Colorful,Parrotfish,Feeding,On,A,Tropical,Coral,Reef

Coral reefs are among the most dazzling ecosystems on Earth. When viewed from above, they display intricate structures and colors. But many reefs also show curious rings of bare sand encircling them. These circles, called grazing halos, appear in satellite images as pale outlines around patches of coral.



The origin of grazing halos has long puzzled scientists. Why do they form in some places and not others? Why do they vary in size? And most importantly - do they reveal something about the health of the reef?



A new study published in The American Naturalist suggests a surprising answer. It’s not just fear that creates these halos - it’s also the way <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breaks-in-ancient-coral-growth-reveal-earths-climate-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral</a> shelter is arranged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-landscape-of-fear">The landscape of fear</h2>



One widely accepted theory to explain grazing halos involves fear. Fish like parrotfish and other herbivores leave the safety of coral to feed on algae or seagrass. 



However, they do not venture far because predators like sharks lurk in the open. To avoid becoming prey, these fish tend to graze close to shelter.



Their grazing creates visible halos - rings where the vegetation has been eaten. The behavior aligns with what ecologists call the “landscape of fear.” 



According to this idea, prey animals avoid open areas and concentrate activity near shelter, altering how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-may-be-more-resilient-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> look.



But this explanation has gaps. Some reefs that are full of predators lack halos. Others, where predator populations have collapsed due to overfishing, still show clear halos. 



Something else must be shaping these patterns - something embedded in the landscape itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reef-shelter-layout-and-halo-formation">Reef shelter layout and halo formation</h2>



The new study points to the layout of coral shelters as a missing piece. The researchers examined how the spatial distribution of reef <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-may-not-adapt-quickly-enough-to-survive-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">structures</a> influences halo formation. Do halos behave differently when coral is clustered tightly versus scattered widely?



The team used Heron Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to test their ideas. This site is a hub for reef science and faces ongoing threats from climate change - coral bleaching, storm damage, and ocean acidification all pose serious risks.



The study explored how coral shelter layout affects where herbivores graze. Clusters of coral provide tightly packed shelter. 



Scattered coral creates more distance between safe zones. The team predicted that these differences would shape how halos appear - or disappear - across the seascape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-models-predict-halo-shapes-on-reefs">Models predict halo shapes on reefs</h2>



To explore this, the researchers built two mathematical models. The first was geometric. It examined how simple circular shapes - representing coral patches - overlap on the seafloor. This helped predict how much vegetation should remain depending on how the shelters are arranged.



Study lead author Theresa Ong is an assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth.



“If the shelter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-vanish-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">habitat</a> is tightly packed in one space, then there’s not much room for nervous prey to explore and less vegetation to eat. But if shelter is more evenly distributed, the halos carve out more empty space in the landscape and their distinctive patterns disappear into one another as they overlap," noted Professor Ong.



The geometric model revealed that clustered coral leads to clearer, more distinct halos. Scattered coral causes the rings to overlap and blur, making them harder to detect. This may explain why halos vary across reefs - even when predator presence remains constant.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-grazing-patterns-change-over-time">Grazing patterns change over time</h2>



Geometry only tells part of the story. Grazing patterns change over time as vegetation regrows and fish populations fluctuate. So, the team developed a second model - one that added time and movement into the equation.



The dynamic model showed two scenarios. When coral patches are dispersed, fish must travel further to feed. This can lead to overgrazing - vegetation disappears, fish numbers drop, vegetation returns, and the cycle begins again. Halos may vanish and reappear in a rhythmic pattern.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/coral-reef_grazing-halos_great-barrier-reef_credit-Google-Earth_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/coral-reef_grazing-halos_great-barrier-reef_credit-Google-Earth_1s.webp" alt="Overview view of Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and close-up view of a selected reef region (box in overview) where macroalgae cover is dense and coral halos (vegetation-free space surrounding coral patch reefs) are prevalent. Example 1X-scale plots (47 × 47 m) are indicated by arrows to illustrate increasing dispersion in coral patch distributions. Credit: Google Earth Pro" class="wp-image-1968578"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Overview view of Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and close-up view of a selected reef region (box in overview) where macroalgae cover is dense and coral halos (vegetation-free space surrounding coral patch reefs) are prevalent. Example 1X-scale plots (47 × 47 m) are indicated by arrows to illustrate increasing dispersion in coral patch distributions. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Google Earth Pro</figcaption></figure>



When coral is clustered, grazing remains more localized and consistent. This leads to more stable halo patterns. 



The models suggest that both stable and cyclic halos can exist on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restored-coral-reefs-can-bounce-back-in-just-four-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">healthy reefs</a> - and both tell stories about how the ecosystem is functioning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-changes-are-alarming">Not all changes are alarming</h2>



A major insight from the study is that halo patterns - whether stable or oscillating - are not in themselves signs of reef health or decline. What matters more is how those patterns change over time.



“Oscillating halos are not necessarily a sign of overfishing or poor reef health,” said Ong. “What’s more concerning is if static halos suddenly start cycling or if cyclic halos suddenly become static, which could indicate a major shift in system health and resilience.”



In other words – it’s not the presence or size of the halo that reveals the truth, but whether its behavior shifts in ways that suggest underlying ecological change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-satellites-for-reef-surveillance">Using satellites for reef surveillance</h2>



Studying coral reefs directly is expensive and difficult. That’s where satellite imagery offers a powerful advantage. Researchers can quickly scan large areas and assess general patterns - even from space.



“There are a lot of endemic species on reefs, especially on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-is-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Great Barrier Reef</a>, which we could easily lose due to the compounding effects of climate change and overfishing,” noted Professor Ong.



“So gaining a better understanding of how halo patterns reflect reef community dynamics may be useful in reef conservation efforts.”



Halos might become an early warning system. Their changes could alert scientists to shifts in predator numbers, herbivore behavior, or coral shelter integrity - all of which influence reef resilience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-halo-dynamics-beyond-reefs">Halo dynamics beyond reefs</h2>



The models developed by the team aren’t limited to coral reefs. They apply to any system where grazing happens near shelter. 



Think of cattle grazing near trees, or deer feeding near forest edges. The same logic - of safety shaping movement - plays out across ecosystems.



Still, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-vanish-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral reefs</a> are especially fragile. Climate change is heating the oceans, acidifying waters, and disrupting food webs. Even subtle changes in reef structure can lead to major ecological shifts.



From overlapping rings of sand to predictive models and satellite imagery - this work reveals that coral reefs are writing their own story in patterns we can now begin to understand. We just have to learn how to read the halos.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/735688" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The American Naturalist</a>.



-----



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



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



-----

What 'grazing halos' and parrotfish reveal about coral reef health

Coral reefs are among the most dazzling ecosystems on Earth. When viewed from above, they display intricate structures and colors. But many reefs also show curious rings of bare sand encircling them. These circles, called grazing halos, appear in satellite images as pale outlines around patches of coral. The origin of grazing halos has long puzzled scientists. Why do they form in some places and not others? Why do they vary in size? And most importantly - do they reveal something about the health of the reef?...

Greenland is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-loss-2003/">losing ice</a> at an alarming rate due to climate change, and it’s been estimated that the Greenland ice sheet is losing around 270 billion tons of ice each year.

Now, a new study has found that rain is behind much of the ice sheet’s meltwater runoff, which is responsible for further ice loss than calved icebergs. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/">Earth Institute at Columbia University</a>, the <a href="https://www.geomar.de/en/centre/">GEOMAR Centre for Ocean Research</a> in Germany, and the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a>.

The results show that rain is responsible for 70 percent of ice loss in Greenland, Rain in the winter, a rare occurrence that’s becoming less rare, only makes the ice sheet more vulnerable to melting during the warmer months. 

The study was published in the journal The Cryosphere. 

The researchers collected and analyzed data from 20 automated weather stations placed across the ice sheet and satellite imagery dating between 1979 and 2012 to target the cause of melting in specific areas. 

The researchers were able to identify 300 events where rain triggered melting.

Melting from rain doubled in the summer and tripled over the winter study period and the rain creates a dangerous feedback loop where rain soaks into the snow and releases more heat and energy.  

Some meltwater runs off into the ocean, but the researches also saw a pattern where meltwater would re-freeze and turn the surface into a dark, absorbent mass of ice that doesn’t reflect the sun’s heat as efficiently as snow. 

The constant re-freezing cycle makes the ice easier to melt again, and more water and melting is produced the second time around. 

“If it rains in the winter, that preconditions the ice to be more vulnerable in the summer,” said Marco Tedesco, a co-author of the study. “We are starting to realize, you have to look at all the seasons.”

As climate shifts and temperatures rise, the researchers say that winter rainfall will become more and more common and continue to degrade Greenland’s ice sheet. 

“The ice should be gaining mass in winter when it snows, but an increasing part of the mass gain from precipitation is lost by melt,” said Marilena Oltmanns, the lead author of the study. 

Having a clearer picture of the driving factors behind Greenland’s ice loss is crucial for accurately projecting future sea level rise, and this study could help aid future climate models and inform climate mitigation policies. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute

Winter rain in Greenland is driving rapid ice loss

Greenland is losing ice at an alarming rate due to...

South American monkeys face extinction risk due to climate change. A new study from the <a href="https://www.stir.ac.uk/">University of Sterling</a> has found that South American monkeys, lemurs, and apes (especially New World monkeys) currently face an “elevated risk of extinction” due to climate change-induced increasing temperatures and habitat changes over the next 30 years. 

"Based on our analysis, it is clear that New World monkeys in particular can be considered highly vulnerable to projected temperature increases, consequently facing an elevated risk of extinction,” said study leader Dr. Joana Carvalho of Stirling's Faculty of Natural Sciences.

The research team looked at 426 species of non-human South American primates and their exposure to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-armed-conflict-risk/">climate change</a> and forecasted their risk for extinction in the year 2050, considering all scenarios (best case — emissions improve — and worst case — emissions increase unchecked).

They found that 86% of Neotropical primate ranges will be exposed to maximum temperature increases of greater than 3°C. And extreme warming of more than 4°C  will likely affect 41% of their ranges, and many of those areas currently house the largest number of primate species.

"Studies that quantify what magnitudes of warming primates are able to tolerate physiologically are lacking,” Dr. Carvalho said. “However, we have reason to believe that extreme temperature increases - as those predicted based on the low mitigation scenario - would most likely surpass the thermal tolerance of many species." 

"Climate-change mitigation measures have not yet been systematically included into on-site management and strategic development of primate conservation,” added senior author Professor Hjalmar Kuehl, a primatologist at the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a>. “Given the timescale on which climate change and resulting impact on primate populations will occur, efforts for integrating climate change mitigation measures need to be enhanced urgently in order to be able to develop and implement appropriate actions."

The team also suggests that human influence on the land within primates’ habitat will only exasperate the dire conditions. 

Cearly, as the authors note, “urgent action” is required in order to ensure the safety and conservation of primate populations in South America, and worldwide.

The findings are published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Andrew Park

South American monkeys face extinction risk due to climate change

South American monkeys face extinction risk due to climate change....

Puffins are a mystery to humans. There are three species of puffins worldwide and rhinoceros auklets are also anatomically puffins, according to <a href="http://projectpuffin.audubon.org/birds/puffin-faqs">Audubon Project Puffin</a>. All of them spend the vast majority of their lives at sea. 

A life at sea is one that’s difficult for land based Homo sapiens to study. When puffins are on land, it’s to create burrows as deep as five feet in the sea cliffs. The burrows are the center of a puffin’s domestic life After mating, puffins lay eggs and raise their young to fledging age in the moist earth of their burrows. After but a season, returning to land daily with fish for chicks or to keep an egg warm, the puffin returns to a life of sea and sky. 

According to <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">IUCN Red List</a>, all species of puffins are declining in number but only Atlantic Puffins are listed as ‘<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694927/132581443">vulnerable’</a> while the other puffins are listed as ‘<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694934/132582357">least concern</a>’. But a lot of the puffin’s conservation status is speculation based on relatively old science. As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/puffins-comeback/">Earth.com reported recently</a>, Atlantic Puffin populations on Farnes Island, the host of England’s largest puffin colony, are on the rise. The last global population estimate for the Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) was 3,500,000 adult individuals, but this was carried out in 1996, a long time ago by the standards of science.

Tufted Puffins range up the western coast of the United States from the middle of California north into and across the entire coast of Alaska. Much of the areas Tufted Puffins breed in are remote islands in Alaska, such as Middleton Island where I spent a summer collecting data on sea birds, including tufted Puffins. Many islands that puffins choose for nests are even smaller than Middleton, little spits of land taken over seasonally by flocks of birds, squawking, flapping, fighting for the best pieces of land to nest. Some like Murres will lay delicate eggs directly on slender slices of cliff face. Even the areas where puffins and other sea birds nest on mainland in Alaska and elsewhere are remote, rugged, far from human habitation and hard to visit for extensive research or even for a census of the birds.            

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-puffins-die-off/">Earth.com</a> also recently reported on a massive die-off of tufted puffins in St. Paul Island, Alaska. Researchers estimated that between 3,150 and 8,500 puffins died. The first alert of the die-off came from tribal and local peoples on St. Paul that collected 350 dead puffins and alerted scientists. The puffins were emancipated from starvation, which researchers suspect was caused by warming oceans. Puffins and other sea birds are important indicators of the health of the oceans they live in. The data I spent a summer collecting was important for understanding sea birds but equally important for understanding Alaska’s fisheries. 

Plankton is near the base of the food chain in Alaska’s marine ecosystem and it can be quite sensitive to changes in environment. <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/08/22/plankton-population-and-the-power-of-pink-salmon/">Alaska Public Media</a> reports that plankton in Alaska usually react to environmental changes unambiguously, either flourishing or taking a big hit. Plankton populations are also often directly tied to populations of pink salmon and other fish. 

<a href="https://aoos.org/prince-william-sound-region-page/field-experiment/components/npz/">Alaska Ocean Observing System</a> explains how plankton populations are tied to temperature. As we all know with gases and fluid, the warm rises to the top and the cold stays low, and the same is true with water in the ocean. During the Alaskan winter, the surface of the ocean cools and water from deep in the sea rises upwards, bringing nutrients with it. The nutrient rich water sustain the (photosynthetic) phytoplankton through the dark Alaskan winter until summer when Alaska gets increased sunlight. With enough sunlight, the plankton switch to photosynthesis for food and boom in populations. 

With the boom in plankton, other microorganisms, such as copepods and zooplankton, start a feeding bonanza on the phytoplankton, and in turn grow in numbers. Of course, the burst in numbers of microorganisms has a ripple effect throughout the food chain. Fish eat and multiply, puffins, auklets, kittiwakes, cormorants and other sea birds eat the fish, using the food for their own egg laying and chick rearing. 

But a warmer ocean in the winter is a problem. When the ocean surface is warmer in the summer, the warm layer of water blocks the now cooler waters from deep in the ocean from welling up. In the summer of course this isn’t a problem because phytoplankton can photosynthesize. The winters in Alaska though are very dark and photosynthesis isn’t an option. When it’s too warm for the nutrients from deeper in the ocean to rise to the surface, this leads to a lack of plankton come spring and summer in Alaska. Less plankton means less birds, including puffins as well as lower numbers of many other animals such as seals that all depend on the plankton. 

Other sea birds have seen recent massive die-offs. <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/in-alaska-starving-seabirds-and-empty-colonies-signal-broken-ecosystem">Audubon</a> reported in 2018 that many thick-billed and common murres failed to breed at all, leaving colonies usually filled with a cacophony of birds eerily empty of eggs. Some murres nested but a month late. Hundreds of birds from a few different species were found washed up on the shores of the Bering Sea, all dead from starvation. Since the start of monitoring in the 1970s, Murres had never failed to breed until four years ago and it’s an indication of bigger problems. 

Sea bird die-offs are becoming more common. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/09/warm-water-pacific-coast-algae-nino/">National Geographic</a> reports that other marine animals in Alaska are being found dead in increasing numbers as well. On average years in the western Gulf of Alaska, eight dead whales are found, but in 2015, twelve where found in June by itself. Large numbers of sea lions have starved recently on the west coast. 79 otters were found dead in a single month in Homer Alaska. All this death coincides with record heat temperatures in the ocean even though the temperatures are being pushed up just a fraction of a degree so far. The ocean can absorb a lot before changing temperature but it is unquestionably warming now and puffins are simply canaries in a coal mine no one wants to be in anymore.

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer                                          

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Suwipat Lorsiripaiboon

Even slight increases in ocean temperatures cause massive sea bird die-offs

Puffins are a mystery to humans. There are three species...

The ocean has been doing us all a solid for decades. As human activity pumps out carbon dioxide headed for the planet’s atmosphere, the ocean absorbs it – but its role as a carbon dioxide sink may be causing irreparable harm.

The Earth’s seas absorb close to a third of the carbon dioxide humans are releasing into the atmosphere. That adds up to about 2.6 billion tons per year, according to the international team of researchers. 

"It’s a huge service the oceans are doing,” co-author Dr. Richard Feely of the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> told the <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/">Seattle Times</a>. “That significantly reduces global temperature.”

Carbon dioxide is produced by human activity that burns fossil fuels, like transportation, heating buildings, and producing electricity from coal and gas. Plants can convert the gas into oxygen and forests serve as a carbon dioxide sink, but deforestation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-regions-co2-increase/">drought</a> have made it impossible for Earth’s plant life to keep up with emissions.

Enter the ocean. The massive body of water that covers 70 percent of the planet’s surface has been taking in carbon, but at a cost.

Ocean acidification has been linked to CO2, and it is having a devastating effect on ocean life. Fish in coastal waters such as salmon and sharks have shown signs of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-coastal-waters/">cognitive dysfunction</a> due to the more acidic seas, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-marine-ecosystems/">coral reefs and kelp forests</a> have been dying off. It changes how shellfish develop their skeletons. The ocean’s role as a carbon dioxide sink has also been linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-ocean-floor-dissolve/">damage to the seafloor</a>.

"The increasing load of carbon dioxide in the ocean interior is already having an impact on the shellfish industry, particularly along the U.S. West Coast,” Feely told the Times.

But the study shares a more dire prediction: the ocean will eventually reach its saturation point, though it’s at least a few decades away. That’s when those of us living above the surface may start feeling the effects of climate change that the seas have been shielding us from.

"At some point the ability of the ocean to absorb carbon will start to diminish," co-author Dr. Jeremy Mathis, also with NOAA, told <a href="https://mashable.com/">Mashable</a>. "It means atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could go up faster than they already are."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6432/1193">Science</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kyla.cathey@gmail.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

The ocean is a key carbon dioxide sink – for now

The ocean has been doing us all a solid for...

Climate change could drive painted turtles to extinction due to temperature-dependent sex determination, according to a new study. 

Several <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-sea-turtles/">species of turtles,</a> lizards, and even crocodiles are sensitive to temperature changes while developing in the egg, and the sex of the offspring depends on how hot or cold it is during this period. 

With painted turtles, warmer temperatures tend to produce more female offspring and can lead to entire nests being female. 

A biologist from <a href="https://www.iastate.edu/">Iowa State University</a> conducted a study to see how drastic temperature fluctuations would impact future hatchlings, and if climate change was a major threat to painted turtle populations by decreasing the number of males in the species. 

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. 

The researchers first exposed painted turtle eggs to temperatures that were recorded in Iowa, Nebraska, and Canada, all of which house native populations of painted turtles. The researchers were able to compare the eggs exposed to the different temperatures in the lab to the offspring produced in the areas where the temperatures were recorded. 

Response to temperature varies depending on the population, the researchers found. 

The team then exposed eggs to temperature fluctuations to get a better understanding of how real-world climate change and temperature variations will impact painted turtle populations. 

Cooler temperatures that would normally lead to more male offspring still produced a disproportionate number of females with temperature fluctuations. When the lab temperatures were warmer and varied, the embryos died or continued to produce female offspring. 

The results of the study are concerning as climate change studies project that temperatures will continue to rise and temperature fluctuations will get more severe. 

“If what we found is generalizable to other species with temperature-dependent sex determination, this is bad news,” said Nicole Valenzuela, the leader of the study. “If an average increase in temperature is accompanied by greater variance, we'll see populations becoming unisexual faster than anticipated. The greater oscillations add to the effect of just higher average temperature.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Nicole Valenzuela

Warming temperatures may mean fewer and fewer male painted turtles

Climate change could drive painted turtles to extinction due to...

DCIM165GOPRO

According to new research from the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California Berkeley</a>, greenhouse gasses are warming our oceans at a faster rate than previously thought. Researchers conclude via their study, published January 11th in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, that claims of a 15-year “hiatus” in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-weather-patterns/">global warming</a> are blatantly wrong.

“If you want to see where global warming is happening, look in our oceans," co-author Zeke Hausfather, a graduate student in the <a href="https://erg.berkeley.edu/">Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley</a>, said. "Ocean heating is a very important indicator of climate change, and we have robust evidence that it is warming more rapidly than we thought."

An estimated 93% of the world’s excess solar energy bound by greenhouse gasses is absorbed into the ocean. Ocean temperatures also remain unaffected by yearly variations like El Nino or volcanic eruptions, making oceans the best predictor of global warming development.

"While 2018 will be the fourth warmest year on record on the surface, it will most certainly be the warmest year on record in the oceans, as was 2017 and 2016 before that," Hausfather said. "The global warming signal is a lot easier to detect if it is changing in the oceans than on the surface."

<a href="https://cmip.llnl.gov/cmip5/">Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5)</a> models predict that temperatures of the top 2,000 meters of the world’s oceans will rise 0.78 degrees C by the end of the century, thus raising sea levels 12 inches — and that’s not including the current sea level rise caused by melting glaciers and ice sheets.

"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, published in 2013, showed that leading climate change models seemed to predict a much faster increase in ocean heat content over the last 30 years than was seen in observations," Hausfather added. "That was a problem, because of all things, that is one thing we really hope the models will get right. The fact that these corrected records now do agree with climate models is encouraging in that is removes an area of big uncertainty that we previously had.”

Scientists are keeping track of ocean changes via 4,000 robots — collectively called Argo — currently floating in oceans around the world. They periodically dive to about 2,000 meters (just over a mile) below the ocean surface to measure the ocean’s temperature, pH, and salinity, among other pieces of information.

"Scientists are continually working to improve how to interpret and analyze what was a fairly imperfect and limited set of data prior to the early 2000s," Hausfather continued. "These four new records that have been published in recent years seem to fix a lot of problems that were plaguing the old records, and now they seem to agree quite well with what the climate models have produced."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Public Domain

Ocean temperatures are climbing even faster than originally thought

According to new research from the University of California Berkeley,...

The nonprofit group <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/">As You Sow</a> is challenging large corporations to publicly claim responsibility for their role in the growing environmental issue of nurdles, which are small pellets used to make plastic products. Nurdles are spilling over into waterways and accumulating in the ocean in shocking numbers.

According to <a href="http://time.com/">Time Magazine</a>, billions of nurdles are lost from production and supply chains every year, and the plastic pellets are the second largest source of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-sea-turtle-species/">microplastic pollution</a> in water. Once the nurdles have entered into the environment, they persist and break down into smaller microplastics that are often mistaken for food and eaten by animals.

As You Sow has requested for Phillips 66, Chevron Corp., DowDupont Inc., and Exxon Mobil Corp. to disclose the number of nurdles that are lost during production each year. The group also wants to know how these corporations are dealing with the issue. 

Conrad MacKerron is the senior vice president of As You Sow, a group that represents shareholders in protecting human and environmental rights.

“We’ve had information over the last couple of years from the plastics industry, that they’re taking this all seriously,” MacKerron told Time Magazine. “This is really more of a bellwether moment, as to whether they’re serious... if they’re willing to come out, warts and all, and say ‘here’s the situation. Here are the spills that are out there. Here’s what we’re doing about them.’”

These particular companies are already involved in a campaign called <a href="https://www.opcleansweep.org/pledge/ocs-blue/">Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) Blue</a>, for which they disclose information on the amount of plastic pellets that are shipped, received, spilled, recovered, or recycled. This data, however, is shared confidentially.

Plastic Industry Association spokesman Jacob Barron told Time that “the provision about confidentiality is included to eliminate competitive concerns that might prevent a company from disclosing this information.” 

While there is limited information on how much nurdle pollution originates in the United States, the American Chemistry Council is pushing for all U.S. manufacturers to join OCS Blue by 2020. 

The Great Nurdle Hunt initiative is calling for every company that uses or transports nurdles to sign the Operation Clean Sweep pledge. To find out what you can do to help with the effort, visit <a href="https://www.nurdlehunt.org.uk/">nurdlehunt.org.uk</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plastic pellets used in manufacturing are spilling into oceans

The nonprofit group As You Sow is challenging large corporations...

A team of researchers has found that the benefits of living in a walkable neighborhood could be outweighed by exposure to traffic-related <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/visiting-city-air-pollution-breathing-issues/">air pollution</a>. The study was led by <a href="http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/">St. Michael's Hospital</a> and ICES, a non-profit research institute which addresses a broad range of health care issues.

The investigation was focused on nearly 2.5 million adults in 15 districts of Ontario. The study findings contradict the idea that all walkable neighborhoods provide Canadian residents with an opportunity for improved overall health and well-being.

Study co-lead author Dr. Gillian Booth is a scientist at St. Michael's Hospital's MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and at ICES.

"Previous research has shown that individuals living in more walkable neighborhoods are more physically active, with downstream health benefits like lower rates of overweight and obesity, hypertension and diabetes," said Dr. Booth. "But our findings confirm that walkability and air pollution are highly intertwined, potentially diminishing any health benefits derived from living in walkable, urban communities."

According to the researchers, individuals in unwalkable neighborhoods have a higher risk of diabetes or hypertension compared to those living in most walkable communities. However, the health benefits of walkable areas were found to decrease, or even disappear, as concentrations of air pollution increased.

"Individuals living in highly walkable neighborhoods tend to be more likely to choose active forms of transportation, like walking or bicycling, as an alternative to driving," explained study co-lead author Dr. Nicholas Howell. "So they may be more exposed to air pollution based simply on the amount of time they spend outside."

The research suggests that the development of walkable neighborhoods should coincide with strategies to mitigate residents' exposure to air pollution.

"Initiatives to create walkable communities while decreasing sources of car pollution may have promise to reap even greater health benefits and have a stronger impact on the health of Canadians," said Dr. Howell.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international">Environment International</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Martyn Jandula

Air pollution outweighs the health benefits of living in walkable areas

A team of researchers has found that the benefits of...

How thinking globally, but acting locally can make a difference. The idea that having narrow local focus leaves little room for anything but a selfish mindset is a misconception, according to a new study that found that concern for local issues could help with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-industrial-revolution/">global environmental conservation</a>. 

You might have heard of the acronym <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Not-in-My-Backyard-Phenomenon">NIMBY</a> which means “not in my backyard” and describes an individual or group opposed to a new addition to the neighborhood, typically a factory, roadway or power station. Nimbyism and parochialism, which is a focus on a local area, can go hand in hand, and there are concerns that parochialism paves the way for bigotry, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, and selfishness. 

But researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> found the exact opposite to be true in a new study published in the journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 

The researchers argue that positive parochialism can inspire a larger awareness of global environmental issues and spur people to action. 

“We did not find evidence that parochialism was inevitably negative and inward-looking,” said Patrick Devine-Wright, a researcher for the study. “It can be those things, but there's no necessary conflict between feeling connected to your local area and feeling connected to the wider world.” 

For the study, the researchers reviewed archival material from the <a href="https://www.commonground.org.uk/parish-maps/">1987 Parish Maps project </a>which was started by the UK charity <a href="https://www.commonground.org.uk/">Common Ground</a>. The researchers also conducted interviews with people who had been involved in the project. The Parish Maps project asked communities to create maps of local areas, highlighting important community buildings, parks, and features. 

The maps were not necessarily accurate cartographically speaking but instead emphasized the most important features to a local community. 

For this study, the researchers show how the Parish Maps project also showcased a passion for the environment and conservation. 

“The Parish Maps project was hugely popular at the time, but has been somewhat overlooked since it ended,” said Devine-Wright. “It led to a huge upswell in local environmentalism and the creation of thousands of maps across the UK and beyond. We argue that it represents parochialism without the negative connotations many people associate with that word.”


The researchers say that the Parish Maps project is a strong example of “positive parochialism,” and shows that thinking locally can influence a global mindset. 

“For a long time, the consensus has been that if we want people to think about global issues they need a cosmopolitan worldview - but this may not be the case,” said Devine-Wright. “Given where we are now in terms of trying to encourage people to make changes to help the environment, ‘positive parochialism’ offers something that has been overlooked.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How thinking globally, but acting locally can make a difference

How thinking globally, but acting locally can make a difference....

A new study led by British botanist Dr. Aaron Davis has revealed that dozens of species of wild coffee are at risk of vanishing as a result of climate change and deforestation. The team found that 60 percent of all wild coffee varieties on three continents are threatened. 

For the risk assessment, the researchers applied an index developed by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN). The analysis revealed that the current rate of climate change may push wild arabica from an (IUCN) classification of “near threatened” to “extinct” by the year 2100.

According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>, Dr. Davis has spent 30 years investigating the state of the world's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coffee-taste-buds/">coffee plants</a>. He has reported that the conditions in traditional coffee-producing regions, such as Ethiopia, will become unsuitable for coffee production as temperatures continue to rise. 

Dr. Davis has also mapped out regions that will become more suitable for growing coffee, which are basically cooler, interior regions. 

The wild species that the experts have analyzed for the current study are critical for the development of new coffee varieties that can survive global warming. 

Dr. Davis, who is a senior researcher at the <a href="https://www.kew.org/">Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew</a>, told the New York Times: “There are a broad range of traits, which have good potential for addressing specific issues in the future, whether its drought tolerance or disease resistance. As we lose those coffees, our options diminish.”

Wild coffees can be stored in seed banks or preserved in protected forests, but the team found that nearly half of all wild coffee species are not stored and a third do not grow in national forests.

The study is published in two separate papers in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a> and <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

Many wild coffee species could disappear by the end of this century

A new study led by British botanist Dr. Aaron Davis...

An international team of scientists has found that declining water availability in a warmer climate will limit the growth of forests worldwide. According to the researchers, the effect is most evident in high latitudes where cold temperatures have primarily limited tree growth in the past.

“Our study shows that across the vast majority of the land surface, trees are becoming more limited by water,” said first author Flurin Babst, who conducted the research at the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. “This is the first time that anybody has projected the tree growth responses to climate at a near-global scale.”

The investigation was focused on comparisons of annual growth rings imprinted on trees from 1930-1960 and 1960-1990. For these two time frames, the team integrated data on temperature, precipitation, and drought stress with a grid map of the Earth's forests.

[caption id="attachment_1865417" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/forest-growth.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865417" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/forest-growth.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="364" /></a> The more orange-red the area on the map, the more tree growth in that region became limited by water availability. The bluer the area, the less water-limited the trees became. Image Credit: Flurin Babst, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zurich[/caption]

Ring-width measurements were taken from trees at about 2,700 sites across every continent except Antarctica. Healthy trees grow wide rings, but these growth rings are narrower when environmental conditions are challenging.

By adding tree-ring data to the map, the experts were able to investigate whether climate change in the 20th century coincided with changes in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/forecast-forest-growth-weather/">forest growth</a>.


Study co-author Professor David Frank explained, “We saw areas where, in the earlier part of the 20th century, temperature limited growth. But now we are seeing shifts towards moisture-drought limitation.”


The study revealed that an increase in temperature of 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit shrank the land area where temperatures were primarily limiting tree growth by 3.3 million square miles, an area about the size of Brazil. The researchers were surprised that such a small temperature change could shift so many trees from being temperature-limited to being water-limited.

Professor Frank said that the finding has implications for future forest and tree growth and for forest management. “Reduced growth is indicative of increased stress on plants - which can be linked to mortality.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Water shortages will limit global forest growth as temperatures rise

An international team of scientists has found that declining water...

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student performance. When a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-risk-natural-disasters-doubled/">natural disaster</a> strikes a community, it can be difficult to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and try to fall back into normal patterns of work, school, and home life.

For children, natural disasters can disrupt schooling and classes may even be put on hold temporarily. Researchers from several universities in Australia set out to investigate the long-term effects that a natural disaster can have on academic performance. 

The study, published in the journal Child Development, reviewed several years’ worth of school records from children in Australia that had been impacted by bushfires. 

“Our study is the first in Australia to track the academic performance of elementary-school children affected by a natural disaster over a four-year period,” said Lisa Gibbs, the leader of the study. “The findings highlight the extended nature of academic impact and identify important opportunities for intervention in the education system so children can achieve their full potential.”

24,642 students who had attended primary school in Australia and who had been affected by a severe series of bushfires that spread across Victoria on February 7th, 2009 were included in the study. 

The date is known as Back Saturday because the fires were some of the worst fires in Australia’s history. 

The researchers reviewed each student’s standardized test scores on reading, writing, numeracy, and grammar two and four years after the fires. 

Some of the students had been more impacted by the fires than others, and the researchers took into account property lost, family members affected, lives lost, as well as other demographic and external factors such as home environment and parent’s education. 

Of all the subjects, reading and numeracy had the lowest scores for the children who had been affected by the fires. 

The team also found that schools impacted by the fires saw fewer expected gains in these subjects but subjects like writing and grammar were not affected. 

“Given the apparent delayed impact of the fires, it will be important for future studies on the impacts of disasters on children to extend beyond three years, and to consider academic and cognitive impacts alongside factors related to health and social and emotional well-being,” said Jane Nursey, a co-author of the study. 

The study shows a strong link between poor academic performance and natural disasters. The researchers say the results call for interventions to ensure that students impacted by a natural disaster receive as much emotional and academic support as possible.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student performance

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



---



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



---



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



---



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



---



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



---



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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

News coming your way