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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Forever chemicals threaten Arctic wildlife and human health

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

Researchers who have been studying the prevalence of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems are shocked and concerned. The experts measured the extent of plastic pollution washed up on coastlines around the world, and found that the amount of manpower and resources needed to manage this amount of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/removing-plastic-waste-from-aldabra-atoll-would-cost-4-68-million-dollars/">waste</a> is barely even feasible.

The research highlights the accelerating pace with which plastic litter is entering Earth's waterways annually, and the experts acknowledge that it will be very difficult to keep up with this pace.

Study senior author Chelsea Rochman is an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology &amp; Evolutionary Biology at the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a>. 

"Unless growth in plastic production and use is halted, a fundamental transformation of the plastic economy to a framework based on recycling is essential, where end-of-life plastic products are valued rather than becoming waste," said Professor Rochman.

According to study lead author Stephanie Borrelle, even if governments around the world meet their ambitious global commitments, and other countries join those efforts to curb plastic pollution, worldwide annual emissions to rivers, lakes and oceans could be as much as 53 million metric tons by the year 2030.

"That's far beyond the 8 million metric tons amount that was declared unacceptable in 2015," said Borrelle. The team analyzed the level of effort needed to achieve a global reduction target for plastic pollution of less than 8 million metric tons (MT).

The experts initially determined that 24 to 34 million MT of plastic currently enters aquatic ecosystems every year. Next, they modeled future scenarios based on existing mitigation strategies: reducing production of plastic waste, improving management of plastic waste, and continuous recovery from the environment.

The study revealed that even with parallel efforts in all three of these areas, the level of effort required for each is enormous, including a 25 to 40 percent reduction in the overall production of plastic. Waste collection and management would have to be stepped up by at least 60 percent of all economies, while 40 percent of annual plastic emissions would need to be recovered through cleanup efforts.

"To put that last number into people power, the cleanup alone would require at least 1 billion people participating in Ocean Conservancy's annual International Coastal Cleanup," said Borrelle. "This would be a Herculean task given this is 660 times the effort of the 2019 cleanup."

The researchers emphasized that even if the prescribed effort is realized, the world remains locked in an unacceptable plastic future.

"The global community must coordinate a fundamental transformation of the plastics economy, one that reduces the amount of virgin plastic production, and reimagines how we make use and dispose of plastic materials," said Professor Rochman.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation through the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC).

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plastic pollution is outpacing ways to manage it

Researchers who have been studying the prevalence of plastic pollution...

Turtles improve the health of freshwater ecosystems by scavenging <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dams-will-prevent-some-river-fish-from-surviving-climate-change/">fish</a> carcasses, according to a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a>. The research, which was focused on an endangered freshwater turtle species in Australia, suggests that turtles play an unappreciated role in regulating water quality in river systems.

"Humans are increasing the frequency of fish kills by degrading freshwater ecosystems," wrote the study authors. "Simultaneously, scavengers like freshwater turtles are declining globally, including in the Australian Murray-Darling Basin. Reduced scavenging may cause water quality problems impacting both ecosystems and humans."

The researchers set out to investigate whether scavenging by freshwater turtles accelerates decomposition and regulates water quality after a fish is killed. The study was focused on carp carcasses, which give off high concentrations of ammonia as they decompose.

A team led by Dr. Ricky-John Spencer of Western Sydney University conducted experiments in artificial wetlands that were built in tanks containing carp carcasses. The experts introduced four male freshwater turtles of the species Emydura macquarii to some of the artificial wetlands. The carp carcasses were left in each tank until they had either been completely eaten by turtles or had fully decomposed. 

"Fish kills degrade water quality by increasing the concentrations of ammonia and nitrates, and driving phytoplankton and cyanobacteria blooms, which decrease dissolved oxygen concentrations," explained the study authors. "Together, these effects can lead to devastating biodiversity losses and ecosystem breakdown. Fish kills also have human impacts; bacterial and cyanobacterial blooms can cause serious illnesses, such as botulism."

The study revealed that when turtles were present, carp carcasses were removed three times faster. In these tanks, ammonia levels dropped sooner, while water quality improved more quickly. The turtles also accelerated the recovery of levels of dissolved oxygen, which aquatic animals need to breathe.

The Murray-Darling basin supports 40 percent of Australia's agricultural production and serves as the main water source for more than 2.8 million people. Freshwater turtles are dwindling in the river basin as they are more frequently struck by cars and their nests are destroyed by foxes.

According to the experts, ongoing plans to introduce a naturally occurring carp virus to control invasive carp in the Murray-Darling basin could severely impact water quality and ecosystem health, especially with fewer turtles available to scavenge on carcasses.

"Our experiments show that turtle scavenging mitigates the effect of animal decomposition on water quality, particularly during fish kills, and this ecological role diminishes as turtle abundance decreases," wrote the researchers.

"Turtles have drastically declined in the Murray-Darling Basin. Up to 100,000 tons of turtles were historically present, but in some locations they are now so rare that they are not captured. As turtle populations continue declining, we predict that water quality will worsen, with implications for both the ecosystem and humans."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Freshwater turtles improve the health of river systems

Turtles improve the health of freshwater ecosystems by scavenging fish...

Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are believed to be the two main drivers of sea-level rise, and calculating future ice loss is critically important to gain a better idea of how much we can expect the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-oceans-absorb-much-more-carbon-than-previously-thought/">oceans</a> to expand in the coming decades. 

In an unprecedented study from <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/organisation/profile.html">AWI</a>, 36 research institutes have compared 14 ice-sheet models using the same atmospheric and ocean data to calculate the amount of sea-level rise that will be contributed by Greenland and Antarctica throughout the remainder of this century.

The model simulations showed consistent results for Greenland. If greenhouse gas emissions and global warming continue at the current rate, Greenland will lose enough ice to contribute nine centimeters to global sea-level rise by the year 2100.

On the other hand, the model simulations for Antarctica were widely variable. Some models predicted an additional sea-level rise of up to 30 centimeters, while others projected much lower numbers. 

Developing realistic ice-sheet models is challenging for several reasons. First of all, certain measurements of ice sheets cannot be tested and confirmed in the lab. In addition, there are key parameters that are missing, such as how the land surface in Greenland and the Antarctic affects the behavior of ice masses. The only way for ice sheet modelers to test the quality of a model is to compare it to other models. 

Study co-author Dr. Martin Rückamp is a glaciologist and ice-sheet modeler at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven.

"The 14 ice-sheet models compared match our latest observations, which indicate that the Greenland Ice Sheet is increasingly losing ice, especially at the margins," said Dr. Rückamp. "But viewed more broadly, the losses of mass predicted by the models for the timeframe from 2015 to the present lie far below the actually observed losses. To put it simply: the ice-sheet models for Greenland underestimate the current changes in the ice sheet due to climate change."

The study findings suggest that global warming will lead to more snowfall and strengthen ice masses in East Antarctica.

"These simulations show that, in a warmer world, there would be so much snowfall in East Antarctica that the new ice formed there would outweigh the ice lost to the warming seawater in West Antarctica," said study co-author Dr. Thomas Kleiner.

In West Antarctica, the models predict that ice retreat that will produce an additional 18 centimeters of sea-level rise by 2100. However, if global warming is limited to two degrees Celsius, the ice losses in the Antarctic would be significantly less and would produce an additional sea-level rise of between -1.4 and 15.5 centimeters.

"For the past 40 years, we've observed a clear downward trend in the Antarctic. The ice sheet is losing more and more ice, especially in West Antarctica, where our models also predicted major losses of ice," said study co-author Professor Angelika Humbert. "That being said, the acceleration of the glaciers simulated in the models was much less pronounced than what we actually observed."

"If our suspicions prove to be true, it will also mean that the models underestimate how much Antarctica as a whole will contribute to future sea-level rise."

According to Dr. Kleiner. the spectrum of results produced by the models is now smaller. "As a result, we can have more confidence in their projections." 

However, the study had some limitations. For example, in the Antarctic simulations, the ocean's effects on ice shelves and glaciers were not represented using complex approaches for each ice tongue. The models relied on simplified formulas, which introduced considerable uncertainty. 

"As a result, the models weren't able to reflect the different melting rates on the underside of the ice shelves, or to simulate the actually observed acceleration of the glaciers, which I personally find quite troubling," said Professor Humbert.

"Our goal will then be to produce simulations of the ice sheets' development that are as realistic as possible. To do so, simulation timeframes need to be selected that will allow the models' results to be compared to actual observational data." 

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

How much sea-level rise can we expect this century?

Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are believed...

Hundreds of thousands of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/river-damming-threatening-fish/">migratory</a> birds have been found dead over the last few weeks across New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado, and the cause remains a mystery. The first signs of the mass die-off emerged on August 20, when about 200 dead birds were found at the White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.

Soon after the discovery at White Sands, dead birds began turning up in alarming numbers in other regions of New Mexico like Jemez Pueblo, Roswell, and Socorro.

A team of wildlife biologists, including Professor Martha Desmond of <a href="https://www.nmsu.edu/">New Mexico State University</a>, now faces the somber task of examining hundreds of birds that have perished in an effort to identify the cause of death. 

"It's just terrible," Professor Desmond told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>. "The number is in the six figures. Just by looking at the scope of what we're seeing, we know this is a very large event, hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of dead birds, and we're looking at the higher end of that."

Professor Desmond speculates that the deaths are tied to the ongoing wildfires that have devastated millions of acres across several western states. She explained that the fires may have pushed some birds into early migrations that they were not physically prepared for, while others likely died from lung damage tied to smoke inhalation.  

"Birds who migrated before they were ready because of the weather might have not had enough fat to survive," Professor Desmond told CNN. "Some birds might have not even had the reserves to start migrating so they died in place."

Many different types of migratory birds have been found deceased, including bluebirds, sparrows, blackbirds, flycatchers, and warblers. There were many reports from people who have witnessed strange behavior among birds in the last few weeks. For example, individuals that are typically seen foraging in shrubs or trees were observed chasing insects on the ground.

In her interview with CNN, Professor Desmond said that many birds were lethargic and unresponsive, and were getting struck by cars in larger numbers than ever before. She added that at the missile range golf course, swallows were sitting on the ground letting people approach them.

Tristanna Bickford, a representative of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, told the New York Times that state officials have provided specimens to the National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin for examination. She said it could take months for biologists to conclusively determine what has caused the die-off.

According to the US Forest Service in Santa Fe, citizen scientists can help collect dead birds by following these guidelines: wear gloves; document the date, location, and number of birds collected at each site; store the birds in plastic bags; and deliver the specimens directly to wildlife authorities or double bag and store them in the freezer.

Professor Desmond pointed to the role of climate change in this shocking event. "We have lost three billion birds in the U.S. since 1970 and we've also seen a tremendous decline in insects," she told CNN, "so an event like this is terrifying to these populations and it's devastating to see."

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The number of dead migratory birds in the western U.S. may climb into the millions

Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have been found dead...

Climate change is causing some animals to age more rapidly, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.fecyt.es/en">Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology</a>. As a result of rising temperatures, ectotherms including <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/shellfish-are-moving-away-from-safety-as-the-ocean-warms/">fish</a>, amphibians, and reptiles will experience a rise in their body temperature that will have serious consequences, including accelerated growth and aging. 

Ectotherms cannot actively control their internal temperature, which is regulated by their surroundings, and the organisms are highly susceptible to environmental changes. Some ectotherms are already growing too fast and struggling with the thermal stress of prolonged heat.

"Heat waves take animals out of their thermal preferences, to the point even of reaching their temperature tolerance limits. The longer and more frequent the heat waves, the greater their impact on the physiology of ectotherms," said study co-author Germán Orizaola.

In collaboration with an international team of scientists, Orizaola reviewed relevant studies on the effects of rising temperatures on ectotherms. The results of the analysis indicate that the animals will age faster as the climate warms.

"Higher growth rates will generate physiological imbalances in ectotherms, increasing, for example, oxidative damage to the proteins and DNA, which may also affect the telomeres, the repeated sections of non-coding DNA located at the ends of chromosomes," explained Orizaola.

"As telomeres protect DNA, the faster the telomeres are lost, the faster the cells degrade and the body ages. This clear link between climate change and aging is described for the first time in our article."

According to Orizaola, if the life expectancy of individuals in a population is reduced, their ability to produce offspring may be compromised. With shorter lifespans, ectotherm populations will have a much harder time recovering from natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. Furthermore, population losses have cascading impacts on other species, potentially throwing off the balance of entire ecosystems as certain predators or prey decline.

"This is a field that has barely been explored so far, but everything indicates that it could be another of the possible problems facing wildlife that is exposed to climate change," said Orizaola. He said that a better understanding of the effects of the climate crisis on ectotherm aging could help experts develop better conservation and management programs.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heat stress accelerates aging in fish, amphibians, and reptiles

Climate change is causing some animals to age more rapidly,...

A new study from <a href="https://www.fv-berlin.de/">Forschungsverbund Berlin</a> describes how dams are compounding the impacts of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-arctic-is-transitioning-into-an-entirely-different-climate/">climate</a> change on river fish. When faced with stressful environmental conditions, fish can potentially move to more suitable habitats. The researchers set out to investigate the extent to which dams may restrict the movement of both native and non-native fish under different climate scenarios. 

"Understanding how global change and connectivity will jointly modify the distribution of riverine species is crucial for conservation biology and environmental management," wrote the study authors.

"However, little is known about the interaction between climate change and fragmentation and how movement barriers might impede native species from adjusting their distributions versus limit the further spread of alien species."

The researchers modeled the distribution of 11 native and five alien fish species in the Ebro River, located within the Mediterranean region of Spain. To examine how a lack of connectivity may interfere with access to future suitable habitats, the team considered 10 climate change models using various algorithms. 

"The Ebro River is particularly vulnerable and threatened by climate change and species invasions. In addition, the Ebro River is fragmented by over 300 dams and many smaller barriers, which makes it even worse for the native fish species," said study co-author Professor Emili García-Berthou.

The analysis showed that the most pronounced biodiversity changes, including losses of native fish and gains of alien species, are expected in the lower and mid reaches of larger Ebro River tributaries. According to the study, alien species such as eastern mosquitofish, wels catfish, and common carp will become much more prevalent. The majority of species are projected to shift their range in an upstream direction.

"The Ebro River system is home to several endemic species that exclusively occur on the Iberian Peninsula," said study lead author Johannes Radinger. "These species are particularly imperilled by barriers that limit movements in response to climate change. Whether dams can effectively prevent the spread of alien species is questionable. In fact, the establishment of alien fishes is often facilitated by the changed flow and habitat conditions that result from damming rivers."

The findings show that fish communities in highly fragmented rivers will face significant biodiversity shifts and species losses alongside climate change. 

"Effective conservation of fishes should focus on the restoration of habitats and the natural flow regime, improvements of connectivity for native species and the control of alien species, particularly the prevention of further introductions," wrote the researchers.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dams will prevent some river fish from surviving climate change

A new study from Forschungsverbund Berlin describes how dams are...

Evergreen <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/some-trees-live-thousands-of-years-with-no-signs-of-aging/">trees</a> hold a record of air quality in magnetic particles on their needles, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah.</a> The research indicates that pine needles could serve as a simple and inexpensive source for measuring air pollution.

After examining the magnetism of particulate matter on the needles of evergreen trees, the researchers determined that the trees can be used for monitoring air quality year-round.

"Wherever you have a tree you have a data point," said study co-author Grant Rea-Downing. "A tree doesn't cost $250 to deploy. We'll be able to map particulate matter distributions at a very high resolution for very little cost."

In collaboration with Professor Pete Lippert and fellow geoscientists, Rea-Downing measured the magnetism of deciduous leaves. 

"Day to day, we move mountains and close ocean basins by using the magnetism of rocks to figure out the geography of former continents," said Professor Lippert. "I knew the students would kind of have their minds blown by what the study showed, and what the implications of the findings were."

Fine particle pollution comes from many sources, including the burning of fossil fuels, vehicle exhaust, and forest fires. "That's stuff in the air, and it's got to come out sometime."

Some of these particles contain iron that can be detected by a type of high-precision magnetometer used by Professor Lippert.

He explained that the iron-bearing particulate matter in the air can be too small to see, but magnetism is a way to see the unseen.

Rea-Downing was impressed with Professor Lippert's work, and knew this method could be easily applied to test the air in Salt Lake City, which was much different than the cleaner air he was used to on the California coast.

"The kind of hill to climb to do this was actually quite flat," said Rea-Downing. "We have trees outside, we have seasonally bad air quality and we have a fully equipped paleomagnetic lab, which means that I literally just had to walk outside and pull some leaves off some trees and stick them in a magnetometer."

"We're not the first to explore the magnetism of pine needles to monitor air quality, but no one had tried this to study winter inversions in the basins of the American West," said Professor Lippert.

The researchers focused their investigation on four Austrian pine trees on campus, three of which were close to traffic. They collected pine needles from the trees twice: in June of 2017 after a summer of relatively good air and in December of 2017 during some of the winter season's worst air quality.

The analysis revealed that the magnetization of the December needles was nearly three times higher than that of the June needles. When the experts examined the needles under an electron microscope, they were able to confirm that the December needles were significantly dirtier. 

The team also looked at the elements that were contained in the fine particles. Professor Lippert said the amounts of iron in the dust correlated with amounts of other elements like titanium, vanadium, zirconium, and a variety of other things that are associated with brake dust or fossil fuel combustion. He noted that other elements in the particulate matter were associated with catalytic converters, which use chemical catalysts to detoxify exhaust. "And those concentrations, no surprise, are highest near the roadside."

The researchers found that there was a decline in the the concentration of magnetic particles among trees that were over a distance of 50 to 150 feet from the traffic. This improvement was possibly due to the slight elevation of the trees as well. 

The team has now joined forces with atmospheric scientist Gannet Hallar and chemical engineer Kerry Kelly to explore some of the questions raised by the study. 

"We have a lot of trees out on the landscape already. They're a pretty low cost. So this democratizes our ability to monitor air pollution across the valley. This is easily exportable to any community. It allows us to do more with less, or that's our hope," said Professor Lippert.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/24711403">GeoHealth</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pine needles can be used to measure air pollution

Evergreen trees hold a record of air quality in magnetic...

Chimpanzees become more flexible in their behavior in order to adapt to unpredictable conditions. A team of experts at the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> set out to investigate how different environments may affect the behavior and cultural <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mountain-formation-led-to-an-explosion-in-plant-diversity/">diversity</a> of chimpanzees that belong to the same species.

Behavioral flexibility allows nonhuman primates, as well as other large-brained species, to use cognition and innovation to adapt to uncertainty and changing ecological conditions. This helps to explain why humans have evolved to become so remarkably adaptable.

"Higher rates of behavioural innovation and large brain size correlate with markers of technical, cultural and social intelligence," wrote the study authors. "Species with larger brains are also found in habitats that are more seasonal and are thus able to survive during times of resource scarcity."  

"Collectively, this research suggests that larger-brained species have greater innovative capacities and are better able to adapt and survive in novel, or more variable environments."

Chimpanzees exhibit a number of diverse behaviors that are found in some wild populations yet absent in others. These behaviors include tool use for communication; foraging on insects, algae, nuts, or honey; and thermoregulatory practices like bathing in pools or using caves in extremely hot environments. 

Sme chimpanzee behaviors are learned socially, which means that they are considered cultural traditions among certain groups.

An international team of researchers led by Ammie Kalan and Hjalmar Kühl analyzed data collected at 46 field sites through the Pan African Programme: the Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf). They studied 144 chimpanzee social groups to gain a better idea 0f which environmental conditions promote the acquisition of more behavioral traits.

The researchers examined habitats that were seasonal, as well as habitats where forest cover has repeatedly changed over the last thousands of years. The study revealed that environmental variability was positively associated with greater  chimpanzee behavioral and cultural diversity. 

"Chimpanzees experiencing greater seasonality, living in savannah woodland habitats and located further away from historical Pleistocene forest refugia were more likely to have a larger set of behaviors present," said Kalan. 

"Since the behaviors we examined are largely considered cultural, we could further infer that environmental variability also supports cultural diversification in chimpanzees."

The study will continue to provide fascinating insights into the emergence of chimpanzee population diversity. 

"While we have learned a lot about the relationship between environmental variability and chimpanzee behavioral diversity in this study, there may be other demographic and social factors that have also played an important role in the process of behavioral diversification," said Kühl.

"With continued efforts to study and compare chimpanzee populations at large numbers, I am convinced that many more exciting discoveries will be made in the future that will provide further insights into the mechanisms of behavioral diversification in chimpanzees, but that will help us to also better understand our own evolutionary history."

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

Chimpanzees respond to dynamic environments by learning new behaviors

Chimpanzees become more flexible in their behavior in order to...

The Arctic climate is shifting away from its frozen state much faster than what can be projected, according to the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR). The experts report that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-changing-insect-communities-in-the-arctic/">warming</a> is progressing so rapidly that future climate changes are no longer predictable based on past fluctuations.

Arctic weather patterns have always experienced seasonal variability from year to year, with levels of precipitation and sea ice that are dependent on colder or warmer winters. However, the comprehensive new NCAR study reveals that Arctic temperatures have increased to the point that year-to-year variability no longer reflects historical patterns.

"The rate of change is remarkable," said study lead author Laura Landrum. "It's a period of such rapid change that observations of past weather patterns no longer show what you can expect next year. The Arctic is already entering a completely different climate than just a few decades ago."

In collaboration with study co-author Marika Holland, Landrum found that the extent of Arctic sea ice retreat in recent decades is so drastic that even an unusually cold year will no longer be able to produce the amount of summer sea ice that existed as recently as the mid-20th century. 

The experts determined that air temperatures in the fall and winter will warm up enough for the Arctic to enter a statistically distinct climate by the middle of this century. The transition will be characterized by major changes in precipitation, where rainfall will replace snowfall for months out of the year.

For the investigation, the researchers used five of the world's leading climate models, hundreds of detailed computer simulations, and direct observations of Arctic climate conditions. By analyzing this massive dataset, the researchers were able to clearly define the climate boundaries of the "old Arctic," or the amount of natural variability each year. They were also able to pinpoint when human-caused warming will push the Arctic beyond these natural boundaries and into an entirely new climate. 

According to the study, the changes in the Arctic climate are so pronounced that the average extent of sea ice in September has dropped by 31 percent since the first decade of the satellite era.

Each of the five models used in the study showed that a new climate for sea ice already emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Over the next several decades, the Arctic will likely begin to experience frequent ice-free conditions. 

Based on a high emissions scenario, several of the climate models indicated that the Arctic will become mostly ice free for 3 to 10 months out of the year by the end of this century.

"The Arctic is likely to experience extremes in sea ice, temperature, and precipitation that are far outside anything that we've experienced before," said Landrum. "We need to change our definition of what Arctic climate is."

If greenhouse gas emissions and global warming continue at the current rate, the seasonal cycle of precipitation will soon change dramatically. Most continents will experience an increase in the rainy season by 20 to 60 days within the next three decades, according to the study authors.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change </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

The Arctic is transitioning into an entirely different climate

The Arctic climate is shifting away from its frozen state...

While it is well-known that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-future-of-caribbean-hurricanes-depends-on-the-extent-of-global-warming/">global warming</a> promotes the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes, a new study suggests that human activities are also making a major contribution to the issue. Researchers at <a href="http://oregonstate.edu">Oregon State University</a> report that mosquitoes are more abundant in areas that have been altered by human activities compared to undisturbed areas.

The team surveyed Kruger National Park in South Africa and discovered that there were substantially lower numbers of mosquitoes inside the park compared to the densely populated areas around it. One particularly concerning finding was that mosquito species which are known to spread diseases such as malaria and Zika virus were found more commonly in the human-impacted areas outside the park.

Study co-author Dr. Brianna Beechler, a disease ecologist and assistant professor of research in Oregon State's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine.

"People care a lot about what environment a lion needs to succeed in; we've researched that extensively. But people don't do that with mosquitoes. We don't understand them as a group of species and how their ecology differs between species." 

Dr. Beechler said that finding disease mitigation strategies for vector-borne diseases is an obvious target, but scientists do not yet understand mosquitoes well enough to specifically target the species that cause disease. "All we can do is reduce mosquitoes overall, but what may be more effective is to reduce certain species by modifying their habitats."

To investigate the presence of mosquitoes in disturbed areas, the researchers focused on five pressures associated with human activities including pesticide abundance, the over-mineralization of water that leads to widespread algae growth, population density the presence of domestic and wild animals, and vegetation loss.

The influence of humans on the presence of mosquitoes occurs in a series of cascading effects. For example, pesticide use kills fish and removes the natural predators that would otherwise eat mosquito larvae and help control the population.

During South Africa's wet season in 2016, the experts trapped nearly 4,000 female mosquitoes, representing 39 different species,  from both inside and outside the national park. Mosquito abundance was found to be nearly three times higher outside the park in areas dominated by humans.

The species composition was extremely different as well, with the species known to spread dengue, West Nile virus,  yellow fever, Zika virus, and other diseases residing in larger numbers in human-impacted areas.

"It seems to suggest that disease-carrying mosquito species certainly did better in human-altered environments," said Dr. Beechler. As of now, further research is needed to understand why this is the case.

"With climate change, mosquito distributions are likely to change, and disease distributions are likely to change," said Dr. Beechler. "So it'd be nice to know how to target those species before that happens."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports </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

Disease-spreading mosquitoes are thriving near humans

While it is well-known that global warming promotes the spread...

The growing pressures of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-reconstruct-66-million-year-record-of-earths-climate/">climate</a> change and human activities pose the most immediate threat to Mediterranean and tropical species, according to a study from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>. In many cases, land use changes are wiping out habitats that could otherwise offer protection from rising temperatures. 

The research is shedding new light on the fact that extinction risks are not evenly distributed, and imminent declines in tropical diversity will far exceed biodiversity losses in other parts of the world. 

Study lead author Dr. Tim Newbold is an expert in the UCL Centre for Biodiversity &amp; Environment Research. 

"Tropical areas are expected to see the greatest expansions of agriculture in the coming decades, and are already seeing new temperature extremes," did Dr. Newbold.

"Coupled with the fact that data on biodiversity are often biased towards more temperate regions, our findings suggest that global biodiversity declines may be even worse than leading experts are predicting." 

"Urgent action is needed to prevent biodiversity losses and extinctions, particularly in tropical and Mediterranean areas which have some of the most diverse ecological communities on the planet."

The researchers analyzed data on more than 47,000 plant and animal species at thousands of sites in 91 countries. They wanted to compare the amount of wildlife in the most disturbed urban environments to the number of species in moderately disturbed or undisturbed natural areas. The team also investigated how wildlife will respond to climate change and where plants and animals may survive. 

The study showed that there was substantially lower biodiversity in more disturbed environments, especially in Mediterranean and tropical regions. The experts also found that the animals which are the most sensitive to climate warming are found in tropical forests, tropical grasslands, and Mediterranean areas.

Some of the species of concern that are most threatened include the eastern gorilla in the African tropics and Hermann's tortoise in the Mediterranean, both of which are critically endangered by habitat loss and will soon have to face the additional strain of climate change.

In tropical regions, the researchers predict that with each degree of climate warming, the number of species will decline locally by 10 to 13 percent.

Plants and animals in tropical regions are exposed to less pronounced seasonal changes, which makes them especially vulnerable to climate change because they have not had to adapt to a wide range of temperatures. In tropical and Mediterranean areas, many species are already living near the upper temperature limit that they can tolerate, according to the study.

"We found that areas facing the greatest biodiversity threats from climate change and land use were often the same areas, which is even more concerning as these two pressures can interact to make environments even more inhospitable. For example, heavily modified landscapes often have less canopy cover which would otherwise moderate extreme temperatures," said Dr. Newbold.

Dr. Newbold is also a co-author of the World Wildlife Fund's <a href="https://livingplanet.panda.org/">Living Planet Report</a> published this month. The report reveals that biodiversity has declined most in the Tropics since 1970. 

"Conservation efforts alone will not be enough to save endangered and vulnerable animals and plants," said Dr. Newbold. "Governments, private companies and consumers will all need to act now to curb climate change and to mitigate land use pressures that destroy habitats."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</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

&nbsp;

Mediterranean and tropical species may vanish at alarming rates

The growing pressures of climate change and human activities pose...

Climate change is ramping up the competition for Arctic plants to attract <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-is-wiping-out-bees-and-other-wild-pollinators/">pollinators</a>, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a>. Warmer temperatures are extending the flowering periods of more plant species, as well as their need for insect pollination.

The researchers report that the most attractive plant species steal the majority of pollinators, and other flowering plants are suffering as a result.

"Most flowering plants are dependent on the pollination services provided by insects. Thus, plants need to time their flowering to periods of maximal pollinator abundances. On the other hand, plant species compete with each other for pollination. Thus, plant species flowering at the same time can affect each other's pollination success," said study lead author Mikko Tiusanen.

"Temperature is one of the most important environmental determinants of the onset of flowering. As the climate warms, plant species change their flowering periods, thereby changing their competition for pollinators."

Tiusanen explained that his team has been studying the relationship between Arctic plants and pollinators in North East Greenland, where the climate is warming twice as fast as the global average. 

"The most common flowering plant in this region is Avens, a widespread and abundant flowering species. The shape of an Avens' flower is an open, white cup of nectar, irresistibly attractive to any pollinators around. In our comparisons, Avens was found to attract many more visitors than other plant species. When in bloom, it thus monopolizes insect pollination services at the expense of other plants in flower," said Tiusanen.

The researchers analyzed the timing of flowering among various Arctic plant species under different environmental conditions, and found that higher temperatures cause flowering periods of flowering to expand significantly.

Compared to the flowering of Avens, the flowering of Moss Campion was found to advance, affecting the competition between the two species. The study revealed that with Avens in bloom at the same time, fewer insects carried the pollen of the Campion.

The findings indicate that global warming is altering competition between plant species for pollination services, and subsequently changing interactions between species. 

When a plant is flowering alongside a more attractive competitor species, the chances of pollination and ultimately the long-term survival of the plant are at risk. Rare plant species, as well as those that are less attractive to pollinators, will likely suffer the most as a consequence.

"To me, the Arctic represents a planetary research laboratory for studies of climate change," said study co-author Tomas Roslin. "The climate of this region is now changing twice as fast as the global average. What this means is that what happens in the Arctic today may later occur in the rest of the world. At the same time, relatively low species richness in the Arctic allows us to resolve their interactions in great detail." 

"But scientific reasons are only half the Arctic appeal. Northeast Greenland is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, and at the same time one of the largest uninhabited areas in the world. When studying insects here, you may even run into a polar bear. Such a combination keeps the researchers alert and awake."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arctic plants face more competition for pollinators as temperatures rise

Climate change is ramping up the competition for Arctic plants...

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"

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

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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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.

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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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

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

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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

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

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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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