Imagine Earth has a giant set of underground “storage lockers” where we can tuck away carbon dioxide (CO₂) for centuries so it doesn’t heat the planet. Scientists call this geologic carbon storage. 



It sounds simple: capture CO₂ from factories, power plants, or even the air, pipe it deep underground into the tiny spaces inside certain rocks, and lock it there.



For years, underground storage of carbon dioxide looked and felt like a clever climate trick. Capture the gas, lock it in rock layers, and keep burning fossil fuels while claiming progress. 



The idea seemed safe because early estimates suggested nearly limitless space.



That illusion has collapsed. New research shows the planet’s usable underground storage capacity is far smaller than imagined. Instead of centuries of security, this cushion could run out within 200 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-storage-drops-sharply">Carbon storage drops sharply</h2>



Industry once placed global capacity at around 14,000 gigatons. A closer look, however, strips away risky regions - earthquake zones, fragile <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/construction-materials-could-store-carbon-in-homes-and-buildings-helping-the-climate/">ecosystems</a>, and crowded cities. What remains is only about 1,460 gigatonnes.



This tenfold drop changes everything. What once seemed endless is now a resource with strict boundaries, one that must be managed carefully. Every choice about how it is used carries long-term consequences. 



If reserved for short-term fixes, the world risks burning through it quickly. If protected for carbon removal, it could become a critical lifeline for stabilizing temperatures far into the future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risks-hidden-beneath-the-surface">Risks hidden beneath the surface</h2>



Underground storage carries hazards. Injecting carbon can stir up seismic activity, reactivate faults, or open escape paths. Leaks into aquifers could acidify water and release toxic metals. 



Offshore storage avoids some human risks but adds cost and geopolitical disputes. Public pushback also limits expansion, with some governments blocking projects altogether.



Opposition often stems from fears of leaks, distrust of industry promises, and concerns that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">storage</a> will be used to justify continued fossil fuel use. 



These challenges mean underground storage cannot expand smoothly or universally; every project faces technical, political, and social barriers that slow progress and shrink real-world potential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-storage-s-uncertain-future">Carbon storage’s uncertain future</h2>



Climate plans already assume storage will be vital to reach net zero. But if it mainly serves fossil fuel plants, reserves could vanish by 2200 - and every decade of delay accelerates that timeline. 



Deep emission cuts now ease future pressure, while procrastination forces heavier reliance on shrinking storage space. 



One promising strategy is to prioritize underground capacity for carbon removal rather than fossil fuel capture.



Direct air capture and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/abandoned-farmland-can-be-used-for-climate-change-mitigation/">bioenergy</a> with carbon storage could actively draw carbon out of the atmosphere, offering a cooling effect. 



If the full capacity were dedicated to this role, global temperatures could fall by as much as 0.7 °C (1.3 °F), though in practice the impact may be closer to 0.4 °C (0.7 °F) because the climate system doesn’t respond perfectly symmetrically to removal and emission.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reserves-unevenly-spread-worldwide">Reserves unevenly spread worldwide</h2>



Storage is not shared fairly across the globe. The United States, Russia, and Australia hold large, stable reserves. Europe and India lose far more under stricter risk rules.



Meanwhile, some nations in Africa and South America have vast potential but little historic responsibility for emissions. That imbalance raises thorny questions of justice - who gets to use the storage, and on what terms. 



Should wealthy nations pay for access to reserves in countries that contributed less to the crisis? Or should those with the largest reserves prioritize their own development needs first? 



These questions highlight deep inequalities that will shape future climate negotiations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-storage-can-only-buy-time">Storage can only buy time</h2>



Some experts argue the true potential is larger, pointing to decades of safe use in oil and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-largest-natural-hydrogen-deposit-discovery-is-worth-a-staggering-184-billion/">gas reservoirs</a>. 



They note that many depleted fields have held fluids securely for millions of years and could continue to hold injected carbon just as reliably.



Supporters of this view see existing infrastructure and technical expertise as proof that storage can operate at much greater scale than the conservative estimates suggest.



Even so, most researchers caution against treating underground storage as a limitless solution. It was never designed to be the final answer to climate change. 



At best, it should function as a bridge - a temporary measure that buys time while renewables expand, low-carbon industries mature, and societies shift away from fossil fuels.



In that sense, storage is less a cure and more a stabilizer, easing the transition without promising permanence. Its real value lies in supporting broader change, not replacing it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-future-depends-on-choices">Carbon future depends on choices</h2>



The message is clear: underground storage is limited, risky, and unevenly distributed. It can help, but only if used strategically. 



That means prioritizing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/states-taking-action-on-their-own-can-cut-half-of-u-s-emissions/">emission cuts</a>, expanding clean energy, and reserving storage for removing carbon already in the air.



Treating it as infinite would squander one of the few tools that could still reverse warming, leaving future generations with fewer options, higher risks, and a far narrower path to a stable climate.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09423-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Earth has 10x less space for underground carbon storage than we thought - any other ideas?

Imagine Earth has a giant set of underground “storage lockers” where we can tuck away carbon dioxide (CO₂) for centuries so it doesn’t heat the planet. Scientists call this geologic carbon storage. It sounds simple: capture CO₂ from factories, power plants, or even the air, pipe it deep underground into the tiny spaces inside certain rocks, and lock it there. For years, underground storage of carbon dioxide looked and felt like a clever climate trick. Capture the gas, lock it in rock layers, and keep burning fossil...

Across the world, species are being pushed into the yawning void of extinction by humans.  We’re mowing down rainforests at alarming rates. According to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-rainforest-deforestation-2621547166.html">ecowatch.org</a>, 3,050 square miles of the Amazon was cut down between August 2017 and July 2018, the worst year yet for Amazon deforestation.  Climate change is happening now, due to human pollutants. Snowpack in the western US is down, icebergs are melting. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-shortens-life-spans/">Air pollution</a> is taking years off of people’s lives and causing acid rain.   

<a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/global_extinction_rates_why_do_estimates_vary_so_wildly">Scientists disagree</a> over the rates of species extinction but they may be greater than we officially estimate.  It could be as much as between 24 and 150 species lost a day.   Politicians argue over agreements to slow climate change while nations like the US now simply ignore the problem.  In the meantime, little is being done and the economic machinery marches on consuming the planet for its own illusory growth.  More, better and different technology we’re told is the answer. 

Windmills are built that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-impacts-solar-wind-energy/">kill birds and bats</a> just the same as if they were caught in an oil spill.  Solar panels are hoisted up, blocking the bright sun warming the earth and divert it to the wall sockets of Youtube hungry consumers.  Plants are engineered and doctored to taste exactly like beef for the consumer who cares just not enough to forgo the taste of meat. National parks in the US pushed native peoples out of traditional homelands; parks in Africa and Asia have followed suit.  These, we are told, are the solutions. 

No one is told that they are the problem.  Instead, Trump is blamed for the climate, the Koch brothers are villainized for pollution.  The quickly approaching extinction of rhino species is clearly being driven by superstitious Chinese using horns, bones and fungi for quackery labelled as cures.  

I am the problem.  I drive a car. I am using electricity and the internet to transmit this article to you now.  I eat cheese and eggs and ice cream. I participate in a society that created the monster leading the United States now.  I am to blame. The only way forward is to completely rethink the systems that have driven us to the brink of collapse, the suicidal governments pushing us along.

An article in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/climate-change-what-you-can-do-campaigning-installing-insulation-solar-panels">The Guardian</a> lists less consumption of meat, especially beef, as one direct action and simply less consumption as another but this message is one that’s being all too often ignored.  Instead, we often look to global leaders to combat environmental problems despite the inconsistency of leadership inherit in democratic governments and the long term approach necessary for any real solution.  The article also says to vote, but how is this reasonable when the climate change-denying US president in power now didn’t win the popular vote? 

Beyond that, decisions with much longer follow through than term limits allow is necessary for environmental change to have any weight.  The Paris Climate Accords are a perfect example. Experts agree that the accords don’t do enough to solve the problem of global climate change and still, nations involved can’t meet the goals they set.  Goals are continually reset to pander to a complete lack of will or determination by any nation state involved. There’s very little binding power to the agreement and poorer nations are getting the raw end of the deal, as usual.  Despite the ill intention and malice, the US leaving the climate accords seems almost irrelevant.

A piece from <a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2019-01-11/capricious-foes-big-sister-high-carbon-plutocrats-irreverent-musings-from-katowices-cop24/">resilience.org</a> written by a participant at COP24 revealed how despite an appearance of discussion, most members are barred from specific criticism, making the discussion toothless and pointless.  Instead in many ways COP24 and other climate discussions seem to be more about trade and profit than about the climate crisis. An article in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2018/12/13/ten-things-the-world-learned-at-the-cop24-climate-change-negotiations/#148367901cd2">Forbes</a> asserts that many countries involved in the COP24 talks, including host nation, Poland are reluctant to give up coal.  The article goes on to echo some concerns also raised by resilience.org, that many civil groups are physically barred from participating in the COP talks.  Only groups that can be counted on to ‘play nice’ are allowed to question government and business leaders at the climate talks. Many of those shut out of the conference were from poorer nations most threatened by climate change.  Even a scientific study by IPCC showing that we’re headed towards a catastrophic temperature rise of 3°C that was commissioned by COP21 wasn’t welcome at the COP24 talks. 

The study itself shoots to the heart of the issue stating, “…rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society…” are necessary to divert the coming tragedy.  

Climate change, deforestation and global extinctions on the rise are huge problems but they’re actually just symptoms of a deeper global sickness.  The problem is consumption.  The problem is that people continually turn away from the natural world they’re destroying by plugging into destructive ways to occupy their time.  Nature Deficit Disorder is usually not seen in the same light as a global destructive force in the same way climate change is. I would argue that in many ways Nature Deficit Disorder, coupled with good old fashioned greed and gluttony, are driving climate change, deforestation, even drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  

<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38094186">BBC</a> reports on the effect of Nature Deficit Disorder, quoting Dr. Ross Cameron:

“We're so clued into modern technology and things that we're less observant about the world around us and we're more likely to learn about wildlife ironically from a David Attenborough programme than maybe from a walk in the woods.”

A walk in the woods doesn’t have an environmental cost like watching a nature documentary. A trip into ‘nature’ also has the added benefit of making it personal.  There’s a magical joy of discovering in seeing a bird you’ve never noticed before without knowing what is that’s missing in nature film, articles or books.

The key to everything is we’re losing the world around us and we don’t even realize it because we’ve slipped so deeply into our own artificial worlds of computer screens and carefully climate controlled offices.  The root of the destruction of the natural world is that you’re reading this on a screen instead of being outside. From Central Park to the waterways of the northern Midwest to deserts, mountains, even roadsides, there is beauty in the world, seeing it for yourself is the first step towards protecting it.           

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer              

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

The real root of the current global environmental catastrophe

Across the world, species are being pushed into the yawning...

As long-time rivals Russia and China turn their gaze toward the warming Arctic, the United States is preparing to do the same.

A <a href="https://www.navy.mil/">U.S. Navy</a> warship will set out on a freedom of navigation operation in the Arctic within the next few months, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/">Wall Street Journal</a> recently. Such an operation, also known as a FONOP, challenges territorial claims on the world’s oceans and airspace. International law forbids countries from interfering in the travel of ships flying the flag of any sovereign state.

“The concept is, yes, go up there,” Spencer said.

With climate change beginning to open up navigable waterways in the warming Arctic, world powers are looking to take advantage of those new lanes for commercial and military operations.

Last year saw the third-lowest Arctic ice level on record, the <a href="https://nsidc.org/">National Snow and Ice Data Center</a> reported. The agency first began tracking ice levels using satellite data in the 1970s. And sea ice hit record low levels in the Arctic in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-sea-ice-extent-low/">2015, 2016 and 2017</a> as well, according to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>.

Though the planned operation will be the first U.S. FONOP in the Arctic, the Navy has conducted similar operations in the South China Sea recently. 

While the Navy is still solidifying its plans, a decommissioned base in the Aleutian island chain may play a role. Adak was closed in the 1990s and taken over in 2003 by the <a href="https://www.aleutcorp.com/">Aleutian Corporation</a>, which helps settle Alaskan natives’ claims against the U.S. government.

“It has some amazing facilities,” Spencer said. “Could we bring some surface ships there? Yes.”

The corporation did not return requests for comment from the Wall Street Journal. But if the Adak base doesn’t work out, the Navy will work around it.

“We’ve got to get up there and learn,” Spencer said. “There’s no other way to do it.”

The plan comes after China last year declared its intention to create a “polar Silk Road” in the warming Arctic. Russia has been active in the Arctic for quite some time, as its northern coast lies within the region.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image credit: ikaew101 / <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/">Shutterstock.com</a>

U.S. prepares to stake claim in warming Arctic

As long-time rivals Russia and China turn their gaze toward...

A new report has linked a deadly asthma attack that killed a 9-year-old schoolgirl to London air pollution. 

Thanks to the report, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, the mother of young Ella Kissi-Debrah, will be able to seek a new inquest into Ella’s death.

“Words cannot express how happy I am that the attorney general has taken this decision, and I would like to thank him for reaching his conclusion,” Rosamund Kissi-Debrah told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk">The Guardian</a> on Friday. “Nothing will bring my beautiful, bright, bubbly child back, but now at least I may get answers about how she died and whether it was air pollution which snatched her away from us.”

Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived in south London about 80 feet from a busy, smoggy road, died in February 2013 after struggling with breathing difficulties for three years. The deadly asthma attack led to the last of 27 separate hospital visits following a chest infection in 2010. Before the illness, she’d been active and healthy.

Dr. Stephen Holgate of the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>, an expert on air quality and health, examined spikes in south London air pollution to see if they had an impact on Ella’s health. 

He found a “striking association” between Ella’s hospitalizations and illegally high spikes in air pollution in the neighborhood where she lived. The deadly asthma attack that took her life came in the midst of one of the worst south London air pollution spikes. 

“The dramatic worsening of her asthma in relation to air pollution episodes would go a long way to explain the timing of her exacerbations across her last four years,” Holgate told The Guardian last July. “There is a real prospect that without unlawful levels of air pollution Ella would not have died.”

Air pollution has been linked to deaths all over the world, from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-kills-infants/">infants</a> to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-premature-death-elderly/">elderly</a>. Pollution is linked to higher rates of pulmonary and cardiac diseases like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-shortens-life-spans/">asthma, high blood pressure and heart attacks</a>, as well as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-diabetes/">higher risk of diabetes</a>.

On the flip side, cutting air pollution can also lead to a drop in the number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/decline-air-pollution-deaths/">pollution-related deaths</a>.

Human rights lawyer Jocelyn Cockburn of <a href="https://www.hja.net/">Hodge Jones &amp; Allen</a>, who is representing Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, supports the idea of moving ahead with an inquest into Ella’s deadly asthma attack.

“An inquest will provide a better understanding of why she died and whether her death was avoidable. It will force the government and other bodies to account for their actions and, in many regards, their inaction on air pollution over this period,” she told The Guardian.

To that end, Rosamund has started a crowdfunding effort at <a href="https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/airpollution/">Crowd Justice</a> to pay for a legal inquiry into the London air pollution that may have killed her daughter.

“Now I hope a new inquest will make those in power realise that our children are dying as a result of the air that they breathe. This cannot go on,” she said. “Why is this not being taken more seriously by the government? What do we need to do to make them prioritise our children’s lives over convenience and the rights of people to pollute?”

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By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

London air pollution linked to girl's deadly asthma attack

A new report has linked a deadly asthma attack that...

New information from researchers at <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a> enlightens the public to the negative effects of massive hydropower developments like dams. 

Deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and the displacement of thousands of citizens is happening in countries like <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/termite-mounds-brazil/">Brazil</a>, where hydropower is still being put into place, and on an enormous scale. What’s more is that countries where dams are still being built are ignoring the environmental impact and impending climate change, which will ultimately lead to less water being available for electricity storage and generation.

The Michigan State research team was led by Emilio Moran, a visiting professor at the <a href="https://www.unicamp.br/unicamp/english">University of Campinas (UNICAMP)</a> in São Paulo State, Brazil, and the principal investigator of a <a href="https://bv.fapesp.br/en/auxilios/82785/social-and-environmental-processes-that-accompany-the-construction-of-belo-monte-hydroelectric-dam/">São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) dam research project</a>, which pertains to the new Belo Monte dam in Altamira, Pará.

“We argue that if the construction of large dams in developing countries is to continue, it must always be preceded by a painstaking assessment of their real cost, including the environmental and social impact they have,” Moran stated via the study, published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/47/11891">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)</a>.

As of 2016, hydropower is the leading source of renewable energy worldwide, accounting for 71% of all renewable energy. However, many dams that were built in North America and Europe throughout the 20th century have since been dismantled — an incredibly costly endeavor. Dismantling should also be taken into account when new dams are being built, Moran argued.

These 20th century dams were also constructed for societal benefit — they provided water to rural areas. Modern dams are built to supply energy to large corporations like steel-making companies, and offer nothing for the community.

“The people affected by these projects reap no benefits, such as access to electricity or a cheaper power supply. In the case of Belo Monte, the transmission line passes over the heads of the people affected and takes the electricity generated straight to the south and southeast, two of Brazil's wealthiest regions," Moran said.

The development of these modern dams has actually increased electricity bills within the communities surrounding them, and construction jobs offered to locals disappeared within five years of the dams being built. According to Moran, “Belo Monte has been chaotic and has affected the lives of the inhabitants so profoundly that plans to build more large dams in the Amazon basin are being revisited."

Hydropower developments are also detrimental to native fish species. The decrease of fish populations in regions like the Amazon basin has impacted global fish diversity as well as fishing communities, where, in some areas like those around the Tucuruí dam, the fish catch fell 60% immediately after the dam was built. 

Furthermore, these modern dams are no match for impending climate change, Moran warned. They will end up only producing a fraction of the energy they were designed to generate as temperatures rise and Amazon rainfall decreases in the coming years. 

“Depending on water as the main source of power in a future when we'll have less of this natural resource looks like an unreliable strategy," Moran said. “To reduce its vulnerability with regard to energy in the context of global climate change, Brazil must diversify its energy mix. It's still too dependent on hydroelectricity. It needs to invest more in other renewable sources, such as solar, biomass and wind."

Rather than continue on the path of dams, the researchers suggest countries like Brazil look into submerged or in-stream turbine technology, also known as "zero head," for which no damming is required. This technology can better riverine communities and is much cheaper than building a dam.

"This technology could be used throughout Brazil wherever there are relatively small watercourses with discharge rates in excess of 1 cubic meter per second," Moran added. "Small turbines can also be installed near dams to supplement power generation and eliminate the need to build more dams."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hydropower may be doing more social and environmental harm than good

New information from researchers at Michigan State University enlightens the...

Although truffles and caviar have been traditional delicacies for wealthy people, a new study from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> has found that free-range and fair-trade foods are becoming more important to the upper class. 

“Our culture's understanding of what counts as elite taste has really overlooked this ethical element,” said study lead author Professor Emily Huddart Kennedy.

People of a high social status have traditionally enjoyed expensive foods, including French cuisine, and sophisticated events like the opera. But now, there seems to be a green revolution catching on, as people are willing to spend more money for products that are <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/environmentally-friendly-flame-retardants/">environmentally friendly</a>. 

The research team set out to investigate whether social elites are now signaling status through ethical foods. They surveyed more than 800 grocery shoppers in Toronto about their food choices, dividing them into four groups according to their preferences: foodies, ethical eaters, neither, or both. 

The experts compared this information to data on the income, education, and occupation of the shoppers. The study revealed that the individuals who were both foodies and ethical eaters had by far the highest socioeconomic status.


On the other hand, the shoppers who classified themselves as neither foodies nor ethical eaters were found to have the lowest socioeconomic status.

“If you're saying, 'Oh, I should go to this new hipster food truck or this new restaurant that opened up,' that's not even enough anymore to signal that you're high-status,” said Kennedy. “Now, it also has to have this additional layer of being good for people and good for the planet. Foie gras might be great, but if it's local, heritage-breed, pasture-raised foie gras from happy, free-range geese, then that's what high-status looks like now.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sf">Social Forces</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Environmentally responsible foods have become the “classy” preference

Although truffles and caviar have been traditional delicacies for wealthy...

The Earth’s magnetic field is on the move, with the North Pole shifting and currently on its way to Siberia. 

Changes within the magnetic field and the Earth’s core are happening so rapidly that the World Magnetic Model is in dire need of an update. The last time the World Magnetic Model was updated was in 2015 and it wasn’t scheduled to be updated again until 2020.

However, after conducting an annual review of the field, researchers from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)</a> and the <a href="https://www.bgs.ac.uk/">British Geological Survey</a> discovered that it had moved so much since the last update that it could cause major navigational errors if left unchecked. 

<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00007-1?utm_source=twt_nnc&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=naturenews&amp;sf205680051=1">Nature Magazine</a> reported that a new updated model was scheduled to be released this coming Tuesday, January 15th but due to the government shutdown, the update’s release has been postponed until January 30th.

Everything from Google Maps to the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/">U.S Department of Defense</a> relies on the World Magnetic Model for navigation. 

The magnetic field is constantly moving, and quickly at that, which is why regular updates are crucial.

Part of the reason the model is so outdated has to do with the unpredictable patterns of speed and movement of the magnetic north pole as it lurches closer and closer to Siberia.

According to Nature, after its last update, geomagnetic pulse under South America caused part of the field to shift.

The Earth’s magnetic field is the result of moving liquid metal in the Earth’s core. This constant motion is what protects us from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magnetic-field-solar-radiation/">solar winds and dangerous ultraviolet radiation</a>, but its erratic motion makes it difficult to track.

In 2001, the magnetic field moved into the Arctic Ocean and by 2018 the north pole crossed the International Date Line.

For this latest January 30th update, geomagnetist Arnaud Chulliat and his colleagues used three the years of recent data to help correct the Magnetic Field Model. Chulliat told Nature that the corrections should keep the model accurate until 2020.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth’s magnetic field is shifting in a very strange way

The Earth’s magnetic field is on the move, with the...

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Experts at the <a href="https://www.stir.ac.uk/">University of Stirling</a> are warning that mega-dams are too damaging to ecosystems and biodiversity in lowland tropical forest regions. The study revealed that the Balbina dam in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/illegal-activity-brazilian-amazon/">Brazilian Amazon</a> was responsible for extensive habitat fragmentation. After the dam closed, the flooding was so severe that hilltops were transformed into islands.

The forest islands that are created during reservoir filling are not even accounted for in the Environmental Impact Assessment and licensing process of dams. Tree communities on Balbina's islands were found to be unstable, with rare species threatened in isolation. Similar losses in ecosystem functioning could spread across Balbina's 3,500 reservoir islands.

“Ideally, we recommend that dams should not be constructed in lowland tropical forest regions such as the Amazon basin, due to the far-reaching impacts of river impoundment on aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity,” said study lead author Dr. Isabel Jones. “However, where no alternative is available, we hope to improve the environmental impact procedure and impact mitigation of future dams, by providing robust recommendations regarding dam development and operation.”

When dams are built in tropical regions such as the Amazon basin, significant amounts of greenhouse gases including methane are released. Regardless, dam construction is on the rise throughout the Amazon, with more than 280 new dam projects planned or already underway.

The researchers investigated the long-term impact of dam-induced fragmentation on tropical tree communities isolated by flooding. The goal was to produce recommendations for dam developers and decision-makers that could help to minimize the detrimental impacts associated with dam development.

The study was focused on 36 islands across Balbina, as well as three nearby mainland continuous forest sites.

“Our research found that islands within the Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir harbored significantly lower densities of adult and sapling trees, compared to mainland continuous forest,” said Dr. Jones. “In other words, tree biomass is being lost on those islands. This is important to know considering the carbon emissions associated with tropical forest loss and degradation.”

“Furthermore, the species composition of saplings was significantly different to those of the relict adult trees on islands, indicating that future tree communities on islands will be very different to those originally there when the forest was continuous.”

“We also showed that the overall composition of tree communities on islands was different to those in mainland continuous forest, which means that island tree communities are changing due to being isolated within the reservoir. Loss of tree species and biomass within these remnant tree communities is largely ignored in Environmental Impact Assessments. We show that the degradation of remnant tree communities on islands is an additional impact of dams, and must be explicitly considered in the planning and licensing of future dam construction.”

The research is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 
Image Credit: Isabel Jones

Dams are detrimental to tropical forest biodiversity and function

Experts at the University of Stirling are warning that mega-dams...

In the time since <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-sea-turtle-species/">microplastics</a> were discovered in abundance across our oceans, scientists have found that this contamination is extremely widespread throughout lakes, rivers, and even in food and beverage supplies. Dr. Natalia Ivleva, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/">Technical University of Munich</a> (TUM), is working to develop new methods for identifying and quantifying microplastics.

Dr. Ivleva explained that humans produce around 400 million tons of plastic on a yearly basis. A large amount of this plastic makes its way into the environment as litter, where it takes up to several hundred years to completely degrade. She said that over the next few decades, we will be facing a massive increase in the amount of microplastic pollution in the environment. 

When asked why we do not know more about the effects of microplastic pollution, Dr. Ivleva replied: “Early on, when researchers first realized that microplastic was entering the environment as a result of human activity, optical methods were used to distinguish plastic from other particles in a given sample.”

“Unfortunately, this method is not very reliable. When you are looking at a particle that is smaller than a millimeter in size, it's difficult to discern whether it is a grain of sand or a piece of plastic. They look very similar at that size.”

Dr. Ivleva was part of a team of researchers that conducted a chemical analysis of around 3,000 particles from a water sample collected in the Elbe River. 

“We ascertained that only one in a thousand particles in the sample was actually plastic,” she explained. “Alongside limestone and other mineral particles, the water sample also contained a lot of organic material. That is why it's of the utmost importance to develop reliable and standardized analysis methods - otherwise, there is no way to accurately compare different sample values with one another.”

According to Dr. Ivleva, there are several methods that are currently being used to analyze samples for microplastic, including thermal analysis and infrared microspectroscopy.


“At the TUM Institute of Hydrochemistry, we predominantly employ Raman microscopic analysis in our research. Raman is a non-destructive spectroscopic method that makes it possible to conduct both a signature spectrum analysis as well as facilitate reliable particle identification. Using this method, we can determine whether a particle is made of synthetic polymers - or if it's a natural substance such as cellulose or quartz.”

This method also allows the experts to precisely determine the type of plastic in a sample. 

“And coupling the power of a Raman spectrometer with a regular optical microscope, we can analyze particles down to one micrometer or even smaller. The result: we have the ability to clearly define the number of particles, the range of particle sizes and the polymer types of the microplastics in any given sample.”

The team has used this technique to confirm the presence of microplastic particles in the digestive tracts of water fleas. In the project “MiPAq,” which is being funded by the Bavarian Research Foundation (BFS), the researchers are currently working on the automation of Raman-based methods. 

Dr. Ivleva was asked if the production of plastic should be completely banned in the future.

“Absolutely not - plastic is an incredibly versatile material and has a lot of advantages over other materials. That said - it is of paramount importance for us to drastically reduce the amount of plastic we are introducing into the environment. And it's not just the companies manufacturing plastic that need to shoulder the sole responsibility and burden for this - it is also up to us as consumers to become more responsible in how we use, reuse, recycle and dispose of plastic in the future.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/trends-in-analytical-chemistry">Trends in Analytical Chemistry</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A new technique for detecting microplastics in water bodies

In the time since microplastics were discovered in abundance across...

Colony,Of,Subterranean,Termites,Build,Nest,Beneath,The,Tree,Bark.

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termite-mounds-brazil/">termite</a> is a small but mighty insect that plays a crucial role in decomposing organic matter because they can break down cellulose in plants. Their role as nutrient cyclers helps keep ecosystems healthy, increasing nutrient levels in the soil and driving plant growth. 

Termites also help increase moisture leaves in the soil and as such can help maintain important tropical ecosystem processes during times of drought, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a> and the <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/">Natural History Museum</a>. 

The research, published in the journal Science, represents the first large-scale study of its kind to examine the role of termites in decreasing the impacts of drought in a tropical ecosystem. 

“Whilst there has been some work exploring how severe drought affects plants in tropical rainforests, our study shows for the first time that having termites helps protect forest from the effects of drought,” said Kate Parr, a member of the research team. “Termites might only be small but collectively their presence can help reduce the effects of climate change in tropical systems.” 

The researchers compared termite abundance and soil moisture between different sites in a tropical rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. 

Some of the sites had no termites because of novel suppression methods, and the researchers found that in the areas with termites there were more termites during the drought period, more leaf litter, and higher levels of soil moisture. 

There were also higher rates of seedling survival near the sites with termites during the drought. 

“The results of our study are important because we show that intact biological communities can act as a kind of ecological insurance by keeping ecosystems functioning in times of environmental stress,” said Hannah Griffiths, a lead author of the study. 

The study shows how crucial termites are to an ecosystem and not just in tropical regions. 

“Termites confer important ecosystem services, not only in pristine tropical rainforest, but in disturbed or even agricultural ecosystems, if termite abundance is reduced with disturbance, these habitats could be particularly sensitive to drought,” said Louise Ashton, the joint lead author of the study. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: University of Liverpool / Natural History Museum

Termites help maintain tropical ecosystems during periods of drought

The termite is a small but mighty insect that plays...

Offering to pay landowners to perform important environmental services could be a positive incentive to help manage and conserve the environment. 

Someone may be more inclined to use greener and more sustainable practices on their land if they were paid for it, but how feasible are these kind of investments in the grand scheme and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/paying-farmers-conservation-land/">do they benefit all parties fairly</a>? 

Researchers from the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> examined this question in a new study that examined the benefits and costs of Paying for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs in the Panama Canal Watershed. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the results provide an important framework for assessing ecological infrastructure and PES programs. 

While investing in environmental services could be helpful in some cases, potential drawbacks also have to be considered before a PES system is put in place. 

The researchers first reviewed contracts from the Panama Canal Authority offered to private farmers in the Panama Canal Watershed with the aim of getting farmers to reforest their land. 

Reforestation could impact water flow during the dry season and reduce sedimentation, both of which could help increase ship traffic during the dry months. 

For this study, the researchers focused on the feasibility of PES programs to see if they could produce the desired results. 

The team surveyed over 700 landowners in the Panama Canal Watershed to identify the market clearing equilibrium for a PES program in the area. Market clearing equilibrium describes a point when supply is equal to demand. 

The surveys allowed the researchers to calculate the market clearing equilibrium using real-world data instead of assumptions. 

“Our research shows that there are market equilibriums or limits to these programs, and that reforestation to increase dry-season water flow and reduce sedimentation only makes sense in certain areas. According to our analysis, the Panama Canal Authority is applying PES in exactly the right areas,” said Jefferson Hall, an author of the study. 

The researchers found PES programs in the eastern Panama Canal Watershed would produce better hydrological services compared to western areas. 

Reforesting all available land within the Panama Canal Watershed eligible for a PES isn't feasible nor would it make sense when optimal results could be achieved reforesting 10,000 hectares of land within the Chagres National Park.

The study provides a crucial framework for approaching PES programs and a way to analyze costs and benefits before implementing such a program to make sure that the results meet expectations. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: STRI archives

Is paying landowners to perform ecosystem services a feasible plan?

Offering to pay landowners to perform important environmental services could...

Lifestyle, longer life spans, and exposure to pollution and chemicals all increase the risk of certain cancers in humans, particularly in urban environments. 

While many studies have focused on the link between <a href="https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/4/10-010410/en/">urbanization and health</a> in people, there is now a growing field of research that shows similar health trends for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-life-plant-animal-evolution/">animal populations in urban environments</a>. However, cancer risk for animal populations that concentrate in urban environments has not been well understood. 

But now, an international team of researchers has recently analyzed cancer prevalence in animals that live in urban environments. Habitat loss due to urban sprawl is causing animals like birds, squirrels, and mice and hedgehogs to adapt to urban areas. 

In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers found that cancer prevalence is increasing among urban wildlife due to increased exposure to new threats like chemical, noise, and light pollution along with changes in diet and habitat. 

Feeding birds and squirrels human food like bread is common in many city parks, but the researchers argue that this is leading to an increase in obesity among animals and with it increases the risk of cancer. 

“It is clear that the characteristics of a modern lifestyle and the urbanizing environment have brought along a change in cancer prevalence in humans, but so far little attention has been given to similar changes in wild animals,” the researchers wrote in their <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2018.2434">study</a>.  “It has only recently been proposed that human activities might increase the cancer rate in wild populations.” 

The researchers suggest that studying urban wildlife could yield important insights into how urbanization impacts animal health, cancer prevalence, and mortality. 

“By identifying the knowledge gaps in this field, we suggest future research avenues, with the ultimate aim of understanding the magnitude of how humans' modern lifestyle affects cancer prevalence in urbanizing wild populations as well as the possibilities of using urban wild animal populations as models to study the association between environmental factors and cancer epidemics in humans,” the researchers wrote. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvanette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

City pollution and new foods raise cancer risk for urban animals

Lifestyle, longer life spans, and exposure to pollution and chemicals...

U.S. carbon emissions increased in 2018 after a three-year decline. According to a new study by the <a href="https://rhg.com/">Rhodium Group</a>, carbon emissions rose by 3.4 percent across the United States in 2018. The independent research group said the spike in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-co2-emissions-2018/">emissions</a>, which was the second-largest annual gain in over 20 years, was preceded by three years of decline. 

The findings are based on the preliminary analysis of power generation data. The results suggest that emissions from the power sector jumped up by 1.9 percent last year, and emissions resulting from construction and industry were higher as well. U.S. carbon emissions increased in 2018 after a three-year decline

The researchers also found that the transportation sector was the largest source of emissions in the United States for the third year in a row. Although the demand for gasoline decreased slightly, the demand for diesel and jet fuel increased.

Rhodium Group partner Trevor Houser told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>: “Most of the increase last year was directly attributable to an increase in economic growth.” However, he added, “it does not have to be the case that a rising economy results in rising emissions.”

Houser explained that technology is available that could reduce emissions in a growing economy, “but that requires policy to deploy those technologies in the market. And we've seen a freeze in that kind of policy at the federal level over the past few years.”


The team at Rhodium Group blamed the fact that the U.S. has no decarbonization strategy for the country's lack of success in meeting the standards established by the Paris Agreement. Even though the United States was meant to play a critical role in leading the fight against climate change, President Trump pledged to abandon the agreement after claiming it was “bad for business.” 

A growing collection of scientific evidence shows that global warming is not only happening, but is accelerating at an unexpectedly fast pace. Meanwhile, President Trump continues to doubt climate science and denies the results of the fourth national climate assessment, which was released by his own administration. 

The full preliminary report from the Rhodium Group can be found <a href="https://rhg.com/research/preliminary-us-emissions-estimates-for-2018/">here</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

U.S. carbon emissions increased in 2018 after a three-year decline

U.S. carbon emissions increased in 2018 after a three-year decline....

<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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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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

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

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