition, mental health problems, and autism.</li></ul>



Action on two fronts is required in order to deal with the alarming health impacts on children, according to the authors. Firstly, children need to be protected from climate hazards, a strategy that the authors term “adaptation.” This could involve measures such as providing clean water to children and families facing drought and water contamination, early warning systems for flooding and air pollution, training and evacuation planning for families and children, shaded areas where children play, live and go to school, and mosquito nets to protect children from insect-borne pathogens such as malaria and dengue.



Secondly, the root problem of high greenhouse gas emissions and dwindling natural carbon sinks needs to be addressed. The authors term this aspect of dealing with children’s health problems “mitigation.” They stress that solutions are available and being implemented by governments around the world to address air pollution and mitigate climate change, and that these will hopefully reduce the harms to children’s health in the future.



The experts also suggest that clinicians are in a position to help identify and guide individuals who are at particular risk from the effects of climate change or air pollution. Identification of vulnerable individuals may be based on the presence of an underlying illness (e.g., asthma), on geographic location (e.g., proximity to air pollution, urban heat island or flooding), and on mental health burdens (e.g., anxiety after being forced to relocate after a wildfire). Guidance could be in terms of how to manage or change the situation for a vulnerable child, and the clinician could be the source of advice, education and information in such circumstances.&nbsp;



Given the cumulative impacts of fossil fuel on children’s physical and mental health, the researchers are calling upon health professionals to use their power to protect children "by screening to identify those at high risk for associated health consequences; educating them and their families about these risks and effective interventions; and by advocating for strong mitigation and adaptation strategies.”



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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

Children’s health is increasingly affected by climate and pollution

Children all over the world are being affected by air...

The future of coastal wetlands surviving sea-level rise by migrating inland is hotly debated.  A new study using elevation maps of the Chesapeake Bay region shows that human barriers will do little to slow this marsh migration. As salty water creeps upward into rural areas that are now <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cherry-blossom-emblems-could-unite-people-to-save-forests/">forests</a> and farmland, coastal marshes could persist or even expand.



Study lead author Grace Molino is a Ph.D. student at William &amp; Mary’s <a href="https://www.vims.edu/">Virginia Institute of Marine Science</a>. The research team also included experts from the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center and the Woods Hole Science Center.



“The numbers are striking. Baywide, we expect more than 600 square miles of inundated land in the Chesapeake region by 2100.” Four times the area that has been converted since observations began in the 1840s. More than 75% of this area will be rural - mainly forests, forested wetlands, and farm fields," said Molino.&nbsp;



“As far as I know, this is the first projection of inundated land in the Bay area, and one of the few and most high-resolution predictions in the U.S.” said study co-author Dr. Matt Kirwan. “Our analysis shows that marsh migration is constrained more by natural topography than by human development.”



The Chesapeake region and North American coastal plain are resilient to sea-level rise, and are considered global outliers. Urbanized coasts of Europe and Asia are more likely to experience the “coastal squeeze," which refers to the loss of coastal wetlands as rising saltwater floods their seaward edge while natural or human barriers block their landward migration.



“Despite a perception that urban centers will block marsh migration, our predictions suggest that the most vulnerable land in the Chesapeake Bay remains largely undeveloped, even in what are typically thought of as urban watersheds,” said Dr. Kirwan.



“We found that developed lands generally occupy less than 10% of predicted migration areas within individual watersheds even under our high scenarios of sea-level rise, despite more extensive development in the watershed overall," said Molino.&nbsp;



The Elizabeth River in Chesapeake Bay is highly developed, yet developed surfaces occupy only 16 percent of the potential marsh-migration area under 1 meter of sea-level rise, compared to 31 percent of developed land across the entire watershed.



The Bay’s other major urban areas lie in more elevated watersheds with only small areas of potential marsh migration. The challenge for landowners and governments will be to equitably manage the conversion of what is now privately owned, income-producing rural land into coastal wetland habitats that provide publicly valued ecosystem services such as flood protection and the nurture of fish and bird populations.



The team began their analysis by using more than 200,000 GIS data points to map the present-day boundary between forest and marsh around the Bay. They also measured the area of land within each watershed that would be flooded under each sea-level-rise scenario. This determined whether it is currently covered by forest, forested wetlands, turf grass, farm fields, or development such as roads, parking lots, and buildings.



The results found that “potential marsh migration areas” will increase over the coming decades and with the magnitude of sea-level rise, from 405 square miles by 2100 under their low scenario to 1,447 square miles under their high scenario.&nbsp;



What was unexpected within the increasingly developed Chesapeake Bay watershed is that the marsh-migration areas are dominated by upland and wetland forests, and not urban or suburban land.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23782242">Limnology and Oceanography Letters</a>.



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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

Rural areas will be hardest hit by sea-level rise in the U.S.

The future of coastal wetlands surviving sea-level rise by migrating...

An international team of scientists has pioneered a new method to determine where prehistoric warm-water coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-coral-reefs-crackle-with-the-sounds-of-busy-inhabitants/">reefs</a> existed. The results of the analysis show that climate can significantly affect where corals grow.&nbsp;



Study co-author Dr. Alex Farnsworth of the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> explained why this was not an easy topic to explore. "Climate has changed significantly throughout geological time, however understanding how it has impacted coral reef ecosystems has been difficult due to a lack of quantifiable data which has significant gaps."



Some of these gaps can be attributed to an incomplete fossil record, while other gaps can be attributed to biased research practices - since most previous coral studies have occurred near wealthy nations.&nbsp;



However, researchers from Spain and the UK found a way to fill in these gaps. By modeling habitats and reconstructing past climates, the researchers were able to predict where corals lived from 250 million to 35 million years ago. They found that corals extended farther from the equator in warmer periods.&nbsp;



"Our work demonstrates that warm-water coral reefs track tropical-to-subtropical climatic conditions over geological timescales. In warmer intervals, coral reefs expanded poleward. However, in colder intervals, they became constrained to tropical and subtropical latitudes," explained study first author Dr. Lewis Jones.



This information may cause some people to assume that global warming benefits warm-water corals, but this is not necessarily the case. "Current anthropogenic climate change will result in the poleward expansion of suitable habitat for coral reefs," said Dr. Jones. "In fact, we are already witnessing the expansion of some tropical reef corals. However, whether coral reef ecosystems – and all the biodiversity they support – can keep pace with the current rapid rate of anthropogenic climate change is another question."&nbsp;



Based on their findings, the researchers believe it is possible that decreasing the acceleration of global warming is more necessary for tropical coral systems than preventing global warming.&nbsp;



The findings are clear evidence that climate and corals have been linked for millions of years. The researchers hope this knowledge will guide further learning.&nbsp;



"Using this new combined data-model approach we can start to better understand reef ecosystems evolution and behavior," said study co-author Dr. Alex Farnsworth.&nbsp;



We can also expect that this research will play a role in preserving these magical rainforests of the ocean.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.



---



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

Climate played a key role in shifting ancient coral reefs

An international team of scientists has pioneered a new method...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-meadows-remove-plastic-debris-from-the-ocean/">Seagrass meadows</a> are often used as a fishing habitat across the Indo-Pacific region, sustaining millions of households. A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096456912200223X?via%3Dihub#!">Ocean &amp; Coastal Management</a> has found that seagrass fisheries provide a reliable safety-net for the poor since they are characterized by a high abundance of fish and other animals and provide large catches for fishermen.&nbsp;



The scientists conducted interviews with people relying on fishing from 147 villages across Cambodia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, and were surprised to find that the majority of the persons they spoke to preferred seagrass meadows as fishing habitats.&nbsp;



“Seagrass was the most common habitat used for fishing. Nearly half of all households we talked to preferred fishing in seagrass over other habitats such as coral, mangroves, open ocean, mud and rock for example,” said study lead author Benjamin Jones, a doctoral student at the <a href="https://www.su.se/cmlink/stockholm-university">University of Stockholm</a> and director of <a href="http://www.projectseagrass.org/">Project Seagrass</a>, a nonprofit organization focused on the conservation of seagrass ecosystems.&nbsp;



“This was surprising because most people think of reef fisheries as the key tropical small-scale fishery, but we show that its actually engagement in seagrass fisheries that are much more characteristic of households.”



When asked why they preferred seagrass, most fishermen expressed a general feeling of reliability: due to the major ecological role seagrass meadows play by providing valuable nursery habitats with many places for fish to hide and grow, there is always an abundance of fish present there. However, reliance on seagrass appeared to be also influenced by household income.



“Household income had two different effects. On one hand, poorer households were less likely to own&nbsp;motorboats. These were reliant on seagrass as they were unable to fish elsewhere, seagrass is close to shore and easy to access without a motor. On the other hand, wealthier households were more likely to own certain types of fishing gear that incentivized them to use seagrass due to high rewards and low effort requirements. These were static fishing fences that don’t require a fisherman to be present,” explained Jones.



“Our results highlight the need for empirical household scale data for management of seagrass meadows,” added study senior author Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, the Director of Research and Resources at Project Seagrass. “People use and value seagrass for many different reasons so safeguarding seagrass is vital to ensure that all people, all of the time, have equitable and equal access to the resources seagrass provides,” she concluded.



---



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

Seagrass meadows are very reliable fishing grounds

Seagrass meadows are often used as a fishing habitat across...

A study published in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/home">The Lancet Planetary Health</a> argues that as our weather becomes more severe due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-did-not-impact-dinosaur-abundance-in-the-triassic/">climate</a> change, women, girls, and sexual and gender minorities will be increasingly and disproportionally affected by violence.



Extreme weather events often increase food insecurity, mental stress, and economic uncertainty for all those affected. They can also lead to a deterioration in safety programs for women, including law enforcement. Moreover, long-term effects can include unwanted births and exposure to STIs including HIV.&nbsp;



Study co-author Kim Van Daalen is a Gates Cambridge Scholar in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



“Extreme events don’t themselves cause gender-based violence, but rather they exacerbate the drivers of violence or create environments that enable this type of behavior,” said Van Daalen.



It’s important to note that Van Daalen is not claiming that the source of violence is due to climate change. The reality is much uglier, she explained.&nbsp;



“At the root of this behavior are systematic social and patriarchal structures that enable and normalize such violence. Existing social roles and norms, combined with inequalities leading to marginalisation, discrimination, and dispossession make women, girls, and sexual and gender minorities disproportionately vulnerable to the adverse impacts of extreme events.”



The researchers identified 41 severe weather events across all six inhabited continents to explore the relationship between climate events and gender-based violence. These events included floods, droughts, and wildfires. Gender-based violence included sexual violence, physical violence, emotional violence, forced marriage, and ‘witch’ killing.



Van Daalen pointed out two case studies to lend credence to her argument. The first case study was Hurricane Katrina in the United States. Researchers found that violence, including sexual violence against women, increased after the hurricane. Furthermore, transgender and LGBTQI individuals experienced physical violence and discrimination at post-disaster shelters.&nbsp;



In Bangladesh, early marriages spiked after flood events in 1998 and 2004. The researchers believe this was due to increased poverty after the floods because marrying off a daughter reduces the financial burden of a family.&nbsp;



Van Daalen says that disaster relief plans need to include infrastructure for women, transgender, and LGBTQI people so they can have safe access to aid. Moreover, she advocates for relief programs that empower women and allows them to be decision-makers.&nbsp;



“Disaster management needs to focus on preventing, mitigating, and adapting to drivers of gender-based violence. It’s crucial that it’s informed by the women, girls, and sexual and gender minority populations affected and takes into account local sexual and gender cultures and local norms, traditions, and social attitudes.”



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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

Severe weather will increase violence against women

A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health argues that...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.iastate.edu/">Iowa State University</a> (ISU) has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-lights-cause-earlier-tree-greening-in-the-spring/">artificial light</a> at night (ALAN) has significantly affected the natural seasonal processes of plants in many urban regions of the United States. These findings suggest that urbanization has a strong impact on the natural world, resulting in noticeable changes for humans.&nbsp;



For instance, the levels of artificial light during nighttime alter the natural circadian rhythms of plants, lengthening pollen season and thus affecting people who suffer from allergies for longer portions of the year.



“From this study, we found urban nighttime light has significant impact on urban plant phenology,” said study corresponding author Yuyu Zhou, an associate professor in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences at ISU. “We found artificial light significantly advanced spring phenology and delayed autumn phenology in the United States.”



By evaluating NASA satellite data on ALAN in U.S. cities from 2012 to 2016, and comparing it to changes in plants observed at around 3,000 urban sites, Professor Zhou and his colleagues found that increased levels of ALAN advanced the date of breaking leaf buds in the spring by about nine days, while delaying the coloring of leaves by six days in the fall, leading to longer active seasons for many plants.



These findings have important applications for people with allergies, as well as for urban farming – a growing practice in which seasonal crops are cultivated in city settings. Moreover, studying the interaction of urbanization and plant phenology could offer important insights into the impact of climate change, since the combination of increasing ALAN with rising temperatures further expands plants’ active seasons.



“Urban environments can serve as natural laboratories to study responses of plants to changing climate. Urban research can be used as a lens to give us clues on how carbon and water cycles of the Earth system will evolve under a changing climate,” Professor Zhou concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac046">PNAS Nexus</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

Artificial light affects seasonal rhythms of plants in the US

A new study led by Iowa State University (ISU) has...

The spread of various parasites is one of the main drivers of population decline in both managed and wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-bacteria-enhances-memory-in-bees/">bees</a>. Many of these parasites are transmitted by the shared use of flowers, turning these major sources of nourishment into potential disease hotspots. 



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> has found that the shape of flowers has the biggest effect on how parasites are transmitted to bees. According to the experts, such findings may help stakeholders plant flowers that are less dangerous for pollinators.



The scientists examined the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) and a gut parasite called Crithidia bombi in order to clarify how flower traits, such as the size, shape, and number of flowers, played roles in three steps that usually lead to parasite transmission from flowers to bees: feces deposition on flowers, survival of the parasite on flowers, and the acquisition of the parasite by a new bee host.



“Of the flower traits we measured, floral shape was the best predictor of parasite transmission to bees,” said study lead author Mario Simon Pinilla-Gallego, a former doctoral student in Applied Ecology at NC State University.



“Wide and short flowers – like black-eyed Susans and coneflowers – reduce the survival of the parasite on flowers, but at the same time they collect more bee feces, and bees are more likely to come in contact with and acquire the parasite on these types of flowers,” explained study senior author Rebecca Irwin, a professor of Applied Ecology at the same university.



Identifying floral traits and flower species which have lower rates of parasite transmission to bees could help stakeholders select flower mixes that promote bee health, while offering them the floral resources they need.



In future research, the scientists aim to take into consideration other factors, such as how often and how long bees visit flowers, the behavior of bees while foraging, and environmental factors which could change the effects of particular floral traits.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.3730">Ecology</a>.&nbsp;&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

Flower shape influences parasite transmission to bees

The spread of various parasites is one of the main...

European storm petrels are tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seabirds-are-damaging-their-health-by-eating-plastic/">seabirds</a> that are long-lived and have a low reproductive rate. There are two subspecies; H. p. melitensis breeds on islands in the Mediterranean Sea and H. p. pelagicus breeds on several European islands in the Atlantic. Because they are very small, mostly darkly colored and fly fairly fast, they are difficult to observe at sea, even to establish the most basic data such as the subspecies involved. This means that not much is known about the lives of storm petrels when they are not at their breeding colonies on offshore islands.



A recent study published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1474919x">International Journal of Avian Science</a>&nbsp;(IBIS) sheds new light on the migratory patterns of the storm petrel populations that breed in the western Mediterranean. This has been facilitated by the use of tiny geolocators, fixed to the legs of ten adult birds as they went about their lives between breeding seasons. The results contradict what was previously known about the species and highlights the fact that geolocator data can be crucial to improving knowledge about the seasonal distribution, migration and at-sea activity patterns of small seabird species.



The study was led by the researchers Raül Ramos and Teresa Militão, members of the Group on Seabird Ecology of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ub.edu/portal/web/biologia">Faculty of Biology</a>&nbsp;and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (<a href="http://www.ub.edu/irbio/">IRBio-UB</a>). Among the participants in the study are Ana Sanz-Aguilar and Andreu Rotger, from the University of the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB).&nbsp;



Until recently, the information available suggested that most individuals of the Mediterranean subspecies remain within the Mediterranean Sea basin during the non-breeding period.&nbsp;



“Data from ring recoveries and open-sea sightings on board suggested that the Atlantic subspecies could migrate towards the southern waters of the African continent. In the Mediterranean subspecies, biogeochemical data and geolocation data indicated that most of the wintering took place in this sea,” explained Raül Ramos, a lecturer in the<a href="https://www.ub.edu/dyn/cms/system/workplace/editors/editor.jsp">&nbsp;Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.</a>



In order to track the movements of storm petrels that breed on islands in the western Mediterranean, the researchers fastened a light-level geolocator onto one of the lower legs (tibia) of each of ten adult storm petrels caught at night at their nests. The devices, which weigh no more than 0.8 grams, collect data on solar intensity every five minutes. The locators also collect information on seawater conductivity and temperature.&nbsp;



Nine of the ten birds fitted with geolocators were recaptured a year later when they returned to the same breeding colonies, and eight of the devices were in working order. This allowed the researchers to identify where the birds had been throughout a complete migratory cycle.&nbsp;



The results showed that, contrary to expectations, all the tracked individuals spent at least part of the non-breeding period in the Atlantic Ocean, indicating that this ocean is far more important as a non-breeding area than was previously thought, at least for the European storm petrels breeding in the Western Mediterranean.&nbsp;



“The results allow us to better understand the activity patterns of seabirds throughout the wintering season – [in other words] when they fly and when they rest in the water – information that was previously unknown,” said study first author Teresa Militão.



Although the main feeding areas of this species during the period between breeding seasons are still unknown, the data from the study indicates that, in the case of the population studied, it feeds mainly in the Atlantic, in a marine area that extends from the Canary Islands to the south of Iceland, explained the researchers. “The results contrast with the case of the Maltese storm petrel, which maintains its main wintering area in the central Mediterranean.”



Migratory species such as the European storm petrel move around between distant areas during their non-breeding season to take better advantage of local food resources or to find the most suitable habitat or climate.&nbsp;



“The extrinsic and intrinsic factors that determine the different migration patterns of the European storm petrel are still not well understood. According to the first results of the study, some extrinsic factors, such as oceanic conditions, could favor the migration of the population studied towards the North Atlantic, which would then take advantage of the productive oceanic waters during the wintering period,” said Raül Ramos.



The researchers also assessed monthly variations in primary productivity in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic areas visited by the tracked storm petrels to understand whether this was a factor that influenced movement patterns. They concluded that birds potentially were moving from the Mediterranean feeding grounds (during breeding season) to the Atlantic feeding grounds in response to low levels of productivity in the Mediterranean during the winter. Low levels of primary productivity would affect the abundance of the ichthyoplankton that is the preferred prey of storm petrels.



Information from the data-loggers also allowed the scientists to understand more about the at-sea activity patterns of the birds. The data confirmed that the European storm petrel is a nocturnal species during the non-breeding period, as has been found previously in the breeding season. Birds spend most of the daylight time on the water and fly mainly during the night.



“During the entire winter period, the species spends more time resting in the water during the day than at night. This tells us that the species forages mainly at night, and probably feeds on zooplankton and small fish that migrate to the sea surface at that time,” said Militão.



Furthermore, in the early part of the non-breeding season, most of the tracked birds spent more time on the water during the night than they did in the latter part of the non-breeding period. This increase in time spent on the water, when they should normally have been flying around in search of food, could indicate that the birds were possibly still molting some of their flight feathers.&nbsp;



The study authors noted that their research improves the state of knowledge about the ecology of these birds and their distribution during their life cycle. “Knowing the wintering areas of this species will help to identify the environmental variables that condition its distribution,” they said.



Studies such as this one are crucial to understanding the different threats to species at different times of their life cycles.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“On land, during the breeding season, the European storm petrel is threatened by the introduction of invasive predators, such as cats or rats, which prey on eggs, and by the destruction or modification of nesting habitats," said the researchers. "In the open ocean, light pollution from ships or oil stations, climate change and extreme weather events such as cyclones or tornadoes also affect the survival of these small seabirds, which should be protected."



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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

Tiny data-loggers help track Europe’s smallest seabird

European storm petrels are tiny seabirds that are long-lived and...

In a recent analysis of seawater, scientists found microplastics in almost all of the samples, including those from very remote areas of the world’s oceans.&nbsp;



To truly understand the global distribution of microplastics, researchers at <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/">Curtin University</a> targeted areas of the world's oceans that had not been previously sampled. The team collected samples&nbsp; at 177 locations across a 46,100km voyage, including areas of the Southern Hemisphere not previously tested for microplastics.



Lead researcher and Professor Kliti Grice said the analysis provided the first accurate measure of the presence of microplastics in unique ocean environments. The source of these particles may include vehicle tyre dust, pellet spills, textiles, building debris, cosmetics, and packaging materials, said the researchers.



“Our analysis found microplastics were present in the vast majority of the waters sampled by Jon, even in very remote ocean areas of the Southern Hemisphere," said Professor Grice.



“The vast majority of the seawater filters used by Jon were found to contain microplastics however some areas of ocean, particularly the Pacific, had several consecutive sampling locations not near any major islands where no microplastics were observed."



“Microplastics were found all along the eastern and southern seaboards of Australia including the Southern Ocean in the Great Australian Bight. While there were no ‘hot spots’ of contamination, two sampling stations, approximately 600km off the coast of Brazil, recorded relatively high numbers of microplastics at about 250 particles per cubic meter of seawater.”



The analysis detected several types of microplastic such as polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene and synthetic rubber, which are used in products such as drink bottles, packaging and tires. However, no particular type of plastic dominated.



“Many fibres collected were too small for us to properly analyze and therefore the numbers reported are likely to be an underestimate of the actual number of microplastics present in the oceans," said study co-author Dr. Alan Scarlett.



“On average, water sampled during the voyage contained 33 particles per cubic meter of seawater, which is consistent with other studies of remote areas of ocean. Disturbingly, other studies also suggest there are far greater numbers of microplastics present at a greater depth than sampled during our study.”&nbsp;



The researchers believe their findings have demonstrated the impact of plastic pollution and may help inform the preservation of the ocean and marine environment&nbsp;



The full report is available online <a href="http://wa-oigc.curtin.edu.au/research/environment/ocean-microplastics/">here</a>.



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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

Even the most remote oceans are polluted with microplastics

In a recent analysis of seawater, scientists found microplastics in...

Scientists <a href="https://asm.org/Magazine/2022/Spring/beware-the-plastics">estimate</a> that between 5 and 13 million metric tons of plastic pollution enter the oceans each year, ranging in size from large, floating pieces to microplastics with a massive combined surface area. Microbes easily become attached to the surfaces of this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/superworms-capable-of-eating-through-plastic-waste/">plastic</a> debris and form floating or suspended ecosystems that are rich in biomass. But, since space for attachment is limited on the plastic fragments, it is likely that competition will exist between microbes. Under such conditions it is not uncommon that microbes produce antibiotics as a means of gaining competitive advantage. 



To investigate whether these tiny inhabitants of the plastisphere produce antibiotics that might be of interest, a student-led research study was set up under the auspices of the National University and in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The researchers modified the&nbsp;<a href="https://tinyearth.wisc.edu/">Tiny Earth</a>&nbsp;citizen science approach (developed by Dr. Jo Handelsman) to marine conditions. They incubated high and low density polyethylene plastic (the type commonly seen in grocery bags) in water near Scripps Pier in La Jolla, Calif., for 90 days, and then cultured and tested the microbes in the laboratory.



The researchers isolated five antibiotic producing bacteria from the ocean plastic, including strains of&nbsp;Bacillus,&nbsp;Phaeobacter&nbsp;and&nbsp;Vibrio. They tested the antibiotics produced by these bacteria against a variety of Gram positive and negative microbes, and found the antibiotic isolates to be effective against bacteria commonly used in the laboratory, as well as against two antibiotic resistant strains.



“Considering the current antibiotic crisis and the rise of superbugs, it is essential to look for alternative sources of novel antibiotics,” said study lead author Andrea Price of National University. “We hope to expand this project and further characterize the microbes and the antibiotics they produce.”



This project was part of a STEM education project funded by the National Science Foundation. The results of the research will be presented at the&nbsp;<a href="http://asm.org/">American Society for Microbiology’s</a>&nbsp;conference in Washington, D.C., to be held between June 9 and 13, 2022.



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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

Plastic debris in the ocean may produce useful antibiotics

Scientists estimate that between 5 and 13 million metric tons of...

According to new rules proposed by the Biden Administration on June 9, 2022, electric vehicles charging stations should be placed along Interstates every 50 miles, leading to half a million public charging stations by the end of the decade. These stations should be able to recharge cars quickly, and be located no more than a mile from a major highway. Moreover, they will be prohibited from requiring customers to have a membership or be part of a club in order to use them. 



“EV drivers should be able to count on finding a place to recharge easily wherever they go,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Everyone should be able to find a working charging station when and where they need it without worrying about paying more or getting worse service because of where they live.”



These proposed regulations outlined by Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm are part of the Biden administration’s efforts to incentivize widespread use of zero-emissions vehicles, with the goal of having half of all new vehicles sold in the United States electric by the end of this decade. If this initiative turns out to be successful, the country’s dependence on foreign oil will be reduced and emissions contributing to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-viruses-may-help-slow-climate-change/">climate change</a> could be significantly curbed.  



Each state will be required to provide at least four of the fastest types of recharging ports (known as “DirectCurrent fast chargers”)&nbsp;in order to allow multiple drivers to recharge their cars at the same time. Moreover, companies that build charging stations should provide a standard facility which can accommodate all models of electric vehicles.&nbsp;



These standards will apply to federally funded charging station in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and are designed to ensure that rural areas and communities would have equal access to electric charging stations as urban regions.



The government promised that it will provide $7.5 billion to create this nationwide network of charging stations until 2030. “If we’re going to build out infrastructure like we haven’t done since the Eisenhower era, we have to do it right,” said Mrs. Granholm.



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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

Biden lays out plan for electric vehicle charging stations

According to new rules proposed by the Biden Administration on...

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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



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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