A Styrofoam (polystyrene plastic) take‑out food box can outlive its owner and their children. It weathers rain, sunlight, and curbside crushes yet still hangs around, splintering into smaller shards instead of disappearing.



An Australian research team now reports a way to erase 90% of that throw‑away <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-plastic-food-packaging-contains-9936-harmful-chemicals/">plastic</a> in just thirty minutes, using nothing more exotic than air, purple light, and a pinch of table-grade chemicals.



<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XqtHx8oAAAAJ&amp;hl=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Maxime Michelas</a> of the University of New South Wales School of Chemical Engineering (<a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/engineering/our-schools/chemical-engineering">UNSW</a>), working with colleagues in the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/science/our-schools/chemistry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Chemistry</a> and <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CSIRO</a>, describes the method in a recent study. 



Their approach slices stubborn polymers into bite‑size molecules that industry already uses to make solvents, coatings, and flavors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polystyrene-plastic-linger-for-centuries">Polystyrene plastic linger for centuries</h2>



Humanity produces more than four hundred million tons of plastic per year, and the figure keeps climbing even where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-scientists-are-using-air-to-recycle-plastic/">recycling</a> programs thrive. Most items are designed for single use, yet their bonds resist microbial attack and sunshine alike.



Polystyrene poses a special headache. The foamed version is restricted in several U.S. states, yet analysts expect global demand to reach sixty‑two million tons within a decade. 



Its light weight means flakes travel far on the wind, then fracture into microplastics that slip through standard filters and into drinking water.



Medical <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11117644/">journals</a> now link those particles to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in animal and cell models. Surgeons have even found plastic fragments embedded in arterial plaque removed from heart patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-sunlight-into-a-scalpel">Turning sunlight into a scalpel</h2>



Michelas’ team turns the low‑cost salt iron trichloride into an aggressive photocatalyst. 



When a 405‑nanometer LED excites the salt, it spawns chlorine radicals that yank hydrogen atoms off the polymer backbone. 



The orphaned carbon grabs oxygen from the air, the chain snaps, and the plastic’s mass plunges.



The setup looks almost rudimentary. A glass flask sits on a stir plate, air or pure oxygen bubbles through a dichloromethane solution of shredded plastic and five mole percent catalyst, and a small LED panel shines from the side.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dissolving-plastic-by-90">Dissolving plastic by 90%</h2>



Under those conditions the authors report a 90% mass loss for seven commodity polymers in half an hour.



Extending exposure to three hours pushes conversion to 97%, a milestone that once demanded day‑long lamp times.



For the fastest substrates, including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8435462/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poly(ethylene oxide)</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/polymethyl-methacrylate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poly(methyl acrylate)</a>, most bond‑breaking happens in the first ten minutes. 



Even polyvinyl chloride, notorious for its tight packing and limited solubility, gave up seventy‑eight percent in the half‑hour window.



“I think it’s very important to degrade the polymer and turn it into another feedstock we can use for other things, or just to reduce the amount of microplastics in the world,” noted Dr. Michelas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-trash-to-toolkit-chemicals">From trash to toolkit chemicals</h2>



Breaking chains is only half the story. Gas‑chromatography traces reveal a soup rich in small aldehydes and carboxylic acids that can feed into paint, adhesive, or fragrance manufacture with little additional purification.



Because the catalyst is iron and the reaction runs near room temperature, the energy bill looks minimal compared with pyrolysis or incineration. 



The group demonstrated a fifty‑gram‑per‑liter run that held over eighty‑five percent efficiency, then regained speed simply by bubbling in fresh oxygen when the gas was spent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-energy-math">Checking the energy math</h2>



A 2023 <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3041" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study</a> of a decentralized pyrolysis unit showed that processing 360 tons of mixed plastic per year demanded about 560 MWh of electricity, or roughly 1,550 kWh for every ton treated. 



That figure dwarfs the LED‑lit UNSW setup, which relies mainly on ambient heat and the modest power draw of a few lamps.



While the pyrolysis plant did recover energy by burning the oil it made, the upfront input highlights why lower‑temperature chemistry matters. 



Slashing kilowatt‑hours per ton means smaller carbon footprints and lower operating bills, especially in regions where electricity still comes from coal.



For context, running a fifteen‑watt LED strip for half an hour consumes about 0.015 kWh, orders of magnitude below even the leanest pyrolysis benchmarks. 



Multiply that by thousands of lamps in parallel, and the energy tab still lands far south of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128228104000221" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thermochemical routes</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-savings-for-cities-and-companies">Savings for cities and companies</h2>



Foamed polystyrene can occupy up to thirty percent of landfill volume by space, prompting bans in California, Maine, and Maryland that steer eateries toward plant‑based or recyclable packaging. 



Yet many municipalities still receive tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-ai-designed-material-is-light-as-foam-tough-as-steel/">foam</a>, paying transport costs on material that weighs almost nothing but swallows cubic yards.



A low‑temperature, bench‑scale unit could let waste haulers liquefy that foam onsite, drain the product into drums, and sell it to chemical distributors. Haulers would cut diesel miles, and cities would shrink the footprint of their transfer stations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-polystyrene-plastic-better-health">Less polystyrene plastic, better health</h2>



Environmental <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10151227/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">researchers</a> estimate the average person ingests about five grams of dispersed plastic per week, roughly the weight of a credit card. 



By tackling items most prone to shedding, like takeaway containers, the UNSW chemistry could noticeably dent that intake.



Though the catalyst cannot vacuum particles already loose in rivers, less fragmentation upstream means fewer specks small enough to cross gut or lung barriers. 



Lower exposure could reduce inflammatory burdens now documented in lab studies, easing a growing public‑health worry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-earth-from-polystyrene-plastics">Saving Earth from polystyrene plastics</h2>



No exotic materials are required, so startups could prototype light‑reactor tubes that rely on midday sun instead of LEDs in sunny regions. 



Developers might even graft the concept onto existing plastic‑sorting lines, dropping shredded waste into solvent loops rather than balers.



Regulators drafting extended‑producer‑responsibility rules can nudge investment by counting photochemical conversion toward plastic‑recovery targets. 



Clarity on permitting would address solvent handling and air emissions, two hurdles that often stall new recycling infrastructure.



Further lab work will probe whether iron salts push <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-catalyst-precatalyst-improves-clean-hydrogen-production-to-99-9-efficiency/">hydrogen</a>‑atom transfer in cross‑linked elastomers or complex multilayer films. Each additional success widens the path to a circular economy that values the carbon already in circulation.



Funding agencies often favor technologies that link waste reduction to high‑value outputs, and solvent‑phase depolymerization fits that brief. 



Venture groups in Australia and Singapore have already begun scouting pilot‑scale demonstrations, according to the authors.



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/marc.202400358" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Macromolecular Rapid Communications</a>.



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New chemical process breaks down 90% of plastic in just 30 minutes

A Styrofoam (polystyrene plastic) take‑out food box can outlive its owner and their children. It weathers rain, sunlight, and curbside crushes yet still hangs around, splintering into smaller shards instead of disappearing. An Australian research team now reports a way to erase 90% of that throw‑away plastic in just thirty minutes, using nothing more exotic than air, purple light, and a pinch of table-grade chemicals. Dr. Maxime Michelas of the University of New South Wales School of Chemical Engineering (UNSW), working with colleagues in the School of...

It is not only the land that is currently experiencing extreme weather events, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activities-are-fueling-more-extreme-heatwaves/">heatwaves</a>, but also the world’s seas and oceans. For instance, in the Mediterranean Sea, water temperatures are now up to 5°C higher than the average. Although scientists have already started investigating marine heatwaves, relatively little is known about how they co-occur with other extreme events in the ocean, creating “compound events” that are a major risk to marine ecosystems and contribute to climate change.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.oeschger.unibe.ch/">Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research</a> (OCCR) has investigated such compound events, focusing on the combination of marine heatwaves with stressors such as high acidity levels in the oceans. 



“For the first time, we have quantified the frequency of compound events in which marine heatwaves happen together with extreme acidity,” said study lead author Friedrich Burger, a postdoctoral fellow at OCCR.



By using monthly observations from the surface open ocean from 1982 to 2019, the scientists found that marine heatwaves and extreme ocean acidity occur relatively often together. Thus, the negative impacts of past marine heatwaves were probably exacerbated by extreme acidic conditions. 



“We can show that these compound events are most common in the subtropical oceans, but comparably rare in the high latitudes and tropical Pacific,” said Dr. Burger.



The co-occurrence of heatwaves and acidity extremes in subtropical oceans is caused by an increase in acidity at higher temperatures. However, if ocean warming causes other effects too – such as less mixing of the more acidic subsurface water with surface water – heatwaves can also reduce acidity and decrease the frequency of compound events, as it happens in the Southern Ocean or the tropical Pacific. 



"To determine the relative frequency of combined extreme events, it is crucial to understand the effects of heatwaves on the circulation, biology, and chemistry of the respective ocean region,” said study co-author Jens Terhaar, an oceanographer at the <a href="https://www.unibe.ch/">University of Bern</a>.



According to the experts, such compound extreme events will continue to increase in frequency due to climate change and continuing CO2 emissions, with climate modelling showing that the number of days in which marine heatwaves and high acidity events co-occur will increase 22-fold at a global warming of 2°C&nbsp;above pre-industrial levels. Such events may irreversibly damage marine ecosystems and pose significant threats to fisheries. Thus, urgently curbing greenhouse emissions is essential for safeguarding marine biodiversity.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32120-7">Nature Communications</a>.



---



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;

Compound events could irreversibly damage the ocean

It is not only the land that is currently experiencing...

Today, the Inflation Reduction Act became "one of the most significant laws" in the history of the United States. Just hours ago, the sweeping $750 billion health care, tax and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plans-by-oil-companies-fall-short-of-climate-goals/">climate</a> bill was signed by President Joe Biden.&nbsp;



"With this law, the American people won and the special interests lost," said Biden. "For a while people doubted whether any of that was going to happen, but we are in a season of substance."



On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, Senate Democrats announced the agreement, which will open the path for the most ambition <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-must-be-placed-at-the-heart-of-climate-action/">climate action</a> ever undertaken by the United States.&nbsp;



"I am confident this bill will endure as one of the greatest legislative feats in decades. It'll lower costs, create millions of good paying jobs and is the boldest climate bill ever," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.



The $369 billion climate and tax package will significantly reset the country’s role in the global fight against climate change, by ramping up wind, solar, geothermal, battery, and several other sustainable energy industries over the next decade.



“By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress,” said Schumer. “This is the action the American people have been waiting for,” President Biden added, praising the bill’s “investments in our energy security for the future.”



The groundbreaking deal will provide companies financial incentives to keep open nuclear plants that might have otherwise closed, and to capture emissions from industrial facilities and bury them underground before they can contribute to global warming. Moreover, car buyers with income beneath a certain threshold will received a $7,500 tax credit to purchase a new electric car and $4,000 for a used one, while most Americans will be offered rebates to install heat pumps in order to make their homes more energy-efficient.



According to the Senate Democrats, the legislation will enable the U.S. to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade, thus coming closer to President Biden’s earlier promise to reduce emissions by 50 percent over the following years. This is a major step forward to limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels - a threshold beyond which the chance of extreme climate events, such as droughts, wildfires, storms, and catastrophic floods would significantly increase.



The bill “keeps us in the climate fight and makes it possible that executive action, state and local government policies, and private sector leadership can get us across the finish line,” said Jesse Jenkins, a macro-scale energy systems engineer at <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a>. “Without this bill, we’d be hopelessly far from our climate goals.”



Climate experts hope that this new deal will revitalize international efforts to curb climate change and restore American credibility in international negotiations. “You can’t preach temperance from a bar stool, and you can’t ask China, India, Brazil or other countries to cut emissions if we’re not doing it ourselves in a significant way,”&nbsp;said Democrat Senator Edward J. Markey.&nbsp;



The bill includes $30 billion in incentives for companies to construct wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries, and to process critical minerals in the United States,&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;$60 billion to solve the disproportionate burden of pollution on low-income and minority communities, $27 billion for a “green bank” that will offer financial support to clean energy projects, and $20 billion for programs to cut agricultural emissions.



“The entire clean energy industry just breathed an enormous sigh of relief,” said Heather Zichal, chief executive of the <a href="https://cleanpower.org/">American Clean Power Association</a>. “This is an 11th-hour reprieve for climate action and clean energy jobs.”



"The American people won and the special interests lost," said President Biden. "That's the choice we face. We can protect the already powerful or show the courage to build a future where everybody has an even shot."



---



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;

"American people won" as Biden signs sweeping climate bill

Today, the Inflation Reduction Act became "one of the most...

There are not many species of birds or mammals that inhabit the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-has-warmed-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-planet/">Arctic</a>, but those that do can keep their body temperatures above the icy cold of the environment around them. Fish, on the other hand, do not have this luxury. Their body temperatures are as cold as the Arctic waters around them, which can sometimes be below freezing point. They have to make use of a special adaptation in order to prevent their cells from freezing at these very low temperatures.



Fish cannot survive the freezing of their body fluids, and they make use of special proteins, made primarily in the liver, that effectively lower the freezing point of fluids in their bodies. These antifreeze proteins also bind to existing ice crystals in the body fluids and prevent them from growing any bigger. The ability of Arctic and Antarctic fish to make these specialized proteins was discovered nearly 50 years ago, but new research in the icy waters off Greenland has revealed just how high the concentrations of these proteins can be.



The research, led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History</a> and the City University of New York (CUNY),&nbsp;focuses on small snailfish, Liparis gibbus, that inhabit the ocean depths around the Arctic. The snailfish can be found in the waters of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Previous research on this species had shown that it is capable of biofluorescence, and glows red and green even though it lives habitually in the darkness. In addition to displaying this property, it also had high concentrations of antifreeze proteins in its body fluids.&nbsp;



“Similar to how antifreeze in your car keeps the water in your radiator from freezing in cold temperatures, some animals have evolved amazing machinery that prevents them from freezing, such as antifreeze proteins, which prevent ice crystals from forming,” said David Gruber, a research associate at the Museum and a&nbsp;distinguished biology professor at CUNY’s Baruch College. “We already knew that this tiny snailfish, which lives in extremely cold waters, produced antifreeze proteins, but we didn’t realize just how chock-full of those proteins it is – and the amount of effort it was putting into making these proteins.”



Gruber and co-author John Sparks, a curator in the Museum’s Department of Ichthyology, decided to investigate the antifreeze proteins of the snailfish after discovering its unusual ability to biofluoresce during a previous research expedition. In 2019, as part of a Constantine. S.&nbsp;Niarchos Expedition, Sparks and&nbsp;Gruber were exploring the iceberg habitats&nbsp;off the coast of Eastern Greenland when they found a juvenile variegated snailfish glowing in green and red. This phenomenon is rare among Arctic fishes and the snailfish they encountered <a href="https://www.amnh.org/about/press-center/scientists-document-bioflourescent-fish">remains the only polar fish reported to biofluoresce</a>.



While investigating the biofluorescent properties of the snailfish, the researchers also found two groups of genes that encode for the production of antifreeze proteins in this species of fish. Notably, these snailfish genes have the highest levels of expression of antifreeze proteins ever observed, indicating their importance in a species that survives in freezing conditions most of its life. In addition, the authors question how this adaptation may affect the survival of snailfish as the oceans warm in the foreseeable future.&nbsp;



“Since the mid-20th century, temperatures have increased twice as fast in the Arctic as in mid-latitudes and some studies predict that if Arctic sea ice decline continues at this current rate, in the summer the Arctic Ocean will be mostly ice-free within the next three decades,” Sparks said.&nbsp;



“Arctic seas do not support a high diversity of fish species, and our study hypothesizes that with increasingly warming oceanic temperatures, ice-dwelling specialists such as this snailfish may encounter increased competition by more temperate species that were previously unable to survive at these higher northern latitudes.”



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/evb">Evolutionary Bioinformatics</a>.



---



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

Snailfish have a secret weapon to survive in frozen Arctic waters

There are not many species of birds or mammals that...

Spring,Single,Daisy,Flower,And,Bee

Pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, have become increasingly prevalent in the agricultural industry since they were first introduced in the early 1990s. According to a report in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">PNAS</a>, neonicotinoids are now the most widely used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-insecticide-can-kill-bees-in-very-small-doses/">insecticides</a> in the world.



Neonics are chemically similar to nicotine, attacking the central nervous system of insects. Ben Williamson, the U.S. Executive Director of the animal welfare organization <a href="http://www.ciwf.com/">Compassion in World Farming</a> (CIWF), has written a report to raise awareness about the dangerous effects of neonicotinoids. These effects, says Williamson, extend far beyond the insects for which they were intended.



"Despite being touted as less toxic than previously used pesticides, neonicotinoids are wreaking havoc on bees and other pollinators who are critical to our food system, harming animals and threatening human health. Factory farming is significantly adding to their widespread use," writes Williamson.



"About one-third of all corn grown in the U.S., spanning <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feedgrains/feedgrains-sector-at-a-glance/">30 million acres</a>, is used directly for livestock feed. Another third is grown for ethanol production, the byproducts of which are also turned into feed. Corn feed is typically used in industrialized operations where the animals live intensively confined (either indoors or on feedlots) and are not allowed to feed naturally by grazing or foraging."



"Most breeds of intensively farmed chickens and cattle are also bred to require high-energy diets to reach market weight quickly, making their once natural diets from foraging and grazing unsustainable for their bodies. Nearly all corn seeds used to grow ethanol and livestock feed are coated with either clothianidin or thiamethoxam, two neonic pesticides. About half of all soy, another crop often used in livestock feed, is also treated with neonics."



In his report, Williamson breaks down how neonicotinoids affect humans, bees, and other wildlife:



Bees



Numerous studies have linked neonics to mass bee die-offs and colony collapse. The amount of active ingredient on one corn seed is enough to <a href="https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3067">kill a quarter of a million bees</a>. Over the last several years, U.S. beekeepers have lost over <a href="https://insights.osu.edu/sustainability/bee-population">30% of their colonies annually</a>, and several wild bee populations have become endangered. When combined with other stressors such as habitat loss, disease, and climate change, the excessive use of neonics on feed crops is putting bees at critical risk.&nbsp;



Bees are crucial to our food system, pollinating over $15 billion worth of U.S. crops each year. Dozens of key crops across the world, including cacao, coffee, peaches, almonds, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, apples, and pumpkins, require bees to reproduce. Thus, the health of our bee population directly impacts the health of our food system. Fewer bees means lower crop yields, less food availability, and higher prices for consumers. These effects disproportionately impact low-income consumers, who already struggle to access and afford nutritious foods.&nbsp;



Wildlife



Mounting evidence shows that neonicotinoids are harming vastly more species than previously thought. Their negative impacts on unintended insects, birds, fish, and mammals are having ripple effects across ecosystems and food webs.&nbsp;



Neonics have added <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0582-x">further pressures on the bird population</a>, particularly seed and insect-eating birds. Eating just one neonic-coated seed is enough to kill some songbirds. Ingesting contaminated seeds or insects can also harm birds’ reproductive systems, immune systems, and navigation ability, reducing their chance of survival. North America has <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313">lost 29% of its bird population</a>—over 3 billion birds—over the last 50 years due in large part to neonics. The pesticides have also been found in waterways across the United States, harming aquatic insects and invertebrates. This is especially concerning with the recent outbreak of avian flu, which has been most deadly to predatory birds and aquatic birds. Feeding on contaminated fish, amphibians, insects, and invertebrates like snails and mollusks could lessen their chance of survival.&nbsp;



According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) own assessment, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/draft-national-level-listed-species-biological-evaluation-clothianidin">clothianidin</a> and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/draft-national-level-listed-species-biological-evaluation-thiamethoxam">thiamethoxam</a> alone are likely to adversely affect over 75% of all endangered species—more than 1,300 plants and animals. These include the San Joaquin kit fox, gray wolf, and dozens of endangered insects, fish, crustaceans, and birds. Many of the species on the list are prey animals that serve as the foundation of the food web. Chinook salmon, for instance, an endangered species and the primary food source for the also endangered Southern Resident killer whales, are among the species likely to be adversely affected.



Humans



Neonics are of particular concern to human health because they are the most widely used pesticide on the market. Neonics are also persistent, meaning they do not readily decompose in soil, water, or air. Even more disturbing, once applied to a plant or seed surface, neonics are designed absorb into and throughout the plant’s tissues so they cannot be washed off.&nbsp;



All humans may be exposed to pesticides through ingestion of contaminated water or food. Still, the <a href="https://pollinator.cals.cornell.edu/sites/pollinator.cals.cornell.edu/files/shared/documents/0727%20Accessible%20Neonicotinoid%20Assessment%20compressed.pdf">risks from pesticides are greater for pesticide applicators</a> and those who work and live near application areas. An overwhelming majority of America’s farmworkers are Black, Hispanic, and people of the global majority, <a href="https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/18/us-people-of-color-pesticides-study">disproportionately exposing </a>these groups. Structural injustices, regulation loopholes, and weak farmworker protections have exacerbated the problem. Exposure to various pesticides has been linked to neurological disorders, brain tumors, childhood leukemia, and other solid tumors in children.&nbsp;



One study published earlier this year found <a href="https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-021-00821-z">multiple neonicotinoids in children’s spinal fluid, plasma, and urine</a>. This is especially concerning because neonics attack the brain receptors responsible for proper brain organization and are involved in motor, emotional, and cognitive functions. Other studies suggest that neonics are associated with congenital malformations, autism spectrum disorder, and memory loss and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0041008X19303850">could impact the human nervous system</a>.



While some of the active ingredients are absorbed into the seed, much of the neonic seed coatings wash off into local waterways, which make their way into drinking water treatment plants. When mixed with chlorine or chloramine, however, which are used in treatment plants to kill bacteria, it can create <a href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70201737">compounds that are even more toxic</a> to humans than the pesticide itself.&nbsp;



Better farming for all



The widespread use of pesticides in feed production is just another book in the library of reasons why factory farming must end. Industrialized food production has created a world of compartmentalization—with monocropped fields, CAFOs, and feedlots that operate separately. These methods undermine nature’s synergistic structure, in which plants and animals thrive without pesticides. To produce food sustainably, we must implement regenerative practices that nurture ecosystems instead of saturating them in chemicals that harm pollinators, wildlife, and people.&nbsp;



To do this, we must:



<ul><li>Produce and consume more organic, plant-based foods (hop over to our <a href="https://www.ciwf.com/sustainable-food/eat-plants-for-a-change/">Eat Plants. For a Change.</a> page for a host of recipes and tips).</li><li>Support whole-farm systems where animals graze and forage naturally and any supplemental nutrition is grown organically on the same farm.&nbsp;</li><li>Support a just transition where farmworkers are treated with respect and kept safe from potential health hazards.</li></ul>



---



Credit: Ben Williamson, U.S. Executive Director of Compassion in World Farming

Neonicotinoids kill bees and threaten hundreds of species

Pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, have become increasingly prevalent...

At 29,032 feet (8,849 m), Mt. Everest is the world's highest mountain. Although many people go to Everest to climb, very little is known about its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vanilla-cultivation-can-boost-biodiversity-in-madagascar/">biodiversity</a>.



In 2019, National Geographic and Rolex came together for the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/topic/perpetual-planet">Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition</a>, the most comprehensive scientific expedition in Everest's history. Scientists from The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Appalachian State University led the research team.&nbsp;



The experts collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples for various water sources between 14,763 feet and 18,044 feet. Environmental DNA can be used to search for small amounts of genetic material left by organisms and is known to be more efficient than traditional surveys. This technique has previously helped scientists to study elusive marine animals such as humpback whales and Swinhoe's softshell turtle. Samples were collected in the field using sealed cartridges and analyzed in a lab.&nbsp;



The scientific team analyzed 20 liters of water and found organisms representing 187 taxonomic orders, or one-sixth of all known orders. The team was also able to identify some samples to the species level. They found DNA from microorganisms, rotifers and tardigrades, as well as from Tibetan snow cock, domestic dogs, and domestic chickens. Several sites contained mayfly DNA, an indicator species of environmental change.&nbsp;



"High-alpine and aeolian environments, which have often been thought of as barren and mostly devoid of life, in fact have abundant biodiversity," said Dr. Tracie Seimon, co-leader of the Everest biology field team. "High mountain environments including Mount Everest should be recognized as a target for sustained long-term biodiversity monitoring of high-alpine taxa to complement bioclimatic monitoring and climate change impact assessments."



Dr. Marisa Lim of the Wildlife Conservation Society is excited about what is left to discover. "We went in search for life on the roof of the world. This is what we found. However, the story does not end here. There is more to be discovered and we hope our findings help to inform future exploration," said Dr. Lim.



The team hopes that the eDNA inventory gathered in this study will help future scientists monitor high alpine regions in the Himalaya and inform past studies so that we may better understand how the region's biodiversity is responding to human pressure and a changing climate.



This study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01120-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004222011208%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">iScience</a>.



---



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

Environmental DNA reveals the diversity of Mount Everest

At 29,032 feet (8,849 m), Mt. Everest is the world's...

Energy consumption projections and decarbonization plans are nothing new. These types of projections are regularly created by governments, scientists, and even industry. In fact, oil companies have long created energy consumption scenarios to plan for the future. In recent years, oil companies have created projections that include decarbonization scenarios.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, these projections are sometimes hard to compare to other scenarios created by academics and government planners. This is because the underlying assumptions of these companies’ claims to meet Paris climate agreements are sometimes opaque. A recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a> has taken a closer look at some of these plans.&nbsp;



Researchers at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> analyzed six projections published in 2020 and 2021. Among these scenarios, two were published by BP, one by Royal Dutch Shell, one by Equinor, and two were published by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The analysis revealed that all of the projections fall short of the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 ̊C.&nbsp;



“Most of the scenarios we evaluated would be classified as inconsistent with the Paris Agreement as they fail to limit warming to ‘well below 2 ̊C, let alone 1.5 ̊C, and would exceed the 1.5 ̊C warming limit by a significant margin," said Dr. Robert Brecha, co-lead author of the study from <a href="https://climateanalytics.org/">Climate Analytics</a>.



In Equinor’s plan, the temperature increase peaks at 1.73 ̊C in 2060, BP’s "Rapid" at 1.73 ̊C in 2058, Shell’s at 1.81 ̊C in 2069 and BP’s "Net Zero" peaks at 1.65 ̊C. These plans may seem close to the Paris Agreement numbers but previous research has shown that even small changes can be critically important.&nbsp;



“Even temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C warming would lead to catastrophic impacts and severely weaken our ability to adapt to climate change," said Bill Hare, CEO and Senior Scientist at Climate Analytics.



Many of the plans from these oil companies still incorporate large uses of coal, which is problematic for other reasons beyond climate change. There is also a reliance on reforestation to offset emissions, which may not be realistic with a growing human population and worse growing conditions.&nbsp;



Overall, it’s good that oil companies are planning for decarbonization. However, they must continue to be held accountable to higher standards if we are to meet important climate goals.&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

Plans by oil companies fall short of climate goals

Energy consumption projections and decarbonization plans are nothing new. These...

In a special section of the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac021">BioScience</a>, a team of researchers led by the US National Science Foundation’s <a href="https://lternet.edu/">Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network</a> has synthesized 40 years of research on how ecosystems are responding to climate change, providing evidence that climate change is affecting our planet on every scale, from global shifts in weather patterns to changes in local ecosystems.&nbsp;



The large scale of this research allows for long-term spatial and temporal analyses of change and “enhances the impact of science on environmental policy relative to short-term studies.” The scientists argue that although various ecosystem have some common responses to climate change, most of their responses are in fact unique, and emerge from a combination of region-specific drivers, human activity, and interactions between a diversity of climate drivers.&nbsp;



In the lead article, researchers from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> and <a href="https://www.syracuse.edu/">Syracuse University</a> lay out the conceptual framework behind the processes driving ecosystem changes, together with the logistics of and varied results from the 28 LTER research sites which were used to collect the data.



A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac050">contribution</a> by Hugh Ducklow (<a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a>) and his colleagues investigates the variety of ocean ecosystem responses to climate change, as well as broader marine physical system changes, including sea ice loss and modifications of the ocean surface layer, while a related <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biab134">article</a> authored by Daniel C. Reed (<a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a>) and his team analyzes the natural capacity of coastal ecosystems to resist and adapt to climate change.



Back on land, Amy R. Hudson (<a href="https://www.usda.gov/">US Department of Agriculture</a>) and her colleagues provide a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biab134">comparative analysis</a> of drylands’ responses to climate change, revealing consistent warming across sites but significant variability in droughts and their effect on primary production, while John L. Campbell (<a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/">USDA Forest Service</a>) and colleagues discuss how forest and freshwater ecosystems are both directly and indirectly impacted by climate change.



Finally, in a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac065">viewpoint article</a>, Michael Paul Nelson (Oregon State University) reflects on environmental scientists’ duty to actively advocate for mobilization and change. “Our love and knowledge create a new kind of work for us in the face of the climate crisis. Beyond the work of revealing and explaining our ecosystems, we are called also to do the work of caretakers for those ecosystems,” he concludes.



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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;

Scientists synthesize four decades of climate change research

In a special section of the journal BioScience, a team...

This summer, an unprecedented <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/europe-will-face-more-frequent-and-extreme-droughts/">drought</a> is afflicting most parts of Europe - as well as the typically rainy U.K - drying up rivers, killing aquatic species, shriveling crops, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions, and causing severe wildfires. Experts argue that climate change is the main driver of this historical drought (which is estimated to be the worst in 500 years), contributing to hotter temperatures that speed up evaporation, “thirstier” plants which take up more moisture, and reduced snowfall in the winter that significantly limits the freshwater supplies generally used for irrigation in the summer.



According to Jean-Philippe Couasné, a chief technician at the <a href="https://www.peche-landes.com/en/who-are-we/">Federation for Fishing and Protection of the Aquatic Environment</a> in France, fish are dying at an unprecedented rate in the Tille river. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “On average, about 8,000 liters (2,100 gallons) per second are flowing…And now, zero liters.” Without rain, the river “will continue to empty. And yes, all fish will die...They are trapped upstream and downstream, there’s no water coming in, so the oxygen level will keep decreasing as the (water) volume goes down. These are species that will gradually disappear.”



Other major rivers throughout Europe, including the Rhine, the Danube, or the Po, as well as lakes such as Garda in Italy or Velence in Hungary face similar conditions, which damage a wide range of ecosystems, and significantly restrict shipping activities. This massive drying up of water sources negatively impacts crop production. For instance, EU corn production is expected to be 12.5 million tons below that in 2021, and sunflower production is projected to be 1.6 million tons lower. Livestock dependent on feed crops are also suffering, with the quantity and quality of milk dropping at unprecedented rates in France and other countries.



Scientists argue that this dire situation Europe is currently facing results from long periods of dry weather caused by changes in world weather systems. Climate change has leveled temperatures across different regions, sapping the forces that drive the Atlantic jet stream, which usually brings rainy weather to Europe. Instead, this weaker and unstable jet stream is now bringing unusually hot air from North Africa to Europe, leading to prolonged heatwaves and subsequent droughts.&nbsp;



If actions to mitigate climate change are not urgently taken, such droughts will become increasingly frequent in the following years, leading to the destruction of a variety of ecosystems, and endangering humans all over the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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;

Europe is experiencing its worst drought in 500 years

This summer, an unprecedented drought is afflicting most parts of...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> have found that with today's heat waves, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greater-temperature-changes-linked-to-worse-extinction-events/">temperature</a> is a lot more stressful to the human body than what is indicated by the heat index. The experts report that the heat index calculated by meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) may underestimate the perceived temperature by more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit on the hottest days of the year.



The heat index is a measure of humidity combined with the air temperature, which represents how it actually feels when you step outside. It indicates how humans can deal with heat when the humidity is high - when sweating is less effective at cooling the body down.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, a higher heat index means that the human body is more stressed during heat waves than what is accounted for by public health officials. A heat index above 103 is considered by the NWS to be dangerous, and above 125 to be extremely dangerous.



“Most of the time, the heat index that the National Weather Service is giving you is just the right value. It's only in these extreme cases where they're getting the wrong number,” said Professor David Romps. “Where it matters is when you start to map the heat index back onto physiological states and you realize, oh, these people are being stressed to a condition of very elevated skin blood flow where the body is coming close to running out of tricks for compensating for this kind of heat and humidity. So, we're closer to that edge than we thought we were before.”



The heat index was devised in 1979 by physicist Robert Steadman, who created simple equations to calculate the hot and humid conditions of summer. However, Steadman left the index undefined for many conditions that we are now experiencing much more frequently in a hotter climate. For example, with a relative humidity of 80 percent, the heat index is not defined for temperatures above 88 degrees Fahrenheit or for below 59 degrees Fahrenheit.



Professor Romps explained that meteorologists have extrapolated into these areas to get numbers that are correct most of the time, but not based on any understanding of human physiology. “There's no scientific basis for these numbers."



The researchers set out to expand upon Steadman’s work to make the heat index accurate at all temperatures and all humidities between zero and 100.



“The original table had a very short range of temperature and humidity and then a blank region where Steadman said the human model failed,” said graduate student Yi-Chuan Lu. “Steadman had the right physics. Our aim was to extend it to all temperatures so that we have a more accurate formula.”



Earlier this year, Professor Romps and Lu published their revised heat index equation. For the current study, they applied this index to the top 100 heat waves that occurred between 1984 and 2020. While they found mostly minor discrepancies from what was reported by the NWS, the team also discovered some instances where the NWS heat index was way off.



One of the most extreme examples occurred during a heat wave in Chicago in July of 1995, when at least 465 people were killed. The maximum heat index reported by the NWS was 135 degrees Fahrenheit - but it actually felt like 154 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the researchers.



“I'm no physiologist, but a lot of things happen to the body when it gets really hot,” said Professor Romps. “Diverting blood to the skin stresses the system because you're pulling blood that would otherwise be sent to internal organs and sending it to the skin to try to bring up the skin's temperature. The approximate calculation used by the NWS, and widely adopted, inadvertently downplays the health risks of severe heat waves.”



Even among the healthiest of individuals, the threshold of heat death is reached at a heat index of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. While Earth is not likely to reach this point in the next few decades, deadly heat conditions are still becoming much more common.&nbsp;



“A 200 F heat index is an upper bound of what is survivable,” said Professor Romps. “But now that we've got this model of human thermoregulation that works out at these conditions, what does it actually mean for the future habitability of the United States and the planet as a whole? There are some frightening things we are looking at.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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

Heat index is greatly underestimated on the hottest days

Researchers at UC Berkeley have found that with today's heat...

Antarctica's ice shelves may be melting at an accelerated rate, which could contribute to more rapid sea level rise. These are the findings of a new model that simulates how rapidly flowing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parts-of-asia-face-irreversible-declines-in-freshwater-storage/">freshwater</a> melted from the ice shelves can trap dense warm ocean water at the base of the ice, causing it to warm and melt even more.



The study was conducted in the laboratory of Andy Thompson, a professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a>.



Ice shelves are outcroppings of the Antarctic ice sheet, found where the ice juts out from land and floats on top of the ocean. The shelves are several hundred meters thick and act as a protective buffer keeping the whole ice sheet from flowing into the ocean, which would dramatically raise global sea levels.&nbsp;



Climate change, however, has warmed the atmosphere and oceans, increasing the speed at which these ice shelves are melting. This is threatening their ability to hold back the flow of the ice sheet into the ocean.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"If this mechanism that we've been studying is active in the real world, it may mean that ice shelf melt rates are 20 to 40 percent higher than the predictions in global climate models, which typically cannot simulate these strong currents near the Antarctic coast," said Thompson.



In this study, the researchers focused on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). It is here that Antarctica sees the most dramatic changes due to climate change. The team's model takes into account the narrow Antarctic Coastal Current, which is not included in many climate models because it is so small.&nbsp;



"Large global climate models don't include this coastal current, because it's very narrow - only about 20 kilometers wide, while most climate models only capture currents that are 100 kilometers across or larger," explained senior researcher Mar Flexas. "So, there is a potential for those models to not represent future melt rates very accurately."



The model illustrates how melted ice turned freshwater is carried by the coastal current and transported around the continent. The less-dense freshwater moves along quickly near the surface of the ocean and traps relatively warm ocean saltwater against the underside of the ice shelves. This causes the ice shelves to melt from below.&nbsp;



Increased meltwater exacerbates climate warming via the Coastal Current, which in turn can escalate melting even at West Antarctic ice shelves thousands of kilometers away. This remote warming mechanism may be part of the reason that the loss of volume from West Antarctic ice shelves has accelerated in recent decades.



"There are aspects of the climate system that we are still discovering," said Thompson. "As we've made progress in our ability to model interactions between the ocean, ice shelves, and atmosphere, we're able to make more accurate predictions with better constraints on uncertainty. We may need to revisit some of the predictions of sea level rise in the next decades or century - that's work that we'll do going forward."



The study can be found in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</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

Antarctic ice shelves are likely melting faster than expected

Antarctica's ice shelves may be melting at an accelerated rate,...

The Tibetan Plateau – known as the “water tower of Asia” – currently supplies freshwater for almost two billion people living downstream. A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01443-0">Nature Climate Change</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-severely-impact-birds-by-2080/">climate change</a> may cause irreversible declines in freshwater storage in this region, leading to a total collapse of the water supply for central Asia and Afghanistan, and a near-total collapse for Northern India, Kashmir, and Pakistan by 2060.



“The prognosis is not good,” said study senior author Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of Atmospheric Science at the <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a>. “In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, where we fail to meaningfully curtail fossil fuel burning in the decades ahead, we can expect a near collapse - that is, nearly 100 percent loss - of water availability to downstream regions of the Tibetan Plateau. I was surprised at just how large the predicted decrease is even under a scenario of modest climate policy.”&nbsp;



The researchers used both ‘top-down’ (satellite-based) and ‘bottom-up’ (ground-based) measurements of water mass in glaciers, lakes, and below-ground sources, combined with machine learning techniques, to provide a benchmark of observed terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes during the past two decades (2002-2020), and projections over the next four decades (2021-2060).&nbsp;



“Compared to previous studies, establishing consistency between top-down and bottom-up approaches is what gives us confidence in this study that we can accurately measure the declines in TWS&nbsp;that have already occurred in this critical region,” Professor Mann said.



The results revealed that, in recent decades, climate change has led to severe depletion in TWS (- 15.8 gigatons per year) in certain areas of the Tibetan Plateau, and significant increases in others (5.6 gigatons per year), most likely due to the competing effects of glacial retreat, lake expansion, and degradation of seasonally frozen grounds. Under a moderate carbon emissions scenario, the entire Tibetan Plateau could experience a loss of about 230 gigatons by 2060.&nbsp;



Excess water loss projections of the Amu Darya basin (which supplies water to Central Asia and Afghanistan), and the Indus basin (which supplies water to Northern India, Pakistan, and Kashmir) indicate a 119 percent and 79 percent decrease, respectively.&nbsp;



“Our study provides insights into hydrologic processes affecting high-mountain freshwater supplies that serve large downstream Asian populations,” said study co-author Di Long, an associate professor of Hydrologic Engineering at <a href="https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/">Tsinghua University</a>. “By examining the interactions between climate change and the TWS in the historical period and future by 2060, this study serves as a basis to guide future research and the management by governments and institutions of improved adaptation strategies.”



“Substantial reductions in carbon emissions over the next decade, as the U.S. is now on the verge of achieving thanks to the recent Inflation Reduction Act, can limit the additional warming and associated climate changes behind the predicted collapse of the Tibetan Plateau water towers. But even in a best-case scenario, further losses are likely unavoidable, which will require substantial adaptation to decreasing water resources in this vulnerable, highly populated region of the world,” concluded Professor Mann.



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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;

Parts of Asia face irreversible declines in freshwater storage

The Tibetan Plateau – known as the “water tower of...

Nuclear,War

A team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has calculated how much sun-blocking soot would enter the atmosphere from firestorms that would be ignited by the detonation of nuclear weapons in six nuclear war scenarios, ranging from a small India-Pakistan conflict to a massive U.S.- Russia war, based on each country’s nuclear arsenal. 



Using this data, the experts estimated productivity of major crops, such as maize, rice, soybean, or spring wheat on a country-by-country basis, as well as projected changes in livestock pastures and global marine fisheries. The analysis revealed that, following a full-scale nuclear war between U.S. and Russia, over five billion people would die of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-drives-millions-of-children-into-hunger/">hunger</a>.



The scientists discovered that, under even the smallest nuclear scenario (a localized war between India and Pakistan), the global average caloric production would decrease by seven percent within five years of the conflict. In the largest war scenario tested (a massive U.S. – Russia nuclear conflict), this percentage would spike to 90 in just three or four years after the war. Crop declines would be most severe in mid-high latitude nations, triggering export restrictions and causing severe disruptions in import-dependent nations in the Middle East and Africa, ultimately leading to a catastrophic disruption of global food markets.



The scientists considered whether using crops generally fed to livestock as human food or reducing food waste would offset these devastating losses in a war’s immediate aftermath, but the savings remain minimal under the large injection scenarios.



“Future work will bring even more granularity to the crop models,” said study lead author Lili Xia, an assistant professor of Environmental Science at Rutgers University. “For instance, the ozone layer would be destroyed by the heating of the stratosphere, producing more ultraviolet radiation at the surface, and we need to understand that impact on food supplies.”



“If nuclear weapons exist, they can be used, and the world has come close to nuclear war several times,” added study senior author Alan Robock, a distinguished professor of Climate Science at the same university. “Banning nuclear weapons is the only long-term solution. The five-year-old UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been ratified by 66 nations, but none of the nine nuclear states. Our work makes clear that it is time for those nine states to listen to science and the rest of the world and sign this treaty,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00573-0">Nature Food</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;

Nuclear war would cause global famine and kill billions

A team of researchers led by Rutgers University has calculated...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
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A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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