Sediment hidden under ice for millennia is seeing daylight again as glaciers melt. At first, those fresh minerals mop up carbon dioxide. But over time, they switch roles and start leaking gases that trap heat in the air.



<a href="https://geology.ufl.edu/directory/dr-jonathan-martin/">Jonathan Martin</a>’s University of Florida team, along with colleagues from the <a href="https://www.umaryland.edu/">University of Maryland</a> traced that flip in Kobbefjord, Greenland. 



Researchers compared young glacial meltwater with soil water that had been exposed for about 10,000 years. Their <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02404-z">work</a> shows why every newly uncovered valley enters a long, slow countdown from sink to source.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-after-glaciers-melt-methane-rises">After glaciers melt, methane rises</h2>



Lead author <a href="https://www.umces.edu/andrea-pain">Andrea Pain</a> and co‑author <a href="https://geology.ufl.edu/directory/dr-jonathan-martin/">Jonathan Martin</a> sampled streams that draw melt straight from small glaciers and others fed by seeps through mature tundra soils. 



The two waters could be told apart by their oxygen isotopes and by how clear they were. Meltwater ran chalky with rock flour, while seep water ran tea‑colored from dissolved organics.



“Our central hypothesis was that the transfer of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-reach-another-all-time-high/">greenhouse gases</a> between landscapes and the atmosphere has changed since the Last Glacial Maximum about 15,000 years ago,” said Martin.



Field data upheld that hunch, showing glacial streams still scrubbing carbon dioxide while older soils were busy making methane.



Freshly ground carbonates and silicates react with carbonic acid in cold meltwater, locking up carbon as bicarbonate. 



Once microbes colonize the maturing soil, they chew on buried plant matter and turn it into methane through <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/methanogenesis">methanogenesis</a>, reversing the sign of the gas ledger.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glacier-melt-reshapes-gas-timing">Glacier melt reshapes gas timing</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-new-source-of-methane-emissions-discovered-glacial-fracking-arctic/">Methane</a> packs a bigger punch than carbon dioxide, trapping about 28 times more heat over a century. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532922/">Nitrous oxide</a>, the third‑place greenhouse gas, is even fiercer, with a global warming potential of 273 on the same scale.



Those numbers mean that a late rise in methane can wipe out the early carbon‑dioxide savings that bare sediment briefly earns. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">Climate models</a> trying to look centuries ahead need that timing baked in, or they risk undercounting the payback later in the game.



Martin’s crew found that the window of net uptake might last only a few centuries in the high Arctic. That’s just a blink compared to the ten‑thousand‑year age of most post‑ice soils. That insight adds a moving target to projections of future warming.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-s-valley-tells-all">Greenland’s valley tells all</h2>



Kobbefjord lies about six miles southwest of Nuuk and covers roughly 12 square miles. Only 1.7 percent of the watershed still holds glacier ice, yet the lingering meltwater strongly flavors the downstream chemistry.



During a clear July stretch, meltwater from nearby glaciers ruled the flow, and carbon dioxide in the main channel stayed close to atmospheric equilibrium. 



A week later, cloudier weather cut the glacier melt pulse; seep water took over, and methane levels at the outlet jumped more than fourfold.



That flip also showed up in the strontium isotope gap between water and bedload sediment, a geochemical clock for weathering progress. 



Values near zero in seep streams told of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-and-ice-may-reveal-where-rare-earth-elements-are-hiding/">minerals</a> already well chewed, while high values in the icy headwaters marked rock that had barely started to dissolve.



Field calculations revealed a net sink of 64 millimoles of carbon dioxide equivalents per second during the melt‑dominated period. 



Just days later, the same outlet turned into a 44-millimole-per-second source as methane outran the shrinking weathering sink.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reading-the-gases">Reading the gases</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-study-provides-answers-to-how-coral-reefs-can-survive-climate-change/">Carbonic acid weathering</a> of carbonates and silicates pulls carbon from the air, but sulfuric acid weathering of carbonates can add it back.



The balance between those paths hinges on how much fresh mineral surface and dissolved organic carbon each water source carries.



Runoff from glaciers had lower organic carbon, yet it was more labile, fueling acid generation that sped up mineral reactions. 



Seep water, richer in tougher humic carbon, fostered anaerobic pockets where methane‑making microbes thrived.



The study underscores that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-fossil-tundra-discovery-stuns-and-worries-scientists-sea-level-rise/">melting ice</a> and deglaciation is not a single event but a sequence of chemical stages. Understanding which stage a watershed occupies helps predict whether it will cool or warm the planet in any given decade.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warming-builds-after-glacier-melt">Warming builds after glacier melt</h2>



Pain and Martin now plan to test nitrous oxide dynamics in the same valley, because that gas can warm the air <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/nitrous-oxide-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">200 times faster</a> than carbon dioxide if it escapes.



Preliminary lab work hints that nitrous oxide might peak earlier than methane, suggesting a still more complex hand‑off among the three gases.



Other researchers are already noticing similar trends elsewhere: on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-roof-of-the-world-keeps-rising-over-time/">Tibetan Plateau</a>, lakes that no longer receive melt from glaciers emit about three times more methane than glacier‑fed lakes.



As more high‑altitude or high‑latitude basins lose ice input, those findings imply a widespread tilt toward methane dominance.



Martin cautions that rapid, human‑driven warming could briefly revive the negative feedback by boosting meltwater flow. 



Yet the reprieve would be short‑lived. Once the last ice patches vanish, soils everywhere will settle into the methane‑rich phase that the Kobbefjord team measured.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02404-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Land exposed by melting glaciers transforms into a greenhouse gas emitter

Sediment hidden under ice for millennia is seeing daylight again as glaciers melt. At first, those fresh minerals mop up carbon dioxide. But over time, they switch roles and start leaking gases that trap heat in the air. Jonathan Martin’s University of Florida team, along with colleagues from the University of Maryland traced that flip in Kobbefjord, Greenland. Researchers compared young glacial meltwater with soil water that had been exposed for about 10,000 years. Their work shows why every newly uncovered valley enters a long, slow countdown...

She’s an unlikely lab assistant, but a southern elephant seal has helped to make some major discoveries in the seas near Antarctica.

Lia Siegelman, a student at the <a href="https://www.univ-brest.fr/">University of Western Brittany</a> who is visiting <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>, recruited the pinniped to study some features of the ocean of the Antarctic coast.

The average southern elephant seal spends 9 to 10 months out at sea, diving up to 80 times a day. They can dive to depths of 3,300 feet, often in the same small area, and stay underwater for two hours at a time. 

"Even when they sleep, they dive - they float down like a leaf," Siegelman said in a press release.

Siegelman worked with colleagues from the <a href="http://www.cnrs.fr/en/cnrs">French National Center for Scientific Research</a>, who have been tagging elephant seals on the French-controlled Kerguelen Islands for decades. Since 2014, researchers have been using a new type of sensor that records every dive.

The sensors are glued to the seals’ heads, and are either retrieved by the scientists, or come off during the molting season.

Siegelman and her colleagues retrieved a sensor that recorded three months in the life of a female southern elephant seal. Instead of heading east of the islands like most of the seals, she had gone foraging to the west, where there’s a permanent bend in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current known as a meander. There, she dove 6,942 times.

Her sensor recorded data that scientists haven’t been able to log yet. Siegelman and her co-authors were able to pinpoint the locations where ocean water density changes suddenly – like warm and cold fronts in the atmosphere – as well as how these “fronts” pull nutrients up from the depths and nourish phytoplankton.

The plankton form the base of the food chain, with elephant seals eventually benefitting in the form of well-fed prey.

"I hope this [result] will encourage physicists and biologists to use those very rich data from seals," Siegelman said. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42117-w">Scientific Reports</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Southern elephant seal offers new ocean perspective

She’s an unlikely lab assistant, but a southern elephant seal...

According to researchers at <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/">Portland State University (PSU)</a>, the <a href="https://www.dri.edu/">Desert Research Institute (DRI)</a>, and the <a href="https://www.unr.edu/">University of Nevada, Reno</a>, forest fires are accelerating snow melt in western areas of the United States. If a drier, warmer climate continues to exacerbate <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/california-fire-evacuations/">forest fires</a>, his phenomenon could affect water supplies and could even trigger additional, more severe forest fires.

The research team found that 11% of all western forests are currently experiencing accelerated snow melt caused by forest fires. Their study, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>, proves that forest fires are disturbing crucial snow-water resources.

"This fire effect on earlier snowmelt is widespread across the West and is persistent for at least a decade following fire," said lead author Kelly Gleason, an assistant professor of environmental science and management in PSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Using snow samples taken by DRI's Ultra-Trace Ice Core Analytical Laboratory in Reno, Nevada, alongside radiative transfer and geospatial modeling, Gleason and her colleagues determined that snow melts an average five days earlier after a fire than before, and that accelerated melting time continued for up to 15 years.

This is because the fire effectively removes the tree canopies that shade the snow, allowing more sunlight to melt the snowfall. And the soot (black carbon) caused by the fire darkens the snow and makes it more reflective.

"Snow is typically very reflective, which is why it appears white, but just a small change in the albedo or reflectivity of the snow surface can have a profound impact on the amount of solar energy absorbed by the snowpack," said co-author Joe McConnell, a research professor of hydrology and head of the Ultra-Trace Ice Core Analytical Laboratory at DRI. He added, "This solar energy is a key factor driving snowmelt."

This is bad news for any western states that rely on snowmelt runoff into local streams for their water supply.

"The volume of snowpack and the timing of snowmelt are the dominant drivers of how much water there is and when that water is available downstream," Gleason said. "The timing is important for forests, fish, and how we allocate reservoir operations; in the winter, we tend to control for flooding, whereas in the summer, we try and hold it back."

"Snow is already melting earlier because of climate change," she continued. "When it melts earlier, it's causing larger and longer-lasting fires on the landscape. Those fires then have a feedback into the snow itself, driving an even earlier snowmelt, which then causes more fires. It's a vicious cycle."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Forest fires cause snow to melt earlier in the western U.S.

According to researchers at Portland State University (PSU), the Desert...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-emperor-penguins-survive/">Emperor penguin</a> colonies across the Antarctic are collapsing due to climate change, and yet the regal and beloved birds are still not protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. 

Without protections, the emperor penguin will continue it’s a steady slide toward potential extinction as climate change is breaking up Antarctic sea ice and making the penguin’s coastal breeding grounds uninhabitable. 

One recent study found that the world’s second-largest emperor penguin colony at Halle Bay in the Weddell Sea has experienced catastrophic breeding failure. Over the past three years, penguin parents have lost their chicks due to early breakups of sea ice. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> and published in the journal<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4CA1A77971A4CD5D5CB823EBF338FAA9/S0954102019000099a.pdf/emperors_on_thin_ice_three_years_of_breeding_failure_at_halley_bay.pdf"> Antarctic Science.</a>

The researchers analyzed high-resolution satellite imagery and found that in the past three years, the colony’s once stable breeding grounds broke up before any chicks had fledged. 

In 2016, more than 10,000 chicks drowned due to the sea ice breaking up before the birds were able to swim.

The rate of breeding failure is unprecedented for the Halley Bay colony, but other emperor penguin populations are suffering similar declines. 

The penguin colony featured in the hit film March of the Penguins has declined more than 50 percent, and the colony on Dion Island has completely disappeared. 

Climate change, overfishing, decreases in krill populations, and ocean acidification are all threatening emperor penguin colonies. 

In response to these catastrophic declines, the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/">Center for Biological Diversity</a> has filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to grant the emperor penguin Endangered Species Act protection. 

In 2006, a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity resulted in the protection of seven penguin species, but the emperor penguin has yet to be listed. 

“Emperor penguins have needed protection for a long time, but Trump’s fossil-fuel-first agenda has dialed up the urgency,” said Shaye Wolf, climate science director of the Center. “Chicks are drowning as climate change melts their habitat. Further delay in slashing carbon pollution could wipe out one of our planet’s most amazing birds.”

--

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>

Emperor penguin colonies are collapsing due to climate change

Emperor penguin colonies across the Antarctic are collapsing due to...

A team of international researchers have successfully quantified the effect of climate extremes on global crop yield variations. They concluded that general extremes, like drought and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-2018-global-heat-wave/">heat waves</a>, that have occurred during the growing season of crops such as maize, rice, and soy, accounted for 20% to 49% of yield fluctuations. More specifically, extremes like hot and cold temperature shifts, and drought to heavy rainfall shifts, accounted for 18% to 43% of prior crop yield variations.

To collect their findings, published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters</a>, the team used a global, spatial high-resolution agricultural database and datasets pertaining to climate extremes and near-global climate coverage. They then used a machine learning algorithm to estimate which climate scenarios influenced crops the most.

"Interestingly, we found that the most important climate factors for yield anomalies were related to temperature, not precipitation, as one could expect, with the average growing season temperature and temperature extremes playing a dominant role in predicting crop yields," said lead author Dr. Elisabeth Vogel from the Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and <a href="http://climatecollege.unimelb.edu.au/">Climate &amp; Energy College at the University of Melbourne</a>.

The team also identified global hotspots, which were areas that produced a large portion of global crops yet were most affected by climate extremes. 

"We found that most of these hotspots...appear to be in industrialised crop production regions, such as North America and Europe,” Dr. Vogel continued. 

North American soy and spring wheat production, European spring wheat production, and Asian rice and maize production were the top three hotspots the team identified. Furthermore, the regions located outside of main crop regions can be particularly devastated by climate extreme-caused crop variations.

"In our study, we found that maize yields in Africa showed one of the strongest relationships with growing season climate variability,” Dr. Vogel said. “In fact, it was the second highest explained variance for crop yields of any crop/continent combination, suggesting that it is highly dependent on climate conditions.”

She continued, "While Africa's share of global maize production may be small, the largest part of that production goes to human consumption — compared to just 3% in North America — making it critical for food security in the region."

Dr. Vogel notes that their research is vitally important to understand in order for farmers to adapt their food production process to take changing climate and extremes into account.

She concluded, "Increasing the resilience to climate extremes requires a concerted effort at local, regional and international levels to reduce negative impacts for farmers and communities depending on agriculture for their living."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Massive global crop yield variations explained by climate extremes

A team of international researchers have successfully quantified the effect...

In an effort to find solutions to projected food shortages due to climate change and population growth, researchers from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> are turning to insects like flies and maggots in the hopes of finding more sustainable protein alternatives. 

Although insects are commonly eaten in many countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, for many people, the idea of incorporating bugs into their diets is an unsavory one. 

However, at the rate of population growth, increasing food demands, and the tolls that meat processing and livestock put on the environment, it’s not a matter of if but when food demands will lead to shortages. 

“An overpopulated world is going to struggle to find enough protein unless people are willing to open their minds, and stomachs, to a much broader notion of food,” said Dr. Louwrens Hoffman, who is working to develop specialty foods with insects. “Would you eat a commercial sausage made from maggots? What about other insect larvae and even whole insects like locusts? The biggest potential for sustainable protein production lies with insects and new plant sources.”

Hoffman and his team are working to develop processed foods using insects as an ingredient to help overcome people’s aversion to eating insects. So far, the team has come up with ice cream and sausages made from black soldier fly larvae. 

The black soldier larvae could also be incorporated into chicken products, and the researchers found that chicken products made with 15 percent larva meal still cook, taste and feel like the real deal. 

Livestock and meat processing have some of the biggest environmental impacts, and the cattle industry emits massive quantities of greenhouse gasses, and particularly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-cattle-feed-methane-emissions/">methane, </a>into the atmosphere. A single cow can release as much as 30 to 50 gallons of methane per day. 

Cattle and chicken farms also require tons of grains and water, which could strain water and agricultural resources in the future. One <a href="http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph240/verso1/">2015 report</a> found that it takes 1,800 gallons to produce just one pound of beef. 

“Poultry is a massive industry worldwide, and the industry is under pressure to find alternative proteins that are more sustainable, ethical and green than the grain crops currently being used,” said Hoffman. 

Other companies are turning to different methods like lab-grown protein alternatives and even lab-grown meat, but insects represent a widely abundant and little utilized source of nutrients and protein that could soon be a necessary addition to diets worldwide. 

--

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>

Insects may be the food of the future if we can learn to stomach them

In an effort to find solutions to projected food shortages...

What if we could tackle the problem of energy-consuming air conditioners and the goal of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-climate-change/">carbon capture</a> in one? 

In a new paper published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09685-x">Nature Communications</a>, researchers from Germany and Canada propose a novel strategy to help mitigate climate change while still keeping homes cool in the summer by using air conditioning units to capture carbon and convert that carbon into fuel. 

The researchers envision a new concept where consumers would generate their own fuel, much like how solar panels can power an entire home, while capturing carbon thousands of times more efficiently than trees. 

“Imagine the renewable-electricity-powered air conditioning system in your house, apartment or office at work, besides functioning for cooling and heating, being adapted to capture carbon dioxide and water from the air,” the authors of the study write. “Imagine the water and carbon dioxide thus collected converted into renewable hydrocarbon fuels using existing technology and thereby creating personalized, localized and distributed, synthetic oil wells.” 

The researchers have developed an experimental model, but as of now, the design is still very much in its early stages. 

“The plan in two or three years is to have the first experimental showcase where I can show you a bottle of hydrocarbon fuel from carbon dioxide captured in an air-conditioning unit,” Roland Dittmeyer, a chemical engineer leading the new project, told <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-air-conditioning-fix-climate-change/">Scientific American.</a>

Using air conditioning units is a crucial element of the project as air conditioners are projected to use up as much electricity as China currently uses by the midcentury, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/climate/air-conditioning.html">New York Times. </a>

Not only do air conditioners need a lot of electricity, but they also contribute to atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. 

The researchers predict that if air conditioning carbon capturing units were installed in 25,000 German supermarkets, collectively they would pull 1,000 tons of CO2 from the air every hour. 

“The vision of empowering people with a technology to become energy independent while contributing to a circular economy, a “social energy autarky”, gives control to the people to help solve the greenhouse gas, global warming and climate change problems themselves rather than having to rely on the power-generating industries to rise to the challenge,” the researchers conclude in their paper. 

--

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>

Could air conditioners capture carbon while efficiently cooling buildings?

What if we could tackle the problem of energy-consuming air...

Mainstream environmental concern has a laser-like focus on climate change.  Political candidates seem to always make climate change a talking point, often stating that fighting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-driven-climate-change-1900/">climate change</a> is also a good way to create “green” jobs and a “green” economy.  Trump’s polluting policies and his pull out of the Paris Climate Accords are often attacked. 

Taking a back seat in the current public discussion are issues like public land use (except when it also deals with climate change), endangered species, and habitat destruction.  Even further out of the spotlight are thoughts on how wilderness and an abundance of land can support freedom or allow traditional indigenous livelihoods and support environmental justice.  

The shrinking of environmental ideas and issues in the public discussion is one largely created by the powerful.  For politicians, it’s easy to talk about changing jobs from coal and oil industries to solar and wind farm jobs. It’s harder to talk about how cattle ranching is destroying bison and wolves or how oil development and wind farms are bad for birds.  The public misunderstanding of environmental issues is fostered by a culture of sound bites and video clips as well as political branding and wealthy ‘green’ energy investors.  

The situation isn’t an accident.  The rich and powerful generally want to be richer and more powerful, spotted owls be damned.  The unfortunate lack of substance in mainstream media when it comes to the environment has created a dangerous situation for all but those at the top.  

<a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/mining-russian-investors-are-keen-on-nevadas-copper">High Country News</a> recently reported on a copper mine in Nevada that a Russian oligarch has invested in, but the investor is only a part of the story.  

Part of the drive for more copper comes from the electric car industry.  Not far from the mine, Tesla’s GigaFactory in Nevada to create batteries for its cars in collaboration with Panasonic.  The electric car company is often touted as being green because of the much smaller amount of greenhouse gases used in creating the cars and the perception of being emission-less to drive (this depends on where the electricity to charge the can comes from).  You may not need oil or gasoline to drive a Tesla, but copper is used in large amounts to produce the cars. Lithium is also important for the car’s batteries.

<a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/life-blood-of-tesla-batteries-hits-supply-limits-in-andean-mine/1422928/">Financial Express</a> reported in December of 2018 that US Albemarle Corp and one of the companies supplying lithium to Tesla was locked in a battle with the Chilean Government over prices, quotas and environmental regulation at a lithium mine.  The mine is located in the Atacama Desert, not far from a saline wetland where flamingos feed on shrimp. The water levels of the wetlands have been dropping from the mine’s actions, endangering the local flamingo population.  Mining for lithium is only set to increase with the current demand of approximately 64,000 tons annually projected to increase to 500,000 tons annually over a seven year period. 

Albemarle plans to triple its capacity but has been stalled by the dispute with the Chilean government.  The Chilean government is seeking to settle the dispute through international arbitration, the first time Chile has asked for arbitration in a dispute between the government and a company.  Albemarle has now focused on its mines in Australia, putting its growth in Chile on pause for the moment. Meanwhile, mining in the US is also being driven by demand from electric cars. 

About an hour drive from Sparks Nevada, the location of Tesla’s Gigafactory, Yerington, Nevada is the location of the Pumpkin Hollow Mine.  According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-copper-electric-focus/u-s-copper-projects-gain-steam-thanks-to-electric-vehicle-trend-idUSKCN1PI0GZ">Reuters</a>, US Copper mines have recently drawn $1.1 billion in investments, a boom driven partially by the growing popularity of electric cars as well as loosened mining regulations.  Electric vehicles contain twice as much copper as traditional internal combustion vehicles and the Trump administration is pushing to issue mining permits five times faster. 

The Pumpkin Hollow mine is owned by Canada-based Nevada Copper.  The largest stockholder of Nevada Copper is now Switzerland based <a href="http://www.pala.com">Pala Investments</a>, a company owned by Russian billionaire Vladimir Iorich.  Iorich himself has been described as ‘shy’ but Pala Investments is the opposite and can even be quite aggressive.  Pala is known for targeting vulnerable companies for its own profit and has overseen hostile takeovers, like the takeover of Rockwell, the operator of a diamond mine in South Africa, according to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/a-reclusive-russian-and-his-resource-hungry-investment-fund/article4194189/">The Globe and Mail</a>.

Nevada Copper touts its value to the Yerington, Nevada community, claiming that Pumpkin Hollow will employee 300 people to start and pay local taxes.  Some in Sparks, Nevada are still worried about the residue of another mine. 

The Anaconda Copper Mine located just outside of Yerington was closed in 1978, but the problems it caused from toxic pollution leaking into the nearby Walker River are ongoing.  <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/bp-settlement-pollution-case-338/">RT</a> reported in 2013 that Nevada residents won $19 billion in a class action lawsuit against Atlantic Richmond Co. that owned the mine and its parent company BP America.  The money went to medical expenses, a new water supply, and legal expenses. The lawsuit alleged that the company intentionally and negligently covered up uranium, arsenic and other pollutants leaking into the groundwater.  Clean up of the mine site is ongoing. 

Last year the EPA under then-head Scott Pruitt signed a <a href="https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902959">deferral agreement</a> with the state of Nevada.  The agreement allows the state of Nevada to lead the cleanup of the mine, an EPA superfund site.  The <a href="https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/01/18/epa-superfund-yerington-paiute-tribe-polluted-anaconda-copper-mine/2588128002/">Reno Gazette Journal</a> reported earlier this year that the Paiute Tribe is suing to reverse this decision, citing concern that the state government doesn’t have the political or financial power to hold BP America responsible for the heavy metal contamination.  

The myopic focus on climate change by mainstream environmentalists allows concerns such as these connected to the electric car industry to go largely uncommented upon.  <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/news/elon-musk-takes-leonardo-dicaprio-tesla-gigafactory-wvideo/">Motor Trend</a> reported on a visit of the Tesla Gigafactory by Leonardo DiCaprio for a National Geographic documentary, Before the Flood.  In the video, Elon Musk tells DiCaprio that the fossil fuel industry is the most powerful in the world and frames his company as part of a ‘popular uprising’ against the industry.  

--

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>

How environmentally friendly is the electric car industry?

Mainstream environmental concern has a laser-like focus on climate change....

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> and <a href="https://www.baylor.edu/">Baylor University</a> set out to find how exactly the Gulf killifish adapted to survive in lethal waters in Texas’ Houston Ship Channel. Could the killifish’s survival tactics be used by other species who need to adapt to rapidly <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/freshwater-bodies-increasingly-polluted/">changing environments</a>? 

"Most species don't survive radically altered environments," said corresponding author Andrew Whitehead, a UC Davis professor of environmental toxicology. "By studying the survivors, we get insight into what it takes to be successful. In the case of the killifish, it came down to huge population sizes and luck."

To begin their investigation, the team wanted to locate any natural selection footprints that may allow the species to change their DNA in order to survive in toxic waters. To do so, they constructed the genomes of hundreds of Gulf killifish living toxic waters ranging from clean, moderately polluted, and very polluted.

They found that the Gulf killifish adaptive DNA actually came from an Atlantic Coast killifish species, meaning that the transfer of adaptable genes must have been accidentally initiated by humans. It was an accidental and rare evolutionary rescue of sorts.

"While the vast majority of research on invasive species rightly focuses on the environmental damage they can cause, this research shows that under rare circumstances they can also contribute valuable genetic variation to a closely related native species, thus acting as a mechanism of evolutionary rescue," said co-corresponding author Cole Matson, an associate professor at Baylor University.

The researchers note that the killifish was already destined to succeed in many ways, being so genetically diverse as they are. And it’s important for us humans to keep pathways open so genetically similar species can “save” each other if need be. 

"The adaptation of these killifish is a cautionary tale," Whitehead said. "It tells us what we need to do better for the vast majority of species that don't have access to the kind of genetic resources killifish have.”

“If we care about preserving biodiversity,” he continued, “we can't expect evolution to be the solution. We need to reduce how much and how quickly we're changing the environment so that species can keep up."

The researchers published their findings in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Andrew Whitehead/UC Davis

How the Gulf killifish has adapted to highly polluted waters

Researchers from the University of California, Davis and Baylor University...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ</a> is describing the important role that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/body-size-resting-positions-animals/">hippos</a> play in the ecosystem of African lakes and rivers. It turns out that, through the large quantities of fecal matter that they leave behind in the water, hippos are delivering much-needed silicon.

“Hippos differ from other large grazing animals in the savannah,” said study first author Jonas Schoelynck. “The nutrients in the excrements of most grazers largely end up back in the savannah again, where they are reabsorbed by the plants. This is not the case with hippos: they act as a kind of nutrient pump from the land to rivers and lakes.” 

For the investigation, the researchers travelled to the Mara River in the Masaai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya where they collected samples.

“The grass that hippos eat contains silicon,” said Schoelynck. “The grass absorbs this silicon from the groundwater. It gives it the strength it needs, protects it from disease and, to a limited extent, from grazing by small animals.” 

Back in the lab, Patrick Frings analyzed the isotopic composition of silicon in samples of plants, water, and hippo excrements from the Mara River. “The isotope analysis enabled us to reconstruct the transport path of the silicon,” explained Frings.

The researchers found that a large part of the silicon in the Mara River was transported there by hippos. The grazing animals absorbed a total of 800 kilograms of silicon per day through the plants they ate, half of which ended up in the water via excretion of hippo faeces. 

Calculations made by the researchers revealed that the hippos' silicon contribution influences over 76 percent of the total silicon transported along the Mara River through various ecological mechanisms.

“Our results are completely new,” said Frings. “So far, it has not been assumed that grazing wild animals could have such an influence on the transport of silicon from land to lakes. This process is crucial for the entire land-water ecosystem. In the past, however, it has simply been overlooked.”

Silicon is critical to the survival of diatoms, which are unicellular algae that produce oxygen and form the basis of the food chain in many water ecosystems. This algae population can collapse if there is not enough silicon, resulting in harmful consequences for the entire food web in the lake or river, according to the researchers. 

In Africa, hippos are vanishing due to hunting and habitat loss. The experts said that their function as animal silicon pumps has thus been partially lost.

“Lake Victoria, into which the Mara River flows, can survive for several decades with its current silicon supply,” said Schoelynck. “But in the long run there is probably going to be a problem.”

“If the diatoms do not get enough silicon, they are replaced by pest algae, which have all sorts of unpleasant consequences, such as a lack of oxygen and the associated death of fish. And fishing is an important source of food for the people of Lake Victoria.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Jonas Schoelynck

Why water ecosystems in Africa are dependent on hippos

A new study from the German Research Centre for Geosciences...

Anyone who accepts the science related to our global environment knows that we live in perilous times.  Climate change is exasperating a planet already damaged by habitat destruction, pollution, and a growing ambivalence and disconnection of humans to the rest of the world.  Extinction rates are high and we are losing the transcendental beauty and livability of our one home.

The <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/">Center for Biological Diversity</a> reported that extinction rates are now 100 to 1,000 times higher than their natural background rates.  The elevated extinction rates are almost entirely caused by human action, too. In the past 500 years, 1000 known species went extinct; species like passenger pigeons and the Tasmanian Tiger.  It’s now predicted that 30 to 50% of all species on Earth could be threatened with extinction by the middle of the century. 

Loss of biodiversity isn’t just bad for the animals that become extinct, there are very real practical consequences for humans too.  <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/biodiversity-loss-is-endangering-food-security-un-warns">Yale Environment 360</a> reports that the United Nations now warns of a loss of food security due to the loss of biodiversity.  Fertilizing soils, cleaning water, and pollinating plants are all services that healthy, diverse ecosystems provide.  With losses of biodiversity, we can’t expect these ecological services to be provided. Human well-being and survival are directly impacted by biodiversity.     

To solve such a widespread problem, the solution must also be widespread and extremely effective.  In his 2016 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Half-Earth-Our-Planets-Fight-Life/dp/1631490826/ref=sr_1_2?crid=USRXDRSC4QD7&amp;keywords=half-earth+our+planet%27s+fight+for+life&amp;qid=1556486927&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=Half-earth%2Caps%2C207&amp;sr=8-2">Half-Earth</a>, naturalist and famed Harvard entomologist E.O. Wilson called for half of the Earth to be preserved in order to maintain the integrity of the planet as we know it.  The vision E.O. Wilson put forward is a grand one that would include radically expanding the world’s protected areas to include 85% of the earth’s biodiversity (half of the land and marine area).  Unfortunately, this vision may be too ambitious to become a reality.

Social scientists Bram Büscher and Robert Fletcher have <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/why-e-o-wilson-is-wrong-about-how-to-save-the-earth">criticized Wilson’s plan</a>, pointing out that setting aside reserves often unjustly excludes minorities and the poor.  They also push back on Wilson’s critique of the new type of ‘Anthropocene’ conservationists that promote giving up parks and instead encourage mixing of humans with ‘nature’ in better ways.  The critique also comes close to insinuating that Wilson’s plan is racist, pointing out his desire for population control targets Africa, South America and parts of Asia, the areas that actually consume fewer resources despite having large human populations.  

The same debate has extended to a UN scientific committee on biodiversity, according to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05984-3">Nature</a>.  The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is a panel tasked with protecting global biodiversity.  Unfortunately, the panel is deeply divided between scientists from richer northern countries and those from poorer nations in the south. The divide is ideological too, creating contentions between different scientific disciplines.    

Whatever your views on Wilson’s half-Earth plan, whether it is a utopian pipe dream or a vision of hope, it’s been revitalized recently in another form.  

Echoing the plan of 50% of the Earth being conserved in parks, scientists published a paper in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/67/6/534/3102935">Bioscience</a> in 2017 promoting the idea of protecting half of the Earth and fleshing out the specifics.  

Just this month, some of the same scientists published a new paper promoting a very similar idea in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/4/eaaw2869?intcmp=trendmd-adv">Science</a>, titled, ‘A Global Deal For Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets’.  The new paper is meant to be an accompaniment piece to the Paris Climate Accords and is intended to be a framework for politicians to move forward on.  The report claims that less than half of the Earth’s ecosystems are intact, and maintaining all of those that are left (coupled with the Paris agreement) is necessary to avoid a 1.5°C rise in average global temperature.  The paper also argues that the most straightforward way to prevent catastrophic climate change is to maintain or restore 50% of the Earth’s ecosystems.  Overall, it suggests first saving 30% of the Earth’s ecosystems and managing the remaining 20% sustainably for restoration by 2030.

The plan highlights the abilities of intact forests as well as mangroves, peatlands, and other ecosystems to sequester carbon more effectively than human planted monocultures.  It also speaks to the impacts of poaching and habitat destruction on biodiversity and extinction beyond simply climate change. 

To specify areas that need protection, the plan presents a map of the Earth’s different ecoregions, calling for 30% of each ecoregion should be protected. 

The report was released just weeks before a divided IPBES releases an assessment of global biodiversity and ecosystems services, the most comprehensive assessment in 15 years.  It seems possible that the plan may inflame the tensions already mounting within the organization and alienate those from social sciences and under-represented groups. In the meantime, some prominent environmental advocacy groups have already thrown support behind the proposal.  

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is <a href="https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/the-global-deal-for-nature/">already promoting</a> the Global New Deal for Nature, saying, “we know that natural ecosystems are key to maintaining the abundance and diversity of life on Earth as well as human prosperity in a warming world.”  

Unfortunately, human prosperity isn’t a universally distributed attribute.  It is vitally important for all aspects of our health to save wildness in the Earth, but it’s important that we look at the matter fairly.  America is the most prosperous nation in the world and we also consume a disproportionate amount of natural resources, destroying more than we have any right to.  The same can be said for much of the developed world. If we start to villainize the poor, we miss the point that they already suffer more from environmental destruction than the rich. If this plan is to succeed, it will need support from farmers, indigenous peoples and the poor.  

How well we can balance compassion for humanity and a love for wilderness will be of increasingly vital importance.    --

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>

The ‘Global Deal for Nature’ is ambitious - but is it fair and doable?

Anyone who accepts the science related to our global environment...

Yams reveal how West Africa played a big role in crop domestication. A new study from the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> has found that yams in West Africa originally descended from a forest species. The findings contradict the theory that domestication of sub-Saharan African plants mostly occurred in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/suppress-fires-backfire-savannas/">tropical savannahs</a>. 

The results of the study also shed new light on the domestication history of West African crops, pinpointing the region surrounding the Niger River as playing a more important role than what was previously realized. 

One of the best-known cradles of domestication in the world is the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. This is where wheat, barley, oat, lentil, and other crops first appeared in archaeological records.


Primarily due to the fact that archaeological studies are fragmented in sub-Saharan Africa, the history of crop domestication here is not as well understood. 

Some studies of domestication in Africa pinpointed a large area from Senegal to Somalia. More recent studies, however, have identified a much more limited domestication origin near the Niger River Basin. 

For the current investigation, a research team led by Nora Scarcelli set out to determine whether areas near the Niger Basin could be considered major hotspots of domestication. The study was focused on the domestication of the yam, a major staple crop that originated in Africa. 

The researchers used genome re-sequencing to analyze 167 wild and domesticated yam species from the country.

Ultimately, the experts discovered that cultivated yam was domesticated from a forest species, D. praehensilis, starting in the Niger River basin. The domestication process involved adaptations to the open field environment and human selection that increased tuber size and starch content in the cultivated yam. 

The research indicates that the contribution of the Niger River region to African agriculture is comparable to that of the Fertile Crescent in the Near East.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Yams reveal how West Africa played a big role in crop domestication

Yams reveal how West Africa played a big role in...

Scientists are starting to uncover the extent of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastic-pollution-remote-glaciers/">microplastic pollution</a> in the world's oceans and the many threats associated with these plastic fragments. Researchers at <a href="http://www.nuigalway.ie/">NUI Galway</a> have now discovered that microplastics are contributing to global warming by interfering with important natural CO2 storage processes in the ocean.

Marine algae that absorb carbon dioxide are eaten by small creatures with gelatinous bodies known as salps. These jellyfish-like animals deposit the CO2 in their faecal pellets, which are usually heavy enough to sink to the ocean floor. This process traps the CO2 and prevents it from reaching the atmosphere. 

However, the researchers found that plastic fragments are making the faecal waste lighter and more buoyant. As a result, the pellets float on the surface of the water for long enough that the CO2 can be reabsorbed into the atmosphere.   

Lab experiments confirmed that the faecal pellets sank at a faster rate when they were not polluted with microplastics. The experts also determined that the salp waste has a direct impact on the amount of CO2 trapped in the ocean or released into the atmosphere.  


The study is one of the first of its kind to examine how microplastics alter a physical ecological process. 

“Our study suggests that salp faecal pellets will remain at the sea surface for longer when they contain microplastics and while there, they may get broken down causing the carbon dioxide to be re-released back into the ocean and atmosphere,” study lead author Alina Wieczore told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/">The Times</a>.

“These findings show that microplastics have the potential to lower the efficiency of one of the most important natural processes occurring within our oceans, that is, the biologically driven transport of CO2 to the sea floor.”
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Microplastics are interfering with natural carbon storage in the ocean

Scientists are starting to uncover the extent of microplastic pollution...

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

Saturn,-,High,Resolution,3d,Images,Presents,Planets,Of,The

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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.

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="yPSXGZek1I-2312529-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

[sendtonews key="yPSXGZek1I-2312529-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EPdZexVR30-1731237-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

[sendtonews key="EPdZexVR30-1731237-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uwirCufwYv-2012371-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

[sendtonews key="uwirCufwYv-2012371-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

News coming your way