Farming in ways that support nature can pay off - not just for the environment, but for crops too. That’s the takeaway from a new study that tested how different methods of agroecological farming perform on real working farms in England. 



The study showed that adding simple nature-friendly features like wildflower margins and organic matter improved biodiversity and led to stronger crop performance.



But there’s a catch: to make these methods financially viable on a large scale, many farmers may need more government support.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-farms-real-results">Real farms, real results</h2>



The research team, based at the <a href="https://www.ceh.ac.uk/">UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology</a> and Rothamsted Research, ran a four-year study across 17 commercial farms in southern England. This was the first time anyone tested both the ecological and financial impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-farming-is-good-for-farmers-well-being/">agroecological</a> practices at this scale in the UK.



The researchers didn’t just run lab trials. The researchers partnered directly with farmers to design and carry out real-world experiments, testing three types of farming systems side by side.



The first was a business-as-usual approach, using standard intensive methods without any nature-friendly additions. 



The second, called the enhanced ecological system, introduced wildflower field margins to support pollinators and other beneficial insects, along with overwinter cover crops to protect and enrich the soil. 



The third was the maximized ecological system, which built on the enhanced version by adding wildflower strips within the fields - essentially creating insect “runways” - and using farmyard <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beer-byproducts-and-manure-used-to-increase-crop-yields/">manure</a> to improve soil health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-bugs-better-soil-higher-yields">More bugs, better soil, higher yields</h2>



The results were clear. The farms that adopted enhanced or maximized ecological methods saw an increase in beneficial species. 



Earthworms, bees, hoverflies, ladybirds, spiders, and lacewings were all more abundant. These helped reduce crop pests like aphids and snails.



That’s not all. The flowering crops - like oilseed rape - produced more seeds thanks to better pollination. The soils held more carbon. And overall, the yields went up.



Even with a little land taken out of production to make room for habitats, the gains in crop health and pollination made a difference. The enhanced ecological system was just as profitable as conventional farming - but only because of current government subsidies.



The maximized system delivered even stronger environmental and yield benefits. But it was more expensive to implement. 



Without more support, most farms would not find it financially competitive. Some farms, especially mixed ones that already have manure on hand, might fare better. But others would struggle without extra help.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-profit-meets-sustainability">Profit meets sustainability</h2>



Dr. Ben Woodcock, one of the study’s lead scientists from the UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology, elaborated on the research.



“Without the introduction of new financial incentives, many farmers will be deterred from adopting agroecological farming practices and systems. This could leave them locked into high input, intensive farming systems and more exposed to the impacts of pesticide resistance, declining soil health and climate change."



According to Dr. Woodcock, while farmers run businesses that need to be profitable, there is an increasing awareness that more sustainable systems can help "future-proof" their farms in terms of soil health, less reliance on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pesticides-attack-bees-in-multiple-ways-throughout-the-body/">pesticides</a> and climate change.



“Agroecological methods are good for biodiversity, food security, and, in the long-term, provide more secure farm incomes but habitats can take several years to establish, so agri-environment subsidies are essential to helping farmers transition to these more sustainable systems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-support-for-greener-farming">Support for greener farming</h2>



The researchers believe that showcasing these successful results could help convince more farmers to make the switch. It’s about breaking the cycle of intensive practices that keep farms dependent on chemical inputs and vulnerable to environmental changes.



Professor Jonathan Storkey, an ecologist at Rothamsted Research, said the study confirmed that managing land on farms for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farming-for-wildlife-how-traditional-practices-can-protect-nature/">wildlife</a> is not in direct conflict with food security but can support sustainable production by increasing yields and reducing pest pressure. 



"These ‘ecosystem services’ could potentially substitute for chemical fertilizers and pesticides which negatively impact the environment," said Professor Storkey. 



“However, our analysis has shown that realizing these benefits will require additional support for farm businesses that currently operate on very narrow profit margins. As input costs increase, however, these agroecological approaches may become more attractive.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-training-makes-a-difference">Training makes a difference</h2>



The quality of nature-friendly measures also depends on how well they’re implemented, and training helps.



Earlier research from the UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology showed that when farmers receive proper guidance on creating and managing wildlife habitats, those habitats do a much better job of supporting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-pollinators-boost-the-nutritional-value-of-crops/">pollinators</a> and pest-controlling insects.



Field margins and wildflower strips may seem like simple changes, but getting them right requires different thinking than managing crops. The better these habitats are planned and maintained, the more they deliver.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-green-nationwide">Growing green, nationwide</h2>



Nature-friendly farming isn’t just about doing good for the environment - it can also help farms thrive. But making the switch isn’t free, and for many farmers, the numbers have to work. 



That’s where targeted subsidies and support come in. The research shows what’s possible. Now, the question is how to make it doable for more farms across the country.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.70079">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



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Eco-friendly farms can succeed - but they need support

Farming in ways that support nature can pay off - not just for the environment, but for crops too. That’s the takeaway from a new study that tested how different methods of agroecological farming perform on real working farms in England. The study showed that adding simple nature-friendly features like wildflower margins and organic matter improved biodiversity and led to stronger crop performance. But there’s a catch: to make these methods financially viable on a large scale, many farmers may need more government support. Real farms, real...

In Antarctica, the ice cover gradually expands from March to October each year, increasing six-fold. Afterwards, the ice retreats at a very fast pace, most dramatically in December, when there is constant daylight. Although this pattern has puzzled scientists for years, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> (UW) has found that, unlike other aspects of its behavior, in this case <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-antarctic-sea-ice-has-fluctuated-over-the-past-century/">Antarctic sea ice</a> is just following basic rules of physics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“In spite of the puzzling longer-term trends and the large year-to-year variations in Antarctic sea ice, the seasonal cycle is really consistent, always showing this fast retreat relative to slow growth,” said study lead author Lettie Roach, a former postdoctoral fellow at UW and currently a polar climate scientist at <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a>. “Given how complex our climate system is, I was surprised that the rapid seasonal retreat of Antarctic sea ice could be explained with such a simple mechanism.”



Previous studies have argued that wind patterns and warm ocean waters may be responsible for the asymmetry in Antarctica’s seasonal sea ice cycle. However, Dr. Roach and her colleagues have shown that, similarly to a hot summer day that reaches its maximum temperatures in late afternoon, an Antarctic summer hits peak melting power in midsummer, greatly accelerating ice loss, while exhibiting less changes in temperature and ice levels when solar input is low during the rest of the year.



“I think because we usually expect Antarctic sea ice to be puzzling, previous studies assumed that the rapid seasonal retreat of Antarctic sea ice was also unexpected - in contrast to the Arctic, where the seasons of ice advance and retreat are more similar,” explained Roach.&nbsp;



“Our results show that the seasonal cycle in Antarctic sea ice can be explained using very simple physics. In terms of the seasonal cycle, Antarctic sea ice is behaving as we should expect, and it is the Arctic seasonal cycle that is more mysterious.” According to Dr. Roach, since Antarctica’s geography is simple, with a polar continent surrounded by ocean, this aspect of its sea ice is more straightforward.



“We know the Southern Ocean plays an important role in Earth’s climate. Being able to explain this key feature of Antarctic sea ice that standard textbooks have had wrong, and showing that the models are reproducing it correctly, is a step toward understanding this system and predicting future changes,” concluded study co-author&nbsp;Cecilia Bitz, a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at UW.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00913-6">Nature Geoscience</a>.



---



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

Rapid sea ice retreat can be explained with simple physics

In Antarctica, the ice cover gradually expands from March to...

Faster sound transmission in the oceans due to climate change will alter the underwater soundscape marine organisms rely on for survival. New research published by the <a href="https://www.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a> reveals that climate change will significantly alter how sound travels underwater, as sound waves move faster and farther in warmer water.



The <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002099">new global study</a> demonstrates how changes to ocean soundscapes could impact essential activities of marine life. The ocean soundscape is made of vibrations produced by living organisms, waves and cracking ice, and human caused sound such as ship traffic and resource extraction.&nbsp;



“We calculated the effects of temperature, depth and salinity based on public data to model the soundscape of the future,” said study lead author Alice Affatati. These factors all affect how fast and how far sound travels in water.



Two “acoustic hotspots” of sound speed increases are predicted in the east of Greenland and in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, East of Newfoundland.&nbsp;



These hotspots can expect the most change at 50 and 500 meter depths, where the average speed of sound is likely to increase by more than 1.5%, or approximately 25 meters per second by the end of the century.



Marine animals use sound to communicate and navigate their underwater world. Changes in sound speed can impact day to day activity such as finding food and mates, avoiding predators and even migrating.



“The major impact is expected in the Arctic, where we know already there is amplification of the effects of climate change now. Not all the Arctic, but one specific part where all factors play together to give a signal that, according to the model predictions, overcomes the uncertainty of the model itself,” said author Stefano Salon.



To consider how these changes impact species, the study also modeled vocalizations of the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale">inhabiting both north Atlantic acoustic hotspots</a>. This found that&nbsp; whales’ typical “upcall” at 50 Hertz is likely to travel farther in a warmer future ocean.



“We chose to talk about one megafauna species, but many trophic levels in the ocean are affected by the soundscape or use sound,” Affatati said. “All these hotspots are locations of great biodiversity.”



This study has inspired future work to combine the global soundscape with anthropogenic impacts in the oceans to identify areas of combined stressors, or direct needed observational research.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23284277">Earth’s Future</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

Climate warming is transforming the underwater soundscape

Faster sound transmission in the oceans due to climate change...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/">University of Plymouth</a> has found that the worldwide proliferation of energy efficient broad spectrum artificial lighting is increasingly disrupting a variety of visually guided ecological processes. Many animal species that rely on darkness to forage and feed are losing their camouflage efficacy due to advancement in the lighting used to illuminate cities and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-levels-on-the-u-s-coast-will-rise-one-foot-by-2050/">coastlines</a> at night, and can be more easily spotted by predators as a consequence.



“This study clearly indicates that new lighting technologies will increase the conspicuousness of prey species by reducing the efficacy of their camouflage,” said study lead author Oak McMahon, a PhD student at the University of Plymouth.



McMahon and his colleagues assessed the conspicuousness of three distinct color morphs of Littorinid snails - a species commonly found along the world’s coastlines - under different forms of artificial lighting. They found that under the 20th century narrow spectrum Low Pressure Sodium (LPS) lighting, all snails were effectively camouflaged and could not be easily spotted by three of their most common predators.&nbsp;



However, under more recent, broad spectrum lighting - such as High Pressure Sodium (HPS), Light Emitting Diodes (LED), or Metal Halide (MH) - yellow snails were significantly more visible compared to brown or olive ones, increasing their risk of being killed by predators.



“Our findings revealed that species of Littorinid snails found commonly on our coastlines will remain camouflaged when illuminated by older style lighting. However, when illuminated by modern broad spectrum lighting, they are clearly visible to predators and at far greater long-term risk as a result,” explained McMahon.



“As technologies develop, there has been a shift from narrow spectrum to lighting that enables us to live and travel in a safe, secure manner. However, estimates suggest that a quarter of the planet between the Arctic Circle and Antarctica is now being affected by night-time light pollution,” added study senior author Dr. Thomas Davies, a lecturer in Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth.



“Some predictions say that LED bulbs will account for 85 percent of the global street lighting market in around five years, and our study highlights that such advances will have repercussions for humans and animals alike now and in the future.”



According to the scientists, there are a variety of mitigation methods available to urban planners and environmental managers when considering the ecological impact of broad spectrum lighting, such as reducing the amount of light used, shielding lights in order to reduce their range, employing night-lighting only during times of peak demand, or manipulating the spectra of lighting to minimize ecological impact.



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14146">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



---



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

Animals are losing their camouflage under modern street lights

A new study led by the University of Plymouth has...

Tropical peatlands are some of the most efficient carbon sinks worldwide. However, when they are damaged – for instance by changes in land use, degradation, or wildfires – they can become massive emitters of carbon. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/1.html">University of Göttingen</a> has analyzed how peatland in the coastal areas of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia has developed over thousands of years in order to shed more light on the relationship between tropical peatlands and climate-related changes such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-rates-of-sea-level-rise-first-emerged-in-1863/">sea level rise</a>.



The researchers analyzed two peat cores, each over eight meters long, searching for traces of pollen, spores, and charcoal, and conducting carbon dating and a series of biogeochemical investigations. They found that these peatlands contained much higher concentrations of charcoal during the mid-Holocene (9,000 to 4,000 years ago), when sea levels were higher than they are now. The presence of charcoal signifies that there were much larger forest fires during that period.



Later, about 3,000 years ago, the irregular periodic variations in winds and sea surface temperatures known as “<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/el-nino/">El Niño</a>” most probably caused prolonged droughts, making the forests susceptible to fires caused by lightning. Surprisingly though, even during that time, the fires seemed to be fewer than in the earlier, mid-Holocene period.



According to the scientists, the presence of mangrove forests growing along the coast in salty waters may explain this phenomenon. Mangrove forests are a good indicator of rising sea levels and increases of salt in the otherwise freshwater peatland ecosystem. Since salt is harmful to freshwater vegetation, its widespread presence probably resulted in more dry leaves and dead trees, as well as in the reduction of forest canopy cover and air humidity, which are important factors in protecting peatland forests from fires.&nbsp;



“We were surprised to find that rising sea levels could potentially exacerbate fires in coastal areas in Indonesia,” said study lead author Dr. Anggi Hapsari, an expert in vegetation dynamics at the University of Göttingen. “Our findings underline how the interaction between rising sea levels and dry climate may contribute to massive forest fires even in relatively fire-proof ecosystems, such as pristine peatlands. This reveals the potential hidden impact of sea level rise exacerbating climate warming.”



According to Dr. Hapsari and his colleagues, these findings suggest that, if we continue activities such as the destruction of peat swamp forests, peatland drainage, and intentional burning, at a time when climate change is steadily increasing sea levels and is exacerbating patterns such as El Niño, the probability of catastrophic and widespread forest fires and uncontrollable carbon release significantly rises.



“Our unexpected finding adds an as yet unknown threat to the survival of these valuable ecosystems,” explained study co-author Tim Jennerjahn, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.leibniz-zmt.de/de/">Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research</a> in Bremen. “It demonstrates how the reconstruction of past environmental change can help improve present-day management of coastal ecosystems. It is clear that fire risk assessment in tropical peatlands deserves more attention.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16131">Global Change Biology</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

Sea level rise can increase fires in tropical peatlands

Tropical peatlands are some of the most efficient carbon sinks...

Coral reefs around the islands of the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean are isolated, protected and largely immune from the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/noise-pollution-is-a-major-risk-factor-for-heart-attacks/">pollution</a>, overfishing and disturbance in general. However, they cannot escape the marine warming events that have become more common in recent times due to climate change and global warming.&nbsp;



Two major global heating events have affected the coral reefs of these remote islands; one in 1997/1998 and the other in 2015/2016. Both these events caused wide-spread coral mortality down to a depth of 25 m. While most of the reefs recovered to pre-bleaching levels of coral cover and community composition within seven to ten years after the 1997/1998 event, recovery after the 2015/2016 event is the subject of an ongoing investigation.&nbsp;



In a recent publication in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19395590">Limnology and Oceanography</a>, marine scientists from the University of Exeter describe how they have assessed the recovery of 12 different reefs on the atolls of the northern Chagos Islands. They quantified changes in live coral cover, species diversity and ecosystem structure in 2015, 2018 and 2021 in order to monitor the recovery of these reefs after the bleaching event. In addition, they used the ReefBudget&nbsp;methodology to assess the state of calcium carbonate deposits associated with the reefs.&nbsp;



While there are excellent previous studies that have explored recovery trajectories of coral cover and community composition after the global 1997/1998 bleaching event, the recovery of reef carbonate budget states is poorly documented. Carbonate budgets on reefs are affected by the total of processes that deposit calcium carbonate, for example by the action of corals and crustose coralline algae, and the processes that erode away these deposits.



For example, foraging parrot fish excavate and scrape the corals, and sea urchins scrape the surfaces, thereby breaking down the calcium carbonate structures. Boring by worms, bivalves, and microorganisms also erodes the reef framework. Gross carbonate production, gross carbonate erosion, and net reef carbonate budgets were estimated in this study using the Indo-Pacific ReefBudget&nbsp;methodology.&nbsp;&nbsp;



After the 2015/2016 bleaching event, coral cover on the Chagos reefs was severely reduced and all sites shifted toward communities characterized by higher cover of crustose coralline algae, turf, sand, and rubble. The survey of 2018 showed that the coral cover was still “shrinking," and that calcium carbonate production was 70 percent lower than it had been before the bleaching event, when the reefs were thriving. Furthermore, the erosion processes in action far exceeded the rate of new coral growth in 2018.&nbsp;



When the researchers returned in 2021, however, all the reefs were on a trajectory of recovery, although the extent of recovery varied from site to site. It was clear that, where key coral species had returned quickly and the physical reef structure had stayed intact, there was a rapid transition back to positive growth only six years after the mortality event. This is considered to be a fairly rapid recovery and is indicative of a reef’s health and resilience.&nbsp;



“Such high rates of coral recruitment and the rapid restoration of reef functions are a very nice surprise and imply that this location is showing some resilience, thus far, to ongoing ocean warming,” said lead author&nbsp;<a href="https://geography.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Ines_Lange">Dr. Ines Lange</a>, a postdoctoral research fellow in a multi-institutional project funded by the Bertarelli Program in Marine Science. “A full recovery of reefs across the Chagos Archipelago over the next few years is likely if the region is spared from recurring marine heating events."



“The study shows that in remote and protected areas without local impacts such as fishing or pollution from land, coral reefs and the important functions they provide are able to recover relatively quickly, even after large-scale disturbances.”



“Proximity to healthy coral populations and the maintenance of a complex reef structure seems to boost recovery speed, which may help to manage reefs under the threat of increasing frequency of bleaching events predicted for the near future,” explained Dr. Lange.



Study co-author&nbsp;<a href="http://geography.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Chris_Perry">Professor Chris Perry</a>, from the University of Exeter, developed the census-based&nbsp;<a href="https://geography.exeter.ac.uk/reefbudget/">ReefBudget method</a>&nbsp;to quantify reef carbonate budgets. These are important indicators of a reef’s health and ability to provide habitat to marine life. In this study, Professor Perry and Dr. Lange optimized the method for the central Indian Ocean by quantifying and integrating local rates of coral growth and erosion by parrotfish.



The authors state that, although reefs on some of the Chagos Islands still had more erosion than new coral growth in 2021, reasonably fast recovery of coral cover and carbonate budgets was evident across all sites. This suggests potential for full recovery of these reefs and their important ecosystem functions within the next few years. This pattern of recovery represents the potential scenario on isolated, undisturbed reefs, and helps scientists to understand the ecological factors influencing recovery rates in the absence of local stressors.



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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

Bleached coral reefs recover quickly in the absence of human influences

Coral reefs around the islands of the Chagos Archipelago in...

Girl,With,Mask,Covering,Her,Ears,Because,Of,Noise,Pollution

Research presented at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.acc.org/">American College of Cardiology</a> is shedding new light on the risk of heart attack caused by noise pollution. According to the study, one in 20 heart attacks in New Jersey can be attributed to noise from highways, trains and air traffic.



Study lead author Dr. Abel E. Moreyra is a professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.



“When people talk about pollution, they’re usually talking about particles in the air or water,” said Dr. Moreyra. “But there are other forms of pollution, and noise pollution is one of these.”



The researchers looked at heart attack rates among almost 16,000 hospital patients in New Jersey hospitalized for heart attacks in 2018. The noise pollution levels were estimated by comparing the patient’s residence with data from the New Jersey Bureau of Transportation.&nbsp;



The patients were then categorized as experiencing low levels of noise pollution (50 decibels or less per day on average) or high levels of noise pollution (65 decibels or more per day on average). Because it is an average, the results could represent long periods of quiet punctuated by extremely loud noises.&nbsp;



The results showed that five percent of heart attacks could be attributed to noise pollution. In fact, the heart attack rate was 72 percent higher in areas with large amounts of noise from traffic.&nbsp;



“As cardiologists, we are used to thinking about many traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension or diabetes,” said Dr. Moreyra. “This study and others suggest maybe we should start thinking about air pollution and noise pollution as additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”



Although, the results aren’t that simple because noise is often accompanied by normal air pollution, as traffic causes both.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Air pollution and noise go hand-in-hand,” said Dr. Moreyra. “The question is: how much of this effect is due to particle pollution, and how much is noise?”



According to Dr. Moreyra, there are a variety of policy interventions that could help to reduce an individual’s exposure to transportation noise at home, such as better enforcement of noise ordinances, infrastructure to block road noise, rules for air traffic, and better noise insulation for buildings.



The research was presented by Dr. Moreyra at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session.



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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

Noise pollution is a major risk factor for heart attacks

Research presented at the annual meeting of the American College...

Gelada monkeys are unique, living far above their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sticking-together-can-come-at-a-cost-for-baboons/">baboon</a> relatives in the Ethiopian highlands at elevations of 6,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level. Scientists wanted to look at how these monkeys survived at these elevations, and even thrived, peacefully grazing on mountain grasses. The question is especially interesting as geladas have lived at high elevation much longer than any human population.&nbsp;



A team of experts from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> (ASU) led by Professor Noah Snyder-Mackler and postdoctoral researcher Kenneth Chiou set out to discover the genetic adaptations that allow the monkeys to live in the mountains.&nbsp;



“Life at high altitude is very difficult. The air is colder and contains less oxygen,” said Snyder-Mackler. “Our team has studied geladas living in such extreme environments for over a decade, so we have a firsthand understanding of how challenging it can be to live at such heights over extended periods of time. Yet geladas have survived for much longer, making us wonder how exactly they have shifted their biology to adapt to their challenging environments.”



One of the first things the researchers checked was the gelada’s hemoglobin and right away they found changes in the molecular sequence of the gelada hemoglobin. At first, the researchers thought that the hemoglobin was modified to hold greater concentrations of oxygen. This idea was quickly challenged however when the scientists tested the oxygen concentration of gelada blood against that of baboons and humans, which all ended up being the same.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The absence of an elevated hemoglobin concentration in wild geladas living at high altitude suggests that they can still provide enough oxygen to tissues in spite of the reduced availability of oxygen,” explained Chiou. “There are a lot of other ways geladas could be physiologically compensating for low oxygen and these could entail many kinds of changes to respiratory or circulatory traits that affect oxygen transport.”



The scientists compared the chest sizes of geladas with baboons and found that indeed, geladas have bigger chests. The chests may be larger to hold larger lungs as an adaptation to high elevation (and thin air) living. This, the scientists explain, is similar to chest dimensional changes of people native to the Andes mountains, also seen as an adaptation to high elevation. It’s uncertain if the gelada chest size is due to genetics or from growing up at high elevation.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Next, the scientists returned to their genetic analysis. After sequencing the gelada genetic code, the researchers found 103 genes that might have been selected for adaptation to highland life. Genes that were selected for include parallels to humans, such as genetic adaptations found in Tibetans, Ethiopians, Nepalese Sherpas and Bajau deep sea divers. However, a lot of the genes had no parallels.&nbsp;



“While we found a lot of overlap between pathways under selection in geladas and human populations living at high altitudes, aside from notable examples listed above, few genes identified by our analysis were shared with candidate genes reported by studies of high-altitude human populations or other high-altitude primates,” said Chiou.



The experts did make another important discovery though. They found chromosomal differences between geladas in the northern and central areas. This suggests that they may actually be two separate species, unbeknownst to science.



“Given that chromosomal rearrangements tend to be associated with infertility–like mules, which are the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey, our findings suggest that geladas may encompass at least two distinct biological species,” said Chiou.



The accidental discovery has important conservation implications, if the geladas are actually two species, it means two smaller and potentially more vulnerable species. This possibility calls for more research into these unlikely mountain monkeys.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</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

Gelada monkeys hold secrets of high altitude adaptation

Gelada monkeys are unique, living far above their baboon relatives...

Climate scientists have warned that further deforestation will lead to the release of more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brown-carbon-released-from-wildfires-is-warming-the-arctic/">carbon</a> into our air, perpetuating climate change. Although this remains the case, a new study published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change">Frontiers in Forests and Global Change</a> has examined other ways in which deforestation impacts climate change.&nbsp;



The researchers looked at biophysical changes that occur when forests are destroyed. These factors include albedo (solar reflection), wind patterns, local heat distribution, cloud composition, and water cycles. What they discovered is not encouraging.&nbsp;



The scientists found that less solar radiation is reflected without forests' high tree canopies, making it hotter for those animals, including humans, living on the surface.&nbsp;



"Imagine a smooth surface, the wind just flows straight across and the heat from the sun comes straight down. But with the canopy and its surface like a crown of broccoli, those air parcels bounce around and the heat is dispersed," explained study lead author Professor Deborah Lawrence of the University of Virginia.



Study author Louis Verchot, a principal scientist at the <a href="https://alliancebioversityciat.org/">Alliance of Bioversity International - CIAT</a>, pointed out the vital role that trees play in hydrological cycles.&nbsp;



"Forests are also important to regional hydrological cycles; once you cut the trees, you remove the pump that transfers water from the surface to the atmosphere, which affects down-wind rainfall," explained Verchot.



The researchers also looked at the role that trees play in cloud formation. Trees and other plants emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). These compounds cause a higher concentration of water droplets which produces brighter clouds. As a result, the brighter clouds allow more solar energy to be reflected into space.&nbsp;



With fewer forests and fewer BVOCs, the cooling effects of the clouds are diminished, leading to a hotter environment on the surface. The study authors hope that their findings will influence laws to reduce deforestation.



"We are helping to explain to governments and to policy makers that there are economic advantages to preventing deforestation and having forests in these regions provides an economic safety net, because we don't just look at it from a carbon perspective," said Verchot.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“If we are looking for aggregate climate benefits, both local and global, then we should be working very hard to grow and maintain forests in the tropics and looking to sustainably manage the forests outside the tropics,” said Professor Lawrence.



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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

Study reveals the far-reaching climate impacts of deforestation

Climate scientists have warned that further deforestation will lead to...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has found that the amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-methane-could-save-arctic-summer-sea-ice/">methane</a> leaking from the Permian Basin in New Mexico – a huge U.S. oil and gas producing region – is several times greater than the federal government estimates. According to the researchers, more than nine percent of all methane produced in this region is being leaked into the atmosphere.



“We surveyed almost every oil and gas asset in the New Mexico Permian for an entire year to measure and link emissions to specific anonymized facilities,” said study co-lead author Evan Sherwin, a postdoctoral researcher in Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford. “It’s worse than we thought by a long shot.”



While environmental watchers and energy industry engineers have long feared that methane leaks from refineries, mines, wells, storage facilities, and pipelines are usually vastly underreported, until recently they lacked the proper equipment to prove it. Now, by using hyperspectral cameras mounted on airplanes, which can measure sunlight reflected off various airborne chemicals, they managed to properly assess the amount of methane leaks.



“With these sensors, methane is quite easy to spot. We are very confident in our results,” said study co-lead author Yuanlei Chen, a doctoral student in Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford. “The technology has major implications for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,”&nbsp;added study senior author Adam Brandt, an associate professor at Stanford. “These highly sensitive instruments can quickly and accurately pinpoint the relatively smaller number of high-consequence leaks and flag them for immediate repair.”



During the course of 115 flight days over a period of 16 months, the researchers covered 14,000 square miles and more than 26,000 wells, providing much greater insight into the amount of methane leakage than ground-based surveys. They found that most methane was leaked from a handful of sources, with fewer than four percent of the surveyed sites (so-called “super-emitters”) producing half of all methane emissions observed.



Luckily, once leaks are identified, shutting them down is often easy and inexpensive. The scientists hope that these new monitoring techniques could be widely adopted to discover the super-emitters quickly and cut-off damaging methane leaks as soon as possible.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06458">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</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

Methane leaks in New Mexico are much greater than initially thought

A new study led by Stanford University has found that...

Stem rust is one of the deadliest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-that-breathe-underwater-could-improve-crop-resilience/">crop</a> diseases. It is caused by a fungus (Puccinia graminis&nbsp;f. sp. tritici) and has severely affected cereal farming throughout its entire history. A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29132-8">Nature Communications</a> has discovered that an obscure species of wild grass (Aegilops sharonensis), which is a distant relative of wheat, has strong resistance against this fungus, and could be cross bred into wheat to give immunity against this deadly disease.



The researchers used novel bioinformatics techniques to sequence for the first time the genome of Aegilops sharonensis, a wild grass native to Israel and southern Lebanon. Using this genetic map and a search tool called “Mutant Hunter,” they identified a gene which appeared to confer strong protection against all tested strains of the wheat stem rust fungus.



“We now have this blockbuster gene that confers amazing immunity. If I were stem rust, I would be shaking in my spore,” said study co-author Dr. Brande Wulff, a wheat researcher at <a href="https://www.kaust.edu.sa/">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a>.



“It has been an arduous research journey lasting many years, but we have now found this gene that confers broad-spectrum resistance. We have yet to come across an isolate of the pathogen which can overcome the gene,” added study lead author Dr. Guotai Yu, a geneticist at the <a href="https://www.jic.ac.uk/">John Innes Center</a>.



Dr. Yu and his colleagues plan to employ the new gene as part of a stack of genes bred into common wheat varieties by using genetic modification technologies. Although A. sharonesis’ long generation time, tough seed coat, and difficulties of crossing it with wheat has made it less tractable than other species of wild grasses to be mined for useful genetic traits, the scientists hope that new technologies will help them cross bred it to wheat in order to overcome the burden stem rust disease is increasingly placing upon cereal populations.



“Pathogens like stem rust, already reduce the yield of wheat by 21 percent. Not only is the grain itself lost or damaged by the pathogen, but also the energy that goes into production – an equivalent of 420 billion kilowatts – enough to power 300 million homes in the developing world is wasted. If we can intervene with genetics, by recruiting the resistance found in this wild-wispy looking grass then that would be an amazing contribution to agriculture and climate change,” concluded Dr. Wulff.



Image Credit: Pablo Olivera Firpo



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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

Wild grass could protect crops against deadly pathogens

Stem rust is one of the deadliest crop diseases. It...

Kittiwake,Sittig,On,A,Nest,With,Two,Eggs

The Field Museum’s collection of birds’ eggs fills an entire room that is crammed from floor to ceiling with cabinets. There are thousands of specimens packed in small boxes, each one with its contents blown out, and each one marked meticulously with a label, often hand-written, recording the species of bird, where the egg was collected and when – down to the precise day.&nbsp;



According to&nbsp;John Bates, curator of birds at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>, this collection of eggs is a veritable treasure trove of data, even though the specimens were mostly collected more than 100 years ago. “Egg collections are such a fascinating tool for us to learn about bird ecology over time,” he said.



“These early egg people were incredible natural historians, in order to do what they did. You really have to know the birds in order to go out and find the nests and do the collecting,” says Bates. “They were very attuned to when the birds were starting to lay, and that leads to, in my opinion, very accurate dates for when the eggs were laid.”



After editing a book about birds’ eggs, Bates got interested in studying the museum’s egg collection and wondered whether the information could be used to assess changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-have-a-high-risk-of-disease-due-to-inbreeding/">breeding</a> patterns over time.&nbsp;



“Once I got to know our egg collection, I got to thinking about how valuable that collection’s data are, and how those data aren’t replicated in modern collections,” said Bates. He decided that, by comparing data from the century-old eggs preserved in museum collections with recent observations of bird breeding times, one would be able to quantify any changes in the start of breeding activity.&nbsp;



The Field Museum’s egg collection stopped expanding after the 1920s, when egg-collecting ceased to be popular with both amateur hobbyists and scientists. So Bates needed to find some recent data sets on the timing of bird breeding to use for comparison with the museum data.



Bates’s colleague Bill Strausberger, a research associate at the Field Museum, had suitable data from his years of studies on cowbird parasitism at the Morton Arboretum in the Chicago suburbs. To collect his data, he had climbed ladders to examine nests where brown-headed cowbirds may have laid their eggs for other birds to raise.



“He had to get out there every spring and find as many nests as he could and see whether or not they were parasitized, and so it occurred to me that he had modern nesting data,” explained Bates.&nbsp;



In addition,&nbsp;Chris Whelan, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, also contributed to the modern data set with songbird nesting data collected in Chicagoland from 1989, when he began work at the Morton Arboretum. Whelan and Strausberger’s contributions to the study were critical, Bates says, because “finding nests is a lot harder than almost anybody realizes.”



“Finding nests and following their fate to success or failure is extremely time-consuming and challenging,” said Whelan. “We learned to recognize what I called ‘nesty’ behavior. This includes gathering nest material, like twigs, grass, roots, or bark, depending upon bird species, or capturing food like caterpillars but not consuming the food item – this likely indicates a parent is foraging to gather food for nestlings.” Whelan and his team used mirrors mounted on long poles to peer into high-up nests and kept close track of the dates when eggs were laid and hatched.



These field studies provided the modern data set, from about 1990 to 2015, while the museum data was collected between 1820 and 1920. “There’s a gap in the middle, and that’s where Mason Fidino came in,” said Bates. Fidino, a quantitative ecologist at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and a co-author of the study, built models for analyzing the data that allowed them to address the gap in the middle of the 20th century



The results of the analyses, published today in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652656">Journal of Animal Ecology</a>, show a clear trend in the timing of spring breeding in birds. Of the 72 species for which historical and modern data were available in the Chicagoland region, about a third have nested earlier and earlier as time has gone by. Among those, the first eggs are now laid an average of 25.1 days earlier than they would have been 100 years ago.&nbsp;



When the researchers considered the reason behind this very clear trend, they turned to rising temperatures as a possible explanation. But when they couldn’t find temperature records for the area that went back 100 years, they had to find an alternative. Instead, they used a proxy for temperature, namely the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.



“We couldn’t find a single source of long-term temperature data for the Midwest, which was surprising, but you can approximate temperature with carbon dioxide levels, which are very well documented,” said Bates. The carbon dioxide data comes from a variety of sources, including the chemical composition of ice cores from glaciers.



Although the temperature changes for the past 100 years have been relatively small in the study area, these subtle changes may have significant consequences for the timing of plant flowering or the emergence of insects from their pupae or eggs. These changes would affect the abundance of food for birds, and therefore their breeding success.&nbsp;



“The majority of the birds we looked at eat insects, and insects’ seasonal behavior is also affected by climate. The birds have to move their egg-laying dates to adapt,” said Bates.



It may seem that laying eggs a few weeks early is unimportant in the larger scheme of life, but Bates notes that it’s part of a larger story. “The birds in our study area, upwards of 150 species, all have different evolutionary histories and different breeding biology so it’s all about the details. These changes in nesting dates might result in them competing for food and resources in a way that they didn’t used to,” he said. “There are all kinds of really important nuances that we need to know about in terms of how animals are responding to climate change.”



In addition to giving a stark warning about climate change, the study also highlights the importance of museum collections, particularly egg collections, which are often under-utilized. “There are 5 million eggs out there in collections worldwide, and yet, there are very few publications using museum collections of eggs,” said Bates. “They’re a treasure trove of data about the past, and they can help us answer important questions about our world today.”



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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

Birds are laying their eggs earlier to adapt to climate change

The Field Museum’s collection of birds’ eggs fills an entire...

Off the northeastern coast of Japan, marine scientists have been monitoring the diets of sea turtles for the past 15 years. Live turtles caught as by-catch (mainly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loggerhead-turtles-migrate-using-a-secret-thermal-corridor/">loggerhead</a> and green turtles) are brought to the International Coastal Research Center of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, where they are kept in individual tanks for up to 3&nbsp;months to collect their feces. Sadly, many of the turtles have ingested marine debris, as evidenced by the undigested remains in their feces.&nbsp;



Although the scientists are used to recording plastics in the feces of living turtles, or in the guts of dead turtles, they were shocked by the fecal contents of a young green turtle, caught in their study region on 10 August, 2021. This turtle should have been feeding on a diet of jelly fish, seaweed and seagrass but, instead, its feces contained barnacles, wood chips and plastic – in the form of a disposable face mask.&nbsp; This is the first time that the researchers have direct evidence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the marine turtles of the area.&nbsp;



The scientists have published their findings on the fecal and gut contents of 76 sea turtles caught in the region over the past 15 years, including the individual that had consumed a face mask. Their report is available online and also in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/marine-pollution-bulletin">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.



“Face masks had never been found in this survey before the pandemic, and, unfortunately, this is the first detection,” said paper author Takuya Fukuoka, a post-doctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG) at <a href="https://www.tuat.ac.jp/en/">Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology</a>. “The turtle, in this case, excreted the mask; however, the physical consequences of debris ingestion in many marine species are under discussion.”



And it is not only the physical consequences of eating marine debris that are of concern. Many plastics contain chemicals that can disrupt the normal endocrine (hormone) cycles in the body, thus having far-reaching impacts on individual animals.&nbsp;



The researchers conducted a chemical analysis of the mask, as well as of five other common brands of masks that are readily available in stores. All the masks were made of polypropylene, a plastic with a low density that floats in the water column. This plastic can contain additives that leach into the digestive fluid of marine organisms that ingest it, according to Hideshige Takada, professor in the LOG.



“We detected UV stabilizers in four out of five brands of face masks we tested, ranging from 1.4 to 848 nanograms per gram of material,” Takada said. “This concentration range is similar to those detected in plastic bottle caps, shopping bags and food packaging.” Three of the detected UV stabilizers are known to interfere with the molecules involved with hormone regulation, according to Takada.



“Exposure of marine organisms that ingest PPE waste to the chemicals and the consequential endocrine-disruption are of further concern,” Takada said. “We urgently need to study the ecotoxicological consequences of the ingestion of waste PPE by marine organisms and potential endocrine disruption. As a precautionary action, it is necessary to establish appropriate waste management systems to stop the entry of PPE into the environment and the use of safer additives to PPE.”



Not long ago, sea turtles that had plastic drinking straws stuck in their nostrils became the champions of the movement to reduce single-use plastics and promote the production of non-plastic food containers. It seems that they are again sending humanity a warning that the irresponsible disposal of PPE into the oceans has the potential to harm innocent marine organisms.&nbsp;



Although personal protective equipment (PPE) has been crucial in protecting people from the spread of coronavirus in the past two years, these items need to be disposed of in such a way that they do not enter the marine environment. The researchers plan to continue studying how COVID-19-derived plastic debris enters the environment, as well as how organic pollutants and additives from plastic waste transfer into marine organisms, in efforts to mitigate further harm.



“As the pandemic continues, the usage of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) continues,” Takada said. “The COVID-19 pandemic affects not only human life, but also marine life through waste management issues. Unless appropriate waste management is instituted, the ingestion of PPE, associated chemicals and microplastics will increase in a variety of marine life very soon.”



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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

Sea turtles are now ingesting disposable face masks

Off the northeastern coast of Japan, marine scientists have been...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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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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