The presence of algal toxins in bowhead whales, a key food source for Native Alaskan communities, points to a disturbing shift in the Arctic. As the Arctic Ocean warms, harmful algae are spreading and moving up the food chain.



A new study confirms what many in northern Alaska have long suspected: the marine life they depend on is changing in ways that threaten their health and food security.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-toxic-threat-to-arctic-communities">Toxic threat to Arctic communities </h2>



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> were part of a major, multi-institutional study on algal toxins in Arctic ecosystems. 



The findings suggest that warming waters create ideal conditions for these toxins to spread. This threatens the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-clams-have-vanished-from-places-where-they-used-to-thrive/">clams</a>, fish, whales, and other sea life that many subsistence-based communities depend on.



“These are new risks that were previously unknown,” said Kathi Lefebvre, a research scientist at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and lead author of the study. 



“The people in remote communities in northern and western Alaska rely on marine resources for nutritional and cultural well-being. Now we’re finding that these resources are at risk.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recognizing-the-effects-of-warming">Recognizing the effects of warming</h2>



Many Native Alaskan communities - some of the most remote in the state - have been noticing these shifts for years.



Raphaela Stimmelmayr, a wildlife veterinarian with the North Slope Borough in Barrow, Alaska, is a co-author on the study.



“Native communities know intimately the ecosystems they rely on and were among the first to recognize the effects of warming,” said Stimmelmayr. 



“It is very difficult to walk away from resources that they need and have relied on since time immemorial."



Stimmelmayr emphasized the need for real-time field tests that can detect toxins in traditional foods before they are consumed. 



Monitoring equipment and fast diagnostics would allow local communities to make informed choices about what’s safe to eat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-life-cycle-of-arctic-algae">The life cycle of Arctic algae</h2>



Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, including Don Anderson, Bob Pickart, and graduate student Evie Fachon, have been tracking the movement and life cycle of the Arctic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-algae-in-lake-erie-may-be-hiding-toxic-deadly-compounds/">algae</a> responsible for the rising toxic threat.



Their work sheds light on how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-foraging-behavior-changing-climate-warming-waters/">warming waters</a> are unlocking new threats from their hiding places in Arctic seafloor sediments.



“I have shifted a significant portion of my lab’s research focus to the Alaskan Arctic in recent years,” said Anderson. “It is a new frontier in HAB (harmful algal bloom) research, given the rapid warming of waters in the region and the massive scale of the <a href="https://hab.whoi.edu/species/species-by-name/alexandrium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alexandrium</a> populations we have documented.”



These populations, specifically the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/dinoflagellate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dinoflagellate</a> Alexandrium, are known to produce potent neurotoxins. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-algae-in-the-alaskan-arctic">Algae in the Alaskan Arctic</h2>



The problem is twofold: some blooms arrive from the south, drifting north with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-satellite-is-rewriting-what-we-know-about-ocean-currents/">ocean currents</a>, while others form locally when dormant cysts on the seafloor begin to germinate. That’s where the warming comes in.



“For years, these cysts have remained inactive, essentially preserved by the cold,” Anderson explained. “But as bottom water temperatures periodically warm, we see conditions that allow germination, and that changes the risk landscape dramatically.”



His team found that the world’s largest beds of Alexandrium cysts lie in sediments across the Alaskan Arctic. These build up when blooms from the Bering Sea drift north and settle in places like the Chukchi Sea. 



For years, the icy seafloor kept them dormant. Now, rising temperatures are allowing them to activate and grow.



This local germination is creating a second, homegrown source of toxic algal blooms - intensifying the threat already posed by southern blooms. That dual pressure is putting more strain on marine life and the communities that depend on it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-entire-systems-are-shifting">Entire systems are shifting</h2>



Bob Pickart and his former postdoctoral researcher Peigen Lin studied how ocean circulation and water temperature are contributing to the problem of toxic Arctic algae. Their work shows a clear link between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">rising temperatures</a> and the presence of toxins in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bowhead-whales-have-changed-their-migration-patterns/">bowhead whales</a>.



“My Arctic research has become increasingly interdisciplinary over the years, including exploring the role of circulation patterns, atmospheric forcing, and water properties in HAB dynamics,” Pickart said.



In other words, this isn’t just about one algae or one animal. It’s about how entire systems - currents, climate, and biology - are shifting, with real-world consequences for the people living closest to the ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fighting-arctic-algae-with-science">Fighting Arctic algae with science</h2>



Experts at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution aren't just observing these changes. They are actively involved in finding solutions. 



Don Anderson also leads the U.S. National Office for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/dinoflagellate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harmful Algal Blooms</a>, which helps coordinate national strategies and responses to HABs. That includes research efforts, outreach, and communication with coastal communities across the country.



This isn’t a challenge with a quick fix. But with scientific insight and direct collaboration with Native Alaskan communities, there’s a growing push to better monitor, understand, and manage the risks of algal toxins in a warming Arctic.



The message is clear: warming oceans aren't a future threat - they are already unleashing toxic risks in the Arctic that are reshaping what coastal populations can safely eat.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09230-5">Nature</a>.



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Whales reveal a toxic threat to Arctic food webs

The presence of algal toxins in bowhead whales, a key food source for Native Alaskan communities, points to a disturbing shift in the Arctic. As the Arctic Ocean warms, harmful algae are spreading and moving up the food chain. A new study confirms what many in northern Alaska have long suspected: the marine life they depend on is changing in ways that threaten their health and food security. Toxic threat to Arctic communities Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution were part of a major, multi-institutional study...

The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) was launched last April in an effort to study severe thunderstorms. Just a year later, the observation facility is already providing scientists with a better understanding of the role that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/thunderstorms-nuclear-reactions/">thunderstorms</a> play in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate and how lightning is created.

Located on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), the ASIM is flying 400 meters above the Earth to observe upper-atmospheric lightning known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, which occur at higher altitudes than normal lightning. 

According to a report from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a>, the first ASIM measurements have revealed how terrestrial gamma-ray flashes form in the atmosphere. The observations have also produced an unprecedented amount of data showing blue lightning above thunderclouds.

“We are seeing new things and have gained so much knowledge on the internal anatomy of lightning. Besides the terrestrial gamma-flashes our recordings show lots of blue lightning that spread like fireworks above thunderclouds. It looks crazy,” said Torsten Neubert, who is the lead scientist for the ASIM project at DTU Space.

[caption id="attachment_1871088" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/thunderstorm.png"><img class="wp-image-1871088" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/thunderstorm.png" alt="" width="650" height="394" /></a> Thunderstorm seen from the International Space Station, Image Credit: ESA/NASA[/caption]

The images are particularly important because they are captured from an angle that will makes it easier for researchers to view what is occurring.

“ASIM is an excellent example of the exciting and important research we carry out aboard the International Space Station,” said Andreas. “Research that will contribute with new knowledge about our world. Filming the blue lightning was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my mission in 2015.”


A better understanding of processes occurring in Earth’s atmosphere can help to improve atmospheric models and climate projections. In the future, the science team may also use the ASIM observation facility to study aurora and meteors over the Earth.

The ASIM discoveries were presented at a European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How do thunderstorms affect the Earth’s climate?

The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) was launched last April in...

According to a new study from the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>, the distribution of fungi associated with various forest trees has shifted over the past three decades in North America. This shift has been largely due to the impact of human activities including fire suppression, increased nitrogen deposition, and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-forests-fire/">climate change</a>. 

The research team, which was led by Insu Jo from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, has determined that the changes in tree-fungi pairing have the potential to accelerate nutrient cycling and affect carbon storage across North American forests. 

The cycling of nutrients such as nitrogen through forest soils and the diversity of plant life are significantly influenced by the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi, which means that alterations can impact the health of the entire forest ecosystem. In North American temperate forests, the two main types of tree-fungi groups are arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) trees. 

The current study was focused on over three million trees in the United States. The team found that the abundance of AM and EM trees is primarily driven by climate differences. 

The researchers concluded that an increase in temperatures and decrease in precipitation, combined with fire suppression and nitrogen deposition from sources such as chemical fertilizers, has increased the abundance of AM trees and made them more dominant in the eastern part of the country. 

According to the study authors, the widespread shift in the distribution of tree-fungi pairing has the potential to increase nutrient cycling, which could have significant consequences for how carbon and nitrogen are stored and released by North American forests.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

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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

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

The composition of North American forests have been altered

According to a new study from the American Association for...

Water reallocation, where water is transferred from rural areas to cities to meet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increasing-supply-water-shortages/">water demands</a>, has been systematically reviewed at the global level for the first time in a new study. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> examined water reallocation worldwide to see how much city populations depend on rural water sources and predict how growing city populations will impact water demand.

Currently, 69 cities with populations at 383 million people get 16 billion cubic meters of reallocated water per year, according to the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. 

Twenty-one cities including Amman in Jordan and Hyderabad in India depend on multiple water reallocation projects to meet demand. 

Rural to urban water reallocation is only expected to increase, particularly in areas of Asia and North America, the researchers say. 

There has been limited research and data on water reallocation in the past. To remedy this, an international collaboration of researchers reviewed and analyzed almost 100 publications that focused on water reallocation and urban water demand to produce a global reallocation database. 

However, the researchers say there are still some major gaps in the data, and limited data from some of the most vulnerable regions of the world could make future water reallocation research and policies challenging. 

“The global figures represent the tip of the iceberg - a lower-bound estimate," said Dr. Dustin Garrick, the lead author of the study. “Our review shows that we are woefully underestimating the size and scale, as well as the costs and benefits of rural-to-urban water reallocation, due to major blind spots in the data, particularly where South America and Africa are concerned.”

Global urban populations have quadrupled since 1960 and this has created more demand for water in urban areas and it's a trend that will only continue, as 2.5 billion more people are expected to inhabit urban cities by 2050. 

The researchers found that cities hold most of the power in terms of economic and political sway in water deals and sometimes this can result in an unfair deal that harms rural populations. 

The team says that reallocation can create deep resentment between rural and urban areas unless careful considerations are made for both parties. 

“Our research indicates that governance matters,” said Dr. Dustin Garrick, the lead author of the study. “Cities and rural regions need forums to negotiate deals, assuage conflicts, mitigate impacts and share the benefits from these projects.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Growing city populations will put pressure on rural water sources

Water reallocation, where water is transferred from rural areas to...

The latest report from the <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-march-2019">Copernicus Climate Change Service</a> shows that surface air temperatures in March were some of the warmest on record for the month.

Record-breaking heat waves in Australia coupled with warmer than average temperatures in Europe over the past month only continue a sobering trend of recent record-breaking temperatures linked to climate change. 

Australia experienced its <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/aus/summary.shtml">warmest March on record</a> and as a result of the extremely high temperatures and lack of precipitation, parts of the country are dealing with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/australia-battles-drought/">devastating droughts </a>and bushfires. 

In Eastern Europe, temperatures were three degrees Celsius above average, and in Alaska, Canada, and central Siberia, temperatures were above average as well. 

Southern Africa, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan also experienced higher temperatures during March, and even Antarctica wasn’t spared from experiencing above average norms in some regions. 

While the rest of the world dealt with record highs, Norway, Sweden and Finland had slightly lower temperatures during the month of March.

[caption id="attachment_1871060" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/march.png"><img class="wp-image-1871060" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/march.png" alt="" width="650" height="243" /></a> Credit: ECMWF, Copernicus Climate Change Service[/caption]

A recent monthly report from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) also showed higher than average global temperatures during the past month.

January through February 2019 was the fourth hottest two-month period in 140 years of recorded history. 

According to the World Meteorological Association <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/state-of-climate-2018-shows-accelerating-climate-change-impacts">2018 State of the Climate Report</a>, the impacts of climate change are accelerating, and we can expect to see climate extremes and record-breaking temperatures as the norm rather than the exception in the coming years. 

--

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: Tomasz Karwowski / Shutterstock

Last month was the second hottest March on record

The latest report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows...

Could methane-eating bacteria keep methane emissions in check?. Numerous climate studies have shown how increases in CO2 emissions caused by human activities play a significant role in climate change. When working on solutions to help reduce CO2 emissions, one potential method involves planting more trees and plants to take in more CO2 which will then be converted to oxygen. 

Recent studies have focused on potential solutions like increasing tree cover to mitigate climate change... but what about other potent greenhouse gasses? Are there natural safeguards that we can turn to help decrease <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clams-worms-high-methane/">methane</a> (CH4) or ozone? 

The answer is yes. 

Some strains of bacteria in the soil take in methane and convert it into oxygen. These bacteria are called methane-oxidizing bacteria, and they are the only known “biological sink” for trapping and storing methane. 

Now for the first time, researchers from the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> and the <a href="https://en.uit.no/">Arctic University of Norway</a> have analyzed bacteria cultures and discovered the underlying mechanisms that drive this mysterious and vulnerable methane-eating microbe. 

A <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/04/02/1817812116">study</a> describing the bacteria Methylocapsa Gorgana was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Could methane-eating bacteria keep methane emissions in check?

The bacteria could help reduce atmospheric methane emissions by trapping methane in the soil before it makes its way to the atmosphere. Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas and has much more warming potential than carbon dioxide. 

The first methane-oxidizing bacteria were discovered in 1906, but it wasn’t until recently that researchers were able to study these microbes in detail. 

In this study, the researchers found that the bacteria can survive on just small amounts of methane but could potentially feed on carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen as well. 

Currently, the bacteria doesn’t take in nearly enough methane to offset methane emitted from human activities and livestock. 

To help enhance the methane-eating potential of the bacteria, the researchers recommend genetically modifying the bacteria to take in more methane and other greenhouse gasses. 

The researchers do warn that the bacteria is extremely fragile and vulnerable to disruptions in the soil from agriculture and development. 

“The isolation and characterization of a member of these recalcitrant organisms have direct implications for our understanding of the biological sink of atmospheric CH4 and how atmospheric trace gases support life on our and possibly other planets,” the researchers conclude in their study.

--

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 methane-eating bacteria keep methane emissions in check?

Could methane-eating bacteria keep methane emissions in check?. Numerous climate...

Ice core extraction near Concordia station

An international team of researchers is working to obtain Antarctic ice cores that hold a historical record of the climate over the past 1.5 million years. After searching for three years to find the ideal site, the scientists have selected “Little Dome C,” one of the coldest and most lifeless places on Earth.

The project, known as <a href="https://www.beyondepica.eu/">Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice (BE-OI)</a>, is being led by Olaf Eisen from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research.

Little Dome C is a three hour drive by snowmobile from the Concordia Antarctic station, which is a site where researchers previously drilled more than 3,000 meters deep. The analysis of the resulting ice cores produced a climate record that dates back  800,000 years. 

“During that time, there were alternating periods: long glacials and shorter interglacials, at an interval of roughly every hundred thousand years,” explained Eisen. 

Tiny bubbles trapped in the prehistoric ice contain air from the time when the ice formed, which means they can be used to measure concentrations of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dioxide-levels-spike/">carbon dioxide</a> and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-atmospheric-methane-ozone/">methane</a>. The researchers found that when the Earth's climate was cold, there was considerably less carbon dioxide and methane in the air compared to warmer time periods.

The experts do not yet have any ice cores from the time period when the alternating  rhythm between cold and warmer intervals changed significantly. 

“More than 1.2 million years ago, the cycles were only roughly 40,000 years long, and were set off by regular changes in the angle of the Earth's axis,” explained Eisen. “This was followed by a transitional period of roughly 300,000 years, before the hundred-thousand-year rhythm began, roughly 900,000 years ago.”

Testing the air bubbles trapped in the ice is the only way for scientists to gather data on carbon dioxide and methane, as well as their impact on the climate. “Accordingly, after having gathered the 800,000-year-old EPICA samples, there are very good reasons for drilling into ice that's at least 1.5 million years old,” explained Eisen. 

This would give the scientists a better understanding of the environmental  conditions during the “mid-Pleistocene transition” and the 40,000-year rhythm that preceded it.

If the European Union approves the second phase of BE-OI, the drilling at Little Dome C will begin in November of 2021. The drilling will continue over three Antarctic summers until a depth of 2,730 meters is reached, where the ice should be at least 1.5 million years old.


The <a href="https://www.beyondepica.eu/">BE-OI</a> presented its findings at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna.

--

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>

Main Image © Thibaut Vergoz

The oldest ice on Earth could reveal key insight into climate change

An international team of researchers is working to obtain Antarctic...

Melting polar ice is one of the many significant consequences of climate change and our warming world – and it’s one that carries many of its own consequences as well. But while the melting of the polar ice caps is significant, ice loss isn’t only happening in the polar regions. A new study has found that glaciers around the world have lost over 9,000 gigatons (also known as nine trillion tons) of ice since 1961. This has resulted in a sea level rise of 27 mm. 

Led by the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a> in Switzerland, an international team used classical geological field observations in tandem with satellite data to calculate how much ice has been gained or lost in 19 difference glacierized regions across the planet. Their study was published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, and states that glaciers lost 9625 gigatons of ice between 1961 and 2016. These losses occurred most heavily in Alaska, as well as glaciers on the edge of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-sheet-melting/">Greenland ice sheet</a> and glaciers in the southern Andes. 

One of the interesting finds was that glaciers in southwest Asia actually gained 119 gigatons of ice, but southeast Asia lost 112 gigatons, effectively canceling out its neighbor’s gain. 

“Glacier outlines are needed to make precise calculations for the areas in question,” explains co-author Frank Paul. “To date, this information came largely from the US Landsat satellites, the data from which are delivered to European users under <a href="http://www.esa.int/ESA">ESA</a>’s [European Space Agency] Third Party mission agreement. In the future, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, in particular, will increasingly contribute to the precise monitoring of glacier change.”

The glaciological measurements the researchers made in the field allowed them to determine annual fluctuations in ice loss, while their satellite data provided the ability to determine ice loss over several years or decades. 

“While we can now offer clear information about how much ice each region with glaciers has lost, it is also important to note that the rate of loss has increased significantly over the last 30 years,” says research leader Michael Zemp. “We are currently losing a total of 335 billion tonnes of ice a year, corresponding to a rise in sea levels of almost 1 mm per year.”

Although warming ocean water is still the main contributor to sea-level rise, melting glacier ice is the second biggest driver behind our rising seas. “In other words, every single year we are losing about three times the volume of all ice stored in the European Alps, and this accounts for around 30% of the current rate of sea-level rise,” explains Zemp.

Along with sea level rise, melting glaciers also result in less water for the Earth’s population, less hydroelectric power and less water for crops. Glacial melt can also increase the risk of natural hazards such as glacier-lake outburst floods and related debris flows. 

“Bearing in mind the socio-economic consequences, the fate of glaciers in a future climate is something ESA views seriously,” says Mark Drinkwater, Senior Advisor on cryosphere and climate at ESA. “It is fundamental that we build upon existing monitoring capabilities using observations from the EC’s Copernicus Sentinel missions, and other ESA and Third Party Mission missions. Their data crucially allow us to build a robust climate perspective to reveal regional and year-to-year fluctuations of glaciers and other parts of the cryosphere such as snow cover, sea ice and ice sheets.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Main Image Credit: NASA/USGS/University of Edinburgh/ETH Zurich/contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018)

9 trillion tons: The cost of glacial melt over the last 50 years

Melting polar ice is one of the many significant consequences...

Air pollution may shorten life expectancy of children by 20 months. A new global air pollution report emphasizes the negative health impacts of dangerous pollutants and the disproportionate burden of poor air quality in Asia and Africa. 

The <a href="http://www.stateofglobalair.org/sites/default/files/soga_2019_report.pdf">2019 State of Global Air (SOGA) report</a> is a collaboration between the <a href="https://www.healtheffects.org/">Health Effects Institute</a> and the <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/gbd">Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Burden of Disease</a>. 

The yearly report is meant to provide the public with a comprehensive overview of the most up to date information on air quality and health for the world’s nations.  2019’s report marks the first time that air pollution’s impact on life expectancy was factored into the findings. 

Understanding how air pollution impacts human health and wellbeing is vital especially as the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> recently found that 90 percent of the world’s population breathes highly polluted air. 

“The growing burden of disease from air pollution is among the major challenges facing national governments and public health officials, with far-reaching implications for national economies and human well-being,” the report said.

Research has shown that air pollution shortens <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-shortens-life-spans/">life expectancy</a> and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.Air pollution may shorten life expectancy of children by 20 months 

Children are the most susceptible to the life-threatening impacts of air pollution, and the report found that poor air quality can shorten their lifespan by 20 months. In South Asia, air pollution is shortening lifespans by 30 months. 

One of the most significant problems with air pollution is the high levels of PM 2.5 or particulate matter that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. 

“Major PM 2.5 sources in India include household burning of solid fuels; dust from construction, roads, and other activities; industrial and power plant burning of coal; brick production; transportation; and diesel-powered equipment,” the report said. 

In African countries, air pollution shortens average life expectancy by two years. 

Air pollution in some countries is such a widespread and toxic problem that governments are turning to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asian-countries-persistent-air-pollution/">extreme measures like cloud seeding</a> to make it rain or installing outdoor air purifiers. 

--

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>

Air pollution may shorten life expectancy of children by 20 months

Air pollution may shorten life expectancy of children by 20...

The world’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-health-threats/">ocean plastic pollution crisis</a> is only expected to get worse in the coming decades as more and more microplastics and non-degradable plastics enter the oceans. 

Tracking the sources of these plastics is challenging, and researchers are working to understand how plastics travel through watersheds worldwide and filter out into the ocean. 

Now, a new global initiative called the 100 Plastic Rivers Project led by the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham</a> aims to shed more light on how some plastic pollution enters the ocean from rivers and streams. 

Researchers from over 60 locations worldwide are part of the of the project and working to collect sediment and water samples from rivers and river mouths. If scientists can gain a better understanding of how microplastics and other plastic pollution is filtered through watersheds and accumulate in river sediments, it will be easier to tackle these problems at the source and reduce ocean plastic pollution. 

“Even if we all stopped using plastic right now, there would still be decades, if not centuries-worth of plastics being washed down rivers and into our seas,” said Stefan Krause, a professor at the University of Birmingham.

As sediment and water samples are collected, the researchers will analyze the primary microplastics like microbeads and secondary microplastics like fibers from clothing that have broken down over time in the samples. 

One crucial aspect of the project is to create a standard framework for sampling river sediments. A team from the University of Birmingham provided members of the 100 Plastic Rivers Project with a toolkit and detailed instructions to ensure that all samples are collected and analyzed with the same methodology.

In a pilot study conducted by the University of Birmingham that focused on rivers in the UK and France Channel Coast, researchers found that there was a larger variety of plastics than anticipated. 

The results of that initial study only further emphasize the extensive global problems with pollution and its sources. 

 “We're getting more and more aware of the problems this is causing in our oceans, but we are now only starting to look at where these plastics are coming from, and how they're accumulating in our river systems,” said Krause. “We need to understand this before we can really begin to understand the scale of the risk that we're facing.” 

The first results of the 100 Plastic Rivers Project will be presented later this month at the General Assembly of the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/">European Geosciences Union</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Benedek Alpar/Shutterstock

Tracking ocean plastic to river sources can aid management efforts

The world’s ocean plastic pollution crisis is only expected to...

Earth has gone through five major mass extinction events, ranging from the “Great Dying” where nearly all marine life on Earth was wiped out 252 years ago, to the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary where all non-avian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-event-darkness/">dinosaurs went extinct</a>. 

But despite these past mass extinctions, life on Earth recovered and diversified, and now researchers have a better idea of the role evolution plays in this recovery. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> conducted a study examining the 10 million year lag in recovery after an extinction event. 

This speed limit for recovery has been identified by past studies and is a well-known factor in life recovery, but this recent research is the first to link evolution the long recovery time. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. 

The results are important because having a better understanding of how life recovered in the past will help future research on how climate change and human activities impact biodiversity, biomass, and species abundance. 

It was previously thought that environmental factors influenced recovery times. For this study, the researchers focused on Earth’s most recent mass extinction, the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs.

[caption id="attachment_1871011" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Why-full-recovery-from-a-mass-extinction-can-take-10-million-years.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1871011" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Why-full-recovery-from-a-mass-extinction-can-take-10-million-years.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="514" /></a> Artist's interpretation of the sea floor after the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. Image Credit: University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences/John Maisano[/caption]

The team analyzed foraminifera fossils, which are a type of plankton with calcified shells and that are abundantly found in the fossil record and ocean sediments. 

After comparing foraminifera species diversity to the physical complexity of the species, the researchers found that complexity recovered first before the species diversified. This means that the foraminifera had to recover lost evolutionary traits before the species could diversify and branch out. 

Ten million years after the extinction event, the fossil record revealed foraminifera diversity levels were back to pre-mass extinction event levels. 

Even though the Earth was able to support life and species diversification soon after the extinction event, the foraminifera still took much longer to recover. 

The results indicated that evolution, not environmental factors, are the biggest driver in species’ recovery periods.

“We see this in our study, but the implication should be that these same processes would be active in all other extinctions,” said Christopher Lowery. “I think this is the likely explanation for the speed limit of recovery for everything.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences/John Maisano

Why full recovery from a mass extinction can take 10 million years

Earth has gone through five major mass extinction events, ranging...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/">University of Alaska Fairbanks</a> (UAF) International Arctic Research Center has revealed air temperature changes in the Arctic to be the “smoking gun” behind the rapidly changing climate conditions and severe weather across the globe.

After investigating all of the potential triggers for extreme climate change across the region, the study authors found that “increasing air temperatures and precipitation are drivers of major changes in various components of the Arctic system.”

According to John Walsh, who is the chief scientist for the UAF, climate indicators are key pieces of information that capture the essence of a system. For example, the extent of sea ice in September represents the effects of variables such as wind, ocean heat, and air temperature. 

This study is the first of its kind to combine observations of physical climate indicators, such as snow cover, with biological impacts.

“I didn't expect the tie-in with temperature to be as strong as it was,” said Walsh. “All the variables are connected with temperature. All components of the Arctic system are involved in this change. Never have so many Arctic indicators been brought together in a single paper.”

The investigation was based on historical observations from 1971 to 2017 of nine key indicators including air temperature, permafrost, hydroclimatology, snow cover, sea ice, land ice, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-burning-two-million-acres/">wildfires</a>, terrestrial ecosystems, and carbon cycling.

“The Arctic system is trending away from its 20th century state and into an unprecedented state, with implications not only within but beyond the Arctic,” said study lead author Jason Box of the <a href="https://eng.geus.dk/">Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland</a>.

“Because the Arctic atmosphere is warming faster than the rest of the world, weather patterns across Europe, North America and Asia are becoming more persistent, leading to extreme weather conditions. Another example is the disruption of the ocean circulation that can further destabilize climate: for example, cooling across northwestern Europe and strengthening of storms.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/erl">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Rising temps in the Arctic are driving extreme weather across the globe

A new study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)...

As is often the case with major cultural movements, it’s clear in the environmental movement that the status quo cannot be maintained while the goals of the movement are met.  A new major goal of the environmental movement as a means to an end is the reshaping of global economies. 

Economics have to date fueled much environmental destruction and injustice.  In many ways, economics as they are now are merely a conduit of changing nature (and human labor) into money that is collected mainly by the already powerful.  

There isn’t a solid consensus on how economics fit in with the environment.  One side of the environmental movement sees economics as a solution to the environmental crisis while the other side feels that the economic apparatus must be completely destroyed.  Mainstream environmentalism primarily seems to have embraced ideas of economic reform on massive scales as we’ve seen in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-new-deal/">Green New Deal</a> which has been called socialist by its critics.  The criticism of environmentalism as being anti-capitalist or anti-economics is nothing new.  <a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/reckoning-with-history-critics-of-the-green-new-deal-rail-against-socialism-weve-seen-this-before">High Country News</a> reports that The New Deal and National Forests were once dismissed by critics as socialism.  

The <a href="https://www.nlg.org/the-attack-on-climate-justice-movements/">National Lawyers Guild</a> points out that with the formation of the EPA and other environmental regulations, environmentalism has often squared off against corporate profit.  The point isn’t whether these programs are or are not socialist. The point is that on some level, capitalism is about selfishly consuming ‘resources’ including trees, animals, land.  The environmental movement is opposed to this selfish destruction and consumption and so is opposed to current capitalist economics.

Unfortunately, the government is very invested in economics, even within the realm of conservation.  National Forests, parks, and wildlife are all defined economically. This reductionism is a large part of what has lead to the confrontation between environmentalists, the government and other champions of the status quo.  Jack Turner describes the problem well in his book The Abstract Wild:

“Economists and scientists have conned us into speaking of trees as “resources,” wilderness as a “management unit,” and picas gathering grass for winter because of “incentives.” In accepting these descriptions, we allow a set of experts to define our concerns in economic terms and predetermine the range of possible responses.  Often we cannot even raise the issues important to us because the economic language of others excludes our issues from the discussion.” 

It’s easy to see why economics have come to define so much in our daily discussion.  Talks of the economy overshadow basic moral principles. Time and again, the discussion of allowing immigrants into the United States turns on economic cost versus benefit instead of the moral validity of seeking asylum from violence.  The same is true of much criticism of the environmental movement and even some ideas within the movement itself. Because of the opposing goals of environmentalists and the United States government, a conflict is inevitable.

Protests are on the rise.  According to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/7/17209710/trump-protest-poll">Vox</a>, more people than ever have protested the current presidential administration on a number of issues.  The feeling is that many people are getting frustrated by only voting and letting elected officials decide what to do and are demanding action now.  The environmental movement is included in the frustration. In the face of little government action to really confront climate change, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/students-protest-climate-change-inaction/">students across the world</a> have joined in protesting.  As protests begin to ramp up, the government has started to respond.  

The <a href="https://www.nlg.org/the-attack-on-climate-justice-movements/">National Lawyers Guild</a> reported last month of a rise in laws aimed at attacking environmental activism.  Protests against fossil fuel interests are often attacked under the guise of protecting critical infrastructure.  The National Lawyers Guild reports that since 2017, bills to designate fossil fuels as critical infrastructure and allow greater latitude in prosecuting those who protest them have been introduced 18 times in 12 states.  There are currently 8 states considering such bills now. Lawsuits are also routinely brought against protestors by private companies with the goal of merely tying protestors up in long and expensive lawsuits. 

Meanwhile, law enforcement regularly labels activists as ecoterrorists or extremists.  These labels are used to justify militarized responses from law enforcement and private security firms as seen in the protests at Standing Rock.  This goes beyond the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-protesting/">crack down</a> I reported on recently on those groups protesting pipelines in the US.  It extends beyond one group and also applies to other countries as well. 

<a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/01/polish-crackdown-ahead-climate-talks">Human Rights Watch</a> reported that Poland moved to limit the rights of environmental protestors before the climate talks there.  This essentially allowed the talks to proceed without any private citizens or environmental groups having a voice on issues that affect us all.  The Polish law forbid spontaneous protests in Katowice during the 2018 climate talks there. Laws like this one and others throughout the world show that although governments and corporations may talk about the threat of climate change and environmental responsibility, they aren’t willing to be held accountable.  Similar actions have been taken at other climate talks. 

During the climate talks in Paris, protestors were placed under house arrest where they reported to police three times a day, according to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-29/climate-protesters-banned-in-paris-security-crackdown/6983870">Australian Broadcasting Corporation</a>.  <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34401931/ns/us_news-environment/t/denmark-frees-nearly-climate-protesters/#.XKoslhplChA">NBC</a> reported that during climate talks in Copenhagen, 968 protestors were detained.        

Those with wealth and those already benefiting from global capitalism are doing their best to either keep the system as it is or rebuild it in a way that continues to disproportionately benefit them.  There is nothing new in those with power trying to maintain that power through actions of military and government. What is new is how much is at stake at this moment. We’re going through a period of unprecedented environmental destruction, not just from climate change but from habitat destruction and development.  Protests are acts of desperation from those who have no other recourse to be heard. Attacking protestors is an act of desperation from those at the top, afraid that change will mean nothing but loss for them. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

As calls get louder, governments crack down on environmental protests

As is often the case with major cultural movements, it’s...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

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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



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

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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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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