Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense. A key factor behind this surge is the rise in "fire weather" - specific conditions that make it easier for fires to ignite and spread. Heat, dry air, low rainfall, and strong winds are all part of this volatile mix.



Recent research from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of New South Wales</a> shows that the timing of fire weather seasons is shifting. Eastern Australia and western North America are now experiencing more overlap in their fire seasons than ever before. 



The study, published in the journal Earth’s Future, reveals how this change could complicate international firefighting efforts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catastrophic-fire-seasons">Catastrophic fire seasons</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-have-identified-the-key-driver-of-severe-wildfires-in-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wildfires</a> have devastated coasts on both continents. In January 2025, Los Angeles saw one of its worst fire disasters, with 29 lives lost and over 10,000 buildings destroyed.



Between September 2019 and March 2020, eastern Australia faced a catastrophic bushfire season that burned more than 12 million hectares of forest and bushland.



In times of crisis, countries have leaned on each other. Firefighters from Canada, the United States, and Australia have flown across the globe to offer support. These collaborations have saved lives and resources. But the window for such cooperation is shrinking.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-seasons-are-rising-together">Fire seasons are rising together</h2>



To understand what’s changing, the researchers analyzed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-breaking-wildfire-years-are-just-getting-started/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">global fire weather trends</a> using the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI). This tool considers rainfall, temperature, humidity, and wind speed to flag days when wildfires are more likely.



Since 1979, the number of fire weather days that occur simultaneously in eastern Australia and western North America has been rising. Most of the overlap happens between July and December. In fact, the number of these simultaneous fire-prone days has been increasing by about one day per year.



"This is because the fire season in eastern Australia is starting earlier in spring and overlapping with the end of the fire season on the west coast of North America," explained Dr. Andreia Ribeiro, a climate scientist at UFZ and lead author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-the-future">Preparing for the future</h2>



The team didn’t stop at historical data. Using four climate models and multiple simulations, they explored what the future might look like. 



The result? A continued rise in overlapping fire weather days - by as much as 4 to 29 days per year by the middle of this century.



"The number of overlapping fire weather days in western North America and eastern Australia will continue to increase," said Dr. Ribeiro.



One key driver behind fire season timing is the El Niño Southern Oscillation. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-event-may-push-earth-towards-its-hottest-year-ever/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Niño</a> often leads to droughts and heatwaves in eastern Australia. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/winter-of-extremes-how-will-la-nina-affect-weather-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">La Niña</a> tends to bring drier, hotter conditions to western North America.



"Despite these generally opposing patterns, we found that during strong fire weather overlap, El Niño conditions are especially pronounced in the Central Pacific," said Dr. Ribeiro. But even this climate system may not be enough to offset the bigger picture.



"Climate change is causing global temperature rises and increasing drought in some regions while the El Niño effect is expected to remain largely unchanged," noted study co-author Dr. Jakob Zscheischler.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-overlapping-fire-seasons">Overlapping fire seasons</h2>



The traditional schedule once worked in favor of cooperation. Western North America usually battled fires between June and October. Eastern Australia faced them from October to March. This left a gap that made it possible for countries to send help, but the gap is closing fast.



"These increasingly overlapping fire weather seasons in the US and Australia are narrowing the window for international cooperation and making it harder to respond quickly to large-scale wildfires," said study lead author Dr. Doug Richardson from the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes at UNSW.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-firefighting-strategies">Rethinking firefighting strategies</h2>



The study suggests that current international agreements may no longer be enough. With shrinking timeframes for mutual aid, countries may need to rely more on their own fire services.



Australia and the United States will likely need to boost domestic resources - more personnel, more aircraft, and stronger infrastructure. The stakes are high.



As climate change continues to stretch fire seasons longer and push them closer together, the ability to act swiftly and independently could save thousands of lives and ecosystems.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024EF005030" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's Future</a>.



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Fire weather seasons are overlapping more than ever before

Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense. A key factor behind this surge is the rise in "fire weather" - specific conditions that make it easier for fires to ignite and spread. Heat, dry air, low rainfall, and strong winds are all part of this volatile mix. Recent research from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of New South Wales shows that the timing of fire weather seasons is shifting. Eastern Australia and western North America are now experiencing more overlap...

A new study has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/local-drivers-intensifying-warming-arctic/#.XJ0-zphKhPY">warming in the Arctic</a> may result in less precipitation and increase droughts on a global scale. The research shows that warming in the Arctic 10,000 years ago correlated with lower lake levels in the western United States and created the perfect conditions for drought. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/">University of Wyoming </a>led the study, which was published in the journal Nature. 

The researchers focused on the temperature differences between the tropics and the poles and how these pole-to-tropic temperature differences impacted drought conditions over three different periods, 100 years ago, 2,000 years ago, and 10,000 years ago. 

Data from 236 records across 219 sites were included in the study, and when the researchers were unable to access sufficient atmospheric data, records on tree rings, lake deposits, cave deposits, and glacier ice helped fill in the gaps. 

“The Nature paper takes a global approach and relates the history of severe dry periods of temperature changes,” said Bryan Shuman, an author of the study. “Importantly, when temperatures have changed in similar ways to today (warming of the Arctic), the mid-latitudes -- particularly places like Wyoming and other parts of central North America -- dried out. Climate models anticipate similar changes in the future.”

10,000 years ago, lake levels were lower compared to today, and the researchers noticed that drier periods throughout history corresponded with warming in the Arctic. 

This is because the pole-to-tropic differences were smaller resulting in less precipitation, weaker cyclones, and weak wind flow. When temperature differences were greater, precipitation increased as did wind flow.

“Our analysis shows that, when the Arctic is warmer, the jet stream and other wind patterns tend to be weaker,” said Shuman. “The temperature difference in the Arctic and the tropics is less steep. The change brings less precipitation to the mid-latitudes.”

Today, the Arctic is warming at rates double the global average, and the research shows that warming in the Arctic will lead to significantly less precipitation in the middle latitude in the coming years.

--

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>

Arctic warming linked to an increase in droughts

A new study has found that warming in the Arctic...

Damaging air pollution from the agricultural industry has been underestimated. In a new study led by <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/">Carnegie Mellon University</a>, experts used integrated assessment models to estimate damages from fine particulate matter emissions, measuring the economy-wide impacts of premature mortality and other pollution-related health outcomes in America.

The four sectors in the U.S. economy that are collectively responsible for over 75 percent of air pollution damage contribute less than 20 percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP), including agriculture, utilities, manufacturing, and transportation.

"Canonically, we tend to think about air pollution as coming from smokestacks," said said Professor Nicholas Z. Muller. "But what we're finding is a transition from the utilities sector to the agriculture sector in terms of the most significant sources of damages from particulate matter."

While it is most often assumed that the utilities and manufacturing industries are the main culprits, Professor Muller explained that air pollution output from these sectors is actually shrinking due to government regulations and market forces. At the same time, the less-regulated <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservation-agriculture-water-california/">agriculture</a> and transportation industries have remained roughly constant in their pollutant contribution.

"The air pollution policies that have been levied on the utilities sector have done a very good job in reducing emissions and damages, so policy can be effective at protecting public health in this regard," said Professor Muller. "It's also evidence that we need a more comprehensive, targeted and thoughtful way to regulate pollution from agricultural systems."

According to Professor Muller, regulations could involve changing the composition of fertilizer, using different means to treat waste from animals, and limiting dust emissions from livestock and tilling. 

"All of these things need to be looked at in terms of their costs because what we're seeing is that emissions in the agricultural sector are very damaging." Damaging air pollution from the agricultural industry has been underestimated

Although new regulations will require costly changes to limit emissions, the new research suggests that the long-term benefits of these actions are quite large.

"When you consider the net value of the agriculture and transportation sectors' contributions to total economic output, it would be a lot more if they were to clean up because they're imposing all these external costs that measurements like GDP just don't capture," said Professor Muller.

Between 2008 and 2014, health damage caused by fine particulate matter exposure fell by 20 percent in the United States. 

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Image Credit: Shutterstock/symbiot

Damaging air pollution from the agricultural industry has been underestimated

Damaging air pollution from the agricultural industry has been underestimated....

Unsustainable land use is threatening our global food supply. According to a new report from the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC), the Earth's resources are being used up at "unprecedented" rates, and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/population-plant-based-diets/">climate change</a> is making the situation far worse. 

The research, which involved 107 experts in 52 countries, has revealed that soil is vanishing ten times faster than it can be naturally replenished. As a result, 500 million people are living in regions that are essentially transforming into desert. 

The study suggests that added pressure on land and water resources, such as changes in population growth and food consumption patterns, will have dire consequences for the global food supply. 

The experts also pointed out that storms, drought, and other extreme weather events will further strain worldwide food production. In this vicious cycle, food will become less available, more expensive, and less nutritious.

"The cycle is accelerating," said NASA climate scientist and study co-author Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig. "The threat of climate change affecting people's food on their dinner table is increasing."

Dr. Rosenzweig explained that one serious danger is that major food shortages could develop on several continents at once. "The potential risk of multi-breadbasket failure is increasing. All of these things are happening at the same time.”

In Geneva on Thursday, the IPCC researchers emphasized the urgency of the issue. They also proposed some solutions, including the reduction of food waste, shifting diets away from meat, and sustainable land use.

"The way we use land is both part of the problem and also part of the solution," said French climate scientist Valerie Masson-Delmotte. "Sustainable land management can help secure a future that is comfortable."

“One of the important findings of our work is that there are a lot of actions that we can take now. They’re available to us,” said Dr. Rosenzweig. “But what some of these solutions do require is attention, financial support, enabling environments.”

The IPCC report stressed that the longer policymakers wait to make changes, the harder it will be to prevent a global food crisis. 

"Acting now may avert or reduce risks and losses, and generate benefits to society,” wrote the study authors. On the other hand, failure to make land use improvements and cut emissions will result in the “irreversible loss in land ecosystem functions and services required for food, health, habitable settlements and production."

"We don't want a message of despair," said Professor Jim Skea of Imperial College London. "We want to get across the message that every action makes a difference."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Image Credit: Shutterstock/The Art of Brani

Unsustainable land use is threatening our global food supply

Unsustainable land use is threatening our global food supply. According...

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot and home to the largest number of species for an area of its size in the world. 

Unfortunately, the Mediterranean is also inhabited by many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-detection-damage-invasive-species/">alien species</a> and recreational boating is a major factor in the transport of invasive animals. 

In a new study, the first of its kind, researchers from the <a href="http://wcm-3.unipv.it/site/en/home.html">University of Pavia</a> in Italy examined how private boats carry and spread non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean. 

Recreational boating is hugely popular in the Mediterranean, but as boats travel and dock in new areas, there is a high risk of spreading invasive species due to biofouling.

Biofouling is the accumulation of algae or barnacles on the underside of boats, submerged propellers, and other underwater structures. 

“Boats which have visited Eastern Mediterranean marinas had an especially high risk of spreading alien species due to the closer proximity to the Suez Canal, where most alien species enter the Mediterranean,” said Aylin Ulman, lead author of the study.

The researchers surveyed 601 boat owners and sampled boat hulls for invasive species in 25 marinas across the Mediterranean. 

Biofouling is not regulated in the Mediterranean even though the researchers found that it was the biggest predictor of species richness. Some of the boat hulls had small areas of visible growth, but the researchers counted as many as 11 non-indigenous species in one spot. 

What’s more, the researchers found that niche areas can become quickly colonized after being cleaned. 

These areas might be overlooked during intensive cleaning, and the researchers recommend that special attention is paid to ladders and propellers where invasive species are known to accumulate. Recreational boating is spreading invasive species 

“Biofouling is a major vector for the spread of marine alien species in the Mediterranean and needs regulation,” said Ulman. “To inhibit further spreading, marine pontoons should be cleaned regularly, and incoming vessels to marinas should be screened to determine if they require professional cleaning.”

The dataset compiled in this study is being used to create a model of high-risk marinas in the Mediterranean. 

The research was published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.13502">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Aylin Ulman

Recreational boating is spreading invasive species

The Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot and home to the...

Poachers and loggers threaten biodiversity hot spot in Madagascar.  is a biodiversity hotspot and one of the last remaining major forests in the country of Madagascar.

Home to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lemurs-threatened-forest-fragmentation/">lemurs</a> and over 100 species of trees, Vohibola is not only a precious and vital resource, but it’s also under nearly constant threat from poachers who are chopping down trees and capturing wild lemurs from their nests.

The lemurs are caught for food or sold as an exotic pet. 

Lemurs are unique to Madagascar and some small neighboring islands. Madagascar’s isolated location off the eastern coast of Southern Africa has allowed for the evolution of some of nature’s most interesting species that can only be found on the island. Poachers and loggers threaten biodiversity hot spot in Madagascar 

Unfortunately, many of these species, including 105 out of 111 recorded lemur species, are endangered and could soon go extinct, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6945995/Poachers-threaten-precious-Madagascar-forest-lemurs.html">Daily Mail</a>.

Trees are being cleared for charcoal or to remove possible escape routes for lemurs but curbing illegal poaching in Vohibola amounts to a nearly herculean task. 

“In this forest, there are at least 20 indigenous animal species, including six types of lemur, and 150 species of tree,” Michael Tovolahy, a ranger tasked with patrolling Vohibola to track poachers, told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6945995/Poachers-threaten-precious-Madagascar-forest-lemurs.html">Daily Mail</a>. “Because of these logger-poachers, I fear that this forest will one day be no more  it will be just an empty space, where developers will grow walls of concrete.” 

Madagascar is working to promote awareness about poaching, illegal logging, and animal trafficking, but for many poor villages, conservation concerns are outweighed by the dire need for charcoal. 

Poachers also come with a reputation, and many locals fear reporting poaching activity. 

“It's the villagers themselves who tip off the poachers that the police are coming,” said Cecilien Ranaivo, the mayor of the Ambinaninony district in Madagascar. “So obviously they don't succeed in making many arrests.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Poachers and loggers threaten biodiversity hot spot in Madagascar

Poachers and loggers threaten biodiversity hot spot in Madagascar.  is...

A new study from <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> has revealed that global warming in the Arctic has the potential to cost just under $70 trillion in long-term economic costs, which is around five percent of the total economic impact expected from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-economic-inequality/">climate change</a> worldwide. If temperatures are limited to an additional 1.5°C of warming, the estimated damages caused by Arctic warming would drop to $25 trillion.

Under both scenarios, the major culprit driving up the costs is melting permafrost. As Arctic permafrost is lost, more and more carbon is released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, retreating sea ice and land snow are less capable of reflecting solar radiation, further warming the Earth and accelerating the changing conditions. 

The researchers used complex, state-of-the-art, physical models to project the strength of the permafrost carbon feedback (PCF), which is driven by the additional carbon released from thawing permafrost. The models also simulated the strength of the surface albedo feedback (SAF), which is driven by the extra solar radiation absorbed by the Earth's surface as snow and ice continue to retreat.

“Arctic sea ice and land snow currently contribute around a third each to the global albedo feedback,” said study lead author Dmitry Yumashev. “These two components are set to peak for global temperatures within the range covered by the Paris Agreement, but if the climate warms further, the summer and spring sea ice and land snow covers will retreat further north and the albedo feedback will actually weaken.”

“The permafrost feedback, however, grows progressively stronger in warmer climates. Both feedbacks are characterized by nonlinear responses to warming, including a varying lag between rising global temperature and permafrost carbon emissions.”

“Compared with zero PCF and constant SAF from present-day climate - legacy values used in climate policy modelling to this point - the combined nonlinear PCF and SAF cause significant extra warming globally under low and medium emissions scenarios.”

Regardless of the amount of warming, the newly established nonlinear Arctic feedbacks lead to an increase in the total cost of climate change compared to previous PCF and SAF values that were thought to be constant. The economic costs will primarily occur through temperature-driven impacts on the economy, ecosystems, and human health, as well as additional impacts from sea level rise.

The total cost of climate change associated with the 1.5°C or 2°C scenarios is around $600 trillion. However, the estimated cost of business as usual is around $2000 trillion. Nonlinear PCF and SAF add $25 or $70 trillion to these figures.

“Our findings support the need for more proactive mitigation measures to keep global temperature rise well below 2C,” said Dr. Yumashev. “We hope our work will lead to further assessments of multiple nonlinear processes in the Earth's climate system, both those associated with the Arctic and beyond.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

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Arctic warming will add trillions to the economic cost of climate change

A new study from Lancaster University has revealed that global...

Atmospheric CO2 levels are now officially the highest ever in human history. Shocking new observations from the <a href="https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/">Mauna Loa Observatory</a> in Hawaii have revealed that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have reached 415 parts per million, which is the highest concentration in the history of humans. 

“This is the first time in human history our planet's atmosphere has had more than 415 ppm CO2,” meteorologist Eric Holthaus said in a tweet. “Not just in recorded history, not just since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Since before modern humans existed millions of years ago. We don't know a planet like this.” Atmospheric CO2 levels are now officially the highest ever in human history

The record <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/higher-co2-levels-forgetful/">CO2 levels</a> exceed a similar spike which occurred three million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch. At that time, when atmospheric CO2 reached somewhere between 310 to 400 parts per million, average global temperatures were an estimated three degrees hotter than they are today.

The UN recently warned that even if CO2 emissions are successfully reduced to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, the Earth's temperature will still continue to rise between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius over the next three decades. 

According to a study published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, a temperature rise of 3 or 4 degrees will cause cascading events which could transform the planet into a “hothouse” state that will make many parts of the globe completely uninhabitable. At this point, there would be little that humans could do to reverse the damage. 

Johan Rockström is the executive ​director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and one of the co-authors of the PNAS study. 

“Fifty years ago, this would be dismissed as alarmist, but now scientists have become really worried,” said Rockström. “I do hope we are wrong, but as scientists we have a responsibility to explore whether this is real. We need to know now. It’s so urgent. This is one of the most existential questions in science.”

Katherine Richardson from the University of Copenhagen also co-authored the PNAS paper. She said the research shows that climate action is not just a case of turning the knob on emissions, but of understanding how various factors interact on a global scale. 

“We note that the Earth has never in its history had a quasi-stable state that is around 2C warmer than the preindustrial and suggest that there is substantial risk that the system, itself, will ‘want’ to continue warming because of all of these other processes - even if we stop emissions,” said Richardson. “This implies not only reducing emissions but much more.”

The record CO2 levels were announced Sunday on Twitter by the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a>, which measures daily CO2 rates at Mauna Loa in collaboration with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
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Atmospheric CO2 levels are now officially the highest ever in human history

Atmospheric CO2 levels are now officially the highest ever in...

Melting permafrost at high altitudes releases more CO2 than it captures. A new study from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado at Boulder</a> suggests that thawing permafrost in high altitudes is making a greater contribution to CO2 emissions than what was previously realized. The researchers determined that alpine tundra in Colorado’s Front Range releases more carbon than it captures, which could ultimately promote both further warming and a subsequent increase in CO2 emissions. 

This type of feedback loop has already been documented in the Arctic, where <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/melting-permafrost-climate-change/">melting permafrost</a> is exposing frozen tundra soil and releasing carbon dioxide that has been stored in it for centuries.

Study lead author John Knowles is a researcher at the <a href="http://instaar.colorado.edu/">Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research</a> (INSTAAR). 

“We wondered if the same thing could be happening in alpine terrain,” said Knowles. “This study is a strong indication that that is indeed the case.”

To investigate, the researchers measured the surface-to-air CO2 transfer for seven consecutive years at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Colorado. This high-altitude research site is funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> and has been continuously operating for over 35 years. 

The team also collected samples of CO2 from the soil and used radiocarbon dating to estimate how long the carbon had been present. The experts were surprised to find that landscapes above 11,000 feet emitted more CO2 than they captured each year. Another unexpected finding was evidence that microbial activity was high all year long, despite the conditions on the ground.

“Microbes need it to be not too cold and not too dry, they need liquid water,” said Knowles. “The surprise here is that we show winter microbial activity persisting in permafrost areas that don’t collect much insulating snowpack due to wind stripping it away.”Melting permafrost at high altitudes releases more CO2 than it captures

According to Knowles, the findings will need to be factored in to future projections of global warming.

“Until now, little was known about how alpine tundra behaved with regard to this balance, and especially how it could continue emitting CO2 year after year. But now, we have evidence that climate change or another disturbance may be liberating decades-to-centuries-old carbon from this landscape.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

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Melting permafrost at high altitudes releases more CO2 than it captures

Melting permafrost at high altitudes releases more CO2 than it...

A new study from <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> has found that the damage left behind by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-maria-trees-recover/">Hurricane Maria</a> in the forests of Puerto Rico was unprecedented in modern times. The researchers warn that the intense storms associated with climate change could transform tropical forests, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere and limiting the suitable habitats for many unique species. 

Hurricane Maria wiped out more trees than any known storm, taking out mostly older trees that were thought to be resistant to storms. According to the study authors, the damage may be a warning of similar events to come.  

“These hurricanes are going to kill more trees. They're going to break more trees. The factors that protected many trees in the past will no longer apply,” said study lead author Maria Uriarte. “Forests will become shorter and smaller, because they won't have time to regrow, and they will be less diverse.”

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in October of 2017 as a Category 4 storm with winds up to 155 miles per hour. An estimated 20 million to 40 million trees were either completely wiped out or severely damaged. The trees were stripped of their foliage, snapped in half, or completely blown out of the ground. 

The study was focused on a 40-acre section of the El Yunque National Forest that has been closely monitored by multiple teams since 1990. This made it possible to compare damage from Maria with that of Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Georges, which were both Category 3 storms. 

The researchers determined that Maria killed twice as many trees and broke more than three times as many trunks compared to previous storms. The species that suffered the worst from Maria, with breakage rates up to 12 times those of the other hurricanes, were valuable hardwoods that had a history of being the most resilient to major storms. These giant trees offer specialized habitats for many birds and other animals that smaller trees do not provide.

Edmund Tanner is a senior lecturer emeritus at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the research. He explained that this study is important because “it reports different, rather than just intensified, effects of strong versus weaker hurricanes.” Tanner also explained that the effects are “probably representative of huge areas of tropical lowland forest near sea coasts, some of which are likely to experience similar or worse damage in a warming world.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

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Image Credit: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute, Columbia University

Future storms will likely permanently alter tropical forests

A new study from Columbia University has found that the...

While <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-layer-full-recovery-2060/">atmospheric ozone</a> serves as a vital barrier protecting the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, ground ozone pollution is another matter entirely.  

Ozone forms when nitrogen oxide from vehicle emissions reacts with volatile organic compounds, some of which come from plants. 

Inhaling too much ozone can cause respiratory problems, trigger asthma attacks, and harm lung tissue, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics#wwh">Environmental Protection Agency</a>. 

In a new study, researchers examined how drought conditions impact ozone pollution by reviewing data from two cities in California with high levels of ozone pollution during the worst drought in the state’s history.

As droughts have a major impact on vegetation and plant growth, the researchers wondered to what extent drought influenced ozone pollution due to the relationship between nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds from plants. 

The study was published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science &amp; Technology journal. 

Plants and ozone have a complicated relationship as some compounds like isoprene contribute to ozone production, but plants also take in and store ozone through their leaves. 

The researchers reviewed ground and satellite data from Fresno and Bakersfield in California from 2011 to 2015.

The data contained information on isoprene and ozone concentrations in the air, leaf area index, and nitrogen oxide levels before, during and after the drought. 

Isoprene concentrations were unaffected at the start of the drought, but dropped more than 50 percent during the peak of the drought. 

This drop in isoprene concentrations, in turn, impacted ozone production and ozone dropped 20 percent during the drought. 

However, because the drought limited the plants’ ability to take up ozone in the two cities, ozone levels overall only dropped by six percent even though ozone production dropped significantly. 

The study adds an important factor to consider when researchers study ways to limit ground ozone pollution. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Severe drought conditions impact ozone pollution levels

While atmospheric ozone serves as a vital barrier protecting the...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/">European Geosciences Union</a> is predicting that around half of the ice glacier volume in the Alps will be lost between the years 2017 and 2050. The analysis has produced the most detailed projections of all <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-cracks-greenland-glacier/">glaciers</a> across the Alps to date. 

Study lead author Harry Zekollari a researcher at <a href="https://www.ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zurich</a> and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research. He said that the future evolution of glaciers will strongly depend on how the climate will evolve. “In case of a more limited warming, a far more substantial part of the glaciers could be saved,” explained Zekollari.

On the other hand, the researchers found that a large portion of the ice may be lost regardless of how much greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. 

To investigate the fate of Alpine glaciers in a warming climate, the team used new computer models and observational data to study how the ice would change under different scenarios. The experts used 2017 as their “present day” emissions reference.

Under a scenario with limited warming, greenhouse gas emissions would peak in the next few years and then decline rapidly, limiting additional global warming to 2°C by the end of the century. The study showed that in this case, Alpine glaciers would be reduced to just over one-third of their present-day volume by 2100.

The high-emissions scenario would take place if emissions continue to rise rapidly over the next few decades. 

“In this pessimistic case, the Alps will be mostly ice free by 2100, with only isolated ice patches remaining at high elevation, representing 5% or less of the present-day ice volume,” said study co-author Matthias Huss.

“The Alps would lose about 50% of their present glacier volume by 2050 in all scenarios,” explained Zekollari. “A reason why volume loss is mostly independent of emissions until 2050 is that increases in mean global temperature with increasing greenhouse gases only become more pronounced in the second half of the century.”

“Another reason is that glaciers at present have 'too much' ice: their volume, especially at lower elevations, still reflects the colder climate of the past because glaciers are slow at responding to changing climate conditions. Even if we manage to stop the climate from warming any further, keeping it at the level of the past 10 years, glaciers would still lose about 40% of their present-day volume by 2050 because of this ‘glacier response time.’”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/">The Cryosphere</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

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: M. Huss

The Alps could lose 50 percent of glacier volume by 2050

A new study from the European Geosciences Union is predicting...

Why major action is needed to protect our oceans from potential devastation. According to the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Inter­governmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC), environmental threats to human and natural systems will be greatly reduced if global warming is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels as opposed to more extreme warming of 2°C. 

By comparison, a 1.5°C temperature increase is associated with lower rates of climate change that will give humans, animals, and ecosystems more time to adapt and survive. 

The IPCC explains that, even though the warming associated with emissions from the pre-industrial period to the present will persist and cause further changes in the climate, these emissions alone are unlikely to push global warming to 1.5°C.

Some of the services provided by our terrestrial and marine ecosystems have already changed as a result of global warming. The IPCC suggests that with warming in excess of 2°C, these trends will become much more destructive. In the ocean alone, all of the planet's coral reefs could be lost.

Peter Thomson is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. In a feature for <a href="https://time.com/">Time Magazine</a>, Thomson emphasizes that we do not yet know the consequences of losing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-coral-reefs/">coral reefs</a> or how ocean habitats will function without them. Why major action is needed to protect our oceans from potential devastation

"The predicament is that the planet is still on a ­devastating course toward 3° to 4° C global warming," writes Thomson. "And yet, the IPCC report notes, it is still possible to stay at 1.5° C. The good news is that we have a plan. It’s multi­faceted and requires a radical change of human production and consumption patterns, but it will succeed if people from all walks of life get behind it."

Thomson says that, on a global level, we must remain dedicated to the targets of the Paris Agreement, as well as to the UN's goal of conservation and ­sustainable use of the ocean’s resources.

"Beyond that, it is vital that we establish new law for marine bio­diversity beyond national jurisdictions. There is already a conference under way at the U.N. working on this issue, as there is a growing scientific consensus that we need to move toward a goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030," writes Thomson.

"On an individual level, we all have a role to play as well. In my own work, one of my top priorities is putting an end to the billions of dollars in government subsidies worldwide that go mostly to industrial fleets chasing diminishing stocks of fish - and ensuring that the public funds saved are spent on beneficial measures like establishing and enforcing marine-­protected areas." 

"But everyone, from government officials to business executives to scientists to students, has the ability to make a difference. We can choose not to use nonessential plastics. We can consume seafood only from sustainable, legally caught stocks. We can get serious about reducing our carbon footprints, so we are on the right side of global efforts toward a carbon-neutral world by 2050."

Thomson also points out the urgent need to understand more about ocean science. "We increasingly understand how little we actually know, and in these precarious times, it is essential that we have a firm grasp on whether we can afford to add new stressors to the ocean’s ecosystem."

"All of this, and much more, is necessary if we want to deliver on the plan to save life in the ocean. Considering that every second breath we take comes from the ocean, it is clear we must."

--

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>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Tanya Puntti

Why major action is needed to protect our oceans from potential devastation

Why major action is needed to protect our oceans from...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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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 



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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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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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



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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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