A Styrofoam (polystyrene plastic) take‑out food box can outlive its owner and their children. It weathers rain, sunlight, and curbside crushes yet still hangs around, splintering into smaller shards instead of disappearing.



An Australian research team now reports a way to erase 90% of that throw‑away <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-plastic-food-packaging-contains-9936-harmful-chemicals/">plastic</a> in just thirty minutes, using nothing more exotic than air, purple light, and a pinch of table-grade chemicals.



<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XqtHx8oAAAAJ&amp;hl=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Maxime Michelas</a> of the University of New South Wales School of Chemical Engineering (<a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/engineering/our-schools/chemical-engineering">UNSW</a>), working with colleagues in the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/science/our-schools/chemistry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Chemistry</a> and <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CSIRO</a>, describes the method in a recent study. 



Their approach slices stubborn polymers into bite‑size molecules that industry already uses to make solvents, coatings, and flavors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polystyrene-plastic-linger-for-centuries">Polystyrene plastic linger for centuries</h2>



Humanity produces more than four hundred million tons of plastic per year, and the figure keeps climbing even where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-scientists-are-using-air-to-recycle-plastic/">recycling</a> programs thrive. Most items are designed for single use, yet their bonds resist microbial attack and sunshine alike.



Polystyrene poses a special headache. The foamed version is restricted in several U.S. states, yet analysts expect global demand to reach sixty‑two million tons within a decade. 



Its light weight means flakes travel far on the wind, then fracture into microplastics that slip through standard filters and into drinking water.



Medical <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11117644/">journals</a> now link those particles to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in animal and cell models. Surgeons have even found plastic fragments embedded in arterial plaque removed from heart patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-sunlight-into-a-scalpel">Turning sunlight into a scalpel</h2>



Michelas’ team turns the low‑cost salt iron trichloride into an aggressive photocatalyst. 



When a 405‑nanometer LED excites the salt, it spawns chlorine radicals that yank hydrogen atoms off the polymer backbone. 



The orphaned carbon grabs oxygen from the air, the chain snaps, and the plastic’s mass plunges.



The setup looks almost rudimentary. A glass flask sits on a stir plate, air or pure oxygen bubbles through a dichloromethane solution of shredded plastic and five mole percent catalyst, and a small LED panel shines from the side.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dissolving-plastic-by-90">Dissolving plastic by 90%</h2>



Under those conditions the authors report a 90% mass loss for seven commodity polymers in half an hour.



Extending exposure to three hours pushes conversion to 97%, a milestone that once demanded day‑long lamp times.



For the fastest substrates, including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8435462/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poly(ethylene oxide)</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/polymethyl-methacrylate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poly(methyl acrylate)</a>, most bond‑breaking happens in the first ten minutes. 



Even polyvinyl chloride, notorious for its tight packing and limited solubility, gave up seventy‑eight percent in the half‑hour window.



“I think it’s very important to degrade the polymer and turn it into another feedstock we can use for other things, or just to reduce the amount of microplastics in the world,” noted Dr. Michelas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-trash-to-toolkit-chemicals">From trash to toolkit chemicals</h2>



Breaking chains is only half the story. Gas‑chromatography traces reveal a soup rich in small aldehydes and carboxylic acids that can feed into paint, adhesive, or fragrance manufacture with little additional purification.



Because the catalyst is iron and the reaction runs near room temperature, the energy bill looks minimal compared with pyrolysis or incineration. 



The group demonstrated a fifty‑gram‑per‑liter run that held over eighty‑five percent efficiency, then regained speed simply by bubbling in fresh oxygen when the gas was spent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-energy-math">Checking the energy math</h2>



A 2023 <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3041" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study</a> of a decentralized pyrolysis unit showed that processing 360 tons of mixed plastic per year demanded about 560 MWh of electricity, or roughly 1,550 kWh for every ton treated. 



That figure dwarfs the LED‑lit UNSW setup, which relies mainly on ambient heat and the modest power draw of a few lamps.



While the pyrolysis plant did recover energy by burning the oil it made, the upfront input highlights why lower‑temperature chemistry matters. 



Slashing kilowatt‑hours per ton means smaller carbon footprints and lower operating bills, especially in regions where electricity still comes from coal.



For context, running a fifteen‑watt LED strip for half an hour consumes about 0.015 kWh, orders of magnitude below even the leanest pyrolysis benchmarks. 



Multiply that by thousands of lamps in parallel, and the energy tab still lands far south of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128228104000221" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thermochemical routes</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-savings-for-cities-and-companies">Savings for cities and companies</h2>



Foamed polystyrene can occupy up to thirty percent of landfill volume by space, prompting bans in California, Maine, and Maryland that steer eateries toward plant‑based or recyclable packaging. 



Yet many municipalities still receive tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-ai-designed-material-is-light-as-foam-tough-as-steel/">foam</a>, paying transport costs on material that weighs almost nothing but swallows cubic yards.



A low‑temperature, bench‑scale unit could let waste haulers liquefy that foam onsite, drain the product into drums, and sell it to chemical distributors. Haulers would cut diesel miles, and cities would shrink the footprint of their transfer stations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-polystyrene-plastic-better-health">Less polystyrene plastic, better health</h2>



Environmental <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10151227/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">researchers</a> estimate the average person ingests about five grams of dispersed plastic per week, roughly the weight of a credit card. 



By tackling items most prone to shedding, like takeaway containers, the UNSW chemistry could noticeably dent that intake.



Though the catalyst cannot vacuum particles already loose in rivers, less fragmentation upstream means fewer specks small enough to cross gut or lung barriers. 



Lower exposure could reduce inflammatory burdens now documented in lab studies, easing a growing public‑health worry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-earth-from-polystyrene-plastics">Saving Earth from polystyrene plastics</h2>



No exotic materials are required, so startups could prototype light‑reactor tubes that rely on midday sun instead of LEDs in sunny regions. 



Developers might even graft the concept onto existing plastic‑sorting lines, dropping shredded waste into solvent loops rather than balers.



Regulators drafting extended‑producer‑responsibility rules can nudge investment by counting photochemical conversion toward plastic‑recovery targets. 



Clarity on permitting would address solvent handling and air emissions, two hurdles that often stall new recycling infrastructure.



Further lab work will probe whether iron salts push <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-catalyst-precatalyst-improves-clean-hydrogen-production-to-99-9-efficiency/">hydrogen</a>‑atom transfer in cross‑linked elastomers or complex multilayer films. Each additional success widens the path to a circular economy that values the carbon already in circulation.



Funding agencies often favor technologies that link waste reduction to high‑value outputs, and solvent‑phase depolymerization fits that brief. 



Venture groups in Australia and Singapore have already begun scouting pilot‑scale demonstrations, according to the authors.



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/marc.202400358" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Macromolecular Rapid Communications</a>.



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New chemical process breaks down 90% of plastic in just 30 minutes

A Styrofoam (polystyrene plastic) take‑out food box can outlive its owner and their children. It weathers rain, sunlight, and curbside crushes yet still hangs around, splintering into smaller shards instead of disappearing. An Australian research team now reports a way to erase 90% of that throw‑away plastic in just thirty minutes, using nothing more exotic than air, purple light, and a pinch of table-grade chemicals. Dr. Maxime Michelas of the University of New South Wales School of Chemical Engineering (UNSW), working with colleagues in the School of...

Destructive free radicals may actually play a helpful role in marine ecosystems. In the human body, reactive oxygen species are unstable molecules containing oxygen that react aggressively with other molecules in a cell. The accumulation of these destructive free radicals can cause serious and even fatal damage to cells.

Reactive oxygen species also exist in marine ecosystems, where they are thought to degrade the cells of organisms such as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hydrothermal-vents-phytoplankton-blooms/">phytoplankton</a>. However, researchers at <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> have now discovered that these molecules may actually play a beneficial role in the ocean.

The study has revealed that a reactive oxygen species produced by the marine diatom Thalassiosira oceanica is helpful in protecting its cells from overproducing a compound that powers photosynthesis. 

The findings could have implications for marine organisms and their chemical environment. The type of reactive oxygen species examined for the study is known as superoxide, which is a charged oxygen atom. 

Scientists believe superoxide may be responsible for the fish fatalities associated with toxic algae blooms, which highlights the need for a better understanding of how and why it is produced in certain circumstances. 

The contrasting positive and negative effects of superoxide could be a critical factor in how marine ecosystems respond to climate change. According to study lead author Julia Diaz, it is possible that superoxide production could help to mitigate excessive stress on the ocean. 

A compound produced by T. oceanica called NADPH is the power source that allows the diatoms to convert carbon into carbohydrates. In the presence of very bright light, however, T. oceanica can produce too much NADPH.

The team analyzed superoxide production in diatoms at various light levels and concluded that it protects cells at times when too much NADPH is produced. The reactive oxygen species acts like a surge protector that keeps energy flowing at safe levels. 

"Our findings point to a new role for reactive oxygen species in the photosynthetic health of this diatom. The next challenge is to determine whether this process also exists in other phytoplankton species," said Diaz.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Julia Diaz

Destructive free radicals may actually play a helpful role in marine ecosystems

Destructive free radicals may actually play a helpful role in...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-apartment-hypertension/">Air pollution</a> has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, lowered life expectancy, and overall reduced health and wellbeing.Life expectancy can be impacted by exposure to fine particulate matter

But in a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> and <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/">Carnegie Mellon University</a> have discovered that mortality and life expectancy are affected by exposure to fine particulate matter called PM2.5. 

PM2.5 can be emitted from cars and power plants and are so small they can be easily breathed in. Accumulations of these particulates in the lungs can increase the risk of many heart and lung diseases. 

In this study, the researchers analyzed PM2.5 concentrations in the United States from 1999 to 2015. All counties in the US except Hawaii and Alaska were included in the study. 

Data from 750 air quality monitoring stations in the US, along with satellite images, were reviewed for the study. 

The highest PM2.5 levels during the years analyzed were recorded at 22 micrograms per cubic meter of air in Fresno County, California, in 1999. 

Even though PM2.5 concentrations have decreased since 1999, the researchers discovered that levels below current standards increase the risk of disease. 

Currently, the yearly standard for PM2.6 concentrations is 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air, and in 2015, the highest concentrations were 13.2 micrograms in Tulare County, California.

The researchers combined the PM2.5 data with mortality data from the<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm"> National Center for Health Statistics</a>. 

Between 1999 and 2015, there were 41.9 million deaths in the US, and 18.4 million were attributed to cardiovascular disease. 

A statistical model was used to predict the increased risk of death per one microgram per cubic meter of air of PM2.5 

The researchers estimate that PM2.5 levels between 2.8 and 13.2 micrograms in counties across the country can be linked to 15,612 deaths in females and 14,757 deaths in men from 1999 to 2015. 

What the model projections show is that PM2.5 levels, even at low concentrations, decrease life expectancy in the US and increase mortality rates. 

“We’ve known for some time that these particles can be deadly,” said Majid Ezzati, the lead author of the study. “This study suggests even at seemingly low concentrations - mostly below current limits - they still cause tens of thousands of deaths. Lowering the PM2.5 standard below the current level is likely to improve the health of the US nation, and reduce health inequality.”

The researchers published their findings in the journal PLOS Medicine. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/LanaElcova

Life expectancy can be impacted by exposure to fine particulate matter

Air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of...

Bill Wehrum, the former head of the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency’s</a> air policy division, resigned last month due to potential federal ethics violations. 

Now, Wehrum is facing his third inquiry into ethics violations given his prior experience as a lobbyist and lawyer for oil, gas, and coal companies and some of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses. 

The resignation is just another shakeup in the EPA after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/epa-climate-change-not-priority/">Andrew Wheeler</a>, a former coal lobbyist, was chosen to head the agency following the departure of Scott Pruitt. 

Wehrum served as a top EPA official from November 2017 till June of 2019. 

There have been several instances where Wehrum allegedly violated President Trump’s ethics pledge. Under that pledge, new political appointees are supposed to limit their interactions with former employers and clients, according to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/epas-watchdog-is-scrutinizing-ethics-practices-of-agencys-former-air-policy-chief/2019/07/22/469c22be-a8a8-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html?utm_term=.5db69b3378f6">Washington Post</a>. 

If a political appointee does meet with a former client, those meetings must be open to all other interested parties. 

Wehrum reportedly met with two former clients in 2017 but didn’t consult with ethics officials. In another instance, Wehrum is said to have helped his former firm with a decision involving the company DTE Energy. 

Wehrum’s former law firm is also under investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate environment panel.

“This is yet another example where the Trump administration has done just the opposite of ‘draining the swamp,’ by empowering polluting industries and installing those industries’ lobbyists and lawyers at the highest levels of our federal government,” Senator Thomas R. Carper, a Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, told the Washington Post. 

Of particular interest are four industry groups, the Utility Air Regulatory Group, Air Permitting Forum, NAAQS Implementation Coalition, and CCS Alliance, all of which are represented by Whreum’s former law firm and which have pushed for recent EPA regulatory rollbacks. 

Wehrum has stated that he had not represented the Utility Air Regulatory Group or any individual members who were part of it. 

--

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/bakd

Former EPA official faces third inquiry into possible federal ethics violation

Bill Wehrum, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s...

The right to peacefully protest is a cherished American liberty, but it’s also one that often runs afoul of law enforcement agencies. Conflicting interests of protecting the liberties of protestors and upholding order and civility aren’t always handled the same by the government or law enforcement. In fact, it sometimes feels like the government is playing favorites, allowing groups with certain agendas to go further than those with different agendas. 

Protestors like those at Standing Rock faced enormous pressure. Law enforcement used tear gas grenades, water cannons, tasers, pepper spray, bean bag rounds and more on Standing Rock protestors. More than 300 people were injured in conflicts with law enforcement during the protests. According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-investigation-human-rights-abuses">The Guardian</a>, the UN even investigated human rights abuses against the protestors.

Standing Rock was exceptionally violent, but the crackdown on protestors there isn’t an isolated case. As I <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-protesting/">previously reported</a> partially in response to Standing Rock but also to forestall future environmental protests, states are ramping up laws against protesters. In February 2018, the <a href="https://www.nlg.org/conservative-led-anti-protest-legislation-already-doubled-since-last-year/">National Lawyers Guild</a> said that conservative led anti-protest bills introduced had already doubled compared to the entire previous year.  The bills jumped from 25 proposed in 19 states to 58 bills in 31 states. Nine bills were introduced in the first two months of 2018 alone. Not only is this crack down on non-violent protests disturbing, it’s especially so compared to what recent right wing activists have been allowed in a few recent cases. 

The armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is a perfect example. Not only was this a case of federal property being occupied by force, it was sparked as a protest of the loss of grazing rights by ranchers accused of arson and other crimes. One man was killed by law enforcement during the standoff but largely, those involved in the armed occupation got off easy. The leaders were acquitted of charges. The ranchers who were initially charged with five years for arson and inspired the armed takeover were <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arsonist-ranchers-pardoned-and-given-more-land-access/">granted clemency</a> by President Trump. This stands in stark contrast with pipeline protestors that have been monitored by law enforcement as potential terrorists despite carrying out nothing more than unarmed protests. 

Recently, another example of anti-environmental activists being allowed to run amok was seen in Oregon. Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.hcn.org/issues/51.12/climate-change-rural-anxieties-derailed-oregons-climate-plans">High Country News</a> reported that Oregon was set to join California and others by joining the international emissions cap and trade market. The bill came shortly after Washington state passed its own package of climate bills. Reducing emissions seems like a standard these days but <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/6/5/18650155/climate-change-oregon-carbon-cap-trade-california">Vox</a> reports that Oregon’s bill was different. Several states and cities have already moved to reduce emissions from electricity production but Oregon was set to be the second state to mandate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across all industry. The goal of “The Clean Energy Jobs Bill” HB 2020A was to reduce emissions 45% below 1990 levels by 2035 and 80% by 2050. 

The bill would have allowed Oregon, a much smaller state, to join California and parts of Canada in a carbon trading market. The idea was risky, as it would mean that Oregon was betting its fate partially on the California model and market forces beyond the small state’s control. If Oregon’s gamble panned out though, it would prove the viability of California’s model not just for a populous state with a large economy but also with a much smaller state like California. The bill could have set an example for other states wishing to reduce carbon emissions and even ushered in a new era of state environmental policy, but alas it was not to be.

The bill seemed likely to pass and become law, but Oregon Democrats didn’t see what was coming. Loggers, truckers and others in traditional blue collar jobs in Oregon protested the bill vigorously. Then, as <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-rogue-republicans-killed-oregons-climate-change-bill">The New Yorker</a> reports, eleven Oregon state senators left the state to go into hiding to avoid voting on the bill. This effectively denied the Senate the twenty people necessary to vote on the bill. When Democrats called on the state police to collect the rogue senators, right wing militia groups offered their services to protect the Republican senators “at any cost”. 

Protestors were largely cast as being representatives of the logging, farming and trucking communities, posing as David to the Goliath of ‘big government’. Despite the posturing, several logging companies supported the bill, according to <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/07/12/trump-invited-oregon-loggers-who-protested-carbon-cap-bill-to-white-house/">Willamette Week</a>. 

<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-rogue-republicans-killed-oregons-climate-change-bill">The New Yorker</a> reports that the bill also had support from all nine of Oregon’s recognized Native American tribes, the state’s electrical utilities as well Nike and Uber. The bill was also supported by the oldest farm union in Oregon, due to the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. Indeed, the bill had widespread support and was expected to pass until underhanded political tactics undermined it.  

What happened in Oregon amounts to undermining basic democratic process because of the walk out by state Republicans. Support by armed militia groups against a state police force emphasizes the undemocratic nature of the standoff. Some of those opposed to a climate change bill were willing to use violence and yet they weren’t arrested or detained by force. The protestors were also allowed their place. Actually, in stark contrast to protestors at Standing Rock or Black Lives Matter advocates, some of the Oregon protestors were invited to the White House.

<a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/07/activists-opposed-to-oregons-climate-policy-invited-to-white-house.html">OregonLive</a> reported that Timber Unity, an organization of loggers, that protested against the state climate bill had two members invited to the White House for a July 8 speech on “environmental leadership”. Marie Bowers, a farmer, and Todd Stoffel, a logger and trucker, both from Timber Unity were invited. Both are Trump supporters but seemed surprised by the invite. It is surprising but aligns with how the Trump administration that seems to be pushing a trend of cracking down on protestors they oppose on the one hand but offering support to the protestors who share their views. 

--

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/arindambanerjee

DC invite for Oregon activists highlights unequal treatment of protestors

The right to peacefully protest is a cherished American liberty,...

Panama is the first Central American country to ban single-use plastic bags. Latin America is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, and now one Latin American nation has taken a big step in order to protect that biodiversity. 

Panama has become the first country in Central America to ban single-use plastic bags, joining over 60 other countries that have either totally or partially banned single-use <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/us-plastic-bag-restrictions/">plastic bags</a>.

This ban is an effort to reduce pollution on Panama’s beaches and protect the birds and marine wildlife that often get tangled in or ingest plastic bags. Signs can now be seen on the streets of Panama City that say, “less bags, more life,” and supermarkets, pharmacies, and other retailers will need to stop using traditional polyethylene bags immediately. Wholesale stores have until 2020 to conform to this new policy. Fines collected for non-compliance will be used to fund recycling and teaching programs.

According to the <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/new-plastics-economy">New Plastics Economy report</a> published by Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2016, oceans are expected by 2050 to contain more plastics than fish by weight. The same report also predicts that the entire plastics industry will consume 20 percent of total oil production by 2050.

In the United States, a few individual states have banned single-use plastic bags – including New York, California, Hawaii, and Maine. But if we’re to mitigate the massive environmental impact that plastic is currently having on our planet, it will take more than just a few states and nations to pass these laws.

--

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/Rich Carey

Panama is the first Central American country to ban single-use plastic bags

Panama is the first Central American country to ban single-use...

New fungal disease likely appeared as a result of global warming. Research published by the <a href="https://www.asm.org/">American Society for Microbiology</a> has revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fossil-fuel-burning-infrastructure/">global warming</a> is likely to blame for Candida auris, an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat. The study may have pinpointed the first example of a new fungal disease arising as a result of climate change.  

"The argument that we are making based on comparison to other close relative fungi is that as the climate has gotten warmer, some of these organisms, including Candida auris, have adapted to the higher temperature, and as they adapt, they break through human's protective temperatures," said Dr. Arturo Casadevall of the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health</a>. "Global warming may lead to new fungal diseases that we don't even know about right now."

According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), the fungus poses a threat for three main reasons: it is often multidrug-resistant, it is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it has already caused outbreaks in healthcare settings. Furthermore, C. auris has emerged in three distinct strains on different continents simultaneously. 

"What is unusual about Candida auris is that it appeared in three different continents at the same time, and the isolates from India, South Africa, and South America are not related. Something happened to allow this organism to bubble up and cause disease. We began to look into the possibility that it could be climate change," said Dr. Casadevall. "The reasons that fungal infections are so rare in humans is that most of the fungi in the environment cannot grow at the temperatures or our body."

The researchers compared the heat sensitivity of C. auris to its close phylogenetic relatives. The study showed that C. auris is capable of growing at higher temperatures than the other species, and the majority of its relatives were not tolerant of mammalian temperatures. 

"What this study suggests is this is the beginning of fungi adapting to higher temperatures, and we are going to have more and more problems as the century goes on," said Dr. Casadevall. "Global warming will lead to selection of fungal lineages that are more thermally tolerant, such that they can breach the mammalian thermal restriction zone."

Dr. Casadevall explained that if better surveillance systems were in place, the rise of C. auris would have been detected earlier. 

"We need to make investments in better surveillance of fungal diseases. We are pretty good at surveilling influenza and diseases that cause diarrhea or are contagious, but fungal diseases are not usually contagious and therefore nobody has really bothered to document them well. If more fungi were to cross over, you really wouldn't know until somebody started reporting them in the literature."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://mbio.asm.org/">mBio</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/Ungnoi Lookjeab

New fungal disease likely appeared as a result of global warming

New fungal disease likely appeared as a result of global...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> suggest that a new approach must be taken to understand the environmental risks within the current <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/age-of-man-scientists-officially-recognize-the-anthropocene-era/">Anthropocene</a> geological age, in which humans are the dominant force of environmental change. 

"The Anthropocene is a time of rapid global change — socially, environmentally, and geophysically," said lead author Patrick Keys, a research scientist in the <a href="https://sustainability.colostate.edu/">School of Global Environmental Sustainability at CSU</a>. "Typical notions of neatly and cleanly delineating complex environmental risks are changing in unexpected ways. It's becoming clear that a more holistic perspective, including social history, power relations, and environmental ethics may be important components of Anthropocene risks."

Keys provided the Syrian civil war, believed to be driven by drought and climate change, as an example, stating that although these two causes are more than likely at play, incentives by Syrian government officials that kept farmers on agriculturally precarious land for decades hugely contributed to the climate impact the war revolves around today. 

"If we ignore the social and political economic factors that deliver us to this present, we will attribute an event to being caused by the environment when, in fact, that was just one cause or the icing on top of the cake,” Keys said. “If we look at things only in the present, we will come up with solutions to a problem defined in the present, but we may not be defining the problem correctly."

This new study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</a>.

"As the Anthropocene unfolds, navigating new and emerging risks will require considering changes that happen over years, decades, centuries, or even millennia." Keys said. "In this increasingly interconnected and accelerating world, it's on us to really educate ourselves about how to interact intelligently and meaningfully to work toward a more sustainable world."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Image Credit: Shutterstock/Nicole S Glass

Scientists warn a new approach must be taken to deal with Anthropocene risk

Researchers from Colorado State University suggest that a new approach...

Climate change models depend on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. However, a new study found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-earth-is-warming-faster-than-predicted-due-to-climate-sensitivity/">climate sensitivity</a> cannot be overlooked when predicting future warming trends. 

Climate sensitivity refers to how much warming will occur in relation to CO2 emissions. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> found that when climates are more sensitive to greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures are not as likely to be impacted over a decade. 

In other words, climates that are more sensitive to greenhouse gas concentrations are less likely to experience drastic decadal warming. 

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, emphasizes the importance of factoring in the variability of warming trends into climate models. 

The study also helps shed light on why there have been such inconsistent periods of warming and cooling throughout history. 

Sophisticated climate models were combined with data from past simulations. This allowed the researchers to examine how climate variability plays into temperature changes over timescales of several years to several decades. 

There were bigger variations in temperatures when climates were more sensitive to CO2 emissions. 

“We were surprised to see that even when we took into account that sensitive climate models warm more over the last decades of the 20th century, these sensitive models were still more likely to have short periods of cooling,” said Femke Nijsse, the lead author of the study.

A highly sensitive climate model predicts that temperatures could increase to 4.5 degrees Celsius if carbon emissions are doubled.

A low sensitivity model predicts that temperatures will warm to 1.5 degrees celsius if carbon emissions are increased. 

In highly sensitive models (4.5 degrees Celsius), the researchers found that decades of cooler temperatures were twice as likely at the turn of the century. 

“This does not mean that the presence of a global warming slowdown at the beginning of the 21st century implies we live in a highly sensitive world,” said Dr. Mark Williamson, a co-author of the study. “By looking at all decades together, we get a better picture and find observations are broadly consistent with a central estimate of climate sensitivity.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

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Image Credit: Shutterstock/Victor Lauer

Climate sensitivity plays an important role in predicting future warming

Climate change models depend on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. However,...

Widespread heatwave reached even the northernmost settlement in the Arctic. Much of the United States has dealt with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather/as-u-s-heat-wave-breaks-records-cooling-centers-offer-relief-idUSKCN1UG0PG">record-breaking heat</a> and humidity over the past week and weekend. New York City and Madison, Wisconsin were just some of the cities to face power outages during the peak of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-heat-waves-kill-thousands/">heatwave</a>, with many residents struggling to stay cool. 

While the United States was bracing for temperatures in the high 90s, a heatwave hit the Arctic on Tuesday of last week, shocking climate scientists. Widespread heatwave reached even the northernmost settlement in the Arctic

For the first time, temperatures reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the world’s northernmost settlement of Alert, Canada. 

Alert is located less than 500 miles from the North Pole in Nunavut, Canada and only 62 permanent residents call the remote settlement home. 

In the winter, it’s not uncommon to see temperatures dip below negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the summer, temperatures climb to a balmy 40 degrees. 

However, on Tuesday temperatures soared well above their typical July averages. David Philips, the chief climatologist for Environment Canada, compared the event to temperatures reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit in New York. 

“It’s not just half a degree or a 10th of a millimeter. It’s like hitting a ball out of the ballpark. It is so different than what the previous record was,” Philips told <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/heat-wave-alert-nunavut-1.5212801">CBC</a>.  

Temperatures are getting hotter in the Arctic. Heatwaves and a rash of wildfires are spreading across regions in Alaska and Siberia. In Anchorage, Alaska, temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit on July 4th of this year. 

What’s happening in the Arctic is further proof of the tightening grip of climate change, and a warning that as temperatures rise, these unusual weather events are quickly becoming the norm rather than the exception. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Widespread heatwave reached even the northernmost settlement in the Arctic

Widespread heatwave reached even the northernmost settlement in the Arctic....

A pair of marine scientists surveying herring populations in the ocean southwest of Ireland spotted a rare sight: a hammerhead shark.

The distinctive predators aren’t usually seen so far north, and none have been sighted in that location before, researchers said.

“While scanning the ocean surface, we sighted a dorsal fin unlike anything we had encountered before. It was quite different to the fins seen on basking sharks and blue sharks,” said John Power, one of the marine scientists who spotted the hammerhead shark. “After consulting available ID keys, we agreed that the shark must be a smooth hammerhead.”

Hammerhead sharks can grow to 20 feet in length, and are recognizable due to their flattened head with long protrusions for their eyes. The shark species is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-eating-endangered-sharks/">endangered</a>, but also <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sharks-adapted-changing-world/">known for its adaptability</a>.

The researchers, from the <a href="https://www.marine.ie/Home/home">Marine Institute</a> in Galway, were participating in the annual <a href="https://oar.marine.ie/handle/10793/1326">Western European Shelf Pelagic Acoustic Survey</a>, which stretches from France to Scotland and west of Ireland. The survey use acoustic and biological data to study the populations of herring, boarfish, horse mackeral, and some marine mammals and seabirds. 

"Our Irish waters support a range of marine life and diverse ecosystems, including 35 known species of sharks,” Dr. Paul Connolly, director of fisheries and ecosystems services at the Marine Institute, said in a news update on the organization’s website. “This is an exciting encounter, especially since a rare deep-water shark nursery, 200 miles west of Ireland, was discovered by Irish scientists last year using the Marine Institute's Remotely Operated Vehicle.”

But the hammerhead shark sighting represents a changing ecosystem, Connolly said. 

"This sighting of a new shark species, shows the importance of our fishery surveys to monitor our marine environment, and to observe changes in our oceans and marine ecosystems. Observing and understanding a changing ocean, is essential for protecting and managing our marine ecosystems for the future," Connolly said.

The shark species prefers warmer waters, and usually spend most of the year in the Caribbean and off the coast of West Africa. They summer in cooler waters, but not generally as far north as Ireland’s southern coast.

Dr. Simon Boxall of the <a href="https://www.noc.ac.uk/">Southampton Oceanography Institute</a> told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">Daily Mail</a> that he had never heard of a hammerhead shark in Irish waters before. However, the rising temperatures of the ocean near Ireland – which have increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius over the past 20 years – are likely to bring other new species to the area, he said.

“It could be a very lost hammerhead shark but more likely it is because our oceans are getting warmer,” Boxall told the Mail. “There is no reason why more shark species like hammerheads and Great Whites can't exist in our waters. I am sure these species are more common than people realise, it's just that they haven't been seen.”

Local residents don’t need to fear the hammerhead shark, he added. 

“They are not particularly interested in humans and attacks on humans are rare,” he said.

No fatalities due to hammerhead shark attacks have been recorded, the Daily Mail reported.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Hammerhead shark spotted near Irish coast for first time

A pair of marine scientists surveying herring populations in the...

An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered around the world every year. They don’t biodegrade, they’re full of chemicals, and they’re killing a massive number of plants, according to a new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a>.

“We found they had a detrimental effect on the germination success and shoot length of both grass and clover, and reduced the root weight of clover by over half,” said lead author Dr. Dannielle Green. "Ryegrass and white clover, the two species we tested, are important forage crops for livestock as well as being commonly found in urban green spaces. These plants support a wealth of biodiversity, even in city parks, and white clover is ecologically important for pollinators and nitrogen fixation.” 

Cigarette butts, made of bioplastics, aren’t biodegradable. That means when they’re tossed on the ground, they sit there until they’re cleaned up or eventually covered with soil.

But the presence of cigarette butts in the soil can reduce successful germination – “birth” from seed to plant – of white clover by 27%, and the length of the plant’s stem by 28%, which negatively affects survival. For ryegrass, the germination success was cut by 10% and shoot length by 13%.

The effects were the same whether the cigarette butt was from a smoked cigarette or an unused one, researchers said. That indicates the problem isn’t the chemicals in tobacco, but the butt itself. The filters are made out of bioplastics.

"Although further work is needed, we believe it is the chemical composition of the filter that is causing the damage to plants,” co-author Dr. Bas Boots said in a press release. “Most are made from cellulose acetate fibres, and added chemicals which make the plastic more flexible, called plasticisers, may also be leaching out and adversely affecting the early stages of plant development."

Cigarette butts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-trash-gulf-mexico/">clog the Gulf of Mexico</a> and was one of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emaciated-bear-plastic-container/">most-collected trash items</a> during an <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/">Ocean Conservancy</a> clean-up in 2017. Discarded, still-lit butts have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-complicated-nature/">sparked major wildfires</a>.

"In some parks, particularly surrounding benches and bins, we found over 100 cigarette butts per square meter,” Green said. “Dropping cigarette butts seems to be a socially acceptable form of littering, and we need to raise awareness that the filters do not disappear and instead can cause serious damage to the environment."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109418">Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Trillions of cigarette butts are littered each year and it's killing plants

An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered around the...

According to <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/07/killer-heat-environmental-research-communications-article.pdf">a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists</a>, an average of 36 days per year could feel like 100°F or hotter come the middle of the century. And toward the end of the 21st century, that number of days per year could jump to 54.

“We basically are looking at increases in the kinds of conditions we’re seeing this week across the country,” said lead climate analyst for the UCS Erika Spanger-Siegfried, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/18/climate-crisis-extremely-hot-days-could-double-us-study">per The Guardian</a>. 

Currently, regions across the U.S. are experiencing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/record-heat-increasingly-common/">heat waves</a>, and heat warnings and advisories have been issued in about half of the fifty states. According to the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a>, heat indexes (how the temperature and air moisture feel) in some areas are expected to hit 110°F.

This new report “shows a hotter future that’s hard to imagine today,” according to co-author Kristina Dahl, also per The Guardian. “Nearly everywhere, people will experience more days of dangerous heat even in the next few decades.” 

That is, if current climate politics stay the same. The only way to prove this study wrong is for worldwide governments agree to cut back on production of heat-trapping pollution pumped out from power plants, cars, and other human-driven activities. 

Since industrialization, average global temperatures have jumped 1.8°F, and the scientists predict that in the 21st century alone, if these policies are not changed, we could see an average temperature increase of 6°F by the end of the century. 

The researchers suggest that parts of the Southern U.S. states like in Texas and Florida could experience temperatures of 100°F or hotter for five months out of the year. And more than one-third of the U.S. population could experience “off-the-charts” days that have a heat index of 127°F or higher. Currently, the Sonoran Desert is the only part of the country that experiences “off-the-chart” hot days.

To prepare for the worst, the scientists recommend cities create more green space, paint roofs white, and work cooling systems and architecture into new buildings.

“Heat risk is on the rise,” lead author Julie Arrighi said. “The positive message is that we can prevent the deaths that are associated with [heat waves] with relatively simple, low-cost actions. We just need to take those actions and to be ready for that hotter future.”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Image Credit: Shutterstock/Juergen Faelchle

The number of extremely hot days in the U.S. may double

According to a new study from the Union of Concerned...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://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



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.

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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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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