A new phenomenon dubbed "ice piracy" is unfolding in the frigid wilderness of West Antarctica, where one glacier appears to be stealing ice from its neighbor. 



This unusual behavior - once believed to take hundreds or even thousands of years - has now been recorded happening in under two decades.



Scientists from the University of Leeds, working with international collaborators, have used high-resolution satellite data to reveal that a fast-moving glacier is redirecting ice flow away from its slower neighbor.



This surprising event is changing how scientists understand the dynamics of glaciers - and how such shifts may contribute to future sea-level rise. Their findings, now published in The Cryosphere, provide rare insight into these rapid changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fast-paced-shift-in-the-ice">Fast-paced shift in the ice</h2>



Between 2005 and 2022, researchers observed that seven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-streams-move-unpredictably-due-to-hidden-quakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice streams</a> in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler (PSK) region of West Antarctica sped up significantly. 



One glacier nearly doubled its speed - an 87% increase - at the point where it meets the ocean. 



Three other glaciers accelerated by 60% to 84%. By 2022, six of these streams were moving at more than 700 meters (0.4 miles) per year. That’s the equivalent of covering just over seven football fields in just one year.



This kind of acceleration, especially so close to the grounding line - the point where a glacier starts to float - is a warning sign. 



Grounding lines help track the stability of ice sheets. Changes in their position or speed suggest the system is out of balance and can influence how ice flows inland.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slowing-glaciers-leads-to-ice-piracy">Slowing glaciers leads to ice piracy</h2>



But not every glacier followed the same pattern. The Kohler West glacier actually slowed down by 10% during the same time period. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Glacier-velocity-change_2005-2022_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Glacier-velocity-change_2005-2022_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The image depicts the average change in velocity of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2005 to 2022. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969732"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The image depicts the average change in velocity of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2005 to 2022. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



This stood in stark contrast to nearby glaciers like Kohler East and Smith West, which sped up dramatically - by about 560 meters per year.



The slowdown puzzled scientists, until they looked at the ice flow patterns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kohler-west-and-kohler-east">Kohler West and Kohler East</h2>



“We think that the observed slowdown on Kohler West Glacier is due to the redirection of ice flow towards its neighbor - Kohler East," explained lead author Dr. Heather L. Selley from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Leeds</a>.



"This is due to the large change in Kohler West’s surface slope, likely caused by the vastly different thinning rates on its neighboring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-glaciers-flow-faster-during-the-summer-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">glaciers</a>.” 



She added that because Kohler East’s ice stream is flowing and thinning faster as it travels, it absorbs, or ‘steals’ ice from Kohler West. 



"This is effectively an act of ‘ice piracy’, where ice flow is redirected from one glacier to another, and the accelerating glacier is essentially ‘thieving’ ice from its slowing neighbor,” explained Selley.



“We didn’t know ice streams could ‘steal’ ice from each over such a short period, so this is a fascinating discovery. It’s unprecedented as we're seeing this from satellite data and it’s happening at a rate of under 18 years, whereas we’ve always thought it was this extremely long, slow process,” she added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watching-ice-piracy-from-space">Watching ice piracy from space</h2>



To track this shift, the research team used satellite images and a technique that follows the movement of surface features like crevasses and rifts. 



They also incorporated data on ice thinning from the European Space Agency’s <a href="https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/CryoSat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CryoSat mission</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_speed-direction_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_2015-2022_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_speed-direction_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_2015-2022_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The image depicts the average speed and direction of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2015 to 2022. The arrows show change in direction of flow. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969725"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The image depicts the average speed and direction of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2015 to 2022. The arrows show change in direction of flow. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



Data was sourced from satellites operated by ESA, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.



“This study provides an interesting demonstration of ice piracy, where flow into one glacier gradually switches to flow into another glacier, as the ocean melts the grounding zone and re-configures ice flow,” said Pierre Dutrieux, climate researcher at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Antarctic Survey</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



The research team looked into several factors that influence ice flow, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean temperatures</a>, circulation changes, air temperature, and snowfall. 



They discovered that ice redirection is affecting the amount of ice reaching the floating ice shelves fed by these glaciers.



Two major ice shelves - the Crosson and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-ice-shapes-never-seen-by-humans-dotson-ice-shelf-ran-submersible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dotson</a> - are already among the fastest-changing outlets in West Antarctica. 



Crosson spans roughly 40 miles (60 kilometers), and Dotson stretches about 30 miles (48 kilometers). Both are thinning and retreating at their grounding lines.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_map_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_map_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves are situated in West Antarctica. These huge ice shelves are fed by numerous glaciers flowing towards the Amundsen Sea. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969723"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves are situated in West Antarctica. These huge ice shelves are fed by numerous glaciers flowing towards the Amundsen Sea. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



“The changes in flow direction have substantially altered the ice mass flux into Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves, likely playing an important role in maintaining Dotson and accelerating the deterioration of Crosson," explained Professor Anna Hogg, co-author and Professor of Earth Observation at the University of Leeds.



“This suggests that ice flow redirection is an important new process in contemporary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-sheet-fracture-sets-a-speed-record-in-antarctica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice sheet dynamics</a>, which is required to understand present-day structural change in glaciers and the future evolution of these systems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-piracy-rising-seas-global-impacts">Ice piracy, rising seas, global impacts</h2>



The stakes are high. Sea levels are already rising due to climate change, and over 410 million people could be affected by coastal flooding by the year 2100. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-sea-levels-spiked-dramatically-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global sea levels</a> have increased by more than 10 centimeters over the past decade.



“This new study highlights the unique ability of satellites to provide both the temporal and spatial coverage required to assess change in the polar regions,” remarked Dr. Martin Wearing, ESA Digital Twin Earth Scientist and Polar Science Cluster Coordinator.



Using data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ESA's Earth Explorer CryoSat, the team has revealed the complex evolution of ice flow in part of West Antarctica over the past few decades. 



Understanding these changing dynamics and what drives them is crucial for improved projections of future ice-sheet change and contributions to sea-level rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-it-all-mean">What does it all mean?</h2>



To sum it all up, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-sheet-past-present-and-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic ice sheet</a> - once thought to be sluggish and stable over millennia - is changing much faster than we realized, and in unexpected ways. 



This discovery of "ice piracy" shows that glaciers can dynamically interact, competing for ice and rerouting flow like rivers shifting course, which completely reshapes how we model future sea-level rise.



If one glacier can weaken another by stealing its ice, entire ice systems may destabilize quicker than predicted, feeding more ice into the ocean and raising sea levels. 



In plain terms: Antarctica isn’t just melting - it’s reorganizing itself in ways that could have big consequences for coastal cities around the world.



-----



The study brought together experts from the University of Leeds, the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Antarctic Survey</a>, and the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (<a href="https://cpom.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CPOM</a>), which is led from <a href="https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northumbria University</a>. 



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/1725/2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Cryosphere</a>.



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Ice piracy: Antarctic glacier discovered "stealing" ice from a neighbor, and that's not good for sea level rise

A new phenomenon dubbed "ice piracy" is unfolding in the frigid wilderness of West Antarctica, where one glacier appears to be stealing ice from its neighbor. This unusual behavior - once believed to take hundreds or even thousands of years - has now been recorded happening in under two decades. Scientists from the University of Leeds, working with international collaborators, have used high-resolution satellite data to reveal that a fast-moving glacier is redirecting ice flow away from its slower neighbor. This surprising event is changing how scientists...

For millions of years, the Earth has shifted between glacial and interglacial periods. However, something shifted during the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) between 1.25 million years and 700,000 years ago that has continued to puzzle researchers today. 

During this transition, the Earth’s natural glacial cycles, which were thought to line up with our planet’s elliptical orbit around the Sun, grew longer and colder.

Before the MPT glacial periods lasted around 41,000 years, but after, the transition glacial periods were nearly 100,00 years long. 

Researchers have been unable to pinpoint the driving factors that led to these long glacial cycles, and changes in the Earth’s orbit did not cause the longer ice ages. 

There are also few paleorecords that span the entirety of the MPT and so working with reliable data is challenging. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.unibe.ch/index_eng.html">University of Bern</a> along with colleagues from several British, European, and American Institutions were able to construct a 1.5 million year record of temperature and salinity of the Southern Ocean. 

The results of the study, published in the journal Science, suggests that changes in ocean circulation led to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drop-co2-levels-ancient/">decrease in CO2 emissions</a> which created longer ice age cycles. 

The researchers analyzed oxygen isotopes in foraminifera shells. Foraminifera are microscopic marine organisms that form calcareous shells and which are abundant in the fossil record. 

After analyzing the shells, the researchers were able to identify changes in the Southern Ocean circulation that help explain the drastic climate shifts. 

During the MPT, the Southern Ocean released less CO2 because of an increase in ocean stratification and a decrease in deep-ocean ventilation. 

With less CO2 being vented from the deep ocean and emitted into the atmosphere, the Earth stayed cool for more extended periods.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why ice age cycles on Earth got longer and colder

For millions of years, the Earth has shifted between glacial...

Carnivores play an important role in many ecosystems, and by preying on herbivores, they ensure that plants and vegetation aren’t grazed into extinction. 

A diverse and balanced food chain is key to a healthy ecosystem, but in general <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/medium-sized-carnivores-climate/">carnivores are declining</a> worldwide. 

In the <a href="http://www.gorongosa.org/">Gorongosa National Park</a> in Mozambique, important carnivores like leopards, hyenas, and African wild dogs have disappeared entirely due to the Mozambican civil war. 

While this has emboldened large herbivorous mammals to seek out new grazing areas, new research shows that unchecked herbivores with no predators degrade the ecosystem.  

Seeing a unique opportunity to study large-mammal ecosystems and the impacts of carnivore declines, researchers from <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> monitored Gorongosa National Park, recording the number of herbivores in the area, what they ate, and how vegetation recovered when protected from grazing. 

A study detailing their findings was published in the journal Science, and the results provide hope that degraded ecosystems can recover upon the reintroduction of large carnivores. 

In Gorongosa, the researchers discovered that the lack of carnivores created a “landscape of fearlessness” or where herbivores, no longer afraid of being eaten, would graze in open areas that were previously too risky. 

“We found that one of the common antelope species, bushbuck, which typically is a very shy, secretive forest-dweller, has expanded out into the open plains,” said Robert Pringle, a senior author of the study. “The plants in the plains are very nutritious, and the bushbuck that have colonized those areas are bigger and in better shape than their counterparts in the forest. And the presence of bushbuck in this new habitat has negative effects on the plants that bushbuck eat.”

The presence of herbivores in previously high-risk areas has created ripples throughout the entire food chain according to the researchers. 

Starting in 2015, the Princeton researchers surveyed the park and GPS collars were used to track movements and locations of different herbivores.

The researchers also analyzed animal scat to find out what plants what were being eaten and how nutritious each plant was. All of the data was used to help develop experiments that would illustrate the impacts of predation and lack thereof on an ecosystem with large herbivorous mammals. 

“The two most important pieces of the study were two experiments that Justine [Justine Atkins was the lead researcher of the study] performed in the field in 2016 and 2017,” said Pringle. “One was to use the sounds and scents of large carnivores to simulate risk -- the idea was to try to scare the bushbuck into thinking that predators were present and see how that affected their behavior.”

Once the bushbuck sensed that their predators had returned through the scents of carnivore urine and the sounds of leopard calls, they retreated to the cover of wooded areas. Atkins also prevented the bushbuck from eating plants in the open plains they preferred. 

Once grazing stopped there, the plants recovered and grew back rapidly which was good news to the researchers. 

Since the plants rebounded so quickly, the researchers say that reintroducing carnivores into an ecosystem would be beneficial to plant diversity and growth.

“Our work really underscores the importance of top carnivores, which are declining globally,” said Ryan Long, a co-author on the project. “Carnivores influence ecosystems in complex ways that go beyond just killing and eating other animals, but it can be really challenging to get experimental evidence of those kinds of effects in large-mammal systems.”

In 2018, a pack of African wild dogs was introduced into the park, and the project has been extremely successful in bringing balance back to the park’s food chain and ecosystem. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Carnivores play a key role in a healthy ecosystem

Carnivores play an important role in many ecosystems, and by...

This week, air pollution in South Korea has reached alarming levels, and fine dust levels have reached a new high. 

City residents are donning masks during their commutes, and social media posts of thick gray clouds covering South Korea have been likened to scenes from the dystopian cartoon movie Wall-E. 

The dust levels have reached such a dangerous point that South Korean President Moon Jae-In recently announced a joint project with China to use cloud seeding to create artificial rain over the Yellow Sea to combat the pollution.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cloud-seeding-high-hopes-snow/">Cloud seeding</a> involves “seeding” or spraying clouds with material that attracts water.

The <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/partnerships/network/centres/south_korea/index.cfm">National Institute of Environmental Research</a> recently reported that dust level concentrations were 136 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 75 micrograms more than what the organization designates as “very bad” concentrations. 

Dust levels were also four times higher than the recommended health levels by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-risk-death/#">World Health Organization</a>. 

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-risk-death/#">risks to public health</a> posed by pollution are well known, and millions of premature deaths worldwide are due to unhealthy levels of air pollution from car and factory emissions. 

The floor leader of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, Na Kyung-won, called for Moon to label air pollution a national disaster, and an emergency meeting was held with both ruling and opposition parties in South Korea to deal with the problem. 

President Moon’s spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said that the president had ordered government officials to shut down coal-burning power plants that have been in operation for 30 years and ensure that schools and public buildings were well-equipped with air purifiers to help mitigate the threats of pollution. 

Artificial rain is a big part of South Korea's plans, which is where China and the Yellow Sea come in. 

President Moon said that China had more advanced artificial rainmaking technologies, and by making it rain over the Yellow Sea which separates the two countries, both China and South Korea may benefit. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

China and South Korea will use artificial rain to curb pollution

This week, air pollution in South Korea has reached alarming...

Mass coral bleaching events can be devastating to coastal ocean ecosystems and research has shown that these events have become increasingly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mass-coral-bleaching-common/">frequent and widespread in recent years</a>. 

Climate change is a major driving factor in mass coral bleaching, and coral reef health is important when predicting how a reef will adapt to rising sea levels and temperatures.

Corals need herbivorous fish to graze on algae on the reef, and previously it was assumed that as long as fish populations remained high, coral reefs were healthy.

Now, a new study has found that diversity plays an equally important role as population numbers and biomass in keeping corals healthy and reef systems thriving.  

Researchers from the at <a href="https://www.bigelow.org/">Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences</a> recorded underwater footage of fish grazing along reefs in the Dominican Republic to assess how fish diversity impacted reef health.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

“Scientists have long known that reefs are healthier when a large number, or a ‘high biomass,’ of plant-eating fish graze their surfaces," said Doug Rasher, the senior author of the study. “However, this study revealed that having a diverse portfolio of those fish species on the reef is equally important to keeping reefs well grazed and hospitable to baby corals.”

When fish graze in coral reefs, they also double as the coral cleaning crew, scraping off seaweed and algae from the corals with their bodies.

Without fish to graze on them, seaweed and algae can overtake the reef and, in the Caribbean, this has become an increasingly common problem.

[caption id="attachment_1869250" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/parrotfish1.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869250" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/parrotfish1.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="430" /></a> A large stoplight parrotfish scrapes algae from the reef surface. Image Credit: José Alejandro Alvarez[/caption]

Each fish has their own preference when it comes the kind of algae they prefer, so it would make sense that a reef that houses a diverse number of fish species has a decreased risk of being overcome by seaweed.

The researchers wanted to see if diversity impacted reef health across a wide range of coral reefs or if it was a localized phenomenon that only benefitted certain reefs.

The team used underwater cameras to record fish activity at ten reefs spread across 1,000 kilometers of coastline in the Dominican Republic.

“Looking at reefs in isolation is like studying individual pieces of the puzzle,” said Rasher. “It is only by studying multiple reefs across an entire region that we could see the much larger role that biodiversity plays in supporting the process of grazing.”

Along with recording the fish, the researchers also measured algae abundance both before and after the fish fed on the corals and the number of baby corals.

Next, the researchers analyzed the video footage and took note of the diversity and sizes of the grazing fish.

A model was designed to process the data and compare the effectiveness of fish diversity to fish biomass on grazing.  

The model confirmed the importance of fish diversity on reef health, and the researchers say the study has important implications for managing tropical fisheries as conservation and management has typically focused on population size and not the number of species present.

“Our research helps bring coral reefs in line with what we know from many other ecosystems - from seagrass beds to forests and grasslands,” said Jon Lefcheck, the lead author of the study. “It appears more and more likely that biodiversity is the lynchpin that holds nature together.”

--

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>

Main Image Credit: José Alejandro Alvarez

Both diversity and abundance are key to coral reef health

Mass coral bleaching events can be devastating to coastal ocean...

A $3 billion project backed by the UN was launched in 2017 to map the Earth's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/co2-ocean-floor-dissolve/">sea floor</a>. According to experts leading the <a href="https://seabed2030.gebco.net/">Seabed 2030</a> campaign, only nine percent of ocean floor has been mapped in high definition to date.

“If you go to the deep water, to the deep sea, right up in the centre of the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, you actually could miss entire mountains,” team member Geoffroy Lamarche told <a href="https://abc.go.com/">ABC</a>.

Even though 71 percent of our planet's surface is covered with water, less than 18 percent of the ocean floor has been mapped. Only about half of those maps have a high resolution. The scientists behind the new initiative are calling for countries and organizations to contribute data that can be incorporated to develop a map that covers the entire sea floor.

Mao Hasebe is the project coordinator at <a href="https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en/">The Nippon Foundation</a>, a Japanese nonprofit that is supporting Seabed 2030.

“We obviously need a lot of cooperation from different parties - individuals as well as private companies,” said Hasebe. “We think it's ambitious, but we don't think it's impossible.”

The scientists use high-tech multibeam echosounders which transmit acoustic beams from a ship. The way these beams ping back to the boat indicates the depth and topography of the ocean floor, creating data points that are converted into a map.

“With advanced sonar technology it really is like seeing. I think we've come out of the era of being the blind man with the stick,” said Robert Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey. “We can survey much more efficiently - and, not only that, but in much greater detail.”


The two companies that have contributed the most data to Seabed 2030 so far are the deep-sea mapping firm Ocean Infinity and the Dutch energy prospector Fugro. Both companies were involved in the underwater search for the Malaysian airliner MH370, which vanished in 2014. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NOAA

Massive project aims to map the entire ocean floor

A $3 billion project backed by the UN was launched...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> have found that the snowline elevation of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-loss-2003/">Greenland’s ice sheets</a> — that being the variation of how much snow covers the ice — influences how much solar radiation is absorbed into the ice sheet. Therefore, snowline elevation directly relates to the melting pace of Greenland’s ice sheets.

“People who study alpine glaciers have recognized the importance of snowlines for years, but no one had explicitly studied them in Greenland before," said co-author Laurence C. Smith, a visiting fellow at the <a href="https://www.brown.edu/academics/institute-environment-society/people">Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES)</a>. "This study shows for the first time that this simple partitioning between bare ice and snow matters more when it comes to melting than a whole host of other processes that receive more attention."

These findings, published in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>, are crucial for predicting future sea-level rise. Greenland’s ice melt plays a huge role in the upward shift of global sea levels, and until now, researchers say regional climate models have inaccurately predicted snowlines.

“We found that models don't reproduce snowlines very well, which adds an uncertainty to future projections," said lead author Jonathan C. Ryan, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown. "But now that we've shown how important the snowline effect is, and have some direct observations of snowline positions, hopefully we can improve these models going forward."

Bright white snow reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere, whereas bare ice, often dark in color, absorbs sunlight, and therefore, absorbs radiation. This radiation heats the ice and causes melting. This process is nothing new to scientists, however the process had never been put into perspective in regards to the Greenland ice sheet and if/how snowline migration plays into the regulation of annual melt.

Ryan first noticed the importance of snowline migration while trying to record snowline positions on the ice sheet with aerial drones. After pausing for a few days due to wind, he and his colleagues saw something odd when they returned to the project. 

"Suddenly the snowline was just gone," Ryan said. "In a couple of days it had moved 30 kilometers or so up the ice sheet and was now out of the range of our drones. That was the first moment we thought we should investigate the effects of snowline movement on melt."

So, Ryan and his teammates looked at satellite images depicting snowline positions on the ice sheet between 2001 and 2017. They saw a significant snowline movement from year to year. The highest elevation level was in 2012, a year that saw massive ice sheet melting. The team also recorded the snow reflected about 79% of the radiation that hit it, whereas the ice reflected only between 45% to 57%. The pairing of the elevation and reflectivity was and is still crucial to radiation absorption. In fact, the team found that 53% of year-to-year radiation variability is dictated by the snowline position.

Furthermore, researchers found that two of the leading regional climate models both failed to accurately capture snowline elevation. Therefore, melt estimations were way off.

“We're collaborating now with the modelers, providing them with our observed snowlines," Ryan added. "That gives them some ground truth they should be able to use to adjust their models. Now there's something to aim for."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Clément Miège

Changes in snowline elevation dictate the pace of Greenland ice melt

Researchers from Brown University have found that the snowline elevation...

Green New Deal may push some Republicans toward climate change action. President Donald Trump has consistently denied climate change science and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-denies-federal-climate-report/">openly rejected</a> the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> report, even after his own administration released a report confirming that human activity is driving <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

But as the overwhelming science of climate change becomes harder and harder to ignore, some Republicans are shifting their stance.

The climate change debate has also entered a new phase as the proposed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-new-deal/">Green New Deal</a> continues to make headlines and build a bigger following of supporters, and Republican lawmakers may have to change their strategy.

“There is a growing consensus on our side that man-made emissions are contributing to global warming, that the ‘green deal’ is absurd, and we should be able to find a more appropriate solution to the problem,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said in an interview.

Other Republicans joining Graham in agreement on climate change include Representative John Shimkus, who once used the Bible to defend his anti-climate change views, and Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who Mother Jones called a <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/03/lisa-murkowski-climate-change-double-agent/">climate change double agent</a> for her somewhat evasive stance on whether or not climate change was a human-made problem. 

“It doesn’t make sense to argue about how much global warming is caused by man – whether it’s 5% or 50%,” Murkowski once said. “The best approach is to have a no-regrets policy.”

In Alaska, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly more apparent, which has led Murkowski to prioritize emissions and climate change as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

Senior Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas is now in talks about addressing climate change, when previously the Senator voted against an amendment that would state climate change was real. 

“I am not one that denies that human beings have an impact on the environment,” Cornyn said in an interview a few years ago. “But I am sure not willing to put the federal government in charge of trying to micromanage the environment for the United States of America, nor for us to drive up the price of energy for people on fixed income, like seniors and people of modest means, by putting restrictions in place that other nations are not.”

Cornyn is still determined to make sure that the economy doesn’t suffer in the name of climate change mitigation. 

As noteworthy as it is that more and more Republicans are working to deal with climate change, Lukas Ross, a senior policy analyst with <a href="https://foe.org/">Friends of the Earth</a>, told<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-05/republicans-who-couldn-t-beat-climate-debate-now-seek-to-join-it"> Bloomberg</a> that we’re well past the window for moderate action.

What’s more, there are concerns that the changing stance is just rhetoric that could shift back to denial as we get closer to the election. 

“A small minority of Republicans don’t deserve a pat on the back for acknowledging 40 years of scientific consensus,” Ross said. 

--

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>

Green New Deal may push some Republicans toward climate change action

Green New Deal may push some Republicans toward climate change...

The <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) has released atmospheric methane and ozone data captured by the Sentinel 5P Copernicus satellite, making it available to climate scientists and researchers. 

Sentinel-5P was launched in 2017, and it’s the first of the Copernicus satellites tasked with monitoring the atmosphere, which it can do in vivid detail thanks to a spectrometer called a Tropomi.

CO2 may make all the headlines when it comes to greenhouse gasses and climate change, but methane is <a href="https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-other-important-greenhouse-gas">84 times</a> more potent. 

Unfortunately, despite its potency as a greenhouse gas, research has shown that methane emissions are often <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/methane-emissions-measured-reported/">underreported or inaccurately measured</a>. 

Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission were used to produce global maps of methane and ozone emissions. Now, climate models will be able to more accurately project climate changes and temperature increases in the coming years and better target the source of emissions.

[caption id="attachment_1869164" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/global-methane.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869164" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/global-methane.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="443" /></a> Global methane, Image Credit: ESA/Copernicus data (2018–19), processed by SRON[/caption]

“Like all gases that enter the atmosphere, methane is spread by the wind, so it is unclear where it originates,” said Jochen Landgraf, from the <a href="https://www.sron.nl/">SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research</a>, said in an ESA news article. “But thanks to Tropomi’s ability to measures at a spatial resolution of 7 x 7 km and global coverage every 24 hours, we can see daily methane emissions on regional scales and also larger point sources.”

While the satellite has been collecting data on our atmosphere’s greenhouse gas concentrations, before the data on methane and ozone levels could be made available, ESA scientists first had to confirm the accuracy of the data.

[caption id="attachment_1869165" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ozone.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869165" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ozone.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="165" /></a> Global tropospheric ozone, Image Credit: ESA/Copernicus data (2018–19), processed by DLR[/caption]

“We have spent more than a year carefully testing the methane data, and now the availability of data to everyone offers new opportunities for climate services,” said Landgraf. “This information is important for policymakers working on climate regulations and for checking that countries adhere to agreements.”

ESA will continue to verify the data and maps produced by the satellites, but having access to tropospheric ozone data could play an important part in informing future climate models and public health assessments on pollution. 

“Tropospheric ozone is a difficult greenhouse gas to measure because of its short lifespan and the fact that concentrations can vary hugely from place to place,” said Diego Loyola from the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/">German Aerospace Center</a>. “The unprecedented spatial resolution offered by Copernicus Sentinel-5P’s Tropomi instrument means that we can now better analyse the complex relationship between tropospheric ozone and climate.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New maps reveal global distribution of atmospheric methane and ozone

The European Space Agency (ESA) has released atmospheric methane and...

The oldest horse fossils we can find are from North America.  When Europeans arrived in the Americas, horses had already moved across the Bering land bridge and made a home in Europe and Asia. Europeans of course brought their horses with them.

Camels appear to have first evolved in North America as well.  The lineage of camels split, with some migrating south, through Central America and into the Andes where they evolved into llamas.  Other camels crossed the land bridge and ended up as two species that can still be found in Africa and Asia. These stories of movement and evolution are common.  

Many animals and plants have deep evolutionary roots far from where they are found today.  Some biological lineages, such as birds, have simply spread across the world, evolving different forms and strategies to accommodate different environments.  Given enough time, the movement of organisms is one across the entire planet that shifts with the slow movement of continents themselves. 

You can see related and similar plants and animals mirroring each other in Africa and South America.  There’s a reason that hornbills and toucans look similar even though they live so far apart today. Movements from one place to another continue today just at a pace that’s hard to appreciate from the point of view of a short human life span.  Obviously, even our own species has moved across the globe, colonizing almost every livable spit of land. It’s only relatively recently with strict political borders that migrations human and otherwise have been put under so much pressure to halt.  

I previously <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-mexico-border-wildlife/">reported</a> on the fluidity of movement across the US-Mexico border by animals and parks that align with each other on both the Mexico and the US side of the border.  <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> has reported many times on the consequences that Trump’s proposed border wall would have on wildlife.  In August 2017, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-mexico-border-wall-threaten-100-endangered-species/">we reported</a> that 100 endangered species would be threatened by the building of a border wall between the US and Mexico.  The problem goes even deeper than that, though. Barriers can shape evolution. Rivers, mountains, canyons, even deserts all act as natural barriers and have created the formation of different species.  To survive and thrive, lineages of organisms must travel and spread their genes across broad areas.

<a href="https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/focal-point/00000163-0889-d820-a1e3-7aedafd20000?source=relatedvideo">National Geographic</a> reports that birds have 247 families and 10,731 species, the largest diversity in vertebrates besides fish, of which there are more than 33,000 species of fish globally, according to <a href="https://www.fishbase.de/home.htm">Fishbase</a>.  Why birds and fish are so diverse and found globally isn’t completely understood.  It does seem like diversity and widespread distribution go hand in hand to a certain degree.  Fish and birds have one thing in common besides a backbone – the ability to move long distances, through the oceans and skies respectively.  It seems likely that the ability of these animals to transport themselves long distances is related in some ways to their diversity. 

Bats, like birds, can disperse over long distances and are the second most species rich mammal order.  Whales are also part of one of the six most species rich orders within mammalia. Of course, the picture is a bit complicated.  Rodents don’t seem to have any special ability to spread across the world and there are more species of rodents than bats. Other groups of mammals are so diverse because they’re isolated.  Tenrecs in Madagascar are diverse because they arrived on an island with few species and were able to adapt to many wide open niches until there were 29 species of tenrec, most of them on Madagascar.  Over the long term, barriers like mountains, canyons, or walls affect diversity, evolution and ecology.  The ability to move often constitutes survival.

When habitat conditions such as prey availability or climate are changed, many animals have no other choice but to move to habitat with better conditions.  Jaguars have slowly been seen moving north into the United States. It’s unclear why exactly, but it could be that conditions are slowly becoming less favorable to the big cats south of the border and moving north is a means of survival.   

To pretend like a barrier, especially one that cuts off most of North America from Central America, won’t affect the entirety of the mainland Americas is simply incorrect.  On the other side of the issue, it’s unlikely the border wall will last more than a metaphorical blink of an eye in geologic time, and it seems unlikely it will really have any lasting effect on evolution.  It isn’t impossible though. 

A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12634804">study</a> from 2003 suggests that the Great Wall of China actually had an effect on evolution.  The study looked at gene flow between five plant species that live on each side of the wall.  The researchers found that there was a greater difference in diversity between populations divided by the wall than control populations divided by a simple mountain path.  Essentially, the wall is a barrier to gene flow. Gene flow is important to evolution. A small population without new genes can wither and die from inbreeding. Two large populations with slightly different genetic makeup can evolve into separate species if isolated from one another long enough.  Both of these outcomes are possible from the wall Trump is now trying to build under an emergency declaration.

Even if the wall is built but only lasts for a short time, it may have long lasting effects.  The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27129727">BBC</a> reported in 2014, 25 years after the iron curtain fell, the deer still avoid the border of Germany and the Czech Republic.  Most deer stick to their side of the border, despite the once electrified barrier fence being removed. Researchers tracked 300 deer with radio collars to conclude that mainly, the deer don’t cross the border.  Even an imaginary barrier such as this one could shape the evolution of an organism. If the deer don’t commingle, they might as well be separated by a wall or fence.

The truth is – we don’t fully understand the full consequences of a border wall between the US and Mexico – which should be enough to make us take a step back and think long and hard.               

--

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>

Human-made borders can have lasting effects on the natural world

The oldest horse fossils we can find are from North...

In the Spanish language, “niño” and “niña” are the words for boy and girl, respectively. But when talking about weather and climate, the words “El Niño” and “La Niña” carry a much more significant burden. El Niño and La Niña are part of a recurring shift in climate that happens when warm water moves from one side of the Pacific to the other around the equator. They influence weather conditions around the world, and experts now believe that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-la-nina-weather/">El Niño</a> in 2015-2016, the strongest ever on record, is to blame for a worldwide increase in occurrences of killer viruses.

According to scientists from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, the 2015-2016 event resulted in precipitation levels and vegetation that created the perfect conditions for dengue fever, cholera, and the plague to spread. This resulted in a spike in infections in Colorado, New Mexico, Tanzania, Brazil, and Southeast Asia. “The impact on weather and therefore diseases in these regions was especially pronounced,” says Assaf Anyamba, lead author of the study and a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

For this study, the researchers used many climate datasets and public health records to quantify the relationship between El Niño and the disease outbreak. A spike in cases of the plague and hantavirus – a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents through urine and feces – was shown to be the result of an increase in rainfall and milder temperatures over the American Southwest. The rainfall led to more vegetative growth, which provided more food for rodents that carry the hantavirus and are host to plague-carrying fleas. 

Increased rainfall in East Africa during El Niño also caused sewage to contaminate local water sources, which could have led to the increase in cholera infections in East Africa’s Tanzania. “Cholera doesn’t flush out of the system quickly,” Anyamba explains “So even though it was amplified in 2015-2016, it actually continued into 2017 and 2018. We’re talking about a long-tailed, lasting peak.”

The researchers also suspect that El Niño produced higher than normal land surface temperatures in Brazil and Southeast Asia, which resulted in drier habitats and thus pushed mosquitoes into populated, urban areas to lay eggs. When the air began. To warm, mosquitoes became hungrier and reached sexual maturity more quickly, leading to increased mosquito bites and more cases of dengue fever than normal for both regions.

This research is believed to be the first study by NASA to assess the public health impacts of the major climate event on a global scale and could be a useful tool to build on existing models that predict outbreaks – therefore saving lives through the ability to produce earlier warnings for the public to take necessary preventative measures and precautions. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Is El Niño to blame for the recent spike in cases of deadly viruses?

In the Spanish language, “niño” and “niña” are the words...

The amount of Sun that reaches the Earth's surface fluctuates due to cyclic changes in how the planet spins on its axis and the shape of its orbit. For years, scientists have speculated that major shifts in our climate are driven by these fluctuations. The lengths of planetary cycles, however, are inconsistent and difficult to predict, which has made it challenging for experts to pinpoint what caused <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/deep-ocean-predators-thrived/">ancient climate shifts</a>. 

Up until now, researchers had only tracked the movement of planets back to about 60 million years ago. However, a new study led by geologist and paleontologist Paul Olsen of <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> has extended this record by 140 million years. The research was based on periodic changes in ancient sediments drilled from Arizona and New Jersey. 

Last year, Olsen’s team identified a 405,000-year cycle in Earth's orbit that apparently has not changed at all in the last 200 million years. Using the same rock cores for the current study, the experts identified a cycle that once lasted 1.75 million years, but currently persists for 2.4 million years. According to the experts, knowing the length of the planetary cycle helps them to interpret long-term changes in the paths of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars - the planetary movement that is most likely to impact the Earth.

“With two major coring experiments to date, we've we learned that changes in tropical climates from wet to dry during the time of early dinosaurs, from about 252 to 199 million years ago, were paced by orbital cycles lasting about 20,000, 100,000 and 400,000 years. On top of that is a much longer cycle of about 1.75 million years,” explained Olsen.

“The shorter cycles are about the same today, but the 1.75 million year cycle is way off - it's 2.4 million years today. We think the difference is caused by a gravitational dance between Earth and Mars. This difference is the fingerprint of solar system chaos. No existing set of models or calculations precisely duplicates these data.”

Olsen wants to use sediments to develop a record of climatic changes on Earth that will inform the creation of a map of solar system movement over hundreds of millions of years. Olsen refers to this record as a “Geological Orrery,” which he says would offer new insight into our own climate and also into the evolution of the solar system itself.

“The Geological Orrery is the opposite of an equation or model. It's designed to provide a precise and accurate history of the solar system. We get that history right here on Earth, from the history of our climates, which is recorded in the geological record, especially in large, long-lived lakes,” said Olsen. “Earth's orbit and axis orientation are constantly changing because they are being deformed by the gravitational attractions of other bodies. These changes affect the distribution of sunlight hitting our surface, which in turn affects climate, and the kinds of sediments that are deposited. That gives us the geological record of solar system behavior.”

Olsen pointed out that what is new about his research is the systematic approach of taking rock cores that date back tens of millions of years, looking at the sedimentary record of climate, and accurately dating those changes over multiple sites. 

“That allows us to capture the full range of solar system-driven deformations of our orbit and axis over long time periods,” Olsen said.

Olsen also explained how his work is relevant to the climatic changes we are experiencing today.

“In addition to the way climate is tuned to our orbit, it's also affected by the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Now we're heading into a time when CO2 levels may be as high as they were 200 million years ago, early dinosaur times. This gives us a potential way to see how all the factors interact. It also has resonance with our search for life on Mars, or for habitable exoplanets.”

The study is published in the journal <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

The movement of other planets has impacted Earth’s climate

The amount of Sun that reaches the Earth's surface fluctuates...

California has suffered through a string of extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carr-fire-california/">wildfires</a> in recent years, and 12 out of 15 of the state’s largest and most destructive fires have occurred in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ventura-county-la-fires-california-worsening-trend-2017-12">last 19 years.</a>

Drought and record-breaking heat waves due to climate change have been linked to the increase in severe fires in recent years. By that logic, it would make sense that California’s winter precipitation would go a long way in determining potential fire risk. 

However, a new study has found that a wet winter can no longer be counted on as a deterrent for wildfires, and the data shows that winter precipitation has had little impact on fire risk since 1904. 

An international team of researchers conducted the first-ever study of the link between winter precipitation, the North Pacific jet stream, and fire risk dating as far back as 1571. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[caption id="attachment_1869101" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/california-fire.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869101" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/california-fire.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></a> Image Credit: C.N. Skinner/USFS[/caption]

The amount of winter precipitation in California depends on the position of the North Pacific jet stream. But from 1600 to 1903, the wetter a winter meant the lesser chance of a severe wildfire season. 

However, this connection got weaker and weaker after 1904 due to the push for fire suppression on federal lands, and by 1977, the relationship completely disappeared. 

“The moisture availability over California is still strongly linked to the position of the jet stream, but fire no longer is,” said Valerie Trouet, a co-author of the study. “I didn't expect there to be no relationship between jet stream dynamics and fire in the 20th century. I expected it to be maybe weaker than before, but not to completely disappear.”

Today, fire risk in California is aggravated by both climate change and decades of fire suppression. The researchers found that no matter how much winter precipitation occurs in a year, the chance of a large fire remains the same. 

The researchers used a combination of tree ring data and 400 years of temperature, precipitation and fire records to reconstruct California’s fire patterns in correlation with the position of the North Pacific jet stream. 

“The method we used to determine the average winter jet stream conditions is a real advance,” said Eugene R. Wahl from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a>, the lead author of the study. “Coupled with independent precipitation and fire records, this is a state-of-the-art coupling of paleoclimate and paleoecology.”

Wahl was already in the process of studying how the position of the North Pacific jet stream impacts on winter precipitation, and Trouet had reconstructed a record of fires in California dating back to 1600. 

The two researchers collaborated together to create a bigger picture of fire risk over the years.

The study’s results are sobering and show that heavy winter precipitation does little to mitigate wildfire risk in California. 

“Fire not being influenced by moisture anymore? That is surprising. It's going to be a problem for people, for firefighters, for society,” said Alan Taylor, a co-author of the study. “Between 1600 and 1903 there was not a single case of a high-precipitation year coupled with a high-fire year as occurred in 2017.”
--

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>

Main Image Copyright 2018 Eric Knapp

A wet winter is no longer enough to dampen California wildfire risk

California has suffered through a string of extreme wildfires in...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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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

[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NTU...

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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

[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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