The Mediterranean has long been a crossroads of trade and tourism, yet its deepest pocket, the Calypso Deep, seemed beyond the reach of day-to-day pollution. 



That hope ended earlier this year when researchers reported plastic bags, glass shards, and crumpled cans resting 16,770 feet beneath the waves in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionian_Sea" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ionian Sea</a>.



Their survey logged 167 items on the trench floor - 148 confirmed pieces of marine litter and 19 more that almost certainly came from people. 



By any measure, it is one of the densest concentrations of trash ever recorded in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-ocean-buffet-big-fish-are-surprisingly-reliant-on-the-twilight-zone/">dark zone</a> of the ocean.



The discovery arrives as global attention continues to focus on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprise-study-some-scientists-call-for-halting-ocean-plastic-cleanup-efforts/">plastic waste</a>. 



Videos of snagged sea turtles and bottle-strewn beaches have already ignited public concern, but those images barely hint at what sinks far below the reach of sunlight.



Now evidence from Calypso Deep shows that even the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/calypso" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mediterranean’s farthest recesses</a> are filling up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calypso-deep-is-full-of-plastic-waste">Calypso Deep is full of plastic waste</h2>



The team used the submersible <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSV_Limiting_Factor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Limiting Factor</a> to reach the bottom of a kidney-shaped trench roughly 12.4 miles long and 3.1 miles across. 



During a 43-minute trek near the seafloor of the Calypso Deep, cameras captured thousands of objects per square mile, mostly plastic waste discarded by humans.



A single straight-line pass of 2,130 feet was enough to confirm that human trash blankets large stretches of the basin. Most pieces were flexible plastics; glass, metal, and paper rounded out the list. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_study-map_UBarcelona_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_study-map_UBarcelona_1s.webp" alt="(A) General location of the Calypso Deep (box) in the Ionian Sea. PP: Peloponnese Peninsula. (B) Close up and general bathymetry of Calypso Deep (box) and surrounding area. For depth ranges, see color scale. (C) Detailed bathymetry of Calypso Deep with depth contours in meters. The position of the deepest point is indicated by the white dot, while the dive area is indicated by the red dot. Credit: University of Barcelona" class="wp-image-1976573"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(A) General location of the Calypso Deep (box) in the Ionian Sea. PP: Peloponnese Peninsula. (B) Close up and general bathymetry of Calypso Deep (box) and surrounding area. For depth ranges, see color scale. (C) Detailed bathymetry of Calypso Deep with depth contours in meters. The position of the deepest point is indicated by the white dot, while the dive area is indicated by the red dot. Click image to enlarge. Credit: University of Barcelona</figcaption></figure>



Even without animals caught on camera, the piles raise alarms because deep-sea communities recover slowly from disturbance.



Calypso Deep lies about 37 miles west of the Peloponnese coast inside the Hellenic Trench, a zone of steep, stepped walls prone to earthquakes. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-waste-rides-currents">Plastic waste rides currents</h2>



Weak currents, usually under 0.8 inches per second and rarely reaching 7 inches per second, let debris settle instead of sweeping it away.



“It comes from various sources, both terrestrial and marine. It could have arrived by various routes, including long-distance transport by ocean currents or direct dumping,” explains <a href="https://web.ub.edu/en/web/directori/?accio=SEL&amp;id=v759w8s35bo5v72r&amp;lang=ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Miquel Canals</a>, professor at the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics at the University of Barcelona.



“Some light waste, such as plastics, comes from the coast and escapes to Calypso Deep, just about 37 miles away. Certain plastics, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-bag-bans-have-drastically-reduced-ocean-pollution/">like bags</a>, drift just above the seabed until they are partially or completely buried or break down into smaller fragments," Canals continued.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_litter-photos_UBarcelona_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_litter-photos_UBarcelona_1s.webp" alt="Examples of identified litter items with category attribution per material type (cf. Table 2). (A) Plastic bag, J3. (B) Plastic heavy-duty sack, J36. (C) Plastic sheet, J67. (D) Plastic food container made of hard plastic, J225. (E) Plastic heavy-duty sack, J36. (F) Plastic bag, J3 (G) Cups and lids of hard plastic, J227. (H) Plastic rope &gt; 1 cm in diameter, J49. (I) Paper cartons/Tetrapak (non-milk), J151. (J) Metal drink can, J175. (K) Glass bottle. Note sediment shadow with side scouring downwards of the bottle J200. (L) Plastic drink bottle. Credit: University of Barcelona" class="wp-image-1976569"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Examples of identified litter items with category attribution per material type. (A) Plastic bag, J3. (B) Plastic heavy-duty sack, J36. (C) Plastic sheet, J67. (D) Plastic food container made of hard plastic, J225. (E) Plastic heavy-duty sack, J36. (F) Plastic bag, J3 (G) Cups and lids of hard plastic, J227. (H) Plastic rope > 1 cm in diameter, J49. (I) Paper cartons/Tetrapak (non-milk), J151. (J) Metal drink can, J175. (K) Glass bottle. Note sediment shadow with side scouring downwards of the bottle J200. (L) Plastic drink bottle. Click image to enlarge. Credit: University of Barcelona</figcaption></figure>



Rivers, wind, and ship traffic all feed the stream of refuse heading offshore. As algae and other organisms cling to floating polymers, the added weight turns buoyant scraps into sinking hazards. The trench’s closed shape then locks the pieces in place.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calypso-deep-as-a-plastic-graveyard">Calypso Deep as a plastic graveyard</h2>



Surface eddies often corral floating trash into the trench. When these eddies form over the Calypso Trench, some debris slowly falls to the bottom, aided by degradation and ballasting processes that increase its density. 



Surface currents can also carry debris northward from the Adriatic Sea through the Strait of Otranto and from waters off northwestern Greece. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_3D-model_UBarcelona_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marine-trash_Calypso-Deep-region_Mediterranean_3D-model_UBarcelona_1s.webp" alt="(A) 3D model generated from a subset of video frames by reference to a litter item of known size shown in B. The white dashed line in A represents the camera frames along the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor moving path, whereas the red dashed line represents the frames counted between two items identified on the seabed. (B) Accumulation of litter items in the inner Calypso Deep with a litter item of known size (12 cm) used as a reference for 3D model generation. Credit: University of Barcelona" class="wp-image-1976567"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(A) 3D model generated from a subset of video frames by reference to a litter item of known size shown in B. The white dashed line in A represents the camera frames along the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor moving path, whereas the red dashed line represents the frames counted between two items identified on the seabed. (B) Accumulation of litter items in the inner Calypso Deep with a litter item of known size (12 cm) used as a reference for 3D model generation. Click image to enlarge. Credit: University of Barcelona</figcaption></figure>



The same circular flows that drive marine life cycles are now channeling waste into permanent graveyards at the very bottom of Earth's deepest bodies of water.



<a href="https://web.ub.edu/ca/web/actualitat/w/a-sea-of-rubbish-ocean-floor-landfills-?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earlier work in 2021</a> showed the Strait of Messina carrying the world’s heaviest load of undersea garbage, confirming that the Mediterranean is especially at risk.



“We have also found evidence of boats dumping bags of rubbish, indicated by piles of assorted waste followed by an almost straight furrow," said Canals, expressing his frustration.



That is why the bottom of the Calypso Deep is littered with humans' plastic waste, and also why the problem will do nothing but continue to worsen.



"Unfortunately, when it comes to the Mediterranean, it is fair to say that ‘not a single inch of it is clean.’”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-do-we-go-from-here">Where do we go from here?</h2>



Unlike beaches and coastlines, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/99-percent-of-the-deep-ocean-floor-has-still-never-been-seen-by-humans/">ocean floor</a> remains largely out of sight, making it difficult to build social and political momentum for its conservation. 



Yet what settles at the bottom can influence marine life, food webs, fisheries, climate feedback loops, and even geological stability.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-mediterranean-nearly-lost-all-of-its-water-6-million-years-ago/">The Mediterranean</a> is an enclosed sea, surrounded by humanity, with intense maritime traffic and widespread fishing activity.



“Scientists, communicators, journalists, influencers - everyone with a platform - must work together. The problem is vast, even if it is not directly visible, and we cannot ignore it," Canals implored.



The trail of refuse from shorelines to Calypso Deep underlines a plain truth: plastics and other debris do not vanish once tossed aside. They ride currents, sink in stages, and ultimately collect in the planet’s most secluded hollows. 



The evidence provided by this research should galvanize global efforts - especially in the Mediterranean - to curb dumping, particularly of plastics, in line with the pending <a href="https://www.globalplasticlaws.org/un-global-plastics-treaty" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UN Global Plastics Treaty</a>.



From the North Atlantic’s first recorded litter in 1975 to the record densities documented across the Mediterranean today, the pattern remains the same - human waste reaches everywhere water flows.



We must do more, we must do better, and we must do it now.



-----



Thanks to the leaders of this research team - Miquel Canals of the <a href="https://web.ub.edu/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Barcelona</a>, Georg Hanke of the European Commission’s <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/about/departments-and-executive-agencies/joint-research-centre_en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joint Research Centre</a>, François Galgani of <a href="https://www.ifremer.fr/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IFREMER</a>, and Victor Vescovo of <a href="https://caladanoceanic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caladan Oceanic</a>



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X25000852">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.



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Scientists make disturbing discovery on the deepest parts of the seafloor: 'Not a single inch of it is clean'

The Mediterranean has long been a crossroads of trade and tourism, yet its deepest pocket, the Calypso Deep, seemed beyond the reach of day-to-day pollution. That hope ended earlier this year when researchers reported plastic bags, glass shards, and crumpled cans resting 16,770 feet beneath the waves in the Ionian Sea. Their survey logged 167 items on the trench floor - 148 confirmed pieces of marine litter and 19 more that almost certainly came from people. By any measure, it is one of the densest concentrations of...

In the past, melting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lakes-on-the-greenland-ice-sheet-are-draining-in-the-winter/">ice</a> sheets pushed up the sea level by as much as 18 meters, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a>. The experts found that the sea level rose by about 6 meters per century during past warming events.

The research provides new insight into the potential consequences of climate change, especially if it continues at the current rate without mitigation. 

The team analyzed geological records of past ocean levels to determine which ice sheets were responsible for rapid sea-level rise. The investigation revealed that at the end of the last ice age around 14,600 years ago, the sea level rose at ten times the current rate due to Meltwater Pulse 1A (MWP-1A).

Prior to this analysis, it was widely believed that the Antarctic Ice Sheet was responsible for rapid sea-level rise at the end of the last ice age. The new study shows that most of the meltwater appears to have originated from the former North American and Eurasian ice sheets, with minimal contribution from Antarctica.

"Despite being identified over 30 years ago, it has been surprisingly challenging to determine which ice sheet was the major contributor to this dramatic rise in sea levels," said study lead author Yucheng Lin.

"Previously, scientists tried to work out the source of the sea-level rise based on sea-level data from the tropics, but the majority of those studies disagreed with geological records of ice sheet change."

"Our study includes novel information from lakes around the coast of Scotland that were isolated from the ocean due to land uplift following the retreat of the British Ice Sheet, allowing us to confidently identify the meltwater sources."

The freshwater that dumped into the ocean was comparable to melting an ice sheet twice the size of Greenland in only 500 years. The event disrupted ocean circulation, which in turn modified the climate. 

Now that experts know the source of the meltwater, they can improve the accuracy of climate models that are used to predict future changes based on the past. The findings are particularly important with the rapid retreat of the Greenland ice sheet.

"The technique we have used allows us to really dig into the error bars on the data and explore which ice-melt scenarios were most likely," explained study co-author Dr. Pippa Whitehouse.

"We found that most of the rapid sea-level rise was due to ice sheet melt across North America and Scandinavia, with a surprisingly small contribution from Antarctica.

"The next big question is to work out what triggered the ice melt, and what impact the massive influx of meltwater had on ocean currents in the North Atlantic. This is very much on our minds today - any disruption to the Gulf Stream, for example due to melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, will have significant consequences for the UK climate."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The sea level rose by 18 meters after the last ice age

In the past, melting ice sheets pushed up the sea...

For the first time, researchers have confirmed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-northern-lakes-will-permanently-lose-their-ice-cover/">lakes</a> on the Greenland Ice Sheet drain enormous amounts of water, even during the wintertime. The new study from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> raises new concerns about how fast the ice sheet is flowing into the ocean. 

The investigation was focused on radar data from a European Space Agency satellite. The experts found that even without heat from the Sun, lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet often discharge large amounts of water to the base of the ice sheet. 

The "drainage events" are thought to play a significant role in accelerating the movement of the ice by lubricating it from below.

"Glaciers slow down in the winter, but they're still moving," said study co-author Dr. Ian Willis. "It must be this movement that causes fractures to develop in certain places allowing some lakes to drain." 

"We don't yet know how widespread this winter lake drainage phenomenon is, but it could have important implications for the Greenland Ice Sheet, as well as elsewhere in the Arctic and Antarctic."

The experts developed a new approach to detect changes in the lakes during the winter, when Greenland is in near-total darkness. This method uses the radar "backscatter," which is the reflection of waves back to the satellite from where they were emitted.

The study revealed that even in the depths of the Arctic winter, large amounts of surface lake water periodically cascade to the base of the ice sheet.

"One of the unknowns in terms of predicting the future of the ice sheet is how fast the glaciers move - whether they will speed up and if so, by how much," said Dr. Willis.

"The key control on how fast the glaciers move is the amount of meltwater getting to the bottom of the ice sheet, which is where our work comes in."

Lakes form on the Greenland Ice each summer. While the lakes can persist for weeks or even months, they can also drain in a matter of hours due to hydrofracturing. 

The draining lakes transfer millions of cubic meters of water and heat to the base of the ice sheet. According to the experts, affected areas include sensitive regions of the ice sheet interior where the impact on ice flow is potentially large.

"It's always been thought that these lakes drained only in the summer, simply because it's warmer and the sun causes the ice to melt," said study co-author Corinne Benedek. 

"In the winter, it's dark and the surfaces freeze. We thought that the filling of the lakes is what caused their eventual drainage, but it turns out that isn't always the case."

The researchers analyzed data from the Sentinel-1 satellite, which uses a type of radar called synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Over three winters, the team identified six lakes which appeared to drain over the winter months. 

"The first lake I found was surprising," said Benedek. "It took me a while to be sure that what I thought I was seeing was really what I was seeing." 

"We used surface elevation data from before and after the events to confirm what we were thinking. We know now that drainage of lakes during the winter is something that can happen, but we don't yet know how often it happens."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/">The Cryosphere</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet are draining in the winter

For the first time, researchers have confirmed that lakes on...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-have-a-memory-of-drought/">Plants</a> play a major role in cycling toxic mercury through the environment. This discovery was made by researchers at the <a href="https://www.uml.edu/">University of Massachusetts Lowell</a> while they were studying mercury gas in the atmosphere. The team found that a large amount of mercury is absorbed by plants and then deposited into soils.

Each year, hundreds of tons of mercury are emitted into the atmosphere from industrial activities, such as burning coal and mining, and also from natural processes.

Mercury emissions are absorbed by plants in a process that is similar to how they take up carbon dioxide. After the plants shed their leaves or die, and the mercury is transferred into soils, it can make its way into watersheds where it becomes a threat to wildlife and people who eat contaminated fish.

Study lead author Professor Daniel Obrist is an expert on mercury cycling within the environment. He explained that exposure to high levels of mercury over long periods of time can lead to neurological and cardiovascular problems in humans.

For the current investigation, the researchers analyzed more than 200 published studies with data on mercury levels in vegetation across more than 400 sites worldwide.

The analysis revealed that about 88 percent of the mercury found in plants was absorbed from the atmosphere. According to study co-author Jun Zhou, vegetation can take up more than 1,300 tons of mercury each year globally, which accounts for 60 to 90 percent of that which is deposited over land.

"When I walk outside here in New England, I am always amazed at the greenness of our forest, grasslands and salt marshes," said Professor Obrist. "One goal of my research is to determine how strongly vegetation controls the cycling of elements - some of which can be toxic pollutants - so we can better mitigate damaging effects."

Zhou noted that the research moves scientists toward a greater understanding of how mercury cycling works.

"Researchers have worked on the role that vegetation plays on cycling of mercury for over 30 years now, but the full extent of these impacts are still not yet fully realized," said Zhou.

"It was timely to write this comprehensive review and communicate to colleagues and the public about the current state of knowledge in this area."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natrevearthenviron/">Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plants play a major role in mercury cycling

Plants play a major role in cycling toxic mercury through...

The cost of invasive species to human society totaled at least $1.28 trillion from 1970 to 2017, and the damage is tripling every decade, according to researchers at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a>. The experts report that in 2017 alone, the cost of invasive species hit $162.7 billion.

Invasive species have damaged crop yields, critical national infrastructure, and human health. However, these damages are not sufficiently recognized by policy makers or the public. 

The researchers analyzed thousands of cost estimates to calculate the annual economic losses tied to invasive species. These annual costs are expected to rise into the trillions in the coming years due to the increasing frequency of biological invasions.

Study lead author Dr. Christophe Diagne is an invasion ecologist at the University Paris-Saclay. He said that his team has created a reliable, standardized catalog of the economic costs caused by biological invasions to help clarify the importance of effective management policies going forward.

"This trillion-dollar bill doesn't show any sign of slowing down, with a consistent threefold increase per decade," said Dr. Diagne.

"Our annual global estimates signify the huge economic burden, with the average cost exceeding the gross domestic product of 50 countries on the African continent in 2017, and it's more than 20 times higher than the total funds available for the World Health Organization and UN combined."

Professor Corey Bradshaw noted that biological invasions are increasingly exacerbated by globalization and climate change, but no government is prepared to manage the crisis without substantial costs. "We found that costs roughly doubled every 6 years, a pattern that mimics the continuous increase in the number of alien species worldwide."

Despite the enormous impacts associated with biological invasions, the public remains largely unaware of these threats. For example, invasive species are the second biggest driver of extinctions.

"The global costs of invasive alien species are so massive that we spent months verifying our models and this overall estimate, to insure we were not exaggerating," said Dr. Diagne. "As it turns out, our very conservative approach is in fact a massive underestimation of the actual economic costs".

"The trend can be explained by a combination of factors: the ongoing intensification of global trade and transport creates many more opportunities for invasions; the growing 'land take' of the planet surface, for example, expansion of agriculture and infrastructure, makes our societies sensitive to impacts from these invasions."

The researchers warn that the costs in both developed and developing economies are soaring, and will continue to do so unless governments coordinate effective international policies to reduce the risks. 

"That's why we're calling for international policy agreements that aim to reduce the burden of invasive species," said Professor Bradshaw.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Invasive species have racked up more than $1.28 trillion in damages

The cost of invasive species to human society totaled at...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> reveals that tilapias do not die in stressful conditions like most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warm-river-habitats-are-important-for-cold-water-fish/">fish</a>. Instead, these resilient animals survive in rough environments by stunting their growth and carrying on with their lives in dwarf form.

In stressful environments like crowded aquaculture ponds, tilapias adapt so well that they stop growing and reproduce at a smaller size.

"Tilapia and other fish in the Cichlidae family do not spawn 'earlier' than other fishes, as it is commonly believed. Rather, they are uncommonly tolerant of stressful environmental conditions which, however, elevate their oxygen demand," explained study lead author Upali S. Amarasinghe of the University of Kelaniya.

Just like all fish, tilapias need more oxygen to sustain bodily functions when their metabolism increases. However, the gills eventually reach a point where they cannot supply enough oxygen for a larger body, so the fish either dies or just stops growing.

Study co-author Daniel Pauly is the principal investigator of the Sea Around Us initiative at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. 

"Gill surface area grows in two dimensions, that is, length and width, but they cannot keep up with bodies that grow in three dimensions - length, width and depth," said Pauly.

"As fish get bigger, their gills provide less oxygen per unit of body weight. Thus, to stay alive in stressful conditions, which increase their oxygen demand, fish have to remain smaller. This theme is further developed in what I called the Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory."

For tilapias, the stress they experience in their environment is compounded by the stress of their gills not keeping with the increasing oxygen demand of their growing bodies. The subsequent cascade of hormones triggers maturation and spawning at smaller sizes than what would occur under optimal conditions.

The experts noted that the spawning does not simply occur at a younger age, as the fish's growth process has already ended.

For their investigation, the researchers analyzed the maximum lengths reached among nine different fish species, including tilapia and other cichlids, in lakes and aquaculture ponds across the world. Overall, the team studied 41 populations of fish in places like Brazil, Uganda, Egypt, and Hong Kong.

When they looked at the ratio between the maximum lengths these fishes can reach and their lengths when they reproduce for the first time, they found it was the same for tilapias that has been previously identified in other fish.

"This ratio tells us that tilapias in stressful conditions don't spawn 'earlier,' they just adjust their size downward, but their life cycle continues," said Amarasinghe.

"These findings will matter to fish farmers, notably in Asia, whose ponds are often full of wildly reproducing, small tilapia for which there is no market," noted Pauly.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.asianfisheriessociety.org/publication/">Asian Fisheries Science</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tilapias stunt their own growth to survive stressful conditions

A new study from the University of British Columbia reveals...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> are urging for further investigation into the potential environmental impacts of sunscreen, particularly on the world's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/do-coral-reefs-depend-on-poop-from-their-predators/">coral reefs</a>.

While it is known that UV-filter compounds have toxic effects on marine life, studies in this area are limited and do not account for certain variables, such as differences in environmental conditions.

"Given the declining status of coral reef ecosystems and the many stressors they already face, it is important to identify the potential occurrence and toxicological risks associated with UV-filter exposure to reef ecosystems," said Dr. Brett Sallach. "Our research aimed to identify what research was out there and what gaps we had in our knowledge." 

"Importantly we needed to understand what areas could be considered priority for future attention in order to understand the impacts of these products, and hopefully prevent any further damage to the environment."

"Undoubtedly products that can help protect against the harmful effects of UV radiation on human health are hugely important, and therefore we need reliable and extensive evidence to suggest any changes or scaling back of these products."

The researchers consulted with experts in the field of marine UV-filter exposure to understand the limitations of current research and what areas need urgent attention.

The team found that the majority of research on UV-filter compounds has been focused on freshwater ecosystems. 

The analysis also revealed that environmental conditions can either increase or decrease the response that organisms have to toxic elements, which means that the true risks of sunscreen exposure are not yet known. According to the researchers, coral reefs will require long-term monitoring.

"We make four recommendations for priority research areas going forward, based on our consultation with experts. We need more work in the area of understanding UV-filter toxicity under different climate conditions, and long-term study into exposure and recovery of coral reefs," said study lead author Yasmine Watkins.

"We also need to know realistic exposure to these compounds and how long they exist in the marine environment, to determine what the 'safe' limits are."

The researchers aim to highlight these priority areas to better inform regulators and policy makers to improve conservation and management of coral reefs.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15513793">Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management</a>

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How is sunscreen impacting coral reefs?

Experts at the University of York are urging for further...

In a new study from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>,  researchers have discovered that murrelets use eavesdropping to choose the best breeding locations. 

The experts played back recorded bird calls in <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/earths-forests-are-becoming-younger-and-smaller/">forests</a> and found that as the seabirds selected their breeding sites, they were strongly influenced by whether they heard other murrelets in the area.

With murrelet populations in a state decline, the research indicates that recovery could be hindered by the lack of nearby birds to provide information about where to nest.

Study lead author Jonathon Valente is a postdoctoral researcher with the College of Forestry's Oregon Marbled Murrelet Project.

"The odds that marbled murrelets would consider nesting at sites where we broadcast murrelet calls were many times greater than at sites where we didn't," said Valente.

Unlike their close relatives, puffins and murres, marbled murrelets raise their young as far as 60 miles inland in old-growth forests.

"There aren't many species like it," said study co-author Jim Rivers. "In fact, there's no other bird that feeds in the ocean and commutes such long distances to inland nest sites. This behavior is really unusual and it makes this species especially challenging to study."

In 2016, the OSU team broadcasted bird calls at 14 potential breeding sites during mating season. Between the rounds of simulated calls, the experts recorded wild murrelet calls at the sites. These call rates were compared with rates at control sites where no recorded calls were broadcast.

The simulated calls increased the odds of recording wild murrelet calls by as much as 15 times. The scientists theorized that these were young "prospecting" birds, on the lookout for new nesting sites.

The researchers were surprised to discover that these prospectors remembered the locations of the experimental sites the following breeding season - nearly a year after the broadcasted calls had ceased. 

The likelihood of murrelets occupying a site during the 2017 breeding season was 10 times greater if the recorded calls were played there the previous year.

"That means it would likely be a good idea for conservation managers to consider broadcasting vocalizations to encourage murrelets to nest in unused, high-quality habitat," said study co-author Matt Betts. "And because murrelets are attracted to other murrelets, protecting areas adjacent to known nesting sites may also be an effective conservation approach."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/auk">Ornithology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Murrelets rely on each other to find breeding sites

In a new study from Oregon State University,  researchers have...

The Biden administration has unveiled a progressive initiative to expand wind farms off the East Coast. The announcement comes just days after the U.S. Department of Energy described a new plan to cut the cost of solar energy by 60 percent by the end of this decade.

In one of his very first actions after taking office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the United States to rejoin the Paris climate agreement. The President plans to invest $1.7 trillion over the next ten years in his “clean energy revolution," which aims to decarbonize and transform the U.S. energy sector.

The latest climate goal from the White House, which was introduced on Monday, is for offshore wind farms to generate 30 gigawatts of power by 2030. This would be enough to power more than 10 million American homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">The Washington Post</a>. 

To reach this ambitious goal, President Biden’s national climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters that the administration will speed up the permitting process for offshore wind projects. 

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a fierce advocate for the environment, said the Trump administration had deliberately dragged its feet to give the natural gas industry more time to sell natural gas in New England markets without competition from offshore wind farms. 

But now, as McCarthy told reporters in Monday, the Biden team is "ready to rock-and-roll." She said the initiative is just as much about creating new jobs as it is about generating clean energy, noting that offshore wind projects will lead to “thousands of good-paying union jobs." 

According to a government fact sheet, the new initiative will ultimately create more than 44,000 jobs in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by the farms. 

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Offshore wind initiative pushes Biden's clean energy revolution forward

The Biden administration has unveiled a progressive initiative to expand...

A new study from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">NC State University</a> reveals how the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warm-river-habitats-are-important-for-cold-water-fish/">water</a> cycle is affected by the way that forests are managed. The researchers found that younger trees take up and release less water than mature trees that are ten years or older.

The team tracked water movement in wetland pine forests near the North Carolina coast for 14 years. The findings suggest that managers could adjust the timing of timber harvests to leave older trees alongside new growth to mitigate runoff.

"The water balance, especially in coastal sites, is very important," said study lead author Maricar Aguilos. "We have so much water there. We wanted to understand how land-use changes impact water use and drainage in the forests, as well as how they affect the growth of the trees."

The experts used data from a long-term research project that was designed to understand how pine forests managed for timber and natural hardwood are responding to changing climate conditions. 

For the project, meteorological sensors were placed on towers above the forest canopy. This enabled the researchers to track water flow to and from the site, including during a severe drought in 2007 and 2008. The sensors were also used to track the forests' ability to store carbon. 

"In order to study the response of coastal ecosystems to climate change and sea-level rise, we need long-term observations," said study co-author Professor John King.

"The longer we can let those studies run, the better our data will be, and the more effectively we can help inform policy." 

The current study evaluated how much water the trees use and release as vapor, compared to how much is lost as drainage.

The experts found that younger pine plantations released increasingly higher amounts of water from the evaporation of water from the soil and through transpiration. Mature plantations were found to drain less water than younger pine forests.

"We found that the trees use more water as they mature," said study co-author Ge Sun. "Water use stabilized by about year 10 in the pine forests."

This suggests that clear-cutting a site and replanting it could lead to increased drainage and flooding off the site initially, but the impacts would diminish as the trees grow.

"The mature plantations help to mitigate effects of forest harvesting on drainage at a landscape scale," said Aguilos. "If you harvest to leave trees of different ages, they can help each other."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/agricultural-and-forest-meteorology">Agricultural and Forest Meteorology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Younger trees use up and release less water

A new study from NC State University reveals how the...

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

Plants have a memory of drought

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

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

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

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

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

Coffee waste can help accelerate tropical forest recovery

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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