For decades, oceanographers assumed the surface waters circling Antarctica were becoming progressively fresher - a shift that helped lock deep heat away and nurture expansive winter sea ice.



However, new observations show the opposite is now happening. An international team led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> reported a sudden rise in surface <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salinity-is-rising-in-coastal-areas-and-hurting-farmlands/">salinity</a> south of 50° latitude. This shift coincided with the steepest drop in Antarctic sea-ice extent ever recorded.



The analysis combines European satellite data with readings from autonomous floats that profile the water column. The result reveals an unanticipated pivot in the Southern Ocean’s salt balance sometime after 2015.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-excessive-salt-melts-sea-ice">Excessive salt melts sea ice</h2>



Cold, fresh surface water normally overlies warmer, saltier layers at depth, creating strong density “stratification” that traps heat below. When the surface grows saltier, that barrier weakens. Heat then mixes upward, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarcticas-melting-ice-shelves-threaten-global-sea-levels/">melting sea ice</a> from beneath and preventing extensive winter growth.



“Saltier surface water allows deep ocean heat to rise more easily, melting sea ice from below," said lead author Alessandro Silvano, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton. "It's a dangerous feedback loop: less ice leads to more heat, which leads to even less ice.” 



Since 2015, the continent has shed sea ice equivalent to the area of Greenland. Researchers call it the largest environmental shift detected anywhere on Earth in recent decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-ice-hole-returns-after-decades">Sea ice hole returns after decades</h2>



One striking symptom is the re-opening of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-hole-polynya-the-size-of-switzerland-appeared-in-the-antarctica-sea-ice/">Maud Rise polynya</a> - a yawning hole in the Weddell Sea ice cover. It spans nearly four times the size of Wales and last appeared in the late 1970s.



“The return of the Maud Rise polynya signals just how unusual the current conditions are,” Silvano said. “If this salty, low-ice state continues, it could permanently reshape the Southern Ocean - and with it, the planet.”



Reduced Antarctic ice darkens the ocean, absorbing more sunlight and already feeding back into the global climate system. This, as Silvano put it, will give rise to “stronger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-antarctic-sea-ice-loss-is-causing-severe-storms-around-the-world/">storms</a>, warmer oceans, and shrinking habitats for Antarctic wildlife.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-predictions-fall-short">Old predictions fall short</h2>



Climate models had projected eventual Antarctic sea-ice loss under greenhouse forcing. However, many scientists believed that enhanced snowfall and increased melt from continental ice sheets would keep surface waters fresh for decades, delaying large declines. The new evidence challenges that assumption.



“While scientists expected that human-driven climate change would eventually lead to Antarctic sea ice decline, the timing and nature of this shift remained uncertain,” said co-author Aditya Narayanan, a physical oceanographer at the University of Southampton.



“Previous projections emphasized enhanced surface freshening and stronger ocean stratification, which could have supported sustained sea ice cover. Instead, a rapid reduction in sea ice - an important reflector of solar radiation - has occurred, potentially accelerating global warming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eyes-on-the-southern-ocean">Eyes on the Southern Ocean</h2>



Because this turnaround was detected only after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-reveal-a-sudden-drop-in-global-freshwater-levels/">satellites</a> began tracking sea-surface salinity in detail, researchers worry that other rapid transitions might be missed without constant observation.



“The new findings suggest that our current understanding may be insufficient to accurately predict future changes,” said senior author Alberto Naveira Garabato, a professor of physical oceanography at the University of Southampton.



“It makes the need for continuous satellite and in-situ monitoring all the more pressing, so we can better understand the drivers of recent and future shifts in the ice-ocean system.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-ice-loss-changes-the-planet">Sea ice loss changes the planet</h2>



Antarctic sea ice acts as a reflective shield, bouncing sunlight back to space and modulating heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere.



Its precipitous decline could amplify warming worldwide, disturb wind patterns, and alter the formation of the deep water masses that power global ocean circulation.



Saltier surface layers may also influence how much carbon the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">Southern Ocean</a> can absorb, potentially weakening one of Earth’s most important climate buffers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-salt-reinforce-sea-ice-loss">Heat and salt reinforce sea ice loss</h2>



The study leaves open questions about what triggered the sudden salinity jump. Possibilities include shifts in wind patterns, changes in precipitation, or increased intrusion of warm Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf.



Whatever the cause, the new feedback between salt and sea ice could lock the region into a self-reinforcing cycle of warming and ice loss.



Scientists stress that only sustained measurements - combining satellites, autonomous floats, and ship-based surveys - will reveal whether the Southern Ocean snaps back to its former fresher state or continues toward an unfamiliar, saltier future.



For now, the message is clear: Antarctica’s floating fringe, once thought relatively resistant to near-term change, is undergoing a rapid transformation that matters far beyond the frozen continent.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500440122">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a sudden surge in ocean salt

For decades, oceanographers assumed the surface waters circling Antarctica were becoming progressively fresher - a shift that helped lock deep heat away and nurture expansive winter sea ice. However, new observations show the opposite is now happening. An international team led by the University of Southampton reported a sudden rise in surface salinity south of 50° latitude. This shift coincided with the steepest drop in Antarctic sea-ice extent ever recorded. The analysis combines European satellite data with readings from autonomous floats that profile the water column. The...

New measurements led by UK’s <a href="https://www.npl.co.uk/">National Physical Laboratory</a> have shown that the Earth is currently spinning faster than it was half a century ago. Scientists warn that, if the rotation rate further increases, we may need to remove a second from our atomic clocks.



Our solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago, when a dense cloud of interstellar gas and dust imploded and began to spin. Thanks to angular momentum – the tendency of a body that is rotating to continue rotating until something actively tries to stop it – our planet has continued to spin. However, it has not always spun at the same rate.



Hundreds of million of years ago, the Earth made approximately 420 rotations while orbiting the Sun. Afterwards, the days have gradually grown longer (partly due to the moon’s pull at the Earth’s oceans, which slows our planet a bit), but mainly stabilized at around 24 hours for a full rotation, translating to about 365 such rotations per trip around the Sun.



During the 1950s, scientists developed atomic clocks, which kept time based on how electrons in cesium atoms fall from a high-energy to a normal state. These clocks’ periods are thus generated by unchanging atomic behavior. 



However, since scientists observed that the Earth’s rotations are erratic, characterized by slight fluctuations, they decided in 1972 to periodically add leap seconds to the atomic clock in order to keep to a minimal level the divergence between the time of the atomic clock and that measured by astronomy.



In the past decade or so, a strange phenomenon that scientists cannot yet explain has occurred. Instead of continuing to slow down, as it did for million of years, the Earth has started to speed up. Since 2016, no leap second was needed.



“This lack of the need for leap seconds was not predicted,” said Judah Levine, a physicist at the <a href="https://www.nist.gov/">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a>. “The assumption was, in fact, that Earth would continue to slow down and leap seconds would continue to be needed. And so this effect, this result, is very surprising.”



In fact, scientists warn that if this speeding up continues, we may actually need to remove a second from the atomic clock to bring it back into state with the Earth (in other words, to add a “negative leap second”). However, this may lead to significant problems for industries ranging from telecommunications and navigation systems to financial markets. 



Thus, according to Levine, adding a negative leap second might not be worth the trouble it causes. “My private opinion is that the cure is worse than the disease,” he concluded.



---



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

Earth is spinning faster than half a century ago

New measurements led by UK’s National Physical Laboratory have shown...

A new study supported by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation has confirmed that the Southern Ocean serves as a strong carbon sink, absorbing more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/controlled-burns-reduce-carbon-emissions-from-soil/">carbon</a> from the atmosphere than it releases.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="2caynXrPei-1707230-12187" type="single"]</div>



The animation above reveals areas where carbon dioxide was absorbed (blue) and emitted (red) by the ocean in 2012. The data was made available by the ECCO-Darwin Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Model.&nbsp;



Previous studies left some uncertainty as to whether the Southern Ocean absorbs enough carbon to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, or if it simply adds to the problem by releasing more carbon dioxide.



According to NASA, computer models suggest that 40 percent of the human-produced carbon dioxide in the ocean worldwide was originally absorbed from the atmosphere into the Southern Ocean, which makes it one of the most important carbon sinks on our planet. However, measuring the exchange of CO2 between the air and the ocean is not an easy task.



“You can’t fool the atmosphere,” said study lead author Matthew Long. “While measurements taken from the ocean surface and from land are important, they are too sparse to provide a reliable picture of air-sea carbon flux. The atmosphere, however, can integrate fluxes over large expanses.”



While many earlier studies examined ocean acidity to measure CO2 levels in the Southern Ocean, the NASA research was focused on aircraft observations captured during three field experiments from 2009 to 2018.&nbsp;



Study lead author Matthew Long is a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).



“Airborne measurements show a drawdown of carbon dioxide in the lower atmosphere over the Southern Ocean surface in summer, indicating carbon uptake by the ocean,” explained Long.



The aircraft observations revealed that "the annual net flux of carbon into the ocean south of 45°S is large, with stronger summertime uptake and less wintertime outgassing than other recent observations have indicated.”&nbsp;



Overall, the scientists found that the Southern Ocean absorbs roughly 530 million metric tons of carbon than it releases each year.



Video Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/ ECCO-Darwin Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Model



---



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

The Southern Ocean is a critically important carbon sink

A new study supported by NASA, NOAA, and the National...

A catastrophic mass <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-hunted-the-largest-animals-to-extinction-for-1-5-million-years/">extinction</a> event could wipe out hundreds of thousands of species within the next decade, according to an alarming new report, the "<a href="https://www.wwf.de/2021/dezember/gewinner-und-verlierer-2021">Winners and Losers of 2021</a>." 



Scientists at <a href="https://www.wwf.de/">WWF Germany</a> warn that many species which are already pushed to the brink of extinction - including polar bears, African forest elephants, and sharks - may soon vanish forever. 



“Around one million species could go extinct within the next decade, which would be the largest mass extinction event since the end of the dinosaur age," the experts said in a statement.



The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List currently classifies 142,500 species as being endangered. Overall, about 40,000 of these species are threatened with extinction, which is the largest number on record.&nbsp;



Among the species that may be losing their battle, African forest elephants are now classified as "critically endangered." Their population has declined by more than 86 percent in the last 31 years.&nbsp;



As a result of human development and subsequent habitat loss, more than half of all frog and toad species may vanish across Germany. Worldwide, more than 40 percent of all amphibians are threatened with extinction.



The IUCN Red List also shows that about one-third of all shark and ray species have already disappeared due to climate change, habitat loss, and overfishing. Polar bears are severely threatened with habitat loss, in particular, as sea ice continues to decline in the rapidly warming Arctic.&nbsp;



The "winners" of 2021 include the largest bird of the Alps, the bearded vulture. According to the WWF report, an international resettlement program that was initiated over thirty years ago has boosted the bearded vulture population to over 300 birds throughout the Alpine region.



In Cambodia, the discovery of young Siamese crocodiles was a "real surprise," said the scientists. "In a protected area, young animals of the extremely rare freshwater crocodiles were spotted for the first time in over ten years."



One of the rarest cats in the world, the the Iberian lynx, has also made a comeback. A recent census shows that the population of the Iberian lynx, which is found exclusively in Spain and Portugal, has increased more than ten-fold in the last 18 years to more than 1,000 animals.



"Species protection is no longer just about eliminating an environmental problem, but about the question of whether mankind will someday end up on the red list in a hazard category and become the loser of their own way of life," said Eberhard Brandes, managing director at WWF Germany.&nbsp;



Brandes warns that if the Earth is sick, humans will be sick as well. "Because we depend on vital ecosystems and biodiversity for our own safe and healthy life - for example in the fight against the climate crisis."&nbsp;



"At the same time, the winners of the list show that there are still opportunities for species protection: If we implement effective nature conservation measures, we can protect plants, animals and, ultimately, the climate. "



---



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

More than one million species could vanish over the next decade

A catastrophic mass extinction event could wipe out hundreds of...

The non-profit <a href="https://chinarescuedogs.org/">China Rescue Dogs</a> has worked for years saving and rehabilitating dogs from Chinese meat markets. The dogs are relocated to families in the U.S. and Canada. Jill Stewart is the president and founder of the organization, which attempts to rescue every possible dog - regardless of age or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-have-a-high-risk-of-disease-due-to-inbreeding/">breed</a>.&nbsp;



“Working with trusted rescues and shelters in China, our mission is to remove the dogs from imminent harm, treat the physical and psychological injuries from severe abuse and neglect, and socialize the dogs so that they can be integrated into loving family environments," said Stewart.&nbsp;



"We also shine a light on the dog meat trade in China and other countries and, thereby, encourage others to advocate for the end of the dog meat trade and speak up for those who have no voice.”



Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of this system. A recent ban from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has effectively banned importation of dogs from China to the US. Now, all of the dogs bound for the US have been rerouted to Canada instead. The effect has delayed the imports of tens of thousands of dogs.



“Since the import ban, our rescue is among many others that have had to find a new normal," said Stewart. "Our choices were limited and grim, but China Rescue Dogs has remained committed to saving dogs from China regardless of how we got it done. While rerouting dogs to Canada is the logical choice, costs have been exuberant,”



Besides CDC restrictions, the cost of cargo airplanes has skyrocketed to triple their previous rates. All of this increases costs for China Rescue Dogs and forces the organization to make hard decisions.&nbsp;



"Our shelters in China are reaching their maximum capacity, which means we will not be able to move the dogs out of China which will lead to the brutal slaughter of helpless dogs," said Stewart. "Moreover, with the Yulin Dog Meat Festival beginning June 21st and CDC ban still in place, tens of thousands of dogs will be slaughtered. Thinking about this is gut-wrenching.”



Luckily, Canada has opened its borders to China Dog Rescue and other such organizations while the CDC ban has halted import into the US. For now, Canada has provided some hope for dogs that were once destined to be slaughtered for food.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Tens of thousands of rescue dogs impacted by CDC ban

The non-profit China Rescue Dogs has worked for years saving...

Although many people, myself included, find spinach wonderful as it is, some find it less palatable. Researchers from <a href="https://btiscience.org/">Boyce Thompson Institute</a> (BTI) and six different Chinese universities have set out to change spinach.



The focus is partially on the genetics of “spinach teeth,” the chalky mouthfeel caused by the plant’s concentration of oxalate. The scientists are also looking into genes that fight downy mildew, a major disease of spinach <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crops-have-a-drought-memory-that-prepares-them-for-tough-times/">crops</a>.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, the study provides valuable insights into spinach evolution and domestication, as well as valuable resources to facilitate breeding.



“I think more consumers would be willing to buy spinach that has less oxalate," said BTI faculty member Zhangjun Fei who co-led the study. "Dietary oxalate can interfere with mineral absorption and may lead to kidney stones, and less oxalate would also make spinach more palatable to a wider market.”



The research provides information on producing disease resistant spinach with a different mouthfeel than traditional varieties. To accomplish this, the scientists compared the genetics of cultivated spinach to those of two wild relatives. They discovered genes that will be of particular interest to farmers.&nbsp;



Study co-author Chen Jiao is a former postdoctoral researcher with Fei’s group and now professor in the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Zhejiang University.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our results provide rich resources for the spinach community, especially those working on increasing downy mildew resistance, improving leaf texture and reducing oxalate content,” said Jiao.



The researchers also sequenced the genome of 295 varieties and 10 accessions of two wild relatives. Most of the varieties of the different plants come from environmental adaptations to different locations.&nbsp;



“I think our most interesting finding is that the genetic diversity between Asian and European spinach is higher than it is between cultivated and wild spinaches, which is not very common in other crops," said Jiao. "This increases our knowledge of how human selection diversifies crop plants.”



Overall, the team identified a complex network of genetic regions that are responsible for disease resistance. They also found genes that encode for oxalates, the chemicals responsible for “spinach teeth,” and made the important discovery that oxalates are also important for the crop's survival, such as resistance to pests.&nbsp;



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



---



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

Scientists are working to make spinach more appealing

Although many people, myself included, find spinach wonderful as it...

Tropical cyclones (TCs), also known as hurricanes and typhoons, generally form at low latitudes and have their impacts in tropical regions to the north and south of the equator. They start as clusters of individual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-variability-is-driving-more-intense-thunderstorms/">thunderstorms</a> that rotate weakly around a common axis but transition into a cyclone over weeks, days or even hours. Their formation is associated with the warm waters of tropical oceans, but far enough away from the equator to allow the Earth’s rotation to cause them to spin up into the spiraling vortices so typical of a cyclone.



Once formed, tropical cyclones generally move westward and poleward before they interact with mid-latitude westerly winds, known as jet streams, that circle the planet. But as the climate warms, temperature differences between the equator and the poles will decrease, which may cause weakening or even a split in the jet streams; this may allow conditions to arise in the mid-latitudes where tropical cyclones can form and intensify.&nbsp;



In a review article published recently in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team of scientists led by Joshua Studholme from&nbsp;<a href="https://earth.yale.edu/">Yale’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences</a> suggests that the 21st&nbsp;century will see an expansion of hurricanes and typhoons into mid-latitude regions, which includes major cities such as New York, Boston, Beijing, and Tokyo. These are some of the most populous cities in the world and tropical cyclones that reach them could cause untold death and damage.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the study, Studholme and colleagues analyzed numerical simulations of warm climates from Earth’s distant past, recent satellite observations, and a variety of weather and climate projections, as well as the fundamental physics governing atmospheric convection and planetary-scale winds.



They noted that the configuration of the continents during the Eocene epoch (56 to 34 million years ago), along with the warmer climates, extratropical humidity, CO2 concentrations and shifts in the jet streams would have favored poleward expansion of the areas favorable for TC formation. Eocene simulations thus showed that TCs most probably formed in the subtropics (~25° latitude) in both hemispheres, in contrast with the situation in the modern era.



According to the authors, contemporary TC distributions were probably established towards the end of the warm Pliocene epoch, some 3 million years ago. This has remained largely stable since that time but today, as the planet warms due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the conditions for a poleward movement of tropical cyclones could once again be established.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This research predicts that the 21st&nbsp;century’s tropical cyclones will likely occur over a wider range of latitudes than has been the case on Earth for the last 3 million years,” Studholme said.



In fact, the 2020 subtropical storm Alpha, the first tropical cyclone observed making landfall in Portugal, as well as this year’s Hurricane Henri, which made landfall in Connecticut, may already provide evidence of the trend predicted in the study.&nbsp;



Although scientists disagree about whether the number of tropical cyclones will increase as the planet warms, evidence certainly suggests that they will become more intense.



“There are large uncertainties in how tropical cyclones will change in the future,” said Alexey Fedorov, a professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences at Yale. However, multiple lines of evidence indicate that we could see more tropical cyclones in mid-latitudes, even if the total frequency of tropical cyclones does not increase, which is still actively debated. Compounded by the expected increase in average tropical cyclone intensity, this finding implies higher risks due to tropical cyclones in Earth’s warming climate.”



“The core problem when making future hurricane predictions is that models used for climate projections do not have sufficient resolution to simulate realistic tropical cyclones,” explained Studholme. “Instead, several different, indirect approaches are typically used. However, those methods seem to distort the underlying physics of how tropical cyclones form and develop. A number of these methods also provide predictions that contradict each other.”



The new study derives its conclusions by examining connections between hurricane physics on scales too small to be represented in current climate models and the better-simulated dynamics of Earth’s jet streams and north-south air circulation, known as the Hadley cells.



The authors of the review conclude that, since at least the 1970s, the planet’s TC distribution has moved unambiguously poleward, with latitudes of peak TC intensity migrating poleward at a rate of around 0.5° latitude per decade. Should this continue as predicted, these deep-tropical TCs will most certainly become a critical feature of Earth’s climate and a potential source of devastation to human life and property.&nbsp;



“This represents an important, under-estimated risk of climate change,” said Studholme.&nbsp;



---



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

Warming climate will push hurricanes into more populated regions

Tropical cyclones (TCs), also known as hurricanes and typhoons, generally...

Kodiak, Alaska just reported the highest temperature ever recorded in the state in the month of December at 67 degrees Fahrenheit. The new high (reached on Sunday, December 26) beat the previous record from the 1980, which didn’t manage to exceed the high 40s. According to the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA), Alaska is warming faster than any other US state and at a rate that is twice the global average.



Kodiak was not the only city in Alaska fighting with record temperatures recently. Cold Bay, located on the Aleutian Islands, experienced a ground-breaking 66 degrees (after a previous record of 44 in 1999), while Unalaska’s temperature spiked up to 57.3 degrees on Monday.



This anomalous warmth has brought record moisture, since the air can hold four percent more water with every degree that it warms. This resulted in massive rains, with Fairbanks experiencing its wettest December on record, and winter rains in the Interior region of Alaska becoming increasingly more commonplace.



According to the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR), climate change could also increase the number of thunderstorms that Alaska will face during this century, which in turn could spark widespread flash flooding, landslides, and lightning-induced wildfires.



The scientists estimate that the sea ice around Alaska will increasingly melt in the warmer months, creating an ample source of moisture which, together with warmer temperature from greenhouse emissions may cause intense summertime storms.



“Alaska can expect three times as many storms, and those storms will be more intense,” said NCAR scientist Andreas Prein, a co-author of an earlier <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-020-05466-1">study</a> exploring the impact of climate change on Alaska’s weather. “It will be a very different regime of rainfall.”



“We suspect that the increasing number of thunderstorms might have significant impacts, such as amplifying spring floods or causing more wildfire ignitions,” added study lead author Basile Poujol, a scientist at the <a href="https://psl.eu/en">Paris Sciences and Letters University</a>.&nbsp;



“Further studies are necessary to determine whether these impacts are likely to occur and, if so, their potential effects on ecosystems and society.”



“The potential for flash flooding and landslides is definitely increasing, and the Arctic is becoming way more flammable. It’s hard to grasp what the ecological changes will be in the future,” concluded Dr. Prein.



---



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

Alaska hits record temperatures due to climate change

Kodiak, Alaska just reported the highest temperature ever recorded in...

A new study led by Japan’s <a href="https://www.nipr.ac.jp/english/">National Institute of Polar Research</a> (NIPR) has investigated the continental shelves of Antarctica by attaching CTD-Satellite Relay Data Loggers with glue to the heads of eight Weddell <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-seals-will-struggle-more-than-others-to-survive-climate-change/">seals</a> between March and September 2017. The method was used due to the difficulty of conducting oceanographic observations by ship in continental shelf areas covered by landfast ice.



The continental shelves of Antarctica are some of the most biologically productive areas in the world’s oceans due to the large amounts of nutrients resulting from the interactions between ocean, sea ice, and ice shelves.&nbsp;



In East Antarctica, sea ice production is most abundant in the coastal polynyas (areas of open, unfrozen seawater surrounded by ice). Outside these polynyas, a large amount of landfast ice (sea ice attached to the shore) provide an excellent habitat for predators such as Weddell seals or emperor penguins.



The exchanges between deep warm waters coming from off-shelf areas, coastal polynyas, and seasonal sea-ice zones play a crucial role in biological production throughout continental shelf areas. However, since these regions are practically inaccessible by ship, in recent years, researchers have begun deploying oceanographic data logging equipment to marine animals such as seals in order to record features such as conductivity, temperature, and depth.



“Previous studies using instruments strapped to migrating southern elephant seals and resident Weddell seals - a deep diving predator - had shown some interesting physical processes in Antarctic areas, but even here, there has barely been anything investigating coastal areas covered by landfast ice,” said study lead author Nobuo Kokubun, an assistant professor of Oceanography at NIPR.



By using data collected from sensors attached on the heads of eight Weddell seals, Professor Kokubun and his colleagues have found that warm and low salinity water appeared in the subsurface during autumn, and the depth of the warm water increased as the season progressed.&nbsp;



The scientists have also discovered that seasonally prevailing easterly wind during autumn caused a significant flow of off-shelf surface warm waters and additional prey onto the continental shelf.



The study suggests that using seals with oceanographic sensors attached to them can be a powerful tool for exploring oceanographic and ecological conditions on Antarctic continental shelves covered with landfast ice, where access by ship is nearly impossible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/lno.11914">Limnology and Oceanography</a>.



--



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

Seals can be a powerful tool for exploring ocean conditions

A new study led by Japan’s National Institute of Polar...

The National Wildlife Rescue Center (NWRC) was established in 2013 in peninsular Malaysia by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN). The center’s focus is on the rehabilitation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feral-cats-are-a-catastrophic-threat-to-australias-wildlife/">wildlife</a>, including gibbons, for eventual release back into the wild.&nbsp;



The gibbons arrive at the rehabilitation center for various reasons. Some are kept illegally as pets, while others are found in plantations that have been displaced from their habitat.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Near the end of their rehabilitation, gibbons undergo a variety of assessments and procedures, such as genetic testing. This is partially an effort to identify subspecies for a successful and responsible reintroduction of the gibbons.&nbsp;



While checking the genetics of 12 captive white-handed gibbons at NWRC, experts made an exciting discovery. A team including Dr. Jeffrine J. Rovie-Ryan from University Malaysia Sarawak, and Millawati Gani and colleagues from the National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory of PERHILITAN, identified a genetically distinct population of gibbons new to science.&nbsp;



The researchers found unusual mutations in the gibbon’s DNA, which led them to the conclusion that these animals had been evolving in isolation.&nbsp;



“Given the prolonged isolation, it is likely that the southern population has undergone some local speciation, but this finding should be regarded as preliminary and requires further investigation," explained Dr. Rovie-Ryan.



The gibbons in the study have not yet been released but are in pre-release at a semi-wild enclosure on Pulau Ungka (Gibbon Island) where they are being closely monitored. Without the dedicated work of PERHILITAN, and without genetic testing, this population of gibbons may have remained unknown for many years. With more research, additional information about the genetics of gibbons is likely to turn up.&nbsp;



The findings are published by <a href="https://pensoft.net/">Pensoft</a> in the open access journal <a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/">ZooKeys</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

New population of white-handed gibbons discovered

The National Wildlife Rescue Center (NWRC) was established in 2013...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26232-9">Nature Communications</a> has found a surprising connection between the worsening wildfires in the Western United States and Arctic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-polar-ice-is-warping-earths-crust/">sea ice loss</a>. As polar ice melts from July to October, sunlight warms the increasingly iceless, surrounding areas, and ultimately brings heat and fire-favorable conditions to distant states such as California, Washington, or Oregon in late autumn and early winter.&nbsp;



"It's not a perfect analogy, but teleconnections like this are a bit like the butterfly effect," said study co-author Hailong Wang, an Earth scientist at the <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> (PNNL).



"Climate conditions in one part of the world can, over time, influence climate outcomes from thousands of kilometers away. In our case, we find the Arctic region and the western United States are connected by this relationship. Regional land and sea surface warming caused by sea ice loss distantly triggers hotter and drier conditions in the West later in the year."



By analyzing data on recorded sea ice levels from the last four decades, Wang and his colleagues discovered that, as Arctic sea ice melts and the surrounding regions warm, a vortex appears in the atmosphere above the heated areas, spinning counterclockwise like a cyclone. This powerful vortex pushes the polar jet stream out of its typical pattern, diverting moist air away from the western United States, and causing a second vortex to emerge. This new vortex, spinning clockwise, brings droughts, extreme heat, and fire-favorable conditions.



As the Arctic continues warming due to climate change, it can sharpen the contrast between these two distant yet connected systems, further exacerbating conditions in already wildfire-ravaged areas.&nbsp;



"This dynamics-driven connection warms and dries out the western United States region," said study lead author Yufei Zou, a data scientist who was a postdoctoral fellow at PNNL when the study was conducted. "By uncovering the mechanism behind that teleconnection, we hope those in charge of managing forests and preparing for wildfires will be more informed."



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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

Arctic sea ice loss influences wildfires in the western US

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications has...

In a twist of irony, a new study shows that Darwin’s finches, which were an important inspiration for Darwin’s theory of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-secrets-revealed-about-the-evolution-of-mammal-tusks/">evolution</a> by natural selection, are being forced to evolve. The researchers found that female Darwin finches are spending more time in their nests fighting off the dangerous larvae of the introduced vampire fly.&nbsp;



Without the extra protection from their mothers, the chicks are consumed by the flies, especially in the early days when the chicks are blind and incapable of preening themselves. Older chicks are able to sometimes remove the flies and even eat them. The mother’s early protection remains essential, but the father also plays a role. 



"The pair male is also essential for success of the chicks. If he feeds the offspring a lot, the mother can remain inside the nest for longer," explained Professor Sonia Kleindorfer of Flinders University. "Timing is everything. The female must forgo foraging herself, and her persistence is strongly influenced by good food provisioning of her offspring by the male."&nbsp;



"What we show in this publication is that longer female in-nest attendance of chicks predicts the number of parasites in the nest. The new research findings are significant because they show that 'just being there' can be a form of front-line defense against threats to offspring survival."



This information will be crucial for future conservation assessments of the increasingly threatened bird species. It is also important to monitor adult Darwin’s finches. Monitoring the survival of male Darwin’s finches is relatively easy, as the males announce their presence with an advertisement call. The females lack this unique call, which makes them harder to keep tabs on. 



"We know from long-term monitoring of Darwin's finches, from recapture and resighting data since 2000, that annual survivorship in females is much lower than in males, and over 50% of male Darwin's finches sing at the nest but don't attract a female," said Dr. Andrew Katsis.



"Combined, these factors suggest that higher female mortality, and higher parental care costs carried by females, may be a contributing factor."



The study authors concluded that high-quality females who can sustain longer parental care in the nest with less feeding opportunity for themselves, paired with males that increase feeding to the offspring, have better chances to produce offspring in a vampire fly-dominated environment.



The team found that only 10.4 percent of the critically endangered medium tree finch (a type of Darwin’s finch) produced young on Floreana Island. The remainder had been killed by predators or parasites. According to the experts, control measures are urgently needed to save Darwin's finches from extinction.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</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

Vampire flies are changing the behavior of Darwin’s finches

In a twist of irony, a new study shows that...

Carbohydrates are important in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/avocado-linked-to-overall-healthier-diets/">diets</a> of most people, and are consumed in the form of starches and sugars. But Greenlandic people have a long history of consuming a diet consisting mostly of protein and fat from fish, seals, whales and reindeer. There is almost no carbohydrate in their traditional diet.&nbsp;



Several different enzymes are involved in breaking down dietary carbohydrates to form the glucose that is then absorbed into the bloodstream. One such enzyme, known as sucrase-isomaltase (SI), acts on both sucrose and maltose and breaks them down into smaller sugars. Sometime in the history of Greenlanders, the gene that codes for this enzyme has undergone mutation that has rendered it non-functional and today, as much as 39 percent of the Greenlandic population carries the dysfunctional gene.&nbsp;



The mutated gene is recessive and so people who carry only one copy will still be able to produce the SI enzyme and to digest the sugars. However, those people who carry two copies of the mutated gene (homozygous) will not be able to break down sucrose or isomaltose in the usually manner. Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID) has a negative impact on children who eat carbohydrates: they suffer a range of symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. But the impact on the health of adults has not been investigated.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In a recent study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, scientists from Denmark, Greenland and the USA assessed the metabolic health of 6,551 Greenlanders, two percent of whom were homozygous carriers of the mutant gene and so suffered from CSID. The researchers measured such parameters as Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist and hip circumference, weight, blood lipid profile and cholesterol levels.



They found that participants who carried only one copy of the mutated gene had the same metabolic profile as those who carried normal genes. However, those who were homozygous (carried two copies) for the mutated gene had markedly healthier metabolic profiles. They had a lower BMI, less body weight, a lower fat percentage, and lower levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.



“Adult Greenlanders with the genetic variation have lower BMI, weight, fat percentage, cholesterol levels and are generally significantly healthier. They have less belly fat and might find it easier to get a six pack. It is amazing and surprising that a genetic variation has such a profoundly beneficial effect,” said Professor Anders Albrechtsen from the University of Copenhagen.&nbsp;



The researchers also made use of genetically modified mice to investigate the effects of sucrase-isomaltase deficiency. The knockout mice had their SI gene experimentally mutated, while the wild-type mice had functional SI genes. The mice were fed different diets for eight weeks, some containing sucrose and some without sucrose, although all diets were the same in terms of calorific value.&nbsp;



After the experimental period, the knockout mice showed significantly lower weight gain, and lower body fat percentage than the wild-type mice, even though the calories eaten were the same for the two types of mice. These findings support the results seen in the sample of Greenlanders that were deficient for the SI enzyme and indicate that the healthier metabolic profile linked to loss of SI function, in both humans and mice, is related to changes in uptake of sucrose, rather than to changes in energy content of the food eaten.



During further analysis, the researchers found higher levels of acetate circulating in the blood of people who were homozygous for the mutation. Since sugars are not being digested in the initial part of the digestive system (stomach and small intestine), they travel further along the digestive tract and are ultimately broken down by gut bacteria instead.



“Here, gut bacteria convert the sugar into a short-chain fatty acid called acetate, which in previous studies has been shown to reduce appetite, increase metabolism and boost the immune system. That is most likely the mechanism happening here,” explained Mette Andersen, an assistant professor at Copenhagen’s Center for Metabolism Research.



The researchers discuss possible reasons why SI deficient children suffer symptoms when carbohydrates are introduced into their diets whereas the adults do not. They propose that a surplus of simple carbohydrates in the gut could favor the development of microflora that transform the carbohydrates into acetate, turning them from a potential irritant into a tool for a healthier metabolism.



“Younger carriers of the variation experience negative consequences due to their different type of sugar absorption. For them, consuming sugar causes diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Our guess is that as they age, their gut bacteria&nbsp;<a href="https://www.studyfinds.org/tag/gut-health/">gradually get used to sugar</a>&nbsp;and learn how to convert it into energy,” noted Torben Hansen, a doctor and professor at Copenhagen’s Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.



Ultimately, the findings may be useful in developing a treatment for people with obesity or cardiovascular disease. A drug that targets the SI enzyme and renders it non-functional would perhaps have the consequence of reducing weight gain and promoting metabolic health. However, further studies are needed to investigate the consequences of inhibiting otherwise functional enzymes in the intestines of people who struggle with weight gain.&nbsp;



“We can see that the genetic variation provides a better balance of fat in the bloodstream, which results in lower weight and consequently, fewer cardiovascular diseases. If you can develop a drug that inhibits the sucrase-isomaltase gene, then in principle, we might all be able to have equally strong health profiles,” concluded Hansen.



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



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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

For some Greenlanders, eating sugar has health benefits

Carbohydrates are important in the diets of most people, and...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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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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