The world is rapidly investing in renewable energy to combat climate change. Solar panels, wind farms, and hydroelectric plants are spreading across landscapes once dominated by coal plants and oil rigs. 



These changes give the impression of an inevitable transition away from fossil fuels. Yet a new study from <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> suggests that this shift might not be as straightforward as it seems.



Professor Ryan Thombs, a rural sociology researcher, examined more than two decades of U.S. energy data. His findings challenge a common belief: that building more renewable energy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tapping-into-the-natural-power-of-plants-for-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sources</a> will naturally lead to a decrease in fossil fuel production. 



The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, paints a more complex picture of energy use in the United States.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewable-growth-and-fossil-fuel-use">Renewable growth and fossil fuel use</h2>



Thombs analyzed fuel production data from 33 U.S. states that produce fossil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-honors-success-in-clean-energy-and-wildlife-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fuels</a>. His dataset spanned from 1997 to 2020, covering coal, natural gas, crude oil, and various renewable sources including wind, solar, hydro, and biofuels. 



The United States, as the world’s second-largest energy producer and greenhouse gas emitter, offers a crucial case study for understanding global energy transitions.



When Thombs looked at how renewable energy production varied alongside fossil fuel output, he found no significant link. States that ramped up renewables didn’t necessarily reduce their fossil fuel production. 



This suggests that renewable growth alone does not push out fossil fuel use. Instead, the study shows that over 96% of the differences in fossil fuel production between states can be explained by fixed factors unique to each state.



These factors include the amount of fossil fuel deposits underground, the strength of local fossil fuel industries, and historical patterns of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy development</a>. In short, geography and legacy infrastructure matter more than many policy assumptions suggest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewables-won-t-displace-fossil-fuels">Renewables won't displace fossil fuels</h2>



The disconnect between policy expectations and real-world outcomes is important. Many environmental strategies assume that increasing renewable energy will automatically shrink fossil fuel production. Thombs argues this assumption needs reevaluation.



“Policies could include ones that directly limit fossil fuel production through carbon taxes, setting production caps on fossil fuels and keeping fossil fuel <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/report-earth-is-headed-for-an-irreversible-climate-disaster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reserves</a> in the ground,” he said.



Such policies would directly address fossil fuel use rather than relying on indirect market competition. Without these measures, fossil fuel-rich states may continue extracting oil, coal, and gas - even as they expand their renewable portfolios.



This is particularly true in states where both types of energy resources exist side by side. Instead of displacing fossil fuels, renewables may simply be added to the mix. This outcome weakens efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate targets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-fuels-still-dominate-global-emissions">Fossil fuels still dominate global emissions</h2>



Climate science leaves little doubt about the consequences of continued fossil fuel use. According to the United Nations, fossil fuels are responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. 



Reducing reliance on these sources is essential for limiting global temperature rise and avoiding the most severe climate impacts.



In recent years, renewable energy has grown rapidly and now leads new energy generation projects in many parts of the world. This expansion creates a sense of momentum. 



Yet, Thombs’ research warns against overconfidence. He notes that assuming renewable growth alone can reduce fossil fuel use may result in weak or incomplete policies.



“However, many policies to this point assume that growth in renewable energy corresponds with a proportional decrease in fossil fuels,” he said. 



“If it doesn’t, then we may need to implement additional policies to reduce fossil fuel production directly rather than hope that deploying renewables will crowd out fossil fuels.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewables-fail-to-replace-fossil-fuels">Renewables fail to replace fossil fuels</h2>



To ensure that his conclusions held up, Thombs used three different statistical modeling techniques. He worked with state-level data on per capita production of both fossil fuels and renewables. This included geothermal, wind, solar thermal, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, biofuels, and waste-based sources.



Despite the diversity in energy types and methods of analysis, the results remained consistent. The growth of renewables did not correlate with a decline in fossil fuel output. 



The findings suggest that entrenched patterns of fossil fuel use won’t simply shift with market changes alone.



The study also indicates that states with large fossil fuel reserves have deeply rooted advantages in continuing extraction. These advantages, tied to geology and existing infrastructure, make it hard for renewables to replace fossil fuels unless laws or regulations intervene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stronger-regulations-are-needed">Stronger regulations are needed</h2>



Thombs acknowledges the study has some boundaries. The analysis applies specifically to the U.S. and only covers the years from 1997 to 2020. 



Global energy dynamics or more recent data might produce different results. Still, the findings offer a useful starting point for thinking about energy policy in similar industrialized nations.



“It's possible that renewables will substitute fossil fuels as the broader political economy transforms, especially if state regulations are implemented,” he said. 



“However, the findings do demonstrate that any such transition will be hindered by the close proximity of renewable and fossil fuel resources in many fossil-fuel-dependent states.”



This dual presence of resources can trap states in a mixed-energy status. Without stronger policies that directly curb fossil fuel use, these states may maintain both systems rather than phasing one out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-future-energy-strategies">Implications for future energy strategies</h2>



Thombs’ work points toward a broader conclusion: the U.S. needs a layered approach to energy transition. Investing in renewables remains important, but it cannot stand alone. Policymakers should also create legal and economic barriers to fossil fuel extraction if they want to see real change.



This could involve setting caps on fossil fuel production, taxing carbon emissions, or legally designating certain reserves to remain untapped. Each strategy comes with political and economic trade-offs, but the study suggests such moves are necessary.



The energy transition won’t happen just because renewables get cheaper or more abundant. Real reductions in fossil fuel use will likely depend on active decisions to limit their production. Only then can renewables take center stage - not just as additions, but as true replacements.



The study is published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13412-025-01013-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences</a>. 



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Renewables alone may not cut U.S. fossil fuel use

The world is rapidly investing in renewable energy to combat climate change. Solar panels, wind farms, and hydroelectric plants are spreading across landscapes once dominated by coal plants and oil rigs. These changes give the impression of an inevitable transition away from fossil fuels. Yet a new study from Penn State suggests that this shift might not be as straightforward as it seems. Professor Ryan Thombs, a rural sociology researcher, examined more than two decades of U.S. energy data. His findings challenge a common belief: that building...

In the summer of 2020, eastern Asia suffered the devastating effects of an anomalous Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) that brought unprecedented rainfall and catastrophic floods. In China alone, hundreds of people died, 28,000 homes were destroyed and billions of dollars of damage was done. Although people hope this scenario will not be repeated anytime soon, Chinese scientists fear that it will become an all-too-familiar occurrence in future.



The WPSH is a key anticyclonic atmospheric circulation system that hovers over the middle and lower troposphere of the northwestern Pacific. It occupies about 20–25 percent of the Northern Hemisphere’s surface and plays a major role in the global circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. It is also closely related to Asian climate and weather, and dominates summer climate extremes in the densely populated countries of East China.



In an article published today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the <a href="https://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), find that the frequency of strong WPSH events, such as the one seen in the summer of 2020, is likely to increase as carbon emissions in the atmosphere increase. This conclusion was based on the use of 32 different climate models for predicting outcomes under current scenarios of global warming.



Each year, the intensity of the WPSH is influenced by the variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in tropical regions such as the central Pacific and Indian Oceans. For this reason, anomalous SST can affect both local and remote rainfall and atmospheric convection, which in turn modulate atmospheric circulation over the northwestern Pacific.



Under conditions of global warming, rainfall and atmospheric convection can be more sensitive to SST variability. This is because the amount of water vapor that can be carried by the air increases exponentially with increases in temperature. 



In a warmer climate, the average moisture content of the atmosphere will increase and the response of tropical humidity and associated gross moist instability to SST anomalies will also be larger.



“These changes, combining with the non-uniform change in background SST, can lead to enhanced responses of atmospheric convection to the central Pacific SST, and then increased variability of atmospheric circulation, including the WPSH,”&nbsp;said study lead author Dr. Yang Kai.



“The increase in WPSH variability translates into an increase in frequency of strong WPSH events, which suggests that greenhouse warming is likely to increase the risk of East China flooding associated with strong WPSH events, as seen in the 2020 episode,”&nbsp;said study co-author Professor Huang Gang.



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

Flood risk in East China is rising alongside temperatures

In the summer of 2020, eastern Asia suffered the devastating...

Rivers have been a steady source of life for many civilizations growing on their banks over thousands of years. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-moon-volcanoes-may-provide-astronauts-with-drinking-water/">Water</a> for drinking, irrigation and sanitation have always been essential.&nbsp;



However, there is a darker side to rivers. When they flood their banks, these powerful bodies of water can destroy crops, bring down buildings, and cause deaths.&nbsp;



Modern engineers strive to control rivers, but they can be unpredictable. Sometimes floods can even force a river to take an entirely new course, something called a river avulsion.&nbsp;



Now, a team of researchers from UC Santa Barbara has created the first list of river avulsions. The study finishes off a decade of work by the research group, and will significantly increase our understanding of avulsions.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“This dataset provides the first unambiguous test of the theory, which demonstrates that there are three distinct regimes of avulsions on fans and deltas,” said study co-author Professor <a href="https://www.geog.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/vamsi-ganti">Vamsi Ganti</a> of <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">UC Santa Barbara</a>. “This is a long way from where we started,” he added. “A decade ago, avulsions were thought to be these chaotic and stochastic events that were not very predictable.”



Because of the rarity of avulsions, they have been difficult to study and little has been known about them. Typically, a river would need to be studied for a long period of time for avulsions to be observed. Satellite photos are an answer to this problem - allowing researchers to instead monitor the whole planet looking for avulsions.&nbsp;



“Although avulsions are very rare, when you’re looking at practically every single delta on Earth, you’re going to get lucky on a few of them,” said study co-author Austin Chadwick, a postdoctoral scholar at University of Minnesota.&nbsp;



The team got lucky 113 times while combing the satellite data from 1973 to 2020 and historical maps. “Instead of having these few, deeply studied sites, we now have a representative sample of everywhere on Earth for the last 50 years,” said Chadwick.&nbsp;



The researchers found three types of avulsions. In the first, the river moved to a flatter landscape where it fanned out. In the second, the river avulsion was limited to a backwater area. Thirdly, the avulsion carried sediments quite far upstream.&nbsp;



Understanding avulsions can be important for human planning, especially as climate change continues to intensify. The scientists hope that this study is the start of a deeper understanding of avulsions and how they will affect us.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



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

What happens when rivers jump their banks?

Rivers have been a steady source of life for many...

The pink sea fan is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemical-found-in-soft-corals-could-be-used-to-treat-cancer/">soft coral</a> living in shallow waters from the western Mediterranean to the northwest of Ireland and the southwest of England and Wales. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has found that, as global temperatures rise, this species is likely to spread northwards, including around the British coast. Since these corals are currently categorized as vulnerable by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN), the experts’ findings could be used to identify priority areas to protect pink sea fan populations.&nbsp;



Pink sea fans, as many other octocoral species, are ecologically important because they add complexity to reef systems and support aquatic biodiversity, particularly when they form dense “forests.” Moreover, they can also be used as broader indicators of ecosystem health, since fragmented or degraded colonies may be a sign of degraded environments.&nbsp;



“We built models to predict the current and future (2081-2100) habitat of pink sea fans across an area covering the Bay of Biscay, the British Isles, and southern Norway,” said study lead author Tom Jenkins, a research scientist at the University of Exeter. “The model predictions revealed current areas of suitable habitat beyond the current northern range limits of the pink sea fan, in areas where colonies have not yet been observed.” &nbsp;



According to Dr. Jenkins, it is not clear why pink sea fans have not yet colonized these areas, although insufficient dispersal of their larvae and high competition between species for habitats and resources could play a significant role.



“Our future predictions, using a high-emissions global warming scenario called <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-the-high-emissions-rcp8-5-global-warming-scenario/">RCP 8.5</a>, revealed an increase in suitable habitat for pink sea fans to the north of its current range – so the species could spread northwards by 2100,” he added. “We also found that existing habitat across south-west Britain, the Channel Islands and northwest France is predicted to remain suitable for this species over the next 60-80 years.”



These findings highlight the complex impact of global warming on marine ecosystems. “In a rapidly changing mosaic of habitats, some species – typically those favoring warmer conditions – may come out as short-term ‘winners’,” said study co-author Jamie Stevens, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Exeter. “How long these species can continue to expand and benefit in the face of accelerated warming remains to be seen.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13509">PeerJ</a>.



---



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

Pink sea fan corals are resilient to climate change

The pink sea fan is a soft coral living in...

Climate change is having a negative impact on many animals all around the world. However, a new study led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> has found that one species may in fact benefit from warming temperatures: rattlesnakes. Since they are cold-blooded animals, rattlesnakes prefer higher temperatures. Thus, a warming <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-u-s-corn-belt-will-take-a-hard-hit-from-climate-change/">climate</a> could make them spend less time hibernating and more being out in the wilderness.&nbsp;



Although rattlesnakes live in every state in the continental United States, they are most commonly found in the southwest. They are relatively reserved reptiles that mostly avoid confrontation with humans. However, when threatened, they often curl into striking position and begin rattling their tail before attacking. According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/default.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), between 7,000 and 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes every year, with about five deaths over this timespan. Even if rarely fatal, rattlesnake bites can leave lasting marks, with 10 to 44 percent of people bitten developing long-lasting injuries, such as losing the ability to use their extremities.



These snakes prefer body temperatures of 86 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit – much higher than those found in nature. Moreover, rattlesnakes living in hotter climates seem to be larger and more robust than those living in colder regions. “They’re&nbsp;existing in temperatures cooler than what they would want to be at&nbsp;in a perfect world,” said study lead author Hayley Crowell, a doctoral student in Thermal Ecology at the University of Michigan. “If there’s a couple degree increase in climate,&nbsp;these snakes, from a physiology standpoint, might&nbsp;be happier because it’s closer to their preferred body temperature.”



Thus, if temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the rattlesnakes’ hibernation period could end earlier in the spring, and they could be active much later in the autumn than they previously used to be. However, even if these creatures seem to benefit from warmer temperatures, they may face some negative effects too, such as low availability of prey and water, and increased risk of exposure to wildfires.



As Crowell explained though, since rattlesnakes have lower metabolisms than other animals, they do not need a lot of food to survive. “A&nbsp;rattlesnake can totally survive just on one or two big ground squirrels a year if it needed to,” she said, suggesting that, overall, climate change will mostly benefit these venomous creatures.



Luckily, Crowell argued, there is no need to panic: more rattlesnake activity will not mean “a giant boom of millions of more rattlesnakes.” Instead, they will only be noticed more frequently. Most probably, she concluded, the annual number of bites will not rise drastically.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.7649">Ecology and Evolution</a>.



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

Rattlesnakes may benefit from climate change

Climate change is having a negative impact on many animals...

A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> has recently discovered an entirely new class of highly reactive chemical compounds – hydrotrioxides (ROOH) – in Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/methane-in-a-planets-atmosphere-could-be-a-sign-of-life/">atmosphere</a>. The chemicals are extremely oxidizing and likely to affect both human health and the global climate.



Scientists have long known that common chemical compounds called hydrogen peroxides, which contain two oxygen atoms attached to each other and are thus highly reactive and often flammable and explosive, are abundantly found in the atmosphere. Recent years have witnessed debates as to whether trioxides – chemical compounds with three oxygen atoms attached to one another and thereby even more reaction than the peroxides – are released in the atmosphere too. Until recently though, their existence has not been unequivocally proven.



“This is what we have now accomplished,” said study senior author Henrik Grum Kjærgaard, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. “The type of compounds we discovered are unique in their structure. And, because they are extremely oxidizing, they most likely bring a host of effects that we have yet to uncover.”



According to Professor Kjærgaard and his colleagues, hydrotrioxides are formed during the atmospheric decomposition of many widely emitted substances, such as isoprene and dimethyl sulfate. In fact, researchers estimate that almost all chemical compounds can form trioxides in the atmosphere with lifespans ranging from minutes to hours. Thus, these substances are stable enough to react with many other atmospheric compounds.&nbsp;



The scientists suspect that trioxides are able to enter into tiny airborne particles called <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/aerosols-swirling-around-the-earth/">aerosols</a>, which can be easily inhaled and lead to various health hazards, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Moreover, these aerosols may also have a significant impact on the climate.



“As sunlight is both reflected and absorbed by aerosols, this affects the Earth’s heat balance - that is, the ratio of sunlight that Earth absorbs and sends back into space. When aerosols absorb substances, they grow and contribute to cloud formation, which affects Earth’s climate as well,” explained study co-author Eva R. Kjærgaard, a PhD student in Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen.



Further research is needed to clarify the full range of effects atmospheric trioxides may have on human health and the climate, and to develop targeted interventions if they turn out to be dangerous. Moreover, future investigations of the chemical composition of the atmosphere are necessary to identify other potentially harmful substances.&nbsp;



“The discovery suggests that there could be plenty of other things in the air that we don’t yet know about. Indeed, the air surrounding us is a huge tangle of complex chemical reactions. As researchers, we need to keep an open mind if we want to get better at finding solutions,” concluded study co-author Jing Chen, a computational chemist at the University of Copenhagen.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6012">Science</a>.



---



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

Highly reactive chemicals discovered in the atmosphere

A research team led by the University of Copenhagen has...

Due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-threatens-the-health-of-billions-of-people/">climate change</a>, temperatures in the Arctic are rising rapidly. As a result, the treeline for Siberian larch forests is steadily advancing northward, gradually replacing the broad expanses of tundra, which are home to a unique and diverse community of plants and animals, many of which are endemic to this region.&nbsp;



By using computer simulations, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI) has now found that only consistent climate protection measures could allow roughly 30 percent of the Siberian tundra to survive to mid-millennium. In less favorable greenhouse-gas reduction scenarios, this habitat may disappear completely.



“For the Arctic Ocean and the sea ice, the current and future warming will have serious consequences,” said study co-author Ulrike Herzschuh, Head of the Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems Division at AWI.



“But the environment on land will also change drastically. The broad expanses of tundra in Siberia and North America will be massively reduced, as the treeline, which is already slowly changing, rapidly advances northward in the near future. In the worst-case scenario, there will be virtually no tundra left by the middle of the millennium.”&nbsp;



Professor Herzschuh and her colleagues simulated this process for the tundra in northeast Russia, and found that, in the majority of greenhouse-gas reduction scenarios, less than six percent of today’s tundra will survive by mid-millennium. Only drastic reductions in emissions could save about 30 percent of this habitat, which is currently home to a diversity of plant and animal species that are adapted to live in harsh conditions, including mountain avens, Arctic poppies, willows, birches, reindeer, lemmings, and Arctic bumblebees.



“At this point, it’s a matter of life and death for the Siberian tundra,” said Eva Klebelsberg, an expert in Sustainable Development at the <a href="https://www.arcticwwf.org/">World Wildlife Fund Arctic Program</a>. “Larger areas can only be saved with very ambitious climate protection targets. And even then, in the best case there will ultimately be two discrete refuges, with smaller flora and fauna populations that are highly vulnerable to disrupting influences. That’s why it’s important that we intensify and expand protective measures and protected areas in these regions, so as to preserve refuges for the tundra’s unparalleled biodiversity,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/75163">eLife</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

Siberian tundra could vanish by mid-millennium

Due to climate change, temperatures in the Arctic are rising...

Coral reefs have complex soundscapes – created by fish and other creatures living there - which can be used by scientists to measure <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diversity-abundance-coral-reef-health/">coral health</a>. However, traditional acoustic surveys of reefs rely on labor-intensive methods which face significant difficulties in assessing reef health through the use of individual recordings.&nbsp;



Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has trained a computer algorithm using multiple recordings of both healthy and degraded reefs, allowing the machine to learn the difference. When fed new data, this algorithm was able to successfully identify reef health 92 percent of the time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Coral reefs are facing multiple threats including climate change, so monitoring their health and the success of conservation projects is vital,” said study lead author Ben Williams, a doctoral student in Soundscape Ecology at the University of Exeter. “One major difficulty is that visual and acoustic surveys of reefs usually rely on labor-intensive methods. Visual surveys are also limited by the fact that many reef creatures conceal themselves, or are active at night, while the complexity of reef sounds has made it difficult to identify reef health using individual recordings.”



The scientists’ approach to this problem was to use machine learning in order to train computers to learn “the song of the reef.” Their findings suggest that computers can pick up patterns that are undetectable to the human ear, which they can use to faster and more accurately assess reef health. While the meaning of many individual calls of reef inhabitants remains unknown, this new method can nevertheless distinguish between the overall sounds of healthy and unhealthy reefs.



“This is a really exciting development,” said study co-author Timothy Lamont, a marine biologist at <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a>. “Sound recorders and AI could be used around the world to monitor the health of reefs, and discover whether attempts to protect and restore them are working.”



“In many cases it’s easier and cheaper to deploy an underwater hydrophone on a reef and leave it there than to have expert divers visiting the reef repeatedly to survey it – especially in remote locations,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004575?via%3Dihub">Ecological Indicators</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Coral reef health can be measured through sound

Coral reefs have complex soundscapes – created by fish and...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a> has shed more light on how the tilting and wobbling of the Earth as it orbits around the Sun has influenced the melting of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere over the past two million years. This phenomenon drives the succession of global ice age cycles.&nbsp;



Scientists have long known that the waxing and waning of the massive ice sheets from the Northern Hemisphere results from changes in the geometry of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.&nbsp;



According to the experts, there are two main aspects of Earth’s geometry that can lead to the melting of ice sheets: obliquity – the angle of the Earth’s tilt as it orbits around the Sun, and precession – the way in which the Earth wobbles as it rotates, like a slightly off-center spinning top. Due to the angle of this wobble, sometimes the Northern Hemisphere and other times the Southern one is closer to the Sun. Thus, about every 10,000 years or so, one hemisphere will have warmer summers compared to the other.



Over the past million years, the combined effects of obliquity and precession on the waxing and waning of Northern ice sheets have resulted, through complex interactions within the climate system, in ice age cycles lasting approximately 100 thousand years. However, scientists have previously argued that, before one million years ago - during a period known as the early Pleistocene - the duration of ice ages (about 41,000 years) was controlled solely by obliquity.&nbsp;



Yet, according to the Cardiff researchers, precession played a significant role during the early Pleistocene too. While warmer summers driven by precession have always caused Northern Hemisphere ice sheets to melt, before one million years ago, these events were less severe and did not lead to a complete collapse of ice sheets.



“Early Pleistocene ice sheets in the northern hemisphere were smaller than their more recent counterparts, and limited to higher latitudes where the effects of obliquity dominate over precession,” explained study lead author Stephen Barker, a professor of Earth Science at Cardiff University. “This probably explains why it has taken so long for us to find evidence of precession forcing during early Pleistocene.”



“Improving our understanding of Earth’s climate dynamics, even in the remote past, is crucial if we hope to predict changes over the next century and beyond. Ongoing changes may be manmade, but there’s only one climate system and we need to understand it,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm4033">Science</a>.



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

How Earth’s orbit drives global ice age cycles

A new study led by Cardiff University has shed more...

An international team of researchers set out to determine who should be held accountable for the world's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/u-s-plastic-recycling-dropped-under-six-percent-in-2021/">plastic</a> packaging waste. According to the paper published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.13282">Journal of Industrial Ecology</a>, only 14 percent of plastic waste is recycled.



Study co-author Sandy Dall’erba is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) and director of the Center for Climate, Regional, Environmental and Trade Economics (CREATE) at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a>.&nbsp;



"We wanted to follow the plastic packaging waste embedded in the global supply chain. This work allows us to conclude the problem is a responsibility shared between economic agents, from the producers and their intermediaries to the retail stores and the consumers,” said Dall’erba.



The researchers found that the top producers of plastic package waste are also some of the world's wealthiest countries and biggest consumers, including the United States (19%), Brazil (13%), and China (12%). The experts also found that animal agriculture, the most significant contributor to global climate change, produces a lot of plastic waste.



"High-protein food such as meat, fish, and dairy is a trademark in the Americas and those generate a lot of plastic packaging waste," explained Dall’erba. "For instance, every 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of fish consumed will lead to an average of about 1.6 kg (2.5 lbs.) waste. This includes plastic bags, trays, and cellophane used to wrap and cover the fish during transportation, storage, and sales.”



Global trade is also a significant contributing factor. The study authors state that 25 percent of plastic packaging waste results from international exports. The researchers acknowledge that plastic is not going anywhere anytime soon. But, we can make changes to produce less waste.&nbsp;



"We need to further develop technologies that make plastics more biodegradable, such as products based on algae," said Dall'ebra, who emphasized that we also need stricter regulations to discourage plastic packaging production and use.



“All agents along the supply chain and final consumers need incentives to reduce plastic use. Some examples are taxes on waste management or refunds for returning plastic bottles,” explained study lead author Xiang Gao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.



“Other steps include banning of single-use plastic straws, or imposing fees for grocery store plastic bags. Consuming locally grown, seasonal food would help, and so would better transparency about the true recyclability associated with the resin identification code stamped on plastic packaging.”



The researchers concluded that producers and consumers must share responsibility and costs of tackling the increasing burden of plastic packaging waste.



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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

Who is responsible for the burden of plastic packaging waste?

An international team of researchers set out to determine who...

A new report from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> emphasizes the need for people to be "the heart of climate action." Given that all <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/our-warming-climate-is-changing-how-animals-hibernate/">climate</a> solutions will involve people in one way or another, the social sciences will have a vital role to play, explained the researchers.&nbsp;



"Achieving the urgent and necessary transformations laid out in the recently published IPCC report will require placing people at the heart of climate action," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Tackling climate change cannot be achieved solely through technological breakthroughs or new climate models. We must build on the strong social science knowledge base and develop a more visible, responsive and interdisciplinary-oriented social science that engages with people and is valued in its diversity by decision-makers from government, industry, civil society and law."



The experts say social science can help to engage people and societies, and to establish a green transition that is both effective and promotes other climate action goals such as equity and fairness. The report is the first paper published by the new Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS) program.



"To meet our climate goals, we need both profound societal change and continued technical improvements," said ACCESS team leader Professor Patrick Devine-Wright. "This dual approach can improve people’s quality of life, reduce emissions and ensure thriving economies and ecosystems."



"If people are at the heart of climate action, then understanding and tackling climate change cannot be done by engineers or natural scientists alone. All disciplines need to work together - not least a range of social sciences including political science, sociology, geography and psychology - to find solutions in ways that achieve wider societal goals."



Professor Devine-Wright said this progress should now continue, with the aim of developing more visible, responsive and interdisciplinary social science that engages with people and is valued in its diversity by decision-makers from government, industry, civil society and law.



The report is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/">PLOS Climate</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

People must be placed at the heart of climate action

A new report from the University of Exeter emphasizes the...

A newly discovered network of “lost” ancient cities in the Amazon could provide new insight into how ancient civilizations constructed vast urban landscapes while living harmoniously with nature.&nbsp;An international team of researchers uncovered intricate settlements that have been hiding under tree canopies for centuries in the Llanos de Mojos savanna-forest, Bolivia.&nbsp;



The cities, built by the Casarabe communities between 500-1400 AD, feature elaborate and intricate structures unlike any previously discovered in the region. This challenges the view of Amazonia as a historically “pristine” landscape. Instead, Amazonia was home to an early urbanism created and managed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/indigenous-people-harvested-oysters-sustainably-for-thousands-of-years/">Indigenous</a> populations for thousands of years.&nbsp;



The cities were built and maintained alongside nature, using sustainable strategies that promoted conservationism and preserved the rich biodiversity of the surrounding landscape.&nbsp;



“We long suspected that the most complex pre-Columbian societies in the whole basin developed in this part of the Bolivian Amazon, but evidence is concealed under the forest canopy and is hard to visit in person," said Professor José Iriarte of the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>.



"Our lidar system has revealed built terraces, straight causeways, enclosures with checkpoints, and water reservoirs. There are monumental structures that are just a mile apart connected by 600 miles of canals, long raised causeways connecting sites, reservoirs and lakes."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Lidar technology combined with extensive archaeological research reveals that Indigenous people not only managed forested landscapes but also created urban landscapes, which can significantly contribute to perspectives on the conservation of the Amazon."&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This region was one of the earliest occupied by humans in Amazonia, where people started to domesticate crops of global importance such as manioc and rice. But little is known about daily life and the early cities built during this period.”&nbsp;



The team used lidar technology to peer through the forest canopy and examine the sites. This revealed the sheer magnitude and magnificence of the civic-ceremonial centres found buried in the forest. The research team suggests that the scale of labor and planning to construct the settlements is comparable only with the Archaic states of the central Andes.&nbsp;



The discovery provides new insight into how ancient urbanism was carried out sustainably and embracing conservationism. For example, seasonally flooded savannas were transitioned into productive agricultural and aquacultural landscapes.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study shows that the Indigenous people managed forested landscapes and created urban landscapes in tandem. This is evidence of successful, sustainable strategies but also a previously undiscovered cultural-ecological heritage.&nbsp;



“These ancient cities were primary centres of a regional settlement network connected by still visible, straight causeways that radiate from these sites into the landscape for several kilometres. Access to the sites may have been restricted and controlled," said study co-author Dr. Mark Robinson.



“Our results put to rest arguments that western Amazonia was sparsely populated in pre-Hispanic times. The architectural layout of Casarabe culture large settlement sites indicates that the inhabitants of this region created a new social and public landscape."



"The scale, monumentality and labour involved in the construction of the civic-ceremonial architecture, water management infrastructure, and spatial extent of settlement dispersal, compare favourably to Andean cultures and are to a scale far beyond the sophisticated, interconnected settlements of Southern Amazonia.”&nbsp;



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

Lost cities in the Amazon were built in harmony with nature

A newly discovered network of “lost” ancient cities in the...

Tidal flats fringe the edges of coastal areas and are important ecosystems for plant and animal communities, as well as for people. They include beaches and coastal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wetlands-are-caught-in-a-battle-between-co2-and-rising-seas/">wetlands</a>, both of which are used extensively for human activities, such as fishing and bathing.&nbsp;



These areas, where the tide rises and falls each day, act as buffer zones between the land and the ocean, and can protect coastal communities from the most severe effects of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and floods. However, urban expansion and ever-increasing pressure from human activity threaten the functionality of these tidal ecosystems, and even their very existence, as people seek new places to occupy and build infrastructure.&nbsp;



About 29 percent&nbsp;of the United States’ population lives in coastline counties – more than 41 million live in Atlantic counties alone. This high population density poses a critical threat to coastal areas because it brings with it intense human activity, some of which is focused on the tidal flat areas. Although several recent studies have found that tidal areas are shrinking due to direct and indirect human activity, there is as yet no unified method for assessing or quantifying the interactions between urban areas and tidal flats on a large scale. At best, research is focused on local areas only and uses different methodological approaches.



Researchers from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fau.edu/">Florida Atlantic University</a>&nbsp;have now developed a novel approach that quantifies patterns of change in tidal flats from a spatiotemporal perspective, using data that has been collected over time. For their study, they analyzed the annual dynamics of three highly urbanized coastal counties in the southeastern U.S., namely Charleston in South Carolina, Chatham in Georgia, and Duval in Florida.&nbsp;



The area under investigation contains several unique environmental settings, including a tidal flat system of more than 3,168 square kilometers that is characterized by numerous sounds, estuaries and wetlands. The researchers identified and quantified the tidal flat losses in these three counties, between 1985 and 2015, that were directly or indirectly associated with urban expansion. Their study is one of the first to investigate correlations between tidal flats and urban areas using this technique.



The data used in this study came from the 30 m annual map collection of urban extent in the U.S., which was derived from Landsat images taken between 1985 and 2015. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) archives the land cover maps in different time periods throughout the U.S., which provides worthwhile references for urban mapping before 2011. In addition, a set of nighttime light images given by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite was used for analysis of urban extent after 2011. Using a similar approach, data from 30 m annual maps of tidal flat areas in the southeastern U.S. between 1984 and 2020 were also used.&nbsp;



The findings showed that currently, Charleston, SC, has the largest tidal flats (544.87 km2&nbsp;on annual average), followed by Chatham, GA (343.46 km2&nbsp;on annual average), and Duval, FL (89.49 km2&nbsp;on annual average).&nbsp;However, the tidal flats in all three of these counties showed significant shrinkage in area between 2005 and 2015.



The results also showed that the tidal flats are under pressure from urban expansion from both the eastern and western sides. In particular, the western side has been rapidly urbanized during the three decades, giving Duval County the largest new urban areas within two kilometers of the coast. Duval County has experienced more erosion and urban growth than the other two counties and also has much smaller tidal flats than the other two counties. It has the largest newly urbanized area toward the seashore. Compared with the two other counties, Duval County also has a less stable environment of tidal flats, which calls for a higher level of public awareness and concern.



Meanwhile, some suburbs in the two other counties have also been rapidly urbanized, including the eastern and western wings of the city of Charleston and southwestern side of the city of Savannah. These urbanizations would have affected the surrounding tidal flats, with the closest areas experiencing higher environmental pressures.&nbsp;



The researchers found that, in locations where new urban areas overlap with tidal flats, the constant shrinkage of the tidal flats is hysteretic to (lags behind) the accelerated process of urbanization in the coastal area. This hysteresis effect also exists in the restoration and management of ecosystems, and severe damages could result in irreversible changes.



“It takes time to observe the follow-up ecological effects of urban expansion in recent years. Based on our research, the tidal flats in these three counties urgently need a sustainable plan of management in response to the rapid expansion of urban areas,” said study senior author Dr. Weibo Liu.



These results highlight the conflicts between intensified human activities and tidal flat environments. The study authors said that, in order to deal with this environmental crisis, the conflict between human beings and the coastal environment urgently calls for public awareness, as well as effective collaborations between lawmakers, scientists, and local authorities.



“Urban expansion is regarded as one of the major anthropogenic threats to the environment of tidal flats,” said study first author Chao Xu. “While it is challenging to stop the inundation process driven by sea level rise, a more practical solution would be to limit urbanization near the shoreline. This way, tidal flats would be more flexible to migrate toward the inland area.”



The researchers propose that their method could be modified and then usefully applied to assess changes in tidal flat areas around the entire coast of the U.S., and even in other areas of the world.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/earth">Earth</a>.



Image Credit: Florida Atlantic University



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

Tidal flats are under pressure from urban expansion

Tidal flats fringe the edges of coastal areas and are...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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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Saturn,-,High,Resolution,3d,Images,Presents,Planets,Of,The

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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