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...

The US is the largest producer of corn in the world. More than 35 percent of the global production of this important cereal grain comes from the Corn Belt, an agricultural area in the Midwest that stretches from Indiana to Nebraska.&nbsp;



In the light of changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-technology-is-urgently-needed-to-save-the-climate/">climate</a> conditions, researchers at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State University</a> have conducted a new study on the importance of soil moisture and air humidity for influencing rainfall patterns in this area.



“We were curious about the effect soil moisture has on convective precipitation in the Corn Belt under different atmospheric conditions, such as dry or humid,” said study lead author Connor Chapman. “Plenty of research of this nature has been done for the Great Plains region, but the neighboring Corn Belt – which has a different climate type – has received much less attention.”



According to the Global Climate Observing System, soil moisture is an essential climate variable because it determines the amount of evaporation and cooling of the air near the Earth’s surface. With decreases in soil moisture anticipated as a result of climate change, the consequent reduction in evaporation could have the effect of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/collecting-dna-from-rivers-uncovers-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amplifying warming even further</a>. 



“This study is important also because Corn Belt agriculture is mainly rainfed, rather than irrigated,” said study co-author Professor Andrew Carleton. “So the Corn Belt is much more susceptible to year-on-year climate variations, like droughts and wet periods, and to the impacts from climate change, which are likely to increase this variability and lead to even greater extremes.”



For the Corn Belt, continued warming is likely to shift crop types northward and with a longer growing season, which could increase climatic and market economic uncertainties going forward, Carleton said.



For this study, Chapman analyzed nine consecutive years of growing-season data in relation to soil moisture, near-surface humidity and low altitude wind velocity. 



He also created three sub-seasonal groups: early, middle and late to see how the results might vary because as the growing season progresses in the Corn Belt, the land cover changes from bare to short and then to tall crops with a far greater potential for evapotranspiration. 



“We found that during the early season, when croplands are bare, convective precipitation is more likely to occur with drier soil, high humidity, and strong, humid, low-altitude winds,” said Chapman. “Although soil moisture and wind vary across the growing season, we found that high near-surface humidity consistently was most important for convective precipitation or rain.”



“The most challenging aspect of our study is the low amount of long-term soil data available for the Corn Belt. Compared with the Great Plains region, the Corn Belt does not have as much available, in situ soil data, and only a limited number of soil data stations met the criteria for our study.”



Chapman was surprised by the results, which illustrate how adjacent regions with different land cover experience different climate conditions.



The results are published in the <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/apme-overview.xml">Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology</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

Air humidity has a big influence on rainfall in the Corn Belt

The US is the largest producer of corn in the...

Microplastics are tiny fragments of degraded plastic, no greater than 5 mm in diameter. They are oceanic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-mediterranean-sea-is-a-hotspot-for-plastic-pollution/">pollutants</a> that can drift thousands of miles in the surface layers of the open sea and can also find their way down the water column to various depths. 



While studies to measure and monitor the presence of microplastics in regions of the world’s oceans have been conducted for the past 50 years, they have made use of disparate methods of collection and analysis, meaning that the data could not be combined or compared easily. Large data sets to help follow the trends in microplastic pollution have thus not been available to researchers in general.



This is what prompted a global team of oceanographers, led by&nbsp;researchers from <a href="https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/?utm_source=ea&amp;utm_medium=release&amp;utm_campaign=isobe20211027&amp;utm_content=body">Kyushu University</a>, to review the data from previous published and unpublished expeditions to sample microplastics in the oceans. They calibrated and processed these data in order to build a publicly available dataset for assessing trends in the abundance of microplastics more accurately.&nbsp;



“Although the observation of microplastics dates back to the 1970s, standardized data spanning the globe is still limited,” explained&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/research/close-up/atsuhiko-isobe?utm_source=ea&amp;utm_medium=release&amp;utm_campaign=isobe20211029">Atsuhiko Isobe</a>, professor at Kyushu University's Research Institute for Applied Mechanics.



To create the new dataset, a total of 8,218 pelagic microplastic samples, collected from oceans around the world, were synthesized and standardized. The data set contains raw, calibrated, processed, and gridded data that is now comparable. Samples were adjusted for different types of collection, as well as for conditions of ocean turbulence and wind, as these factors affect estimates of abundance.&nbsp;



“We collected published and unpublished data on microplastic distribution from around the world and calibrated to account for differences such as in collection method and wave height to create standardized, state-of-the-art 2D maps of microplastic abundance,” explained Professor Isobe.&nbsp;



The researchers estimated that there were 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics in the world’s upper ocean layer, which equates with somewhere between 82,000 and 578,000 tons of plastic, or roughly 30 billion 500 ml plastic water bottles.



“Our dataset provides realistic amounts of microplastics in the wild to help researchers trying to assess the true impact they are having on aquatic organisms and the environment,” said Professor Isobe.



“While this work improves our grasp of the actual situation, the total amount of microplastics is still likely to be much greater since this is just what we can estimate on the surface. For us to get a clearer picture, we must develop 3D maps probing the depths of the oceans and continue to fill the gaps within our dataset.”



“Though we are making progress, we still have much to learn to get a complete picture of the fate of plastic debris and the effect it is having on the environment."



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://microplastics.springeropen.com/">Microplastics and Nanoplastics</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

Upper ocean layer contains 24 trillion pieces of microplastics

Microplastics are tiny fragments of degraded plastic, no greater than...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> and the <a href="https://wildlife.utah.gov/">Utah Division of Wildlife Resources</a> (UDWR) has found that in dry years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-half-of-the-worlds-rivers-run-dry-each-year/">rivers</a> and streams in the American West become a lifesaving yet limited resource for a large number of bird species. The riparian (adjacent to rivers) environments witness an increased diversity that is accompanied by overcrowding, which may cause increased competition for habitat and resources, and an overall decrease in native populations of birds.



This study is based on data collected by UDWR since the early 1990s, when bird populations in riparian areas in Utah began to be monitored in order to estimate the size and health of the population.&nbsp;



“These are some of the most beautiful places in an already beautiful state,” said study co-author Russell Norvell, the coordinator of the Avian Conservation Program at UDWR. 



“The bird life is tremendous. It can be a cacophonous sound and a little daunting if you’re trying to count them all. First you’re trying to identify individual species, then how many individuals of each species and finally their position – all while these birds are flying around. You’ve gotta be on your game, for sure, to collect these data.”



By analyzing UDWR’s bird monitoring dataset, Norvell and his colleagues documented over 31,000 birds from 148 species during a period of 15 years. 



Riparian birds comprised 58 of these species and 90 were non-riparian, with the numbers and diversity being higher in the northern mountains of Utah than in the southern deserts. This proves the fundamental importance of the rivers as a stop-over, even for non-riparian species.



This multi-year data showed that in hotter and drier years there were more birds close to the rivers than usual. “This suggests that the wider landscape is unable to support migrants and so they are forced to use greener areas,” said study lead author Monte Neate-Clegg, a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a>.



However, the influx of non-riparian birds in Utah’s river environments can be damaging to native populations: in warmer years, population growth rates slowed for 47 percent of riparian bird species.&nbsp;



“If you’re a bird watcher in Utah, the prospect of more diverse birds in riparian areas might sound exciting! But it’s a sign of general stress across the landscape, and you may start seeing fewer local&nbsp;species,” Neate-Clegg concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acv.12755">Animal Conservation</a>.



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

Rivers in the American West are a lifesaving resource for birds

A new study led by the University of Utah and...

Marine heatwaves, a direct consequence of climate change, are occurring with greater frequency as global temperatures rise, and severely disrupt the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ecosystems-are-endangered-by-global-warming/">ecosystems</a> in which they appear. The two- year heatwave known as “the Blob” had extensive impacts on life in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, affecting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-profoundly-affect-plankton-communities/">phytoplankton</a>, zooplankton, fish populations, marine mammals, and birds. 



A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02731-9">Nature Communications Biology</a> examined the impact of this heatwave on the microbial food webs underlying carbon transport and sequestration in the ocean.&nbsp;



“Marine heatwaves are one of the big challenges of climate change,” said study lead author Dr. Sachia Traving,&nbsp;a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://www.sdu.dk/en">University of Southern Denmark</a>. “Knowing how they affect microbes - some of the smallest but most abundant organisms on earth - will help us understand how heatwaves will impact life in our future oceans.”



According to Dr. Traving and her colleagues, the Blob may have temporarily dampened the Pacific Ocean’s “biological pump,” a large community of microorganisms that help shuttling carbon from the surface of the ocean to its deeper parts where it can be stored for millennia.



“The ocean is a huge global reservoir for atmospheric carbon dioxide. If marine heatwaves reduce the capacity for carbon dioxide to be absorbed into the ocean, then this shrinks this reservoir and leaves more of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere,” explained study co-author Dr. Colleen Kellogg, a research scientist at the <a href="https://www.hakai.org/">Hakai Institute</a>.



By combining seven years of DNA sequencing and oceanographic measurements from the open-sea buoy <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0079661107001450">Ocean Station Papa</a> (OSP), the scientists charted how microbial communities were structured before and during the most severe marine heatwave in recent time. 



The study revealed that the Blob caused a rise in microbes specialized to survive under nutrient limited conditions, in response to changes in the region’s phytoplankton, which faced a decline in larger cells that contribute to the formation of organic matter particles. This decrease hinders the ocean’s ability to act as a carbon sink and thus contributes to further global warming.



More research is needed to better understand and predict the impacts on climate change on essential ecosystem functions and services.&nbsp;



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

Marine heatwaves reduce the oceans’ ability to absorb carbon

Marine heatwaves, a direct consequence of climate change, are occurring...

It has long been known that, when it comes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-pinpoint-the-location-of-biodiversity-threats/">biodiversity</a>, the tropics reign supreme. However, until now, scientists did not have an exact estimate of how many of the world’ s species resided there. 



An international team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.unbc.ca/">University of Northern British Columbia</a> (UNBC) has recently quantified the number of terrestrial vertebrates that live at the tropics, and found that the tropical forests are home to 62 percent of the world’s vertebrate species.



Tropical forests play a fundamental role in biodiversity conservation and climate regulation, since they are powerful carbon sinks and oxygen sources for the entire planet. Sadly, human activities have an increasingly negative impact on these environments, causing the forests to shrink and many animal species to go extinct. Thus, it is all the more important to determine how many animals live in these rapidly vanishing ecosystems.



“We have estimated roughly 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe, but no one knows exactly how many species inhabit the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystem on planet Earth,” said study lead author Rajeev Pillay, a postdoctoral researcher at UNBC.&nbsp;



“Our finding that tropical forests are home to an astounding 62 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species not only helps satiate an aspect of innate human curiosity about nature but also strongly suggests that the continued destruction of these imperiled ecosystems will likely lead to significant, imminent biodiversity losses.”&nbsp;



By examining the range maps of over 33,000 species and comparing them to data on the ecosystems of tropical forests across South America, Africa, Asia, and Australasia, Pillay and his colleagues found that the tropics are home to 63 percent of all mammals, 72 percent of birds, 76 percent of amphibians, and 42 percent of reptiles.



According to Pillay, knowledge of many species live in the tropical forests can help with estimating extinction rates. “Given increasing evidence that much of human wellbeing is connected to nature and depends on the diversity of life, our work urgently reinforces calls for environmental policies aimed at the core priority of safeguarding the last remaining tropical forests that harbor much of this biodiversity.”&nbsp;



Further research is needed to fully understand the richness of tropical flora and fauna, which, besides vertebrates, also includes plants, insects, fungi, and microorganisms that make up the greatest share of tropical biodiversity.



The study is published by the <a href="https://www.esa.org/">Ecological Society of America</a> in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.



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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

Over half of the world’s vertebrates reside in the tropics

It has long been known that, when it comes to...

Retired people who choose to spend the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/winter-swimming-helps-increase-the-bodys-metabolism/">winter</a> months in warmer climates are often referred to as “snowbirds.” However, if your vacation home was only a bit warmer than your regular home, would you make the effort to move for half of the year? Some migratory birds are apparently deciding that they’d rather stick just around at home, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/">Durham University</a>. 



The researchers looked at data ranging from 1964 to 2019, examining a variety of different migratory bird species. These observations showed that over time, some species were spending up to sixty more days in northern latitudes each year.&nbsp;



"If the trends we have seen in this study continue we may see that, in time, some birds will spend no time at all in sub-Saharan Africa, and instead spend the full year within Europe," said study lead author Kieran Lawrence.



"The changes in migratory habits we are already seeing could lead to longer breeding seasons for these species, as well as knock-on effects on other species, both here in the UK and in the traditional winter migration destinations."



More than simply giving Europeans that much longer to birdwatch, this change in behavior could lead to some serious environmental consequences. If more species crowd the skies during the winter months, competition for resources could increase.&nbsp;



Furthermore, ecosystem services that the birds provide on the other side of the equator would be absent. This means less insects are eaten and less pollination occurs - bad news for habitats that are already vulnerable to fluctuations in climate.&nbsp;



Animals must adapt to the changing conditions or face extinction. As global warming continues, behavioral changes like this will likely become all too common.&nbsp;



"Next, we aim to apply a new model, which we are developing at Durham, to simulate these complex migrations, and which we can then apply to future scenarios to understand how the patterns we have identified in trans-Saharan birds over recent decades may continue or change," said Professor Stephen Willis, who led the project.



Study co-author Clive Barlow, a resident of the west African country The Gambia, is an expert on the birds of this region.&nbsp;



"It is very satisfying to see the constructive way the Gambian migrant bird records, collected by dedicated ornithologists over many decades, are now being used to highlight the changing migratory patterns of these species," said Barlow.



“Until the current research, no-one had realized the extent to which migrant birds are spending less of the year in sub-Saharan Africa.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.



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By <a href="http://mailto:rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global warming may cause birds to cancel their migrations

Retired people who choose to spend the winter months in...

In the recent past, California has seen some of the worst wildfires in history. With more than a century of fire suppression, and the effects of climate change, the wildfires in the area have become bigger and more devastating. Although many species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-animals-interact-within-social-groups/">animals</a> are adapted to surviving the effects of smaller, more frequent wildfires, scientists do not know how animal populations will cope with the consequences of these more severe fires.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In a rare case of serendipity, researchers from the University of Washington, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Santa Barbara,&nbsp;were involved in a study at the University of California’s&nbsp;<a href="https://hrec.ucanr.edu/">Hopland Research and Extension Center</a>, where the movements of black-tailed deer were being monitored. The team had placed tracking collars on 18 deer and positioned several dozen motion-activated cameras across the area. And then came California’s third-largest wildfire, the 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendocino_Complex_Fire">Mendocino Complex Fire</a>.&nbsp;



The megafire, that burned more than 450,000 acres in northern California, swept through half of the research center’s land and destroyed much of the scientists’ established study site. Instead of giving up on their study, the researchers decided instead to use the wildlife tracking technology and cameras already in place to investigate how deer change their use of space as a consequence of large disturbances like wildfires. They also monitored how this event affected the body condition and survival of the deer.&nbsp;



“We don't have much information on what animals do while the flames are burning, or in the immediate days that follow after wildfires,” said co-lead author&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kaitlyngaynor.com/about-me.html">Kaitlyn Gaynor</a>, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara. “It was kind of a happy accident that we were able to see what these animals were doing during the wildfire and right after, when it was still just a desolate landscape.”



“There are very few studies that aim to understand the short-term, immediate responses of animals to wildfires. When a fire sweeps through and dramatically changes the landscape, its impact in those initial days is undervalued and absent in the published literature,” said co-lead author&nbsp;<a href="https://samanthakreling.wixsite.com/ecology/about">Samantha Kreling</a>, a doctoral student at the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.



The researchers found that all 18 deer survived. Initially, the animals had to flee the flames but they soon returned to their home ranges, despite the fact that some areas of the landscape were completely burned and devoid of vegetation to eat. Most of the deer returned home within hours of the fire, while trees were still smoldering.



“Seeing the drastic changes on the landscape got me wondering what it’s like for animals on the land to actually deal with the repercussions of having an event like this sweep through,” Kreling said. “Having the infrastructure in place was very useful to see what happened before, compared to what happened after.”



Deer returning to home ranges that had been burned had very little to eat. They had to work harder and travel further in order to find green vegetation, and their body condition soon declined. The researchers propose that this strategy of returning to home range, even though the vegetation is burned, is probably a tactic that has helped individuals to survive wildfires in the past.&nbsp;



However, this loyalty-to-home strategy may prove harmful in the future, as wildfires become more severe. Smaller fires encourage new vegetation growth, which provides good food for deer, but massive wildfires can actually destroy seed banks, which reduces the availability of forage plants.&nbsp;



“These deer have evolved this behavioral strategy that has clearly worked for them, but the big question mark is, as fires get more intense and frequent, will this behavior actually trap animals in these habitats that are seeing massive disturbances on the scale of nothing that has happened before in their evolutionary history,” said Gaynor.



The authors acknowledge that the response patterns observed for the deer will probably be different from those exhibited by other large mammals responding to unpredictable or extreme events. However, this study does give insight into what extreme disturbances, such as large wildfires, might mean for animals. <a href="https://nature.berkeley.edu/BrasharesGroup/lab-members/kendall-calhoun/">Kendall Calhoun</a>, co-author of the study and doctoral student at UC Berkeley, will continue to investigate the long-term effects of the fire on the health and reproductive capacity of this population of deer.



The results of the study are published today in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology and Evolution</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

Deer return to fire-ravaged territories while trees are "still smoldering"

In the recent past, California has seen some of the...

Human well-being and resilience to environmental challenges – two key goals of <a href="https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals">sustainable development</a> - are often understood as linked or even interchangeable terms. However, a new study has argued that this is not always the case. In fact, such a view is often based on a simplistic understanding of the two terms.



"We want to highlight the vital distinctions and connections between well-being and resilience ahead of the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow next week so that policies can be better designed and ensure that addressing the climate crisis does not harm people’s well-being and livelihoods," said study lead author&nbsp;Dr. Tomas Chaigneau,&nbsp; an environmental social scientist from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/">Environment and Sustainability Institute</a> at the University of Exeter.



In order to prove that the two terms don’t always go hand in hand, Dr. Chaigneau offered the example of the 2004 Asian tsunami that led to new legislation from India and Sri Lanka which prevented homes and businesses to be rebuilt close to the coast.&nbsp;



"This forced people who depended on the sea for economic, cultural, and social reasons to move to isolated villages inland, undermining well-being in diverse ways. If these trade-offs had been thought through more thoroughly, then measures to ameliorate them could have been implemented alongside them,” he explained. "Our website (<a href="http://www.navigating-complexity.com/home">www.navigating-complexity.com/home</a>) provides an opportunity to explore some of these complex trade-offs."



According to Dr. Chaigneau, understanding and pursuing well-being in simple economic terms is actually driving the current climate crisis, and thus undermining resilience in devastation ways. For example, responding to extremes in hot or cold temperatures linked to climate change through the use of air conditioning or central heating may improve human well-being in the short term, but exacerbate global warming in the long term.



"A narrow focus on achieving resilience and well-being locally and in the near future, can lead to trade-offs elsewhere or in the future. We need to consider resilience and wellbeing at regional and global levels, and on timescales spanning generations," Dr. Chaigneau concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00790-8">Nature Sustainability</a>.



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

Resilience to climate change does not always promote well-being

Human well-being and resilience to environmental challenges – two key...

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ufpe.br/">Federal University of Pernambuco</a> in Recife, Brazil&nbsp;has found that wildfires sparked by volcanic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/volcanic-eruptions-will-lose-their-cooling-effects-on-a-warmer-planet/">eruptions</a> ravaged Antarctica’s James Ross Island 75 million years ago. This discovery adds evidence that spontaneous fires were common in Antarctica during the Campanian age between 84 and 72 million years ago.



During the late Cretaceous period (100 to 66 million years ago), the James Ross Island below South America was home to a temperate forest of ferns, conifers, and flowers, as well as a significant population of dinosaurs.&nbsp;



By analyzing fossilized charcoal fragments of burned gymnosperm (from a botanical family of coniferous trees called Araucariaceae) that were collected during a 2015-2016 expedition to the northeastern part of the island, an international team of scientists found the first evidence of ancient wildfires caused by volcanic activity in Antarctica.&nbsp;



“Antarctica had intense volcanic activity caused by tectonics during the Cretaceous, as suggested by the presence of fossil remains in strata related to ash falls,” explained the study authors. “It is plausible that volcanic activity ignited the palaeo-wildfire that created the charcoal reported here.”



According to the scientists, intense wildfires were frequent and widespread during the late Cretaceous period. However, most of the evidence of such events was found in the Northern Hemisphere, with just a few documented cases in the Southern Hemisphere in places such as Tasmania, New Zealand, or Argentina. The new research shows that such fires occurred in locations below South America too.



"This discovery expands the knowledge about the occurrence of vegetation fires during the Cretaceous, showing that such episodes were more common than previously imagined," said study lead author Flaviana Jorge de Lima, a paleobiologist at the Federal University of Pernambuco.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/5487/13972#figures">Polar Research</a>.



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

Wildfires were common in ancient Antarctica

In a new study led by the Federal University of...

In our plastic filled world, fish often ingest microplastics. What few people may know is that when fish eat microplastics, they also ingest progesterone. A new study shows that a chemical reaction between microplastics and digestive fluid in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-wine-grapes-have-unexpected-gut-health-benefits/">gut</a> releases progesterone.&nbsp;



“Our study shows that microplastics are an additional vector for exposing fish to micropollutants like progesterone, a steroid hormone that can be found in the environment," explained study co-author Florian Breider.



"These microplastics act like sponges and serve as a vector - they readily absorb hydrophobic micropollutants in water, since the pollutants’ molecules would rather attach to the plastic."



"Once inside a fish, the molecules are released into its digestive tract as a result of the physical and chemical properties of the digestive fluids. Today, nobody knows whether the micropollutants subsequently pass through the intestinal walls and spread to the rest of the fish.”



The study looked at three types of polymers commonly found in Swiss lakes and streams: polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. The researchers examined how well the polymers absorbed micropollutants such as progesterone and how quickly they in turn could be released in a fish's digestive tract.&nbsp;



The researchers found that microplastics play an important role in the ingestion of progesterone, an endocrine disruptor in fish. In relatively modest amounts of water, fish are exposed to large amounts of microplastics.



“If an organism weighing one kilogram ingests 4.5 liters of water per day, this vector of progesterone exposure - that is, through microplastics - would account for 10% of its daily progesterone intake due to water ingestion,” said Breider.



He noted that this research is important not only for countries bordering the ocean but for the whole world and that concern with the problem is growing.&nbsp;



“In countries bordering a sea or ocean, research on plastic contamination and the associated micropollutants is becoming a priority. But that’s not the case in Switzerland," said Breider. "However, people are becoming increasingly aware of the issue and eager to take action. Things are moving in the right direction.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journal/EM">Environmental Science: Processes &amp; Impacts</a>.&nbsp;



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

When fish ingest plastic, the impacts are complicated

In our plastic filled world, fish often ingest microplastics. What...

A new study warns that if net zero <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emissions-gap-report-greener-world-or-climate-catastrophe/">emission</a> targets are to be met, industry must considerably speed up investments in green technology that would allow the manufacturing of materials using renewable energy. National strategies for replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources will need an integrated approach to material production and energy use.



In order to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-21st century, it is essential to ensure that no electricity will be produced from fossil fuels. Currently, in industrial countries, steel manufacturing accounts for a tenth of CO2 emissions, and aluminium production three percent of all CO2 emissions.&nbsp;



"Delays in replacing existing steel and aluminium manufacturing capacity represent a crucial ‘lock in’ constraint on achieving net zero,” explained study lead author Dr. Alan Grainger, a senior lecturer in Global Change and Policy at the University of Leeds



“Humanity's overwhelming dependence on steel, which accounts for 94 percent of all metal production, and the size of new aluminium manufacturing capacity in China and the Persian Gulf, are a huge blockage that cannot be ignored. The UK Net Zero Strategy, published last week, recognizes this problem, but lacks detail on how to tackle it.”



According to the researchers, governments should strengthen international carbon reporting standards for energy-intensive industries, so that levels of CO2 emissions can be measured in a more transparent way in order to asses progress towards national net zero targets. Furthermore, the carbon prices should increase to make alternative sources more economically viable and attractive.



However, cutting CO2 emissions is only half of the challenge. “To achieve net zero we need to remove as much as CO2 as we put into the atmosphere. It’s like those old greengrocers’ scales – with carbon emissions on the one side and carbon removals on the other. We can take emissions out of the atmosphere by planting new forests and deploying carbon capture and storage technology.”



If global forest expansions are delayed and new green technology with low CO2 emissions are not urgently introduced, the net zero emission targets set for the middle of the century will not be achieved, thus pushing the Earth one more step towards a climate-related catastrophe.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/current-opinion-in-environmental-sustainability">Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability</a>.



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

Green technology is urgently needed to save the climate

A new study warns that if net zero emission targets...

Sohutern,Right,Whale,Jumping,,Endangered,Species,,Patagonia,argentina.

North Atlantic right whales are a critically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ecosystems-are-endangered-by-global-warming/">endangered</a> species with a past of being targeted by whaling, a historical tragedy that they have never recovered from.&nbsp;



A new population estimate by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium shows the whale numbers continue on a downward plunge. From 2019 to 2020, the estimated population dropped from 366 to 336, a decline of 8 percent.&nbsp;



Along with this report came another confirmation of the sad state of affairs. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) drafted a new Stock Assessment Report showing that the number of whales which can die and still support the species recovery fell to 0.7. The North Atlantic right whale death rate is also up from 18.6 annual deaths in the previous report to 27.4 whales per year from 2014 to 2018. “The new population and mortality estimates for North Atlantic right whales are upsetting and alarming. Losing nearly 10% of a critically endangered species in one year is drastic and should be a wake-up call that the situation facing these whales is more dire and urgent than ever before," said Whitney Webber, campaign director for <a href="https://oceana.org/">Oceana</a> in the United States.



"There’s zero time to waste - political finger-pointing, process delays, and industry opposition are decimating North Atlantic right whales. This downward trajectory must be reversed if the species is to survive another generation. Oceana calls on the U.S.&nbsp; government to act now before these whales disappear from our coasts forever."



Historically, the North Atlantic right whale population reached a high estimate of 21,000 individuals, which dropped to possibly less than 100 by the 1920s.&nbsp;



After whaling right whales was banned in 1935, the population slowly climbed to about 483 animals in 2010. Population numbers are now again at alarmingly low levels.&nbsp;



Due to the slow speed the whales swim at (around 6 miles per hour) often near the surface, collision with ships is a leading cause of death. Ships moving at fast speeds cannot maneuver to avoid the marine mammals.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Another leading cause of mortality for the whales is entanglement in fishing gear. About 25 percent of the whales are tangled in fishing gear from the US and Canada annually and a disturbing 85 percent have been caught in fishing gear at least once. Lines cutting into flesh can cause infections that are sometimes fatal.&nbsp;



Without immediate and decisive action, the last North Atlantic right whale may soon die, leaving the planet forever impoverished.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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

Right whale populations reach new low

North Atlantic right whales are a critically endangered species with...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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



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.

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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