A recent study has unveiled a concerning trend in the traditionally damp landscapes of Africa. Over an 18-year span, the number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twenty-years-of-air-quality-improvement-erased-by-wildfires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfires</a> has alarmingly doubled in Africa's wet forests, especially in the vast Congo Basin. 



The uptick in fire activity in these regions mirrors similar increases observed in other wet forests globally, including the U.S. Pacific Northwest and the Amazon. 



This pattern indicates a shift in the ecological dynamics of these areas, underscoring the urgent need to reevaluate the susceptibility of wet forests to fires.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-trends-in-africa-s-wet-forests">Fire trends in Africa’s wet forests</h2>



The study represents the first extensive examination of fire incidents in West and Central Africa’s lush, tropical forests. 



Utilizing satellite imagery, the researchers tracked active <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/historic-fires-impact-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fires</a> from 2003 to 2021, discovering a clear rise in fire frequency, particularly in the Northwest Congolian Lowland Forests. By 2021, the number of fires per 10,000 square kilometers surged by 400 annually.



"There were several areas with strong trends of increasing fire, mainly in the Congo Basin. In contrast, there were almost no locations where fire was decreasing," wrote the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-human-activity-on-wet-forest-fires">Impact of human activity on wet forest fires</h2>



Traditionally, fires in Africa's wet forests were thought to be minor, especially when compared to those in drier woodlands and savannas. The lack of comprehensive research left many questions about the characteristics and drivers of these fires unanswered.



The escalation of fires in wet forests is deeply connected to human activities, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-deforestation-crisis-how-can-we-stop-massive-forest-losses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deforestation</a>. This not only reduces forest cover but also fragments the remaining forested areas, increasing their susceptibility to fires. 



Consequently, these human-driven changes foster drier conditions particularly at the forest edges, where the majority of fires tend to ignite. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weather-patterns-and-wet-forest-fires">Weather patterns and wet forest fires</h2>



Furthermore, the experts identified a pronounced correlation between the occurrence of fires in these wet forests and weather patterns, particularly high temperatures and vapor pressure deficits, which are indicative of elevated plant water stress levels.



A particularly compelling discovery was the impact of the 2015-2016 "super El Niño" event, which intensified heat and drought conditions in these regions, subsequently leading to a noticeable increase in fires. 



"I was surprised at how strong and clear the climate signal was," said Michael Wimberly, an ecologist at the University of Oklahoma who led the study.



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



The implications of these findings are profound. As global climate patterns continue to evolve, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-forest-land-sometimes-gets-cleared-for-nothing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tropical forest</a> fires are likely to increase in frequency and intensity, posing significant challenges to conservation efforts and biodiversity. 



Wimberly emphasized the necessity of rethinking how we view the relationship between climate change and fire in tropical forests. "Tropical forest fires have been long overlooked, but they're only going to become more important in the future. We can't ignore them any longer."



This pivotal study calls for an integrated approach to managing fire risks, particularly by controlling fires at the edges of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-global-forest-loss-has-been-caused-by-wildfires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forests</a> to prevent the destructive feedback loops that increase vulnerability to further fires. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-study">Broader implications of the study</h2>



The research underscores the need for enhanced monitoring and intervention strategies that can mitigate the impact of fires on some of the world’s most critical wet forest ecosystems.



The findings from the study not only expand our understanding of the ecological dynamics of wet forests but also serve as a call to action for policymakers, researchers, and conservationists worldwide to address the emerging threats posed by climate change and human influence on these vital habitats.



“Fires are likely to continue increasing as temperatures become hotter and human populations grow and expand, and they will have negative impacts on carbon storage as well as biodiversity and human livelihoods derived from forest resources,” wrote the study authors.



“To date there has been limited research on fire in African forests, and more work is needed to understand how ENSO and other climate modes influence regional patterns of fire risk; assess the impacts of increasing fire on carbon dynamics, biodiversity, and forest resources; and develop more effective strategies for predicting fire danger and preventing destructive wildfires.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL106240" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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Africa's wet forests have seen an alarming rise in wildfires

A recent study has unveiled a concerning trend in the traditionally damp landscapes of Africa. Over an 18-year span, the number of wildfires has alarmingly doubled in Africa's wet forests, especially in the vast Congo Basin. The uptick in fire activity in these regions mirrors similar increases observed in other wet forests globally, including the U.S. Pacific Northwest and the Amazon. This pattern indicates a shift in the ecological dynamics of these areas, underscoring the urgent need to reevaluate the susceptibility of wet forests to fires. Fire...

Some experts theorize that in the past, climate change promoted the evolution of new species in the tropics, contributing to the rich <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-loss-in-smaller-habitats-is-underestimated/">biodiversity</a> found near the equator. if that was the case, however, the trend is now shifting. New research has confirmed that climate change is rapidly forcing waterbirds to move away from the world's tropical regions and toward the poles.

An international team of scientists led by Dr. Tatsuya Amano of the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> reviewed more than a million records of waterbird species and determined that temperature increase is drastically affecting the abundance of equatorial species.

"Using 1,303,651 count records of 390 species, we show that with temperature increase, the abundance of species and populations decreased at lower latitudes, particularly in the tropics, but increased at higher latitudes. These contrasting latitudinal responses indicate potential global-scale poleward shifts of species abundance under climate change," wrote the researchers.

"The negative responses to temperature increase in tropical species are of conservation concern, as they are often also threatened by other anthropogenic factors."

For example, another major cause of biodiversity loss in recent years is habitat destruction and degradation caused primarily by land-use changes, including urbanization and deforestation.

Dr. Amano said the findings of the UQ study show climate change continues to pose a serious threat to biodiversity.

"There's an urgent need to understand how species respond to changing climates on a global scale. Earlier global reviews have rarely included species and studies in the tropics - being largely conducted in Europe, North America, Australia and the Arctic."

"As a result, although tropical species have long been predicted to be more vulnerable to increasing temperature, there was little empirical evidence on how climate change really affects species abundance in the tropics."

The investigation was focused on data collected by the International Waterbird Census and Christmas Bird Count since 1990. An analysis of this data revealed that 69 percent of the tropical species exhibited negative responses to temperature increases.

"The global dataset of waterbird abundance is the fruit of invaluable, long-term survey efforts in over 100 countries and covers regions for which there is little information on climate change impacts," said Dr. Amano.

"Waterbirds can be observed relatively easily, offering an early proxy for climate change impacts on other species. They help us assess the status of biodiversity in wetland ecosystems, which has been lost at higher rates than other ecosystems."

Dr Amano said he hoped the findings will help strengthen the case for real action on a warming climate.

"Large species shifts and loss can have serious consequences not only for biodiversity, but also for human well-being. Our findings are a step forward, but it would be great to see this area receive more research attention, especially in the tropics," said Dr. Armano.

"Further studies could provide crucial evidence for a more effective allocation of limited resources for the conservation of species and ecosystems most threatened by climate change, and for assessing how these changes in biodiversity may affect human societies."

The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Waterbirds are being forced out of the tropics by climate change

Some experts theorize that in the past, climate change promoted...

In 2019, an underwater volcano near Tonga created an enormous pumice raft that floated for months and eventually made its way to the coast of Australia. Here, the pumice rock has literally brought new life to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-changes/">Great Barrier Reef</a>. 

In a study from <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/">Queensland University of Technology</a>, an international team of scientists used underwater robots to collect samples from the volcano that produced the pumice.

"It was really our first chance to go and explore the summit of this underwater volcano," said study co-author Professor Scott Bryan."We were able to send underwater robots down with cameras and sampling gear to collect material from the actual volcano that produced this pumice raft last year."

"It's allowed us to see what these volcanoes look like underwater. It's a volcano that's getting close to breaching the surface and will become an island in years to come."

"We've been able to see how life has come back to the summit of this volcano after this eruption, and see that restoration of life."

"One of the advantages of our trip to Tonga is that for the first time we've been able to collect samples from the vent, from the seafloor so soon after the eruption."

Professor Bryan, who has been studying the impact of pumice rafts for nearly 20 years, said that at one point the raft was twice the size of Manhattan. The pumice started arriving on Australia's shoreline by April and spread out across a long stretch of shoreline. 

The researchers collected four different types of pumice from the Tongo eruption that can be used for comparison: the pumice collected shortly after the eruption, pumice that sank right away at the eruption site, pumice that washed up in Fiji a month later, and pumice that traveled more than 3,000 kilometers to Australia.

"We don't understand why some pumice sinks during the eruption at the location and others can float for many months and years on the world's oceans," said Professor Bryan. "This will help us understand the mechanisms and dynamics of these explosive eruptions and understand better why these eruptions produce potentially hazardous pumice rafts."

According to Professor Bryan, a nutritional boost that the pumice raft has delivered to the Great Barrier Reef is part of a very ancient process in which oceans and volcanoes have transferred marine life around the Earth for hundreds of millions of years.

"This shows that the Great Barrier Reef has connections to coral reefs that are thousands of kilometers further east. In terms of the health of the Great Barrier Reef, it's also important that these distant reefs are taken care of."

"Each piece of pumice has its own little community that has been transported across the world's oceans - and we have had trillions of pieces of this pumice floating out there following the eruption."

"Each piece of pumice is a home, and a vehicle for an organism, and it's just tremendous. The sheer numbers of individuals and this diversity of species is being transported thousands of kilometres in only a matter of months is really quite phenomenal."

Professor Bryan said that pumice rafts will not directly help to mitigate the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. "This is about a boost of new recruits, of new corals and other reef-building organisms, that happens every five years or so. It's almost like a vitamin shot for the Great Barrier Reef."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Pumice raft carried nutrients to the Great Barrier Reef from nearly 2,000 miles away

In 2019, an underwater volcano near Tonga created an enormous...

New research suggests that nutrient pollution will compound the detrimental effects of climate change on coral reefs. According to a study from the <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/">ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies</a>, coral <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/genetics-will-show-which-corals-can-resist-bleaching/">bleaching</a> is intensified when reefs are exposed to excessive nutrients.

Nutrient runoff from human activities, as well as naturally occurring nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, is carried into coral environments by circulating ocean currents.

Study lead author Dr. Thomas DeCarlo from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) said corals are sensitive to high levels of nutrients.

"As the climate warms, mass coral bleaching could occur as often as annually within this century," said Dr. DeCarlo. "In our study, we found that already heat-stressed corals exposed to excess nutrient levels were even more susceptible to bleaching."

The findings suggest that ecosystem managers should develop strategies to reduce nutrient stress in waters that are affected by heat stress.

The research confirms the results of previous studies, some of which were conducted on the Great Barrier Reef, that have attributed coral bleaching to a combination of heat and nutrient stresses.

"Our results provide a roadmap for coral reef conservation efforts to be at their most effective," said study co-author Professor John Pandolfi. "We suggest oceanographic processes should be included when deciding when and where to allocate resources or protection."

The researchers used the skeletal cores of long-living corals to analyze bleaching events in the Red Sea over the past few decades. They found that coral bleaching was only severe when high sea surface temperatures were coupled with excessive nutrient levels.

Testing the role of nutrients in coral bleaching has been a challenge, primarily because it is difficult to distinguish between which effects are caused by heat stress and which are caused by nutrient pollution. It is also not as easy to measure nutrient loads through satellite imagery as it is to measure ocean temperatures.

The Red Sea provides an ideal study site for examining the impacts of nutrient pollution on corals because it is one of the only marine environments where the effects of summertime nutrients and heat stress are independent of each other. There is only one region of the sea that has a single major source of nutrients in the summer, which are mixed in the ocean as a result of a process called upwelling.

"Incorporating nutrient-supplying ocean currents into coral bleaching forecasts will enhance those predictions that are based on temperatures alone," said Professor Pandolfi.

"The fact that nutrients are more difficult to measure than temperature may be restricting our recognition of their importance," said Dr. DeCarlo. "And we need greater longer-term monitoring efforts of nutrient levels on coral reefs."

"Our research suggests that projections of coral reef futures should move beyond solely temperature-based stress to incorporate the influence of ocean current systems on coral reef nutrient enrichment, and thus susceptibility to bleaching.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Nutrient pollution makes corals more susceptible to bleaching

New research suggests that nutrient pollution will compound the detrimental...

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a>, records contained in ice cores and stalagmites have revealed that abrupt climate changes during the last glacial period were nearly synchronized from the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-arctic-may-be-completely-free-of-sea-ice-in-15-years/">Arctic</a> down to the Tropics.

The research shows that rapid warming across Greenland was accompanied by simultaneous temperature increases in Europe and changes in precipitation in the Asian and South American monsoon regions.

"Some of the largest and most abrupt climate changes in Earth's geological recent past occurred during the Last Glacial Period, a cold interval that extended between 115,000 and 11,700 years ago," said study lead author Ellen Corrick.

In Greenland, ice cores recorded more than 25 abrupt warming episodes during this period, known as the "Dansgaard-Oeschger events."

The episodes were characterized by major temperature fluctuations of up to 16 degrees Celsius, and these spikes sometimes happened in a matter of a few decades.

The experts also assembled 63 individual climate records derived from stalagmites that had been collected in caves across Europe, Asia, and South America. The geological records represent over two decades worth of published scientific studies by experts all over the world.

Stalagmites are a type of cave mineral formation that can be dated very precisely to gather critical information on regional temperature and rainfall.

The researchers said the findings demonstrate that profound climate changes can occur simultaneously, highlighting the unstable nature of the climate system. 

The study also provides a framework to improve climate models and predict upcoming changes with more accuracy.

"Demonstrating synchrony in the climate response across such a broad region marks a major advance in the study of Dansgaard-Oeschger events," said study co-author Professor Russell Drysdale. "It allows scientists to improve understanding of how the events are propagated globally via the ocean and atmosphere system."

According to study co-author Professor Eric Wolff, the findings resolve a long-standing dilemma among paleoclimatologists, who study ancient climates. "They provide confirmation of a persistent but, until now, unsubstantiated assumption that climate changes between the tropics and the Arctic were synchronous."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Abrupt climate changes occur simultaneously across the globe

In a new study led by the University of Melbourne,...

Seabirds often mistake plastic debris for food, and ingestion poses many health risks to the animals such as intestinal blockages. A new study has shown, for the first time, that plastic waste can release potentially harmful <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plants-produce-medically-valuable-chemicals/">chemicals</a> into the stomach fluid of seabirds for extended periods of time.

The findings highlight the urgent need to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans and to dispose of our waste more responsibly. As levels of marine plastic pollution continue to grow, so do the threats to wildlife.

Pieces of plastic can remain in birds' intestines for long periods of time, and scientists are now concerned that the plastic is capable of releasing harmful chemicals.

"I've been working on northern fulmars for almost 10 years," said study lead author Susanne Kühn of the Wageningen Marine Research in the Netherlands. "As these seabirds ingest plastics regularly, and 93% of the fulmars from the North Sea have some plastic in their stomachs, it is important to understand the potential harm this could cause."

The researchers set out to investigate whether plastics may release chemicals after being eaten by fulmars. 

The team replicated the conditions found in the fulmar stomach, as well as the plastic debris that the seabirds ingest. The experts collected stomach oil, a nutrient-rich liquid found in the fulmar stomach, from hunters in the Faroe Islands.

"Previous studies have typically used uniform plastic pellets, sometimes artificially contaminated, which is not representative of plastic found in the sea," explained Kühn. "Instead, we went beach combing and found a variety of plastic types and shapes to create a marine plastic sample that a fulmar might realistically ingest."

After covering the plastic samples in stomach oil, the researchers mimicked the temperature and levels of agitation that can be found in the fulmar stomach. Next, the team chwmically analyzed the oil at different points in time to determine whether chemicals had leached out of the plastic.

The study revealed that the plastic released a variety of chemicals in the stomach oil over time. In some cases, foreign chemicals leaked from the plastics for more than three months. The chemicals turned out to be additives such as plasticizers, flame retardants, and stabilizers.

The team was shocked to find that the stomach oil of fulmar chicks already contained plastic-derived chemicals before the experiments, indicating that their parents had mistakenly feed them plastic waste.

While the long-term health implications are unclear, previous studies have shown that several of the leached chemicals can disrupt hormones and reproduction among seabirds and may have genetic effects in birds.

The research suggests that the impacts of plastic pollution on birds are not limited to immediate effects, such as entanglement, but have the potential to be much longer lasting.

"I hope that these results will increase awareness of the various negative effects of plastic debris in the oceans," said Kühn. "We urgently need to reduce the amount of plastic in the marine environment."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science">Frontiers in Environmental Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Chemicals from plastics leak into seabird stomachs over time

Seabirds often mistake plastic debris for food, and ingestion poses...

A new study has revealed that the amount of microplastics in the Atlantic Ocean has been largely underestimated. The research shows that there is as much as 10 times more plastic in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-system-in-asia-influences-hurricanes-in-the-atlantic/">Atlantic</a> than was previously realized.

Study lead author Dr. Katsiaryna Pabortsava is a scientist at the <a href="https://www.noc.ac.uk/">National Oceanography Centre</a> (NOC) in the UK.

"Previously, we couldn't balance the mass of floating plastic we observed with the mass we thought had entered the ocean since 1950," said Dr. Pabortsava. 

"This is because earlier studies hadn't been measuring the concentrations of 'invisible' microplastic particles beneath the ocean surface. Our research is the first to have done this across the entire Atlantic, from the UK to the Falklands."

The mass of invisible microplastics found in the upper waters of the Atlantic is approximately 12 to 21 million tons, according to the research. 

Furthermore, this figure only represents three of the most common types of plastic litter in a limited size range. 

At the same time, the microplastics estimate is comparable in magnitude to all of the plastic waste that is believed to have entered the Atlantic Ocean over the past 65 years, which is estimated at 17 million tons. This indicates that there is much more plastic waste in the ocean than what was expected.

"If we assume that the concentration of microplastics we measured at around 200 meters deep is representative of that in the water mass to the seafloor below with an average depth of about 3,000 meters, then the Atlantic Ocean might hold about 200 million tons of plastic litter in this limited polymer type and size category. This is much more than is thought to have been supplied," explained study co-author Professor Richard Lampitt.

"In order to determine the dangers of plastic contamination to the environment and to humans we need good estimates of the amount and characteristics of this material, how it enters the ocean, how it degrades and then how toxic it is at these concentrations." 

"This paper demonstrates that scientists have had a totally inadequate understanding of even the simplest of these factors, how much is there, and it would seem our estimates of how much is dumped into the ocean has been massively underestimated."

The researchers collected the ocean water samples used for the study during the 26th Atlantic Meridional Transect expedition in September to November 2016. They filtered large volumes of seawater at three selected depths in the top 200 meters.

Using a state-of-the-art spectroscopic imaging technique, the team detected and identified three of the most common plastic contaminants: polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene.

The research is part of the NOC's mission to understand the extent and implications of microplastic pollution on the health of marine ecosystems.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Atlantic Ocean may hold 200 million tons of microplastics 

A new study has revealed that the amount of microplastics...

A team of scientists at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> has solved a long-standing mystery of what drove rapid <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-human-health-impacts-of-climate-change/">climate</a> warming during the Last Interglacial period 130,000 years ago, and the research suggests that the same processes are accelerating sea ice retreat across the Arctic today. As a result, the Arctic may be completely free of sea ice by 2035.

"High temperatures in the Arctic have puzzled scientists for decades. Unravelling this mystery was technically and scientifically challenging," said study co-lead author Dr. Maria Vittoria Guarino. "For the first time, we can begin to see how the Arctic became sea ice-free during the last interglacial. The advances made in climate modeling means that we can create a more accurate simulation of the Earth's past climate, which, in turn gives us greater confidence in model predictions for the future."

For the investigation, the experts used the latest version of the UK Hadley Center climate model to compare Arctic sea ice conditions during the last interglacial with present day. This model is the UK's most advanced physical representation of the Earth's climate and provides a critical tool for climate research.

The current study is unique in that it accounted for the effects of melt ponds, which have a strong influence on sea ice retreat.

Melt ponds are shallow pools of water that form on the surface of Arctic sea ice during the spring and summer. These ponds affect how much sunlight is absorbed by the ice and how much is reflected back into space. 

The model simulations revealed that during the last interglacial, the impact of intense springtime sunshine created many melt ponds, which played a crucial role in the retreat of Arctic sea ice. 

A simulation of the future using the same model indicates that the Arctic may become sea ice-free by 2035.

"We know the Arctic is undergoing significant changes as our planet warms. By understanding what happened during Earth's last warm period we are in a better position to understand what will happen in the future," said Dr. Louise Sime. "The prospect of loss of sea-ice by 2035 should really be focusing all our minds on achieving a low-carbon world as soon as humanly feasible."

The melt pond scheme that was incorporated into the climate model was developed by Dr. David Schroeder and Professor Danny Feltham from the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a>. They said the research shows just how important sea ice processes like melt ponds are in the Arctic, and why it is crucial that they are accounted for in climate models.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

The Arctic may be completely free of sea ice in 15 years

A team of scientists at the British Antarctic Survey has...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> reports that scientists have discovered 11 new emperor penguin colonies in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/first-ever-fossil-egg-in-antarctica-was-laid-by-massive-reptile/">Antarctica</a> using satellite mapping technology. The research has revealed the existence of nearly 20 percent more colonies than what was previously realized.

The findings provide an important benchmark for monitoring the impacts of environmental change on emperor penguins.

The birds were located through the analysis of images from the European Commission's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite mission. 

There are now 61 known emperor penguin colonies on the continent of Antarctica. Of the 11 new colonies described, three were previously identified but never confirmed.

Emperor penguins are located in remote regions that are often inaccessible and difficult to study. For the last decade, scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have been looking for new colonies by searching for their guano stains on the ice.

"This is an exciting discovery. The new satellite images of Antarctica's coastline have enabled us to find these new colonies," said study lead author Dr. Peter Fretwell. "And whilst this is good news, the colonies are small and so only take the overall population count up by 5-10% to just over half a million penguins or around 265,500 - 278,500 breeding pairs."

Emperor penguins are vulnerable to the loss of sea ice, their preferred breeding habitat, which will continue to disappear as a result of global warming. Most of the newly discovered colonies are located at the margins of the emperors' breeding range, and could be lost as temperatures rise.

Study co-author Dr. Phil Trathan has been studying penguins for the last three decades.

"Whilst it's good news that we've found these new colonies, the breeding sites are all in locations where recent model projections suggest emperors will decline," said Dr. Trathan. "Birds in these sites are therefore probably the 'canaries in the coalmine' - we need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20563485">Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Satellite images reveal 11 new emperor penguin colonies

A new study from the British Antarctic Survey reports that...

The remarkable diversity of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-can-control-plants-using-nothing-but-light/">plants</a> and trees surrounding the Tibetan Plateau can be traced back 30 million years to the formation of new mountain ranges followed by intense monsoons, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">AAAS</a>. The research highlights the major role that climate change plays in shaping life on Earth.

Study co-author Rick Ree is a curator at Chicago's Field Museum.

"This paper addresses the fundamental question of why there are so many species in some parts of the world and not others," said Ree. "The formation of this very species-rich community was fueled by ancient mountain-building and then subsequent effects of the monsoon. The biodiversity that we see today has been profoundly shaped by geology and climate."

The study was on plants growing in the higher elevations of the Hengduan Mountains in southwestern China. 

"It's an incredibly interesting part of the world, it's a relatively small area that harbors one-third of all the plant species in China," said Ree. "In the Hengduan Mountains, you can see coniferous forests, rushing glacial streams, craggy valleys, and meadows just teeming with wildflowers." 

Ree noted that some of the flowers in this region may be familiar to Western gardeners, including rhododendrons and delphiniums.

The team set out to investigate the distribution and evolution of plants in the alpine regions of the Hengduan Mountains, the Himalayan Mountains, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The experts used DNA samples and fossil evidence to assemble the family trees of the plants, going back tens of millions of years.

The researchers compared the DNA of different plant species to  determine how closely related they were to each other and when they evolved. The experts found that many of the plants first appeared in the Hengduan Mountains. 

As the Indian tectonic plate collided with Asia and gradually created mountains, new habitats developed on the slopes and in the valleys below. Mountain formation also led to more intense monsoons.

"The combined effect of mountain-building and monsoons was like pouring jet fuel onto this flame of species origination," said Ree. "The monsoon wasn't simply giving more water for plants to grow, it had this huge role in creating a more rugged topography. It caused erosion, resulting in deeper valleys and more incised mountain ranges."

"The theory is, if you increase the ruggedness of a landscape, you're more likely to have populations restricted in their movement because it's harder to cross a deeper valley than a shallow valley. So any time you start increasing the patchiness and barriers between populations, you expect evolution to accelerate."

This is exactly what the team found in the genetic family tree: as the landscape grew more rugged over time, isolated populations of plants veered off into their own separate species, resulting in the biodiversity we see today.

According to Ree, the research has implications for a better understanding of the climate change that Earth is currently experiencing.

"This study sheds light on the conditions under which we get rich versus poor biodiversity," said Ree. "Mountain ecosystems tend to be very sensitive to things like global warming, because the organisms that live there are dependent on a tight range of elevation and temperature."

"Understanding how historical environmental change affected alpine plants twenty million years ago can help us predict how today's climate change will affect their descendants."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">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

&nbsp;

Mountain formation led to an explosion in plant diversity 

The remarkable diversity of plants and trees surrounding the Tibetan...

Flowers play a bigger role in spreading parasitic diseases to bees and other <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/farmers-can-help-save-bees-and-other-wild-pollinators/">pollinators</a> than what was previously realized, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>. The researchers discovered that one in 11 flowers contains parasites associated with bee declines.

Furthermore, one in eight bees examined for the study was found to have at least one parasite.

Study senior author Scott McArt is an assistant professor of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell.

"We know very little about transmission of these diseases," said Professor McArt. "Our study shows that transmission can likely occur on a lot of different flowers, and the amount of disease in a community is shaped by both the floral community and the bee community."

The research was focused on 2,624 flowers from 89 species and 2,672 bees from 110 species through an entire growing season across field sites in upstate New York. Using molecular data for testing, the team identified five common parasites.

The study pinpointed three main factors that contribute to disease transmission: flower abundance, the numbers of social bees, and overall bee species diversity.

The number of total flowers increases as the season progresses, and the proportion of flowers with parasites decreases. This lowers the risk that a bee will encounter a flower that hosts a parasite.

"That has really important conservation implications, because if you want to limit disease spread, just plant a lot of flowers," said Professor McArt. "It's a win-win: If we plant flowers and create a lot of forage, we can also dilute disease."

The study showed that social bees, such as honeybees and bumblebees, were more likely to be infected with parasites than solitary bees. The researchers observed that later in the season, overall bee diversity drops but the number of social bees grows. Typically, higher species diversity slows the spread of disease.

"Both bee diversity and fewer of the social bees make it less likely for bees (overall) to be infected. That's another win for conservation: if we promote bee diversity, there will be less disease," explained Professor McArt. He noted that high numbers of infections in the social species may also spill over to infect other species.

Going forward, the team will investigate the potential for increased flower abundance to offset the negative effects of more social bees combined with less species diversity in late summer.

Further research may also explain why social bees are more susceptible to parasites.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol">Nature Ecology and Evolution</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

&nbsp;

Flowers spread parasitic bee diseases 

Flowers play a bigger role in spreading parasitic diseases to...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-changes/">Great Barrier Reef</a> (GBR) is undergoing its third mass bleaching event in just five years, and this time the impacts are much more widespread. An aerial survey has revealed that the expanse of the bleaching is unprecedented, with damage across all three regions of the massive reef system. 

Professor Terry Hughes is the director of the <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/">ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies</a> at James Cook University.

"We surveyed 1,036 reefs from the air during the last two weeks in March, to measure the extent and severity of coral bleaching throughout the Barrier Reef region," said Professor Hughes. 

"For the first time, severe bleaching has struck all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef - the northern, central and now large parts of the southern sectors."

Coral bleaching is caused by abrupt changes to seawater, such as pollution and too much sunlight. The leading cause of bleaching is thermal stress that results from unusually hot ocean temperatures.

The first mass bleaching event along the Great Barrier Reef took place in 1998, which was the hottest year on record. In 2016 and 2017, record heat struck the GBR again, resulting in back-to-back bleaching events. 

This year brought the highest temperatures ever recorded on the GBR in the month of February.

"Bleaching isn't necessarily fatal, and it affects some species more than others," said Professor Morgan Pratchett, who led underwater surveys to evaluate the latest bleaching event. "A pale or lightly bleached coral typically regains its color within a few weeks or months and survives."

On the other hand, severe bleaching can be fatal. In the northern region of the Great Barrier Reef, more than half of the shallow-water corals died in 2016.

"We will go back underwater later this year to assess the losses of corals from this most recent event," said Professor Pratchett. "The north was the worst affected region in 2016, followed by the central region in 2017. In 2020, the cumulative footprint of bleaching has expanded further to include the south."

The time frame between bleaching events is shrinking, which makes it much more difficult for the corals to fully recover. 

David Wachenfeld, the chief scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said that ocean temperatures over the next month will determine how well the reef manages to bounce back.

“The forecasts indicate that we can expect ongoing levels of thermal stress for at least the next two weeks and maybe three or four weeks,” wrote Wachenfeld. “So this still is a critical time for the reef and it is the weather conditions over the next two to four weeks that will determine the final outcome."

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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

&nbsp;

Brutal coral bleaching event strikes the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is undergoing its third mass...

Climate change is set to trigger catastrophic <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plants-vanishing-biodiversity-hotspots/">biodiversity</a> losses in the coming decades, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>. Global warming is pushing many species to a tipping point, and these plants and animals will disappear abruptly if temperatures continue to rise. 

The researchers predict that a large number of species will vanish simultaneously under the strain of climate change, and some regions will suffer extraordinary losses sooner than others. Unprecedented disasters, such as the mass coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, indicate that the first wave of destruction has already arrived.

"We found that climate change risks to biodiversity don't increase gradually. Instead, as the climate warms, within a certain area most species will be able to cope for a while, before crossing a temperature threshold, when a large proportion of the species will suddenly face conditions they've never experienced before," explained study lead author Dr. Alex Pigot. "It's not a slippery slope, but a series of cliff edges, hitting different areas at different times."

The research team, including experts in South Africa and the United States, set out to analyze threats to biodiversity through the end of the century. The investigation was focused on climate model data from 1850 to 2005 and the geographic ranges of 30,652 species of plants and animals. 

The experts used climate model projections for each year through 2100 to estimate when specific regions will begin experiencing unusually high temperatures that persist for at least five years.

"The historic temperature models, combined with species ranges, showed us the range of conditions that each organism can survive under, as far as we know," said study first author Dr Christopher Trisos. "Once temperatures in a given area rise to levels that the species have never experienced, we would expect there to be extinctions, but not necessarily - we simply have no evidence of the ability of these species to persist after this point."

The study showed that in most ecological communities, a large share of the species will be pushed outside of their comfort zone within the same decade. Across the globe, 73 percent of the species exposed to abnormally hot temperatures will cross this threshold simultaneously. 

According to the research, if global temperatures rise by 4°C this century, at least 15 percent of communities across the globe will be facing severe ecological disruption. If warming is limited to 2°C or less, the number of communities impacted would drop to less than two percent. 

"Our findings highlight the urgent need for climate change mitigation, by immediately and drastically reducing emissions, which could help save thousands of species from extinction. Keeping global warming below 2°C effectively 'flattens the curve' of how this risk to biodiversity will accumulate over the century, providing more time for species and ecosystems to adapt to the changing climate - whether that's by finding new habitats, changing their behavior, or with the help of human-led conservation efforts," said Dr. Pigot.

The researchers warn that some of the most biodiverse ecological communities on the planet, such as coral reefs, will feel the first impacts. Across tropical oceans, harmful exposure to excessive heat is expected to begin by 2030.

"We hope that our findings could serve as an early warning system, predicting which areas will be most at risk and when, that could help target conservation efforts and improve future model projections," said study co-author Dr. Cory Merow. "It may be valuable to develop a ten-year monitoring program - similar to what climate scientists do, but for biodiversity - which could be updated regularly based on what actually occurs."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

&nbsp;

Rising temperatures will cause devastating biodiversity losses 

Climate change is set to trigger catastrophic biodiversity losses in...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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Aerial,Photo,Of,River,In,Amazon,Rainforest,Jungle,In,Peru

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center</a> describes how scientists are using autonomous sound sensors to monitor deforestation in the Amazon. By recording soundscapes, the experts can determine which animals are present through their distinct sounds.&nbsp;



Using this method, sounds can be used as scientific measurements to analyze the effects of deforestation. The researchers will gain a better understanding of how the acoustics of a forest can be used to measure its health.&nbsp;



"From space, parts of the Amazon rainforest that have previously been logged or burned may look lush and green, like a place buzzing with activity and full of sounds. But inside the rainforest, the animal life may tell a different story, of a harsh environment and a quieter soundscape," says NASA.



Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center&nbsp;



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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 deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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