New research led by the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA) and the <a href="https://www.pml.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plymouth Marine Laboratory</a> (PML) has revealed that the Southern Ocean absorbs significantly more carbon dioxide (CO2) than previously estimated. 



The study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn5781" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>, used direct measurements of CO2 exchange between the air and sea, uncovering that the ocean around Antarctica takes in 25% more CO2 than earlier indirect estimates suggested.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southern-ocean-co2-absorption-nbsp">Southern Ocean CO2 absorption&nbsp;</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-southern-ocean-has-the-cleanest-air-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern Ocean</a> plays a critical role in absorbing CO2 produced by human activities, a vital process for regulating Earth's climate. However, previous estimates of this CO2 absorption have been plagued by uncertainty, largely because they relied on indirect measurements from research ships, sail drones, profiling floats, and global ocean biogeochemistry models. These methods produced widely varying results.



To address this issue, the new study employed a technique called eddy covariance, which involves mounting flux systems on ships’ foremasts to directly measure air-sea CO2 fluxes. This method was applied during seven research cruises in the region, providing more accurate data.&nbsp;



The results indicate that the Southern Ocean is likely a stronger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/good-news-plants-are-absorbing-more-human-produced-co2-than-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CO2</a> sink than previously thought, especially during the summer.



“This is the first time a large number of direct air-sea CO2 flux observations have been used to assess existing flux products in the Southern Ocean. Our findings provide direct observational evidence that this ocean may take up more CO2 than previously recognized,” explained lead author Yuanxu Dong, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.geomar.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-underestimated-co2-uptake-in-southern-ocean-nbsp">Underestimated CO2 uptake in Southern Ocean&nbsp;</h2>



Accurate measurement of the Southern Ocean’s CO2 absorption is crucial for assessing Earth's climate. The study suggests that previous models underestimated the CO2 uptake due to factors like temperature variations in the upper ocean and insufficient resolution in data sampling.&nbsp;



Dong emphasizes the need for future estimates to include temperature adjustments and higher resolution reconstruction and modeling.



The research team, which included scientists from the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alfred Wegener</a> and <a href="https://www.mpg.de/institutes?category=environment-and-climate&amp;tab=institutes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck Institutes</a> in Germany, the <a href="https://www.vliz.be/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flanders Marine Institute</a> in Belgium, and the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Hawai'i</a> in the US, tackled inconsistencies in existing CO2 flux estimates. 



The experts utilized the eddy covariance technique to assess these datasets, covering approximately 3300 hours of measurements during the Antarctic summer of 2019 and 2020. These measurements, taken hourly, provided a much clearer picture compared to the less frequent data from floats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-the-study">Significance of the study</h2>



Dr. Mingxi Yang, a co-author and Chemical Oceanographer at PML, highlighted the significance of these findings. “The Southern Ocean is a key sink of CO2, but the magnitudes and the locations of this ocean uptake are uncertain. PML's autonomous and high-frequency eddy covariance system has significantly increased the number of direct air-sea CO2 flux measurements in this region.”



The study’s comparison between direct CO2 flux measurements and estimates from coarse data products and global models is a first on such a large spatial and temporal scale. It has helped validate these estimates and highlighted ways to improve them.



However, the study also points out a significant gap in winter data, which is challenging to collect due to the harsh conditions in the region. The authors suggest that expanding measurements to more ships and deploying additional buoys and sail drones, particularly during winter, could help fill this gap.&nbsp;



Professor Tom Bell, a co-author and PML Ocean-Atmosphere Biogeochemist, noted the importance of continued high-quality observations.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forecasting-future-climate-changes-nbsp">Forecasting future climate changes&nbsp;</h2>



“We have recently moved our flux system onto the new ice breaker, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, and collected the first set of flux measurements during a research cruise in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-is-sea-ice-loss-affecting-biodiversity-in-the-weddell-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Weddell Sea</a> earlier this year. We aim to continue this valuable work over the coming years, which is essential for monitoring the current climate and forecasting future changes.”



The researchers also raised concerns about the decline in shipboard surface ocean CO2 measurements in recent years, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced funding.&nbsp;



Dr. Dorothee Bakker, of UEA’s COAS and chair of SOCAT, stressed the need for sustained and expanded funding for these measurements to better understand and constrain Southern Ocean CO2 uptake and support global climate monitoring initiatives.



This groundbreaking research underscores the importance of the Southern Ocean in absorbing CO2 and the need for improved and continuous measurements to refine our understanding of its role in the global carbon cycle and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-surprising-role-of-low-relief-mountain-ranges-in-climate-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate regulation</a>.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-">-----</h3>



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Southern Ocean absorbs more CO2 than previously thought

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) has revealed that the Southern Ocean absorbs significantly more carbon dioxide (CO2) than previously estimated.  The study, published in the journal Science Advances, used direct measurements of CO2 exchange between the air and sea, uncovering that the ocean around Antarctica takes in 25% more CO2 than earlier indirect estimates suggested. Southern Ocean CO2 absorption&nbsp; The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in absorbing CO2 produced by human activities, a vital process...

Mathematical model shows that environmental tax will not slow economic growth. Scientists have created a new mathematical model that will provide support for environmental taxation without slowing economic growth. 

These environmental taxes are a result of the worldwide “green development” movement in which governments are proposing said taxes on climate-harming products like carbon emissions in order to promote environmentally friendly practices. 

Few studies have quantified the effects of environmental taxes on linked factors involved in green development. So researchers from <a href="http://eng.ujs.edu.cn/">Jiangsu University</a> developed a mathematical model that shows the relationships between environmental taxation, economic growth, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/methane-emissions-epa/">pollution emissions</a>, and utilization of resources like water and fossil fuels. 

They applied their model to real-world data and analyzed the toll environmental taxes had on China.

The team found that environmental taxes can not only help stimulate economic growth, but also decrease emissions and improve resource utilization. Mathematical model shows that environmental tax will not slow economic growth. 

Furthermore, they found that benefits of an environmental tax are heightened by advanced technology, increased consumer awareness, and strict government control.

The hope is that this mathematical model can be applied to other countries interested in exploring the effects of environmental taxation.

Their model and research is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221264">published in PLOS ONE</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/24Novembers

Mathematical model shows that environmental tax

Mathematical model shows that environmental tax will not slow economic...

Strategies to keep major cities cool depend on location and precipitation. The urban heat island effect describes when city temperatures are much higher than in surrounding rural areas. Densely packed populations, asphalt roads, high-rise buildings, and traffic all contribute to the urban heat island effect. 

The size and intensity of a city’s urban heat island depend largely on precipitation levels, which is why there is no simple solution to mitigating urban heat island effect. 

In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a>, <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zurich</a>, and <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University </a>developed a framework that creates custom strategies to help reduce energy use and <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/mapping-temperatures-across-urban-heat-islands/">keep cities cooler. </a>

The researchers designed a simple model that uses population and precipitation data. Summer temperature data from more than 30,000 cities worldwide were included in the framework. 

“There are a few cities -- New York, London, Baltimore -- that are studied intensively, and we don’t know very much about a large range of other cities,” said Elie Bou-Zeid, an author of the study. “With a reduced model that only needs information on precipitation and population, we are hoping to provide a simple framework that can give guidance to any city.”

While high levels of rainfall are linked to rising city temperatures, this effect has its limits. For cities that get around 39 inches of rain each year, city temperatures do not increase much more than two degrees Fahrenheit. 

[caption id="attachment_1877389" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cities.png"><img class="wp-image-1877389" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cities.png" alt="" width="650" height="366" /></a> Cities are marked by colored dots that correspond to the intensity of their urban heat island effect, Image Credit:[/caption]

The team found that wetter cities require different approaches to tackling urban heat island effect compared to drier regions. It has been suggested that planting more vegetation and creating ample green space can keep temperatures down, but in wetter cities planting more trees won’t reduce temperatures. 

“In places that are already wet and vegetated, adding more vegetation is not going to help,” explained Bou-Zeid.

One the other hand, cities with drier climates like those in Arizona could benefit significantly from more vegetation.

The researchers will continue fine-tuning their model to include factors like how seasonal changes impact urban heat island. 

“Our results show that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to reduce city-scale warming,” said Gabriele Manoli, the lead author of the study. “The efficiency of heat mitigation strategies varies across geographic regions, and any effort aimed at greening and cooling world cities should be put in the context of local hydro-climatic conditions.” 

The researchers published their findings in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1512-9">Nature.</a>

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/TWStock

Strategies to keep major cities cool depend on location and precipitation

Strategies to keep major cities cool depend on location and...

The very clothes you’re wearing may be one of the biggest contributors to your carbon footprint. With ‘fast fashion’ clothing companies quickly and consistently releasing new items for incredibly low prices, consumers are buying new clothes more frequently. 

The charity organization <a href="http://www.oxfam.org/en">Oxfam</a> recently published a report on the fast fashion environmental crisis. The report shows how brands and stores like Zara, Forever21, and Topshop produce tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year. 

<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earth-day-2019-fashion-industrys-carbon-impact-is-bigger-than-airline-industrys/">CBS</a> reported that apparel and footwear companies have more of an impact on atmospheric emissions and the global climate than all international airline flights and shipping vessels combined.  

According to Oxfam, the fast fashion trend produces the same amount of carbon emissions every two minutes as would be produced by a car driving around the world six times. 

To calculate the impact of fast fashion emissions, Oxfam looked at how many emissions are produced by buying new clothing in the UK from manufacturer to consumer.

Everything from sourcing materials to producing collections to selling to washing and throwing away clothes produces emissions and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-fashion-rayon/">impacts the environment</a>. 

Many fast-fashion companies take advantage of cheap materials and fabrics which shed microplastics when washed and don’t have a long shelf-life. 

However, even buying a simple 100 percent cotton shirt can produce almost 24 pounds of greenhouse gases.  

“These staggering facts about fashion’s impact on the planet and the world’s poorest people should make us all think twice before buying something new to wear,” said 

Danny Sriskandarajah, the Chief Executive of Oxfam. “We are in a climate emergency - we can no longer turn a blind eye to the emissions produced by new clothes or turn our backs on garment workers paid a pittance who are unable to earn their way out of poverty no matter how many hours they work.” 

Consumers need to be aware of the impact their purchasing power has on the environment. As appealing as fast fashion clothing is, Oxfam recommends that people consider buying second-hand clothes and donating when it’s time to clean out the closet. 

The new report was released in time to promote the <a href="https://oxfamapps.org/secondhandseptember/">Second Hand September campaign</a> where participating consumers promise not to buy anything new for one month. 

“By taking part in Second Hand September, we are also sending a clear message to the clothing industry that we don’t want to buy clothes that harm our planet and the people in it,” said Sriskandarajah. “Together we can make a difference and help reduce fast fashion’s impact on people and the environment.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Sorbis

Fast fashion has an enormous carbon footprint

The very clothes you’re wearing may be one of the...

According to a new study, air pollution reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth’s surface by absorbing and dispersing it across the atmosphere.

The research was performed by scientists at the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>. Not only do these findings increase awareness of how pollution affects air purity, but they also show the negative effects of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-early-death/">air pollution</a> on renewable energy harvest and the linked economic burden.

The Earth receives surface solar radiation (SSR) from the sun, and the amount of SSR that reaches the Earth fluctuates throughout time. Cloud cover and aerosols like dust or ash can disperse sunlight, and reduce the amount of SSR absorption. 

Although China is the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic (PV) power, generated from solar panels, it has also become one of the most populated, and therefore, one of the greatest producers of aerosols and condensation gases on the planet.

Scientists used observations and numerical simulations to determine how much air pollution affects SSR under cloud-free skies in Nanjing, China during all four seasons and under varying weather and light conditions.

"To the best of our knowledge, few studies have analyzed the effects of different levels of air pollution on SSR under clear skies," said Yong Han, PhD, a professor at the <a href="https://www.hongrunwenkong.com/html/English..EnFacultyIndex.html">school of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University</a>.

The study shows that less sunlight is reaching Earth’s surface due to the increased amount of particulate matter, which prevents direct SSR absorption. Therefore, air pollution could potentially reduce the amount of energy absorbed via solar panels, causing consequential implications for future solar panel and sustainable energy efforts in China and worldwide.

"Our ultimate goal is to understand processes related to aerosol, cloud and radiation, and develop measurable parameters to improve climate and weather prediction models," said corresponding author Chunsong Lu, PhD, professor at the Key Laboratory for Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration, School of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology.

This study is published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/376">Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.</a>

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Martyn Jandula

Air pollution reduces the amount of sunlight that hits Earth

According to a new study, air pollution reduces the amount...

Recent research has revealed how people are unknowingly ingesting thousands of pieces of microplastics each year. 

One study found polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles in stool samples taken from participants across the globe.

Microplastics have entered the human food chain, and everything from seafood to bottled water could be a culprit.  

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/en/">Medical University of Vienna</a> and the <a href="https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/en/">Environment Agency Austria </a>monitored participants across the world from countries including Finland, Italy, Japan, and the UK. 

Participants were asked to keep a food diary for a week and provide a stool sample. Plastic particles were found in every single sample, and the researchers found around 20 pieces of microplastics per ten grams of stool. 

On average, we could be eating 73,000 plastic particles every year through disposable food containers, plastic water bottles, seafood, and other sources.  

The researchers tested the samples at the Environment Agency Austria looking for ten types of plastic using a new analyzing technique. The 2018 study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found as many as nine different plastics of various sizes in the samples. 

“This is the first study of its kind and confirms what we have long suspected, that plastics ultimately reach the human gut,” said Dr. Philipp Schwabl, the lead researcher for the study. “Now that we have first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health.”

There’s a chance that some microplastics could enter the bloodstream or damage our gastrointestinal tract. 

Each year more than 350 million tons of plastic are produced and the researchers say more studies must be done to understand how microplastics impact human health. 

The <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> has answered that call and compiled a comprehensive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-water-human-health/">review of microplastics</a> and the impacts of ingesting <a href="https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/microplastics-in-drinking-water/en/">plastic particles through drinking water</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Pcess609

Microplastics have found their way into the human food chain

Recent research has revealed how people are unknowingly ingesting thousands...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-dorian-evacuations/">Hurricane Dorian</a> is slowly passing over the Bahamas after the storm stalled over Freeport and Grand Bahama Island Monday night, but the devastation left in the storm’s wake means that the worst is far from over.  

So far, there have been <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/hurricane-dorian-weakens-category-3-it-camps-out-over-devastated-n1049011">5 people confirmed dead and 21 injured</a>. Pictures and video footage taken during the storm show cars piled up and abandoned, torn down houses and buildings, flooded streets, and storm surges rising around residential areas. 

As Dorian crawls toward the Florida Coast, it’s unprecedented strength and size are setting new records for Atlantic storms. 

Warm ocean waters helped fuel Dorian’s intensity. When Dorian made landfall on Sunday, sustained wind speeds were recorded at 185 miles per hour with some gusts reaching 220 miles per hour.

It was the strongest hurricane to hit the Bahamas in recorded history.  

Dorian is predicted to shift north and travel up the coast of Florida and the Carolinas. The center of the storm is not expected to pass over land, but regardless, high wind speeds and storm surges are still likely to cause significant damage. 

Climate change is making storms like Dorian stronger, as predicted by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/severe-storms-climate-change/">past climate studies</a>.  

Higher than average sea levels mean that storm surges are also higher. The bigger the storm surge, the more damage it does.  

Warm water at the ocean’s surface helps create optimal conditions for hurricanes, and in Dorian’s case, ocean waters in the storm’s path were one-degree Celsius warmer than average, according to <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2214937-hurricane-dorian-is-joint-strongest-atlantic-storm-ever-to-hit-land/?utm_medium=NLC&amp;utm_source=NSNS&amp;utm_campaign=2019-0903-GLOBAL-NSDAY&amp;utm_content=NSDAY">New Scientist</a>.

Dorian was already a strong storm, but the hurricane surged in intensity at an unprecedented rate. 

We can expect more storms like Dorian in the future as temperatures increase and hurricanes become stronger, faster, and produce more precipitation. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Copernicus Sentinel data, ESA

Warming waters made Hurricane Dorian stronger, new data shows

Hurricane Dorian is slowly passing over the Bahamas after the...

Vintage Antarctic radar film shows ice shelf is melting faster than realized. Radar data captured on 35-millimeter film in the 1970s and newly digitized has provided researchers with a rare look at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-glacier-cavity-collapse/">Thwaites Glacier</a> ice shelf in West Antarctica. 

The film doubled the records of Antarctic monitoring data in terms of how far back researchers can go into the history of Antarctica’s ice shelf.  

A team of researchers from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> and <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge University</a> was able to digitize the radar data taken during flight surveys recorded between 1971 and 1979. 

Not only does the film provide a further look back into the history of Antarctica’s ice shelf, but the researchers found that the Thwaites Glacier ice shelf is thawing faster than previously realized. 

“You can really see the geometry over this long period of time, how these ocean currents have melted the ice shelf - not just in general, but exactly where and how,” said Dustin Schroeder, the lead author of the study. “When we model ice sheet behavior and sea-level projections into the future, we need to understand the processes at the base of the ice sheet that made the changes we’re seeing.” 

Future studies can use the data to compare modern radar data with baseline conditions during the 70s to track changes and melting over 40 years, which will help with future sea-level rise projections. Vintage Antarctic radar film shows ice shelf is melting faster than realized

The radar data shows a world covered in ice, including mountains, lakes, and volcanoes that lie beneath Antarctica’s surface. 

The researchers were able to identify ash layers from volcanic eruptions and areas where the ice is thinnest due to water eroding the bottom of the ice shelf.  

“By having this record, we can now see these areas where the ice shelf is getting thinnest and could break through,” said Schroeder. “This is a pretty hard-to-get-to area, and we’re really lucky that they happened to fly across this ice shelf.” 

The film and the findings show how important historical data and accurate records are in informing our understanding of Antarctica and to future climate projections. 

It may be old data, but it’s still extremely valuable, according to the researchers.  

“It was surprising how good the old data is,” said Schroeder. “They were very careful and thoughtful engineers, and it’s much richer, more modern looking, than you would think.”

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821646116">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Courtesy of Dustin Schroeder

Vintage Antarctic radar film shows ice shelf is melting faster than realized

Vintage Antarctic radar film shows ice shelf is melting faster...

Plant gene breakthrough can help battle fertilizer pollution in waterways. Researchers from <a href="https://btiscience.org/">Boyce Thompson Institute</a> (BTI) have figured out the function of a pair of genes in plants that could aid farmers in phosphate capture and reduce fertilizer pollution in waterways, which is currently a massive environmental issue that can lead to mass fish die-offs among other problems.

This new discovery is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nplants/">Nature Plants</a>.

Researchers built off of BTI Professor Maria Harrison’s prior work on plants’ symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. AM fungi occupy a plant’s roots and allows a plant to trade fatty acids for phosphate and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nitrogen-runoff-killing-coral/">nitrogen</a>. AM fungi can also aid plants in recovering from stressful situations like drought. But because the AM fungi colonization is so costly, the plants pay close attention to the process.

To better understand how plants control AM fungi colonization, Harrison and colleague Lena Müller studied genes that encode short proteins called CLE peptides in two plants — Medicago truncatula and Brachypodium distachyon. These CLE peptides are important to cell development and response to stress, and they are used by a majority of plants throughout the plant kingdom.

Harrison and Müller found that two CLE genes are key modulators of the AM fungal symbiosis. One of said CLE genes, CLE53, reduces colonization rates once the roots of a plant have already been colonized, and the other, CLE33, reduces colonization rates when there is copious amounts of phosphate available to the colonized plant.

"Being able to control fungal colonization levels in plant roots and maintain the symbiosis even in higher phosphate conditions might be useful to a farmer," Harrison said. "For example, you may want the other beneficial effects of AM fungi, like nitrogen uptake and recovery from drought, as well as further uptake of phosphate.”

"You might be able to achieve these benefits by altering the levels of these CLE peptides in the plants," she added.

Müller saw the CLE peptides act via a receptor protein called SUNN and modulate the plant’s synthesis of strigolactone, which is a compound exuded by plant roots that stimulates AM fungi to grow and occupy the root. Then, once the roots are colonized or receive enough phosphate, the CLE genes suppress the synthesis of strigolactone and restrict colonization.

"In the early 2000's, researchers found that plants had a way to measure and then reduce colonization," Müller said. "But until now, nobody really understood the molecular mechanism of that dynamic."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Mike Carroll/BTI

Plant gene breakthrough can help battle fertilizer pollution in waterways

Plant gene breakthrough can help battle fertilizer pollution in waterways....

Climate change will negatively impact banana crop yields in many countries. Bananas are recognized as being the world's most important fruit crop, providing food, nutrition, and income for millions of people. A new study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has investigated the extent to which climate change is impacting the cultivation of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/popular-banana-risk-disappearing/">bananas</a> in some major exporting countries.

Many previous studies have examined how rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are affecting agricultural production, but the potential impacts on important tropical crops like bananas are much less understood.

Led by Dr. Dan Bebber, the Exeter team used sophisticated modeling techniques to assess the climate sensitivity of global dessert banana productivity and yield. The study revealed that 27 countries, which account for 86 percent of banana production worldwide, have seen increased crop yields since 1961 as a result of more favorable climate conditions.

However, these gains will be substantially reduced by 2050 if climate change continues to progress at the expected rate. The findings suggest that 10 countries, including India and Brazil, are set to experience a significant decline in crop yields. For countries such as Ecuador and Honduras, on the other hand, climate change will likely boost crop yields.

"We're very concerned about the impact of diseases like Fusarium Wilt on bananas, but the impacts of climate change have been largely ignored," said Dr. Bebber. "There will be winners and losers in the coming years, and our study may stimulate vulnerable countries to prepare through investment in technologies like irrigation."

Predicting the potential impacts of climate change on banana production systems is crucial to their long-term survival. Dr. Bebber emphasizes that preparing tropical agriculture for future climate change is imperative.

Among the ten countries expected to experience a negative trend in yields are some of the largest producers, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and the Philippines - all of which are also major exporters. 

"An open exchange of ideas is going to be critical going forward. We believe practical solutions already exist, but these are scattered across banana producing countries," said study co-author Dr. Varun Varma. "This knowledge exchange needs to start now to counteract predicted yield losses due to climate change."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: David Bebber

Climate change will negatively impact banana crop yields

Climate change will negatively impact banana crop yields in many...

American bellflower reveals how plants adapt to climate change. A wildflower native to Virginia is helping biologists understand how plants and animals adapt to new environments due to climate change. 

The American bellflower is a plant native to Virginia, but after the last ice age, the flower colonized new environments and expanded its range as temperatures warmed. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/">University of Virginia </a>and <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> saw a unique opportunity in studying the bellflower to see how significant climate change around 15,000 years influenced the plant to evolve and adapt. 

“The plant is ideal for study because it expanded its range when the climate last warmed and glaciers retreated,” said Laura Galloway, a co-author of the study. “We learned that migration causes evolution that is both beneficial - making it easier for plants to reproduce - and detrimental - reducing the success of that reproduction.”

Research has shown that some species working to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/american-pikas-climate-change/">adapt to environmental changes due to climate change</a>. However, many plants and animals are at risk of extinction and perhaps the past can offer clues for what to expect in the future as the impacts of climate change become more severe. 

For this study, the researchers sequenced the genome of bellflowers across their native habitats. 

After tracing patterns of genetic mutations to an area in Eastern Kentucky, the researchers theorize that this is where the plant was able to survive the last glaciation and as temperatures warmed, the flower expanded into the eastern United States.  

Populations of the flower that were furthest from their area of origin in Kentucky had evolved the ability to self-fertilize to aid reproduction, but this adaptation came at a cost, and the plant populations also gained harmful mutations. 

“These combined changes - self-fertilization and detrimental mutations - provide strong evidence that while colonizing new environments causes plants to adapt to the absence of mates in those environments - and that’s why they can now self-fertilize - at the same time, it creates genetic change that reduces overall vigor,” said Galloway. 

The study, published in the journal Evolution Letters, shows that while species can evolve and adapt to new areas, these evolutionary changes can also increase the risk of detrimental mutations that ultimately decrease survival odds. 

“While migration will lead to individuals that are better able to reproduce in the small populations expected in new habitats, it may also cause genetic change that limits their ability to survive in the long term,” said Galloway. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

American bellflower reveals how plants adapt to climate change

American bellflower reveals how plants adapt to climate change. A...

In <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/european-heat-wave-greenland/">Europe</a>, climate change is increasing the number of days with extreme heat and decreasing the number of days with extreme cold, according to a new study published by the <a href="https://www.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a>. 

Study lead author Ruth Lorenz is a climate scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

"Even at this regional scale over Europe, we can see that these trends are much larger than what we would expect from natural variability. That's really a signal from climate change," said Lorenz.

While it has been well established that climate change is warming Europe, scientists have been primarily focused on long-term changes in extreme temperatures. 

For the new investigation, experts compared observational data to climate models used for regional projections to analyze the top one percent of heat extremes and the top one percent of cold extremes across Europe from 1950 to 2018. 

The study revealed that some areas of Europe are warming faster, and heat waves are happening more frequently, than climate models had projected. 

According to the study authors, there were drastically different temperature trends across individual regions, which makes it difficult to compare the average European temperatures to the extremes observed at specific stations.

The researchers pinpointed regions that experienced higher extremes - as well as other regions that experienced lower extremes - than what was expected.

Geert Jan van Oldenborgh is a climate analyst at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in the Netherlands, who was not involved in the study. 

"In the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the model trends are about two times lower than the observed trends," said van Oldenborgh. "We're reaching new records faster than you'd expect."

The number of days with extreme heat has tripled in Europe since 1950, and the summers are now hotter overall. Temperatures hit record highs this summer, exceeding 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit in southern France. 

Furthermore, there are now less than half the number of extreme cold days during the winter compared to 1950, and the later part of the year has grown significantly warmer. 

More than 90 percent of the weather stations produced data that correlated with climate warming. The researchers explained that this percentage is too high to be a result of natural climate variability. 

The study authors also noted that European summers and winters will only grow hotter in the coming years as climate change accelerates, impacting populations that are unprepared for rising temperatures. 

Extreme heat poses a dangerous risk to human health, putting a major strain on the body that can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke. 

"Lots of people don't have air conditioning for instance and it makes this really important," said Lorenz. "We expected results based on modeling studies but it's the first time we see it in what we've observed so far."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Melinda Nagy

Climate change will cause extreme heat in Europe to become more frequent

In Europe, climate change is increasing the number of days...

When people think of mass extinctions, the first that may come to mind is the die-off of most of the dinosaurs. But more than 2 billion years ago, an event scientists are calling the “mass dying” nearly wiped out life on Earth entirely. More than 70% of living species vanished.

Now, a chemical study of ancient rocks from Canada’s Hudson Bay is giving researchers some insight into how the previously unknown mass dying occurred. 

Led by doctoral candidate Malcolm Hodgskiss of <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> and Dr. Peter Crockford of the <a href="https://weizmann.ac.il/">Weizmann Institute of Science</a>, the researchers studied barite, a sulfite mineral that contains a natural record of oxygen levels in the atmosphere. By looking at that oxygen record and sulphur and barium isotopes in the mineral, the researchers gained some insights about the mass dying. 

About 2.4 to 2.1 billion years ago, according to that sulfite record, oxygen levels shot up in what is called the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-oxygen-boring-billion/">Great Oxidation Event</a>. The vast new supply of oxygen led to an explosion of life – not large animals like today, but mainly microorganisms. Then, about 2.05 billion years ago, three quarters of that minuscule life vanished in the mass dying.

"This shows that even when biology on Earth is comprised entirely of microbes, you can still have what could be considered an enormous die-off event that otherwise is not recorded in the fossil record," Hodgskiss said in a press release.

The researchers had hoped that the barite would give them some insight into life 2 billion years ago. They weren’t expecting to find evidence of the mass dying.

"The fact that this geochemical signature was preserved was very surprising," Hodgskiss said. "What was especially unusual about these barites is that they clearly had a complex history."

The discovery of the mass dying adds evidence to a theory known as oxygen overshoot. According to the theory, microorganisms added oxygen to Earth’s atmosphere through photosynthesis. As microorganism levels grew, more oxygen was produced – but eventually, the tiny creatures outgrew their resources and their numbers collapsed. 

Hodgskiss and Crockford were aided by researchers from <a href="https://www.nju.edu.cn/EN">Nanjing University</a>, the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado-Boulder</a> and the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a>. The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900325116">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. 

Funding was provided by the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/polar-knowledge/fundingforresearchers/northern-scientific-training-program.html">Northern Scientific Training Program</a>, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a>, <a href="https://www.geosociety.org/">Geological Society of America</a>, the <a href="http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_eng.asp">Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada</a>, the <a href="https://agi.org/">Agouron Institute</a>, the <a href="https://www.amphilsoc.org/">American Philosophical Society</a>, and through Stanford University’s McGee and Compton Grants.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Dr. Malcolm Hodgskiss, Stanford University

More than 2 billions years ago, 'mass dying' almost snuffed out life on Earth

When people think of mass extinctions, the first that may...

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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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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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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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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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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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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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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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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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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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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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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