Western wildfires send smoke across the country, so it sounds obvious that they always make air quality worse everywhere. New research shows that is not the whole story.



During severe fire seasons in the West, the intense heat from those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-thinning-cuts-wildfire-severity-and-saves-carbon/">fires</a> can change weather patterns and rainfall in ways that actually lower fine particle pollution in the eastern United States. That result surprised even seasoned atmospheric scientists.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildfire-heat-and-air-quality">Wildfire heat and air quality </h2>



Qihan Ma of <a href="https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tsinghua University</a> and colleagues analyzed observations and climate simulations that account for the daily heat released by fires. The researchers found that strong fire heat can reduce fine particle levels in the East during the fire season.



Scientists track fine particle pollution called PM2.5, which refers to particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers across. PM2.5 gets deep into the lungs and bloodstream, and its <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effects</a> include higher risks of heart and lung disease and premature death.



The results did not just point to smoke. The team showed how fire-driven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-wildfire-exposure-rises-worldwide-despite-less-land-burning/">heat</a> boosts convection, the upward movement of warm air. This suppresses eastward smoke transport and increases rain that washes particles out of the air, a process called wet deposition. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-air-quality-in-the-east-and-west">Air quality in the East and West</h2>



Observations from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">air</a> monitors revealed a dipole pattern during extreme western fire events, with PM2.5 rising in the West and falling in the East by a comparable amount. 



Model simulations for the full fire season showed similar contrasts of about 1.71 micrograms per cubic meter in the West and minus 1.21 micrograms per cubic meter in the East.



Satellite analysts also mapped smoke plumes over long distances during these events. NOAA confirmed that smoke often spread across parts of the East, yet many eastern monitors still recorded lower PM2.5.



To represent fire inputs day by day, the researchers used the <a href="https://www.globalfiredata.org/data.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GFED4.1s</a> dataset, which estimates burned area, emissions, and heat release. The data helped quantify how much energy the fires pumped into the atmosphere.



The air quality and weather responses were simulated with the Community Earth System Model (<a href="https://www.cesm.ucar.edu/models" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CESM</a>). To separate the drivers, the team ran simulations with smoke alone, heat alone, and with both.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildfires-shift-weather-across-the-country">Wildfires shift weather across the country</h2>



Heat from large western fires increased convective available potential energy (CAPE) over the West, which favors stronger thunderstorms. It also nudged broader circulation patterns that reshaped wind and moisture across the country.



As the central United States dried and warmed near the surface, low level pressure dropped and winds shifted toward anomalous easterlies over the eastern half of the country.



The East grew more humid and unstable, and convective rain increased, which removed more particles from the air. These heat-driven shifts can modulate long range smoke impacts.



“Heat produced by wildfires, a commonly neglected effect, can reduce fine particle concentrations in the eastern United States,” wrote Ma.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-health-and-policy">Lessons for health and policy</h2>



The results do not suggest that wildfires are harmless. The West still sees higher PM2.5 during fire season, and people there bear the brunt of smoke exposure and related health burdens.



The research shows that ignoring fire heat in national assessments can skew results. The authors report that leaving heat out of models overestimates health and economic losses by about 1,200 premature deaths and 3.3 billion dollars nationwide for the fire season. 



Those numbers are driven by the East’s large population and the modeled reductions in PM2.5 when heat effects are included.



Public health guidance should still emphasize reducing exposure wherever smoke raises risk. Strategies include wearing masks during high pollution days and targeted help for sensitive groups like children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with heart or lung disease.



For modeling and policy, the message is straightforward. Future national air quality planning and wildfire risk assessments need to incorporate fire heat, not just smoke emissions, to capture regional differences accurately.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-and-open-questions">Limitations and open questions</h2>



The researchers emphasize that no model is perfect. In global models with coarse grids, convection is parameterized, meaning certain local storm processes are simplified.



The team validated a subset of cases with a superparameterized model that more explicitly resolves clouds. The results showed the same overall pattern, though the heat effects were weaker in magnitude - providing a useful constraint for future research.



Better heat estimates at subdaily timescales will also help. Averaging heat over a day can smooth out fire bursts that may drive the strongest convective responses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-daily-life">Implications for daily life</h2>



People in the West should continue to prepare for smoke season and protect their lungs, because local pollution still rises during major fires. 



Communities in the East should not assume they are safe, since many days still exceed health guidelines and smoke episodes remain disruptive.



The broader lesson is about getting the physics right. Accounting for heat shows how the same fires can worsen air in one region and temporarily ease it in another, and that nuance matters for equitable investments in health and resilience.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads1957" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Wildfires in the West can actually improve air quality in the East

Western wildfires send smoke across the country, so it sounds obvious that they always make air quality worse everywhere. New research shows that is not the whole story. During severe fire seasons in the West, the intense heat from those fires can change weather patterns and rainfall in ways that actually lower fine particle pollution in the eastern United States. That result surprised even seasoned atmospheric scientists. Wildfire heat and air quality Qihan Ma of Tsinghua University and colleagues analyzed observations and climate simulations that account for...

Invasive species are organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem or area, but when introduced they endanger the survival or success of native species. Often, invasive species end up in the cross hairs of conservationists concerned about their impact on native species and ecosystems. 

When I spent a summer collecting field data on a medium sized, mostly green parrot, the Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala) in the Bahamas, house cats were a large threat to the birds. Cats are an incredibly adaptable predator, as anyone who’s watched their cat bring home any number of small animals will know. House cats found a way to hunt the parrots despite the fact that the birds spend most of their lives flying, perched in trees or in underground nest cavities. 

Because of the threat of house cats, the Bahamas National Trust (the equivalent of the National Park Service) hired a man who among his other duties hunted cats with guns and dogs. The effort will probably be an ongoing one as it only targets cats found within the protected land where parrots nest, doing nothing about cats living in nearby areas until they stray onto protected land. Unfortunately, selective control of invasive or detrimental species is normal in conservation efforts, often because of conflicting goals.   

In <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/brucellosis.htm">Yellowstone</a>, brucellosis, a bacterial disease caused by Brucella abortus, was spread from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) to bison (Bison bison) before being largely eradicated in domestic cows. The disease has little impact on bison populations but there is concern that the bison could re-infect domestic cattle. 60% of female bison in Yellowstone test positive for brucellosis, according to the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/brucellosis.htm">National Park Service</a>, but only about 10-15% of the bison could actually transmit the disease to cattle. 

Bison are culled in large numbers (1,171 Yellowstone bison were killed in the winter of 2017-18, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/bison-management-faqs.htm">NPS</a> reports), simply to keep them inside the park boundaries and limit their contact with domestic cows. Bison are also killed because much of their domestic range is inhabited by cows, so bison are unable to roam in those areas. Kept in relatively tiny spaces, the Yellowstone bison would soon overgraze the land allotted to them without being culled.    

The bison are native, unlike domestic cows, and it’s easy to think of the domestic cattle as invasive since they take large amounts of habitat from their wild relatives and have the potential to spread diseases to them. Further complicating the matter is the fact that bison and cows can hybridize, which could potentially undermine the genetic integrity of bison. In the end, bison control amounts to playing favorites with cows, while treating bison more like invasive species or at least virtual prisoners within their own home range. Cows are not treated as invasive species by wildlife managers simply because they’re financially valuable and were purposefully introduced by European Americans. 

Human settlers from Europe brought a whole host of foreign organisms with them to settle the Americas alongside them. European bacteria and viruses devastated the Native Americans with illness they had no immunity to. As previously mentioned, cats hurt wild populations of birds. As I <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-bird-population-declines/">reported</a>, that cats can kill as many 1.3 and 4 billion birds annually in the US. Despite the threat to native wildlife, little is done to control cats as a whole in the US. Most places seem to not even have leash laws for cats as they do for dogs. Honey bees are another example of how biased humans can be, including conservationists when it comes to invasive species.

Decline of the domestic honey bee garnered a lot of headlines with little consideration for how other bees were faring. As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/save-native-bees/">Earth.com</a> reported last year, there are an estimated 4,337 species of bees native to the United States alone and as many as 20,000 described species worldwide with an estimated 20,000 species yet to be described by science. Despite this misunderstanding, 50% of native bees may be declining in populations but garner less research money or headlines than their domesticated relatives.

In response to the decline of the domestic honeybee, some have been considering using public lands as places for bee habitat, allowing the honey bees to collect nectar from plants in places like National and State Parks. The <a href="https://naturalareas.org/docs/16-067_02_Overview-of-the-Potential-Impacts-of-Honey-Bees_web.pdf">Xerces Society</a> issued a report in 2018 on the potential impact of honey bees on native pollinators, bees as well as others like butterflies, with recommendations for land managers. There are no solid conclusions of the exact impacts that honey bees might inflict on native pollinators but the society recommends assessing the risk posed by honey bees in areas with endangered insect pollinators.

Evidence from controlled experiments suggest that honey bees have a negative impact on native pollinators. Even considering allowing honey bees into public lands shows how much weight they’re given by their importance to humans and our economic systems. The decline of the honey bee isn’t an issue of preservation, it’s an issue of economics. 

It’s not that invasive species don’t cause problems, they do. Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) in Guam are a classic example of the havoc to be wrought by a highly ‘successful’ invasive species. The brown tree snakes have killed off most of the island’s native bird life which in turn has lead to an eerily thriving spider population. Less birds has also led inexorably to the decline of the forest, birds spread the seeds of trees. 

According to the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/guam-military-wildlife/536622/">Atlantic</a>, seedlings have decreased in Guam by 61 to 92%. Despite the best efforts of scientists which has involved years of research, poisoning and catching snakes by hand, the snake problem on Guam persists. Given enough time, it’s likely that a new ecosystem will arise on Guam, a new equilibrium which includes the snake or at least the species ancestors. It’s also unlikely that humans will eradicate the snake from Guam. 

When playing favorites, we rarely consider reptiles or ‘useless’ insects. We also rarely consider not just ecology but the likelihood of our success weighed against the suffering caused by an endless campaign of killing. Humans want to bend environments to suit our whims but we’re unwilling to allow the same autonomy in other species.         

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Conservation bias: People often play favorites with species control

Invasive species are organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem...

The difference between the Moon’s hemispheres has been a mystery for researchers since the Apollo missions first put people on the Moon and <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> realized that the far side of the Moon and the side facing the Earth were very different. 

When the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/gravity-recovery-and-interior-laboratory-grail/">Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission</a> in 2012 revealed that the crust is thicker on the far side of the Moon, it was suggested that either a dwarf planet in orbit around the sun <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-rock-moon-january-eclipse/">collided into the Moon</a> or that the Earth once had two moons that collided into each other. 

In a new study published in the <a href="https://sites.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union’s</a> Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, researchers analyzed data from the GRAIL mission to help solve the mystery of the Moon’s hemispheres and contrasting topography. 

Meng Hua Zhu from the <a href="https://www.must.edu.mo/en/ssi-old">Space Science Institute at Macau University of Science and Technology </a>and a team of researchers used data from the GRAIL mission to test 360 computer simulations of different giant impact scenarios with the Moon. 

“The detailed gravity data obtained by GRAIL has given new insight into the structure of the lunar crust underneath the surface,” Zhu said.

The most realistic scenario involved a large body 480 miles in diameter colliding into the near side of the Moon at 14,000 miles per hour. 

But this object was likely not a second moon but a dwarf planet or similar sized body that was in orbit around the sun and got pulled into the Moon’s path. 

An impact of that extent would have kicked up a large amount of dust and debris that would have later settled on the far side of the Moon, which helps explain the added layer of crust. 

“Understanding the origin of the differences between the nearside and the farside of the Moon is a fundamental issue in lunar science,” said Steve Hauck, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. “Indeed, several planets have hemispherical dichotomies, yet for the Moon we have a lot of data to be able to test models and hypotheses with, so the implications of the work could likely be broader than just the Moon.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Collision with a dwarf planet likely shaped the Moon we know today

The difference between the Moon’s hemispheres has been a mystery...

Spending more time in nature as a kid can lead to better mental health. Growing up with access to sprawling fields, parks, lakes, and forests could lead to better mental health as an adult and an appreciation for green spaces, according to new research. 

Many studies have shown that spending time outdoors in nature has many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-spending-time-in-nature-is-good-for-your-health/">physical and mental health benefits</a>, but researchers from the <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en">Barcelona Institute for Global Health</a> (ISGlobal) wanted to examine how these benefits are influenced by time spent in natural spaces during childhood. 

The researchers were also looking to expand their assessment to include both green and blue spaces like ponds, rivers, and lakes, areas that other similar studies often overlook. 

Data from the<a href="http://www.phenotype.eu/en/"> PHENOTYPE project</a>, which included information on nearly 3,600 adults from Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom, were analyzed for the recent study. 

Participants in the PHENOTYPE project were given questionnaires on how often they spent time in natural spaces during childhood and how many purposeful visits and non-purposeful visits to nature they remembered. 

Purposeful visits were defined as going hiking in parks or forests while non-purposeful visits included playing in the backyard. 

The researchers also reviewed surveys on the current use of and satisfaction with natural spaces.  

Mental health was assessed with psychological tests, and the researchers compared participant data to satellite images to see how much residential greenspace participants were in current contact with. 

The results of the analysis, published in the International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, showed that the participants who reported spending more time outdoors in natural spaces scored higher on the mental health tests and had a greater affinity for green and blue spaces as adults. 

The participants who spent less time in nature during childhood placed less importance and value on green or blue spaces. 

The results of the study highlight the vital role natural spaces plays in mental health and well-being. As people spend more time indoors, not only are we limiting exposure to green spaces, but they lose value and importance among communities who have little access to natural areas. 

“Therefore, it is important to recognize the implications of growing up in environments with limited opportunities for exposure to nature,” said Wilma Zijlema, ISGlobal researcher and the study coordinator

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spending more time in nature as a kid can lead to better mental health

Spending more time in nature as a kid can lead...

Thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-deaths-air-pollution/">deaths attributable to air pollution</a> may fall under the radar due to a proposed new method of analyzing air pollution health risks by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</a>.

If the EPA does change its calculations, it will provide little incentive for energy companies to shift from fossil fuels, making it even easier for the Trump Administration to rollback Obama-era clean energy regulations. 

The new modeling system could predict fewer deaths, which could lead to a false assumption that current or increased levels of pollution are safer than they actually are, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/climate/epa-air-pollution-deaths.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">New York Times</a>. 

In reality, air pollution and fine particulate matter especially increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower quality of life, and cause millions of premature deaths worldwide. 

The EPA will likely announce the new analysis method as part of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which will replace the Clean Power Plan in June. 

It’s a decision that could cost more lives and place a higher burden on health care as the new plan would allow old coal plants to continue operating, emitting more pollution in the process. 

“Particulate matter is extremely harmful, and it leads to a large number of premature deaths,” Richard L. Revesz, an expert in environmental law at New York University, told the New York Times. “It could be an enormously significant impact,” Mr. Revesz said.

In reality, there are no safe levels of air pollution, and the Clean Power Plan aimed to get energy companies to shift to renewables and natural gas, reducing fossil fuel use and particulate matter pollution. 

Those critical of the Clean Power Plan argue that if air levels are “safe” as deemed by EPA guidelines, why should energy companies and businesses invest in costly alternative energy sources. 

For example, it’s been estimated that reducing particulate matter pollution could generate $30 to $40 billion. 

“How in the world can you get $30 or $40 billion of benefit to public health when most of that is attributable to reductions in areas that already meet a health-based standard,” William L. Wehrum, the EPA air quality chief, told the New York Times. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Those generated benefits would come from reduced health care costs. 

It’s important to remember that just because air particulate matter levels are set at PM 2.5 per year, it doesn’t mean that people exposed to these levels are safe from health risks. 

The EPA and the current Administration could instead be working with bipartisan researchers and policymakers to find the best possible air quality standards that lower health risks and allow for economic progress. But with this new analysis, it seems like just another way to bypass scientific studies and data in favor of easy earnings. 

--

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>

EPA may alter the way it measures to limit reported pollution deaths

Thousands of deaths attributable to air pollution may fall under...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a> (USC) have found that there are roughly 20 percent fewer new asthma cases among children in the Los Angeles region as a result of improved air quality.

“This is encouraging news as it shows the number of new cases of asthma in children can be reduced through improvements in air quality,” said study co-author Professor Kiros Berhane. “This is very likely a direct result of the science-based environmental policies that have been put in place.”

The research expands on the Children's Health Study, a long-term investigation which previously found that children's lungs became stronger and rates of bronchitic symptoms decreased as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/children-develop-asthma-air-pollution/">pollution</a> declined across Los Angeles over the last two decades.

While Los Angeles remains the most polluted area of the country, the city managed to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution by 22 percent and fine particulate matter by 36 percent between 1993 and 2006.

The researchers analyzed air pollution data collected from monitoring stations in nine California communities during 1993-2001, 1996-2004, and 2006-2014. Based on data from 4,140 children, the study revealed that the nitrogen dioxide reductions led to a 20 percent lower rate of asthma, while fine particulate matter reduction led to a 19 percent lower rate of asthma.

The findings add to a growing collection of evidence that air pollution is a major contributor to the development of asthma, which is the most common chronic disease in children.

“While the findings show a clear benefit of lower air pollution levels, there must be continued efforts to reduce pollution in our region,” said study first author Erika Garcia. “We're not in a place where we can stop and say, ‘Hey, we've arrived.’”

The study is published in the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama">Journal of the American Medical Association</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air quality improvements in Los Angeles have reduced new asthma cases

Experts at the University of Southern California (USC) have found...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> have assessed the landscape in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/invasive-lake-trout-yellowstone/">Yellowstone National Park</a>, where areas that burned in 1988 were affected by fire again in August of 2016. In October of the same year, a team of graduate students led by Professor Monica Turner visited the park to investigate the damage.

“We saw these areas where everything was combusted and we hadn't seen that previously,” said Professor Turner. “That was surprising.”

Yellowstone has adapted to recurring fires every 100 to 300 years, yet the most recent fires occurred less than 30 years apart. The researchers set out to get a better understanding of whether the forests can recover.

With support from the National Science Foundation, Professor Turner and her team returned to Yellowstone in the summer of 2017 to examine the areas that re-burned. The Maple Fire, for example, burned 28-year-old lodgepole pines that regenerated following the 1988 North Fork Fire.

The researchers compared each region to areas that burned in 1988 or 2000 but did not burn again in 2016. In some places, intense fire had left nothing but the stumps of young trees. “Everything was gone,” said Professor Turner. “That was astonishing.”

In 2011, Professor Turner's team had challenged the idea that young forests lack enough fuel to sustain severe fire, and the 2016 fires confirmed their predictions.

“The idea was that if fires are recurring more frequently, we will we see some self-limitation, young forests will not be able to re-burn,’ said study co-author and graduate student Kristin Braziunas. “We definitively saw this was not the case - even at just 16 years old, there was sufficient fuel for these forests to burn at the highest possible level of severity.”

The researchers also found that the re-burned forests lost significant carbon storage capacity. According to Professor Turner, once an old forest burns, it takes about 90 years for the forest to recover its lost carbon.

“We care about carbon storage and recovery because forests play a very important role in the global carbon cycle,” said Braziunas.

By adapting a model previously created by Professor Turner's collaborator, Rupert Seidl, Braziunas found it would take more than 150 years for the forest to recover the carbon it had released during the 2016 fires.

“We were essentially able to reconstruct what the forest looked like before the fire happened, how many trees there were and how big they would have been,” said Braziunas. “Because we also measured nearby stands (of trees) that didn't burn, we could compare what happens after the reburns and game out the scenarios in the model.”

Global warming and more frequent droughts will make it likely that fires will occur across the forest in shorter intervals. 

“The landscapes are going to look different than they have in the past, but that doesn't mean they won't be beautiful. There will be species that benefit and species that see their ranges contract,” said Professor Turner.

“Change is going to happen and change is going to happen more quickly than we thought it would. We are learning how the system responds, but we don't know to what degree it will be resilient or adapt in the future. But I am not ready to write it off. We have been surprised in the past.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How resilient are Yellowstone forests after a major fire?

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have assessed the landscape...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/">British Ecological Society</a> studied an endangered African penguin colony during a three-year closure of commercial fisheries around Robben Island, South Africa. The team found that local fish abundance directly affects how adult <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-biodiversity-penguins-poop/">penguins</a> fish and the body condition of their chicks.

One of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in the ocean is fishing, which is so widespread that it prevents us from understanding the “natural” relationships between predators and their prey. Many marine predators like penguins are species whose success indicates the condition of their habitat, also known as indicator species.

“Understanding how African penguins forage to feed their chicks in their variable marine environment can help us identify conservation measures for these endangered populations,” said study lead author Dr. Kate Campbell. “A three-year commercial fisheries closure around Robben Island, South Africa created a unique opportunity to study how African penguins directly respond to natural changes in local abundance of their prey - anchovies and sardines.”

The study revealed that local abundance of anchovy and sardine populations were directly linked to African penguin foraging behavior and the condition of chick offspring.

When fish abundance was lower, adults were seen swimming further, foraging for longer,  and diving more often. This explains why chick body condition declined, as breeding adults were dedicating more energy to finding food.

“Interestingly, the variation in foraging behavior between individuals also increased when prey fish were scarcer,” said study co-author Dr. Richard Sherley. “While some 'superstar' penguins find food easily, others are less successful. Once food gets harder to find, more individuals will start to struggle and work harder, but they will do so at different rates, increasing the variation we see in foraging effort.”

The study findings suggest that penguin foraging behavior and chick condition could be key indicators for local fish abundance.

“Since these short-term changes will likely have knock-on effects for chick survival and penguin population size, they could be used as powerful early warning signs to inform fisheries' policies and marine conservation efforts,” said Dr. Campbell. “Technological advances also means there's exciting potential to better understand how these endangered penguins behave when prey resources are scarce.”

“Hopefully, in the future, we could aim to effectively balance fishery management with penguins' needs, to reduce the impact on local economies whilst maximising the benefits to our oceans,” concluded Dr. Sherley.

The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</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: R. B. Sherley

Penguin foraging behavior and body condition offer clues to habitat health

Researchers from the British Ecological Society studied an endangered African...

The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States, said to be the ‘crown jewel’ of the National Forest Service. In the sliver of Alaska between open ocean and British Columbia and touching Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, the almost 17 million acres of Tongass is part of the largest temperate rainforest in the world. 

Tongass is a sprawl of thousands of islands, streams, fjords and wildlife habitat, almost a third of which is old growth forest. All five species of salmon spawn in Tongass in over 5,000 individual salmon streams. Grizzly bears, wolves and a number of birds, including the largest population of nesting bald eagles, make the forest their home. 

The Tongass National Forest covers 80% of the Alaska panhandle from Yakutat to Ketchikan, according to <a href="https://www.alaskamagazine.com/articles/featured/cabin-fever-in-tongass-national-forest/">Alaska Magazine</a>. Some of the trees in Tongass are as old as 1,000 years, significantly older than the United States itself.

Despite the impressive status of the Tongass, <a href="https://crag.org/tongass-national-forest-old-growth-logging/">Crag Law Center</a> reports it’s also the only National Forest in the United States still managed under a program of logging focused on clear cutting old growth forest. In 2016, the USDA updated a 2008 <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/landmanagement/?cid=stelprd3801708">management plan</a> for the Tongass National Forest, stepping away from its history of old growth clear-cut logging that supports less than 1% of the population of the area, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/443886-dont-revive-logging-in-national-forests">The Hill</a>. If the Trump administration gets its way, the destruction of the Tongass will only increase.

The 2001 Roadless Rule manages large areas of National Forest with a prohibition on road building, with some exceptions for things like public safety and mining operations.  Last year, the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">USDA</a> under Trump announced that it would be creating an Alaska specific roadless rule, which means that it would open up much of Tongass to road development. 

Currently 9.2 million acres of the Tongass National Forest (55%) is covered by the roadless rule, according to the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/roadmain/roadless/alaskaroadlessrule">USDA</a>. This change was initiated upon request by the then-governor of Alaska Bill Walker and continues to be supported by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who <a href="https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/issues/issues-and-priorities/alaska-specific-roadless-rule">believes</a> that the roadless rule never should have been applied in Alaska. The final plan for the Alaskan roadless rule is set to be put into place in the summer of 2020. 

It’s not just the roadless rule that threatens Tongass, though. <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/04/29/tongass-timber-sale-nearing-the-finish-line/">Alaska Public Media</a> reports that surveying for the largest timber sale in decades of trees in the Tongass National Forest is coming to an end. This is the first step in what would be a massive clear cut in Tongass. The <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/">US Forest Service</a> insists that the survey project is far more than a massive timber sale, instead calling it a ‘landscape level analysis’ and pointing to restoration and culvert installation projects also surveyed for.

[caption id="attachment_1872891" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tongass-National-Forest-Yakutat-Alaska.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1872891" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tongass-National-Forest-Yakutat-Alaska.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Tongass National Forest, in Yakutat, Alaska[/caption]

Either way, the project plans on offering 50 million board feet of living trees to be cut down next year. The US Forest Service isn’t telling the public how much of the land on offer for logging is old growth forest, either. In general, the plan lacks many details, something critics say makes engagement with the US Forest Service impossible. 

Fortunately, there is a possibility that the plans to develop Tongass for the benefit of a few will amount to very little. Recently, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington and Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act in both the House and Senate. This act would codify the roadless rule as law, thus more permanently protecting those areas currently managed as roadless in the United States. 

Cantwell previously tried to get the law passed in 2018, but it never made it out of committee. The bill may have a better chance this time, with support from 15 senators and 36 representatives co-sponsoring the current bill but no backers from Alaska, according to the <a href="https://www.juneauempire.com/news/congress-attempts-to-strengthen-roadless-rule/">Juneau Empire</a>.        

Earlier this month, environmentalists in Alaska also took the fight to court, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-forest-logging/logging-plan-for-alaskas-tongass-national-forest-challenged-in-court-idUSKCN1SE068">Reuters</a>. The lawsuit claims that the timber sale in Tongass is going ahead before a proper assessment of the environmental impact of the project. The timber sale was approved before specific areas were designated for tree cutting and road development on Prince Wales Island in Tongass National Forest.  

“This is a brazen attempt by the Forest Service to rewrite the rules for the forest, and it’s coming at the expense of habitat on Prince of Wales Island that’s important for wildlife and for people and communities, for hunting, fishing, recreation and tourism,” Tom Waldo of <a href="https://earthjustice.org/tags/tongass">Earth Justice</a>, one of the plaintiffs, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-forest-logging/logging-plan-for-alaskas-tongass-national-forest-challenged-in-court-idUSKCN1SE068">Reuters</a>.

Earth Justice and lawyer Tom Waldo have been fighting for the protection of Tongass for decades now, first fighting a Forest Service five year plan that would have opened logging in Tongass in the 1990s.  Thankfully, that fight ended with the Clinton roadless rule, implemented in 2001 just before the presidential office was taken over by George W. Bush. 

In 2003, the Bush administration ‘temporarily’ suspended the roadless rule in Tongass with no timeline. In 2009, Waldo and a co-counsel from the Natural Resource Defense Council challenged the suspension and won. The decision was repealed by an Alaskan court but eventually upheld and the roadless exemption found to be illegal by the ninth circuit court.  

Roads are dangerous in protected areas, even without widespread logging.  Roads divide a habitat and separate individual populations of wildlife. Roads impede on purist nature recreation, which inspires and invigorates many. But roads are also just the tip of the spear when it comes to development and destruction of ecosystems. 

Any conservationist or ecologist can tell you roads are the beginning of the end for an ecosystem. It’s appropriate that the Tongass was saved by keeping roads out before.  Perhaps making a roadless rule into a roadless law can do the same now. Along with protecting the Tongass National Forest, a roadless law would more permanently protect almost 50 million acres throughout the US.

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Plans to cut parts of the largest US national forest met with opposition

The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is the largest...

People recycle more when they know what the material will become. Even though we now have the capacity to recycle plastic, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/recycling-carbon-emissions/">carbon</a>, and other materials to <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/most-plastic-bottles-are-recycled-into-clothes/">create new products</a> like cell phone cases, shoes, and paper products, the United States is still generating far more trash.

In 2015, the US produced 262 million tons of trash, of which 137.7 million tons ended up in landfills, and only 25.8 percent of waste that was recycled, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-03/documents/infographic_full-060513_v4.pdf">Environmental Protection Agency</a>. 

How do we motivate people to recycle more, especially when there are so many advancements being made in recycling and recycled products? 

In a new report published in the Journal of Marketing, researchers from <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State University</a> and <a href="https://www.bc.edu/">Boston College</a> may have found a solution.

The team learned that consumers are more keen to recycle if they know more about the process and where their waste will end up. 

Six different studies were devised to examine the relationship between recycling and consumers and to test how promoting products made from recycled material impacts the decision to recycle. 

The first study asked participants to throw away a piece of scratch paper after reading a recycling advertisement. The messages detailed how recyclables were being used to make paper, a guitar, a different product, or just promoted recycling without any mention of new products. 

If a participant read about materials being made into different products, they were more likely to recycle their scratch paper versus the participants who read the generic recycling campaign.

In the second study, participants were shown advertisements for products made from recycled plastic or a product manufactured by a company that is committed to recycling. The participants were 87.7 more likely to recycle if they saw the advertisement for a specific product made from recycled materials. 

When advertisements focused on transformation, not even explicitly mentioning a product, people were more likely to recycle. People recycle more when they know what the material will become 

In one of the last studies, the researchers monitored two college residence halls, one that had recycling signage promoting products made from recyclables and the other had generic recycling ads. 

Less recyclable waste ended up in the landfill when the residence hall used signage promoting products and transformation. 

“These studies provide compelling evidence that when consumers consider that recyclables are transformed into something new, they recycle more,” said Karen Page Winterich, the first author of the study. “Increased recycling offers not only societal and environmental benefits, but also provides the source materials companies need for sustainable production of goods in a circular economy.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People recycle more when they know what the material will become

People recycle more when they know what the material will...

Around the world, experts are working to improve public health by reducing harmful levels of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-dementia/">air pollution</a>. Efforts include the regulation of industrial emissions, the establishment of low emission zones, and subsidies for public transport. 

While it may seem obvious that these actions result in improved air quality, a new study from the <a href="https://www.en.uni-muenchen.de/">Ludwig Maximilian University</a> of Munich has found that it is actually very difficult to quantify the effects of air pollution mitigation strategies. 

“It's quite a challenge to evaluate the introduction of a measure like the low emission zone,” said study co-author Jacob Burns. 

Air pollution has been linked to millions of premature deaths worldwide from issues such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. However, it remains unclear whether measures designed to improve outdoor air quality actually reduce the concentration of pollutants present.

“It's important to remember how many factors influence both air quality and the relevant health conditions,” said Burns. “Levels of energy consumption in industry, transport and domestic households all play a substantial role in air pollution levels, as does the weather.” 

Furthermore, the risk of developing health complications such as cardiovascular disease is not only influenced by air pollutants, but also by numerous genetic, physiological, and social risk factors. “This illustrates how difficult it can be to attribute changes in air pollutant concentrations, numbers of individuals admitted to hospitals, or mortality rates to any single measure.”

The analysis is the first of its kind to identify and critically appraise all studies that evaluate the impact of measures aiming to improve air quality. The research was focused on 38 specific measures, ranging from efforts to reduce traffic to  more efficient household heating systems.

“For the most part, the studies that we reviewed show either positive or unclear effects. But these studies differ so much from one another that we could not, with confidence, draw general conclusions about what works and what does not work,” explained Burns. 

The team pointed out, however, that they do not argue against air pollution interventions. “It is important to emphasize that lack of evidence of an association is not equivalent to evidence of no association,” wrote the researchers. 

Study lead author Professor Eva Rehfuess said that the more important message is that the methods of evaluation in this area must be improved, so that decision-makers have a reliable basis on which to base their policy choices.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/">Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The progress of air pollution mitigation efforts can be difficult to measure

Around the world, experts are working to improve public health...

New research led by Sarah Lambart, assistant professor of geology at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a>, has found that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/upwelling-earths-mantle-volcanoes/">Earth’s mantle</a> is less of a gradient of orange-and-yellow lavas and instead is more of a mosaic of colors that looks similar to a Jackson Pollock painting. Lambart and her team also discovered that a copy of this mosaic resides within the Earth’s crust.

"If you look at a painting from Jackson Pollock, you have a lot of different colors," Lambart said. "Those colors represent different mantle components and the lines are magmas produced by these components and transported to the surface. You look at the yellow line, it's not going to mix much with the red or black."

Before Lambart embarked on her study, published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0368-9">Nature Geoscience</a>, experts had previously noted that lava, which erupts from the mantle from mid-ocean ridges, is chemically similar to most lava found elsewhere on the planet. However, there should be chemical differences at the tail end of the crust’s lifecycle — after old ocean crust melts and spreads outward from the mid-ocean ridges before sinking back into the mantle. The melting should cause chemical variation.

Lambart and her team wanted to discover what the mantle looks like before it rises as lava. They first drilled through the ocean crust to examine primitive minerals — the first to crystalize when magma enters the crust. 

"We looked at the most primitive part of these minerals," Lambart said. She noted that she and her team only analyzed the chemical composition of the earliest of minerals to form. "If you are not actually looking at the most primitive part you might lose the signal of this first melt that has been delivered to the crust. That is the originality of our work."

She and her team then looked at the samples in depth, examining the variations in isotopes of neodymium and strontium, which can signify different chemistries of mantle materials that could potentially come from different rock types. 

"If you have isotopic variability in your cumulates, that means that you have to have isotopic variability in the mantle too," Lambart explained. And that’s what the team happened upon.

The team discovered that the amount of isotope variability in the sample cumulates was seven times greater than that in the mid-ocean ridge lavas, which means that the mantle not at all mixed.

Lambart notes that rocks melt at different temperatures, thus the first rock to melt will create channels that magma can be transported up to the crust. The more melting that occurs, the more channels are created and eventually converge toward the mid-ocean ridge — channels that never mix, despite their contents mixing within the crust to create the lava.

The next step is to model the discovery. "The problem is we need to find a way to model the geodynamic earth, including plate tectonics, to actually reproduce what is recorded in the rock today," Lambart concludes. "So far this link is missing."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Sarah Lambart/University of Utah

Research shows that Earth’s mantle looks ‘like a Jackson Pollock painting’

New research led by Sarah Lambart, assistant professor of geology...

Environmental pollutants don’t just affect living people who encounter them. They can also affect the fertility of future generations, according to new research.

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.uliege.be/cms/c_8699436/en/uliege-portal">University of Liege</a> studies how endocrine-disrupting chemicals – common pollutants already in our environment from plastic, pesticides and medications – affected pregnant rats and their offspring. 

When the pregnant rats were given doses equivalent to those many human communities are exposed to, they showed impairments in their maternal behavior that were passed down to future generations. Their offspring and later generations also showed impaired sexual development.

"Our results raise real concerns about the effects of these pollutants in our environment,” said Dr. Anne-Simone Parent, who worked with graduate student David Lopez Rodriguez on the study. “We found effects of EDCs in generations of animals that had not been directly exposed to the chemicals. We exposed the parent generation only and found long-term effects on fertility.”

Other studies have already linked environmental pollutants to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/home-chemical-pollutants-harm-fertility/">infertility</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bpa-exposure-premature-birth/">premature birth</a> in humans and other animals.

The researchers were especially concerned because in their study, only the pregnant rats were exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In real life, humans and other animals are exposed to EDCs and other environmental pollutants on a regular basis for generations.

"These findings raise questions about the legacy we are leaving future generations,” Rodriguez said. “Current European legislation on EDCs does not consider how mixtures of low dose pollutants in our environment could be causing harm and affecting our children and wildlife in future generations, our data suggest an urgent need to follow the precautionary principle."

The team will present their findings at the <a href="https://www.ese-hormones.org/">European Society of Endocrinology</a> annual meeting, <a href="https://www.ese-hormones.org/events-deadlines/european-congress-of-endocrinology/ece-2019/">ECE 2019</a>.

They plan to continue studying the rats, to determine whether the impaired maternal behavior linked to environmental pollutants or the pollutant exposure itself contributes to future generations’ difficulties. 

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Environmental pollutants affect sexual development for generations

Environmental pollutants don’t just affect living people who encounter them....

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHHxOej4QfE
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic pollution.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invisible-threat-in-urban-air">Invisible threat in urban air</h2>



City dwellers face an unseen danger with every breath. New findings from Emory University researchers suggest that fine particulate matter from <a href="http://earth.com/news/traffic-related-air-pollution-might-increase-alzheimers-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vehicle emissions may significantly elevate the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease</a>. The study examined brain tissue samples from 224 individuals who had confirmed diagnoses and volunteered their brains for scientific research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disturbing-connections-emerge">Disturbing connections emerge</h2>



Scientists analyzed neuritic plaques — protein clusters that characterize Alzheimer's — while mapping each participant's exposure to PM2.5 particles based on residential location and surrounding traffic density. The correlation proved more alarming than anticipated. Individuals experiencing higher pollution exposure showed nearly double the likelihood of elevated plaque accumulation in brain tissue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-matters">Timing matters</h2>



The research team discovered that pollution exposure during the final year before death demonstrated the strongest association with brain changes. This timeline suggests relatively rapid impacts from environmental toxins on neural health. The connection remained robust even after accounting for various demographic and health factors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-vulnerability-patterns">Genetic vulnerability patterns</h2>



Perhaps most concerning, people lacking the APOE gene—which naturally predisposes individuals to Alzheimer's — exhibited more than twice the susceptibility to pollution-related brain damage. Study author Dr. Anke Huels noted this indicates environmental elements like air contamination could trigger the disease in cases where hereditary factors don't explain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-health-implications">Public health implications</h2>



These findings, published in <a href="https://www.neurology.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neurology</a>, underscore the critical importance of air quality regulations in urban planning. The research suggests that implementing stricter emission controls and promoting alternative transportation could serve as powerful tools in Alzheimer's prevention.



As cities worldwide grapple with growing traffic congestion and aging populations, this study highlights an urgent need for comprehensive approaches to environmental health that protect both our lungs and our minds.



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Traffic fumes may trigger Alzheimer's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHHxOej4QfE Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-waters-beneath-ancient-craters">Hidden waters beneath ancient craters</h2>



Scientists have made a startling discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saturn-moon-mimas-has-remarkably-young-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn's moon Mimas</a>. Beneath the heavily cratered surface that earned it the nickname "Death Star" lies a global ocean that formed just 5 to 15 million years ago—a remarkably young age by cosmic standards.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cassini-data-reveals-orbital-secrets">Cassini data reveals orbital secrets</h2>



The discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the <a href="https://observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Observatoire de Paris</a>, emerged from careful analysis of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>'s Cassini spacecraft data. By studying subtle irregularities in Mimas's orbit around Saturn, researchers detected the gravitational signature of liquid water hidden 20 to 30 kilometers beneath the moon's icy shell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unlikely-ocean-world">An unlikely ocean world</h2>



At only 400 kilometers in diameter, Mimas seemed like the least likely candidate to harbor a subsurface ocean. Unlike other ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus, which show clear surface signs of internal activity, Mimas displays no obvious hints of the liquid water beneath its ancient, crater-scarred exterior.



"Mimas is a small moon, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," explained Dr. Nick Cooper from <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University of London</a>, a study co-author.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-astrobiology">Implications for astrobiology</h2>



The ocean's recent formation makes Mimas a prime target for studying how oceans develop and potentially support life. This discovery adds another member to the exclusive club of ocean worlds in our solar system, each offering unique insights into the conditions necessary for habitability.



The research, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> journal, demonstrates how advanced orbital analysis can reveal hidden features of celestial bodies, opening new possibilities for understanding ocean formation throughout the cosmos.



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Scientists discover unexpected young ocean on Saturn's cratered moon Mimas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ 'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-earth-became-a-frozen-wasteland">When Earth became a frozen wasteland</h2>



Imagine Earth as a giant snowball, frozen solid from the North Pole to the equator. This wasn't the plot of a science fiction movie – it was our planet's reality 700 million years ago during an extreme ice age that has puzzled scientists for decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-discovery">The discovery</h2>



Australian researchers from the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a> have finally cracked one of geology's greatest mysteries: what caused the Sturtian glaciation and why it persisted for an unprecedented 57 million years. This period occurred long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, when no complex plants or multicellular animals existed.



Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz, the study's lead author, describes a world completely unlike today's climate. "Imagine the Earth almost completely frozen over," she explained. "The planet was blanketed in ice from poles to equator, and temperatures plunged."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-combination-of-climate-factors">The combination of climate factors</h2>



The research team discovered that this massive freeze resulted from a "double whammy" of geological events. First, plate tectonic activity reduced volcanic carbon dioxide emissions to historically low levels. Volcanic activity typically releases CO2 into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that keeps Earth warm.



Simultaneously, weathering of volcanic rocks in what is now Canada actively absorbed atmospheric CO2, further reducing greenhouse gas concentrations. When atmospheric carbon dioxide levels dropped below 200 parts per million – less than half of today's levels – glaciation engulfed the entire planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-climate-implications">Modern climate implications</h2>



Published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geology</a>, this research provides crucial insights into Earth's climate system. While geological climate changes occur over millions of years, the study emphasizes that human-induced climate change is happening at a pace ten times faster than previously observed natural changes, highlighting the urgent need to understand our planet's delicate climate balance.



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What caused the planet's longest ice age

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY 57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists....

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-monitoring-networks">Scientific monitoring networks</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.



The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.



The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.



The full study was recently published in <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.



Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.



Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents". In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively. MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.



MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization. The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.



Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.



A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.



This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.



PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.



In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.



As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.



The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.



For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.



The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.



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MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a>



Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.



The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-global-food-security">Implications for global food security</h2>



The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-don-t-we-ever-hear-about-acid-rain-anymore-the-environmental-crisis-that-was-solved">Why don't we ever hear about "acid rain" anymore? The environmental crisis that was solved</h2>



Remember the 1980s when acid rain dominated headlines? Dire warnings about rain eating buildings, killing fish, and destroying forests filled every news cycle. Then, almost like magic, acid rain vanished from public discourse. What happened? Did we actually solve one of the late 20th century's most pressing environmental challenges?



The answer might surprise you. Unlike many environmental issues that drag on indefinitely, acid rain represents one of modern history's most successful ecological recovery stories. It's a tale of science, politics, and technology working together to tackle what seemed impossible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was acid rain?</h2>



Acid rain isn't regular rain having a bad day – it's precipitation that became significantly more acidic due to air pollution. When power plants, factories, and vehicles burn fossil fuels, they release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The science behind it</h2>



Think of acid rain as nature's chemistry experiment gone wrong. These compounds react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. When mixed with water vapor in clouds, they create precipitation with dangerously low pH levels.



While clean rain has a pH of about 5.6, acid rain could drop as low as 4.2 to 4.4 – roughly as acidic as tomato juice or coffee. According to US Geological Survey documentation, Scottish chemist Angus Smith first coined "acid rain" in 1872, but it didn't become a household phrase until the 1960s and 1970s when Swedish scientist Svante Odén documented its devastating effects on Scandinavian lakes and European forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The crisis at its peak</h2>



During the height of public concern, environmental damage was both widespread and visible. This wasn't some abstract future threat – people could see destruction happening in real-time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environmental devastation</h2>



The most dramatic impacts were impossible to ignore. Research documented by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation shows that in the Adirondack Mountains, more than 200 lakes became so acidic they couldn't support fish life. The Adirondack Council reports that 409 lakes once supported brook trout, but many lost their fish populations due to acid rain.



By 1976, when scientists cataloged all acidified lakes in the Adirondack Park, researchers found that half of the lakes over 2,000 feet above sea level had no fish, according to studies published in environmental journals. The acidification process worked like a slow-motion disaster. As acid rain fell into watersheds, it gradually lowered pH levels. Fish couldn't survive in acidic water, and their food sources died off too.



Trees at high elevations showed stress directly linked to acid rain. It weakened them by leaching nutrients and making them susceptible to disease. Historical records show Germany's Black Forest saw nearly half its trees damaged by the mid-1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Economic impact</h2>



Acid rain wasn't just environmental – it was expensive. Acidic precipitation corroded infrastructure, buildings, and monuments. Historic stone structures deteriorated at accelerated rates. Tourism suffered as lakes became fishless and forests declined. EPA economic analyses from the period documented repair costs mounting into billions annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The solution: government action and technology</h2>



Transformation from crisis to success required unprecedented cooperation between governments, industries, and environmental groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Clean Air Act of 1990</h2>



The turning point came with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush. This represented a fundamentally new approach to environmental regulation, as documented in EPA historical records.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cap-and-trade success</h2>



Instead of mandating specific technologies, the 1990 amendments introduced something revolutionary: a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide emissions. EPA program documentation shows this market-based approach set overall limits but allowed companies to trade emission allowances.



The genius was harnessing market forces to find cost-effective pollution reduction. Companies reducing emissions cheaply could sell excess allowances to those facing higher costs. Research published in environmental economics journals and EPA progress reports shows this resulted in dramatic SO2 reduction at a fraction of projected costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technology advances</h2>



Policy provided the framework, but technology made reductions possible. Studies in atmospheric science journals document the widespread adoption of flue gas desulfurization systems ("scrubbers") that removed sulfur dioxide before it reached the atmosphere. By the 2000s, new installations could remove over 95% of SO2 emissions, according to EPA technical reports.



The push coincided with cleaner energy development. Natural gas produces fewer sulfur compounds than coal. Wind and solar, emerging in the 1990s, captured growing market share, reducing reliance on high-sulfur coal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-don-t-hear-about-it-today">Why we don't hear about it today</h2>



Why did acid rain disappear from headlines? Simple: the problem was largely solved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Success doesn't make news</h2>



There's an old journalism saying: "If it bleeds, it leads." Environmental success stories don't generate urgency like crisis reporting. Media attention shifted to other challenges: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. There's only so much environmental anxiety the public can absorb, and newer concerns replaced acid rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mission accomplished</h2>



The primary reason is beautifully simple: interventions worked. EPA monitoring data shows sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990. Academic research published in environmental science journals confirms pH levels in formerly affected areas returned closer to normal. This represents one of history's most dramatic environmental recoveries. Studies by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation show fishless lakes now support healthy populations. Forests recovered, and building damage slowed dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-really-gone">Is it really gone?</h2>



The crisis is largely resolved, but monitoring data shows the problem isn't completely eliminated – it's managed to acceptable levels. Some areas still experience occasional events during high pollution periods. International environmental research indicates that rapidly industrializing Asian countries face similar problems to what we experienced decades ago, though they're implementing successful strategies.



EPA research shows nitrogen oxide emissions proved more challenging than sulfur dioxide, coming from vehicles and mobile sources. Climate science studies suggest changing weather patterns add complexity to how acid rain forms and falls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What this teaches us</h2>



The acid rain experience proves that seemingly intractable environmental problems can be solved with scientific understanding, political will, and technological innovation. Environmental monitoring data shows recovery speed was remarkable – within a decade, measurable improvements appeared in air quality and ecosystem health.



Success came from bipartisan support across party lines. Policy analysis studies show the market-based approach appealed to those preferring economic incentives while achieving environmental goals. This support created lasting policy surviving political changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>



Acid rain's disappearance from public consciousness represents environmental science's greatest success stories. Through effective regulation, technological innovation, and international cooperation, we transformed an overwhelming crisis into a manageable challenge.



Today's silence isn't because we forgot – it's because we solved it. The 1990 Clean Air Act, combined with technology and energy market changes, reduced acid rain emissions over 90%, according to comprehensive EPA data analysis.



This success offers hope for current challenges. It proves complex problems can be solved when science, policy, and technology work together. As we face climate change and plastic pollution, acid rain reminds us that dramatic positive change is possible.



Next time someone asks whether environmental regulations work, remember acid rain. It's proof that sometimes, we get it right.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Sources: This article draws from EPA official documentation and progress reports, peer-reviewed research published in environmental and atmospheric science journals, historical data from the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records, US Geological Survey publications, policy analysis studies, and environmental monitoring data collected over three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



1. Is acid rain completely gone? No, but EPA monitoring shows it's reduced to manageable levels. US sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990, making acid rain much less severe than the 1980s crisis.



2. How long did solving take? Environmental monitoring data shows significant improvements began within 5-10 years of 1990s emission controls. Full ecosystem recovery took longer – some areas need 20-30 years for complete recovery.



3. What made the solution successful? Clear scientific understanding, visible damage motivating action, bipartisan support, available technology, and innovative market-based policies like cap-and-trade.



4. Do other countries have acid rain problems? Yes, particularly rapidly industrializing Asian countries. However, international environmental research shows many implement similar successful control strategies.



5. Could acid rain return? Potentially, if regulations weaken or we return to high-sulfur coal without controls, though effects would take years to become severe according to environmental projections.



6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"? The United States Environmental Protection Agency produced a wonderful teacher's guide for ages 14 and under that you can find on the EPA website here: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf</a>



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The environmental problem we actually solved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk Acid rain and a crisis solved. Why don't we...

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

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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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



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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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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