Invisible industrial pollutants called PFAS are chemicals steadily building up in polar bears, seals, seabirds, and in humans who depend on Arctic wildlife for food. 



A new investigation reports concentrations high enough to endanger hormone balance, immunity, and long‑term survival across the Far North.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-chemical-spread-in-the-arctic">Tracking chemical spread in the Arctic</h2>



The work follows per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-microbes-discovered-destroys-pfas-forever-chemicals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFAS</a>) as they ride winds and currents from distant factories to the polar ice. 



Researchers from the United States, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Canada, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates combined field data with computer models to trace the chemicals’ spread.



“The research highlights how PFAS can affect reproduction, immune systems, and even increase <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-in-tap-water-increase-cancer-risk-by-up-to-33/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cancer risk</a> in both humans and animals,” said co‑author Khaled Abass, an associate professor at the <a href="https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sharjah</a>.



“Alarmingly, people living in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-alters-the-atmosphere-in-the-remote-arctic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arctic</a> who rely on traditional foods such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/these-marine-mammals-killer-whales-dolphins-permanently-lost-ability-to-ever-walk-again/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine mammals</a> are also exposed to these chemicals,” Abass said.



Hunters who prize seal, whale, or walrus now face a dilemma between cultural practice and safety. Because PFAS accumulate in fatty tissue as they climb the food web, a single meal can deliver a substantial dose.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-arctic-chemicals-affect-humans">How Arctic chemicals affect humans</h2>



“The long‑range transport of PFAS reminds us that environmental problems don’t respect borders - what we release in one part of the world eventually ends up in another,” said co‑author  Elsie M. Sunderland, a professor of environmental chemistry at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a>.



Once dissolved in seawater or attached to airborne dust, the molecules drift northward year after year, freezing into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-ice-is-losing-its-cooling-power-making-the-earth-even-warmer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea ice</a> or settling in snow. 



“Physiological, endocrine, and reproductive effects linked to PFAS exposure were largely similar among humans, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/polar-bears-are-suffering-from-an-energy-deficit-due-to-lack-of-food-access/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polar bears</a>, and Arctic seabirds,” wrote the study authors.



“For most polar bear subpopulations across the Arctic, modeled serum concentrations exceeded PFOS levels in human populations, several of which already exceeded the established immunotoxic thresholds for the most severe risk category.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shared-health-risks-across-species"><a></a>Shared health risks across species</h2>



“The similarities in health effects across species - humans, animals, and birds - are deeply concerning and underscore the interconnectedness of environmental and human health,” said lead author Rainer Lohmann of the <a href="https://www.uri.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Rhode Island</a>.



“The Arctic acts like a mirror - what we find here reflects the global scale and persistence of PFAS pollution. It’s a warning signal we cannot ignore,” noted study senior author Pál Weihe of the <a href="https://www.setur.fo/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of the Faroe Islands</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vulnerable-humans-and-animals">Vulnerable humans and animals</h2>



Even the remote pack ice cannot block the spread. “Even in the most remote corners of our planet, industrial pollution finds its way into the bodies of animals and people. PFAS are persistent, mobile, and harmful - we need a global solution,”  Abass said.



Field surveys back his concern. “The Arctic is uniquely vulnerable, and both legacy (old) and emerging PFAS continue to be detected at concerning levels,” he noted.



“For most polar bear subpopulations across the Arctic, modeled serum concentrations exceeded PFOS levels in human populations, several of which already exceeded the established immunotoxic thresholds for the most severe risk category.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-variants-keep-appearing">New variants keep appearing</h2>



Rules have removed some early PFAS from commerce, yet factories keep releasing substitutes. “Increasing trends of certain long‑chain PFCAs (C9–C20), including PFNA, are observed in the Arctic, highlighting the persistence and ongoing threat of these contaminants,” the authors explained.



“Communities that rely on traditional diets face significantly higher PFAS concentrations than those relying more on market foods. In fact, similar results can even be found in industrialized countries, showing that Arctic Indigenous communities involuntarily serve as sentinels of contamination concerns.



“PFAS contamination poses challenges to food security and sovereignty as well as to multiple species’ health across the Arctic.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-action-needed-to-protect-the-arctic">Action needed to protect the Arctic</h2>



The project grew from the <a href="https://www.amap.no/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program</a> and has already reached ministries in Denmark, Canada, and elsewhere.



“While specific industry engagement is not highlighted, the work directly informs global policy discussions and regulations affecting chemical manufacturers and environmental health bodies,” Abass said.



The team urges tougher international standards, faster phase‑outs, and investment in safer substitutes. Only global cooperation, they argue, can prevent “forever chemicals” from undermining Arctic ecosystems - and the communities that depend on them - for generations to come.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724064301?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science of The Total Environment</a>.



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Forever chemicals threaten Arctic wildlife and human health

Invisible industrial pollutants called PFAS are chemicals steadily building up in polar bears, seals, seabirds, and in humans who depend on Arctic wildlife for food. A new investigation reports concentrations high enough to endanger hormone balance, immunity, and long‑term survival across the Far North. Tracking chemical spread in the Arctic The work follows per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as they ride winds and currents from distant factories to the polar ice. Researchers from the United States, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Canada, Norway, and the United Arab...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/university/">University of Würzburg</a> have discovered that plants have a memory of drought and respond accordingly to save water. 

During drought, plants produce the signaling molecule GABA to inhibit the opening of leaf pores and subsequent water loss. The new research shows that plant cells autonomously perceive stress and react to it with GABA production.

"I've been studying how plants regulate their water balance for over 35 years," said Professor Rainer Hedrich. "To find a completely new and unexpected way for saving water has certainly been one of the most surprising discoveries in my life." 

The team discovered the unexpected strategy in collaboration with researchers at the University of Adelaide. 

The study found that plants use GABA to remember the dryness of a day. The drier it is, the more GABA accumulates in the plant tissue throughout the day. The next morning, the amount of GABA determines how wide the plant opens its leaf pores. 

In both humans and animals, GABA serves as a messenger in the nervous system. Despite the fact that plants have no nerve cells and no brain, GABA has now been linked to memory-like processes.

Hedrich also determined that GABA is involved in short-term memory in Venus flytraps, where its production is regulated by calcium levels. 

According to Professor Matthew Gilliham, the GABA effect has been demonstrated in various crops. "Under the influence of GABA, barley, broad beans and soybeans, for example, close their leaf pores." 

The researchers demonstrated in the lab that plants that produce more GABA due to mutations need less water and can survive in drought conditions longer.

While scientists know of other signaling substances that cause the leaf pores to close in plants, GABA relies on a completely different mechanism of action, explained study lead author Dr. Bo Xu.

A better understanding of the water-saving mechanisms in plants is becoming increasingly important to promote heat tolerance, as climate change threatens to make droughts much more frequent and intense.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plants have a memory of drought

Experts at the University of Würzburg have discovered that plants...

The permanent rise of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere likely occurred 100 million years later than expected, according to a new study from the <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a>.

The Great Oxidation Event, when our atmosphere and ocean first experienced a rise in oxygen about 2.43 billion years ago, was a pivotal point in the planet's history. This event set the stage for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/was-life-on-earth-literally-sparked-by-lightning/">life</a> to evolve in Earth. 

The experts analyzed rocks that were deposited in the ocean at the time of the Great Oxidation Event. The investigation revealed that early atmospheric oxygenation was short-lived, and oxygen did not become permanent until much later.

"The Great Oxidation Event fundamentally changed Earth's environment and habitability. This early period of oxygenation was thought to have occurred between about 2.43 and 2.32 billion years ago," said study lead author Professor Simon Poulton.

"However, our research shows that, in fact, oxygenation of the atmosphere was highly unstable over a period of about 200 million years, with permanent atmospheric oxygenation occurring about 100 million years later that previously thought."

The results of the analysis indicate that there is a direct link between fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen concentration and greenhouse gas concentrations.

"These findings help explain four widespread glaciations that occurred coincident with the Great Oxidation Event, some of which were likely to have covered the whole of the Earth in ice for millions of years," said study co-author Professor Andrey Bekker of the University of California-Riverside.

"Our new data show that the permanent rise of oxygen actually occurred after the final major glaciation of the period and not before it, which had previously been a major puzzle in our understanding of links between early atmospheric oxygenation and intense climatic instability."

The research team has renamed this period the Great Oxidation Episode. After this point, the climate was relatively stable for 1.5 billion years until a second major period of rising oxygen and climate instability at the end of the Precambrian period.

"The rise of atmospheric oxygen was a key factor in Earth's habitability," explained study co-author Professor David Johnston of Harvard University.

"Unraveling the history of atmospheric oxygenation ultimately allows us to understand how oxygen rose to levels that were sufficient to allow the evolution of animals. The Great Oxidation Episode, when atmospheric oxygen first rose to appreciable levels, represents a pivotal step in this history."

"We cannot begin to understand the causes and consequences of atmospheric oxygenation, the most significant control on Earth's habitability, if we do not know when permanent atmospheric oxygenation actually occurred," said Professor Poulton. "Now at last we have that piece of the puzzle."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Permanent rise of Earth's oxygen took an extra 100 million years

The permanent rise of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere likely...

In a new study published by the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/">British Ecological Society</a>, experts report that a widely available coffee waste product can be used to speed up the recovery of tropical forests that have been cleared for agricultural practices. 

For the investigation, researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii spread 30 dump truck loads of coffee pulp on degraded land in Costa Rica. The team also marked an untreated plot for comparison.  

"The results were dramatic," said study lead author Dr. Rebecca Cole. "The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native pasture grasses."

In two years, the site treated with coffee pulp had 80 percent canopy cover compared to just 20 percent in the control area. In addition, the canopy in the coffee pulp area was four times taller.

The addition of coffee waste eliminated the invasive pasture grasses that dominated the land, allowing native trees to quickly become established.

Former tropical agricultural land is often very degraded with poor soil quality, which can delay forest recovery. The researchers found that nutrients including carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous were significantly higher in the area treated with the coffee waste product.

"This case study suggests that agricultural by-products can be used to speed up forest recovery on degraded tropical lands," said Dr. Cole.."In situations where processing these by-products incurs a cost to agricultural industries, using them for restoration to meet global reforestation objectives can represent a 'win-win' scenario."

The study was conducted in Coto Brus county in southern Costa Rica on a former coffee farm. Dr. Cole noted that further research is needed to test the use of coffee waste in forest restoration. 

"We would like to scale up the study by testing this method across a variety of degraded sites in the landscape. Also, this concept could be tested with other types of agricultural non-market products like orange husks," said Dr. Cole.

"We hope our study is a jumping off point for other researchers and industries to take a look at how they might make their production more efficient by creating links to the global restoration movement."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26888319">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Coffee waste can help accelerate tropical forest recovery

In a new study published by the British Ecological Society,...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/153030/chemistry">Max Planck Institute for Chemistry</a>, experts report that ignoring the signs of climate change will lead to "ultra-extreme" heatwaves in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that are extremely damaging to human health and society. 

To assess the characteristics of emerging heatwaves in the MENA region, the researchers used a mix of climate projections designed exclusively for this geographic area. The team then projected future hot spells based on the Heat Wave Magnitude Index.

"Our results, for a business-as-usual pathway, indicate that in the second half of this century unprecedented super- and ultra-extreme heatwave conditions will emerge," explained study lead author George Zittis of The Cyprus Institute. 

The researchers said that these events will involve excessively high temperatures of up to 56 degrees Celsius - or 132 degrees Fahrenheit - and higher in urban settings and could last for multiple weeks. The  consequences for humans and animals will be potentially life-threatening.

"By the end of the century, about half of the MENA population (approximately 600 million) could be exposed to annually recurring super- and ultra-extreme heatwaves," wrote the experts. 

"The potential intensification of heatwaves in the already harsh, hot and arid MENA environment is expected to have direct negative impacts on human health, agriculture, the water and energy nexus, and many other socioeconomic sectors."

"For example, heat stress can cause substantial loss of labor productivity and may also be linked to conflict and migration." 

When it comes to animals, the researchers explained that livestock in the MENA region are very likely to be impacted since the majority of the camel, cattle, and goat populations are located in areas of high vulnerability.

"Vulnerable citizens may not have the means to adapt to such harsh environmental conditions," noted study co-author Jos Lelieveld. "These heat waves combined with regional economic, political, social and demographic drivers 

have a high potential to cause massive, forced migration to cooler regions in the north."

To avoid extreme heatwaves in the MENA region, the scientists are calling for immediate and effective climate change mitigation measures, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. 

"There is an urgent need to make the cities more resilient to climate change," said Zittis.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npjclimatsci/">Climate and Atmospheric Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ignoring climate change will lead to  "ultra-extreme" heatwaves

In a new study from the Max Planck Institute for...

In a new study from the <a href="https://environment.yale.edu/">Yale School of the Environment</a>, experts have had a breakthrough in converting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cooking-with-wood-can-cause-lung-damage/">wood</a> byproducts into high quality plastic. The researchers hope they can solve one of the world's most pressing environmental issues by producing sustainable bioplastics.

Up until now, the production of bioplastics has been challenging. It requires an expensive process that involves toxic chemicals. 

The Yale team has created a much more sustainable method of renewable plastic production by deconstructing the porous matrix of natural wood. The resulting material shows a high mechanical strength, stability when holding liquids, and UV-light resistance, said the researchers. 

The wood-based bioplastic can be safely recycled or biodegraded in the natural environment, and has a lower environmental impact over the course of its life cycle when compared other biodegradable plastics.

"There are many people who have tried to develop these kinds of polymers in plastic, but the mechanical strands are not good enough to replace the plastics we currently use, which are made mostly from fossil fuels," said study co-author Professor Yuan Yao. 

"We've developed a straightforward and simple manufacturing process that generates biomass-based plastics from wood, but also plastic that delivers good mechanical properties as well."

Professor Yao conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment to test the environmental impacts of the bioplastic against common plastics. Sheets of the bioplastic that were buried in soil were found to fracture after two weeks and had completely degraded after three months.

In addition, the experts report that the bioplastic can be broken back down, recycled, and reused.

"That, to me, is what really makes this plastic good: It can all be recycled or biodegraded," said Professor Yao. "We've minimized all of the materials and the waste going into nature."

Study co-author Liangbing Hu is a professor at the Center for Materials Innovation at the University of Maryland. He explained that the bioplastic has numerous applications. It can be molded into a film for use in plastic bags and packaging, which would help eliminate a major source of plastic waste. 

The bioplastic can also be molded into different shapes, according to Professor Hu, and has potential for use in automobile manufacturing.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Yale scientists are turning wood into high quality bioplastic

In a new study from the Yale School of the...

A study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> is shedding new light on an elusive whale <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-new-species-of-screech-owls-are-already-critically-endangered/">species</a> in the Southern Ocean. The experts report that Gray's beaked whales appear to be resilient to ecosystem changes and human activities, and have maintained a stable population for more than a million years.

Gray's beaked whales live in the deep oceans of the Southern Hemisphere and are rarely spotted. Prior to this study, the biology of the whales was almost entirely a mystery.

Gray's beaked whales are small whales that spend most of their time deep below the ocean's surface feeding on squid. Observational data on the species is impossible to obtain. Whalers refer to them as "scamperdown whales" due to their evasive behavior.

In collaboration with experts at the University of Copenhagen, the Exeter team set out to investigate the history of the population over the past 1.1 million years. The researchers analyzed the genome sequences of 22 Gray's beaked whales that were previously stranded on beaches in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand 

"The population approximately doubled about 250 thousand years ago, coinciding with a period of increased Southern Ocean productivity, sea surface temperature and a potential expansion of suitable habitat," study co-author Dr. Kirsten Thompson.

According to the genetic analysis, the current population appears to have high levels of genetic diversity and no patterns of genetic similarity in geographical areas. This indicates that the whales leave their birth groups and move widely throughout their range across the Southern Hemisphere.

Based on their high levels of genetic diversity, a flexible social system, and the rich habitats of the Southern Hemisphere, the experts believe that Gray's beaked whales could be resilient to changing ecosystem conditions.

"Human activity is causing rapid ecological change in every habitat on Earth, including the deep oceans," said Dr Thompson. "We need to understand how different species might respond to these changes, but we lack detailed knowledge on many animals, particularly deep-sea whales like Gray's beaked whales."

The experts used mitochondrial DNA to investigate the history of the population and partial nuclear genomes to estimate population structure.

"Our findings suggest the numbers of Gray's beaked whales have been relatively stable for the last 1.1 million years," said Dr.  Thompson.

"The Southern Hemisphere's oceans could potentially support a surprisingly large number of Gray's beaked whales. Good news for one species at least."

"We show how genomic tools can help to reveal past history, current status and potential near-future changes in animal populations that are enigmatic, rarely observed and beyond the reach of traditional boat surveys."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gray's beaked whales have been stable for over a million years

A study from the University of Exeter is shedding new...

Millions of people are displaced from their homes each year as a result of extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-sheet-is-controlled-by-weather-in-the-northern-hemisphere/">weather</a> events that are tied to climate change. In the last six months alone, 10.3 million people were displaced as a result of climate-related weather events, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Flooding is one of the main causes of population displacement. Currently, tens of thousands of people are displaced in New South Wales, Australia, after days of torrential rainfall triggered the worst flooding in the region in at least six decades.

In a new study led by the Weather and Climate Risks Group at <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zurich</a>, experts used a variety of climate and hydrology models to predict the future displacement risks associated with rivers overflowing their banks. 

The analysis revealed that if the population remains stable at its current level, the risk of flood-related displacement will increase by more than 50 percent for each degree of global warming.

Regardless of whether global warming is mitigated, the risk of displacement will still increase significantly. For example, if world meets the Paris Agreement's target of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius, the average risk of displacement is still expected to jump by up to 110 percent by the end of this century.

On the other hand, if climate change continues at the current rate without mitigation, and if the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, the flood-related risk of displacement is projected to increase by up to 350 percent.

According to the study's authors, it is not too late to address and manage the risk of flood displacement through spatial and urban planning measures and protective infrastructure such as dams. 

"Our findings highlight the need for rapid action on both climate mitigation and adaptation agendas in order to reduce future risks, especially to vulnerable populations," said study lead author Pui Man Kam. "Floods often affect the most socioeconomically vulnerable groups, who tend to live in more hazard-prone areas."

"Because floods are a major driver of displacement and due to the fact that they are influenced by climate change, it is imperative that we have a better understanding of how the risks are changing."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global warming will greatly increase flood-related displacement

Millions of people are displaced from their homes each year...

Warm river habitats are more important than expected for the survival of cold-water <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-show-they-have-compassion-through-prosocial-behavior/">fish</a>, such as salmon and trout, according to a new study from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. This discovery has important implications for fish conservation strategies. 

As the climate gets warmer, experts are working to identify habitats that remain suitable for cold-water fish during the summer. Yet this implicitly devalues areas that are seasonally warm, even if they are suitable for fish most of the year, explained study lead author Professor Jonny Armstrong. He said that this is a potentially severe blind spot for climate change adaptation.

"Coldwater fish like trout and salmon are the polar bears of river ecosystems - iconic species that are among the most vulnerable to climate change," said Professor Armstrong. 

"A huge challenge for conservation is to figure out how to help these fish survive a warmer future. The conclusion is that we should not waste money on warm habitats and instead focus on saving the coldest places, such as high mountain streams, which are already the most pristine parts of basins. Most people agree we should give up on places that are warm in summer, but forget that these places are actually optimal for much of the year."

The researchers found that warm river habitats are suitable for cold-water fish during the spring and fall, when the rivers are not at peak summer temperatures. 

These warm habitats can provide fish with the energy they require to travel to cooler parts of the river during the summer and to reproduce.

"The synergy between cold water and warm water is really important," said Professor Armstrong. "We're not saying cold water is not important. We're saying that warm portions of basins are also important because they grow fish during the shoulder seasons. Conserving this habitat is critical for unlocking the full potential of rivers to support fisheries."

"In a warmer future, many fish will need fish to take a summer vacation and move to cold places to survive the hottest months of the year. Their ability to do that could often depend on how much energy they can get in the spring and how well they can feed in the fall to bounce back. The places that are stressfully warm in summer are just right in spring and fall, and there is growing evidence that they can fuel fisheries."

The study was focused on data from previous research that used remote sensing technology to obtain river water temperature data across 14 river basins throughout the year.

The OSU team incorporated these temperatures into a "bioenergetics model," which predicts fish growth potential based on equations derived from lab studies. The analysis revealed new clues about how growth opportunities shift across river basins throughout the year. In particular, the results showed the potential for a large fraction of total fish growth to accumulate during the spring and fall in places that are too hot during summer.

Next, the experts created a simulation model to investigate how these warm river habitats could contribute to fisheries. Simulations based on the behaviors of rainbow trout over the course of a year demonstrated that the majority of fish moved into cooler waters in the summer,  where they experienced insufficient growth rates. 

However, in the months before and after summer, the fish mainly resided in seasonally warm downstream habitats that fueled their growth.

"In conservation, we often judge streams by their summer conditions; this is when we traditionally do field work, and this is the season we focus on when planning for climate change," said Armstrong. 

"We place value on places that hold fish during summer and devalue those that don't. Our simulations showed why this can be a problem - the portions of rivers that contribute most to growth may not be the places where fish are found during summer, so they get written off."

According to Professor Armstrong, the simulations reveal the synergy between seasonally warm and perennially cool habitats and that fish that lived in these two types of habitats grew much more than fish that were restricted to either habitat alone.

"We think of things in this binary way - it's either warm-water habitat or its cold-water habitat. And we have definitions for fish - it's either a warm-water fish or a cold-water fish. But the places we think of as warm are, in fact, cold way more than they are warm."

Professor Armstrong pointed to the Willamette, a tributary of the Columbia River that runs nearly 200 miles from Eugene to Portland, Oregon.

"When it's warm enough for humans to swim, it's bad for cold-water fish. But there's only like six weeks of the year where it is comfortable to go swimming in Oregon."

"That speaks to the fact that we write off places because they get too hot through the lens of August. They're actually pretty nice for most of the year if you're a cold-water fish. And fish don't necessarily have to live there in August, just like you don't have to go swimming in the Willamette in December."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Warm river habitats are important for cold-water fish

Warm river habitats are more important than expected for the...

Deforestation, palm oil plantations, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/legume-trees-play-a-key-role-in-forest-recovery/">forest</a> conversion have been linked to an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks. 

The research, published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, is the first of its kind to analyze how changes in forest cover may contribute to diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks, and other vectors, as well as to infections that can jump from animals to humans like COVID-19.

Study lead author Dr. Serge Morand is a scientist at CNRS, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and at Kasetsart University in Thailand.

"We don't yet know the precise ecological mechanisms at play, but we hypothesize that plantations, such as oil palm, develop at the expense of natural wooded areas, and reforestation is mainly monospecific forest made at the expense of grasslands," said Dr. Morand. "Both land use changes are characterized by loss of biodiversity and these simplified habitats favor animal reservoirs and vectors of diseases."

Deforestation is damaging to biodiversity and human health, and accelerates climate change. In Brazil, deforestation has already been linked to outbreaks of malaria, yet the global impacts of forest cover changes on human health have not been well-studied.

To investigate, the researchers analyzed changes in forest cover around the world between 1990 and 2016. They looked at deforestation, but also reforestation and afforestation, which includes the conversion of natural grasslands and the abandonment of agricultural land. 

The experts compared their results to the local population densities and outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. 

The study confirmed that both deforestation and afforestation were significantly correlated with disease outbreaks. There was a strong association between deforestation and epidemics like malaria and Ebola in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other tropical countries.

By contrast, temperate regions like the United States, China, and Europe showed clear links between afforestation and vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease.

In particular, the experts found a significant increase in disease outbreaks in countries with expanding palm oil plantations. The effects were even more pronounced in countries like China and Thailand that are susceptible to mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, zika, and yellow fever.

"We hope that these results will help policymakers recognize that forests contribute to a healthy planet and people, and that governing bodies need to avoid afforestation and agricultural conversion of grasslands," said Dr. Morand. 

"We'd also like to encourage research into how healthy forests regulate diseases, which may help better manage forested and planted areas by considering their multidimensional values for local communities, conservation and mitigation of climate change."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science">Frontiers in Veterinary Science</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Changes in forest cover linked to disease outbreaks

Deforestation, palm oil plantations, and forest conversion have been linked...

As increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide accelerate plant growth, the soil may not be able to keep up with the pace. Researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> found that when elevated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/active-travel-can-greatly-reduce-co2-emissions-in-the-city/">CO2</a> levels give plants a boost, the soil begins to lose its ability to store more carbon. 

One likely explanation is that plants effectively mine the soil for nutrients they need to keep up with carbon-fueled growth, according to the study authors. The extra nutrients are made available to plants through increased microbial activity in the soil, which releases CO2 that would otherwise remain locked away.

Scientists have widely accepted the idea that plant biomass and soil carbon will increase simultaneously. However, the researchers found that this is not the case. 

"When plants increase biomass, usually there's a decrease in soil carbon storage," said lead author César Terrer.

The team analyzed data from 108 previously published studies on high CO2 concentrations, soil carbon levels, and plant growth. The results showed that soils only accumulated more carbon in experiments where plant growth remained fairly steady. 

"It proved much harder than expected to increase both plant growth and soil carbon," said senior study author Professor Rob Jackson. He explained that climate projections do not account for this tradeoff, which means they likely overestimate the potential of the terrestrial carbon sink. 

Each year, plants and soils collectively absorb an estimated 30 percent of the CO2 emissions associated with human activities. It is particularly important to understand how the underground part of the terrestrial carbon sink will change in the coming decades, considering that carbon absorbed by the soil tends to remain stored for a very long time. 

"When a plant dies, some of the carbon that accumulated in its biomass may return to the atmosphere. In soils, carbon can be stored for centuries or millennia," said Terrer.

In 2019, the Stanford team determined that as CO2 levels continue to rise, plants will likely play a far less significant role in drawing down carbon than previously predicted. The new research indicates that the soil will also fall short as a carbon sink as plant biomass increases. 

"Soils store more carbon worldwide than is contained in all plant biomass," said Professor Jackson. "They need much more attention as we project the fate of forests and grasslands to the changing atmosphere."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Soil will release more CO2 as plants hit a growth spurt

As increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide accelerate plant growth,...

Along much of the U.S. Atlantic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sea-is-rising-up-to-four-times-faster-in-coastal-communities/">coast</a>, the rate of sea-level rise in the 20th century was the highest it has been in the last 2,000 years, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a>. The fastest rate of sea-level rise was found in southern New Jersey.

Rising ocean temperatures and melting ice cover caused a global rise in sea levels from 1900 to 2000 that more than doubled the average for the years 0 to 1800.

The experts analyzed the factors that contributed to ocean level changes over 2,000 years at six sites along the East Coast based on a sea-level budget. 

The researchers explained that sea-level budget assessments quantify the different physical processes contributing to sea-level change. These processes include global fluctuations in ice cover, regional changes such as land subsidence, and local factors such as groundwater withdrawal.

Study lead author Jennifer S. Walker is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. 

"Having a thorough understanding of sea-level change at sites over the long-term is imperative for regional and local planning and responding to future sea-level rise," said Walker. "By learning how different processes vary over time and contribute to sea-level change, we can more accurately estimate future contributions at specific sites."

Sea-level rise linked to climate change threatens to permanently inundate low-lying islands and coastal areas. Rising sea levels also make these regions more vulnerable to flooding and damage from storms.

The goal of the Rutgers study was to better understand how the processes that affect sea levels have changed and how they could shape future changes. The sea-level budget method used for the analysis could be applied to other sites around the world.

The researchers used a statistical model to develop sea-level budgets for six sites, dividing sea-level records into global, regional and local components. The experts determined that regional land subsidence, or sinking land, has dominated the budget of each site over the last 2,000 years. 

Regional and local processes, such as groundwater withdrawal, were found to contribute much less to each budget and vary over time.

The total rate of sea-level rise for each of the six sites in the 20th century ranged from 2.6 to 3.6 millimeters per year - the fastest changes in the sea level in 2,000 years. Southern New Jersey had the fastest rates, with over 1.6 millimeters a year measured at Edwin Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Atlantic County and 1.5 millimeters a year at Cape May Court House.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

East Coast sea levels rising at the fastest rate in 2,000 years

Along much of the U.S. Atlantic coast, the rate of...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, experts have found remarkable butterfly diversity in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/burrowing-animals-in-the-mojave-desert-escape-the-heat-of-climate-change/">deserts</a> of Mexico and the southwestern United States. The surprising discovery may be tied to actively changing conditions in the in the western portion of North America.

"When you think of desert, you don't automatically jump to butterflies, but our results showed that this area is actually a really important hotspot for butterflies, even if it isn't for plants," said study co-first author Chandra Earl. "Just because butterflies are closely tied to their host plants doesn't mean their diversity outcomes have to be similar."

The researchers conducted a continent-wide analysis using a variety of biodiversity databases, including GenBank, Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), and Map of Life (@moldotorg). 

The experts did not simply count the number of butterfly and plant species in a given area, but also examined the degree of evolutionary relatedness - or phylodiversity - of species in each region. 

"We wouldn't have found the same result if we'd just counted the species like most biodiversity studies." said Earl. "But we really wanted to step away from that, so we didn't lose the importance of evolutionary history."

The researchers explained that butterfly diversity may be greater than that of plants in the desert due to how they interact in the ecosystem.

"Most butterflies are generalists that don't utilize just one host plant. This means that there are a lot of plants with no real functional relevance to butterflies" said study co-first author Michael Belitz. "This makes butterflies less likely to clump into groups of tightly related species like plants do."

There are other ecological factors that may also play a role in butterfly diversity across North American deserts, including the fact that butterflies are much more mobile than plants. 

"These factors all add noise to the data, where you won't see as strong a relationship between plants and butterflies as you might expect," explained Belitz.

The researchers hope that this new understanding of butterfly diversity will encourage others to research and help conserve the insects.

"People already know about the decline of monarch butterflies, but the entire group is under threat," said Earl. "We need to start paying better attention to insects, and this study helps prioritize North American deserts as a new target for conservation efforts."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Surprisingly high butterfly diversity found in North American deserts

In a new study from Cell Press, experts have found...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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