Climate change solutions might be closer than we think - not in labs or remote forests, but in the microbes living in our homes. James Henriksen, a microbiologist at <a href="https://www.colostate.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colorado State University</a>, believes the secret to fighting climate change could be hiding in dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters.



Henriksen wants everyone to join the hunt for extremophiles - organisms that thrive in extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-wins-in-2025-came-from-unexpected-places/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conditions</a>. They’re tiny, they’re tough, and some might be surprisingly useful.



These microbes have adapted to harsh environments, evolving traits that could potentially absorb carbon dioxide or clean up pollutants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-home-microbes-fighting-climate-change">Home microbes fighting climate change</h2>



<a href="https://citsci.org/projects/the-extremophile-campaign-in-the-wild/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home</a> is a new initiative from CitSci, the Two Frontiers Project, and SeedLabs. It kicked off in October, rallying citizen scientists to search for hidden organisms.



“We believe that we have found new organisms, and we know that they have unique characteristics purely from the fact that they're growing and thriving in some of these unusual environments,” Henriksen said. Already, the campaign has led to some intriguing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/south-africas-land-is-continuously-rising-as-water-disappears-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discoveries</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-microbe-with-a-big-appetite">A microbe with a big appetite</h2>



Deep in the volcanic ocean vents off the island of Vulcano, Henriksen and his team stumbled upon Chonkus. This cyanobacterium isn’t just any microbe. It devours carbon dioxide and then sinks, locking away CO2 in the ocean depths.



Unlike plants, Chonkus can absorb far more CO2, using photosynthesis to turn the gas into biomass. It’s a microscopic powerhouse that might one day help mitigate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/todays-children-will-face-more-climate-extremes-than-ever-before/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> change.



Henriksen isn’t surprised. “Half the air you're breathing comes from microbes,” he said. “They play essential roles in carbon and nitrogen cycles.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-microbes">Mapping the microbes</h2>



Henriksen co-founded the Two Frontiers Project to hunt for microbes in extreme environments – from the depths of the ocean to outer space. But what about the extreme environments right under our noses?



“There’s not just unknown species,” he said. “It’s like there’s a rainforest everywhere you look, and we know almost nothing about the organisms there and what they can do.”



Our homes, it turns out, are teeming with unseen life - and Henriksen wants us to pay attention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbes-hidden-in-the-home">Microbes hidden in the home</h2>



If you’re feeling brave, take a closer look at your appliances. What’s lurking inside your dishwasher or around the base of your water heater? If it’s slimy, crusty, or gooey, Henriksen wants to hear about it.



Instead of scrubbing away the weird spots and unpleasant odors, you can help scientists by documenting them. That slimy film? It could be home to a whole community of extremophiles - microbes that might hold the key to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-now-impacting-earths-rotation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate solutions</a>.



Participating is easy. Snap a photo of your odd discovery. Fill out an online survey at <a href="https://citsci.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CitSci.org</a>. If researchers need more information, they’ll send a collection kit.



Henriksen’s team will then analyze the samples using metagenomic sequencing. Each microbe’s DNA will be studied, cataloged, and possibly saved for future research. Some samples might even lead to new scientific breakthroughs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-in-the-slime">What's in the slime?</h2>



Metagenomic sequencing sounds complex, but the goal is simple: figure out what’s living in that slimy mess. Henriksen and his team are looking for microbes that can absorb CO₂, degrade <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollutants-from-fossil-fuels-are-embedded-in-coral-skeletons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollutants</a>, or perform other useful tasks.



The DNA data will be stored for future study. Some organisms might be cultivated and tested further. Every sample holds the potential for new discoveries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-hidden-survivors">Nature's hidden survivors </h2>



Beyond homes, the Extremophile Campaign: In the Wild asks people to keep an eye out for microbial hotspots in nature. Springs in places like Colorado and California often contain unusual chemistry - acidic water, carbonation, and, yes, slime.



"Life is surviving and thriving in this hot water, in water that is as carbonated as soda pop and as acidic as lemon juice,” Henriksen said. “Microbes are pulling high concentrations of CO₂ out of the water, out of the air, and they're building that slime or the green algae that you see.”&nbsp;



If you spot something slimy, crusty, or just plain weird, the researchers want to know.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-platform-to-fight-climate-change-nbsp">A platform to fight climate change&nbsp;</h2>



Both extremophile campaigns run through CitSci.org, a platform that connects researchers with citizen scientists. The site was developed at Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory two decades ago and now hosts nearly 1,500 projects.



“CitSci has been an amazing partner in helping get this up and running,” Henriksen said. 



Through CitSci, Henriksen hopes to gather data from as many people and places as possible. With more eyes on the ground, the chances of finding new microbial allies in the climate fight increase.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-gunk-might-save-the-planet">Your gunk might save the planet</h2>



Henriksen sees potential in every home. That gross gunk in your appliance? It might contain the next Chonkus – a microbe that could capture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountains-both-carbon-sinks-and-carbon-sources/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon</a> or break down pollutants. All it takes is a photo, a survey, and a bit of curiosity.



“We believe that everybody can contribute and participate in science," Henriksen said. &nbsp;



From volcanic vents to kitchen sinks, the next big climate solution might be hiding in plain sight - and researchers want you to help find it.



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Slime found in home appliances could help fight climate change

Climate change solutions might be closer than we think - not in labs or remote forests, but in the microbes living in our homes. James Henriksen, a microbiologist at Colorado State University, believes the secret to fighting climate change could be hiding in dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters. Henriksen wants everyone to join the hunt for extremophiles - organisms that thrive in extreme conditions. They’re tiny, they’re tough, and some might be surprisingly useful. These microbes have adapted to harsh environments, evolving traits that could potentially...

Scala,Dei,Turchi,Stair,Of,The,Turks,,Sicily,Italy,,Scala

A new study from the <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/">University of Plymouth</a> reveals that Antarctic fish are no longer growing to their potential size. By adapting to the freezing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-are-transforming-arctic-coasts/" data-type="news" data-id="1900825">temperatures</a> of the Southern Ocean, the fish have lost their ability to reach the growth rates of their relatives - even when they are held at warmer water temperatures.



The study was focused on two species - the Antarctic spiny plunderfish and the shanny, also known as the common blenny. The results showed that the Antarctic fish consumed around 20 percent less food compared to fish from temperate waters. The cold water fish also grew at about half the rate. When the two species were held at the same water temperature, the outcome was the same.&nbsp;



The experts found that Antarctic fish have greatly increased the amount of cellular machinery they use to make proteins, yet they are still unable to produce these proteins as quickly as fish that live in warmer waters.&nbsp;



For the cold water fish, this means that the rate at which new proteins are translated into physical growth has been substantially reduced.



According to the researchers, it seems that an evolutionary trade-off for being able to survive at polar water temperatures has been a greatly reduced ability to grow as quickly or efficiently as warmer water fish.



“Antarctic fish are highly thermally constrained and cannot live long-term at temperatures much above those that they currently inhabit. In contrast, many temperate species are more tolerant of a wide range of temperatures as they often inhabit extensive latitudinal ranges," explained study lead author Dr. Keiron Fraser.



"Our data shows that the rates of growth and protein metabolism in an Antarctic species are significantly lower than in the temperate species, even when held at the same water temperature."



"As ocean temperatures increase with global warming, it is a timely reminder of the differences in species that have evolved to live at widely different temperatures. If Antarctic fish are increasingly exposed to higher temperatures, it will have implications for their survival, as well as effects on many critical physiological processes, including growth.”



Professor Lloyd Peck is the lead physiologist on animal adaptations in extreme environments from the British Antarctic Survey. He noted that there is unexpectedly high biodiversity on the seabed in Antarctica, with estimates of around 20,000 species living there.&nbsp;



"So far all of the species studied have great problems making proteins and it seems this is a ubiquitous constraint on life at low temperature. There are many other unique adaptations in Antarctic marine species, such as 16 species of fish that are the only animals with backbones that do not have red blood cells or haemoglobin to carry oxygen around their bodies, or giant sea spiders thousands of times heavier than the largest in temperate zones," said Professor Peck.&nbsp;



"As well as the issues with making proteins, many of these other adaptations might make life easier in an environment with constant low temperatures, but they also appear to reduce abilities to survive in changing environments, which makes the future prospects for many Antarctic marine species bleak.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</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

Antarctic fish have lost the ability to grow efficiently

A new study from the University of Plymouth reveals that...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a> has looked at the role of large mammalian herbivores in combating climate change. This is an unusual approach, as large <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/disposable-masks-are-increasingly-impacting-marine-animals/">animals</a> are generally not considered in ideas of climate change mitigation.&nbsp;



“Conservation efforts usually focus on either trees and carbon or the broad conservation appeal of large mammals," said Professor Yadvinder Malhi, an expert in the Environmental Change Institute at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a>. "This study looked at whether it was possible to align these agendas - under what context could protecting and restoring large animal wildlife help us tackle and adapt to climate change.”



The research examined several ways in which large mammals can impact carbon storage, fire prevention and the reflection potential of the Earth’s surface. They do so by spreading seeds, clearing vegetation and fertilizing soil. Such activities boost the biodiversity of an area, which in turn makes an environment more resilient to climate change. These actions also increase the carbon storage of an ecosystem.&nbsp;



Trampling and grazing on vegetation in colder areas also reveals bare earth or earth covered in snow. Revealing the snow layer also makes the surface more reflective, bouncing solar radiation away, thus keeping Earth cooler. This also allows more cold air near the surface of the planet, which maintains permafrost in its frozen state and keeps its carbon stores locked away.&nbsp;



Finally, the research shows that grazing by zebras, rhinoceros, elephants and other large herbivores can lessen the risk of fire. This happens because the animals trample or graze natural fire breaks, making it harder for fires to spread. Less fires of course mean less carbon in our atmosphere and less climate change.&nbsp;



“Animals can also help with localized adaptation to climate change in these environments by diversifying vegetation and increasing habitat heterogeneity," said Dr. Tonya Lander, an expert in the Department of Plant Sciences at Oxford University. "Diversity of species and microhabitats can make the ecosystem as a whole more able to resist climate change, return to a stable state following a climate-related disturbance, or find a new stable state that functions within the changed and changing climate.”&nbsp;



While the study provides some insight into how animals can impact climate change, the scientists are calling for more research so we can more fully understand and mitigate the problem.&nbsp;



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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

Large mammals play a role in combating climate change

A new study published in the journal Current Biology has...

Rising levels of carbon dioxide have led to warmer oceans, with a quarter of the atmospheric CO2 dissolving into the oceans and causing them to become more acidic. Such changes can have a negative impact on various marine ecosystems, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-can-be-trained-to-endure-heat-stress/">corals</a>. However, a new study led by <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> (OSU) has found that some Hawaiian corals are surprisingly resilient to warmer, more acidic conditions.



The scientists collected samples of the three most common coral species in Hawaii - Montipora capitata,&nbsp;Porites compressa,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Porites lobata – and placed them in outside tanks with four different conditions: a control tank with current ocean conditions, an ocean warming condition (plus 2 degrees Celsius), an ocean acidification condition (minus 0.2 pH units), and a combination of both warming and acidification.&nbsp;



The tanks were designed to mimic ocean reefs by including sand, rocks, fish, crabs, starfish, and urchins, and were allowed natural variability in temperature and pH levels over the course of each day and during different seasons, as they would have in their natural habitat.



Although over the course of the 22-month study the three coral species did experience significant mortality under conditions simulating the ocean temperatures and acidity expected in the future, none of them completely died off, and some were even thriving by the end of the study.&nbsp;



“We found surprisingly positive outcomes in our study. We don’t get a lot of that in the coral research field when it comes to the effects of warming oceans,” said study lead author Rowan McLachlan, who conducted the study as a doctoral student at OSU.



Overall, 61 percent of the Hawaiian corals exposed to warming conditions survived (compared to 92 percent exposed to current ocean temperatures), with the two Porites species being more resilient than M. capitata in the combined warming and acidification condition. At the end of the study, the survival rates were 71 percent for P. compressa, 56 percent for P. lobata, and only 46 percent for M. capitata.



“Of the coral that survived, especially the&nbsp;Porites&nbsp;species, they were coping well, even thriving,” said Dr. McLachlan. “They were able to adapt to the above-average temperature and acidity.”&nbsp;



“We don’t know how corals will fare if changes in temperature and acidity are more drastic than what we used in this study,” he added. “Our results do offer some hope but the approximately 50 percent mortality we saw in some species in this study is not a small thing.”



Further studies that include local stressors such as pollution or overfishing - which may have additional negative impacts on corals in some regions - are needed in order to better understand the future effects of climate change on coral reefs.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06896-z">Nature Scientific Reports</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

Hawaiian corals are surprisingly resilient to ocean warming

Rising levels of carbon dioxide have led to warmer oceans,...

Industrial,Coal,Power,Station,On,Sunset,,Germany

According to a new <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-co2-emissions-in-2021-2">report</a> by the International Energy Agency (IEA), global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-emissions-can-be-turned-into-clean-fuels/">carbon dioxide emissions</a> from energy combustion and industrial processes rose to an all-time record of 36 billion tons in 2021 (six percent higher than in 2020), as world economies started to recover from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omicron-wreaks-havoc-among-immunologically-naive-populations/">Coronavirus pandemic</a>.



Coal emissions accounted for over 40 percent of the overall global increase, reaching an unprecedented high of 15.3 billion tons, followed by natural gas emissions, with 7.5 billion tons. China - the only major economy to experience growth during the entire pandemic – was the largest driver of the rise in emissions. “In 2021 alone, China’s CO2 emissions rose above 11.9 billion tons, accounting for 33 percent of the global total,” reported the IEA.



India’s coal use for electricity generation also reached an all-time record, increasing by 13 percent above its 2020 level, while a surge in gas prices in both the United States and Europe significantly contributed to the rise in global emissions too. This surge in prices made it more profitable for power generators to use coal, which emits double the amount of CO2 as gas-powered plants.



“Gas-to-coal switching pushed up global CO2 emissions from electricity generation by well over 100 million tons, notably in the United States and Europe where competition between gas and coal power plants is tightest,” explained the IEA.



While clean energy provisions of several major economies have already contributed to mitigating – at least to a certain degree - the near-term rebound in emissions, urgent actions from policy makers, industries, and federal agencies are needed to make sure that the increases we witnessed during 2021 will not exacerbate in the coming years.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The world must now ensure that the global rebound in emissions in 2021 was a one-off – and that sustainable investments combined with the accelerated deployment of clean energy technologies will reduce CO2&nbsp;emissions in 2022, keeping alive the possibility of reducing global CO2&nbsp;emissions to net zero by 2050,” the authors of the report concluded.



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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

Global CO2 emissions reached unprecedented highs in 2021

According to a new report by the International Energy Agency...

Although humans and their direct ancestors have been around on Earth for several million years, it is in the last one thousand years that we have interfered with and changed almost every aspect of the biosphere - that precious space on our planet that is inhabited by living organisms. Today, human activities change climates, alter and destroy natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/illegal-cannabis-farms-infringe-on-crucial-animal-habitats/">habitats</a>, move plants and animals to locations where they didn’t previously occur, pollute the air, sea, freshwater and land, and exploit natural resources. We are truly the "lords of the biosphere."



And as lords of the biosphere, a term coined by John McNeil in a publication in the year 2000, we decide what shall live and what shall die. According to <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/staff/john-kress">John Kress</a>, botany curator emeritus at the&nbsp;<a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/">Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/staff/gary-krupnick">Gary Krupnick</a>, head of the museum’s plant conservation unit, humans have favored species that they have found useful and desirable, while the useless or valueless species have been excluded or driven to extinction.&nbsp;



The scientists combed through current environmental databases, ethnobotanical descriptions, and conservation assessments of green plants to survey and measure the impact of humans on today's botanical diversity. They considered the characteristics of more than 86,000 different plant species in order to decide whether their survival was aided by human activities, in which case they were "winners," or whether human activities relegated them to a state of irrelevance and potential extinction, in which case they were "losers."



“I actually started this project from a place of optimism,” said Kress. “I had just planted all these trees around my house in Vermont and thought to myself that maybe there are actually more winners than losers, and we are just focused on everything that’s disappearing.”



In order to categorize the chances of survival of different plant species in a future world dominated by humans, Kress and Krupnick evaluated mountains of data on the economic uses, environmental tolerances, legal and illegal trades and conservation status of approximately 30 percent of all vascular plants on Earth (that is plants that transport water, dissolved nutrients and other substances within their bodies by means of specialized vessels).&nbsp;



Based on this data, they divided all the plants into seven categories: those that are winners and are useful to humans; winners that are not useful; losers that are useful; losers that are not useful; species that seemed likely to win in the future; those that seemed likely to lose in the future; and those that had already become extinct (571 species).



When the categories were tallied up, the analysis showed that losers currently outnumber winners, and that losers are likely to be more numerous than winners in the future if human impact on the planet continues on its current course. Kress and Krupnick categorized 20,293 species of plants as losers, with the vast majority of them being identified as not useful to humans. In contrast, just 6,913 species were categorized as winners, with all but 164 of those species having some human use.



In the future, assuming that human behavior will not change substantially, losers are projected to continue to outnumber winners, with 26,002 species in the potential losers category compared to 18,664 species in the tentative winners category.&nbsp;



The researchers also considered whether there were evolutionary relationships within the groups of clear winners and losers. They mapped these species onto evolutionary trees to see if some plant orders contained high numbers of winner species, or high numbers of losers.&nbsp;



“The question was whether there were some lineages of plants that were more packed with winners or were full of losers we should be concerned about,” said Kress.



The findings, published today in the journal <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25722611">Plants People Planet</a>, showed that winners and losers are distributed pretty evenly across plant orders. There were a few instances where branches of the plant evolutionary tree had few species but more losers than winners, and these branches had an increased risk of being lost altogether. Plant groups such as cycads, and cypresses (the family that includes redwoods and junipers) were among those that fell into this category.&nbsp;



“Now and in the future, plants have to adapt to the environment humans have created or they will go extinct,” said Krupnick. “Our results suggest that this means the plant communities of the future will be more homogenized than those of today.”



This loss of plant diversity could have major negative consequences for ecosystems around the world in future. Losing plant diversity will be associated with losses in animal diversity, Kress said, and this will make ecosystems less resilient in the face of hardship or change. This would have serious implications for humanity as well.



“The list of winners shows that we’ve selected certain species that are useful to us, but as that pool of plants we have to select from decreases in the future, humanity will have many fewer options when we want to reforest the planet, find new medicines or foods, or develop new products,” said Kress.



According to Kress, he hopes that these lists will give other researchers opportunities to look more in depth at the reasons why certain species or lineages are winning or losing in the age of humans and to identify the plants that are most in need of conservation.



“It still looks green outside my window, and that can create the illusion that plants are doing well,” said Kress. “But this study suggests we’re on course for a big loss of plant diversity, and we better wake up.”



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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

Humans decide which plants win or lose, and most are losing

Although humans and their direct ancestors have been around on...

The return of the swallows has been celebrated for thousands of years as a harbinger of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/new-evidence-reveals-that-dinosaurs-died-in-the-spring/">spring</a> in the United Kingdom. However, it was not known until the 20th century where they went after they disappeared in the autumn. Many people - including notable scientists - believed that they hibernated on the bottom of ponds.&nbsp;



With the introduction of bird ringing at the beginning of the 20th century, their true destination was revealed. In December 1912, a swallow was caught on a farm in South Africa, bearing a ring that had been placed on its leg 18 months earlier in Staffordshire, UK. Because the European winters were too cold for the insects on which swallows fed, the birds headed south each winter, traveling incredible distances until the warm south of the African continent.&nbsp;



However, according to the <a href="https://www.bto.org/">British Trust for Ornithology</a> (BTO), swallows have recently started to spend winters in the United Kingdom instead of migrating over 6,000 miles to South Africa. This major change in behavior is one of the most remarkable signs that climate change is severely dismantling a large variety of ecosystems.



“It is indeed remarkable,” said BTO’s chief executive, Professor Juliet Vickery. “We haven’t got to go back too far to remember winters when it would have been impossible for swallows to survive the freezing temperatures, but as our winters get milder it is something we may see more and more.”&nbsp;



BTO’s <a href="https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack">BirdTrack survey</a> of birdwatchers has received more than 100 reports of up to 12 individual swallows that were observed during January in the warmer south and south-west of Britain, as well as parts of Ireland. Thus, with an increase of mild winters in the past few years, it appears that a small number of swallows are able to spend the winter months in Britain, instead of migrating to the south.



“To suggest that our winters would be warm enough for swallows to survive would have been unthinkable a few decades ago,” said&nbsp;BTO’s Director of Science, Professor James Pearce-Higgins. “But the evidence that our climate is changing is building year by year.”



According to BTO, swallows are not the only birds affected by climate change. In fact, almost a quarter of British breeding species may be negatively affected by the steady rises in temperature witnessed in the past years. Scientists are yet to understand all the implications of these fundamental changes in bird behavior caused by global warming, and to find solutions to minimize their negative impact.



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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

Swallows are no longer migrating south as winters become milder

The return of the swallows has been celebrated for thousands...

Lithium is a non-renewable resource in high demand to support the transition to a low carbon economy. It’s most commonly used to power the world’s electric vehicles, a promising technology to reduce global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lower-emissions-needed-to-save-the-winter-season/">emissions</a>.



Most of the world’s lithium is mined in Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, an area known as ‘The Lithium Triangle," which is coincidentally, home to three species of flamingos.&nbsp;



A new study has found that lithium mining and climate changes in the Andes Mountains could be negatively affecting the region’s flamingo population.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study, published in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>, considered the effects that lithium mining and climate change are having on the lakes in the Chilean Andes where flamingos flock for feeding and breeding.&nbsp;



“Given how rapidly our demand for lithium is growing, there is a great need to understand what negative effects its production might be having on biodiversity and especially those species, like flamingos, that are important to local economies,” explained study co-author Dr. Nathan Senner, a population biologist at the <a href="https://sc.edu/">University of South Carolina</a>.



The "lithium triangle" is home to two species of flamingos who only breed in this region exclusively. Flamingos are also an important foundation of the region’s ecotourism industry.&nbsp;



The study looked at five lakes in the Chilean Andes, part of the Lithium Triangle, where Chile’s lithium mining is largely focused.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed 30 years of flamingo counts collected by citizen scientists and biologists from the Chilean government. Remote sensing data was also used to identify changes in water levels and food availability within each lake. This allowed the experts to evaluate the climatic factors influencing water and flamingo food availability, as well as how water and food influenced flamingo abundance.&nbsp;



The study revealed that lakes across the regions are starting to shrink, largely due to climate change. The impacts of a shrinking lake directly impact breeding flamingos. When a lake’s water levels are low, food levels decrease, leaving less opportunity for breeding flamingos.&nbsp;



The results show that in Salar de Atacama, a lake directly affected by mining, the two species of flamingos that breed only in these mountains have already lost 10 to 12 percent of their populations. Overall, however, the flamingo population has not yet declined.&nbsp;



The stability of the local flamingo population is likely due to the opportunity for the birds to migrate to different lakes with better conditions. The researchers are concerned that this may not last, as the demand for lithium mining is growing at an exponential rate.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In order to meet demand for electric vehicles, cell phones, and electronic storage devices, lithium mining in Chile is projected to triple by 2026 relative to 2018 levels.



“The problem is that, in the Salar de Atacama, in addition to the changes caused by climate change across the region, lithium mining is reducing water levels and increasing disturbances for flamingos,” explained Dr. Jorge Gutiérrez, an ecologist at the Universidad de Extremadura who led the study. “This means years with sufficient water for flamingos to breed occur less frequently and fewer flamingos are now present, Study co-author Dr. Cristina Dorador said that the flamingo declines in the Salar de Atacama may soon spread to the rest of the region.“Given that two of these flamingo species breed nowhere else in the world, this could lead to dramatic declines across their entire range and severely hurt the local ecotourism industry that relies on flamingos.”



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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

Demand for lithium comes at a cost to flamingos

Lithium is a non-renewable resource in high demand to support...

Approximately half of the Earth’s land area has been converted for agricultural use and this has led to three of humanity’s most urgent environmental challenges. Agriculture is responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, demands around 70 percent of global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salt-pollution-threatens-freshwater-ecosystems/">freshwater</a> use, and is the largest driver of habitat loss, which in turn threatens terrestrial biodiversity.&nbsp;



A team of international scientists has now proposed that if current croplands could be relocated to more suitable and productive locations around the globe, while allowing ecosystems in the then-abandoned farming areas to regenerate, the carbon and biodiversity footprints of agricultural production would be minimized. And locating the new croplands in areas where rainfall provides all the necessary water would removing the need for systematic irrigation.&nbsp;



Details of their reimagined world maps of agriculture are published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/commsenv/">Nature Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>. The experts propose large new farming areas for many major crops around the Cornbelt in the mid-western US, and south of the Sahara desert, while huge areas of current farmland in Europe and India would be allowed to revert to natural habitat.



“In many places, cropland has replaced natural habitat that contained a lot of carbon and biodiversity - and crops don’t even grow very well there. If we let these places regenerate, and moved production to better suited areas, we would see environmental benefits very quickly,” said study first author Dr. Robert Beyer, formerly a researcher in the Department of Zoology at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



The researchers used global maps of the current growing areas of 25 major crops, including wheat, barley and soybean, which together account for 77 percent of croplands worldwide. For each crop they assessed the carbon impact by comparing the carbon stocks present in the crops with the carbon that would be bound up in local natural vegetation and soil. Similarly, they estimated the difference between local biodiversity in natural vegetation and in croplands.&nbsp;



The same methods enabled the researchers to predict the potential biodiversity and carbon impacts of crop production in locations that are currently not cultivated. They then developed a mathematical model to look at all possible ways to distribute this cropland across the globe, while maintaining overall production levels for each crop. They used potential yield estimates for three different farming scenarios representing the range from traditional, subsistence-based organic farming systems to advanced, fully mechanized production with high-yielding crop varieties and optimum fertilizer and pesticide application.



According to the model’s predictions, the proposed redistribution of croplands, under a high-input, mechanized farming scenario, would cut the carbon impact of crop agriculture by 71 percent, as long as the original croplands were allowed to return to their natural, forested states. This is the equivalent of capturing 20 years’ worth of the current net CO2&nbsp;emissions. Trees capture carbon as they grow, and also enable more carbon to be captured by the soil than when crops are grown in it.



In this optimized scenario, the impact of crop production on the world’s biodiversity would be reduced by 87 percent, which would drastically reduce the extinction risk for many species for which agriculture is a major threat. The researchers say that croplands would quickly revert back to their natural state, often recovering their original carbon stocks and biodiversity within a few decades.



The authors recognize that it is not currently possible to relocate croplands on a global scale to the new and more productive locations they have identified. However, their maps and models highlight places were croplands are currently very unproductive, but have potential to be hotspots for biodiversity and carbon storage.



Even considering less extreme changes and only redistributing croplands within national borders, rather than globally, would result in significant benefits: global carbon impact would be reduced by 59 percent and biodiversity impact would be 77 percent lower than at present.



A third, even more realistic option of only relocating the worst-offending 25 percent of croplands nationally would result in half of the benefits of optimally moving all croplands.



“It’s currently not realistic to implement this whole redesign. But even if we only relocated a fraction of the world’s cropland, focusing on the places that are least efficient for growing crops, the environmental benefits would be tremendous,” said Beyer.



Their study predicts that the optimal distribution of croplands will change very little until the end of the century, irrespective of the specific impacts of climate change.



“Optimal cropping locations are no moving target. Areas where environmental footprints would be low, and crop yields high, for the current climate will largely remain optimal in the future,” said study senior author Professor Andrea Manica.



While other studies have shown that moving to more plant-based diets would significantly reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture, the researchers say that, in reality, diets aren’t changing quickly. Their model assumes that diets will not change, and focuses on producing the same types of food as today but in an optimal way.



Many of the world's croplands are located in areas where they have a huge environmental footprint, having replaced carbon-rich and biodiversity-rich ecosystems, and are a significant drain on local water resources. These locations were chosen for historical reasons, such as their proximity to human settlements, but the researchers say it is now time to grow food in a more optimal way.



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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

Relocating croplands could drastically reduce their environmental impact

Approximately half of the Earth’s land area has been converted...

Very,Beautiful,And,Panoramic,Landscape,Or,Seascape,With,Dramatic,Cumulus

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-drives-millions-of-children-into-hunger/">El Niño</a> – a climate pattern characterized by the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean – is affecting the climate, ecosystems, and societies all over the world. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has found that the global weather fluctuations caused by El Niño will become more frequent by 2040, regardless of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ipcc-report-window-to-secure-a-liveable-future-is-rapidly-closing/">climate change</a> mitigation effects that we might undertake in the near future.



By using state-of-the-art climate models, scientists examined the “time of emergence” of changes in the tropical Pacific related to El Niño – i.e., the moment when the signal of climate change emerges from the usual background noise of natural climate variability. They took into account four possible scenarios for future greenhouse gas emissions and found that, in all the four scenarios, the best estimate of the time of emergence of changes converged on 2040.



“We know from previous studies that, when measuring El Niño changes in terms of rainfall shifts in the eastern equatorial Pacific, models predict an increase in the frequency of events. This study shows that those changes could happen after the next two decades,” said study lead author Dr. Jun Ying, a visiting scholar at the University of Exeter.



“What surprised us is that changes emerge regardless of the scenario we look at,” added study co-author Matthew Collins, a professor of Climate Science at the University of Exeter.&nbsp;



“Because rainfall in the tropics is associated with the warmest sea surface temperatures (SSTs), it is the relative changes in SST that are more important than the absolute change. This leads us to the rather stark conclusion that these changes are essentially unavoidable.”



Although the study results suggest that El Niño events and associated climate extremes are more likely regardless of any significant mitigation actions to reduce emissions, this should not lead to complacency from policy makers and federal agencies. If no immediate actions are taken to curb global warming, the negative effects associated with increases in temperatures will most likely escalate to unprecedented levels, highly endangering life on our planet.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01301-z">Nature Climate Change</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

Increase in extreme El Niño events is unavoidable

El Niño – a climate pattern characterized by the unusual...

Global warming is modifying countless aspects of marine ecosystems, including species compositions and interactions, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-food-chains-threatened-by-ocean-acidification/">marine food webs</a>, metabolic rates and growth of species, disease profiles and rates of primary production. The effects of this degradation are particularly noticeable in the tropical reef ecosystems of the Caribbean, where warming has caused mass coral mortality events, extinction of reef-dependent taxa and the loss of ecosystem function over the past few decades.&nbsp;



Building on previous research, Colleen Bove of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues, present the results of a new analysis of 150 years of sea-surface temperature changes throughout the Greater Caribbean region. Their results, published today in the open-access journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/">PLOS Climate</a>, provide a synthesis of ocean warming that will help scientists understand how temperatures are impacting these iconic ecosystems.



Initially, the researchers compiled a data base of the locations of Caribbean coral reefs, using the coordinates of known reefs listed in several international sources. In total, they identified the locations of 5,326 unique reefs across the Caribbean Basin. They allocated all the reefs into one of eight ecoregions that they identified using the World Wildlife Fund’s marine ecoregions classification.



They then used three open-access datasets of satellite and on-location sea-surface temperature observations to assess the changes in temperature in the region between 1871 and 2020.



Their analysis showed that, in the Greater Caribbean area as a whole, reef warming began in 1915, although in four of the eight ecoregions, warming began even earlier, during the second half of the nineteenth century. Following a global pause in warming in the mid-twentieth century, warming of the Caribbean reefs resumed in the 1980s and 1990s and has continued ever since then.



The researchers found that Caribbean reefs have been heating up at remarkable rates over the last century: they have warmed by an average of 0.18oC per decade, during this period, giving a total increase of 0.5 to 1°C in the past century. Different ecoregions have experienced varying rates of warming over time. If the warming trend continues as it has, the authors predict that the Caribbean reefs will warm by an additional1.5°C by the year 2100.



Analysis of the sea-surface temperature data also showed that marine heatwave events have increased in frequency and duration since the 1980s. The Caribbean reefs now experience an average of five heatwave events each year, compared to only one per year in the early 1980s. Recently, these extreme heating events have lasted an average of 14 days.&nbsp;



“Our study indicates that coral reefs have been warming for at least a century and many reefs across the Caribbean have already warmed by a degree Celsius," wrote the study authors. "This explains why we have seen such devastating declines in the health of this invaluable ecosystem.”



The experts conclude that the changes in thermal environment, in addition to other stressors such as fishing, pollution and diseases of corals, have caused a dramatic shift in the functioning of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems. They are calling for an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as plans to address these other stressors, in order to protect the remnant Caribbean coral reefs.



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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

Caribbean corals have been warming for at least a century

Global warming is modifying countless aspects of marine ecosystems, including...

A commonly accepted explanation for the unusually cold weather over the United States in the early 2021 - including the unprecedented and brutal cold snap that gripped Texas in February – posits a “sudden stratospheric warming” as the main cause behind these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-extreme-weather-impact-marine-ecosystems/">weather</a> events. 



However, a new study led by the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR) has challenged this assumption, arguing that the tropospheric circulation and bidirectional coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere were the dominant contributors to the unusual weather patterns during that period.



Sudden stratospheric warmings are breakdowns of the winter stratospheric polar vortex. During the Northern Hemisphere winters, when the North Pole remains shrouded in darkness, a frigid mass of cold air forms in the stratosphere above the pole. This cold air is locked into place by a jet stream known as a stratospheric polar vortex.&nbsp;



About once every two years, the polar vortex is disrupted by planetary-scale waves that propagate upward from the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere) and warm the vortex, weakening it or causing it to be displaced or split in two – a phenomenon known as a sudden stratospheric warming. In the month after such events occur, it is usually warmer than normal in Canada, Alaska, and the Middle East, and colder than normal in Siberia, Europe, and the United States.



However, scientists from NCAR argue that this phenomenon has not been the main cause behind the early 2021 cold waves over the United States. “I think everyone imagined that a pinball is shot up from the troposphere, hits the polar vortex, and breaks it apart,” said study lead author Nicholas Davis, an expert in climate dynamics at NCAR.&nbsp;



“And then another pinball shoots back down and changes the weather. But this study shows that it’s not so simple. I think it possible that the events in the troposphere and the stratosphere are feeding back on one another and reinforcing what’s happening.”



According to Dr. Davis and his colleagues, the initial state of the troposphere was the primary driver of the US cold snap, rather than the onset of the sudden stratospheric warming. However, a disturbed polar vortex following stratospheric warmings can reflect planetary waves back down into the troposphere, where they can intensify weather systems and create or exacerbate cold air outbreaks.&nbsp;



Thus, the complex interactions between the troposphere and the stratosphere are most likely behind the unusual weather patterns from early 2021, rather than the simpler form of causality connecting stratospheric warmings with the onset of the cold wave.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“There is overall insufficient dynamical evidence to conclude that the sudden stratospheric warming in particular, or the stratosphere in general, had a substantial impact on the surface circulation or surface temperatures in the month after the event. The tropospheric circulation, surface forcings, and their bidirectional coupling with the stratosphere played an equal if not more important role,” concluded the authors.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28836-1#Sec2">Nature Communications</a>.&nbsp;



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

Study reveals cause last winter’s brutal U.S. cold snap

A commonly accepted explanation for the unusually cold weather over...

The number of snowshoe hares in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thirsty-mountain-forests-leave-lower-elevations-with-less-water/">forest</a> is a good indicator of how healthy the ecosystem is, and scientists have now applied a new method to find out.



Usually, live-trapping is used by researchers for determining the density of snowshoe hares and other small mammals. However, this method is costly, requires a team of people to manage, and can potentially harm the animals.



The researchers have adopted an improved, more humane method for monitoring the population density of snowshoe hares that is based on newly developed camera-trapping methods.



“Snowshoe hares are considered a keystone, boreal forest species and there’s been some evidence that hare populations are changing as the climate warms,” said study co-author Dan Thornton. “This study comes out as rapidly changing climatic conditions are altering our natural plant and animal communities worldwide.”&nbsp;



Cameras have long been used to study the presence and population density of large cats, like the Canadian lynx for years. This is because large cats are easily distinguishable, with unique markings that differ between individuals. Snowshoe hares have unmarked coats, making it difficult to use traditional camera trapping methods.&nbsp;



Analytical models have been recently developed that use photographs to extract data such as animal speed and location. While these models have been effective in estimating the density of unmarked animals such as hares, the approach has not yet been used in the wild. Questions remain as to whether the modeling approach is as reliable as traditional, live-trapping methods.&nbsp;



In 2019, researchers from <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> designed a large-scale field test to analyze the camera method while investigating the density of snowshoe hares at various forested sites on the eastern edge of the North Cascades in Washington. The experiment successfully trapped 770 snowshoe hares and collected 13,608 camera trap photos.&nbsp;



To determine effectiveness, the research team compared live-trapping and camera-trapping data. The study found that, overall, density estimates from the cameras had an 86 percent correlation with live trapping data. “Until now, cameras could only really tell us if the hares are there or not there,” said Thornton.&nbsp;



To validate the reliability of this approach, the researchers plan to use camera trapping methods in larger scale experiments. The research could help map the health of snowshoe hares and other unmarked animals, and shed new light on the health of forests themselves.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jmammal/gyac009/6541509">Journal of Mammalogy</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

Snowshoe hares provide clues about forest health

The number of snowshoe hares in a forest is a...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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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



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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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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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



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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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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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