Soil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-soil-microbes-could-revolutionize-climate-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbes</a> face extreme challenges for survival in desert environments, which are characterized by prolonged drought and scarce rainfall. Despite these harsh conditions, an invisible world thrives below the surface. 



The microbes reside in the desert's biocrust - the uppermost layer of soil. They play a crucial role in enriching the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-dormant-soil-microbes-survive-in-a-60-year-old-fire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soil</a> with essential nutrients like carbon and nitrogen. 



Additionally, they help prevent erosion and retain moisture, contributing significantly to ecosystem health. Yet, the survival strategies of soil microbes in such a punishing environment have long baffled scientists.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-dormancy-to-dynamism">From dormancy to dynamism</h2>



A recent study has shed light on how these resilient microorganisms manage to survive and even thrive under extreme conditions. Dagmar Woebken and her team in the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vienna</a> published their findings in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46920-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



The experts found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/desert-microbes-release-greenhouse-gases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">desert soil</a> microbes are uniquely adapted to swiftly respond to the infrequent moisture provided by rainfall. The bacteria enter a dormant state during dry periods, springing to life almost immediately following a rainfall event. This fascinating phenomenon was closely studied in the biocrusts of the Negev Desert, Israel. 



The researchers discovered that within a very short time frame after rain - sometimes as little as 15 to 30 minutes - nearly all of the diverse <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbial-life-soil-planet-warming-global-carbon-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial life</a> present in the soil transitions from dormancy. They quickly reach full activity. This rapid shift is not commonly seen in other soil types, where bacteria reactivation takes significantly longer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-closer-look-at-desert-soil-microbes">A closer look at desert soil microbes </h2>



The researchers used advanced techniques involving stable isotope-labeled water, which contains a form of heavy hydrogen, to simulate rainfall events. By using NanoSIMS, a sophisticated imaging technology, they were able to observe how individual cells responded to simulated rainfall.



The method allowed the researchers to identify which cells were reactivating and assess their growth potential during these brief periods of moisture.



Interestingly, while almost all of the biocrust cells reactivated quickly, only a minority were capable of cell division. This occurred within the short span of rain, typically lasting just one to two days. The majority of cells focused on regeneration, preparing themselves for the next dry spell rather than dividing.



"These data help us understand how biocrust bacteria make optimal use of the short activity windows they experience in deserts. They are ideally adapted to withstand short-term changes in soil water content, a very stressful situation for the cells. This allows them to survive the sudden increase in water content during rain, as well as the subsequent drying out,” noted Dagmar Woebken, principal investigator of the study.



“Additionally, the diverse microbial community is capable of immediate reactivation, which is of great benefit when it must return to a dormant state within a few hours to days.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-ecological-insights">Broader ecological insights</h2>



The insights gained deepen our understanding of desert microbial life and have broader ecosystem implications. 



Furthermore, as global droughts become more frequent and intense due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-soil-microbes-survive-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>, understanding microorganism responses to water scarcity is crucial. 



The desert-adapted strategies of soil microbes showcase resilience and adaptability, providing valuable lessons for managing soil health in other vulnerable areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why are desert soil microbes important?</h2>



Desert soil microbes play a vital role in decomposing organic matter, which is scarce in deserts. This decomposition releases nutrients back into the soil, making them available to plants. Microbes such as bacteria and fungi are particularly crucial in the nitrogen cycle, converting atmospheric nitrogen into forms that plants can absorb and use.



Microbes also help to maintain and improve soil structure. Their activity helps bind soil particles together, which improves soil's ability to retain water and resist erosion, a critical function in arid environments where water is limited and soil erosion can be a severe problem.



Many desert plants rely on symbiotic relationships with microbes to survive in such extreme conditions. For example, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-distribute-enormous-amounts-of-co2-to-mycorrhizal-fungi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mycorrhizal fungi</a> colonize plant roots and extend far into the soil, increasing a plant’s reach for water and essential nutrients, which is particularly important in nutrient-poor desert soils.



Furthermore, desert microbes sequester carbon in the soil, contributing to the mitigation of climate change. Their ability to survive in extreme conditions also provides insights into resilience strategies that could be useful in managing ecological responses to climate change.



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Soil microbes survive the desert by 'sleeping' through the dry spells

Soil microbes face extreme challenges for survival in desert environments, which are characterized by prolonged drought and scarce rainfall. Despite these harsh conditions, an invisible world thrives below the surface. The microbes reside in the desert's biocrust - the uppermost layer of soil. They play a crucial role in enriching the soil with essential nutrients like carbon and nitrogen. Additionally, they help prevent erosion and retain moisture, contributing significantly to ecosystem health. Yet, the survival strategies of soil microbes in such a punishing environment have long baffled...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/prior-mass-extinction-dinosaurs/">Mass extinctions</a> have occurred throughout history, resulting in the disappearance of countless species through a variety of extinction events. Now, a new study published in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> has shed light on why these mass extinctions happen, and how we can use this information to possibly predict upcoming ecological disasters.

Massive changes in ecological systems can occur suddenly, and often result in the extinction of the species that are a part of them, as well as the loss of biodiversity as a whole. One of the main challenges in understanding why these changes happen is that they tend to occur under what seems to be steady environmental conditions – thus, they cannot be directly linked to a specific environmental change.

Researchers from the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a> investigated sudden ecological transitions that have happened throughout history, ranging from mass mortality events in the distant past to more recent extinctions that we have witness in the last few decades. Through combining empirical data, mathematical models, and insights from ecological theory, the research team found that sudden transitions in an ecosystem can occur as a result of long-term transient dynamics, which include “ghost attractors” and “crawl-bys.”

A ghost attractor is described as a special configuration of an ecosystem that exhibits “end-state” behavior, but only for a finite period of time. After that time, the system usually goes through a fast evolution or transition to another state which may have very different properties. This transition would correspond to a catastrophe or major ecological shift.

Crawl-bys occur when changes to the dynamics of an ecosystem occur slowly over a long period of time. 

“An ecological catastrophe emerging from a ‘ghost attractor’ or a ‘crawl-by’ may be a debt that we have to pay for the actions or mistakes – for example unsustainable use of natural resources – made many generations ago,” explains Sergei Petrovskii, a professor at the University of Leicester. “Our research shows that a healthy ecosystem will not necessarily remain healthy, even in the absence of any significant environmental change. Therefore, better monitoring of the state of an ecosystem is required to mitigate potential disasters.”

Petrovskii also states that this research can help us look for signs of an upcoming catastrophe. 

“These findings create a new paradigm as well as a powerful theoretical framework for understanding – and potentially predicting – ecological catastrophes and for their efficient management.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why do mass extinctions occur?

Mass extinctions have occurred throughout history, resulting in the disappearance...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Technological University</a> have found, for the first time, that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-coal-rules-poorer-air-quality/">coal-fired power plants</a> require 13 times more land to be made carbon neutral compared to the manufacturing of solar panels. To offset the harmful emissions from coal-fired plants using bio-sequestration, 89 percent of the United States would have to be covered with forests.

For example, a one-gigawatt coal-fired plant would require a new forest larger than the state of Maryland for all of its carbon emissions to be neutralized, according to the study.

The team investigated the amount of land required to offset greenhouse gases created by traditional coal-fired plants, as well as how much land would be needed for applying carbon sequestration and bio-sequestration to coal-fired plants. These approaches were then compared to the requirements for offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the production of solar panels.

Study co-author Joshua Pearce is a professor of Material Sciences and Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech.


“We know that climate change is a reality, but we don't want to live like cavemen,” said Professor Pearce. “We need a method to make carbon neutral electricity. It just makes no sense whatsoever to use coal when you have solar available, especially with this data.”

Over 100 different data sources were used to compare the energy, greenhouse gas emissions and land transformation that would be needed to carbon neutralize each type of energy. Overall,  solar cells were found to require 13 times less land to become carbon neutral.

“If your goal is to make electricity without introducing any carbon into the atmosphere, you should absolutely not do a coal plant,” said Professor Pearce. “Not only is it not realistic to capture all the carbon dioxide they release, but burning coal also puts sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide and particulates in the air. They cause air pollution, which is already estimated to cause 52,000 premature deaths per year.”

According to Professor Pearce, resources should be dedicated to improving the efficiency of solar panels and solar farms instead of carbon capture at fossil fuel-powered plants to achieve zero-emission energy. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">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

Offsetting coal plant emissions is unrealistic, study finds

Researchers at Michigan Technological University have found, for the first...

A large patch of ice in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/volcanic-activity-west-antarctic/">West Antarctica</a> is gaining ice and thickening, which is just the opposite of a growing trend of ice loss in the area. A team of experts led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> (UW) is gaining new insight into activity across this region after discovering a 5,700-year-record of the glacier’s behavior produced by a volcano under the ice sheet. 

Hidden in the middle of the ice sheet, the track indicates that the current thickening activity will not likely last or affect the glacier in the long term. The record also implies that similar clues to the past may be available deep inside the ice sheet.

“What's exciting about this study is that we show how the structure of the ice sheet acts as a powerful record of what has happened in the past,” said first author Nicholas Holschuh, a UW postdoctoral researcher in Earth and Space Sciences.

Mount Resnik is a mile-high inactive volcano that currently sits under 0.19 miles of ice. The volcano is located close to the thickening Kamb Ice Stream, which flowed quickly in the past but stalled over a century ago. This left the region's ice to drain through four other major ice streams, a transition that glaciologists theorize may happen every few hundred years. 

“The shutdown of Kamb Ice Stream started long before the satellite era,” said Holschuh. “We need some longer-term indicators for its behavior to understand how important this shutdown is for the future of the region's ice.”

The paper analyzes two radar surveys of the area's ice: one was collected in 2002 by study co-authors Robert Jacobel and Brian Welch and the other was collected in 2004 by study co-author Howard Conway. 

When Conway noticed some mysterious missing layers, he asked his colleagues to investigate.

“It wasn't until we had spent probably six months with this data set that we started to piece together the fact that this thing that we could see within the ice sheet was forming in response to the subglacial volcano,” said Holschuh.

The study authors believe that the volcano's height pushes the relatively thin ice sheet up so much that it changes the local wind fields and affects depositing of snow. As the ice sheet passes over the volcano, there is a section that missed out on a few annual layers of snow.

“These missing layers are common in East Antarctica, where there is less precipitation and strong winds can strip away the surface snow,” said Holschuh. “But this is really one of the first times we've seen these missing layers in West Antarctica. It's also the first time an unconformity has been used to reconstruct ice sheet motion of the past.”

The UW researchers have found previously that rapid retreat occurred at the edge of the ice sheet until about 3,400 years ago. The volcano track also shows a thinning of the ice at about this time.

“It means that the interior of the ice sheet is responding to the large-scale climate forcing from the last glacial maximum to today,” said Holschuh. “So the long-timescale climatic forcing is very consistent between the interior and the coast, but the shorter-timescale processes are really apparent in the coastal record but aren't visible in the interior.”

“These persistent tracers of historic ice flow are probably all over the place. The more we can tease apart the stories of past motion told by the structure of the ice sheet, the more realistic we can be in our predictions of how it will respond to future climate change.”

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 

Image Credit: Nicholas Holschuh/<a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>

Volcano under West Antarctic ice sheet shows history of activity

A large patch of ice in West Antarctica is gaining...

A revolutionary project that may be the first feasible solution for ocean plastic is set to be launched on September 8th in the Pacific Ocean. As we <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pac-man-system-plastic-pollution/">reported</a> earlier this summer, <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/">The Ocean Cleanup</a> is targeting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which holds an estimated 80,000 tons of plastic. 

The experts behind The Ocean Cleanup say that a full-scale deployment of their system can remove 50 percent of the garbage patch in five years. 

The team adds: “After fleets of systems are deployed into every ocean gyre, combined with source reduction, The Ocean Cleanup projects to be able to remove 90% of ocean plastic by 2040.”

The project, which has been developed over the last five years, features a 600-meter floating tube with a three-meter-deep screen attached. The floating device is capable of collecting about five tons of plastic per month.

The system was designed to keep wildlife safe from harm while preventing the passage of plastic. 

The team describes some of the precautions taken to ensure the safety of marine life: “Firstly, the systems move through the ocean at extremely low speeds - slow enough for creatures to swim away. Secondly, because the screen is impenetrable, the current will flow underneath the screen, guiding with it organisms that can't actively move, while the plastic (which floats) remains inside the system.”

The experts also point out that the screen is much different from a net, and wildlife cannot become entangled. 

Once the system is towed over 1,000 nautical miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from its launch point in Alameda, California, it will rely on the wind, water, and currents to move it along as it combs the ocean for garbage. 

“Our systems fully rely on the natural ocean currents and do not require an external energy source to catch and concentrate the plastic. All electronics used, such as lights and AIS, will be powered by solar energy.”

The performance of the beta cleanup system, System 001, will be monitored to make any necessary improvements as the team aims to increase its fleet to a total of 60 units over the next year and a half. 

Find out how individuals and businesses can support The Ocean Cleanup at: <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/support/">https://www.theoceancleanup.com/support/</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 

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/">The Ocean Cleanup</a>

The Ocean Cleanup launches this weekend to reduce garbage patch

A revolutionary project that may be the first feasible solution...

The Red Sea was once considered the least plastic-polluted body of water in the world, which is no small given how many tons of plastic waste is produced every day. 

However, researchers recently found microplastics in the guts of one in every six fish in the Red Sea, showing once again that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/biodegradable-plastic-pollution/">plastic pollution</a> truly is a global crisis. 

The new Red Sea study raises alarms because many people eat fish in the region and there is concern that contaminated fish could pass on microplastics to humans that consume them. 

Microplastics can come from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microfibers-clothing-polluting-oceans/">synthetic clothing fibers</a>, plastic to-go containers, and even plastics used as cleaning agents in bath and kitchen products. 

The plastics break down and are sometimes eaten by fish which mistake the plastic for food. The plastic can then damage the fish’s intestinal tract and organs as it’s digested and the toxins contaminate the fish, which in turn can be harmful to humans who eat the fish. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.kaust.edu.sa/">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a> in Saudi Arabia made the discovery and the results show that fish in the Red Sea are exposed to just as much plastic as other major bodies of water.

178 fish from 26 different species across four Red Sea habitats were collected by the researchers. The researchers then examined the stomach content of the fish and found microplastics in as many as one in six of the 178 fish studied. 

These numbers match other microplastic statistics from different bodies of water, according to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6135365/Microplastics-guts-one-six-Red-Sea-fish.html">the Daily Mail. </a>

“The major finding of this study is that microplastic pollution has reached our commercial and non-commercial fish species and might contaminate the fish we consume,” Fadiyah Baalkhuyur, a co-author of the study, told the Daily Mail.

The majority of the plastic pieces found in the fish came from synthetic fibers and other broken down plastic waste. 

The next step for the researchers is working to understand how microplastics are consumed by fish in the Red Sea. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Microplastics found inside 1 in 6 fish in the Red Sea

The Red Sea was once considered the least plastic-polluted body...

Scientists have known for years that both <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/worlds-fifth-largest-wind-farm-england/">wind</a> and solar farms can have local effects on heat, humidity, and other factors that may be either beneficial or detrimental to a given region. For this reason, it’s important that researchers carefully study the effects this infrastructure would have on an area before it’s implemented. New research has now found that a massive wind and solar installation in the Sahara Desert and the nearby Sahel would result in increased local temperatures, precipitation, and vegetation. These effects could actually benefit this arid region.

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, and is one of the first to model the climate effects of wind and solar installations while also determining how vegetation would respond to changes in heat and precipitation. 

“Previous modeling studies have shown that large-scale wind and solar farms can produce significant climate change at continental scales,” says Yan Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> and lead author of the study. “But the lack of vegetation feedbacks could make the modeled climate impacts very different from their actual behavior.”

In the study, simulated wind and solar farms would stretch over 9 million square kilometers, and generate roughly 3 terawatts and 79 terawatts of electrical power on average, respectively. “In 2017, the global energy demand was only 18 terawatts, so this is obviously much more energy than is currently needed worldwide,” says Li.

Their models showed that the wind farms resulted in regional warming of near-surface air temperature, with more significant changes in minimum temperatures than maximum temperatures. “The greater nighttime warming takes place because wind turbines can enhance the vertical mixing and bring down warmer air from above,” the authors explain.

In the Sahara, precipitation was show to increase as much as 0.25 millimeters per day on average in areas that had wind farms. In the Sahel, average rainfall increased 1.12 millimeters per day. 

“This increase in precipitation, in turn, leads to an increase in vegetation cover, creating a positive feedback loop,” says Li.

The results also showed a similar positive effect on temperature and precipitation in areas with solar farms. “We found that the large-scale installation of solar and wind farms can bring more rainfall and promote vegetation growth in these regions,” says Eugenia Kalnay, a study co-author from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>. 

“The rainfall increase is a consequence of complex land-atmosphere interactions that occur because solar panels and wind turbines create rougher and darker land surfaces. The increase in rainfall and vegetation, combined with clean electricity as a result of solar and wind energy, could help agriculture, economic development and social well-being in the Sahara, Sahel, Middle East and other nearby regions.”

The authors of the study chose to study the Sahara and Sahel due to these regions being sparsely inhabited and highly sensitive to changes in landscape. Furthermore, the Sahara Desert is the largest in the world, and its proximity to Europe and the Middle East is intriguing, due to the growing energy demands of these regions. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wind, solar farms in the Sahara would increase rain, vegetation

Scientists have known for years that both wind and solar...

The Earth experienced an extreme episode of global warming around 56 million years ago, which is known as the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Max (PETM). Over the course of just 10,000 to 20,000 years, the average temperature spiked by 5 to 8 degrees without returning to its original level until a few hundred thousand years later. 

Based on the analysis of sediments from the southern slope of the Pyrenees, researchers at the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/university/">University of Geneva</a> (UNIGE) measured the impact of this global warming event on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/summer-weather-wildfires-flooding/">river floods</a> and the surrounding landscapes. They found that the intensity of floods increased by a factor of eight, and sometimes even by a factor of 14. 

Study lead author Sébastien Castelltort is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the UNIGE Faculty of Sciences.

“The method we relied on to analyze this global warming is directly inspired by cell signaling in systems biology, where researchers analyse the response of cells to external stimuli and the ensuing signal transmission,” explained Professor Castelltort.

“We are interested in how a system, in this case the hydrologic cycle through the behavior of rivers, reacts to an external signal, here the global warming.” 

Overall, the research shows that the consequences of global warming may be much greater than predicted by current climate models. For example, during the PETM, vegetation would have been replaced by pebbly plants. Rivers constantly changed course and often widened dramatically - from 15 to 160 meters wide in the most extreme case. 

“With global warming, the landscape changed completely. The channel-forming floods, which occur on average every 2 to 3 years and whose flow we have been able to measure, went up to 14 times greater than before when climate was cooler,” explained Professor Castelltort. 

“Our study shows that there are thresholds, non-linear evolutions that go beyond this ratio. With a ratio of 14 for flood magnitude, we face effects that we do not understand, which can perhaps be explained by local factors, but also by global factors that are not yet incorporated into current climate models. Our study proves that the risks associated with global warming may be far greater than we generally think.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">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 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Flood risks linked to global warming have been underestimated

The Earth experienced an extreme episode of global warming around...

With the risks of climate change not getting any smaller – mainly due to continued unsustainable greenhouse gas emissions – the need for full-scale transition to a carbon-free electricity grid is more dire than ever. Just recently, the state of California committed to creating a 100 percent carbon-free grid, setting aggressive policies for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. 

This is an aspirational goal, but is it possible? A study from <a href="http://www.mit.edu/">MIT</a> researchers now gives guidelines for reliable and cost-effective ways to potentially build a zero-carbon electricity system. 

In recent years, the cost of wind and solar power, as well as energy storage batteries, has dropped dramatically. This has led many people to suggest that these sources alone should be used to power a carbon-free grid. But this recent study – published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/home">Joule</a> – has found that the more cost-effective and lower-risk strategy would be to pair these sources with steady carbon-free resources that can be expected to meet demand for long periods of time. These other resources include nuclear, geothermal, bioenergy, and natural gas with carbon capture.

“In this paper, we’re looking for robust strategies to get us to a zero-carbon electricity supply, which is the linchpin in overall efforts to mitigate climate change risk across the economy,” says Jesse Jenkins, PhD, of MIT. In order to achieve that, “we need not only to get to zero emissions in the electricity sector, but we also have to do so at a low enough cost that electricity is an attractive substitute for oil, natural gas, and coal in the transportation, heat, and industrial sectors, where decarbonization is typically even more challenging than in electricity.”

In their study, the team evaluated 1,000 different scenarios involving varying assumptions about the availability and cost of low-carbon technologies, geographical differences in the availability of renewable resources, and different policies on their use. They compared two different approaches: a “restrictive” approach that included only the use of solar and wind generation along with battery storage, and an “inclusive” approach that combined these technologies with the use of continual carbon-free sources like nuclear power, bioenergy, and natural gas with carbon capture. For every single case the team assessed, it was determined that the inclusive approach was more affordable, lowering costs from 10 percent to as much as 62 percent. 

“The results of this research challenge what has become conventional wisdom on both sides of the climate change debate,” says Richard Lester, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT. “Contrary to fears that effective climate mitigation efforts will be cripplingly expensive, our work shows that even deep decarbonization of the electric power sector is achievable at relatively modest additional cost. But contrary to beliefs that carbon-free electricity can be generated easily and cheaply with wind, solar energy, and storage batteries alone, our analysis makes clear that the societal cost of achieving deep decarbonization that way will likely be far more expensive than is necessary.”

While the dream of a 100 percent carbon-free electrical grid is still a futuristic one, the researchers believe it is important to begin assessing its viability today. Ultimately, any decisions made now regarding power plant construction, research investments, or overall climate policies will have effects that could still be felt decades from now.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A mix of energy sources offer a cost-effective clean power system

With the risks of climate change not getting any smaller...

A new study by Dr. Grant Lipman, a clinical associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford School of Medicine</a>, has found that drought is a good predictor of fewer snakebites.

Dr. Lipman, who routinely treats patients with venomous snakebites, said: “I wondered if there are more snake bites during droughts.” 

To investigate, he developed a study with a team of researchers including co-lead author Dr. Caleb Phillips, an adjunct assistant professor of Computer Science at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado-Boulder</a>.


“We set out to prove that, yes, there are more snakebites during high drought time especially since that's what we were taught,” said Dr. Lipman.

The experts were surprised to find that the number of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/how-just-a-few-drops-of-viper-venom-call-kill-you/">snakebites</a> actually decreases after a drought, but increases after periods of rainy weather. 

The study also revealed that an increase in weather extremes caused by climate change has a direct influence on snakebite incidence in California. According to the study authors, this could be useful to help guide public health measures, such as determining the best distribution of antivenom supplies.

The analysis was focused on 20 years of snakebite data from every phone call made to the California Poison Control System from 1997 to 2017. 

A total of 5,365 snake bites were reported, all of which were from rattlesnakes. The average age of patients was found to be 37, and the researchers also determined that five deaths occurred over the study period. Most of the fatalities involved male victims who were at home in the backyard when they were bitten.

“The most common comment I usually hear from snakebite victims in the emergency room is: ‘I was just minding my own business,’” said Dr. Lipman “Usually, though, it's the snakes that were minding their own business, having a nice nap. It's people who tend to disturb them.”

The experts determined that snakebite incidence decreased by 10 percent following a drought, and increased by 10 percent following high levels of precipitation. The researchers theorize that an increase in rainfall results in accelerated shrub growth, which boosts the presence of rodents - the primary food source of snakes. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ictx20">Clinical Toxicology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A decrease in rainfall is actually linked to fewer snakebites

A new study by Dr. Grant Lipman, a clinical associate...

A-68, the massive iceberg that broke away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in July 2017 that is the size of Delaware, is moving again after being grounded for some time on the seabed. 

When the iceberg first split from the ice shelf, many weighed in on the potential ramifications and where the iceberg would end up. 

There were concerns that pieces of the ice formation could eventually drift <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iceberg-shipping-lanes/">out into international shipping lanes</a>. But now, a little over a year later, the iceberg seems to be stuck on a corner of the seabed of the Weddell Sea and has begun to rotate. 

<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/larsen-c-iceberg-size-delaware-collision-course-antarctica-1103450?spJobID=1110199935">Newsweek</a> reported on the new movement of A-68 after speaking with Mark Brandon, a polar oceanographer from <a href="http://www.open.ac.uk/">Open University in London</a>. 

Brandon explained that because it’s winter in the Antarctic currently, tracking the movements of the iceberg is difficult because it’s dark, cold, and largely obscured by clouds. 

“It is the middle of the Antarctic winter and nobody is on the ground looking at this,” Brandon told Newsweek. “The light has come back to the part of Antarctica where the iceberg is—but it is still very cold. That means we only have satellite data.”

Recent satellite temperature imagery from the Sentinel-1 SAR and Suomi NPP satellite show that iceberg is on the move after being grounded. However, it still seems to be stuck at one end of the iceberg and so A-68 is rotating because of the winds and currents in the area. 

“Around the 12th July 2018 it seems to have broken free from what it was grounded on and began rotating in an anticlockwise direction,” Brandon said. “Over the rest of July and August, it has rotated a little more than 90 degrees. It appears to be grounded at its western end and so it is rotating around that.”

A-68 is predicted to continue rotating until it eventually collides with the Larsen C Ice Shelf. 

“If A-68 does collide with the Larsen C Ice Shelf, it will be slow, and there won’t be explosions or anything,” Brandon told Newsweek. “But I would expect the forces within the ice to break iceberg A-68 into smaller, but still huge, fragments. It is possible it could fracture the ice of the ice shelf. The satellite imagery when this happens will be magnificent and it will allow us to learn a lot about how the ice fractures and moves.”

Brandon also predicts that A-68 will eventually break up and drift north where it will become grounded again and slowly “decay.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_ICE">NASA Operation IceBridge</a>

Enormous iceberg that broke off of Antarctica is now spinning

A-68, the massive iceberg that broke away from the Larsen...

Drought conditions returned across the United States earlier this year, and measurements show that the situation became even worse in the month of August. By Labor Day weekend, more than half of the country was still enduring abnormally hot and dry <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/drought-conditions-california-sink/">drought</a> conditions. 

According to the latest release of the <a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/">United States Drought Monitor</a>, over 56 percent of the country was either exceptionally dry or experiencing a full-blown drought on August 28th. Drought conditions are persisting in a third of the country, while almost eight percent is in an extreme or exceptional drought.

The drought map shows the major differences that are divided across the country, with the eastern half being largely spared compared to the western half of the country. 

The Four Corners region, which includes southwestern Colorado, southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico, remains in a state of “exceptional drought,” along with parts of the Midwest around northern Missouri and Kansas City.

The <a href="http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/">Climate Prediction Center</a> is projecting unseasonably warm temperatures for September, October, and November, but is also forecasting a good chance of above-average precipitation in parts of the west this fall, including the Four Corners region.

According to the <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/">National Climatic Data Center</a> (NCDC), the United States endured 114 climate or weather disasters that cost at least $1 billion in damages across the three decades leading up to 2011. Collectively, these weather events caused losses and damages of more than $800 billion. 

During this time frame, there were 16 billion-dollar droughts that totaled $195 billion in losses. This means that each billion-dollar drought cost approximately $12 billion.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drought conditions persisting across more than half the U.S.

Drought conditions returned across the United States earlier this year,...

You can see it in places like Santa Fe, New Mexico, Moab, Utah, Telluride, Colorado, even in Hill City, South Dakota.  Slowly it seems, the wealthy are buying up the rugged west and costs for enjoying public lands climb lockstep with the alteration of that landscape for increased recreation.

I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who decades ago spent his summers during college living out of a van and working at a rock shop in Moab, Utah.  My friend tells me Moab has changed so much and not for the better, to the degree he can’t visit the town anymore; it’s too sad. Moab is the poster child for a type of change that threatens to engulf the entire western US.  Once a small, quirky town full of working class people and outdoor bums, Moab has become a destination, a tourism mecca. The sad irony is that people like John Muir or Ed Abbey, promoting the natural beauty of places they loved have drawn in tourists that have overrun once lonely places.  As my friend told me, eventually people stop coming to a place because they love it and people start coming simply because it’s the place to be.

In his book, The Man Who Quit Money, Mark Sundeen nicely summarizes the historic feel of Moab, Utah and a way of living that has attracted many to the western US over the years:

“In 1897 – the same year builders broke ground on that icon of modernity, the Eiffel Tower – Moab still had no road or railway service, and the only way to cross the Colorado River into town was by ferry…A graded road and river bridge did not arrive until 1912…Moab has always had a reflexively anti-authoritarian bent.  People came here to do whatever the Hell they wanted. When in 1878 a settler named Arthur Barney crossed the Colorado where Moab now sits, he and his men found a sign on the bank reading NO CAMPING ALLOWED. In excellent Moab form, they threw the sign in the river and crossed.” 

Things in Moab and throughout the west are changing though.  Ranching, mining, logging and other extraction industries in the western US are slowly being replaced by outdoor recreation and service industries, a shift fraught with unintentional consequences.  

On Patagonia’s blog <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/blog/2017/01/the-outdoor-industry-loves-utah-does-utah-love-the-outdoor-industry/">The Cleanest Line</a>, the company states that outdoor recreation annually drives $12 billion in spending and supports 122,000 jobs in Utah alone (as of January 2017).  According to an article in <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2017/07/28/outdoor-recreation-meant-12b-to-utahs-economy-last-year/">The Salt Lake Tribune</a>, the outdoor industry supported 110,000 jobs in 2016, more than double the 32,000 mining jobs or 18,000 energy jobs.  According to a Utah Department of Agriculture and Food report for 2017, agriculture production and processing employed 79,000 people that year.  In 2017, <a href="https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865679687/Report-Utah-tourism-growing-at-record-levels.html">Deseret News</a> reported that tourism in Utah grew 12% from 2011 to 2015.   These numbers are striking when considering a western state like Utah that has traditionally been defined by ‘natural resources’ and hardworking blue collar types.

According to <a href="https://utahbusiness.com/build-population-growth-will-reshape-utahs-housing-landscape/">Utah Business</a>, Utah is projected to double its population by 2065.  Tourism seems to be a new major player in the economics of the west, one that’s here to stay.  <a href="https://newwest.net/city/article/what_is_a_new_west_vs_old_west_economy/C396/L396/">New West</a> says: 

“Vibrant local new economies are emerging. A 2005 government study finds that rural counties specializing in recreation and tourism enjoyed higher employment growth rates, higher percentages of working age residents, and lower local poverty rates.”

The economic and population growth in Utah is affecting national parks and other ‘natural’ areas as well.  <a href="https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2018/02/28/zion-national-park-ranks-3rd-u-s-number-visitors/380897002/">The Spectrum</a> reported earlier this year that Zion National Park in Southern Utah is now the third most visited National Park in the US.  Only Great Smoky National Park and Grand Canyon National Park had more visitors than Zion in 2017. 

Zion isn’t alone either; visiting Arches National Park on an average day makes it clear that much of what Ed Abbey feared in visitation has come to pass.  The master plan is complete. Roads are paved and packed with SUVs. On one hike, my fiance Erin and I were baffled to watch a tourist offer a chipmunk scurrying across slick rock water and proclaim, “Stupid chipmunk” when the small mammal didn’t drink.  Small puddles were already nearby. 

It seems from my perspective that the majority of visitors to Arches or Zion aren’t making a real connection to the land.  A ranger in the Grand Canyon once told me about rescuing a woman who walked for miles into the canyon in high heeled shoes.  What brings a person like that to the Grand Canyon? Perhaps clever marketing. 

In Utah, the Office of Tourism seems to have focused its marketing on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-national-parks/">national parks</a>.  The focus on the outdoors makes sense for Utah, it’s the main attraction on hand for tourism.  The Mighty Five ad campaign is one I remember seeing on TV a couple years ago, it’s an a campaign focusing on Utah’s five national parks.  Beyond the Mighty Five, <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/ut/list.htm">Utah</a> has six National Monuments, some of which are absolutely as spectacular as the National Parks.  There are also four National Historic Trails passing through Utah and there is one National Historic Site and one National Recreation area.  

Utah is fairly typical of western states, where the majority of federal land is located.  <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/co/list.htm">Colorado</a> has five National Monuments, four National Parks, two National Historic sites and one National Recreation area.  <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/az/list.htm">Arizona</a> follows much the same pattern with only three National Parks but with a whopping 13 National Monuments plus historic sites, recreational sites and historic trails that pass through the state.  It isn’t just the four corners region or desert areas either; <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/or/list.htm">Oregon</a> has five National Parks.  <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/wa/list.htm">Washington</a> State has 15 National Parks and the park service claims, 8,371,753 visitors to those parks annually. 

The eastern US is much less dominated by federal land than the west.  Take <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/vt/index.htm">Vermont</a> for instance, the state only has one National Historical Park and one National Scenic Trail passing through it.  The National Park Service claims 48,945 visitors to Vermont’s park. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/state/me/index.htm">Maine</a> has a bit more public land with a National Park, a National Monument, an International Park and an International Historic Site.  Compared to Arizona though, Maine attracts less than one quarter of the visitors to its parks and less than half that of Washington state with 3,430,164 visitors.

The land of the eastern US was quickly developed and much was already lost when parks, monuments and national forests started popping up across the US.  Preservation has naturally favored places where a good amount of unspoiled land was left; places like Utah, Montana or Alaska. According to a 2016 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/upshot/why-the-government-owns-so-much-land-in-the-west.html">New York Times</a> report, the federal government owns 47% of western land.  According to <a href="https://www.summitpost.org/public-and-private-land-percentages-by-us-states/186111">summitpost.org</a>, 95.8% of Alaska is public land but not all of that land is Federal.  Listed in order of highest to lowest percentage of public lands, the first twelve states are all western, with New York ranking as number 13 with 37.1% of its land being public.  In the case of New York, a large portion of its public land is state land. Only 0.3% of New York is federal land according to <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Federal_land_ownership_by_state">ballotopedia.org</a>.  

It’s clear that federal public lands, including national parks and national forests, are part of what defines western landscape and culture, making it different than the eastern US.  What isn’t clear is what this will mean going forward. The reason why so many national parks and forests were able to be created in the western US is largely due to an accident in demographics.  The US was colonized by Europeans and other settlers starting on the east coast going west. The movement from east to west meant a less densely populated western US when parks and forests started to get set aside, meaning there was more undeveloped land to create parks with in the west.

When it comes to national forests, the pattern of east to west development and private land ownership becomes even more obvious.  54% of land inside eastern National Forest boundaries is actually national forest land, according to <a href="http://www.andykerr.net/kerr-public-lands-blog/2017/1/7/national-forests-in-the-eastern-united-states-an-incomplete-legacy">Andy Kerr’s Public Land Blog</a>.  Much of this privately owned land was already owned by private logging companies in the east, while a much smaller percentage was owned in western states.  

Although the preservation of much of the west is predicated on smaller western populations, there has been a growing trend to promote tourism to parks, forests, deserts, landscapes that need continued protection.  Undoubtedly seeing parks makes you care about them more but not all park experiences are equal. 

Infrastructure in parks is starting to crumble. <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/">Yes Magazine</a>, stating an oft recognized problem, writes that National Park’s transportation expenses require about $970 million annually, but in 2016 only received $240 million.  The backlog on infrastructure repairs remains today as well, a big reason parks have started to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-parks-trump-ghost-teddy-roosevelt/">raise fees</a>.  

The popularity of parks is directly contributing to the infrastructure problem and people who drive over roads in large RVs are causing the problem more than backpackers in relatively light cars but probably won’t shoulder more of the burden.  By encouraging more visitation, we’ve caused more problems in parks, problems of congestion, of degradation of both natural environment and infrastructure. With infrastructure also comes of course, less of what people go to parks to see; more asphalt and less grass, rock, trees.

Outside of parks, western cities become more crowded as well.  I’ve driven through mountain towns that now have special routes for people driving ATVs through towns.  Dirt roads are more crowded with ATVs, dirt bikes and SUVs as well, places where mountain bikes were once common are now too dusty to easily ride.  Land prices climb in the most beautiful areas of the west. It becomes increasingly unclear whether the tough working classes who built communities in the west or the Native Americans who’ve often been forced onto marginal lands have a future here.  Campgrounds that were once free are now charging and visits to grocery stores in many tourism driven western towns can induce sticker shock to most. 

With the changing western landscape, environmentalists, especially those in the west should start asking if they’ve made a mistake.  By asking people to visit the west have we simply traded the problems of the extraction industry for new problems caused by industrial tourism?  By focusing on financial benefits of parks are businesses like Patagonia selling out the environment? 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer                            

Image Credit: Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wa2l5tW5ISE?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Mitch Nielsen</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Ecotourism and the rapidly changing New West

You can see it in places like Santa Fe, New...

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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



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...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[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

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

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://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

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

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

[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

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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

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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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Aerial,Photo,Of,River,In,Amazon,Rainforest,Jungle,In,Peru

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center</a> describes how scientists are using autonomous sound sensors to monitor deforestation in the Amazon. By recording soundscapes, the experts can determine which animals are present through their distinct sounds.&nbsp;



Using this method, sounds can be used as scientific measurements to analyze the effects of deforestation. The researchers will gain a better understanding of how the acoustics of a forest can be used to measure its health.&nbsp;



"From space, parts of the Amazon rainforest that have previously been logged or burned may look lush and green, like a place buzzing with activity and full of sounds. But inside the rainforest, the animal life may tell a different story, of a harsh environment and a quieter soundscape," says NASA.



Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center&nbsp;



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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 deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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