The thin line of gold behind every tap, swipe, and click on our electronic devices rarely enters daily conversation, yet the metal keeps digital life running, then eventually turn into landfills full of toxic e-waste. 



From the contacts in a phone jack to the chips inside a smartwatch, gold moves electrons smoothly and shrugs off corrosion. 



Mining more, however, blasts mountains, drains rivers, and spews carbon. With the global appetite for electronics still climbing, attention has turned to the growing junkyard of cast‑off gadgets.



E‑waste is now the quickest‑rising waste stream on the planet - roughly 63 million short tons in 2024 according to <a href="https://www.unep.org/ietc/what-we-do/e-waste-management" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations estimates</a> - and only a small share gets recycled in certified facilities. 



Most of our old electronics end up in landfills or backyard workshops, which then leak metals into the groundwater, creating toxic brews. A cleaner strategy is to reclaim precious metals safely before our devices make their way into the garbage heaps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cheese-e-waste-and-gold">Cheese, e-waste, and gold</h2>



A research team is now working to change that script. Professor Raffaele Mezzenga at <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a> and senior scientist Mohammad Peydayesh assembled colleagues in search of a simpler tool than acid vats or cyanide baths. Their unlikely inspiration bubbles up in cheese factories.



Cheese makers separate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cottage-cheese-is-making-a-comeback-due-to-its-nutritional-benefits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">curds from whey</a>, leaving behind nearly nine pounds of watery by‑product for every pound of cheddar. Whey is rich in proteins that twist into hair‑thin amyloid fibrils when warmed in acid. 



The Zurich group realized those fibrils could be coaxed into a feather‑light sponge that prefers gold over the other metals lurking in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electronic-waste-is-growing-five-times-faster-than-recycling/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shredded phones and laptops</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adding-a-cheesy-twist-to-golden-e-waste">Adding a cheesy twist to golden e-waste</h2>



The researchers stirred the fibrils into a gel, then dried it into an aerogel - think Styrofoam’s airiness on a nanoscale. Microscopic pores criss‑cross the material, offering miles of surface area inside a crumb‑sized cube. 



When a slice of this sponge meets a beaker filled with dissolved circuit boards, gold ions rush toward the proteins and cling tightly.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_schematic_credit-ETH-Zurich_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_schematic_credit-ETH-Zurich_1s.webp" alt="Schematic route followed to generate neat value via pure gold, extracted from food waste (whey) and e-waste as starting source materials. Credit: Advanced Materials" class="wp-image-1968796"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Schematic route followed to generate neat value via pure gold, extracted from food waste (whey) and e-waste as starting source materials. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Advanced Materials</figcaption></figure>



Early trials showed the aerogel collecting a far higher share of gold than plastic resins that recyclers often use. Better yet, the process skips noxious solvents. 



Water, moderate heat, and the natural chemistry of protein do the heavy lifting, which slashes both hazard and cost.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aerogel-and-a-protein-sponge">Aerogel and a protein sponge</h2>



For a head‑to‑head laboratory test, the team stripped metal parts from twenty <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-day-of-zero-waste-a-global-commitment-to-a-sustainable-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discarded computer motherboards</a>, dissolved them in acid, and dropped in a fingernail‑sized piece of aerogel. 



Copper, nickel, and cobalt swirled in the brew, yet gold ions settled on the sponge far more efficiently. After a short soak, the solution cleared, signaling that most of the precious metal had left the liquid.



Numbers tell the story. The sponge drew out gold that was about 90.8 percent pure - close to 22‑karat jewelry - on its first pass. Competing adsorbents usually require extra purification steps to reach similar purity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-e-waste-ions-to-gold-nuggets">From e-waste ions to gold nuggets</h2>



Pulling ions from solution is useful; turning them back into solid metal is crucial. The Zurich group warmed the loaded sponge until the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gold ions</a> shed their charge and merged into shimmering flakes. 



Heating continued until the flakes fused into a nugget weighing roughly 450 milligrams. Chemical analysis showed the lump was 91 percent gold and 9 percent copper, again hitting the mark for 22 carats.



This step also freed the protein skeleton. Burned away under controlled heat, the whey‑derived matrix leaves no synthetic residue, easing cleanup. Conventional resin beds cannot claim the same neat exit.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_gold-nuggets-recovered_Credit-ETH-Zurich_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_gold-nuggets-recovered_Credit-ETH-Zurich_1s.webp" alt="The gold nugget obtained from computer motherboards in three parts. The largest of these parts is around five millimeters wide. Credit: ETH Zurich/Alan Kovacevic" class="wp-image-1968794"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The gold nugget obtained from computer motherboards in three parts. The largest of these parts is around five millimeters wide. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ETH Zurich/Alan Kovacevic</figcaption></figure>



Recycling lives or dies on the balance sheet. Here the math looks encouraging. 



Procurement and energy costs for the entire operation are about fifty times lower than the market value of the gold retrieved. Even after accounting for labor and overhead, that margin hints at solid profit for commercial recyclers.



Lower operating costs open doors for smaller regional plants. Instead of shipping obsolete electronics overseas, communities could process them nearby, cutting transportation emissions and keeping revenue local.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-e-waste-has-more-than-just-gold">e-Waste has more than just gold</h2>



Gold steals headlines, yet the technique need not stop there. By tweaking pH or tailoring the protein structure, the same sort of sponge could sort copper, cobalt, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-captured-on-video-forming-out-of-thin-air-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">palladium</a> - metals vital for batteries and sensors. 



The team is already experimenting with pea‑protein waste from plant‑based milk production and collagen from fish scales. Success would guard against supply bottlenecks tied to a single dairy stream.



E‑waste is not the only target. Industrial rinse water from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-computer-defeats-a-supercomputer-in-crucial-annealing-optimization-task/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microchip fabrication</a> and gold‑plating shops also carries trace metals worth reclaiming. A modular protein sponge could slip into those lines, trimming costs and curbing runoff.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-the-next-steps">Taking the next steps</h2>



“The fact I love the most is that we’re using a food industry byproduct to obtain gold from electronic waste,” Mezzenga says. In a very real sense, the method transforms two waste products into gold. “You can’t get much more sustainable than that!”



If pilot projects scale as hoped, tomorrow’s recycling centers may sit beside creameries and food processors, quietly turning yesterday’s whey and last decade’s gadgets into tomorrow’s circuit traces. 



The approach will not halt mining overnight, but every recovered ounce delays a blast, a slurry pond, or a diesel haul truck. 



That shift, multiplied across millions of phones and laptops, offers a straightforward path toward lighter footprints and longer‑lived resources - no new mountains required.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202310642" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Advanced Materials</a>.



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Invention turns our electronic waste into 22-carat gold nuggets instead of toxic trash

The thin line of gold behind every tap, swipe, and click on our electronic devices rarely enters daily conversation, yet the metal keeps digital life running, then eventually turn into landfills full of toxic e-waste. From the contacts in a phone jack to the chips inside a smartwatch, gold moves electrons smoothly and shrugs off corrosion. Mining more, however, blasts mountains, drains rivers, and spews carbon. With the global appetite for electronics still climbing, attention has turned to the growing junkyard of cast‑off gadgets. E‑waste is now...

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in the US. A new report from the <a href="http://www.thoracic.org/">American Thoracic Society</a> and the <a href="https://marroninstitute.nyu.edu/">Marron Institute</a> at NYU has revealed that air quality improvements over the last decade have resulted in fewer deaths and serious illnesses across the United States. 

While the study was focused on the two most potent air pollutants, fine particle (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O3), the progress can be almost entirely attributed to reductions in PM2.5 pollution.

According to the researchers, fatalities from dangerous levels of PM2.5 were nearly cut in half from 2008 to 2017. On the other hand, health impacts from O3 pollution have “remained stubbornly high.”

In addition to the lack of consistent improvement in the health complications associated with O3, the team found that the rate of eradication for PM2.5 pollution has started to level off. 

According to the study authors, it is likely that the health impacts from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-dementia/">air pollution</a> could increase over time as populations grow. The report also emphasized other challenges that could make it difficult to mitigate the public health issues driven by air pollution. 

“The proposed roll back of several Clean Air Act regulations and the proposed roll back of the greenhouse gas standard for automobiles will make it hard for communities to maintain their air quality, and even harder for cities with poor air quality to clean up,” said study co-author Gary Ewart.

“The large number of adverse health impacts attributable to ozone should motivate cities and states to start now to reduce their local emissions of precursors pollutants,” said study lead author Dr. Kevin Cromar. “Coordinated actions at the regional level, as well as strong actions at the federal level, will also be needed in order to make consistent gains in reducing ozone in many parts of the country.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/journal/annalsats">Annals of the American Thoracic Society</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in the US

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in...

Future sea level rise (SLR) projections could be vastly underestimating how ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will respond to climate change in the near future. 

Gauging exactly how Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will contribute to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-inevitable/">future sea level rise</a> is challenging due to the many variables that factor into ice sheet loss, glacier calving, and sea ice extent. 

Rather than modeling ice sheet loss or compiling new datasets to better remedy the uncertainties of future sea level rise, researchers led by the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol </a>took a different approach and asked several experts to weigh in on the matter. 

The researchers asked 22 experts on Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to create their own estimates for future sea ice accumulation, discharge, and surface runoff for ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, factoring in both high and low global temperature scenarios. 

Using expert opinions to solve a problem is called structured expert judgment. 

Next, the researchers compiled the projections and timelines from the different experts together to create a whole, bleak picture. 

Under a high-temperature scenario, sea level rise could exceed 6.6 feet or two meters by the year 2100. This number is far above the upper limit of future sea level rise predicted in the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/">Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>. 

If sea level were to rise to that extent, it could displace millions of people and flood coastal cities. 

“It really is pretty grim,” Jonathan Bamber, a Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Bristol, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/21/health/climate-change-sea-levels-scn-intl/index.html">CNN</a>. “Two meters is not a good scenario.”

Bamber was the lead author of the structured expert judgment study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

--

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>

Sea level rise could easily exceed previous projections, new study shows

Future sea level rise (SLR) projections could be vastly underestimating...

A new information service provided by the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme of the European Union may ultimately change how meteorologists deliver information about the weather. Climate observations may be incorporated into weather reports to raise awareness about how extreme weather events are influenced by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>. 

The long-term goal of the <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/">Copernicus Climate Change Service</a> (C3S) is to "provide a wide range of users with timely and reliable information about extreme weather events and how they relate (or not) to anthropogenic climate change."

In recent years, a new field of climate science research has emerged known as “extreme event attribution," which investigates the relationship between human-induced climate change and severe weather. 

While individual weather events may not be directly caused by climate change, factors such as global warming are setting up conditions which increase the likelihood that a major storm or event will occur. Advancements in technology are enabling scientists to more accurately identify these types of connections.

According to a report in <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>, experts using the climate change attribution approach compare real-world weather observations with computer models of a world without human-induced global warming. 

"It’s good this is now happening,” said climate scientist Peter Stott of the UK Met Office. "People of course ask the question with extreme weather events, of how they are linked to climate change."

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/">Carbon Brief</a> recently mapped and analyzed 260 extreme weather events across the globe for which attribution studies had been previously conducted. The analysis revealed that 68 percent of the weather events were made more likely or more severe by human-caused climate change. 

Stott told New Scientist that intense weather reminds us just how vulnerable we are, like the recent deadly heatwave in India. He said that it is important to know if our susceptibility is due to natural variability or if it can be linked to a warming world. "Is this just bad luck or is climate change adding to the risks? That’s where the attribution comes in."

The Copernicus system is expected to be up and running next year. The <a href="https://www.dwd.de/EN/Home/home_node.html">German Meteorological Service</a> DWD is also developing a climate attribution system that will likely be implemented in 2020. "Attribution can provide answers here. With the knowledge, the public or politicians get a better picture of the effects of climate change," said Frank Kreienkamp of DWD. 

--

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/Scherbinator

Weather reports may start to include the role of climate change

A new information service provided by the Copernicus Earth Observation...

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next century. In the next century, smaller animals who eat insects with short lifespans and high rates of reproduction will dominate as larger, slower, and less adaptable species are slowly phased out. 

In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> predict that the animal kingdom will see a shift towards smaller animals and that the average body mass of mammals will drop by a quarter as more and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-eating-large-animals-extinction/">large species go extinct. </a>

It will be a dramatic shift, especially when compared to the 14 percent reduction in average species size that occurred over 130,000 years. 

The main driving factor in these future size reductions is climate change, and the researchers say that habitat loss and increases in temperature will create winners and losers in the animal kingdom. 

The lucky winners will be highly fertile, and small animals like birds and rodents, whereas the black rhinoceros, polar bears, and the Tawny eagle will likely be on the losing side. 

“By far the biggest threat to birds and mammals is humankind - with habitats being destroyed due to our impact on the planet, such as deforestation, hunting, intensive farming, urbanization and the effects of global warming,” said Rob Cooke, the lead author of the study. 

Cooke, along with a team of collaborators, estimated future biodiversity loss by factoring in the body mass, litter size, habitat size, and diet of 15,484 land mammals. 

The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species</a> was also used in the study, and the researchers combined the data and used statistical tools to make their projections. 

Overall, the researchers identified a downsizing trend. 

“We have demonstrated that the projected loss of mammals and birds will not be ecologically random - rather a selective process where certain creatures will be filtered out, depending on their traits and vulnerability to ecological change,” said Felix Eigenbrod, a member of the research team. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Robert Cooke

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next century

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next...

New research led by <a href="http://www.hsc.edu/">Hampden-Sydney College</a> has revealed that microplastic pollution has become a bigger threat to baleen whales than oil spills or drilling. 

The whales have a hair-like tissue made of keratin in their massive jaws that they use to filter water and extract food, such as plankton and krill. According to the study, this critical feeding structure is much more likely to become clogged by trapping <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-natural-carbon-storage/">microplastics</a> than by exposure to oil or grease. 

While baleen whales have adapted ways to eliminate oil, the microplastics are something they are not prepared to cope with. Their unique food filtration system helps the creatures regulate the size of their prey. Damage to the baleen could have serious consequences for the whales by compromising their ability to control what they ingest.

Scientists have been concerned over the potential for microplastics, in particular, to damage the baleen filters. However, testing opportunities have been limited. 

"Ingestion of microplastics may pose a greater risk to whales than ingestion of oil," wrote the study authors. "We found that the baleen filter is highly effective in trapping and accumulating small plastic particles, such that plastic is both more likely to clog the baleen filter and also perhaps more likely to be ingested by whales than oil."

The study was focused on baleen samples from four large whale species. The researchers set out to compare the impact of oil to that of microplastics pollution. They tested oils of different weights and thicknesses, and determined that the baleen actually repelled the oily substances. 

“Microscopic examination shows minimal wrinkling or peeling of baleen's cortical keratin layers, probably due to oil repelling infiltrated water,” wrote the study authors. “Combined results cast doubt on fears of baleen fouling by oil; filter porosity is not appreciably affected, but oil ingestion risks remain.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</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: John Tunney/Shutterstock

For baleen whales, plastic pollution has become a bigger threat than oil

New research led by Hampden-Sydney College has revealed that microplastic...

Human activity and external factors are driving global temperature . Researchers from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> have found that human activity along with external factors are indeed causing temperatures to rise while natural ocean cycles have had little to no impact on climate change. 

A study detailing the findings was published in the Journal of Climate. 

“The idea that oceans could have been driving the climate in a colder or warmer direction for multiple decades in the past, and therefore will do so in the future, is unlikely to be correct,” said Dr. Karsten Haustein, the lead author of the study.

The researchers reviewed data on ocean and land temperatures dating back to 1850. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">human activities</a>, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, and natural ocean cycles were all factored into the research to see if natural factors alone explain the current climate crisis. 

Slow ocean cycles, which have been suggested as having a substantial impact on climate change, were found to have little influence on long-term temperature changes. Human activity and external factors are driving global temperature 

Instead, both human and external factors through the years account for the observed increases in temperatures.  

“We can now say with confidence that human factors like greenhouse gas emissions and particulate pollution, along with year-to-year changes brought on by natural phenomenon like volcanic eruptions or the El Niño, are sufficient to explain virtually all of the long-term changes in temperature,” said Haustein. 

The data also revealed that an “early warming period” from 1915 to 1945 was also caused by external factors and not natural fluctuations in ocean temperature, as had previously been thought. 

“Our study showed that there are no hidden drivers of global mean temperature,” said co-author Dr. Friederike Otto, a co-author of the study. “In good news, this means when greenhouse gas concentrations go down, temperatures will do so as predicted; the bad news is there is nothing that saves us from temperatures going up as forecasted if we fail to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions.”--

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>

Human activity and external factors are driving global temperature

Human activity and external factors are driving global temperature ....

Pest management for crops is a growing concern worldwide as climate change is predicted to increase crop losses and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warmer-temps-rise-stink-bugs/">pest infestations</a>. 

In a future where populations are already set to increase food demand and drain precious resources, any added strain to agriculture could be disastrous for food availability. 

According to the <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/blog/global-scientists-meet-integrated-pest-management-idea-sharing">United States Department of Agriculture</a>, the United States loses 20 to 25 percent of crop yields to pests, diseases, or post-harvest losses. In developing countries, those losses increase to 40 to 50 percent. 

A crucial part of pest management is knowing which pests are likely to infest an area or which crops are vulnerable to infestation.

Now, a new study has found that some pests are lurking under the radar, present but unobserved and not factored into any management strategies. 

In a new study published in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> found that there is a more than 75 percent chance that many pests fall under the category of “unobserved but present.” 

Unobserved but present pests were identified in China, India, and southern Brazil, which helps emphasize the widespread issue. 

For the study, the researchers reviewed and analyzed data from the <a href="https://www.cabi.org/">Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)</a> pest distribution database.

1,739 pests were incorporated into a model to help show where unobserved pests might be present. 

“Our model allows us to quantify the risk that a certain pest is present in a certain place,” said Dr. Dan Bebber, a member of the research team. “Our trick for testing model accuracy was to use pest observations from China published in the Chinese literature, which have not yet been incorporated into global pest databases.” 

The models will hopefully help improve pest management and reduce the risk of infestations once farmers and agriculture administrators have a more accurate understanding of pest prevalence. 

If unobserved pests are targeted quickly enough, the threat of infestation can be eradicated, but the key is early detection. 

“That early stage is crucial if we want to stop the spread - so these are the pests we should be focussing our efforts on,” said Dr. Bebber. “Prior studies have often assumed that unreported pests in a global distribution database represent a true absence. Our analysis provides a method for quantifying these ‘pseudo-absences’ to enable improved distribution modelling and risk analysis.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Merle Shepard, Gerald R Carner &amp; PAC Ooi

Crop pests are a growing problem and may be hiding in plain sight

Pest management for crops is a growing concern worldwide as...

While the plastic pollution crisis clearly must be addressed, plans to remove plastics from the ocean may cause more environmental destruction.

Do efforts to clean the ocean of plastic pollution also threaten species?. The islands of plastic floating in our oceans are an environmental nightmare. These floating rafts of trash strangle sea life and contribute to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastic-pollution-remote-glaciers/">pervasive microplastic pollution</a>. The largest of these islands is located off the coast of California and has a cumulative area that is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-swimming-waste-plastic/">twice the size of Texas</a>! As our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/recycling-system-major-changes/">recycling system falters</a> and our use of plastic continues to grow, it is obvious we need a solution. 

Unfortunately, the technology we have may cause more harm than good by disturbing a delicate ecosystem called the neuston. A <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/ocean-cleanup-project-could-destroy-neuston/580693/">recent article in the Atlantic</a> brought to light these concerns. These are organisms that live near the surface of the ocean. This ecosystem is poorly studied and the effects of cleanup efforts are difficult to estimate. Reckless activity could cause extinctions of species not yet known to science. It is essential that we research and protect these unique communities.
<h2>What is the Neuston?</h2>
Neuston describes the communities of organisms that spend parts of their life near the water’s surface. This includes species directly on the surface (epineuston) as well as those just below the surface (hyponeuston.)Do efforts to clean the ocean of plastic pollution also threaten species? 

The neuston is a poorly understood ecosystem. They are floating islands of life. They exist independently from any land or anchor. Instead they form their own floating raft made up of strange species. These include snails, jellyfish and polyps. 

Neuston exist in the most remote reaches of our planet. They form islands of life that provide essential resources to marine animals and this community acts like a floating coral reef. It provides protection, feeding grounds and nurseries for various species. 

This raft appears similar to plastic. It is translucent, flexible and floats. Its similarity to plastic means nets and similar techniques will not be able to distinguish neuston from plastic.
<h2>Neuston supports many unique species</h2>
The number of species that inhabit the neuston is not known, but they are certainly dense with life. Many of these creatures have a striking and unusual appearance. Some are bright blues or pinks, others glow with bioluminescence. 

Here are some of the most interesting species present in the neuston.
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Blue Buttons (Porpita)</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">By-The-Wind Sailors (Velella)</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Blue Sea Dragons (nudibranchs)</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Portuguese man-o’-wars (Physalia physalis)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h2>The effects of The Ocean Cleanup on neuston is unclear</h2>
<a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com">The Ocean Cleanup</a> is an organization that aims to minimize the effects of plastic pollution in the ocean. They have created a huge machine that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pac-man-system-plastic-pollution/">autonomously cleans plastic out of the ocean</a>. This is done using a 600 meter long net that drags 3 meters deep. This system is being deployed in the areas with the greatest density of trash, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The concerns surrounding this effort come from the similarities between the neuston ecosystem and plastic trash. Both float free on the surface of the ocean, moved by the same currents and waves. This raises concerns that cleaning up substantial amounts of the plastic in our oceans would also kill most of the neuston. This would be a tragic loss of an ecosystem that we have not yet learned much about. 

Because so little is known about neuston, it is difficult to say what the effects will be. The Ocean Cleanup did an environmental impact assessment that acknowledged the presence of many neuston species. The independent marine biologists who wrote the study did not conclude that this activity would pose a major risk to these species.

Other scientists are less sure that The Ocean Project can achieve its goals. <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/a-kickstarter-idea-to-clean-the-great-pacific-garbage-p-1832459898">Concerns about the effectiveness and safety of this project</a> have been raised many times.
<h2>Are the risks worth it?</h2>
Cleaning plastics from the ocean is a noble goal. The floating islands of trash are huge environmental threats. They can kill marine species that try to feed on plastics, or simply swim too close. They also put toxic chemicals into the food chain, eventually reaching humans. As the amount of waste we produce continues to explode, it is essential that we start combating this problem soon. 

With this in mind, The Ocean Cleanup’s project should not be written off. In <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-and-the-neuston">their response to the Atlantic article</a>, they addressed many of the concerns in the Atlantic article. They are confident that this effort will improve these ecosystems and protect the ocean. 

The Ocean Cleanup is only working in the parts of the ocean with the most trash. This is a fraction of the potential neustom habitat. Whether neustom accumulates in similar ways to plastic trash is not known. However, some species have been found <a href="http://www.deepseanews.com/2019/02/the-ocean-cleanup-struggles-to-prove-it-will-not-harm-sea-life/">only in the areas of trash accumulation</a>.

Neuston is known to experience high mortality naturally. Neuston can only survive in relatively still areas of the ocean. When they float outside these safety zones, they quickly die. Many neuston species ride waves onto beaches. They reproduce quickly and aggressively to combat this. This may mean that the efforts of The Ocean Cleanup will not significantly harm neuston. However, the many different species in these ecosystems are sure to respond differently. Some less robust species may not survive. The continuous nature of The Ocean Cleanup is also different from natural disturbances.

The lack of research into these ecosystems makes it impossible to predict the real world effects. The Ocean Cleanup is, however, providing new knowledge into this topic. They are monitoring the progress of the ocean cleanup and its effects. By providing a study site and access to this location, a better understanding of neuston may be possible.

Neuston is an intriguing and unique ecosystem. The species living in it are extremely important. It is essential that research into the conservation of these species continues. The effects of The Ocean Cleanup are yet to be seen, but need to be watched. Protecting these species cannot be ignored in order to remedy our past mistakes.

--

By <a href="mailto:casey.hofford@gmail.com">Casey Hofford</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Do efforts to clean the ocean of plastic pollution also threaten species?

While the plastic pollution crisis clearly must be addressed, plans...

Earth's magnetic north is shifting at an unprecedented rate, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA). While scientists believe that this point has always wandered, exactly what is driving the recent acceleration remains unknown. 

“While this has some practical implications, scientists believe that this sprint is being caused by tussling magnetic blobs deep below our feet,” explains the ESA.

The geographic North Pole is in a fixed location, but magnetic north has been known to shift since it was first measured in 1831. Since then, it has been drifting slowly from the Canadian Arctic towards Siberia.

As a result, the World Magnetic Model (WMM) has to be modified every few years with the pole’s current location so that navigation systems such as those used by ships, Google maps, and smartphones are up to date. Recently, the WMM had to be updated sooner than usual because of the pole’s accelerated speed. 

Between 1990 and 2005, magnetic north shifted from a speed of 0-15 kilometers a year to its current speed of 50-60 kilometers a year. In 2017, it crossed the international date line within 390 kilometers of the geographic North Pole and continues to dive south.

“ESA’s Swarm mission is not only being used to keep track of magnetic north, but scientists are using its data to measure and untangle the different magnetic fields that stem from Earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere,” states the ESA.

“Our magnetic field exists because of an ocean of superheated, swirling liquid iron that makes up the outer core. Like a spinning conductor in a bicycle dynamo, this moving iron creates electrical currents, which in turn generate our continuously changing magnetic field.” 

This means that tracking changes in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earths-magnetic-field-nearly-collapsed/">magnetic field</a> can give experts insight into how the iron in the core moves.

“Several theories have been proposed to explain this behaviour but, since they rely upon changes in the small-scale magnetic field, they cannot explain the recent trajectory of the pole,” explains Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds.

“Using data collected over two decades by satellites, including ESA’s Swarm trio, we can see that the position of the north magnetic pole is determined largely by a balance, or tug-of-war, between two large lobes of negative magnetic flux at the boundary between Earth’s core and mantle under Canada and Siberia.”

According to the ESA, changes in the pattern of core flow between 1970 and 1999 elongated the Canadian lobe and weakened its signature on Earth's surface, causing the pole to move toward Siberia more quickly. Over the next decade, the north magnetic pole is predicted to wander 390-660 more kilometers in the direction of Siberia.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab

What is driving the movement of Earth’s magnetic north?

Earth's magnetic north is shifting at an unprecedented rate, according...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.nist.gov/">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a> (NIST) have compared the environmental impact and energy demand of gas versus electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. For an energy-efficient residential home, the study suggests that gas is the most eco-friendly option.

"Fuel type is an important factor because heating and cooling accounts for a significant amount of home energy consumption," said study co-author and NIST civil engineer David Webb. "However, little research has been conducted looking at the impact of which fuel source is used, gas or electric, on achieving low-energy and low-impact goals."

"We used a unique NIST tool set of databases and software known as BIRDS (Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability) to assess and measure that impact scientifically, and then provide a research method for others to do the same for any climate region in the United States."

The study was focused on data available in the latest version of BIRDS. These measurements were obtained from ongoing research at the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF), which is located on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The NZERTF is actually a lab where NIST researchers and industry partners are designing net-zero homes. The researchers used a computer model to create one home based on this net-zero concept that used an electric HVAC system and a twin home that used <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-rise-coal-lags/">natural gas</a>.

"This allowed us to make a true apples-to-apples comparison of gas versus electric for their respective energy, environmental and economic impacts," said study co-author Joshua Kneifel.

The models simulated 960,000 building design combinations and eight different economic scenarios to estimate performance over a 30-year period. The analysis revealed that a natural gas HVAC system is currently more economical for a code-compliant residential home in Maryland. 

"The overall economic benefit of natural gas was expected because, at this time, it is the cheaper fuel source in Maryland, costs less in dollars and energy expended to produce and transport, and carries a lower construction price for installation of an HVAC system which uses it," said Webb.

According to Kneifel, however, electric may become the better bargain and the more environmentally responsible option in the near future. 

"For example, as more power companies move to cleaner forms of electric generation, such as natural gas instead of coal, the environmental impact will lessen. Also, technology changes, such as cheaper and more efficient solar energy and HVAC systems, should help make the use of electricity more cost-effective."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-building-engineering">Journal of Building Engineering</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: Beamie Young/NIST

Gas or electric? Which is the more eco-friendly home fuel option?

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)...

An international team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.charite.de/">Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin</a> has discovered that the alpine marmot has the least genetic diversity of any known animal to date. A genome study revealed that the species lost its genetic diversity during extreme climate events and has never been able to recover.

The alpine marmot is a large rodent from the squirrel family that lives in the high-altitude Alpine meadow. By sequencing the marmot's genome, the researchers found that all of the individual animals were genetically very similar. 

"We were very surprised by this finding. Low genetic diversity is primarily found among highly endangered species such as, for instance, the mountain gorilla," said study lead author Dr. Markus Ralser. "Population numbers for the alpine marmot, however, are in the hundreds of thousands, which is why the species is not considered to be at risk."

To investigate what may have driven these animals to such a fragile state, the researchers reconstructed the marmot's genetic past using a computer-based analysis. 

The study revealed that the alpine marmot lost its genetic diversity as a result of climate-related adaptations during the last ice age. The animals first adapted when they colonized the Pleistocene steppe at the beginning of the last ice age, and adapted again when the Pleistocene steppe disappeared toward the end of the ice age.

The team found evidence to suggest that the marmot's adaptation to the colder temperatures resulted in longer generation time and a drop in the rate of genetic mutations. As a result, the animals were unable to regenerate their <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/african-lions-genetic-diversity-resilience/">genetic diversity</a>.

"Our study shows that climate change can have extremely long-term effects on the genetic diversity of a species. This had not previously been shown in such clear detail," explained Dr. Ralser. "When a species displays very little genetic diversity, this can be due to climate events which occurred many thousands of years ago. It is remarkable that the alpine marmot managed to survive for thousands of years despite its low genetic diversity."

"After all, a lack of genetic variation can mean a reduced ability to adapt to change, rendering the affected species more susceptible to both diseases and altered environmental conditions - including changes in the local climate."

"We should take the results of the study seriously, as we can see similar warnings from the past. In the 19th century, the passenger pigeon was one of the most abundant species of land birds in the Northern Hemisphere, yet, it was completely wiped out within just a few years. It is possible that low genetic diversity played a role in this." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</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: Carole and Denis Favre-Bonvin

Climate change can drive animals into vulnerable state of low genetic diversity

An international team of researchers led by Charité - Universitätsmedizin...

Plant blindness is a term first used 20 years ago by researchers who noticed that people are becoming disconnected from the plant kingdom and unable to identify the plants that make up our natural world. 

These days, people are having a harder and harder time even naming the plants that go into the food we eat every day as global diets shift from plant-based to processed. Meanwhile, we may lose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-animal-species-extinction/">thousands of plants in the future</a> due to climate change.

Researchers from the<a href="https://ciat.cgiar.org/"> International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)</a> say that people need to be made aware of losses in plant biodiversity and conservation campaigns need to focus as much attention on plant declines as they do on land and marine animals. 

In a paper published in the journal Plants, People, Planet, the researchers outline several recommendations for curing plant blindness and ensuring our natural world is protected. 

Part of plant blindness is not understanding the crucial value that plants have to the environment, economy, and culture. We eat plants as food, they clean our air and provide oxygen for us to breath, and many medicines use natural compounds found in plants. 

“Unfortunately, we’re losing species faster than we can study and account for them,” said Tara Moreau, a co-author of the study. “Plant extinction should not be an option, and public education is key.”

Thousands valuable plants worldwide are at risk of extinction, and nowhere is plant blindness more apparent than on our own dinner plates.

“But despite the blindness even in these food plants, they still represent an excellent and particularly powerful medium to connect people to plants, biodiversity, and conservation,” said Colin Khoury, a co-author of the study. “Food is a great way to educate ourselves about our own histories, and to understand how plants connect us around the world.” 

In the study, the researchers highlight the important role that botanic gardens and seed banks can play not only in future plant preservation, but also in connecting people to plants. 

There are 3,500 botanic gardens in the world and these house one-third of all known plant species. More than 60,000 horticulturists, taxonomists, and plant experts work in botanic gardens promoting conservation and education. 

Botanic gardens are also often popular tourist destinations that allow people a glimpse at rare flora not easily accessible otherwise. 

CIAT is working on creating a visitor-friendly gene bank to further educate people on the importance of plants and seed biobanks. 

Conservation strategies and campaigns should utilize botanic gardens and seed banks to help ensure plant biodiversity persists and fight plant blindness. 

“In an era confronted by many global problems such as climate change, habitat destruction, plant and animal extinctions, population explosion, hunger and poverty, we cannot afford to ignore plant blindness any longer,” said Sarada Krishnan, a fellow co-author of the study. “Without plants there is no life. We need to rewrite the plant narratives to bring plants front and center. For this, we need to craft new approaches to attract the next generation to the plant sciences.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Krishnan et al.

Why plant blindness poses an increasing threat amidst a changing climate

Plant blindness is a term first used 20 years ago...

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

[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 



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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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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