Climate change solutions might be closer than we think - not in labs or remote forests, but in the microbes living in our homes. James Henriksen, a microbiologist at <a href="https://www.colostate.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colorado State University</a>, believes the secret to fighting climate change could be hiding in dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters.



Henriksen wants everyone to join the hunt for extremophiles - organisms that thrive in extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-wins-in-2025-came-from-unexpected-places/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conditions</a>. They’re tiny, they’re tough, and some might be surprisingly useful.



These microbes have adapted to harsh environments, evolving traits that could potentially absorb carbon dioxide or clean up pollutants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-home-microbes-fighting-climate-change">Home microbes fighting climate change</h2>



<a href="https://citsci.org/projects/the-extremophile-campaign-in-the-wild/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home</a> is a new initiative from CitSci, the Two Frontiers Project, and SeedLabs. It kicked off in October, rallying citizen scientists to search for hidden organisms.



“We believe that we have found new organisms, and we know that they have unique characteristics purely from the fact that they're growing and thriving in some of these unusual environments,” Henriksen said. Already, the campaign has led to some intriguing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/south-africas-land-is-continuously-rising-as-water-disappears-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discoveries</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-microbe-with-a-big-appetite">A microbe with a big appetite</h2>



Deep in the volcanic ocean vents off the island of Vulcano, Henriksen and his team stumbled upon Chonkus. This cyanobacterium isn’t just any microbe. It devours carbon dioxide and then sinks, locking away CO2 in the ocean depths.



Unlike plants, Chonkus can absorb far more CO2, using photosynthesis to turn the gas into biomass. It’s a microscopic powerhouse that might one day help mitigate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/todays-children-will-face-more-climate-extremes-than-ever-before/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> change.



Henriksen isn’t surprised. “Half the air you're breathing comes from microbes,” he said. “They play essential roles in carbon and nitrogen cycles.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-microbes">Mapping the microbes</h2>



Henriksen co-founded the Two Frontiers Project to hunt for microbes in extreme environments – from the depths of the ocean to outer space. But what about the extreme environments right under our noses?



“There’s not just unknown species,” he said. “It’s like there’s a rainforest everywhere you look, and we know almost nothing about the organisms there and what they can do.”



Our homes, it turns out, are teeming with unseen life - and Henriksen wants us to pay attention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbes-hidden-in-the-home">Microbes hidden in the home</h2>



If you’re feeling brave, take a closer look at your appliances. What’s lurking inside your dishwasher or around the base of your water heater? If it’s slimy, crusty, or gooey, Henriksen wants to hear about it.



Instead of scrubbing away the weird spots and unpleasant odors, you can help scientists by documenting them. That slimy film? It could be home to a whole community of extremophiles - microbes that might hold the key to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-now-impacting-earths-rotation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate solutions</a>.



Participating is easy. Snap a photo of your odd discovery. Fill out an online survey at <a href="https://citsci.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CitSci.org</a>. If researchers need more information, they’ll send a collection kit.



Henriksen’s team will then analyze the samples using metagenomic sequencing. Each microbe’s DNA will be studied, cataloged, and possibly saved for future research. Some samples might even lead to new scientific breakthroughs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-in-the-slime">What's in the slime?</h2>



Metagenomic sequencing sounds complex, but the goal is simple: figure out what’s living in that slimy mess. Henriksen and his team are looking for microbes that can absorb CO₂, degrade <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollutants-from-fossil-fuels-are-embedded-in-coral-skeletons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollutants</a>, or perform other useful tasks.



The DNA data will be stored for future study. Some organisms might be cultivated and tested further. Every sample holds the potential for new discoveries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-hidden-survivors">Nature's hidden survivors </h2>



Beyond homes, the Extremophile Campaign: In the Wild asks people to keep an eye out for microbial hotspots in nature. Springs in places like Colorado and California often contain unusual chemistry - acidic water, carbonation, and, yes, slime.



"Life is surviving and thriving in this hot water, in water that is as carbonated as soda pop and as acidic as lemon juice,” Henriksen said. “Microbes are pulling high concentrations of CO₂ out of the water, out of the air, and they're building that slime or the green algae that you see.”&nbsp;



If you spot something slimy, crusty, or just plain weird, the researchers want to know.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-platform-to-fight-climate-change-nbsp">A platform to fight climate change&nbsp;</h2>



Both extremophile campaigns run through CitSci.org, a platform that connects researchers with citizen scientists. The site was developed at Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory two decades ago and now hosts nearly 1,500 projects.



“CitSci has been an amazing partner in helping get this up and running,” Henriksen said. 



Through CitSci, Henriksen hopes to gather data from as many people and places as possible. With more eyes on the ground, the chances of finding new microbial allies in the climate fight increase.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-gunk-might-save-the-planet">Your gunk might save the planet</h2>



Henriksen sees potential in every home. That gross gunk in your appliance? It might contain the next Chonkus – a microbe that could capture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountains-both-carbon-sinks-and-carbon-sources/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon</a> or break down pollutants. All it takes is a photo, a survey, and a bit of curiosity.



“We believe that everybody can contribute and participate in science," Henriksen said. &nbsp;



From volcanic vents to kitchen sinks, the next big climate solution might be hiding in plain sight - and researchers want you to help find it.



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Slime found in home appliances could help fight climate change

Climate change solutions might be closer than we think - not in labs or remote forests, but in the microbes living in our homes. James Henriksen, a microbiologist at Colorado State University, believes the secret to fighting climate change could be hiding in dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters. Henriksen wants everyone to join the hunt for extremophiles - organisms that thrive in extreme conditions. They’re tiny, they’re tough, and some might be surprisingly useful. These microbes have adapted to harsh environments, evolving traits that could potentially...

How much of an impact does ocean trash have on the environment, coastal economies and human health? 

That’s what a team of researchers from <a href="http://www.disl.org/">Dauphin Island Sea Lab</a> and the <a href="https://missionaransas.org/">Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve</a> set out to discover in a two-year study in the Gulf of Mexico.

Between February 2015 and August 2017, the team monitored 12 sites on a series of nine barrier islands that range from North Padre Island off the coast of Texas to Santa Rosa, Florida. They sorted through ocean trash that washed ashore, separating by type, frequency, and where it was collected.

“With this information we are investigating three specific questions: (1) what are the major types/sources of marine debris; (2) does debris deposition have seasonal oscillations; and (3) how does debris deposition change spatially?” the researchers wrote in their report, published in the ScienceDirect journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X18308749?via%3Dihub">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.

The answers were sometimes shocking, the researchers said.

For example, they discovered that ocean trash washes up on the shore of Texas at more than 10 times the rate as at other Gulf State locations. 

Somewhat less surprising was the makeup of the ocean trash they collected. From 69 to 95 percent of the garbage was <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-oceans-triple/">plastic</a>, the team found. That included plastic bottles and bottle caps, straws, spoons and forks, clothing hangers and more. Much of the plastic had broken down into indeterminate pieces. Other debris included aerosol cans, string and cigarette butts.

“[T]here was a significant increase in debris accumulation during the spring and summer seasons,” the researchers noted. More human activity on the water during the warmer months could account for much of that, they said.

They also found that they could predict when and how much ocean trash would accumulate in areas with high freshwater influx.

“Marine debris is an economic, environmental, human health, and aesthetic problem posing a complex challenge to communities around the globe,” the researchers wrote.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Study looks at ocean trash in the Gulf of Mexico

How much of an impact does ocean trash have on...

The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> on Thursday outlined a plan to roll back limits on mercury emissions put in place by the Obama administration, declaring them too costly.

The new plan proposes that “it is not appropriate or necessary” to regulate mercury emissions from coal and gas plants, according to a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-12/documents/frnmatsfindingandrtr_12_2018wdisc.pdf">document released by the EPA</a>. However, the agency is seeking input from the public.

“The EPA is planning to hold at least one public hearing in response to this proposed action. Information about the hearing, including location, date, and time, along with instructions on how to register to speak at the hearing, will be published in a second Federal Register document,” the agency said.

The public has 60 days to comment.

The proposal has drawn concern and criticism from environmental experts – not just because of the potential effects of loosening restrictions on mercury emissions, but also because it could set a precedent affecting other efforts to protect the environment.

“It will make it much more difficult for the government to justify environmental regulations in many cases,” Dr. Robert N. Stavins, an environmental economics professor at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>.

Mercury pollution has been linked to a host of problems, from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/closing-coal-oil-power-improves-health/">negative impacts on fertility and infant health</a> to damaging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-and-animals-at-grand-canyon-accumulating-mercury-contamination/">plant and animal life</a>. Mercury – much of it from human activity – has been found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toxic-mercury-arctic-soil/">Arctic soil</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-find-mercury-in-antarctic-sea-ice/">Antarctic sea ice</a>.

When the Obama administration proposed the mercury emissions limits, it claimed that the restrictions would save the United States $80 billion in health costs per year. It would also prevent 11,000 premature deaths per year, not just by lowering mercury pollution, but also by limiting the air pollution associated with burning coal and oil – and with higher rates of heart and lung disease. Plants would have been required to reduce emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin, by 90 percent over five years. 

But the EPA estimates that the cost of implementing restrictions on mercury emissions could cost $7.4 billion to $9.6 billion annually, and estimates that it will only actually save $4 million to $6 million per year in health costs, the New York Times reported.

Critics of the Obama-era rule are welcoming the change.

“For a lot of folks, this was just another example of Obama regulatory overreach,” Jeffrey R. Holmstead, who served in the EPA under President George W. Bush and is now a partner at the legal firm Bracewell, told the Times.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

EPA to loosen Obama-era retrictions on mercury emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday outlined a plan to...

Nancy Pelosi revives climate change panel, taps Castor. Nancy Pelosi will reinstate a special climate change panel when the new Congress begins, and has selected <a href="https://castor.house.gov/">Florida Rep. Kathy Castor</a> to lead it.

The climate change panel will be similar to one created by Democrats in 2007. It was axed in 2011, when the Republican Party took control of the House of Representatives.

Membership and scope of the panel is still a work in progress, but it is unlikely to have subpoena authority. Still, the climate change panel could help shape how Congress responds to environmental issues, Pelosi said.Nancy Pelosi revives climate change panel, taps Castor

Pelosi cited Castor’s extensive experience in two key areas when announcing her selection to lead the committee.

“Congresswoman Castor is a proven champion for public health and green infrastructure, who deeply understands the scope and seriousness of this threat. Her decades of experience in this fight, both in Florida and in the Congress, will be vital,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi called Castor an “outstanding leader” on the <a href="https://castor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398686">House Democratic Environmental Message Team</a> and the <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/">Energy and Commerce Committee</a>.

Castor accepted the position on the climate change panel with promises to focus on green jobs and reducing carbon pollution. 

“The costs of the changing climate and extreme weather events pose greater risks every day to American families, businesses and our way of life,” Castor said.

While the committee won’t have subpoena authority, it is unlikely to need it, Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">The Guardian</a>. Hoyer, the incoming House majority leader, said scientists and other experts will be lining up to testify before Congress on climate issues.

“I think they’ll want to give the best information as it relates to the crisis,” he said.

Announcement of the climate change panel comes as many younger Democrats, including soon-to-be Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, are calling for a “Green New Deal” that includes new clean energy jobs.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Nancy Pelosi revives climate change panel, taps Castor

Nancy Pelosi revives climate change panel, taps Castor. Nancy Pelosi...

Feeling a chill? The unstable polar vortex is back, and it’s ready to deliver a brutal winter to the East Coast of the U.S., at least for the next several weeks – and maybe longer.

“[It] can affect the entire winter,” Dr. Judah Cohen told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a> in an interview.

Cohen, a climate researcher at <a href="https://www.aer.com/">Atmospheric and Environmental Research</a>, has been monitoring conditions in the Arctic, and says we’re in for another unstable polar vortex this winter.

A weaker polar vortex spells icy conditions and a brutal winter outside the Arctic. The polar vortex is a swirling mass of cold air centered, as the name indicates, near the North Pole. When it’s spinning tightly, that cold air stays massed in the Arctic.

But as the vortex loses stability, that cold air spills south, stretching freezing fingers of winter down farther south than usual.

The unstable polar vortex made itself felt last year, in February. Before then, Europe and Asia had seen a normal winter – cold, but nothing unusual.

Then, scientists say, the vortex was disrupted. The result? The “Beast from the East,” a frigid, sudden and brutal winter that swept from Siberia into the rest of the Eurasian continent. In March, another finger stretched down from the unstable polar vortex into the United States, hurling a series of nor’easters at the East Coast.

“We were still feeling the impacts into the end of April,” Cohen told the Post.

An unstable polar vortex led to brutal winter conditions in 2009-10 and 2013-14, too. The cause of the instability and the freezing temperatures that follow is usually, ironically, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warmer-arctic-northeast-winter/">warming in the stratosphere</a>, according to experts.

Current models by Cohen and his colleagues point to a burst of cold on the East Coast as we enter January, and in Europe toward the middle of the month, though conditions could change. Predicting the vortex is still a new and inexact science.

Still, people living in those areas should brace for freezing weather.

“Confidence is growing in a significant #PolarVortex disruption in the coming weeks,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/judah47/status/1072232091717373952?lang=en">tweeted</a>. “This could be the single most important determinant of the weather this #winter across the Northern Hemisphere.”

Read more about Cohen’s predictions at the <a href="https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation/">AER blog</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Unstable polar vortex may ring in 2019 with brutal winter

Feeling a chill? The unstable polar vortex is back, and...

On Friday at midnight, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) began the process of temporarily laying off employees, after the agency's funding ran out as a result of the partial government shutdown.

A week ago, 25 percent of federal agencies were already forced to cease normal operations after the government failed to agree on a final funding bill.

The House and Senate both met briefly on Thursday, yet no agreement was reached between Congressional Democrats and President Trump, who are at odds over $5 billion in funding that is needed for the proposed border wall.


According to an email obtained by <a href="https://thehill.com/">The Hill</a>, acting EPA administrator <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/andrew-wheeler-inew-epa-head/">Andrew Wheeler</a> has informed employees: “In the event an appropriation is not passed by midnight Friday, December 28th, EPA will initiate orderly shutdown procedures.”

The message also said that travel plans will be cancelled for furloughed employees, who were instructed to create an out of office email message and to change their voicemail greeting. 


During the EPA shutdown, more than 700 of the most essential EPA employees will have to work without pay, while the remaining 13,000 employees will be on temporary leave from their positions. 

In addition, the Smithsonian will close its museums and popular galleries, the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/12/29/epa-museums-close-shutdown-slogs-into-weekend/QieABjlBLyfdrAquiseysO/story.html">Boston Globe</a> reports. This includes The National Zoo, The National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of Natural History.

Overall, 400,000 federal employees will be affected by the partial government shutdown. In addition, previous EPA shutdowns have caused more than 134 facilities to close across the country. 

The Senate is not expected to reconvene until January 2, which is the same month that Democrats will take over the House. North Carolina Republican Representative Mark Meadows told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>, “At this point, it looks like we could be in for a very long-term shutdown.”

Activities such as inspections for drinking water systems and hazardous waste management sites could be potentially affected by the EPA shutdown. It will be up to senior officials to decide what work must continue in order to best protect public health.
--
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>

EPA runs out of money amid government shutdown, museums to close

On Friday at midnight, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began...

2018’s Winter Solstice had both a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/full-moon-meteor-shower/">full moon and a meteor shower</a>, closing out the year with some spectacular astronomical activity. 

But not to be outdone, 2019 will start with year with both a supermoon and a lunar eclipse, one of four eclipses expected to occur throughout the year. 

On January 21st, lucky stargazers will be privy to a “Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse” which will cast the moon in a coppery, red color, which is where the name “blood moon” comes from. 

The first full moon of the new year is referred to as a wolf moon, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/27/world/five-eclipses-in-2019-and-super-blood-wolf-moon-trnd/index.html">CNN</a>, which is why January’s hodgepodge supermoon eclipse event is being called a Super Blood Wolf Moon. 

A total lunar eclipse is only possible when the moon is full, according to <a href="https://earthsky.org/?p=295245">Earthsky</a>, and a supermoon describes the point when the moon is closest to Earth. 

When the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, which is called the Umbra, <a href="http://time.com/3479189/blood-moon/">the moon begins to get darker</a>, and when the Earth’s shadow surrounds the moon, it appears red. 

Because of the alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth, the sunlight that bounces off the Earth’s atmosphere refracts and reaches the moon’s surface, and the longer wavelengths of red and orange encase the moon in a pale reddish tinge. The whole eclipse from start to finish will last around three and a half hours. 


January, February, and March will all have supermoons, and February’s supermoon will the biggest and fullest of them all. 

Other major 2019 astronomy events will include a total solar eclipse which will be visible in South America and parts of South Asia and the rare sighting of Mercury as it passes between the <a href="https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/transit/catalog/MercuryCatalog.html">Earth and Sun</a>.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse will kick off the new year

2018’s Winter Solstice had both a full moon and a...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> have found that trace elements in fish ear bones can be used to track down <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/trumps-epa-coal-plants/">coal ash contamination</a> in the waters where the fish lived.

“Calcified structures - or otoliths - found in a fish's inner ear are known to store a lot of life history information, including chemical and physical records of the fish's age, natal habitat and migration patterns,” said study lead author Jessica Brandt, who is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a>. “We've shown that otoliths also capture the signatures of contaminants that have affected the fish's ecosystems.”

The team discovered that strontium isotope ratios in the otoliths of fish from two North Carolina lakes matched the strontium isotope ratios in sediment samples from the lake bed. Both of the lakes had received waste water from coal ash ponds at nearby power plants.

“This shows otoliths can be used as biogenic tracers to assess the potential for ecological impacts of coal ash waste streams in affected waters,” said Brandt. “While strontium behaves differently than the toxic elements in coal ash effluents, it helps us connect high levels of those elements back to the contamination source.”

Even after coal is burned and the ash comes into contact with water, the naturally occurring trace element strontium retains its isotopic ratios. According to study co-author Professor Avner Vengosh, this is the first time that strontium isotope ratios have been used to measure the impacts of coal ash on living organisms. 

“This definitely shows the strontium in the fish must be from coal ash contamination,” said Professor Vengosh.

Study co-author Richard Di Giulio is the Sally Kleberg Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Duke. He explained that while strontium isotope ratios in surface water samples from the lakes did not always match those in the fish otoliths, this could be because surface water ratios are more variable over time.

“This study's finding demonstrates that otolith studies can add to our existing research efforts,” said Brandt. “Water-based strontium isotope tracers only give us information about coal ash impacts at a particular point in time, but because otoliths continuously grow over a fish's lifetime, we could use time-series analyses of otoliths to determine the timing of waste stream discharges or spills going back several years. This represents an emerging and important new direction in environmental toxicology and water-quality research.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/estlcu">Environmental Science &amp; Technology Letters</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: Jessica Brandt, Duke University

Coal ash contamination in water can be tracked using fish bones

Researchers at Duke University have found that trace elements in...

75 percent of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen in glaciers which have been steadily retreating since the early half of the 20th century. Glaciers also cover ten percent of the world’s land area, but glacial melt due to climate change has been a major contributor to rising sea levels. 

Despite the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrinking-glacier-floating-ice/">important role glaciers play in rising sea levels</a> and their rapid rates of decline, relatively little has been known about glacier motion or ice friction between glaciers and the bedrock below. 

Glacial movement has been difficult to study because of the inaccessibility of the bedrock beneath them. Glaciers are thousands of feet thick, and even the most advanced radar and satellite technology can’t penetrate through all that ice to study how masses of ice move or the friction that ice in contact with the bedrock causes. 

But now, Bo Persson, a theoretical physicist from <a href="http://www.fz-juelich.de/portal/EN/Home/home_node.html">Jülich Research Center</a> in Germany, offers a solution to studying glacial movement in a new piece published in the Journal of Chemical Physics. 

Persson developed a new model of ice friction that accounts for a wide range of factors including water-filled cavities, melting temperatures, the temperature at the bedrock/glacier interface, regelation which is the melting and freezing caused by pressure changes, and the topography of the bedrock below. 

Accounting for surface roughness of both the ice and bedrock is especially important for modeling glacier movement because it can create friction and impact the speed of glacial movement. 

“The pressure fluctuates because of the bedrock surface roughness,” Persson said. “If you have a big ‘bump’ on the bedrock, the ice pressure against the bump will be higher on the side where the ice moves against the bump.” 

Persson reviewed previous studies of rubber surfaces that slide against each other or stay together and theorized that the models applied to those studies could be used to research glaciers as the principles are similar. 

“The most important contribution of my theory is that it describes accurately the formation of cavities during sliding, and shows that cavitation indeed occurs for sliding speeds typical of flowing glaciers,” said Persson. 

Glaciers are often filled with cavities of pressurized water that form when the glacier slides across the rough bedrock. As these cavities fill with water, they can act as lubrication, reducing friction and increasing the speed of glacial movement. 

“The friction between glacier and the bedrock is of crucial importance for the flow of glaciers and for the prediction of the increase in the sea level due to the melting of the polar ice caps,” said Persson.

Persson’s model will help improve glacier and ice sheet models and allow researchers to make more accurate projections about sea level rise and melting glaciers. 

“We ice sheet modelers need to resolve the base of ice sheets in our models better, which requires numerical methods that are not yet common for us,” said Angelike Humbert, a glaciologist not involved with the study. “Bo's work reminds us of the key role played by the roughness of the bedrock, which is very challenging to observe with the required accuracy in airborne radar surveys.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Julia Christmann, AWI

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

How do massive glaciers flow?

75 percent of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen in glaciers...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cacti-birds-sonoran-desert/">Sonoran Desert</a> is towered over by one of the most iconic of plants.  <a href="https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_cactus_.php#columnar">Saguaro cacti</a> (Carnegiea gigantea) are so unique that seeing one in a photo, a painting or in person brings to mind scenes of the old west and wild desert.  The saguaro is unsurprisingly, the largest cactus found in the US and it’s certainly one of the easiest to recognize, nothing very similar is found through most of the saguaro’s range in the US.  

There of course are organ pipe cacti of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm">Organ Pipe National Monument</a> but organ pipe cactus appear more like a cluster of cactus-like tentacles erupting from the ground than the singular trunk with arms of the saguaro.  If you drive south of the border, the simple image of the giant columnar cacti painted in Arizona becomes complicated. 

The Mexican giant cardon (Pachycereus pringlei) might be confusing as it’s found just south of the border in Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur; the cardon grows much larger than even the saguaro though.  Throughout the Americas, there are approximately <a href="https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/columnar-cacti-and-their-mutualists">170 species</a> of columnar cacti.  Columnar cacti can be found even in the Andes, where driving from the Amazon and cresting the mountains a transition into stark desert where rain is rare can be shocking.  Even with the broad range of columnar cacti as a group, it’s hard not to be impressed by what amounts to a very dry forest made of towering cacti surrounded by various ‘shrubs’ that are also a half-dozen species of cacti.  This is the magic of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.

Saguaros are an important part of the Sonoran desert as something of a keystone species.  Saguaros are pollinated by bees, birds and less commonly by bats. Coyotes and other wildlife eat the saguaro fruit.  Gila woodpeckers peck nests into the outer part of saguaros while gilded flickers hammer deeper into the cactus for their homes.  The Gila causes no serious damage but the gilded flicker is a less friendly woodpecker and can cause real harm to its host. Stems weakened by gilded flicker homes may break in storms and eventually cause the death of a saguaro.  

Many invertebrates make good use of the saguaro for a home as well and empty woodpecker burrows are used by owls.  Hawks and other larger birds sometimes make nests where the saguaro arms meet with the main trunk as they would with a tree.  Native peoples have long collected saguaro fruits for food as well as wine. Some native people also used the waxy ‘boots’ that form when a woodpecker makes a hole in the saguaro to carry water or food in.  Ribs from dead saguaros are good for creating shaded ramadas, furniture and can sometimes be handy walking sticks. 

The main cause of death for the saguaro in their upland habitat in Arizona where they’re most plentiful is freezing.  A saguaro that survives a freeze is marked with a pinched section drawn around its trunk. Lighting also hits some saguaros, causing a tremendous explosion of the cactus.  Saguaros like all plants must die, but is the future for the entire species threatened?

There is a persisting tale of a slow demise of the saguaro.  <a href="https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_cactus_.php#columnar">The Desert Museum</a> reports that the first fear of saguaro extinction dates back to the 1940s and it explains why there is an eastern and western unit to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm">Saguaro National Park</a>, on either side of Tucson Arizona.  The eastern section of Saguaro National Park was first selected because the area was full of large, impressive, mature saguaro cacti.  These were older individuals nearing the end of their 150 to 200 year life span. 

 Because of ranching in the area, much of the Palo Verde and other bushes that create shade where young saguaros start their lives were absent.  There were very few young or middle aged saguaros in the original Saguaro National Park. So the older cacti started dying in large numbers and the park officials panicked.  

The western unit of Saguaro National Park was founded on the other side of Tucson in hopes of protecting the cacti even if all the saguaros in the east died of a mysterious disease.  Dead cacti were bulldozed and buried in the desert in hopes of stopping an unknown pathogen. Over time, the idea of the decline of the saguaro has surfaced again and again, due to bad science and sensationalized journalism.  Again, the idea of a mass saguaro die off is in print and it’s fair to ask whether this time is different.

<a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/after-decades-of-watching-saguaros-couple-finds-fewer-seedlings-is/article_28a5296a-8b64-5637-9cde-1eb19fa114e9.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest">Tucson.com</a> reported on December 10, 2018 that scientific monitoring is finding fewer saguaro seedlings than usual.  Tom Orum and his wife Nancy Ferguson have monitored saguaro cacti in the eastern unit of Saguaro National Park for forty years.  The scope of their work is looking at 600 individual saguaros spread over 60 acres. The saguaros have been continuously monitored since 1941.  Tom and Nancy are the third generation of monitors. Since the 1990s, it seems like the couple might’ve noticed a decline in young saguaro numbers.  

A 2018 study shows that indeed there are fewer saguaros on both sides of the National Park. According to Pinal Central, a survey headed by National Park biologist Don Swann found only 70 saguaros younger than 15 years in 10,000 saguaros in the whole park.  Older saguaros are well adapted to the hot, dry climate of the Sonoran desert. Younger cacti are more dependent on the two rainy seasons of the region.

Arizona has been in a drought since 2000 and it’s unclear whether climate change is causing the drier conditions.  A recent study found that since 1950, Saguaro National Park has warmed by roughly 1.2 degrees Celsius. Saguaros are dependent on specific climatic conditions; the change in temperature could presage a slow march to higher elevation by the cactus.  Eventually the high ground would run out if conditions continued to warm and then the saguaro would die out. 

 As bleak as that scenario is, it’s far from certain.  It’s good to remember history and be cautious. Tom Orum, the cacti monitor, himself a retired plant pathologist thinks more research is needed before we cry wolf.  Saguaros have been monitored for only a very short period, especially for a plant that can outlive a person by 100 years or more under good conditions. Scientists have jumped the gun in crying doom for the saguaro more than once before.  Let’s hope this time it’s another case of no news for the west’s most iconic cactus. 

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

The decline of the saguaro?

The Sonoran Desert is towered over by one of the...

A new study by scientists at <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> has revealed that the noise from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wind-turbines-harm-birds-100-miles-away/">wind turbines</a> interferes with a strategy used by robins to protect their territory. In an article written for <a href="http://theconversation.com/au">The Conversation</a>, Professor Mark Whittingham details the study findings. 

“Much of the evidence for how wind turbines affect birds concerns their distribution patterns around turbines, but we know little about why birds choose to avoid them,” writes Professor Whittingham. “The robin, a widespread small bird which lives in rural areas where turbines are common, seemed a perfect candidate to investigate.”

The researchers subjected male robins to one of three conditions: another robin’s song, a robin’s song with wind turbine noise, and wind turbine noise alone.

“Robins defending their territory typically respond to an intruder by increasing the proportion of low frequency sounds in their songs,” writes Professor Whittingham. “We found that the robins subjected to robin song and wind turbine noise simultaneously had significantly fewer low frequency elements in their songs and so their songs sounded higher pitched. We interpreted this as interference from the wind turbine noise which occurs at low frequencies.”

The experts speculate that lower frequency noises are used by the robins to make them sound bigger and more intimidating in an effort to defend their territory. 

“But with the low frequency sound emitted by wind turbines drowning them out, there was a suggestion that robins were having to rely more on puffing out their red chest to deter aggressors,” says Professor Whittingham. 

“That may be why breeding songbirds, such as the skylark, avoid turbines. Recent work has found breeding bird populations such as the Dupont’s lark, a near-threatened species of songbird found in North Africa and Spain, declined in areas with wind turbines.”

The research suggests that there are reasons,  beyond the risk of fatal collision, that birds are avoiding wind turbines. 

“Noise emitted from turbines could disrupt their communication and leave them vulnerable. This is particularly troubling when we consider that wind turbines are often located in remote areas, some with high densities of songbirds, such as meadow pipits and skylarks in upland areas of the UK.”

“Of course, it is important to remember the bigger picture. While wind turbines may harm birds nearby, renewable energy is a vital solution to climate change - perhaps the most pressing threat to biodiversity globally.”

Nevertheless, says Professor Whittingham, noise pollution from wind turbines should be measured during assessments of wind energy projects to minimize the impacts to surrounding wildlife. 

The full article, “Robin hushed: wind turbines are making songbirds change their tune,” can be found <a href="https://theconversation.com/robin-hushed-wind-turbines-are-making-songbirds-change-their-tune-109136">here</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wind turbines hurt the robin’s ability to defend its territory

A new study by scientists at Newcastle University has revealed...

Federally mandated fire suppression tactics have caused forests to become more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/determining-ecosystem-sensitivity-to-environmental-stress/">drought and fire</a> intolerant across the US. 

Researchers from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University </a>and <a href="http://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University</a> examined tree rings in Central Oregon to understand the impacts of fire suppression and increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 on tree growth, drought tolerance, and forest composition. 

The study was published in the journal Global Change Biology, and the results present a clear picture of how dense forest growth due to fire suppression tactics has changed how trees photosynthesize and take in water. 

Fire suppression also makes forests more susceptible to pests, disease, and wildfires, according to the researchers. 

In 1910, wildfire suppression became a federal policy and as such young, fire and drought intolerant grand firs were allowed to flourish among ancient ponderosa pines in Central Oregon. 

Not only did this increase fire risk because forests grew thicker, but the added competition for water over the past century forced trees to take in a heavier carbon isotope rather than the preferred lighter one. 

The researchers collected and analyzed tree-ring data from 2,800 hectares of mixed-conifer forests to find physiological evidence that fire suppression negatively impacted tree growth over  the years. 

Tree rings not only tell the age of a tree, but the color and chemical composition of each ring can also reveal what environmental and climate conditions were like during the year each ring was formed and what carbon isotopes the tree had to rely on for photosynthesis. 

“We've known for a long time that fire suppression has led to crowded forests, which means more competition for resources,” said Andrew Merschel, a co-author of the study. “We've known that because of that, trees are more prone to drought, which makes sense - there's less water reaching deep below ground and more trees pumping it out. Our research shows in a physiological way what's happening. We thought there would be signals in the annual tree rings, and there are.”

Denser forests also mean less snowpack which is another major risk factor for drought and wildfires. 

The researchers say that unless significant policy changes are implemented to decrease fire suppression and allow forests to go back to their natural, less dense states, drought, and wildfires will become more frequent. 

“We cannot predict exactly how all of these factors affecting forests will interact in the future, but it is certain that lower-density forests will have more snow and less drought stress,” said Steven Voelker, the lead author of the study. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fire suppression tactics have resulted in drought-sensitive forests

Federally mandated fire suppression tactics have caused forests to become...

In the 19th century, rivers that wound through the Hampshire National Park were straightened in an effort to drain the land and improve grazing. According to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html">Daily Mail</a>, these rivers are now being returned to their natural state. 

The modification of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/rivers-polluted-cocaine-eels/">rivers</a> in the New Forest caused the water to flow much faster, and important nutrient deposits were being ripped away. The rapid water flow also eroded the river banks, which provide specialized wetland habitats for wildlife. 

The Daily Mail reports that the meanders are being restored as part of a ten-year project led by the <a href="https://www.forestry.gov.uk/">Forestry Commission</a>. Experts have studied historical maps and used laser mapping techniques to identify the natural shape of the rivers. 

Nick Wardlaw, Higher Level Stewardship manager at the Forestry Commission, told the Daily Mail: 

“More than four miles of streams have been returned to their natural state. The focus is to protect the very special nature of this forest and the unique habitat it provides for rare and endangered wildlife.”

“This more natural form also helps to improve grazing for livestock in the New Forest and help to make sure the surrounding habitats more resilient in both winter floods and summer droughts.”

“Returning the wetlands to their natural state has involved reinstating meanders, natural bends and turns in the waterways, after many were straightened in the Victorian period.”

“Rivers have a natural way of flowing throughout a landscape, they bend and change direction to work around trees and other obstacles and navigate gradients.”

“Artificially straight channels cause water to flow more quickly, eroding the riverbanks and causing the channels to becoming deeper and deeper, as well as eroding higher into the precious mire habitats.”

“Allowing water to flow naturally and meander through the landscape slows it down during periods of high rainfall, limiting erosion and reducing the risk of flooding further downstream and in built up areas.”

“Returning wetlands to their natural state is a long term project and therefore we expect that it will take many years to see the full benefits of the work. We hope it will have a real impact on helping these areas and the habitats they support to thrive long in to the future.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rivers in the UK are being restored back to their nature shape

In the 19th century, rivers that wound through the Hampshire...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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



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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.

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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