Antarctica’s surrounding ocean has lost sea ice equal to the size of Greenland since 2015. That’s not just a startling statistic - it marks one of the fastest environmental shifts happening anywhere on Earth today.



For decades, the belief was simple: melting ice made the ocean surface fresher, which helped new ice form. But recent findings show the ocean is behaving differently - and that shift could have far-reaching consequences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-puzzling-change-in-ocean-salinity">A puzzling change in ocean salinity</h2>



A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>, working with collaborators in Spain, analyzed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-induced-changes-in-ocean-salinity-threaten-biodiversity-and-marine-ecosystems/">ocean salinity</a> data using instruments aboard the European Space Agency’s SMOS satellite. 



The analysis revealed a clear shift: surface waters south of 50° S latitude are becoming saltier. This shift marks a break from a long-standing trend. 



Since the 1980s, surface waters in the Southern Ocean had been cooling and freshening - conditions that helped sea ice expand. That trend has now reversed.



“The discovery was unexpected because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarcticas-melting-ice-shelves-threaten-global-sea-levels/">melting ice</a> should freshen the ocean, not make it saltier,” said Dr. Alessandro Silvano, lead author of the study published this week. “Yet SMOS satellite data reveal the opposite is occurring, and this is deeply troubling.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saltier-waters-less-ice">Saltier waters, less ice</h2>



When the ocean’s surface is fresh and cold, it floats on top of warmer, saltier water deep below. This layering keeps the heat trapped underneath, allowing ice to grow and stay intact.



“But now the saltier surface waters are enabling heat from deeper down to rise more readily,” Dr. Silvano explained. “This upward flow of warmer water melts sea ice from beneath, making it significantly harder for ice to reform.”



The consequences are already visible. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-antarctic-sea-ice-loss-is-causing-severe-storms-around-the-world/">Antarctic sea ice</a> has dropped sharply. Even more concerning, a large patch of open water - the Maud Rise polynya - has reappeared in the Weddell Sea. It hadn’t been seen since the 1970s.



“The return of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-hole-polynya-the-size-of-switzerland-appeared-in-the-antarctica-sea-ice/">Maud Rise polynya</a> highlights just how abnormal the current situation is,” said Dr. Silvano. “If this trend of higher salinity and reduced ice persists, it could lead to lasting changes in the Southern Ocean, with consequences for the rest of the world.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-the-ocean-from-space">Monitoring the ocean from space</h2>



Studying the Southern Ocean isn’t easy. It’s isolated, violent, and dark for much of the year. That’s why satellite technology is so essential.



To overcome the challenges, scientists at the University of Southampton and the Barcelona Expert Centre built new algorithms to measure changes in surface salinity more accurately from space. The effort was part of ESA’s Earth Observation FutureEO program.



“This is yet another example of how crucial sea-surface salinity measurements from space are,” said Roberto Sabia, ESA Earth Observation Ocean Scientist. 



“This novel regional product has been devised to overcome the conventional limitations of salinity retrieval at high latitudes, an area where seawater density is largely controlled by salinity.”



By combining satellite data with instruments in the ocean, the team built a 15-year dataset tracking changes in salinity, temperature, and ice cover in the Southern Ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-dangerous-feedback-loop">A dangerous feedback loop</h2>



The findings challenge previous assumptions about how the ocean and climate interact. For years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">climate models</a> predicted that warming would lead to more ice melt and freshening at the surface, which would help balance things out. That’s no longer the case.



“Our new study has revealed that the Southern Ocean is changing, but in a different way to what we expected,” said Dr. Silvano.



“We might be closer to passing a tipping point than expected and we have potentially entered a new state defined by persistent sea ice decline, sustained by a newly discovered feedback loop.”



The feedback loop works like this: warmer, saltier surface water melts ice from below. Less ice means more exposed ocean. That exposed water absorbs more heat, driving even more melting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-global-ripple-effect">The global ripple effect</h2>



The loss of Antarctic sea ice isn’t just a local problem. It’s linked to more heat escaping from the ocean into the air. That fuels stronger storms and speeds up global warming. The result is more extreme weather, more melting of the Antarctic ice sheet, and faster sea level rise.



There’s also a direct threat to wildlife. Penguins, seals, and other species that rely on sea ice for survival are losing their habitat.



These shifts are happening faster - and differently - than climate models predicted. Scientists are now questioning long-held assumptions about how warming should affect ocean layering and ice stability.



“These findings show that we still have gaps in our understanding of ocean and climate dynamics,” said co-author Alberto Naveira Garabato. “Continuous satellite and in-situ monitoring is essential if we want to track and predict these critical changes.”



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Antarctica’s waters are getting saltier - and it could transform Earth's climate

Antarctica’s surrounding ocean has lost sea ice equal to the size of Greenland since 2015. That’s not just a startling statistic - it marks one of the fastest environmental shifts happening anywhere on Earth today. For decades, the belief was simple: melting ice made the ocean surface fresher, which helped new ice form. But recent findings show the ocean is behaving differently - and that shift could have far-reaching consequences. A puzzling change in ocean salinity A team of researchers from the University of Southampton, working with...

New study reveals true evolution of Earth’s plate tectonics. A new study from researchers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">John Hopkins University</a> has revealed that Earth’s plate tectonics have evolved over the last 2.5 billion years. 

This conclusion refutes previous contradictory findings that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/natural-lubrication-plate-tectonics/">plate tectonics</a> have always been a part of Earth’s history, or that they appeared only about 0.7 billion years ago.

This new discovery, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, will inevitably shift scientists’ understanding of how Earth has changed within its 4.56-billion-year history.New study reveals true evolution of Earth’s plate tectonics

"One of the key ways to understand how Earth has evolved to become the planet that we know is plate tectonics," said first author Robert Holder, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins.

Plate tectonics are responsible for the shifting of continents across the Earth’s surface. They create volcanoes and earthquakes, predict erosion and ocean circulation cycles, and ultimately allow life on Earth to evolve.

Holder and his colleagues analyzed a global compilation of metamorphic rocks from 564 sites, each of which had formed over the past 3 billion years. Metamorphic rocks are formed underground, where they are transformed from regular rocks via heat deep within Earth’s crust into their new metamorphic form.

By measuring the depth and temperatures at which metamorphic rocks form, scientists can predict temperature at different levels in Earth’s crust. And because tectonic plates influence heat flow, these rocks act as a history book for Earth’s past with tectonic plates. This is how the team concluded that plate tectonics evolved gradually over the last 2.5 billion years.

"The framework for much of our understanding of the world and its geological processes relies on plate tectonics," Holder said. "Knowing when plate tectonics began and how it changed impacts that framework."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Mopic

New study reveals true evolution of Earth’s plate tectonics

New study reveals true evolution of Earth’s plate tectonics. A...

As global temperatures continue to rise, many parts of the world are experiencing unprecedented climate extremes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/europe-early-summer-heatwave/">record-breaking heatwaves</a>, droughts, and wildfires. 

Given the current state of our climate, it’s easy to assume that climate change will lead to hotter and drier summers worldwide. 

However, a new study has found the exact opposite to be true for northern Europe. 

An international team of researchers examined the relationship between summer temperatures and precipitation in Europe throughout the past 12 centuries to understand the links between drought and rising temperatures and better project future climate scenarios. 

The research shows that while southern Europe can expect drier summers, northern Europe will likely get wetter in the future. 

For the study, the researchers analyzed weather data and temperature measurement records going back to the 18th century. Tree ring data as far back as the ninth century helped the researchers reconstruct past drought events. 

Past temperature and drought reconstructions were then compared to climate models that are used to project future climate extremes. 

The researchers found that current models are inaccurate in their projections and do not factor in past weather records. 

Europe is projected to get drier and hotter, but in the past, northern Europe experienced higher levels of precipitation when temperatures rose. 

“Crucially, our study shows that the very strong link between warm and dry periods being simulated in the climate models could be too simple,” said Dr. Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist, the leader of the research. “It’s not a picture backed up by the weather records and tree-ring data. The climate model simulations seem to underestimate how large part of Europe actually experiences wetter summers when the climate is warmer.”

Not only does the study show that parts of Europe will likely get wetter as climate change continues, but that current climate models may overestimate drought predictions and underestimate future precipitation estimates. 

“Our study implies a possible exaggeration in the climate models of temperature-driven drought risk in parts of northern Europe under global warming,” said Dr. Ljungqvist. “But this also means that the models may well underestimate future excessive precipitation, with associated flood risks, in northern Europe.” 

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2c7e">Environmental Research Letters.</a> 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/NotarYES

Climate change may bring northern Europe warmer, even wetter summers

As global temperatures continue to rise, many parts of the...

World population needs to move toward plant-based diets to fight climate change. With a predicted 9.8 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050, the world will need to increase food production by 56% compared to 2010. This increase in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-population-10-9-billion/">population</a> and need for food also exacerbates the already existing problem of climate change. 

Now, a new report from the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a> (UN) warns that global populations need to move towards healthy, plant-based diets in order to effectively combat climate change in the coming years.

Currently, our food system is responsible for 25-30% of greenhouse gases. With the predicted population increase, the “Creating a Sustainable Food Future” report suggests that over 2 million square miles of forests – an area twice the size of India –would need to be converted to agriculture to keep up with demand. This would have us going in the opposite direction that we need to go if we’re looking to keep global warming capped at 1.5°C. World population needs to move toward plant-based diets to fight climate change

In multiple other reports, the UN has proposed that massive areas need to be converted to biofuel crops or CO2-absorbing trees if we’re to meet our strict climate change goals. To halt global warming at 1.5°C, it would apparently take converting almost 3 million square miles to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). 

However, the report also warns that doing so could compromise sustainable development and increase risks of food security, desertification, and land degradation. 

The Earth’s surface temperature has already risen 1°C above pre-industrial levels, and a report from the IPCC last year stated that globally we need to be carbon neutral within three decades to have even a 50/50 shot of stopping global warming at 1.5°C. 

Despite this dire warning, in 2018 there was a record 41.5 billion tons of planet-warming CO2 added to the atmosphere, up 2% from the previous record that was set the year before.

One of the most common suggestions to help abate climate change is to plant massive amounts of trees. But many scientists argue against this one-off approach. 

“Heroic reforestation can help, but it is time to stop suggesting there is a ‘nature-based solution’ to ongoing fossil fuel use,” says Myles Allen, a professor of geosystem science at the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a>. “There isn’t.”

So what are the steps we need to take to avoid a climate disaster? According to Andre Laperrière, Executive Director of <a href="https://www.godan.info/">Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition</a>, there are many. 

“Our industrialized farming practices are in fact the largest contribution to soil erosion and pollution, and perhaps the biggest hurdle we face is to try and teach about half a billion farmers globally to re-work their agricultural model to be carbon sensitive,” he explains. 

“Other steps we can take would involve changing our collective diets to be environmentally ethical (avoiding mass produced, resource intensive and land pollutant foods such as avocados, palm oil and red meat), protect natural habitats and prevent largescale natural destruction (like in the Amazon rainforest), improve crop varieties and engage in agri-forestry (instead of cutting down forests to farm.”

With all that said, the new UN report does not paint a pretty picture of our imminent future. We currently have a very small window of time to hit a very lofty goal of halting global warming. It will likely take a concentrated effort from populations around the world to ultimately save our planet and our future.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</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/Magdanatka

World population needs to move toward plant-based diets

World population needs to move toward plant-based diets to fight...

Forest fires are becoming too intense for birds that normally depend on them. Fires are a necessary part of the forest ecosystem that help clean up the landscape and increase the level of nutrients and organic matter in the soil. For some species of animals, such as the Black-backed Woodpecker, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/forest-fires-beetles-woodpeckers/">forest fires</a> also create ideal habitats. 

But now, a new study has found that mega-fires across the western United States may be threatening these fire-loving woodpeckers. The researchers found that as the fires become bigger and more intense, the birds are struggling to find the edges of burned patches where they prefer to settle.

Collaborating with experts from <a href="https://www.birdpop.org/">The Institute for Bird Populations</a> and the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/">U.S. Forest Service</a>, PhD candidate 

Andrew Stillman investigated the nest site selection and nesting success of Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned forests of northern California. For eight years, the researchers monitored more than 100 nests while measuring nest site characteristics. Forest fires are becoming too intense for birds that normally depend on them

The birds were found to strongly prefer nesting in severely burned stands that had lots of dead trees. The birds placed their nests near the edges of these burned patches, typically within 500 meters of a patch with live trees.

"We didn't expect to find these woodpeckers nesting so close to edges," said Stillman. This is because previous research has shown that woodpecker nests closer to living forest patches are at a much higher risk of being raided by squirrels and other predators. 

A separate study found that the baby birds quickly move to living patches with good cover after leaving the nest, suggesting that the adults are providing their offspring with easy access to the live forest. 

Stillman explained that "pyrodiversity," which is the diversity found in the age, size, and severity of burned patches, appears to be important for the woodpecker because it provides more edges between different burn severities. As a result of climate change, however, fires are growing larger with reduced pyrodiversity.

"The thing about pyrodiversity is that we expect it to decrease," said study co-author Dr. Morgan Tingley. "Every year we see more 'mega-fires,' and these fires are quite homogenous in their structure, leading to low pyrodiversity. So even though the future is expected to hold more fire in western forests, the outlook may not even be good for fire-loving species."

"We hope that these results provide some of the missing information necessary to balance post-fire logging activities with the habitat needs of woodpeckers," said Stillman.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.americanornithology.org/content/condor-ornithological-applications">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</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: Jean Hall

Forest fires are becoming too intense for birds

Forest fires are becoming too intense for birds that normally...

Ocean warming ‘surprises’ are becoming more common. A new study from the <a href="https://www.gmri.org/">Gulf of Maine Research Institute</a> shows that unusually high ocean temperature spikes are becoming more common across the globe. Warming events like <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-common-intense/">marine heatwaves</a> are disrupting ocean ecosystems and those who depend on them for their livelihood.

The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS), analyzed the temperatures and surprise warming events of 65 large marine ecosystems throughout 1854 through 2018. The frequency of these surprise temperatures were defined as an annual mean temperature that is two standard deviations above the mean of the previous three decades.

The team saw these surprises occur in regions including the Arctic, North Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and off the coast of Australia. These warming events also occurred at nearly double the rate the scientists expected.

[caption id="attachment_1876113" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/regions.png"><img class="wp-image-1876113" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/regions.png" alt="" width="650" height="306" /></a> Image Credit: Gulf of Maine Research Institute[/caption]

"Across the 65 ecosystems we examined, we expected about six or seven of them would experience these 'surprises' each year," said study leader Dr. Andrew Pershing, Chief Scientific Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. "Instead, we've seen an average of 12 ecosystems experiencing these warming events each year over the past seven years, including a high of 23 'surprises' in 2016."

These surprises have altered the ecosystems in many marine environments. New warm-water species are replacing cold-water species in natural communities, and because of the rapid rate of the warming, many species cannot keep up and therefore biomass and diversity is suffering.

Using an economic model, the research team compared two different community decision making strategies — forward-looking decisions based on climate trends versus the results of decisions made only on historical experiences. The consensus was that forward-looking decisions are much better during the increase of warming temperatures. In fact, this decision framework should be put to work right now.

"We are entering a world where history is an unreliable guide for decision making," said Dr. Pershing. "In a rapidly changing world, betting that trends will continue is a much better strategy."

--

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: Shutterstock/Oskari Porkka

Ocean warming ‘surprises’ are becoming more common

Ocean warming ‘surprises’ are becoming more common. A new study...

Human-driven climate change is reshaping the globe as we know it. Amid rising sea-levels and shifting weather patterns, many species are being forced to adapt to new stressors as their preferred habitats are becoming uninhabitable. 

Research has shown that animals are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beetles-shrinking-climate-change/">shrinking in response to climate change</a>, but how human activities and rising temperatures are impacting invertebrates has been poorly understood. 

In a new study, a team of researchers from several academic institutions in Spain examined morphological changes in social wasps in connection to climate change over the past 100 years.

The researchers measured the body mass, head width, and wing size of over 200 Dolichovespula sylvestris wasps that were housed in museum collections. 

Some of the specimens dated back to 1904, and the researchers were able to measure changes in size over time. 

The team compared the changes in body size to the increases in annual temperatures. 

The researchers found that body mass, wing area, and head width all decreased through the years, and the wasp got smaller and smaller in response to changes in temperature. 

Wing size decreased faster compared to body size, and if this trend continues, it could impair the wasps’ ability to fly.  

The study, published in the journal Ecological Entomology, is the first to find a potential link between climate change and morphological changes in social insects like wasps. 

“Body size shrinking is likely to have some adverse effects on recent (and future) insects,” Carlo Polidori, the first author of the study, told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2212024-wasps-are-shrinking-in-size-and-it-may-be-because-of-climate-change/?utm_medium=NLC&amp;utm_source=NSNS&amp;utm_campaign=2019-0802-GLOBAL-NSDAY&amp;utm_content=NSDAY">New Scientist</a>. “For example, smaller wasps may be able to hunt only smaller prey species compared with past wasps.”

There may be other factors at work that could explain the changes in body size, but the study shows that wasps are shrinking along with many other species in response to new environmental stressors. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Ruth Swan

Climate change may be causing insects to get smaller

Human-driven climate change is reshaping the globe as we know...

According to a study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> (UQ), the conflict over natural resources has become very dangerous for protectors on the front lines of the dispute. The researchers found that environmental defenders are being killed at an alarming rate, with 1,558 deaths recorded between 2002 and 2017.

Study lead author Dr. Nathalie Butt is a researcher in the UQ School of Biological Sciences.

"The number of reported deaths of environmental defenders has increased, as well as the number of countries where they occur," said Dr. Butt. "Environmental defenders help protect land, forests, water and other natural resources."

"They can be anyone - community activists, lawyers, journalists, members of social movements, NGO staff and Indigenous people - anyone who resists violence. And importantly, Indigenous peoples are dying in higher numbers than any other group."

The fatal violence is the result of an external demand for, and the subsequent conflict over, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bp-oil-spill-damage/">natural resources</a> that the victims are protecting such as water, timber, land, or minerals. One-third of the deaths between 2014 and 2017 were linked to the mining and agribusiness sectors.

[caption id="attachment_1876080" align="aligncenter" width="600"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/defenders.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1876080 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/defenders.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="340" /></a> Burial for victims who were killed when police arrived at the Santa Lucia farm in the municipality of Pau D'Arco. Image Credit: Lunae Parracho[/caption]

"Although conflict over natural resources is the underlying cause of the violence, spatial analyses showed corruption was the key correlate for the killings," said Dr. Butt. "Globally, 43 percent of all murders result in a conviction, while for environmental defenders this figure is only 10 percent."

"In many instances, weak rule of law means that cases in many countries are not properly investigated, and sometimes it's the police or the authorities themselves that are responsible for the violence. For example, in Pau D'Arco, Brazil, ten land defenders were killed by the police in May 2017."

Dr. Butt is calling for more transparency and accountability from companies and governments, as well as an improved level of awareness among consumers.

"The ecology of the planet is fundamental to the production of food and resources - that we all depend upon - and we are ultimately bound to support it, otherwise it will not support us. Part of this support is to protect the people who protect it."

"As consumers in wealthy countries - who are effectively outsourcing our resource consumption - we share responsibility for what's happening. Businesses, investors and national governments at both ends of the chain of violence need to be more accountable."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth">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>

Main Image Credit: The University of Queensland

Environmental defenders are risking their lives to protect natural resources

According to a study from the University of Queensland (UQ),...

Seaweed plays a bigger role in storing carbon than previously realized. A new study from the <a href="https://www.kaust.edu.sa/">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a> (KAUST) suggests that the role of seaweed in climate change mitigation has been underestimated. The researchers found that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/seaweed-infestation-beaches/">seaweed</a> can travel far beyond coastal areas to help capture and store carbon from the atmosphere. 

Also known as macroalgae, seaweed is responsible for developing some of the largest and most productive coastal habitats. Seaweed can be found all over the globe and is known for its efficiency in capturing atmospheric CO2 and converting it into plant material. 

An international research team has discovered that diverse macroalgae species drift as far as 5,000 kilometers beyond coastal areas. Approximately 70 percent of this seaweed will sink to the depths of the ocean below 1,000 meters, taking the carbon that it has captured along with it. 

"This finding has huge implications for how the global carbon dioxide budget is calculated," said study first author and PhD student Alejandra Ortega. "It indicates that macroalgae are important for carbon sequestration and should be included in assessments of carbon accumulated in the ocean, known as blue carbon."

In current assessments of blue carbon, seaweed has been largely overlooked because it has no roots and moves around the ocean. Prior to the current study, very little was known about the fate of macroalgae once it has floated away from the coast. 

For this reason, the role of seaweed in carbon sequestration, particularly in the sediments of seagrass and mangrove, has been mostly unaccounted for. 

However, the KAUST team has now identified DNA sequences of macroalgae in hundreds of metagenomes generated by global ocean expeditions. Collectively, these missions surveyed the ocean to a depth of 4,000 meters and sequenced the particulate material collected in the water to create a worldwide DNA resource. 

Using Dragon Metagenomic Analysis Platform (DMAP), the experts searched for macroalgae in the massive dataset. The study produced the very first quantitative evidence of macroalgae presence beyond the shoreline. Seaweed plays a bigger role in storing carbon than previously realized

"Work is still needed to be able to translate a specific amount of DNA into a specific amount of organic carbon in a specific taxon, but finding macroalgal DNA is the first step," explained Ortega.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</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: © 2019 KAUST

Seaweed plays a bigger role in storing carbon than previously realized

Seaweed plays a bigger role in storing carbon than previously...

Plant fossils reveal temperatures in North America during the Cretaceous Period. A team of paleontologists led by <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> uncovered fossil plants in eastern Canada that have produced the first quantifiable evidence of the region's climate during the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-millipede-species-cretaceous-period/">Cretaceous period</a>. 

Combined with specimens collected in previous expeditions, the newly discovered fossilized remains are giving experts unprecedented insight into a time when dinosaurs still dominated the planet.

The McGill team discovered the ancient plant samples last August in a remote area of Labrador. Some of the remains represent species that have never been found in this region before. Plant fossils reveal temperatures in North America during the Cretaceous Period

In the late 1950s, paleontologists theorized that the Cretaceous climate of Quebec and Labrador was far warmer than it is today based on fossilized leaves and insects. The current study has now confirmed this theory based on the <a href="http://clamp.ibcas.ac.cn/CLAMP_seminar.pdf">Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program</a> (CLAMP), which is used to predict a variety of climate statistics for a given fossil flora. CLAMP measures variables such as temperature and precipitation based on the shape and size of tree leaves. 

Under the supervision of Professor Hans Larsson, graduate student and study first author Alexandre Demers-Potvin analyzed the plant fossils and determined that eastern Canada had a warm, temperate, and humid climate during the middle of the Cretaceous period.

The experts found that the average annual temperature in this part of Canada was 59 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average summer temperature of over 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 

According to Demers-Potvin, the new work provides insight into how the climate of eastern Canada evolved over time, which will be useful information for studying climate change today. 

"The fossils from the Redmond mine show that an area that is now covered by boreal forest and tundra used to be covered in warm temperate forests in the middle of the Cretaceous, one of our planet's 'hothouse' episodes," said Demers-Potvin. "These are new pieces of evidence that can help improve projections of the global average temperature against global CO2 levels throughout the Earth's history."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14754983">Palaeontology</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: Alexandre Demers-Potvin

Plant fossils reveal temperatures in North America

Plant fossils reveal temperatures in North America during the Cretaceous...

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

July may have been the world's hottest month ever

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

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

Special pavement could help combat the urban heat island effect

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

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

New method helps to predict earthquake activity from wastewater disposal

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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