Floating photovoltaics (FPV), or “floatovoltaics,” are spreading across water bodies worldwide. From California’s vineyards to China’s massive energy projects, these solar systems glide atop irrigation ponds, reservoirs, and wastewater treatment plants. 



They produce clean energy without consuming precious land, a seemingly perfect solution in a space-constrained world.



But the water beneath these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-panels-could-power-entire-countries/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">panels</a> isn’t empty. It teems with life. Birds drift, dive, nest, and hunt in these waters. As FPV systems expand, they introduce a new dynamic to these habitats - and nobody knows yet what the consequences might be.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-floating-solar-and-bird-habitats">Floating solar and bird habitats</h2>



A recent study from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a>, published in the journal Nature Water, raises a vital question: Can renewable energy and wildlife coexist without collateral damage? The researchers, part of the UC Davis Wild Energy Center, are among the first to examine how waterbirds respond to FPV systems.



“That’s why it’s so important to understand how waterbirds are going to respond to floating solar and if there is the possibility for conservation concessions at new floating solar facilities,” said Elliott Steele, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Wild Energy Center within the Energy and Efficiency Institute.



Steele’s words are urgent. Bird populations are plummeting. Habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and avian influenza have combined into a perfect storm of threats. If floating solar disrupts waterbird behavior, it could exacerbate an already dire situation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-responses-to-floating-solar-systems">Bird responses to floating solar systems</h2>



Imagine a black-crowned night heron standing motionless on a solar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-panels-could-power-every-home-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">panel</a> before dawn. Below, cormorants dart through the water, jostling for a place to perch. A black phoebe builds a nest beneath the panels, sheltered but close to human-made structures.



These are not imagined scenes. During their fieldwork, the UC Davis researchers observed all these behaviors. Birds are not just interacting with FPV systems — they are adapting to them, sometimes in unexpected ways.



“Our team has been documenting such a diversity of bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floridas-waterbirds-expert-divers-with-bold-hunting-techniques/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behavior</a> with floating PV, so we immediately knew this was a very important interaction, especially given the precipitous decline in waterbird numbers globally,” said senior author and UC Davis Professor Rebecca R. Hernandez.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-and-risks-of-floating-solar">Benefits and risks of floating solar</h2>



Renewable energy projects have not always considered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-americas-birds-scientists-declare-a-full-on-emergency-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a>. Now, as FPV systems expand, researchers are determined not to repeat past mistakes. The UC Davis team identified five areas demanding urgent study.



First, the researchers are exploring how waterbirds interact with FPV structures, questioning whether these birds use the solar panels as nesting sites, hunting perches, or safe resting places.



In addition, they are investigating the direct and indirect effects of FPV systems on waterbirds. While a panel may provide shelter to one species, it may simultaneously deter another.



The team is considering how conservation strategies can be tailored to specific sites, regions, and seasons, recognizing that bird populations vary significantly in their behaviors and needs.



Furthermore, they are examining how best to design monitoring systems at FPV sites. Should they rely on cameras, sensors, or traditional bird counts to collect data effectively?



The researchers are also assessing the potential for pollutants to be released from FPV systems. If such contamination occurs, they aim to determine what can be done to mitigate the risks to aquatic and avian life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-renewable-energy-design">Rethinking renewable energy design</h2>



Study co-author Emma Forester is a Ph.D. candidate with the UC Davis Land, Air and Water Resources department and the Wild Energy Center.



“There are some things we wished we’d known before other kinds of renewable energy were developed,” said Forester.



“While we’re at this critical threshold of renewable energy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-panels-are-1000-times-more-powerful-with-new-tech-breakthrough/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">development</a>, we want to put more thought into the design that can benefit birds and other wildlife as we go forward.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-balancing-act-energy-vs-ecology">The balancing act: Energy vs. ecology</h2>



Floating solar systems present a compelling case for water conservation. They can reduce evaporation by shading the water surface, an added benefit in drought-prone areas. But there’s a catch.



While some birds, like the black-crowned night heron, seem to thrive on the panels, others might not. Researchers observed birds using FPV systems in various ways - nesting, perching, feeding - but the long-term impacts remain unclear.



And then there’s pollution. Solar panels are not inert objects. As they age, they can degrade, releasing chemicals into the water. What happens to the fish, algae or the birds? These questions linger, unanswered.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-for-wildlife">Designing for wildlife</h2>



To ensure that FPV systems are truly green, wildlife considerations must be integrated from the start. 



Hernandez and her team emphasize that waterbirds are ideal subjects for these studies. They occupy both the water and the air, making them sensitive indicators of environmental change.



But there’s a deeper challenge. Conservation strategies that work in California may fail in Florida. Solutions for herons may not suit cormorants. Customization is key.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-at-stake">What’s at stake</h2>



Floating solar may be new, but the questions it raises are not. When energy projects collide with nature, unintended consequences often follow. As renewable energy scales up, researchers must consider not just the panels but the ecosystems they disrupt.



Floating solar has enormous potential. But without rigorous, long-term studies, that potential could come at a steep ecological cost. For now, the researchers at UC Davis are watching the waterbirds - and hoping the world will pay attention.



The study, funded by the <a href="https://uckeepresearching.org/california-climate-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Climate Action Seed Grant</a>, <a href="https://www.enelgreenpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Enel Green Power</a>, and several U.S. government agencies, is a starting point. 



The research team includes scientists from UC Davis, the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, the <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Central Florida</a>, <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lancaster University</a>, and <a href="https://www.enelgreenpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Enel Green Power</a> in Italy.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00429-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Water.</a>



Image Credit: Rebecca R. Hernandez, UC Davis.



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Floating solar panels affect bird habitats in unexpected ways

Floating photovoltaics (FPV), or “floatovoltaics,” are spreading across water bodies worldwide. From California’s vineyards to China’s massive energy projects, these solar systems glide atop irrigation ponds, reservoirs, and wastewater treatment plants. They produce clean energy without consuming precious land, a seemingly perfect solution in a space-constrained world. But the water beneath these panels isn’t empty. It teems with life. Birds drift, dive, nest, and hunt in these waters. As FPV systems expand, they introduce a new dynamic to these habitats - and nobody knows yet what the...

Experts at <a href="https://vt.edu/">Virginia Tech</a> have found that earthquakes are intensifying in regions where oilfield wastewater disposal is widespread. When the injected water has a higher density than the naturally occurring fluids, earthquakes are getting deeper at the same rate that the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/recover-oil-refinery-wastewater/">wastewater</a> sinks.

In areas such as Oklahoma and southern Kansas, the team found evidence that oilfield wastewater injected underground into the Arbuckle formation has a much higher density than the fluids that exist within the deeper seismogenic zone faults. As the high-density wastewater sinks, it increases fluid pressure deep underground where it can cause more high-magnitude earthquakes.

"Earthquakes are now common in the central United States where the number of magnitude-3 or greater earthquakes increased from about 19 per year before 2008 to more than 400 per year since," said study lead author Professor Ryan M. Pollyea.

"In many cases, these earthquakes occur when oilfield wastewater is disposed of by pumping it into deep geologic formations. As wastewater is injected deep underground, fluid pressure builds up and migrates away from injection wells. This destabilizes faults and causes 'injection-induced' earthquakes, such as the damaging 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Pawnee, Oklahoma, in 2016."

The researchers analyzed earthquake data and found that the number of earthquakes greater than a magnitude 4 increased by more than 150 percent from 2017 to 2018, while the number of earthquakes with magnitude 2.5 or greater decreased 35 percent during the same time frame. In other words, the overall number of earthquakes is starting to decrease but the percentage of larger-magnitude earthquakes is increasing.

"Our models show that high-density wastewater may continue sinking and increasing fluid pressure at depths of 5 or more miles for 10 or more years after injections stop," said Professor Pollyea. "There is a larger proportion of high-magnitude earthquakes at depths greater than 5 miles in north-central Oklahoma and southern Kansas, but there are fewer total earthquakes at these depths. This implies that the rate of high-magnitude earthquakes is decreasing more slowly than the overall earthquake rate."

The study also revealed that fluid pressure caused by sinking wastewater remains in the environment much longer than what was previously realized. "Our models show that high-density wastewater continues sinking and increasing fluid pressure for 10 to 15 years after injections stop, and this may prolong the earthquake hazard in regions like Oklahoma and Kansas," said Professor Pollyea.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/articles">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Underground wastewater disposal could intensify earthquakes

Experts at Virginia Tech have found that earthquakes are intensifying...

Scientists have identified a positive feedback loop that may accelerate the warming effects of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/infrastructure-climate-change-extremes/">climate change</a>. A team of researchers led by Ryan Li of <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> has investigated the potential for high-altitude clouds to become thinner, which will compromise how effectively these clouds can block solar energy. 

Richard Allan is a professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading who was not involved in the study. "This is a previously unrecognized effect that should be looked into in more detail,” Professor Allan told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. “If it is going on in the real world, you’d expect climate feedbacks to be more strongly amplified.”

Earth's climate is undoubtedly warming as a result of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are being pumped into the atmosphere. However, it is challenging to predict whether the atmosphere will respond by amplifying this warming trend or by reorganizing in a way that would help to cool down the planet.

Clouds play the biggest role in this mystery, and experts are trying to determine how they may change in size and abundance over time. Previous research has suggested that there will be fewer low clouds as the Earth heats up, which means that much of their cooling effect could be lost.

In the current study, the researchers determined that high-altitude clouds will either accelerate global warming or will have no influence on the climate. They found that a cooling impact is very unlikely. 

The study was focused on anvil clouds in the tropics with narrow bases and wide tops that form when thunderstorms are developing. The team used computer simulations to observe what would happen in a hotter climate when more rain fell from the bottom of the clouds rather than rising up and reinforcing the wide tops of the clouds. 

The analysis revealed that when a lot of water was lost as rain, the clouds became thinner and less capable of reflecting sunlight away from the planet. 

"This positive iris feedback puzzle, in which reduced cirrus clouds increases surface temperature, is attributed to changes in the opacity of convectively detrained cirrus. Cirrus clouds reduced largely in ice content and marginally in horizontal coverage, and thus the positive shortwave cloud radiative feedback dominates," wrote the study authors. 

"These results suggest a potentially strong but highly uncertain connection between convective precipitation, detrained anvil cirrus, and the high cloud feedback in a climate forced by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations."

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/loi/clim">Journal of Climate</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/Shinedawn

Thinning high-altitude clouds may amplify global warming

Scientists have identified a positive feedback loop that may accelerate...

According to new research from a team at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>, rising temperatures caused by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conifer-extinction-climate-change/">climate change</a> could thwart male Cape Verde loggerhead turtles from hatching at a key breeding ground by the end of the century. 

In fact, the researchers posit that by 2100, more than 90% of loggerhead nests on the Cape Verde islands could incubate at exponentially higher temperatures, thus killing the turtles before they hatch.

"Cape Verde hosts one of the largest nesting population of loggerhead turtles in the world — up to 15% of the global nesting total," said Dr. Lucy Hawkes, of the University of Exeter. "We estimate that 84% of current hatchlings are female, and warmer temperatures will increase this proportion.”

The sex of the loggerhead turtle hatchlings is decided by the incubation temperature. Using information provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the research team realized that by 2100, only 0.14% of hatchlings would be male.

“Under all three climate change scenarios in our study,” Dr. Hawkes continued, “by 2100 more than 99% of hatchlings would be female — and under mid and high-emissions scenarios there could be no males at all."

[caption id="attachment_1875207" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/loggerhead-turtle.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875207" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/loggerhead-turtle.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></a> Loggerhead turtle in Cape Verde, Image Credit: Lucy Hawkes[/caption]

"What surprised us was how even the low emissions scenario has detrimental effects for this population,” said lead author Claire Tanner, who earned her masters with this study. "What this shows is that now is the time to act on climate change — before it is too late to prevent the estimations seen in this paper."

This study is published in <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home/">Marine Ecology Progress Series</a>.

The researchers used current nesting behavior of the loggerheads to come to their conclusion, meaning that the turtles could adapt to climate change by nesting earlier in the year when it’s cooler. Furthermore, Dr. Hawkes said that natural selection should favor the turtles that attempt to do this, however, the longevity of the loggerheads matched with the speed of climate change could mean that the turtles would not have enough time to properly evolve.

And about 85% of loggerhead nests in Cape Verde are currently built on Boa Vista, where incubation temperatures are coolest. Therefore, most of the loggerhead population would be unable to switch to cooler locations — unless they find “refugia” areas covered in shade.

As of right now, it’s difficult for researchers to predict when the population would decline if males cease hatching, due to the fact that the reproductive lifespan on loggerhead males is not known. Older males could continue breeding for years after the last male loggerheads hatch.

--

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>

Main Image Credit: Lucy Hawkes

Rising temperatures threaten Cape Verde turtle population

According to new research from a team at the University...

Defying all expectations, the Delaware-sized iceberg that broke away from the Larson C ice shelf in Antarctica two years ago has remained relatively intact and is on the move. 

When A-68 first calved from the ice shelf, the biggest concerns were that the iceberg would break up into smaller pieces which would drift into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iceberg-shipping-lanes/">international shipping lanes </a>and present a hazard for vessels. 

That hasn’t quite happened yet. Instead, the iceberg, which measures 100 miles long and 656 feet thick, got stuck after it initially calved from the ice shelf and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/enormous-iceberg-antarctica-spinning/">rotated on its axis</a> as it dislodged nearly a year later. 

Now, satellite footage of A-68’s movement taken by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus">European Space Agency’s Copernicus Mission</a> and compiled together by Adrian Luckman, a geography professor at <a href="https://www.swansea.ac.uk/">Swansea University</a> in Wales, tracks the glacier’s 155-mile trek. 

A-68 is currently drifting north, carried by the Weddell Gyre ocean current. 

Luckman’s animation documents the iceberg’s movements between January 6th, 2018 and July 10th, 2019. 

The animation, which is posted on his <a href="https://adrianluckman.wordpress.com/2019/07/11/happy-second-birthday-iceberg-a68/">glacier gallery blog</a>, is the result of stitching together hundreds of Sentinel-1 satellite microwave images together in 5-day intervals.

 “At 160 kilometres long by only a couple of hundred metres thick, the aspect ratio of Iceberg A68 is more like a credit card than a typically imagined iceberg,” Luckman wrote. “All the more surprising then, that despite grounding on the sea floor several times, Iceberg A68 remains in pretty much the same shape that it had when it calved away 2 years ago.”

Calving events are common, but A-68’s sheer size and mass stunned the scientific community when it was first discovered. Climate change will likely increase the rate of calving events and speed up melting in Greenland and Antarctica. 

--

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: Adrian Luckman, ESA/Copernicus

Two years later, the world’s largest iceberg is drifting north mostly intact

Defying all expectations, the Delaware-sized iceberg that broke away from...

Coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate with mass bleaching events becoming more and more common. 

While many studies have rightly attributed the cause of these bleachings to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protect-coral-reefs-climate-change/">climate change</a>, increasing ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification, a new study has discovered another root cause of the world’s coral catastrophe. 

After reviewing 30 years of unique data from the Lower Florida Keys, researchers from the <a href="https://www.fau.edu/hboi/">Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University</a> found that increases in nitrogen levels are starving out corals and making them susceptible to bleaching.

“Citing climate change as the exclusive cause of coral reef demise worldwide misses the critical point that water quality plays a role, too,” said James W. Porter, a co-author of the study. “While there is little that communities living near coral reefs can do to stop global warming, there is a lot they can do to reduce nitrogen runoff. Our study shows that the fight to preserve coral reefs requires local, not just global, action.”

Nutrient runoff from fertilizers, topsoil, and improperly treated sewage are adding nitrogen to the environment. This added nitrogen has led to phosphorus starvation in corals which lowers the coral’s threshold for bleaching. 

The study, published in the journal Marine Biology, provides one of the longest records to date of nutrient levels and algae concentrations in coral reefs. 

“Our results provide compelling evidence that nitrogen loading from the Florida Keys and greater Everglades ecosystem caused by humans, rather than warming temperatures, is the primary driver of coral reef degradation at<a href="https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/zones/spas/looekey.html"> Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area</a> during our long-term study,” said Brian Lapointe, the senior author of the study. 

Nutrient runoff from topsoil and fertilizer have increased the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio in reef algae.

The researchers collected seawater and seaweed samples from the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area during wet and dry seasons and analyzed data from 1984 through 2014. 

Coral cover in the sanctuary decreased from 33 percent in 1984 to less than six percent in 2008. 

Nutrient levels, salinity, and temperature were also monitored to see how nitrogen made its way downstream from the Everglades to the Florida Keys reefs. 

In the early 1990s, a spike in nutrient runoff from the Everglades increased phytoplankton and nitrogen levels in the coral reefs and even though nitrogen levels have decreased, the corals have still not recovered. 

Nitrogen levels are expected to increase worldwide by 19 percent further endangering corals and increasing susceptibility to bleaching events. 

This study reveals a root cause of coral bleaching, which can help better manage and conserve coral reefs in the future. 

“The future success of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will rely on recognizing the hydrological and nitrogen linkages between the Everglades, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys,” said Lapointe. “The good news is that we can do something about the nitrogen problem such as better sewage treatment, reducing fertilizer inputs, and increasing storage and treatment of stormwater on the Florida mainland.”

--

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: Larry Lipsky

Nitrogen runoff is also killing coral reefs

Coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate with...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www1.chester.ac.uk/">University of Chester</a> have found a way to convert unrecyclable plastic waste like food packaging and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-waste-fuel-car/">beach litter</a> into electricity that could one-day power plants, homes, and entire power grids. 

The new method offers a potential solution to the world’s plastic crisis and could reduce the amount of plastic waste in the environment. Already, countries like Japan, China, and India have expressed interest in the technology, and there are plans to roll plants out across Asia soon. 

What’s especially innovative about the Waste2Tricity process is that it doesn’t require cleaning or sorting and can convert mixed plastic waste into electricity and hydrogen.

The method was developed by researchers from the University of Chester in collaboration with <a href="https://www.powerhouseenergy.net/">PowerHouse Energy</a>. The ultimate goal is to leave no plastic behind and take the world’s unrecyclable plastic and convert it into green fuel and power. 

First, the plastic waste is cut into two-inch strips and melted together in a kiln. As the plastics are melted, the gases produced during this process are converted into energy. 

“The technology converts all plastic waste into high quality, low carbon hydrogen syngas which can then be used to power gas engines,” said Professor Joe Howe, Executive Director of the Thornton Energy Research Institute at the University of Chester. “A by-product of this process is electricity, meaning waste plastic can not only fuel cars but can also keep the lights on at home. Surely the world must wake up to this technology.” 

[caption id="attachment_1875132" align="aligncenter" width="634"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/method.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1875132" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/method.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="406" /></a> Image Credit: James Speakman/Mercury Press[/caption]

The researchers have been testing out the method for two years, and the next step is to try and power a 54-acre plant, 7,000 houses in a single day, and 7,000 hydrogen cars. 

Once proven successful, the technology will be used in Asia. <a href="http://www.waste2tricity.com/">Waste2Tricity</a> has the exclusive license to develop its plastic-electricity process in the UK, Japan, and China among other countries. 

As more countries follow suit, the innovative technology could aid in reducing the world’s plastic pollution and bring an end to the plastic pollution crisis while offering fuel and power in its stead. 

“The team at the University of Chester has helped us develop this technology, which will soon be ready for a large scale roll-out to eliminate the bulk of ocean plastics and make low cost and low carbon dioxide hydrogen the go-to fuel for the future,” said Howard White, the deputy chairman of Waste2Tricity.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: James Speakman/Mercury Press

New method turns unrecyclable plastic into electricity

Researchers from the University of Chester have found a way...

The Atewa Forest in Ghana is considered by many to be a key biodiversity hotspot. <a href="https://www.globalwildlife.org/atewa-forest-a-wild-wonderland/">Global Wildlife Conservation</a> reports that the forest is habitat for at least 50 mammal species, 1,000 plant species and over 570 butterflies, representing 77% of Ghana’s total butterfly species. The organization also reports that the Atewa is home to the headwaters of 3 major rivers, supplying water to 5 million people in Ghana. 

The forest itself is dominated by a ridge covering 258 square kilometers of land, ranging from 230 to 845 meters above sea level in elevation. The gradient of elevation increases the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-loss-human-rights-issue/">biodiversity</a> of the place by fostering different habitats at different elevations and supporting a rare upland ecosystem.    

<a href="https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/NGOs-march-to-demand-protection-of-Atewa-Forest-from-mining-757029">GhanaWeb</a> reports that earlier this month, groups of civil organizations and other citizens engaged in peaceful protests in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The demonstrations were to protest the government's plan to mine bauxite inside Atewa Forest. Signs protesters carried had slogans like, "Water Pollution Will Cost Ghana More" and "Save Water, Secure the Future". The bauxite mine plan includes investment money from the Chinese government, which protesters are planning to also petition if need be. 

Atewa was made a designated forest reserve in 1926 but through a convoluted series of designations, protection has been increased but not yet reached the level of National Park activists are calling for. In 1994, Atewa became a ‘Special Biological Protection Area’, in 1995, a ‘Hill Sanctuary’. In 1999, Atewa was declared one of Ghana’s 30 Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas and it’s also been recognized as an important bird area. 

Despite these designations, Atewa is still plagued with unmanaged logging and hunting, small scale gold mining and the haunting threat of large scale mining development.            

In a recent press release, <a href="https://www.globalwildlife.org/">Global Wildlife Conservation</a> reported on developments that suggest the government of Ghana is preparing to allow bauxite mining within the Atewa forest despite outcry from environmentalists and concerned local citizens. Trees are already being cleared to create mining roads into the forest. President Nana Akufo-Addo for his part claims that new technology involved in the planned bauxite mine will not harm the environment. <a href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/bi/strategy/environmental-groups-ask-ghanas-president-to-show-proof-of-harm-free-atewa-bauxite/33gzl11">Business Insider</a> reports that skeptical environmentalists have asked him to prove that claim, so far he has yet to persuade skeptics. 

<a href="https://ghana.arocha.org/projects/protecting-atewa-forest/">A Rocha Ghana</a> is leading the fight to protect the Atewa forest with a tagline unusual for an environmental group, “Caring for God’s Creation”. The organization has released a <a href="https://ghana.arocha.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/07/Biodiversity-of-Atewa-A-Rocha.pdf">special report</a> on the biodiversity of Atewa, which also includes a history and geography of the region.

Atewa forest is part of the Upper Guinea forest ecoregion, an area of humid west African forests high in endemic species. The <a href="https://eros.usgs.gov/westafrica/land-cover/deforestation-upper-guinean-forest">USGS</a> reports that due to habitat loss, the Upper Guinea eco-region contains all of west Africa’s lowland forests. Originally the Upper Guinea eco-region consisted of 680,000 square kilometers. 

By 1920, there was only 216,000 square kilometers of dense healthy forest left in the ecoregion. By 1975, 84% of the original forest was destroyed. In recent years, destruction of the Upper Guinea eco-region forests has significantly slowed but it hasn’t stopped. Within a unique eco-region, Atewa itself is special, being one of only two upland evergreen forests in Ghana.

During a 2006 survey by Conservation International, 8 new species of katydid were found. Katydids are ubiquitous in the tropics, similar to grasshoppers or crickets but with incredibly long antennae and sometimes adapted to look like a leaf. 6 species of non-human primates were found, 10 large mammals of conservation concern, 314 species of plant. This is just a sample of the rich biodiversity of Atewa as part of a larger eco-region and on a larger scale the world. Atewa is home to 20% of Ghana’s threatened species. 

The beauty of the Atewa Forest has gained famous supporters in Ghana as well. In 2017, musicians famous in Ghana releases the song ‘Atewa ‘till Eternity” in response to a visit to the forest. The work was promoted by Green Beat Performers, a collaboration between musicians and conservationists. The project also received collaboration from IUCN and of course, A Rocha. <a href="https://www.iucn.nl/en/updates/ghanaian-artists-release-song-to-raise-awareness-for-protection-of-atewa-forest">IUCN</a> reports that even the process of creating the music video in Atewa helped garner support to conserve the special forest. 

Unfortunately, the mining interests have strong influence in Ghana as well.

West Africa supplies approximately 11.5% of all the world’s bauxite, according to a 2019 <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/02/19/1734016/0/en/West-Africa-Mining-Market-Report-2019-Size-State-of-the-Industry-Influencing-Factors-Competition.html">Research and Markets</a> report. 30% of profits from bauxite mining in nearby Guinea is collected by the government for distribution among the people, according to <a href="https://www.miningafrica.net/natural-resources-africa/aluminium-ore-bauxite-in-africa/">Mining in Africa</a>. Africa as a continent is set to expand its bauxite operations as well with a new aluminum manufacturing plant in South Africa with the capacity to manufacture 1.2 billion drink cans open in 2016. Often these developments are pointed to as signs of positive progress in Africa, a continent plagued with general widespread poverty. 

In a report from 2007, <a href="https://www.internationalrivers.org/sites/default/files/attached-files/aluminum_in_africa_case_study_july1107.doc">International Rivers</a> questions whether bauxite mining and the aluminum produced from it is really helping much of Africa. Aluminum is the world’s second most used metal and the industry is made of very powerful companies. Often bauxite mining and aluminum production often gain great support from governments in Africa (and elsewhere) because of their political clout and perceived economic benefits. This support comes at a cost of large amounts of resources. Aluminum production uses more electricity than any other industry and is often the largest user of electricity in a country. That is a stark contrast to everyday Africans in 2007, when less than one out of every four residents of sub-Saharan Africa had access to electricity. 

Between 1961 and 1965, the president of Ghana supported construction of a hydroelectric dam to support industry including aluminum production. In 2007, the dam supplied two-thirds of the electric power in Ghana, despite the fact that less than half of the population had access to electricity. The difference between industry and the quality of life for the average person can be quite striking in many parts of Africa. One thing is certain, when forests like Atewa are pillaged, the spoils only go to the rich while the poor suffer from the pollution.                    

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Jeremy Lindsell/Global Wildlife Conservation

Ghana plans to mine Atewa Forest despite its ecological importance

The Atewa Forest in Ghana is considered by many to...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farming-trends-threatening-pollinators-crops/">Pollinators</a> like bees and butterflies often get the spotlight in terms of research and media attention, and this could be because many buzzing and flitting pollinating pros go about their business during the day. After all, a colorful monarch flying around a flower garden on a sunny day is hard to miss. 

However, a new study has found that wildfires have a negative impact on key night-time pollinators: moths. 

The study was conducted by an international team of experts who investigated the impacts of a wildfire in Portugal on the relationship between moths and flowers. 

Past research has shown that bees and butterflies can benefit from the surge of wildflowers that burst from the ground after a fire. But it turns out that night-time pollinators are not as lucky in the aftermath of a fire. 

“Day-time pollinators, such as bees, have previously been shown to respond positively to the post-fire increase in resources of pollen and nectar, but it was not known whether night-flying pollinators, such as moths, benefit in the same way,” said Dr. Callum Macgregor, the lead author of the study. 

70 percent of moths caught by the researchers in Portugal were carrying pollen, and in the spring that number jumped to over 95 percent. In the area studied, moths were carrying the pollen of over 80 percent of the flowering plant species. 

After the fire, pollen carrying declined. The amount of pollen carried by moths at the burned sites was five times lower. 

There were also fewer species of moths at these sites and lower moth numbers in burned areas compared to areas that were not impacted by the fire. 

“By comparing sites within the burned area to unburned sites nearby, we found that after the fire, flowers were more abundant and represented more species, which was mainly due to increases of flowers in winter and spring,” said Macgregor. “By contrast, we found that moths were much less abundant and less species rich after the fire, across all seasons. 

Moths could be a much more important pollinator than previously realized, and without both day-time and night-time pollinators, an area may not be able to recover as efficiently after a major event like a fire.

This study, published in the journal Functional Ecology, puts a spotlight on moths and emphasizes their important role in the ecosystem. 

“Given the increasing frequency of devastating wildfires we are witnessing in places such as Portugal, the United States and even British moorlands, this is a cause for concern as ecosystems may be becoming less resilient and unable to return to a functioning state,” said Dr. Darren Evans, a co-supervisor of the study. 

--

By <a href="http://mailto:kayvandett@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Paula Banza

Wildfires negatively impact nighttime moth pollination

Pollinators like bees and butterflies often get the spotlight in...

Lawmakers consider legislation to reaffirm long standing bird protections. As I’ve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-policy-changed-2018/">previously reported</a>, there have been a number of changes in environmental policy under the Trump administration, including the re-interpretation of the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html">Migratory Bird Treaty Act</a> (MBTA). The act was originally signed as a treaty with Britain (acting on behalf of Canada) in 1916 and then signed into law in the US in 1918. The law was designed to protect migratory bird species in North America, or at least in the United States and Canada. 

The law protected birds, their eggs and nests from harm, whether intentional or unintentional, levying fines against those who violate it. Since the treaty with Canada and resulting resulting law were signed, the treaty has been signed between the US and Mexico, Japan and the former Soviet Union. Because many birds migrate over incredibly long distances as regular parts of their natural history, the international nature of MBTA is important. Lawmakers consider legislation to reaffirm long standing bird protections 

A good example of how the MBTA works is the infamous case of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater Horizon was the largest marine oil spill to date. The disaster started with an oil rig explosion, and resulted in 11 workers killed and 17 injured. It’s hard to say exactly how much oil spilled during Deepwater Horizon, but US government officials estimated it to peak at greater than 60,000 barrels of oil per day. The leak that started in April was slowed by July, but government commissioned scientists estimated that 4,900,000 barrels of oil had already leaked by that point and only 800,000 barrels had been recaptured. 

Tar washed up on beaches throughout the gulf. Fishermen lost valuable money, fish lost their lives. <a href="https://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/audubon_mbta_industry_2018.pdf">Audubon</a> reports that more than 1 million birds were killed as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Though it’s cold consolation for birds and those who care about them, BP was forced to pay for those bird deaths.

The <a href="https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=FC61EB52-BF8A-45AA-C04D802711C4EF55">US Fish &amp; Wildlife Service</a> reported in 2015 that BP pled guilty to 14 criminal counts connected with the historic oil spill. One of those criminal counts was a misdemeanor violation of the Migratory Birds Treaty Act. As part of the settlement, BP paid $100 million to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund. 

Not only was the money intended to benefit some of the birds harmed by the oil spill, it also acted as a deterrent. BP clearly didn’t intend to spill so much oil and it was unprofitable for them to do so, but laws such as MBTA are intended to make negligent of uncaring behavior from companies or individuals even less attractive when birds are harmed. These sorts of laws regulate everything from oil to wind farms when birds are killed or negatively impacted. Recently, the law has been reinterpreted under the Trump administration.

The new interpretation holds that the law only applies when birds are intentionally killed. Under the new interpretation of the law, BP would have paid nothing for the deaths of birds from Deepwater Horizon. <a href="https://www.revealnews.org/article/killing-migratory-birds-even-unintentionally-has-been-a-crime-for-decades-not-anymore/">Reveal News</a> reports that Canada still interprets the law as applying to incidental takes of birds, that is their unintended death or harm. In fact, the new Trump administration interpretation of the law is far out of step with the long standing interpretation under both Democratic and Republican presidents. In effect, the interpretation simply stops enforcement of the law, a law that historically helped many birds recover from devastation caused by industry such as the hat feather trade. 

According to <a href="https://www.revealnews.org/article/killing-migratory-birds-even-unintentionally-has-been-a-crime-for-decades-not-anymore/">Reveal News</a>, internal emails show that many federal <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">US Fish &amp; Wildlife</a> law enforcement officers have stopped enforcing the law because of the new interpretation, leading to un-prosecuted bird deaths. This was before the Department of the Interior even officially made a new rule based on the Trump interpretation of the law. 

Because of the importance of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the odd interpretation of it by the Trump administration, the US House of Representatives has taken a step towards taking matters into their own hands. 

<a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/congress-takes-first-step-toward-restoring-bird-protections-eliminated-trump">Audubon</a> reports that last month, the US Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife began the discussion of drafting a bill that would reaffirm the long standing protections for birds from incidental take. During the hearing, Audubon’s Vice President for Bird Conservation, Stanley Senner, <a href="https://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/mbta_senner_testimony_2019_06_13.pdf">testified</a> on the importance of MBTA. Senner has worked on restoration work from both Alaska’s Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Deepwater Horizon blowout.

Senner gave the subcommittee a summary of the history of bird conservation in America, starting early on in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and how Audubon was connected with that history. He noted that state and even national laws aren’t always enough to protect bird species that travel thousands of miles in a year. Senner pointed out that the MBTA is credited with saving species from extinction, including the Wood Duck, Snowy Egret and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-bird-migrations/">Sandhill Cranes</a>. 

Through the history of MBTA, the law helped force regulation on open oil pits in California that were killing 150,000 birds each year. Waste water pits in Wyoming were also regulated by the potential to levy fines under MBTA. Senner noted that power lines, although still a major cause of death, are built to minimize bird death because of the incentive provided by the MBTA. Senner’s testimony and that of others may help reinstate protections for birds.

The draft bill would reaffirm bird protections from industry, including unintended, ‘incidental take’, <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/audubon-testifies-us-house-hearing-migratory-bird-treaty-act">Audubon</a> reports. The law would also require an adoption of best practices intended to allow industry to comply with the law. 

This step in the House is important but it raises the question of what will happen if the bill passes both the House and the Senate, which seems unlikely, and reaches the president to be signed into law? Unfortunately, for the time being, such actions by well intentioned lawmakers may be nothing more than tilting at windmills and oil derricks. Instead, it’s up to us, the people to make changes in the world we live in.                   

--

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/Sergey Uryadnikov

Lawmakers consider legislation to reaffirm long standing bird protections

Lawmakers consider legislation to reaffirm long standing bird protections. As...

A new study from an international team of researchers is the first global assessment of how current trends in farming practices may be affecting pollinators and the crops that depend on them. The research suggests that a lack of crop diversity is sabotaging <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pollinators-existed-long-before-flowers/">pollinators</a> and subsequently impacting agricultural productivity.

An international team of researchers has identified countries, particularly in regions of Asia and South America, where an increasing dependence on pollination and a lack of crop diversity could ultimately threaten food security and economic stability. 

Based on data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization recorded between 1961 and 2016, the researchers found that the total area of crops which requires pollination expanded by 137 percent. In the same time frame, crop diversity increased by only 20.5 percent. 

According to the researchers, this imbalance is an issue because agriculture dominated by just one or two types of crops only provides nutrition for pollinators during a limited time when the crops are blooming. When there is a variety of crops that bloom at different times, however, pollinators have a more stable source of food and habitat.

"This work should sound an alarm for policymakers who need to think about how they are going to protect and foster pollinator populations that can support the growing need for the services they provide to crops that require pollination," said study co-author Professor David Inouye from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>.

During the study period, the large-scale farming of soybean, canola, and palm oil crops made the largest contribution to the agricultural expansion and also to the increase in pollinator dependence. The researchers explained that the spread of these crops is concerning because they represent a rapid expansion of industrial farming, which is known for pesticide use and other practices that threaten both pollinators and the environment.

"Farmers are growing more crops that require pollination, such as fruits, nuts and oil seeds, because there's an increasing demand for them and they have a higher market value," said Professor Inouye. "This study points out that these current trends are not great for pollinators, and countries that diversify their agricultural crops are going to benefit more than those that expand with only a limited subset of crops."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124202184/climate-change-biology">Climate Change Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Martin Husemann

Farming trends threatening pollinators and the crops that depend on them

A new study from an international team of researchers is...

For most of us, the greatest benefit marine <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/noise-ships-changes-mussels/">mussels</a> can provide is their usefulness in a dish combined with white wine, garlic, and butter sauce. Other than their culinary utility, mussels are mainly just a nuisance for the sailors whose boats they colonize.

But a recent review published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/home">Matter</a> details how the same adhesive properties that allow mussels to aggressively attach themselves to boats also have widespread engineering applications.

Scientists from China and the United States combined in this research on the use of an amino acid group called dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) in various industries. DOPA is part of the surprisingly strong byssus threads mussels use to attach themselves to rocks and ships.

Researchers around the world have found that DOPA can adhere to many types of solid substrates through molecular interactions. Previous research suggesting that dopamine, a molecule with similar structure to DOPA, can form a universal coating on a range of substrates resulted in the boom of mussel-inspired chemistry in material surface engineering and environmental science.

“Mussels are broadly regarded as a nuisance in marine industries because they will colonize submerged surfaces,” says Hao-Cheng Yang a researcher at the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Sun Yat-sen University in China. “But from another point of view, the robust attachment of mussels on substrates under water has inspired a biomimetic strategy to realize strong adhesion between materials in water.”

Already getting ahead of mussel technology, a group of researchers in China have developed a universal red blood cell, which can be transfused into individuals of every blood type. This is done by using mussel-inspired coatings to shield the cell from detection by the body’s immune system, thereby preventing the cell from being destroyed.

Another research project has developed superior materials for separating oil and water, which may one day help reduce environmental damage to marine environments after oil spills. Additionally, mussel-inspired tech has been used in water purification, creating materials for removing heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens from wastewater – as DOPA easily binds to these contaminants.

While all of these advancements are exciting, there is still a lot to learn about these mussel-inspired chemicals. 

“Despite simplicity and effectiveness, there are still some inherent limitations,” explains Yang. “Alkaline conditions are usually needed to realize the polymerization of dopamine, so it cannot be applied to materials that are unstable under alkaline conditions. Moreover, the deposition of [polydopamine] is a time-consuming process – it takes tens of hours to form a uniform coating on most material surfaces.”

Moving forward, researchers are hoping to overcome these challenges by finding low-cost, stable, and safe substitutes to polydopamine.

--

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/Nigel Wallace

Mussels are helping to create technology that could clean up after oil spills

For most of us, the greatest benefit marine mussels can...

President Xi Jinping committed to making <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/china-generated-banned-cfc-emissions/">China</a> a world leader in tackling the climate crisis as he pledged to build an "ecological civilization." The country aims to strike a balance between protecting the environment while building the economy. 

In a review published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, researchers have analyzed the effectiveness of the Chinese government's efforts to reform the management of protected areas. Study senior author Zhiyun Ouyang is a professor at the <a href="http://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>.

"First of all, China is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world," said Professor Ouyang. China is home to extremely diverse ecosystems, including permanent ice fields, tropical forests, and desserts, which contain 15 percent of all the vertebrates and 12 percent of all the plants on the entire planet. 

"Second, China has the fastest growing economy. The rapid development of resources, land utilization, and urbanization can have impacts on wildlife habitat," said Professor Ouyang. "We need to establish a nature protected area system as soon as possible to protect biodiversity and important habitats."

Since the country's very first nature reserve was established in 1956, the number has grown to over 12,000. However, even though protected areas account for 20 percent of China's land surface, conservation efforts have not been very effective. 

According to the researchers, the main problem was fragmented management, where multiple agencies with different goals were managing the same site. The administration overlooked some of the areas that needed urgent protection while overprotecting others. 

"To address the problem, China's government implemented some institutional reforms," said Professor Ouyang. "Protected areas used to be managed by seven different departments. Now, they are all managed by one department, the National Park Administration. We have the opportunity to establish a cohesive system for protected area management. These reforms will help with aligning goals, reducing conflicts, and eliminating administrative redundancy."

The research team suggests that China should re-categorize its protected areas so they can be classified under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  

"The challenge is how do we manage those areas to keep them natural, keep them lovely, keep them biodiverse, and at the same time encourage tourism, which brings in development to the local communities," said study co-author Stuart Pimm of Duke University. "It is naïve and an ill-informed idea that national parks aren't valuable. Tourism is the world's largest industry."

"It becomes important that the outside world knows China not just for the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors, but as a country that has some of the world's most impressive national parks. China is a fantastically exciting place for visitors."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology and Evolution</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/Thongchai.s

National parks may help China balance economy and environment

President Xi Jinping committed to making China a world leader...

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"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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

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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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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