Extreme climate events are occurring more and more frequently, and they are bound to overlap. Events happening simultaneously are causing disruptions in human systems such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loneliness-is-an-underestimated-threat-to-heart-health/">health</a>, security, and overall well-being.&nbsp;



Concurrent climate events can significantly affect world economics. An example of a concurrent event is a heatwave, which is a combination of heat and drought. This combination caused the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, which led to a GDP loss of more than five percent.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, concurrent climate events are not usually addressed in planning. However, a team of scientists led by Laura Niggli at the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>, Switzerland, decided to study the impacts of recent heatwaves on socioeconomic systems.&nbsp;



The experts reviewed eight concurrent heat and drought events in Africa, Europe, and Australia over the past 20 years and investigated their impacts on human health, agriculture, food production, and transportation.&nbsp;



For example, rail transport can become disrupted when the tracks buckle due to intense heat. Not only can this affect human transportation, but it can also affect access to food and other goods.&nbsp;



"This study presents unprecedented quantitative information and qualitative understanding on the impacts of combined heat and drought events in major world regions over the past 20 years," said Niggli.



"It contributes new insights how these impacts cascade through critical systems (health, energy, food production, etc.) and emphasizes the importance to appropriately consider such impact cascades in adaptation efforts.”



The researchers found that agriculture, health, and energy suffer the greatest impacts of concurrent climate events. They believe future research should focus on building resilient systems and finding ways to mitigate these impacts.&nbsp;



"We identified an interconnected web of sectors that interact and cause additional losses and damages in several other sectors. This multilevel interconnectedness makes the risks of compound extreme events so complex and critical," said the study authors.&nbsp;



"More efforts should be concentrated on the analysis of such cascading risks and on strategies to interrupt such chains of impacts, rather than compartmentalizing risk assessment into single extreme events, impacts and sectors”.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000057">PLOS Climate</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What are the risks of concurrent climate events?

Extreme climate events are occurring more and more frequently, and they are bound to overlap. Events happening simultaneously are causing disruptions in human systems such as health, security, and overall well-being.&nbsp; Concurrent climate events can significantly affect world economics. An example of a concurrent event is a heatwave, which is a combination of heat and drought. This combination caused the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, which led to a GDP loss of more than five percent.&nbsp; Unfortunately, concurrent climate events are not usually addressed in planning. However, a team...

With billions of pounds of plastic waste filling our oceans, scientists are looking for any viable option to help clean up this mess. As luck would have it, so was James E. Holm, a sailor with over 40 years of experience on the ocean.

Holm has teamed up with Swaminathan Ramesh – a Ph.D. organic chemist – in order to develop a process that reuses certain plastic by converting it into diesel fuel using a small mobile reactor.

Ramesh had been searching for a new “killer idea” with the potential to change the world, when he happened to meet Holm. Ramesh started a new company – <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=236819428">EcoFuel Technologies</a> – and they both soon began working to streamline a technology that uses hydrocarbon-based plastics as a fuel source. 

The process of breaking down <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/edible-six-pack-beverage-rings/">plastic</a> waste using pyrolysis technologies has generally been an expensive and complex operation. For that reason, Ramesh began to develop a catalyst system coupled with a controlled pyrolysis reaction to convert plastics to diesel fuel without the need for further refining.

His final product is cost-effective on a small scale, runs at lower temperatures, and is even mobile. This means that it could potentially be placed on boats to convert plastic found at sea into fuel for the vessel.

Ramesh believes they “can scale the capacity to handle anywhere from 200 pounds per 10-hour day to 10,000 or more pounds per 10-hour day. Because of its small size, we also can take the technological process to where the plastic wastes are.” The entire system can fit on the back of a flatbed truck, says Holm. 

Both Holm and Ramesh will soon be conducting a demonstration of their operation for the city government of Santa Cruz, CA. City officials are looking to potentially use this technology to process plastic waste that cannot be recycled, as well as create diesel fuel for city vehicles’ to use.

Holm is hopeful that we will eventually see this technology being used around the world, saying "We can even eliminate plastic waste before it gets to the oceans by creating value for it locally on a global basis." If they are able to achieve their goals, both the people and the ocean will be better off for it.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a>

Cleaning up the ocean by converting plastic waste into fuel

With billions of pounds of plastic waste filling our oceans,...

The Earth’s warming climate and melting glaciers in the Arctic are affecting microbial activity, and that has the potential to make the problem worse, according to a new study.

A team of scientists from the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has offered up new research showing that receding glaciers are providing delicate ecosystems in the Arctic for microbial life.

The microbes that currently live in the Arctic struggle with long, cold winters with a severe shortage of nutrients, and short summers. 

However, as global surface temperatures rise, that balance has shifted, the scientists said. Summers in the Arctic are getting longer, and winters are warming up. That could lead to a new source of carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere, scientists said.

The changing climate could encourage microbial activity, increasing growth and respiration rates, the researchers said. The longer summers could also provide more access to the nutrients the microbes need, allowing them to increase their numbers.

“It takes decades to feasibly monitor long term ecological change,” said Dr. James Bradley, the study’s lead author, who has since moved from the University of Bristol to the University of Southern California. “Recently designed modelling software allows us to manipulate and simulate experimental conditions over century timescales to enable long-term predictions of the effects of climate change on ecosystems.”

In addition to the modelling programs, the researchers spent two years studying a field location in Svalbard, an archipelago off the northern coast of Norway. 

At the field site, glaciers have made a dramatic retreat, exposing soil to the air for the first time in centuries, the researchers said. That glacial retreat exposes carbon dioxide-producing microbes in the soil to the atmosphere. 

Arctic warming is expected to continue, and the Bristol scientists believe glaciers will continue to melt and expose soil throughout the Arctic region.

“These findings show that we need to pay greater attention to the ecological consequences of climate change in Arctic soils,” Bradley said in a press release.

The new study has been published in the journal <a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/earth-science">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="http://www.nerc.ac.uk/">Natural Environment Research Council</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Source: Dr. James Bradley, University of Bristol

Microbial activity in Arctic could increase atmospheric CO2

The Earth’s warming climate and melting glaciers in the Arctic...

Have you ever been driving past a seemingly innocuous stretch of factories when all of a sudden the stench of rotten eggs fills your car? The few minutes it takes for the factory odors to pass can often leave you watery-eyed and gagging. That smell may be a temporary problem for you, but it can be a constant source of discomfort for those who live or work in the shadow of that factory.

These nuisance factory odors – often coming from sewage and wastewater treatment facilities – are a global problem, and it can often be difficult to detect and eliminate the sources of these terrible smells. Fortunately, scientists have recently developed a system to sample, measure, categorize, and control these smells.

“Each odor has its own chemical source and is often found in mixtures, making identification of the sources of these smells challenging,” says Jay Witherspoon, the leader of a research team at <a href="https://www.ch2m.com/">CH2M</a>. 

Irwin Suffet, a collaborator from the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a> (UCLA) developed an “odor wheel,” which is implemented in field-testing. The wheel matches general descriptions of a range of smells to their chemical composition. This allows the research team to ask the public to identify the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquitoes-odor-receptors/">odor</a>, which they can then more accurately pinpoint to the chemical cause of each smell.

The researchers also analyze smell samples using sensitive detection devices. One of the more useful devices is usually the mass spectrometer, which can pinpoint the chemical compounds that make up the offensive odor.

When the smell’s molecular composition is identified, it can potentially be eliminated using scrubbers, biofilters, or other chemicals that mask the stench. The most common offensive smell from factories is that of rotten eggs from hydrogen sulfide. This odor has been mostly eliminated by implementation of chemical and biological odor control devices.

Witherspoon and other researchers are working to help eradicate problem odors using available technology. These solutions are only becoming more necessary, as Witherspoon has noticed that “people have become more sensitive to odors, and they are living closer to treatment facilities.” He laments that these awful smells “have become a quality of life issue.” Luckily, he and his team are doing their best to eliminate these odors from existence.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a>

New methods developed to eliminate terrible factory odors

Have you ever been driving past a seemingly innocuous stretch...

When we think about pollution, it’s not often that we consider our discarded clothing to be a significant source. However, pollution caused by the clothes we throw away – as well as by the process of making and dyeing clothes – contributes heavily to the release of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/carbon-dioxide-atmosphere/">carbon dioxide</a> into the atmosphere.

Simone Haslinger, a doctoral candidate at <a href="http://www.aalto.fi/en/">Aalto University</a> in Finland, explains that when it comes to used clothing, “a small amount might be recycled as cleaning rags, but the rest ends up in landfills, where it degrades and releases carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.” Even though some clothes get recycled and in some cases are shredded and incorporated into carpets or other products, most end up as trash.

This issue has only increased in recent years as “fast fashion” – clothing affordable enough to be disposable – has become more popular than ever. 

Luckily, scientists are now reporting new progress in the effort to recycle and even “upcycle” clothing. Upcycling refers to the reuse of a material in a product of increased quality or value, so that one-day a lowly t-shirt may become a stylish pair of boots. 

"We want to not only recycle garments, but we want to really produce the best possible textiles, so that recycled fibers are even better than native fibers," says Herbert Sixta, head of the biorefineries research group at <a href="http://www.aalto.fi/en/">Aalto University</a>. But this process is complicated, as cotton and other fibers are often blended with polyester. 

About five years ago, Sixta and his team discovered an ionic liquid that was able to dissolve cellulose from wood pulp, which produced a material they could spin into fibers. These fibers turned out to be an improvement on the industry standard for this process. The researchers were even able to dissolve cotton into a cellulose solution out of those tricky cotton-polyester blends.

"I could filter the polyester out after the cotton had dissolved," said Haslinger. "Then it was possible without any more processing steps to spin fibers out of the cellulose solution, which could then be used to make clothes." The next step for the researchers is to test whether or not the recovered polyester can also be spun back into usable fibers.

To become efficient, the process would need to be scaled up and steps for reusing dyes would be a necessary part of this endeavor – which would require a collaborative effort involving more than just these scientists.

Sixta explains: "We can handle the science, but we might not know what dye was used, for example, because it's not labeled. You can't just feed all the material into the same process. Industry and policymakers have to work on the logistics. With all the rubbish piling up, it is in everyone's best interest to find a solution."

--

By Connor Ertz, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a>

New breakthroughs made to recycle and upcycle used clothing

When we think about pollution, it’s not often that we...

We know that the global climate can exhibit odd patterns whereby weather activity in one part of the planet can affect climate change elsewhere, even continents away. This cause-and-effect climate phenomenon is known as teleconnections. Now, an international team of scientists, working with <a href="http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">GPZ German Research Centre for Geosciences</a>, has used what we know about teleconnections and what they found in analyzing Japanese lake sediment to better understand the effect a local climate pattern had on another region of the world thousands of years ago.

The Younger Dryas was a cold 1,200-year period that settled on the planet to counteract a warming period between about 11,600 and 12,800 years ago. The scientists from Japan, Britain, Australia and Germany studied lake algae, spores and pollen in East Asia and ice cores and marine sediment in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-caps/">Greenland</a> to compare climate activity in those two distant regions of the world.

The researchers were able to ascertain from these ancient clues that the Younger Dryas caused northern Europe’s climate to turn cold and dry during about the first 600 years, and then warmer and humid during the second half of the period.

In East Asia, the reverse was true. The first half of the Younger Dryas was relatively warm while the second half turned cold, with heavier snowfall.

The researchers attributed this mirror weather effect to teleconnections. The humid air masses in Europe transported some of that moisture farther east, causing heavy snowfall in central Asia. When a thick snow cover formed over East Asia it triggered a cooling of air masses there. This affected the Asian monsoon, with a stronger winter monsoon and a slightly weaker summer monsoon. What you got as a result was heavier snowfall in winter and drier summers.

Gaining a clearer understanding of these regional weather linkages might help us better predict local climate patterns of the future based on global warming.

The results of the study were published in Scientific Reports.

-- 

Written by David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/"> Scientific Reports</a>

12,000-year-old lake helps predict climate change tomorrow

We know that the global climate can exhibit odd patterns...

A tiny particle just might be at the center of a huge defense against climate change, said an international team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>. The particle is microalgae, a microscopic version of the oceanic organism algae, which includes seaweed.

In studying microalgae, the researchers found that it had multiple means of combatting climate change. For instance, its lipids can be extracted from microalgae to make biofuels which could someday replace carbon-emitting fossil fuels. Then, what’s left of the microalgae can be converted into a highly nutritious feed additive for farm animals and fish farms. Chickens fed microalgae have been proven to lay eggs that have three times more nutritious omega-3 fatty acids.

The agricultural use of microalgae would improve the environment by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and fertilizer for growing traditional feed crops. Since microalgae requires one-tenth the space of corn and grains grown to feed livestock, more land could be converted for feeding a rapidly growing human population worldwide.

Lead author Charles H. Greene, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, sees microalgae as a valuable tool in working toward the aggressive climate stabilization goals established by COP21, the 2015 <a href="https://calculators.io/paris-climate-change-conference-agreement/">United Nations Climate Change Conference</a> held in Paris.

“We believe these climate goals are attainable,” he said. “But we must constrain carbon dioxide emissions rapidly and then start removing it from the atmosphere.”

His research team feels that microalgae can lead to meeting those challenging goals in numerous ways. Their article, “Geoengineering, Marine Microalgae and Climate Stabilization in the 21st Century,” was published in the March issue of Earth’s Future, a journal of the <a href="https://sites.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a>.

-- 

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2017/03/microalgae-could-play-key-role-relieving-climate-warming"> Cornell University</a>

Algae might be a secret weapon in fighting climate change

A tiny particle just might be at the center of...

The ice caps around the edges of Greenland cover almost 100,000 square kilometers, making up the largest glacierized area on the planet outside of the large ice sheets of <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/antarcticas-granite-harbor/">Antarctica</a> and Greenland.

During the summer, a healthy ice cap will absorb meltwater into the depths of its tightly packed snow. In the winter, the water will refreeze and the total mass will remain mostly stable from year to year.

Unfortunately, rising temperatures have caused this cycle to go all out of whack. These days, the amount of meltwater is so significant that the ice caps are now completely saturated with refrozen meltwater, causing new meltwater to run off into the sea.

Concerned by this development, researchers studied 12 separate areas around Greenland. Disturbingly, their data found that every single one of these areas has been losing mass since 1997. They discovered that increases in meltwater run-off range from 17% in the south to 74% in the northernmost area.

Right now, Greenland’s ice caps are losing roughly three times as much mass per year as they were before 1997. Brice Noël, a PhD candidate at <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en">Utrecht University</a> and the study’s lead author, expects the meltwater run-off to continue to increase.

What is most worrisome to Noël is that the “melting line” is moving further north, to an altitude where the majority of Greenland’s ice mass is found. Noël says, "The main ice sheet in the interior of Greenland is much more elevated and isn't doing too bad yet. But we can already see an increase in the altitude of the 'melting line' there as well."

The study finds that the loss in ice mass is directly correlated with meltwater run-off, which is directly caused by rising temperatures. Since one third of today’s sea level rise is contributed by the melting of Greenland’s ice caps, increasing temperatures will almost certainly mean increasing sea levels. 

If global warming is to continue – and it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon – the ice caps surrounding Greenland may lose between 20 and 25 percent of their volume by the year 2100. This would mean an extra four centimeters of sea level rise, the consequences of which would reach much further than just Greenland’s ice caps.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en">Utrecht University</a>

Greenland ice caps have been losing mass every year since 1997

The ice caps around the edges of Greenland cover almost...

The low cost of Chinese exports has resulted in extremely high demand for Chinese-made goods in the West. But while the monetary cost for these products may seem low, the air pollution emitted from such international trade has taken a massive toll on human lives.

International climate researchers studied premature death figures from air pollution during the year 2007 in terms of pollution caused by the production and international transport of goods from a total of 228 nations. They specifically considered deaths caused by PM2.5, which is particulate matter in the air that’s less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. PM2.5, which is produced, in part, by industrial and transport emissions, can settle deep into the lungs to cause serious heart and lung diseases.

One statistical highlight they found was that 3.45 million people died worldwide in 2007 from causes associated with these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-emissions-flat-much/">emissions</a>, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  The study also indicated that 16.3 percent of those PM2.5 deaths were caused by pollutants produced in other nations.

The researchers wrote, “PM2.5pollution produced in China in 2007 is linked to more than 64,800 premature deaths in regions other than China, including more than 3,100 premature deaths in western Europe and the USA; on the other hand, consumption in western Europe and the USA is linked to more than 108,600 premature deaths in China.”

The research, which was published this week in the journal Nature, carried the message that one nation’s environmental irresponsibility can seriously impact life expectancy in the rest of the world.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v543/n7647/full/nature21712.html"> Nature</a>

Air pollution from international trade blamed for killing millions

The low cost of Chinese exports has resulted in extremely...

Vitamin B might offer some protection against air pollution. The value of vitamin supplements has been long debated by medical researchers. Many say that they offer little for those who consume a nutritional diet and even that too many supplements can actually be dangerous. But a new study by <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard</a> and <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> researchers is pointing toward a new reason to add Vitamin B supplements to your daily intake. In conducting human tests of a specific Vitamin B complex, they found that it helps protect against the effects of the PM2.5 level of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smell-walking-maps-air-pollution/">air pollution</a>.

PM2.5 is particulate matter in the atmosphere with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, which is only about 3 percent of that of a human hair. This particulate matter is frequently found in larger cities, especially the megacities now circling the globe. PM2.5 exposes inhabitants to such toxins as sulfate and black carbon and has the potential to reduce life expectancy with long-term exposure.

These tiny particles, which can only be observed with electron microscopes, can lodge deeply into the lungs and alter protective genes in the immune system, said the researchers.

In the human trials, test subjects with face masks were exposed to PM2.5 at levels common to large cities. Some were then given a B vitamin supplement containing 2.5 mg/d folic acid, 50 mg/d vitamin B6, and 1 mg/d vitamin B12, while others received placebos. It was found that a four-week course of the vitamins reduced the PM2.5 damage by as much as 76 percent at ten gene locations.   

The researchers cautioned that this was only one small-scale study and that additional research must be done, but their study offered hope that Vitamin B could offer some protection against the worst big-city air pollution.

In the abstract to their paper, the researchers wrote, “Our study indicates that individual-level prevention may be used to complement regulations and control potential mechanistic pathways underlying the adverse PM2.5 effects, with possible significant public health benefit in areas with frequent PM2.5 peaks.”

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

-- 

Written by David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/13/3503.abstract"> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>

Vitamin B might offer some protection against air pollution

Vitamin B might offer some protection against air pollution. The...

Most of us are aware by now of the disturbing implications <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-evidence-un/">climate change</a> may have on our planet. We’ve also seen the destruction caused by climate change-induced severe weather and natural disasters in recent years. However, what you may not be aware of is the effect climate change can have on mental health as well.

In a new report released by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a> and <a href="https://ecoamerica.org/">ecoAmerica</a>, entitled Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance, researchers found that individuals can suffer from mental health disorders as a result of climate change.

Obviously, natural disasters that cause injury, death, and loss of property can ignite fear and shock in just about anyone. Furthermore, those emotions may eventually disappear, but they might ultimately be replaced by post-traumatic stress disorder in those they have affected.

A study was done involving people living in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it determined that suicide and suicidal thoughts more than doubled in those populations. One in six people met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and 49 percent developed an anxiety or mood disorder such as depression.

However, these mental health issues aren’t solely caused by climate change-induced natural disasters. Researchers found that long-term climate change also plays a role in poor mental health.

Climate change can negatively affect agriculture and infrastructure, impacting occupations and quality of life for millions of people. These changes may lead to loss of identity, vanishing social support structures, a sense of having no control or autonomy and many other mental health problems. Issues like stress and anxiety can also cause physical health effects, such as a weakened immune system.

These changes are occurring at a community level as well. Both short and long-term climate change events have been shown to increase hostility and interpersonal and intergroup aggression, which lead to the loss of social identity and cohesion. 

With climate change already having a physical impact, you may be wondering: how do we combat these psychological effects? According to the report, the key is to build resilience. This means building and maintaining your social networks – both online and in person – so that you can have people to turn to in times of need. 

The report further explains: “Individuals' personal capacity to withstand trauma is increased when they are connected to their networks off- and online. Researchers have found that higher levels of social support during and in the aftermath of a disaster are associated with lower rates of psychological distress.”

Furthermore, adopting environmentally friendly policies and lifestyle choices not only benefits the environment, but it can have a positive effect on mental health as well. Research shows that biking or walking to work has been linked to decreased stress. Likewise, the use of public transportation has been associated with boost in community cohesion and decrease in depression and stress – much to the surprise of anyone who has ever taken a public bus.

Increased accessibility to parks and other natural spaces may also be of benefit to one’s mental health, according to the report. So if you take these suggestions to heart, you may not only be benefitting your mental health, but you could be helping the planet as well.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>

Climate change may cause mental health issues

Most of us are aware by now of the disturbing...

In the face of President Donald Trump’s recently announced first step toward <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-executive-order/">dismantling</a> the Clean Power Plan, a carbon reduction plan of former President Barack Obama, the governors of California and New York released a joint statement yesterday. It outlined their commitment toward enacting policies to counteract climate change independent of the federal government.

"With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future," governors Jerry Brown of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York wrote.

The two states announced ambitious carbon reduction targets that go even well beyond goals set by federal policies under Obama. Brown and Cuomo said that their states would both reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below that 1990 mark by 2050. In addition, they mandated that electricity in each of their states must be fully generated from renewable sources by 2030.

“Climate change is real and will not be wished away by rhetoric or denial,” the governors wrote. “We stand together with a majority of the American people in supporting bold actions to protect our communities from the dire consequences of climate change.”

Brown and Cuomo also pointed out that their two states were homes to about one in five Americans and totaled 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

--

Written by David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2017-Announcements/2017-03-28-Governor-Cuomo-and-Brown-Reaffirm-Commitment-to-Exceeding-Targets-of-Clean-Power-Plan"> NYSERDA</a>

California and New York team up against Trump climate policy

In the face of President Donald Trump’s recently announced first...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> reports that the increasing role of the United States’ financial sector in the country’s emerging solar market in the 1980s and 1990s might have actually significantly impaired the solar industry.

At that time, the financial sector was shifting in focus from technology investment to speculating on future markets. Max Jerneck explains that as American conglomerates bought up small firms at the forefront of solar technology, less money was invested in improving the technology and was instead directed towards enriching managers and investors.

This conflict ultimately led to a disconnect between the solar industry and its financial stakeholders, which eventually resulted in the dismantling or selling of solar divisions across the country.

The consequence of this was that – between 1978 and 2005 – the American share of the global solar market dropped from 95% to about 9%. Sure would be nice to have that back.

By contrast, Japan – with an economy about half the size of the U.S. – had about a 50% global share of the solar industry by 2005. So why were they able to flourish as the U.S. fell apart?

Jerneck believes their success is due to their strong hold on semiconductor and electronics markets when the industry was in its infancy, which progressed without interference of corporate governance looking to make a quick buck. 

In Japan, manufacturers were shielded from the type of financial turbulence that was occurring in the U.S. at the same time. Investment into manufacturing was expanded and Japan’s share of the market grew.

With <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-executive-order/">environmental regulations</a> and alternative energy in the news so often these days, this study is also an important look into carbon mitigation strategies. Jerneck finds that while a carbon tax could make low carbon industries – such as solar – more competitive, many companies will end up failing, as innovation is always uncertain.

In other words, a simple carbon tax isn’t enough to make these new technologies competitive in the U.S. market. Instead, this study advocates for policies that bring productive and financial capital together in order to improve the future of the alternative energy industry.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Solar industry financialization may have cost U.S. a global share

A new study from the American Association for the Advancement...

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

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="azuyrKX0g6-2167653-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a>&nbsp; describes how Earth-observing satellites give us the ability to track sea level rise with unprecedented accuracy.&nbsp;



"Thirty years ago, scientists and engineers launched a new satellite to study the rising and falling of seas over time, a task that once could only be done from the coast. TOPEX/Poseidon rocketed into space on August 10, 1992, and started a 30-year record of ocean surface height around the world," says NASA.



Analysis of the TOPEX data confirmed that sea levels are rising at an increasingly fast pace. The observations have revealed that the global acreage sea level has risen 10.1 centimeters (3.98 inches) since 1992.&nbsp;



"Starting with TOPEX/Poseidon, NASA and partner space agencies have flown a continuous series of satellites that use radar altimeters to monitor ocean surface topography - essentially, the vertical shape and height of the ocean."&nbsp;



"Radar altimeters continually send out pulses of radio waves (microwaves) that reflect off the ocean surface back toward the satellite. The instruments calculate the time it takes for the signal to return, while also tracking the precise location of the satellite in space. From this, scientists derive the height of the sea surface directly underneath the satellite," explains NASA.



The collective satellite record of sea level rise is now long enough that it is possible for experts to identify changes beyond seasonal or natural variation.&nbsp;



“With 30 years of data, we can finally see what a huge impact we have on the Earth’s climate,” said Josh Willis, an oceanographer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The rise of sea level caused by human interference with the climate now dwarfs the natural cycles. And it is happening faster and faster every decade.”



“What stands out from the satellite altimetry record is that the rise over 30 years is about ten times bigger than the natural exchange of water between ocean and land in a year. In other words, the human-caused rise in global sea level is now ten times bigger than the natural cycles.”



Image/Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



Joshua Stevens, using TOPEX/Poseidon data courtesy of Josh Willis/JPL-Caltech



---



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

Satellites confirm: sea level rise is picking up speed

[sendtonews key="azuyrKX0g6-2167653-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="UN3EsNjPIM-2080637-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Patagonia, which includes Argentina and Chile at the southern tip of South America. The region is known for its rugged beauty, with an abundance of glaciers and dramatic mountain peaks.&nbsp;



"Covering an area of around 673,000 square kilometers, Patagonia is split by Argentina and Chile," reports ESA. "The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains, with lakes, fjords, rainforests and glaciers in the west and deserts and tablelands to the east."



"The island archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, located at the southern tip of Patagonia, is shared by Argentina and Chile, with the eastern part of the main island belonging to Argentina and the southern point of the archipelago, which forms Cape Horn, belonging to Chile. The Strait of Magellan, named after the discoverer, lies between Tierra del Fuego and mainland Argentina."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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

Patagonia: the southernmost region of South America

[sendtonews key="UN3EsNjPIM-2080637-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Satellite,In,Orbit,Among,Space,Debris-3d,Illustration

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="UDCe5tPkYU-2117454-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the topic of space debris. How long does it take for space junk to break down, or - does it ever really break down?



There are several different types of debris in space, including natural meteoroids and orbital debris (anything sent to space by humans).&nbsp;



The unusual environment of space means that debris does not break down the same way it would on Earth. Estimates suggest that there are more than 100 million pieces of space junk. While much of these pieces are quite small, the Space Surveillance Network is currently tracking nearly 40,000 objects larger than a softball.&nbsp;



Regardless of its size, space debris is traveling at approximately 17,500 miles per hour, which makes potential collisions very dangerous.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS



---



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

What really happens to millions of pieces of space debris?

[sendtonews key="UDCe5tPkYU-2117454-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

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

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="NI7Vm4m68S-1656140-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario - captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission.&nbsp;



According to ESA, the lakes represent the largest surface of freshwater in the world with a combined area of around 244,000 square kilometers, covering an area larger than the United Kingdom.



The lakes were formed around 100,000 years ago, when a massive ice sheet and giant glaciers transformed the landscape across most of Canada and part of the United States. As the ice melted, holes left behind from glaciers filled with meltwater and formed thousands of lakes. 



Huron is one of the five American great lakes and one of the largest freshwater lakes. It forms a natural border between the American state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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

The Great Lakes of North America

[sendtonews key="NI7Vm4m68S-1656140-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. This region is one of the most famous places on the planet for viewing wildlife.



The Galápagos Islands are home to many native plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, including giant tortoises and sea lions.&nbsp;



When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835, his wildlife observations inspired the theory of evolution by natural selection. In 1959, the Ecuadorian government made the entire archipelago a national park to protect its unique diversity.



The archipelago is made up of 13 major islands and several smaller islands and islets across 60,000 square kilometers of ocean. According to ESA, repeated volcanic eruptions and ongoing seismic activity have helped form the rugged mountain landscape of the islands. The most populated islands of Galapagos are San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Isabela.



The largest of the Galapagos Islands, Isabela, was formed from the joining of six shield volcanoes - Ecuador, Wolf, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul. Volcanic activity persisted in the Galapagos for at least 20 million years, and possibly&nbsp; even longer. The archipelago is characterized by large contemporaneous volcanoes - some with plume magma sources, others from the asthenosphere. 



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

The Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific

Today's Video of the Day from the European Space Agency...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="DIXeG0FvEM-1574125-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. The metropolitan area of Perth is a 125-kilometer region along the coast that stretches from Two Rocks in the north to Singleton in the south.



Prior to European colonization, the area was inhabited by the Whadjuk Noongar people for over 40,000 years. At that time, Perth was called Boorloo by the Aboriginals. The official estimation of the Greater Perth population as of June 2017 is 2,050,138 people. 



West Perth is an inner suburb of the city. Formerly an exclusive suburb for wealthy merchants and politicians, it is now part of the inner mixed zone, and has predominantly office blocks which displaced residential buildings.



Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world. Brisbane, the nearest city, is about 2,000 kilometers away. It is also the world's sunniest capital city - with almost 8 hours of sunshine a day. The climate is a combination of Californian and Mediterranean climates, including mild winters and hot, dry summers.



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

The city of Perth in Western Australia

[sendtonews key="DIXeG0FvEM-1574125-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="eAwSlxGPZC-2094572-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. The false-color image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"The Canary Islands are a group of ocean island volcanoes that were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. The Spanish region and archipelago is located around 100 km off the north coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula," says ESA.



"The eight main islands are (in order of largest to smallest in area) Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa. The archipelago also includes many smaller islands and islets."



Lanzarote is the third most populous Canary Island, with a population of 150,000, and is also the easternmost island in the archipelago.



"Lanzarote has a long history of eruptions and is often referred to as the ‘Island of the 1000 volcanoes,' yet it is actually the least mountainous Canarian Island," reports ESA.



"The highest mountain is the volcano Peñas del Chache near Haría in the northern part of the island, which is 670 m above sea level. The Timanfaya National Park can be seen in the southwest part of the island and is entirely made up of volcanic soil."



Fuerteventura Island is the second largest of the Canaries. It is also the oldest, emerging between 12 and 20 million years ago.



"The island is fairly flat and has a desert landscape of sand and stones as well as long beaches," says ESA. "The center of the island is made up of a wide, elongated valley and, from north to south, is dissected by a series of extinct, eroded volcanoes. The west coast is dotted with rugged cliffs and small bays."



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

Fuerteventura and Lanzarote of the Canary Islands

[sendtonews key="eAwSlxGPZC-2094572-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="b3yIdenGyb-1803835-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The archipelago consists of eight main islands including Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma, as well as many small islands and islets. The Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp;



Tenerife is dominated by Mount Teide, the third largest volcano in the world. Teide National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is located in the center of the island. Tourists flock to the beaches of Tenerife, which have sand that ranges in color from golden yellow to black.&nbsp;



"Owing to the island’s diverse topography and unique climatic factors, Tenerife has multiple microclimates, which means that the weather can vary drastically from one part of the island to the other," says ESA.



"Weather and climate are heavily influenced by the trade winds blowing from the northeast for most of the year, bringing humidity and precipitation to the north of the island, as well as to the northern slopes of Mount Teide."&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency



---



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

Tenerife in the Canary Islands

[sendtonews key="b3yIdenGyb-1803835-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="nnFRMoxfJX-1822440-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> explores how rising sea levels and increasing levels of salinity are impacting coastal wetlands.



The salinity of ocean water is 400 times that of fresh water, and the salt water that is left behind after an ocean intrusion can lead to intolerable salt levels for the plants and animals in a wetland ecosystem.&nbsp;



The Discovery Files video focuses on the work of Dr. Sparkle Malone, a professor in the Department of Biological Science at Florida International University.&nbsp;



In the Florida Everglades, Dr. Malone is taking measurements to assess how plants and animals are responding to changes in salt levels. High salt levels reduce vegetation cover and have a negative effect on productivity throughout the entire wetland ecosystem.&nbsp;



Video &amp; Image Credit: National Science Foundation/Florida International University



---



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

Coastal wetlands are threatened by salt water intrusion

[sendtonews key="nnFRMoxfJX-1822440-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="isBvsReV7u-2073751-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes the science behind the distillation process. Liquor is produced through the distillation of fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have gone through alcoholic fermentation.



"Distilling liquor might be a relatively simple process - heating a fermented liquid and keeping only the boiled alcohol - but it is dangerous and illegal without a license," reports ACS. "To extract only alcohol from a mixture of many ingredients, scientists must explore boiling points and the intermolecular forces that shape them."



Video Credit: ACS



---



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

Can liquor be distilled at home?

[sendtonews key="isBvsReV7u-2073751-12187" 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) features 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="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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

Tobacco,Plantation,By,Agriculturist,In,Village,Farm,With,Beautiful,Sky

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

Engineering plants 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="b48nhjQ1oE-1879411-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Italian city of Carrara, which is known around the world for its prestigious marble. Carrara is located on the Carrione River in northern Tuscany about 130 kilometers from Florence.&nbsp;



"The city is famous for its white or blue-grey marble, called Carrara, taken from nearby quarries in the Apuan Alps, a mountain range that stretches for approximately 55 kilometers and reaching around 2,000 meters high," reports ESA. "What appears as snow cover on the rugged mountains is actually bright white marble, contrasting with Tuscany’s lush green vegetation."



According to ESA, Carrara marble is one of the most prestigious marbles in the world, and its quarries produce more marble than any other place on Earth. The famous stone was formed by calcite-rich shells that were left behind by marine organisms after they died.&nbsp;



"When water bodies evaporate, the deposited remains form limestone, and when buried under multi-tonne layers of rock, the intense heat and pressure cause the limestone to metamorphose into marble," explains ESA.



"The special quality of the Carrara marble has made it a popular resource for many famous sculptures, including Michelangelo’s Pietà, and has been used for some of the most remarkable buildings in Ancient Rome, including the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column."



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



---



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

Carrara, Italy and its world famous marble

[sendtonews key="b48nhjQ1oE-1879411-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Aerial,View,Of,Amazon,Rainforest,In,Brazil,,South,America.,Green

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="VEulWWHIEY-1728998-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features a satellite view of the Amazon River in the rainforest of South America.



The Amazon River flows more than 4,000 miles from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean on the northeast coast of Brazil, passing through six countries along the way.



With its source high in the Peruvian Andes, the river runs through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.&nbsp;



The Amazon is considered the widest river in the world. It also has the largest drainage system, with more than 1,100 tributaries. These rivers provide a range of habitats for various types of wildlife, including swamps, marshes and streams.



According to WWF, it is estimated that approximately one-sixth of all the freshwater that drains into the world’s oceans goes through the Amazon delta, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp; During what many archaeologists called the formative stage, Amazonian societies were deeply involved in the emergence of South America’s highland agrarian systems.



The trade with Andean civilizations in the terrains of the headwaters in the Andes formed an essential contribution to the social and religious development of higher-altitude civilizations like the Muisca and Incas.



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

The Amazon River in South America

[sendtonews key="VEulWWHIEY-1728998-12187" 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="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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="IyNfvTtmHi-2033357-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes the dangers of gas stoves, which can produce levels of indoor pollution that are higher than outdoor pollution levels. 



According to ACS, gas stoves emit small amounts of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter such as PM2.5. These pollutants are smaller than dust particles, and can travel deep into the human respiratory tract. Cooking with gas also creates "ultrafine particles" that are up to 1,000 times smaller than PM2.5. 



There are many factors that influence how much particulate matter is produced from a gas stove, such as the temperature of the heat and the type of cookware being used. 



To reduce indoor pollution in your home, the EPA recommends using an exhaust fan above your gas stove that is vented to the outdoors.

Gas stoves create dangerous levels of indoor pollution

[sendtonews key="IyNfvTtmHi-2033357-12187" 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="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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