It is no secret that some lifestyles demand more resources than others. But recent climate findings highlight how individuals with vast wealth have exerted a larger influence on global warming and temperature shifts than previously realized.



In a 2025 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02325-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a>, the world’s wealthiest 10% are reported to have caused two-thirds of observed global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astonishing-global-heat-in-january-2025-defied-climate-expectations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a> since 1990. 



This work was led by lead author Sarah Schöngart, an alumna of the 2024 Young Scientists Summer Program, who is currently associated with <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a>, and published by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (<a href="https://iiasa.ac.at" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IIASA</a>).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wealthy-emitters-drive-climate-warming">Wealthy emitters drive climate warming</h2>



Scientists indicate that the top 1% of high-income earners contributed 26 times the global average to monthly 1-in-100-year heat extremes worldwide, and 17 times more to intense drought <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-our-power-our-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events</a> in the Amazon region.&nbsp;



“We found that wealthy emitters play a major role in driving climate extremes, which provides strong support for climate policies that target the reduction of their emissions,” explained Schöngart at the end of her remarks.



Researchers also noticed that emissions from the richest 10% in major economies, such as the United States and China, caused a two- to threefold increase in dangerous heat conditions across vulnerable tropical areas. 



These hotspots include Southeast Asia, southern Africa, and other regions with limited resources to handle amplified environmental stress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consequences-for-vulnerable-regions">Consequences for vulnerable regions</h2>



“Addressing this imbalance is crucial for fair and effective climate action,” says coauthor <a href="https://iiasa.ac.at/staff/carl-schleussner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carl-Friedrich Schleussner</a>, who leads the Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group at IIASA. 



Communities in zones already prone to high temperatures and scarce rainfall are dealing with more frequent hazards linked to wealth-driven pollution.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Experts</a> have underscored how nations or groups with historically low <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-innovation-takes-the-lead-in-environmental-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emissions</a> often face disproportionate impacts. Scientists note that these areas experience higher chances of weather disasters, yet have fewer means to respond or rebuild.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finances-fuel-climate-warming">Finances fuel climate warming</h2>



Several analysts believe that climate discussions should not only focus on personal consumption but also on the massive financial investments of wealthy individuals. 



When these investments support high-emission ventures, the world sees greater rises in heat extremes and drought occurrences.



Groups like the <a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations Environment Programme</a> have called for policy measures that redirect funds to cleaner solutions. 



Advocates argue that this could help reduce future harm while encouraging fair contributions from top earners who have the greatest capacity to shift investments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rebalancing-climate-responsibility">Rebalancing climate responsibility</h2>



Income-based emission studies raise questions about how to share the costs of adaptation and recovery. 



Observers suggest that policies aimed at rebalancing responsibility might also improve public acceptance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-now-impacting-earths-rotation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> strategies, since people often want to see genuine efforts toward equity in carbon reduction.



“If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50% of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” says Schleussner. 



This observation hints that tailored policies targeting disproportionate emissions could produce meaningful changes.



Scientists stress that tackling climate threats involves more than quick technical fixes. 



Those with higher incomes often have greater capacity to choose low-carbon lifestyles or to fund transformational climate solutions, making their role especially crucial in reducing warming trends.



Researchers emphasize that individuals in affluent groups have a unique chance to spark large-scale shifts. 



That could entail demanding cleaner supply chains, backing renewable energy, or encouraging sustainable investment portfolios, all of which can shape future climate outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-warming-inequality">Global warming inequality</h2>



The study estimates that the top 10% of earners contributed 6.5 times more to global warming than the average person, while the top 1% contributed 20 times more. 



For the top 0.1%, the figure skyrockets to 76 times the global average - an eye-opening statistic that illustrates how a small share of the population has driven a large share of climate disruption.



If everyone had emitted like the top 10%, global temperatures would have risen nearly 3°F (1.6°C) more since 1990. But if everyone had lived like the bottom 50%, there would have been almost no additional warming at all. 



That contrast highlights how the burden of global warming cannot be pinned on “humanity” in general - it’s coming from a concentrated source.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



Climate experts believe that ongoing conversations about carbon taxes and financial regulations might incorporate these findings for more equitable action. 



Some advocate for measures that hold top emitters accountable and support the communities that are most affected by intensifying weather events.



Others propose progressive policy instruments that reflect actual emissions contributions. 



Policymakers are increasingly exploring how to ensure elite pollution is addressed, while resources for adaptation and recovery become more accessible in low-income nations.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02325-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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Wealthy elite responsible for vast majority of global climate warming

It is no secret that some lifestyles demand more resources than others. But recent climate findings highlight how individuals with vast wealth have exerted a larger influence on global warming and temperature shifts than previously realized. In a 2025 analysis, the world’s wealthiest 10% are reported to have caused two-thirds of observed global warming since 1990. This work was led by lead author Sarah Schöngart, an alumna of the 2024 Young Scientists Summer Program, who is currently associated with ETH Zurich, and published by the International Institute...

Earth just saw the hottest June on record – <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/hot-june-summer-afternoon">by a lot</a> – but July is set to beat that. Scientists are still crunching the data, but they expect when the dust clears July will have been the hottest month ever recorded.

The European Union <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/">Copernicus Climate Change Service</a> and the <a href="https://www.ecmwf.int/">European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts</a> based the prediction on the data collected from July 1 through 29. 

This July is rivaling July 2016 for the hottest month ever, with the numbers too close to call yet. But in the wake of June’s heat and with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/european-heat-wave-greenland/">record heat waves</a> all over the world in July, this year is well on track to be one of the four hottest on record.

But researchers aren’t exactly reeling at the news.

“Months which break the global temperature record, such as July 2016 and June and July 2019, are now the expectation rather than a surprise,” Dr. Richard Allan of the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a> told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">Daily Mail</a>.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service has found a clear warming trend in Europe over the past four decades. And the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2018-fourth-hottest-year-record/">past four years</a> have, globally, been the hottest four in history.

Scientists are warning that if current warming continues, heat waves could become <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-heat-waves-kill-thousands/">more frequent and deadlier</a>.

“Just as one swallow does not make a summer, one record month does not tell us much on its own, since the fickle nature of weather systems and the slow sloshing about of the ocean can sometimes temporarily warm or cool the planet,” Allan said. 

But the recent smashing of record after record indicates that the Earth’s warming climate isn’t a fluke but a long-term trend, he said.

“It’s our fault and the way to stop this is to reduce and begin removing emissions of greenhouse gases,” he said.

Copernicus Climate Change Service will release its final report for July 2019 on Monday, August 5. 

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Paid for by Earth.com.

July may have been the world's hottest month ever

Earth just saw the hottest June on record – by...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/mapping-temperatures-across-urban-heat-islands/">urban heat island</a> effect refers to when a city or highly populated area has higher temperatures compared to the surrounding average air temperatures. 

Vast expanses of impermeable pavement and concrete that absorb the sun’s rays are the biggest contributors to the urban heat island effect. 

Surprisingly, though, pavement could be the solution to the problem as well. 

A team of engineers from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has developed a new kind of permeable pavement. 

On a hot summer day, concrete or asphalt roads and sidewalks can reach temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. One recent study found that hot pavement in the southwestern United States can cause <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hot-sidewalks-second-degree-burns/">second-degree burns in a matter of minutes</a>. 

Cities with a population of one million or more can have average air temperatures that are 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding rural areas, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands/learn-about-heat-islands">Environmental Protection Agency</a>. At night, the effect is especially pronounced. 

Not only does the urban heat island cause temperatures to climb, but it also poses a significant risk to public health and safety.  

To combat this effect, engineers at Rutgers created a porous concrete that doesn’t absorb as much heat. Its permeable structure means that water can filter through, cooling the pavement down in the process. 

Permeable concrete does give off more heat on sunny days, but 25 to 30 percent less after it rains. The engineers fine-tuned the porous concrete and reduced its heat output by as much as 5.2 percent. 

“Highly efficient permeable concrete pavement can be a valuable, cost-effective solution in cities to mitigate the urban heat island effect, while benefiting stormwater management and improving water quality,” said Hao Wang, a corresponding author of the study. 

Wang was also part of a team that improved the sustainability of permeable concrete by using fly ash and steel slag, which could help reduce manufacturing costs and emissions. 

The engineers are working on how to make the concrete stronger so that it can be used on streets and roads. 

The new permeable concrete was detailed in a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Hao Wang/Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Special pavement could help combat the urban heat island effect

The urban heat island effect refers to when a city...

New method helps to predict earthquake activity from wastewater disposal. A team of geoscientists from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> have developed a new way of predicting seismic activity via <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/underground-wastewater-disposal-earthquakes/">wastewater disposal</a>. This wastewater, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling called brine, is often disposed of by being injected into deep rock formations, which can trigger earthquakes. These quakes were hard to predict due to the amount of factors at play, however, the team has finally developed a method to do just that.

"Overall, earthquake hazards increase with background seismic activity, and that results from changes in the crustal stress," said Guang Zhai, a postdoctoral research scientist in <a href="https://sese.asu.edu/">ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration</a>. "Our focus has been to model the physics of such changes that result from wastewater injection."

"Seismic activity soared in one area for several years after wastewater injection was greatly reduced," said Manoochehr Shirzaei, associate professor in the School. "That told us that existing prediction methods were inadequate."

The study, published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Science</a>, first looked at how various amounts of injected brine upset crustal stresses and led to earthquakes. The team then built a model which included the rock's ability to transport injected brine and the rock's elastic response to fluid pressure.

"Fluids such as brine (and natural groundwater) can both be stored and move through rocks that are porous," said Zhai. Shirzaei continued, "Our model includes the records collected for the past 23 years of brine injected at more than 700 Oklahoma wells into the Arbuckle formation."

The model also included the mechanical properties of Oklahoman rocks. The model successfully predicted changes in crustal stress spurred by brine injection.

Finally, "We used a well-established physical model of how earthquakes begin so we could relate stress perturbations to the number and size of earthquakes,” Shirzaei said.

"An interesting finding," said Zhai, "was that a tiny change in the rocks' elastic response to changes in fluid pressure can amplify the number of earthquakes by several times. It's a very sensitive factor."

Despite the injections causing earthquakes, all oil and gas production companies must dispose of wastewater via this method.

"So to make this safer in the future," Shirzaei said, "our approach offers a way to forecast injection-caused earthquakes. This provides the industry with a tool for managing the injection of brine after fracking operations."

Having a complete understanding of the amount of brine to be injected, as well as the location of the disposal, authorities will be able to estimate an earthquake’s probability. And this method can even help oil and gas companies to manage their injections to keep earthquake probability low.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: KFOR-TV, Oklahoma City

New method helps to predict earthquake activity from wastewater disposal

New method helps to predict earthquake activity from wastewater disposal....

Poisonous frogs can adapt to warmer temperatures… but there’s a limit. Many species worldwide are being forced to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-animals-adapt/">adapt to new environments</a> due to climate change and human activities. 

In Costa Rica, poisonous frogs called strawberry frogs that once thrived in shady forest habitats now live sunny fields and pastures due to clearing for farmland.  

Two undergraduate students recently led a study to determine how strawberry frogs are fairing in these hotter and drier areas and if habitat changes have led to new thresholds for heat tolerance.  

The project was no small feat and required some innovative, out-of-the-box thinking on the part of the researchers Juana Rivera-Ordonez and Adrian Manansala. 

“We’re trying to understand what happens to species when we transform forests for human land uses,” said Justin Nowakowski, who served as a mentor for the project. “For this study, we were trying to understand how strawberry poison frogs that live in these converted pastures handle warmer temperatures in these land uses compared to individuals that live in the forest.”

The researchers recorded the temperatures of 111 frogs in the wild and caught 32 strawberry frogs. The frogs were then placed in a temperature-controlled enclosure. 

On one side of the enclosure, the temperatures were cooler to mimic the shadier forest habitat of some of the frogs. The other side was warmer, similar to temperatures found in the sunny and warm fields where the other frogs were collected. 

The researches placed frogs on either side of the enclosure for two and a half hours and monitored how long the frog stayed on one side of the habitat and if it moved to seek out warmer or cooler temperatures. 

The frogs that were collected from the sunny pastures preferred the warmer side of the enclosure but the frogs that were taken from shady areas sought out the cooler temperatures. 

After making a note of the frog’s preferred habitat temperature, the researchers next tested heat tolerance. 

“We found that if there’s an increase in temperature, there may be some ability to acclimate or adapt, but in situations where temperatures change drastically, it may be bad news for them,” said Michelle Thompson, a fellow mentor on the project.  

The team placed the frogs in water baths and raised the temperatures until the frogs were under stress.  

It didn’t matter where the frogs were collected from, as their maximum tolerance for heat stayed the same. Even though certain frogs can adapt and live in sunny areas, these adaptations may not help with long-term climate change. 

“It appears that for the time being, this species can eke out a living in these converted habitats using different behaviors to avoid extreme temperatures. But this is all subject to change,” said Nowakowski. “On top of habitat change, temperatures are rising due to climate change.” 

Because strawberry frogs thrive in the shade and make do in shady patches in cleared pastures, the researchers say that the study could help inform conservation policies to ensure that species have a better chance of adapting to climate change. 

“In the current biodiversity crisis that we’re a part of, we have to think of ways to make changes for positive impact,” said Thompson. “This is something we can act on. Where habitat conversion cannot be avoided, leaving small pockets of vegetation will let small populations of frogs persist. It shows that people can make a change.”

The study was published in the journal Biotropica.

--

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: Michelle Thompson, Field Museum

Poisonous frogs can adapt to warmer temperatures… but there’s a limit

Poisonous frogs can adapt to warmer temperatures… but there’s a...

New research led by the <a href="https://www.zsl.org/">Zoological Society of London</a> (ZSL) has investigated how socio-economic trends in lower income countries may have affected bird and mammal populations over the last two decades. 

The study revealed that the combination of economic growth and more gender-balanced governments lead to better outcomes for wildlife populations. This dynamic was also found to link the UN's human development and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservation-projects-participate-home/">conservation</a> targets.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was formally adopted by all United Nations member states to provide "a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." 

The agenda is focused on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are designed to coordinate a global effort for reducing inequality, improving human health, promoting economic growth, addressing climate change, and conserving biodiversity.

Overall, these goals are complex and can lead to conflicting priorities. The ZSL team set out to determine whether the pursuit of socio-economic targets may limit the odds of meeting conservation targets.

The researchers compared data from the Living Planet Index on 298 bird and mammal populations with indicators of social, economic, and political progress towards the SDGs in 33 low- and lower-middle income countries.

The team identified consistently positive relationships between economic growth and wildlife abundance. In other words, biodiversity is increasingly protected as people have more money. There was also a correlation between safer biodiversity and longer life expectancy, more gender-equal societies, and less corruption within the government. 

"Our study suggests that at a national level, it is possible to work towards conservation and economic development at the same time and underlines the need for further integration of sustainable development strategies," said study lead author Judith Ament. 

"We think this might be because as standards of living rise, people become less dependent on local natural resources for income and food, and environmental regulation becomes tighter. We are concerned that this could lead to more importing however, the impact of which would fall on wildlife elsewhere. This certainly merits further research."

Wildlife numbers were found to be reduced in regions where human populations were growing the fastest.

"This is consistent with other studies that have shown how humans compete with animals for space and resources and if more people are concentrated in one place, more areas are open to wildlife," said study co-author Dr. Chris Carbone.

"It wasn't all good news though and we did find that aspects of human development had a negative impact on some species. Numbers of water-birds, for example, fell as wider water sanitation and treatment processes were implemented. It's only by understanding these relationships that we can mitigate them and put forward policies that are good for people and for the natural world."

"This paper provides the first empirical evidence that simultaneous progress for both international development and conservation is possible and, should further research uphold our findings, could revolutionise UN target setting in the future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/publications/journals/people-and-nature/">People and Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Matej Kastelic

Economic growth can help wildlife numbers, but human population growth does not

New research led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)...

From mass <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protect-coral-reefs-climate-change/">coral bleaching events</a>, overfishing tuna and sharks to near extinction, and using the Gulf of Mexico as America’s dumping ground for fertilizer runoff, there is nothing pretty about the state of the oceans today. 

Climate change and the oceans are tightly linked, and as temperatures increase, the ocean gets warmer. As water temperatures increase, it worsens melting in the poles and releases carbon stores, which continues to drive warming and feeds into a dangerous climate feedback loop. 

Mission Blue, the 2014 Netflix documentary directed by Fisher Stevens and Robert Nixon, tells the story of our endangered oceans through the eyes of world-renowned oceanography and explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle. 

The documentary takes us through Dr. Earle’s life as she grew up in Florida and fell in love with the ocean, particularly the mysteries that waited beneath the waves. 

For Dr. Earle, there was no “aha” moment. She always knew that whatever she did with her life, it would involve exploring and studying the oceans. After graduating from <a href="https://www.fsu.edu/">Florida State University </a>where she majored in botany and learned to scuba dive for the first time, she went on to get her masters at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University.</a> 

Dr. Earle’s specialty during her studies was seaweed, and for her Ph.D. dissertation, she collected thousands of algae samples. In Mission Blue, Sylvia shows the audience a quick glimpse through her massive seaweed collection housed at the <a href="https://www.si.edu/museums">Smithsonian Museum</a>. 

The way Dr. Earle’s face lights up just looking at her sketched and preserved samples of seaweed it’s clear to the audience that oceanography and ocean conservation is more than simply a career, it’s a passion, a drive, and a mission. 

She was one of the first and foremost oceanographers of her time, chosen as the only woman for a 1964 expedition to explore the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Earle also traveled over 1,000 feet below the surface off the coast of Hawaii in a suit meant to withstand high-pressures and make it possible to conduct deep dives without needing to spend time in a decompression chamber. 

Dr. Earle went on to design her own submersibles and helped work on the Deep Sea Challenger, the submersible that James Cameron used to dive to the deepest point in the Marianas Trench. 

James Cameron makes an appearance in the documentary and highlights Dr. Earle’s tenacity and determination. 

The oceans that Dr. Earle explored during the 60s and 70s were very different from the oceans of today. 

During the documentary, Dr. Earle does not shy away from humanity’s role in the ocean’s sorry state. On more than one occasion, Sylvia discusses how 30 to 50 years ago, it was thought that the oceans were impervious to anything and everything you could dump in them or take out. 

While we know now this is not true, overfishing, pollution, oil drilling, and fertilizer runoff are still rampant. 

The documentary covers the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, a growing area of nutrient-rich waters where oxygen is so low, most marine life cannot survive. 

In 1971, the Gulf Dead Zone was one of only a few, but in 2014 at the time the documentary was released, there were over 500 worldwide. 

Statistics comparing the 60s and 70s to today are scattered throughout the documentary. 

One fact states that in 2014, there were more than 33,000 drill sites in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, one of the worst in history, occurred in 2010. 

Other statistics look at the dangers of overfishing with fisheries that are bringing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-payment-tuna-ocean-fish/">bluefin tuna</a>, sharks, and cod to the brink of extinction. Shark populations have been reduced to ten percent of their numbers through fishing and habitat degradation. For tuna, that number is even less with the once abundant species now reduced to five percent of its former population. 

Mission Blue shows that we have neglected our oceans through rampant overfishing, poorly regulated fishing and shipping vessels, and pollution. 

Coral reefs are dying off, with mass coral bleaching events becoming more and more common. 

Dr. Earle’s conservation project, Mission Blue, asks that we protect our oceans the same way we protect our national parks. 

During a 2018 United Nations Conference, it was revealed that only <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/marine-protected-areas-assessment-environment-conservation-spd/">5.7 percent of the ocean is protected</a>. A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17307686">study</a> conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/">National Geographic Society</a> and the <a href="https://www.uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a> claimed that number was overstated. 

In fact, the study states that 3.6 percent of the ocean is designated as a Marine Protected Area, and two percent are located in fully protected or strongly protected areas.  

Mission Blue’s goal, along with the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation</a>, has called for <a href="https://mission-blue.org/2016/10/ocean-protection-goal-increases-to-30/">30 percent of the ocean to be protected by 2030</a>. 

Considering we have yet to see 10 percent of the ocean protected, 30 percent by 2030 will require conservation and regulations to be made a top priority among all the world’s nations. 

It is hard not to be drawn in by the beautiful imagery and pure delight and passion of Dr. Earle. 

As much as Mission Blue is a documentary about our polluted and dying oceans, it is also about never losing hope that it can be saved and never forgetting the wonder and awe it can inspire. 

--

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: Mission Blue/Netflix

Mission Blue urges us to protect our oceans like we protect our national parks

From mass coral bleaching events, overfishing tuna and sharks to...

Human impact on nature has been immense and in some cases, irreversible. We’re driving species to extinction, shrinking habitats, and emitting greenhouse gases that are steadily warming up the planet. As a result, many species are being forced to adapt quickly to new stressors and challenges.

In a new study, researchers have discovered the underlying mechanisms that drive rapid evolutionary changes in species. 

Squid fisheries are a perfect example of how humans are impacting marine wildlife. A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jumbo-squid-declines/">recent study</a> found that jumbo squid have gotten smaller and have shorter lifespans due to overfishing rapidly depleting squid populations over the years. 

For this research, frozen fish helped provide insights into the genetic pathways that make rapid evolution over a few generations possible. 

There are two popular theories on what causes evolutionary change. One says that DNA in a species is the result of thousands of years of careful evolutionary intervention. The other school of thought says that a few hundred genes influence evolutionary traits. 

The researchers reviewed a two-decade-old study and sequenced the genomes of frozen fish to see how intensive fishing through the years correlated with genomic changes that led to changes in body size. 

A rapid decrease in body size of the fish occurred through different genome mechanisms in the fish, showing that there wasn’t one specific pathway that led to evolutionary adaptations. 

In some of the fish, there were small genetic changes across unrelated genes, but in other fish, there were huge shifts in sections of tightly linked genes. 

Two researchers at the <a href="https://www.uib.no/en">University of Bergen</a> published a companion perspective to the study explaining how the study results fit within the two popular schools of thought that explain evolutionary adaptations. 

“Interestingly, the genes that strongly increased in one population did not change in parallel populations subject to the same treatment, supporting the view that genetically speaking there are multiple ways to Rome,” Christian Jørgensen and Katja Enberg wrote in the Perspective. 

Both the study and Perspective were published in the journal Science.  

--

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: Shutterstock/Yampics photography

Frozen fish shed light on rapid evolutionary adaptations

Human impact on nature has been immense and in some...

Seaweed infestation is clustering on beaches and costing millions in clean-up. For most people, the ideal beach is one that is clean with sparkling blue water and the smell of salty air. But if you’ve been to the beaches in Mexico, Florida, and some of the Caribbean islands recently, there’s a good chance that you didn’t find them to be clean or smell of fresh ocean air.

In the past month, enormous quantities of Sargassum seaweed have washed up on the shores in these areas, creating a nasty smell and attracting flies as it rots in the sun. 

The <a href="http://www.esa.int/ESA">European Space Agency</a> has been tracking this seaweed infestation, and the details of a paper recently published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> explain how scientists have tracked the growth and movements of this infestation using 19 years of satellite data.

Satellite data from the last year showed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/seaweed-south-florida-beaches/">Sargassum</a> growth hit a high, as a brown belt of this macroalgae stretch 8,850 km from west Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists used computer simulations to confirm that this seaweed forms its shape in response to ocean currents, and this new paper suggests that deforestation and runoff from fertilizer into the Amazon river – which empties into the Atlantic Ocean – have stimulated this growth. 

“This year’s bloom is particularly bad, causing a risk to public health and affecting the tourism industry,” says Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes. “And, in response to a request from the Mexican Space Agency, we are helping to provide satellite images of this current disaster.”

The Mexican government has already spent millions of dollars to remove over half a million tons of seaweed from its beaches, as this has been an issue since 2011. 

“Tracking Sargassum is important because once it accumulates on beaches it causes significant problems including issues for public health, and for the economy such as lass of income from tourism, the cost of clean-up operations,” explains Craig Donlon, Principal Scientist for oceans and ice at ESA. “Earth observation data are important inputs to services and organizations tasked to monitor Sargassum masses at sea, helping to forecast when it will arrive on shore allowing local communities to act and plan accordingly.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Pixabay

Seaweed infestation is clustering on beaches and costing millions in clean-up

Seaweed infestation is clustering on beaches and costing millions in...

Scientists at <a href="https://uci.edu/">UC Irvine</a> (UCI) and the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> have constructed the most detailed map of glacier flows in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-west-antarctica-pacific/">Antarctica</a> to date. The tool will provide insights into the behavior of the continent's ice, as well as its contribution to future sea level rise. 

The new map of Antarctic ice velocity is based on data obtained by six different satellite missions from 1994 to 2019. The reconstruction, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the continent, is 10 times more accurate than previous depictions. 

“By utilizing the full potential of interferometric phase signals from satellite synthetic-aperture radars, we have achieved a quantum leap in the description of ice flow in Antarctica,” said study lead author Jeremie Mouginot. “This more detailed representation will help improve our understanding of ice behavior under climate stress over a larger part of the continent, farther south, and will enable improved projections of sea level rise through numerical models.”

[caption id="attachment_1875917" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ice-flow.png"><img class="wp-image-1875917" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ice-flow.png" alt="" width="650" height="450" /></a> Image Credit: UCI/Jeremie Mouginot[/caption]

The scientists charted the movement of ice sheets across the surface of Antarctica over 25 years. The data became much more available in the last decade, as more satellites had been positioned in space. 

The UCI team used a new approach to measure slower ice sheet movement in the vast interior regions of the continent.

"The interferometric phase of SAR data measures the ice deformation signal with a precision of up to two orders of magnitude better than speckle tracking,” said Mougino. “A drawback is that it requires a lot more data, namely multiple passes at different angles over the same point on the ground – a problem that was solved by a consortium of international space agencies pointing Earth-monitoring spacecrafts to this part of the world.”

The study revealed that, across more than 70 percent of Antarctica, ice is flowing at a rate of about 20 centimeters and is changing direction by five degrees each year.

“This product will help climate scientists achieve a number of goals, such as a better determination of the boundaries between glaciers and a thorough evaluation of regional atmospheric climate models over the entire continent,” said study co-author Eric Rignot. “It will also help in locating the most promising sites for ice core drilling to extract climate records and in examining the mass balance of Antarctica beyond its periphery.”

The map is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Denis Burdin

New map of Antarctic ice flow is the most accurate to date

Scientists at UC Irvine (UCI) and the NASA Jet Propulsion...

Wild gibbons are some of the most endangered primates on Earth, which is primarily due to habitat loss. A new study suggests that gibbons in southern Borneo are even more vulnerable to habitat loss than what was previously realized. 

The research, led by Dr. Susan Cheyne at the <a href="http://www.borneonaturefoundation.org/en/">Borneo Nature Foundation</a>, has revealed that wild gibbons living in the peat swamps of Borneo require between 20 and 50 hectares of forest territory for each group.

While it is known that the natural habitats of gibbons are threatened by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dramatic-increase-brazilian-deforestation/">deforestation</a> and wildfires, relatively little has been studied about the size of their territories or how they use certain spaces for feeding and social activities. 

The researchers monitored four groups of wild Bornean southern gibbons in the Sebangau National Park between 2010 and 2018. The team tracked the GPS location of each group, and recorded observations of the creatures at five-minute intervals from dawn till dusk.

The experts determined that the Gibbons' territory spanned somewhere between 21 and 52 hectares, including where they sleep, socialize, and sing "duets" together with their mates. The apes were also found to forage over a larger home range of up to 148 hectares that they share with neighboring groups.

For three of the groups, the territories remained approximately the same throughout the nine-year study period. The other group, however, was forced to shift their range west when part of their habitat was damaged by forest fires in 2015.

The gibbons are highly territorial, and this behavior combined with the vast size of their ranges will make these animals extremely vulnerable to future habitat loss. They could ultimately be confined to areas of forest that are too small to accommodate multiple competing groups.

"Gibbons show high site fidelity for specific areas of forest and maintain these territories over many years. Understanding how Gibbons use the forest is critical to their conservation," said Dr. Cheyne. "These data can feed into creating protected areas of suitable size and habitat quality to maintain viable populations of the singing, swinging small apes."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</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: Borneo Nature Foundation

Wild gibbons are severely threatened by habitat loss

Wild gibbons are some of the most endangered primates on...

One of the hardest pollution problems to solve also happens to a result of one of the smallest man-made pollutants. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastic-pollution-remote-glaciers/">Microplastics</a> are often so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye, but they can be found in almost every environment – especially in the ocean. 

The plastic waste that inhabits our oceans and rivers has numerous health consequences for animals and ecosystems, as well as ourselves. But a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/home">Matter</a> may have found a potential solution.

Researchers in Australia have developed a new strategy for ridding water sources of the microplastics that pollute them without causing harm to any microorganisms. Their work involves tiny coil-shaped carbon-based magnets in the form of carbon nanotubes laced with nitrogen. 

“Microplastics adsorb organic and metal contaminants as they travel through water and release these hazardous substances into aquatic organisms when eaten, causing them to accumulate all the way up the food chain,” explains senior author Shaobin Wang, a professor of chemical engineering at the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a>. “Carbon nanosprings are strong and stable enough to break these microplastics down into compounds that do not pose such a threat to the marine ecosystem.”

In the process of decomposing microplastics, the researchers needed to generate short-lived chemicals known as reactive oxygen species. These chemicals cause chain reactions that cut up microplastic molecules into smaller, harmless segments that dissolve in water. Unfortunately, reactive oxygen species are usually produced using heavy metals that become harmful pollutants, and as a result are generally not suitable for environmental clean-up.

The research team’s solution to this problem was these carbon nanotubules, which removed a significant amount of microplastics in just eight hours while staying stable in the harsh oxidative conditions needed for microplastic breakdown. The coiled shape of these nanosprings increase stability and maximize reactive surface area, and were able to be made magnetic with a small amount of manganese within the springs. 

“Having magnetic nanotubes is particularly exciting because this makes it easy to collect them from real wastewater streams for repeated use in environmental remediation,” says Xiaoguang Duan, a chemical engineering research fellow at Adelaide who also co-led the project. 

Moving forward, the researchers plan on testing whether the nanosprings work on microplastics of different compositions, shapes, and origins, as well as confirm the non-toxicity of any chemical compounds occurring as intermediates or by-products during microplastics decomposition. Additionally, the researchers believe these intermediates and byproducts have the potential to be used as an energy source for the same microorganisms that microplastics are currently affecting. 

“If plastic contaminants can be repurposed as food for algae growth, it will be a triumph for using biotechnology to solve environmental problems in ways that are both green and cost efficient,” says Wang.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/MikeDotta

Researchers develop potential microplastic pollution combatant

One of the hardest pollution problems to solve also happens...

Deep sea mining in international waters is taking a possible step forward despite criticism from <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/">GreenPeace</a> over decision making by the <a href="https://www.isa.org.jm/">International Seabed Authority</a>. 

For a long time, regulation over mining the sea bed was purely theoretical as most doubted it could be done economically, but that may now be changing. New technology and the diminishing returns from many terrestrial mines is pushing the industry closer to diving into deep sea mining. This potential new frontier is a cause for concern from many environmentalists and scientists as well as a cause for guarded hope in the mining industry itself. The potential of opening deep sea mining partially comes from greater demands for metals used in batteries, such as those found in electric cars. 

<a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/drive_to_mine_the_deep_sea_raises_concerns_over_impacts">YaleEnvironment360</a> reports that more than 24 permits have already been issued to prospect for potential deep sea mining. Much of the mining is likely to be focused around deep sea hydrothermal vents, where minerals well out of the deeper earth interior. 

These <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hydrothermal-vents-play-enormous-role-in-global-climate/">hydrothermal vents</a> also nurture unique life in an otherwise largely lifeless deep ocean world. Life huddled around these vents is like nothing else on earth, completely independent of the sun, not even something most cave life can claim. Organisms in the deep ocean harvest minerals for food instead of photosynthetic plant life or animals. The ‘chimney like’ vent formations are reminiscent of cave stalagmites that spew warm to super heated (41 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) mineral soups into the ocean. 

Microbes convert chemicals that are spewed from these spindly vents into energy, forming the basis of the deep sea ecosystems. Some of the waste products from this process – called chemosynthesis – are also nutritious for other life forms. Some microbes live inside strange hollow organisms called tube worms in a mutualistic relationship, supplied shelter inside the worms in exchange for nutrients produced by the microbes. Other microbes are preyed upon by crabs, mussels and limpets, which seem to reside near the top of this small food web. 

The whole strange ecosystem, entirely enclosed in darkness only pierced by the lights of human powered craft, is still much of a mystery and was completely unexpected. These alien islands of life huddled around weird chimneys of rock spewing chemicals have only been known of since the 1970s and research on such habitats is expensive and rare. Unfortunately, human avarice could decimate these unique places and their odd animals in a search for more mineral wealth. 

<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02276-2">Nature</a> reports that the scaly-foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum) is the first animal to be officially declared endangered by the threat of deep sea mining. The snail lives in only three known deep sea thermal vents in the Indian Ocean. Some of the known habitats for the scaly-foot snail are also potential mine sites. Surveys of some mine sites have found more than 1,000 animal species living in those areas. The threat is also much broader than the destruction of a unique ecosystem most will never see. There is also a threat of the release of carbon trapped in sediments, speeding up global climate change. Despite these dangers, efforts to mine the deep sea are going forward. 

The International Seabed Authority (ISA)  is expected to finalize regulations on deep sea mining by 2020. Besides criticism from Greenpeace, a group of 28 marine scientists sent an open letter asking for the international authority to consult with independent scientists when issuing specific mining permits. There is already a conflict of interest baked into the ISA, as it has a mandate both to protect international seabeds as well as to exploit them. Scientists and environmentalists are concerned that the ISA is focusing unduly on their mandate to facilitate exploitation over protection.

The truth of the matter when it comes to deep sea mining is that no one really knows how much is at stake or how much mining could threaten it. Scientists are planning to test a prototype that would simulate deep sea mining activity, a large tractor like machine that will stir up sediment. The idea is to see how much sea mining could smother deep sea ecosystems with sediment and how that might be limited. 

On the other hand, <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/23397/four-reasons-why-the-international-seabed-authority-probably-wont-protect-our-oceans/">Greenpeace</a> supports a moratorium on mining until more can be known about the ocean, a reasonable request considering our deep ignorance. The organization as well as some scientists also calls for a stronger international sea treaty, one that could establish internationally protected areas, putting them off the table to mining and other exploitation. 

The environmental organization has already stated deep skepticism that the ISA will do anything meaningful to protect the oceans. Greenpeace generally rejects the authority of the 168 member ISA to create the international rules governing deep sea mining. Others are concerned about deep sea mining outside of international waters as well. 

<a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/drive_to_mine_the_deep_sea_raises_concerns_over_impacts">YaleEnvironment360</a> reports that much of the potential future of deep sea mining centers around poorer parts of Asia, where governments don’t necessarily have substantial regulations in place to protect their own waters. Nautilus, a Canadian mining company, has already signed an agreement with the government of Papua New Guinea to mine for copper and gold in their waters. Nautilus plans on cutting into deep sea sediment and suctioning precious minerals out with a remote control operated vehicle. The minerals will then be pumped more than a mile to the surface. 

For those who are aware of the lasting contamination from many mining projects on the surface, including long term water pollution, this project seems all but certain to create long term problems. A court in New Zealand rejected a proposed mining plan, citing environmental concerns. Unfortunately, as mining waste all over the world shows, it only takes one mine mistake to create a tragedy. Mining companies will push against the law until they get their way and eventually, even in the best case scenario, something will go wrong. It’s just a matter of how long it will take for us to even notice.      

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/christianthiel.net

Sea mining regulations to be set by 2020 despite criticism

Deep sea mining in international waters is taking a possible...

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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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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

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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



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



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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



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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



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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



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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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