Reservoirs,With,Hydrogen.,Eco,Fuel,Storage,Tanks.,H2,Gas,For

Folschviller, a quiet town in France’s Moselle region, just handed the energy world a surprise it didn’t see coming. Beneath land once dotted with coal pits lies an estimated 46 million tons of natural hydrogen, a cache large enough to stir fresh conversations about how the planet powers itself. 



The figure tops half of today’s yearly gray hydrogen output, yet it carries none of the pollution burden that shadows the industry’s status quo.



The discovery lands at a moment when clean fuels are in high demand, but often too pricey or too dirty to use at scale. Here, nature has done the hard work. 



Instead of relying on factories or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-warnings-fossil-fuels-are-causing-climate-health-and-biodiversity-crises/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil fuels</a>, this hydrogen has sat untouched until recent drilling exposed it - and the timing could not be more convenient for a world bent on cutting emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-the-natural-hydrogen-motherlode">Finding the natural hydrogen motherlode</h2>



A research team hunting for methane struck a different kind of treasure at a depth of 4,101 feet. The drill core showed pockets of colorless gas, soon confirmed as hydrogen. 



Only after that eureka moment did word spread that the deposit belonged to the GeoRessources laboratory and France’s National Center for Scientific Research, or <a href="https://www.cnrs.fr/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNRS</a>.



The scientists were looking for clues to ancient hydrocarbons when the readings changed. They realized the reservoir might reshape regional energy plans, prompting fresh tests and economic modeling. 



Early estimates calculate the value of the find at roughly $184 billion, based on a conservative $4.00 per kilogram, or $4,000 per ton.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-natural-white-hydrogen-matters">Why natural white hydrogen matters</h2>



Industry labels hydrogen by color to signal how it is produced. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-hydrogen-energy-production-just-got-a-lot-easier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green hydrogen</a> splits water with renewable electricity, a clean method but one that still costs more than most companies can swallow. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shape-shifting-membrane-could-be-the-key-to-cleaner-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gray hydrogen</a> strips the element from natural gas, leaving behind carbon dioxide. White hydrogen skips both paths; it forms naturally underground and carries no direct carbon penalty.



That built‑in advantage tackles two headaches at once. It avoids the power‑hungry electrolysis required for green hydrogen and sidesteps the emissions from gray hydrogen’s fossil‑fuel origin. 



If engineers can lift the gas to the surface without leaks, factories could switch to a cleaner feedstock overnight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-chemistry-at-work">Simple chemistry at work</h2>



White hydrogen begins when water seeps into iron‑rich rocks deep below ground. A chemical reaction splits the water molecules, releasing hydrogen gas that drifts into cracks and traps. 



Over thousands of years, those pockets grow. In some parts of the world - Mali, Russia, and isolated U.S. basins - gas even seeps to the surface, lighting small bush fires or fueling village stoves.



The French deposit likely formed the same way. Because it already sits in a pure state, producers can bypass the energy‑intensive clean‑up steps that plague other hydrogen sources. The gas emerges ready for pipelines, fuel cells, or industrial burners.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-counting-dollars-and-emissions">Counting dollars and emissions</h2>



Hydrogen priced at $4.00 per kilogram could make low‑carbon steel, ammonia, and long‑haul trucking far cheaper than current green hydrogen models allow. 



With a price tag of $184 billion, the Moselle reserve reads like an open invitation to investors. Unlike oil or coal, its combustion releases only water vapor, trimming the environmental tab to nearly zero.



Yet money alone does not sway climate math. 



Replacing gray hydrogen with natural hydrogen at this scale would cancel about 130 million tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-co2-emissions-rise-as-nations-tackle-fossil-fuel-dependence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon dioxide</a> each year - the amount those gray plants now emit. That single swap could equal the annual emissions of a midsize European country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-benefits-for-france">Local benefits for France</h2>



Lorraine’s history is steeped in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/u-s-coal-ash-holds-tons-of-rare-earth-elements-worth-8-4-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coal</a> and steel. Many mines closed decades ago, leaving empty shafts and economic scars. 



Tapping white hydrogen offers a chance to revive the region with new jobs in drilling, pipeline work, and gas processing. Local officials already talk about training programs to shift miners to cleaner tasks.



Energy security matters, too. France imports much of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-gas-isnt-as-clean-as-we-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">natural gas</a> that feeds its industries. A domestic supply of hydrogen would shield buyers from price swings and geopolitical shocks, giving planners a dependable baseline fuel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-abundance-of-natural-hydrogen">Abundance of natural hydrogen</h2>



About midway through the project, lead scientist Dr. Jacques Pironon put the discovery into plain terms for Interesting Engineering.



“Our research suggests that natural hydrogen could be far more abundant than previously thought. If we can find efficient ways to extract and use it, we may have a powerful new tool in the fight against climate change," Dr. Pironon enthused.



“We need to understand the full potential of these hydrogen reservoirs and develop safe, efficient methods to extract them.” 



His caution reflects the field’s youth; few commercial wells exist, and regulators still draft rules to prevent leaks or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nearly-100-million-americans-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">groundwater problems</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-race-for-natural-hydrogen-begins">Global race for natural hydrogen begins</h2>



Other countries have noticed. Australia’s government earmarked funds to map its iron‑rich crust, while U.S. explorers study gas seeps in Kansas and Nebraska. 



Some researchers even ask whether white hydrogen replenishes continuously, like an underground fountain. If future tests show steady recharge, the fuel could edge closer to the definition of renewable.



Tech startups are also watching. Companies that design hydrogen turbines, storage tanks, and refueling stations see a chance to leapfrog the cost barriers that hold back wider adoption. 



Lower feedstock prices could make hydrogen trucks and ships more attractive than their diesel rivals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



France has a long way to go with this jackpot, and the next move is a big one. Pilot wells will test flow rates, pressure behavior, and safety gear. 



Should those numbers hold, commercial extraction could start within a few years, turning Folschviller into a living laboratory for natural hydrogen. 



Success might prompt copycat surveys worldwide, nudging the energy mix toward a gas that arrives carbon‑free straight from the ground.



Learn more about natural hydrogen extraction in this full study by the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55773-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

World’s largest natural hydrogen deposit discovery is worth a staggering $184 billion

Folschviller, a quiet town in France’s Moselle region, just handed the energy world a surprise it didn’t see coming. Beneath land once dotted with coal pits lies an estimated 46 million tons of natural hydrogen, a cache large enough to stir fresh conversations about how the planet powers itself. The figure tops half of today’s yearly gray hydrogen output, yet it carries none of the pollution burden that shadows the industry’s status quo. The discovery lands at a moment when clean fuels are in high demand, but often too...

A third of the rivers in the United States have transformed from blue to yellow and green over the last three decades, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.unc.edu/">UNC Chapel Hill</a>. While the cause is not entirely clear, the experts believe that the colors represent the presence of pollution, sediment, and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-algae-steal-beneficial-genes-from-bacteria/">algae</a>.

Led by environmental scientist John Gardner, the team analyzed 235,000 satellite images captured from 1984 to 2018 by the NASA and USGS Landsat program. More than half of the rivers examined for the study had turned yellow, 38 percent had turned green, and only six percent were blue.

"Over the full record, 33 percent of rivers had significant trends in color, but the direction of the trend varied regionally," wrote the researchers, noting that water color is also affected by the seasons. For example, the river colors shifted towards the red end of the spectrum during spring and summer.

Only 12 percent of the colors remained consistent, and most of these rivers were located in the central U. S. and lower Mississippi River. The researchers also noticed a trend in which rivers across the North and the West tended to be greener, while those in the East were predominantly yellow. Larger bodies of water, such as the Ohio basin, widely transitioned from blue to green.

Gardner said that while large trends toward green or yellow can be concerning, it depends on the individual river. In many cases, the satellite images could be used to pinpoint "hotspots" of human disturbances, where activities such as agriculture and urban development impacted the water.

Remotely observing the color of rivers may become a useful tool for monitoring the health of waterways worldwide. While this method does not directly use water samples, it can be extremely helpful for analyzing water on a large scale. 

"Water color is directly measured by satellites, unlike specific water quality constituents, allowing rapid monitoring of water quality in the absence of in-situ observations," wrote the researchers.

"The intuitive and easily observable nature of water color could enable collection of massive volumes of data across spatial and temporal scales for water quality monitoring, identifying global hotspots of change, and advancing macrosystems ecology in rivers."

The findings are reported in <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical 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

River colors are shifting from blue to yellow and green

A third of the rivers in the United States have...

Breakthrough may greatly improve the production of clean water. In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>, experts have had a breakthrough that may help produce clean drinking water at a lower cost. The researchers solved a complex problem that has baffled scientists for decades.

Desalination membranes remove salt and other chemicals from water, cleaning billions of gallons of water for agriculture. While the concept seems simple, the process of desalination is actually very complex and not well understood. 

In collaboration with DuPont Water Solutions, the researchers have solved an important aspect of this mystery, opening the door to reduce costs of clean water production. 

The team discovered that desalination membranes are inconsistent in density and mass distribution, which limits their performance. This means that uniform density at the nanoscale is the key to increasing how much clean water these membranes can pump out.

"Reverse osmosis membranes are widely used for cleaning water, but there's still a lot we don't know about them," said study co-lead author Manish Kumar0. "We couldn't really say how water moves through them, so all the improvements over the past 40 years have essentially been done in the dark."

The efficiency of the membranes tested in the study increased by 30 to 40 percent. In other words, the membranes could clean more water while using significantly less energy, which could greatly expand access to clean water.

"Fresh water management is becoming a crucial challenge throughout the world," said study co-lead author Professor Enrique Gomez. "Shortages, droughts - with increasing severe weather patterns, it is expected this problem will become even more significant. It's critically important to have clean water availability, especially in low-resource areas."

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and DuPont, which makes numerous desalination products.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Breakthrough may greatly improve the production of clean water

Breakthrough may greatly improve the production of clean water. In...

Megathrust earthquakes and their tsunamis are some of the most destructive natural disasters in the world. A team of geoscientists led by <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a> proposes that the origin of the largest earthquakes and tsunamis can be traced to deep, gradual slow-slip behaviors beneath subduction zones.  

The team discovered that unlike the shallower megathrust earthquakes that move and generate energy in the same direction as the plates move, energy from slow-slip earthquakes may move in other directions, primarily down. "What we found was pretty unexpected," said study co-author Kirsty A. McKenzie.

Subduction zones are created when two of the Earth's plates meet and one moves beneath the other. This typically creates a fault line, as well as a distant line of volcanoes.

The Cascadia subduction zone is typical in that the tectonic plates meet near the Pacific coast and the Cascade Mountains, a volcanic range that includes Mount St. Helens. If it ruptured across its entire length, Cascadia could produce very large earthquakes.

According to the researchers, a megathrust earthquake of magnitude 9 occurred in Cascadia in 1700 and there has not been a large earthquake there since then. Instead, slow-slip earthquakes, which are events that happen deeper and move very short distances at a very slow rate, happen continuously.

"Usually, when an earthquake occurs we find that the motion is in the direction opposite to how the plates have moved, accumulating that slip deficit," said Professor Kevin P. Furlong. "For these slow-slip earthquakes, the direction of movement is directly downward in the direction of gravity instead of in the plate motion directions."

The researchers found that there are areas in New Zealand, which have been identified by other geologists, that slow slip the same way Cascadia does.

"But there are subduction zones that don't have these slow-slip events, so we don't have direct measurements of how the deeper part of the subducting plate is moving," said Professor Furlong. "In Sumatra, the shallower seismic zone, as expected, moves in the plate-motion direction, but even though there are no slow-slip events, the deeper plate movement still appears to be primarily controlled by gravity."

The experts analyzed how deep, slow slips may affect the timing and behavior of megathrust earthquakes. "Slow-slip earthquakes rupture over several weeks, so they are not just one event," said McKenzie. "It's like a swarm of events."

In southern Cascadia, the overall plate motion is about an inch of movement per year, according to the study. In the north by Vancouver Island, the annual rate of plate motion is about 1.5 inches.

"We don't know how much of that 30 millimeters (1 inch) per year is accumulating to be released in the next big earthquake or if some movement is taken up by some non-observable process," said McKenzie. "These slow-slip events put out signals we can see. We can observe the slow-slip events going east to west and not in the plate motion direction."

Slow-slip events in Cascadia occur every one to two years, but geologists wonder if one of them will trigger the next megathrust earthquake.

"The reason we don't know all that much about slow-slip earthquakes is they were only discovered about 20 years ago," said Professor Furlong. "It took five years to figure out what they were and then we needed precise enough GPS to actually measure the motion on the Earth's surface. Then we had to use modeling to convert the slip on the surface to the slip beneath the surface on the plate boundary itself, which is bigger."

The experts believe that understanding the effects of slow-slip earthquakes in the region at these deeper depths will allow them to understand what could initiate the next megathrust earthquake in the area. Engineers want to know how strong an earthquake will be, but they also want to know the direction of its energy.

"More fundamentally, we don't know what triggers the big earthquake in this situation," said McKenzie. "Every time we add new data about the physics of the problem, it becomes an important component. In the past, everyone thought that the events were unidirectional, but they can be different by 40 or 50 degrees."

Professor Furlong thinks that other subduction zones may also have similar patterns.

"I would argue that it (differences in direction of motion) is happening in Alaska, Chile, Sumatra," said Professor Furlong. "It is only in a few that we see the evidence of it, but it may be a universal process that has been missed. Cascadia exhibits it because of the slow-slip events, but it may be fundamental to subduction zones."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15252027">Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis may be tied to deep, slow activity

Megathrust earthquakes and their tsunamis are some of the most...

Earth's forests are threatened by drought and human development. In a new study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, a team of experts has identified major trends that will impact the world's forests in the coming years. These trends include drought, human development, and viral outbreaks.

Earth's forests are critically important to both humans and wildlife, yet conservation measures are lagging in many countries, said Professor Laura Vang Rasmussen.

"It is critical for all countries - especially those with poor economic conditions, to prioritize forests and have forest conservation plans. Without the adoption of conservation strategies, droughts and viral outbreaks could have severe consequences on forests and humans alike," said Professor Rasmussen.

In collaboration with researchers from the University of Manchester and experts from around the world, the Copenhagen team ranked the events that will have the largest impact on the world's forests over the coming decade.

In Denmark, there has been an increase in the number of summers with scarce rainfall. In other regions, such as the western portion of the United States, droughts have been responsible for massive and devastating wildfires. 

"When we lose forest, due to drought for example, the risk of spreading viruses like coronavirus increases," said Professor Rasmussen. "When forest fires disturb natural ecosystems, disease carrying animals such as bats or rats flee from their charred ecosystems into towns and villages. And, as we have seen with the coronavirus pandemic, viral outbreaks have enormous consequences on global health and economy."

Another trend that will have a major impact on forests is urban development, as more people are migrating from rural areas to cities. Earth's forests are threatened by drought and human development

"It could be that the amount of forest increases as more and more farmers abandon their livelihoods in favor of higher wage urban jobs. This would allow forests room to grow."

"Conversely, we run the risk that ballooning urban populations will increase demand for marketable crops, which will result in more forests being cleared for agriculture," explained Professor Rasmussen.

The planet's human population is projected to increase to roughly 8.5 billion by 2030. This will increase the demand for agricultural land, which means that even more forests will be cleared.

Furthermore, global road networks are projected to expand by roughly 25 million kilometers by 2050. According to Professor Rasmussen, forest conservation also relates to poverty.

"It is problematic that forest conservation, agriculture and poverty are seen as distinct from one another. Indeed, the three factors influence each other, as strategies to increase agricultural production can negatively impact forests." 

"On the other hand, an increase in forested areas makes it more difficult for agriculture to produce enough food. As such, we hope that our research is able to contribute towards highlighting the complex dynamics between agricultural production, deforestation, poverty and food security."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nplants">Nature Plants</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth's forests are threatened by drought and human development

Earth's forests are threatened by drought and human development. In...

India's air pollution contributed to 1.67 million premature <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-has-increased-covid-19-deaths-by-at-least-15-percent/">deaths</a> in 2019, according to a study led by <a href="https://www.bc.edu/">Boston College</a>. The researchers also determined that pollution-related economic losses totaled $36.8 billion in the same year.

Overall, deaths associated with air quality accounted for 17.8 percent of all deaths across India during 2019.

"Pollution takes an enormous human toll in India," said study lead author Dr. Philip J. Landrigan. "It is causing 1.67 million premature deaths per year - many more than from COVID-19."

According to Dr. Landrigan, the consequences for this nation of 1.35 billion people will be long-lasting without efforts to reduce air pollution. 

"It is also having a profound effect on the next generation of Indians. It increases future risk for heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease for today's children when they become adults. It is reducing children's IQ. It will be very difficult for India to move forward socially or economically if they don't do something about the problem."

The researchers also discovered rapidly changing patterns of pollution-related disease in India. Deaths associated with indoor air pollution have decreased by 64.2 percent since 1990. During the same time period, deaths related to outdoor levels of fine particle pollution have increased by 115.3 percent, and those related to ozone pollution have increased by 139.2 percent.

India's dramatic spike in outdoor air pollution is tied to an increase in vehicle emissions, as well as the widespread use of coal to generate power.

Climate change exacerbates pollution through atmospheric stagnation, temperature-driven increases in particulate matter, and ground-level ozone formation, which are likely to be particularly severe in India, explained the researchers.

Dr. Landrigan said there are ample solutions and examples of successful pollution reduction policies that can be developed to meet the specific needs of the country and its states. He pointed out that China, a country with a similar size population and equally ambitious economic goals, adopted pollution control targets in its most recent five-year plan and is making progress on pollution control.

"We point to countries like the United States where we reduced air pollution by 70 percent since passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s," said Dr. Landrigan. "At the same time, US GDP grew by 250 percent. There are similar statistics from Europe, Australia, and Japan. Pollution control does not stifle economic growth."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/home">Lancet Planetary Health</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution contributed to 1.67 million deaths in India last year

India's air pollution contributed to 1.67 million premature deaths in...

In an interview with Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood on <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> radio, Prince Charles has urged society to draw on how indigenous communities treat the natural world with respect and seek to preserve it for future generations.

His Royal Highness said that humans should remember they are part of nature and stop exploiting it to avert environmental and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-and-deadly-dolphin-disease-has-been-linked-to-climate-change/">climate</a> catastrophe.

"It is high time we paid more attention to the wisdom of indigenous communities and First Nations people all around the world," said Prince Charles. "We can learn so much from them as to how we can re-right the balance, and start to rediscover a sense of the sacred, because ... Mother Nature is our sustainer."

"But we have forgotten that, or somehow been brainwashed into thinking that we have nothing to do with nature and nature can just be exploited but if we go on exploiting the way we are, whatever we do to nature - however much we pollute her - we do to ourselves. It is insanity."

The Prince of Wales has been an environmental activist for more than five decades. In partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), he recently launched the <a href="https://www.sustainable-markets.org/">Sustainable Markets Initiative</a> to address the increasing threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. The goal of the initiative is to make global markets more sustainable, which could help to both fight climate change and build resilience against it. 

During the interview with Atwood, Prince Charles highlighted problems caused by the excessive use of chemicals in agriculture and the pollution of the oceans with plastics. He suggested that as businesses have started to grasp the magnitude of the climate crisis, there has been movement toward a sustainable future.

"Suddenly I noticed in the last 18 months or so, there has been a complete change of approach," he said, emphasizing that the initiative would find opportunities for companies to back projects that value nature, people, and the planet.

At the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, the Prince of Wales said that bold and imaginative action was needed to tackle the greatest threats that have ever been faced by humanity - global warming, climate change, and biodiversity loss. "We need nothing short of a paradigm shift."

"I intend to do my utmost to ensure that the message of urgency, systemic change, collaboration and integration is heard. We simply cannot waste any more time - the only limit is our willingness to act, and the time to act is now."

The report was published by the <a href="https://www.trust.org/">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans should remember they are part of nature, says Prince Charles

In an interview with Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood on BBC...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a> are describing incredible sounds produced by Weddell seals beneath frozen water. The seals can be heard chirping, whistling and trilling under the Antarctic ice at sound frequencies that are inaudible to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-should-remember-they-are-part-of-nature-says-prince-charles/">humans</a>, according to the study. 

The research was based on two years of recordings at a live-streaming underwater observatory in McMurdo Sound. The recordings captured nine distinct types of ultrasonic seal vocalizations that range up to 50 kilohertz. Humans hear in the sonic range of 20 kilohertz.

Weddell seals thrive under Antarctic sea ice, using their large teeth to create air holes. While searching for food, the seals can dive to 600 meters and remain submerged for 80 minutes. 

In 1982, researchers identified 34 types of seal calls at sonic frequencies, which were all linked to various social interactions.

Study lead author Paul Cziko began recording the seals' sonic-ranged vocalizations in 2017 after completing the installation of the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory. He said that workers at McMurdo Station often fell asleep listening to broadcasts of the seals' sonic sounds coming from below.

"The Weddell seals' calls create an almost unbelievable, otherworldly soundscape under the ice," said Cziko. "It really sounds like you're in the middle of a space battle in 'Star Wars,' laser beams and all."

Over the next two years, a broadband digital hydrophone was used that was more sensitive than equipment used in earlier recordings. The new hydrophone picked up the higher-frequency vocalizations during passive monitoring.

"We kept coming across these ultrasonic call types in the data," said study co-author Lisa Munger. "Finally, it dawned on us that the seals were actually using them quite regularly."

"It was really surprising that other researchers previously had, in effect, missed a part of the conversation," said Cziko. He explained that the seals may use the ultrasonic vocalizations to "stand out over all the lower-frequency noise, like changing to a different channel for communicating."

Another possibility is that the vocalizations are used for echolocation, a biological sonar used by other animals to locate prey.

"The possibility of seals using some kind of echolocation has really been discounted over the years," said Cziko. "We actually had a lot of somewhat heated discussions in our group about whether or how the seals use these ultrasonic sounds for echolocation-like behaviors."

It remains a mystery how Weddell seals navigate and find prey during the months of near absolute darkness in the Antarctic winter.

"We'd like to know who is producing the ultrasonic calls - males, females, juveniles, or all of the above," said Munger. "And how are the seals using these sounds when they're out in deeper water, looking for fish? We need to record in more places to be able to correlate sounds with behaviors."

The study is published in <a href="https://asa.scitation.org/journal/jas">The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Weddell seals communicate with ultrasonic sounds

Researchers at the University of Oregon are describing incredible sounds...

A new study from the <a href="https://mipt.ru/english/">Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology</a> (MIPT) suggests that rapid Arctic warming is linked to a series of great earthquakes. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with human activities are driving temperatures up on a global scale, but this does not explain abrupt <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/lake-levels-are-falling-as-temperatures-rise/">temperature</a> spikes that have been periodically observed in the Arctic. 

One of the main factors involved in Arctic warming is the release of methane from thawing permafrost. In the time since record-keeping began, the region has experienced two periods of abrupt warming: in the 1920s and 1930s, and then from 1980 to present day.

Study author Leopold Lobkovsky is a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the head of the MIPT Laboratory for Geophysical Research of the Arctic and Continental Margins of the World Ocean. In his report, Lobkovsky theorizes that unexplained temperature changes in the Arctic could have been triggered by geodynamic factors. In particular, he points to a series of great earthquakes in the Aleutian Arc, which is the closest seismically active area to the Arctic.

To test his theory, Lobkovsky first investigated whether the dates of the great earthquakes coincided with temperature spikes. Based on historical data, he found that the Aleutian Arc was the site of two series of earthquakes in the 20th century. Each of the events was followed by an abrupt rise in temperature about 15 to 20 years later.

Next, Lobkovsky needed to determine how the lithospheric disturbances may have spread over more than 1,240 miles from the Aleutian Islands to the Arctic shelf region.

A model of lithospheric excitation dynamics predicted that the propagation of so-called tectonic waves should travel at about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, per year. This explains the delay between each earthquake series and the subsequent increase in Arctic temperatures 15 to 20 years later. 

Finally, Lobkovsky set out to understand how these disturbances may intensify methane emissions. He concluded that the deformation waves arriving in the shelf zone cause minor additional stresses in the lithosphere, which are sufficient to disrupt the internal structure of the permafrost. This releases heat-trapping methane into atmosphere, leading to local climate warming.

"There is a clear correlation between the great earthquakes in the Aleutian Arc and the phases of climate warming. A mechanism exists for physically transmitting the stresses in the lithosphere at the appropriate velocities. And these added stresses are capable of destroying metastable gas hydrates and permafrost, releasing methane."

"Each of the three components in this scheme is logical and lends itself to mathematical and physical explanation. Importantly, it explains a known fact - the abrupt rise in temperature anomalies in the Arctic - which remained unaccounted for by the previous models."

According to Lobkovsky, his model will benefit from discussion and will likely be improved, and further research is needed in order to confirm or rule out the link between seismic activity and abrupt Arctic warming.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences">Geosciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arctic warming linked to earthquakes more than 1,200 miles away

A new study from the Moscow Institute of Physics and...

Tens of thousands of migratory birds that mysteriously dropped dead in the Southwest earlier this year apparently died of long-term starvation. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc">National Wildlife Health Center</a>, most of the bird carcasses showed signs of starvation, including emaciation, severely shrunken breast muscles, empty stomachs, and kidney failure.

The USGS report suggests that a severe summer drought contributed to prolonged starvation among the birds. An unusual cold front followed the drought, and temperatures plummeted below freezing in early September.

The researchers said that the cold snap likely made things worse, causing the birds to become disoriented. Some were struck by vehicles, flew into buildings, or died from exposure to the cold weather. 

Although the experts could not identify a single, definitive cause of death, they were able to rule out disease and poisoning, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildlife-health-wildlife-health-weather-new-mexico-0ec435b343f3285baa1a91e771c3f0b1">Associated Press</a>.

Many of the deaths may have also been tied to this year's devastating wildfire season. In September, Professor Martha Desmond of New Mexico State University speculated that the fires may have pushed some birds into early migrations that they were not physically prepared for, while others likely died from lung damage.  

“Birds who migrated before they were ready because of the weather might have not had enough fat to survive,” Professor Desmond told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>. “Some birds might have not even had the reserves to start migrating so they died in place.”

The USGS team found no evidence of smoke poisoning in the birds. Regardless, Jon Hayes of the Audubon Society believes the fires played a role. 

“The birds could have been altering their migration path to avoid smoke plumes, thereby increasing the energy demand of their migration and causing exhaustion,” Hayes told Audubon Magazine. “The evidence they’ve shown regarding poor body condition could still fit that scenario, and so I think there’s still questions like the role of fire in particular.”

Many different types of migratory birds were found dead, including bluebirds, sparrows, blackbirds, flycatchers, and warblers. There were multiple reports by people who had witnessed strange behavior among birds leading up to the die-off. For example, birds that are typically seen foraging in shrubs or trees were observed chasing insects on the ground.

The first signs of the mortality event emerged on August 20, when about 200 dead birds were found at the White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico. Over the next few weeks, dead birds began turning up in alarming numbers across several states. 

In her interview with CNN, Professor Desmond said that many birds were lethargic and unresponsive, and were getting struck by cars in larger numbers than ever before. She added that at the missile range golf course, swallows were sitting on the ground letting people approach them.

Professor Desmond pointed to the role of climate change in this shocking mortality event. “We have lost three billion birds in the U.S. since 1970 and we’ve also seen a tremendous decline in insects, so an event like this is terrifying to these populations and it’s devastating to see.”

Experts warn that rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change will cause even more severe droughts in the Western United States. A recent study from Columbia University reports that the region is experiencing a 20-year megadrought that is on its way to becoming the worst in modern history. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Shocking bird mortality event was caused by long-term starvation

Tens of thousands of migratory birds that mysteriously dropped dead...

The restoration of oyster reefs could lead to enormous environmental benefits, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.hku.hk/">University of Hong Kong</a>. Restoring lost oyster reefs would help mitigate some of the destruction associated with coastal development, such as damage from storm surge and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plants-and-animals-evolve-faster-in-coldspots-than-in-biodiversity-hotspots/">biodiversity</a> loss.

Shellfish reefs were once abundant along the shoreline of Hong Kong. A number of stressors, including over-harvesting and pollution, has caused shellfish populations to drastically decline. 

"Globally, we have lost 85% of shellfish reefs, making it the most endangered marine habitat on earth," said study co-author Marine Thomas. "Most people associate oysters with food, but less well-known is that oysters create reef habitats that support coastal marine life. Only by restoring these lost habitats can we start to bring back some of the associated environmental benefits."

The experts report that just seven square meters of oyster reef can filter enough water to fill up an Olympic swimming pool each day. A single Hong Kong oyster can filter up to 30 liters of water per hour at summer temperatures. This is one of the highest filtration rates of any oyster species.

Oyster reefs also provide habitats for many native species that are otherwise lost. In a recent study from the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS), researchers found that these reefs house six times more species than bare shores. 

Out of more than 80 species that the team identified along the muddy shores in Deep Bay, 95 percent of them were found in oyster reefs, and almost 60 percent of those species were found exclusively in those reefs.

"A previous SWIMS study found that Hong Kong is home to approximately 6,000 marine species and 26% of all marine species in China. This new research adds to that list, as we've identified a small crab previously not seen in Hong Kong. This shows us just how understudied these ecosystems are," said Dr. Bayden D Russell.

Restored reefs also increase the production of commercially and recreationally valuable fish and crabs. According to the research, oysters could be naturally recruited in Hong Kong, which would eliminate the need for transplanting the shellfish from hatcheries. 

"We were excited to find high natural recruitment levels which suggests that oyster reef restoration is possible without hatchery intervention," said Dr. Russell. "We think that this recruitment is because traditional oyster farming in the Pearl River Delta has maintained populations of native oysters in the system in spite of the loss of oyster reefs and these farms could potentially act as a source of larvae."

Across ten different sites that were examined for the study, the team found that large oysters beyond a year old were very hard to find due to overharvesting.

"While we are excited by the biological feasibility of restoration, unfortunately the human aspect remains our biggest challenge to bring these habitats back at scale. Shellfish habitats are still severely under protected in Hong Kong, with very little public awareness of their ecological value," explained Thomas.

"Wild harvesting is a huge problem - as soon as oysters or mussels are big enough to eat, someone will harvest them. We are working with Government on gaining more protection and recognition for these important ecosystems and hope to include them in the next Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://laurentian.ca/program/restoration-biology">Restoration Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Restoring oyster reefs would produce major benefits

The restoration of oyster reefs could lead to enormous environmental...

Some bacteria can boost plant health and provide protection from pathogens. These microorganisms, known as plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), can be used to improve agricultural yields. 

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.apsnet.org/">American Phytopathological Society</a>, scientists have discovered that the benefits of PGPB can be increased when they are grouped together with other species of bacteria. 

Many PGPB form communities of cells called biofilms that help them stick to plant roots. The researchers set out to find other plant-associated bacteria that could help PGPB better adhere to plant roots. The goal was to investigate whether a larger number of PGPB cells attached to the roots could increase their beneficial effects.

The team identified multiple strains of bacteria that increased the adherence of PGPB to plant roots over time. The findings indicate that physical or chemical interactions between these different bacterial species result in better long-term maintenance of PGPB on the plant roots.

"Our results highlight how bacteria can use each other for their own benefit. These findings could be used to create groups of bacteria that are able to work together to better protect crop plants and improve their growth," said study co-author Elizabeth Shank. 

"The results of this research might also be used to better understand and design microbial treatments that could improve crop yields in agricultural settings."

For the investigation, the researchers screened bacteria that were obtained from the roots of wild-grown plants. They also looked at how other microbes may alter the behavior of each PGPB strain. The study was focused on a PGPB that is currently used in agricultural treatments.

"One important impact of our work may be further encouraging agricultural biotechnology companies to consider using groups of multiple bacteria (rather than a single isolate) in their search for better and longer-lasting biological treatments to improve crop yield and help increase food production," said Shank.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/journal/pbiomes">Phytobiomes Journal</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bacteria work better together to improve crops

Some bacteria can boost plant health and provide protection from...

An international team of researchers is calling for a new approach to help mitigate the destructive effects of floods, which are increasingly affecting communities worldwide. 

The report, sponsored by the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a>, says that large-scale global forecasting and on-the-ground observations must be integrated into one system to better predict and prevent widespread flooding disasters.

Study lead author Huan Wu is the deputy director of the Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies and a professor at Sun Yat-Sen University.

"A 'glocal' - global to local - hydrometeorological solution (GHS-F) for floods is considered to be critical for better preparedness, mitigation, and management of different types of significant precipitation-caused flooding, which happen extensively almost every year and in many countries, such as China, India and the United States," said Professor Wu.

He explains that such a solution is necessary for both scientific research and operational logistics. A GHS-F could combine widespread weather predictions with the knowledge of how forecasted rain could affect river basins to produce highly detailed and consistent rain-flood information.

Professor Wu notes the complex relationship between rain and floods, arguing that if the meteorological and hydrological communities shared more observations, techniques, and modeled data some flooding damage could be avoided.

The researchers examined flood events which occurred between May 20 to July 18 in central-eastern and southern China. During these two months, the Yangtze River had 49 percent more rain than the average amounts for the same time period over the last 60 years. Seven major rainfall events affected almost 40 million people in 27 provinces, with 141 people reported dead or missing.

"An encompassing view of flood occurrences, evolution, extent dynamics, and spatial distribution of areas at high risk from flooding over a global or national scale with local detail is highly desirable and, yet, missing for international and national agencies with a mandate in flood response and management."

According to Professor Wu, a GHS-F was first suggested about 10 years ago, but the unprecedented computing capability and timely data availability, as well as model and data interoperability of the current era mean such a solution is now more practical.

The researchers plan to demonstrate the feasibility of a GHS-F to increase the confidence of emergency management decision makers in using this tool for information and risk assessment.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/376">Advances in Atmospheric Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Glocal" approach is needed to mitigate flood damage

An international team of researchers is calling for a new...

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NTU...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="yPSXGZek1I-2312529-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="yPSXGZek1I-2312529-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EPdZexVR30-1731237-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="EPdZexVR30-1731237-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uwirCufwYv-2012371-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="uwirCufwYv-2012371-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JrMLDXHmjl-1911953-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="JrMLDXHmjl-1911953-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

News coming your way