A new phenomenon dubbed "ice piracy" is unfolding in the frigid wilderness of West Antarctica, where one glacier appears to be stealing ice from its neighbor. 



This unusual behavior - once believed to take hundreds or even thousands of years - has now been recorded happening in under two decades.



Scientists from the University of Leeds, working with international collaborators, have used high-resolution satellite data to reveal that a fast-moving glacier is redirecting ice flow away from its slower neighbor.



This surprising event is changing how scientists understand the dynamics of glaciers - and how such shifts may contribute to future sea-level rise. Their findings, now published in The Cryosphere, provide rare insight into these rapid changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fast-paced-shift-in-the-ice">Fast-paced shift in the ice</h2>



Between 2005 and 2022, researchers observed that seven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-streams-move-unpredictably-due-to-hidden-quakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice streams</a> in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler (PSK) region of West Antarctica sped up significantly. 



One glacier nearly doubled its speed - an 87% increase - at the point where it meets the ocean. 



Three other glaciers accelerated by 60% to 84%. By 2022, six of these streams were moving at more than 700 meters (0.4 miles) per year. That’s the equivalent of covering just over seven football fields in just one year.



This kind of acceleration, especially so close to the grounding line - the point where a glacier starts to float - is a warning sign. 



Grounding lines help track the stability of ice sheets. Changes in their position or speed suggest the system is out of balance and can influence how ice flows inland.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slowing-glaciers-leads-to-ice-piracy">Slowing glaciers leads to ice piracy</h2>



But not every glacier followed the same pattern. The Kohler West glacier actually slowed down by 10% during the same time period. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Glacier-velocity-change_2005-2022_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Glacier-velocity-change_2005-2022_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The image depicts the average change in velocity of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2005 to 2022. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969732"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The image depicts the average change in velocity of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2005 to 2022. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



This stood in stark contrast to nearby glaciers like Kohler East and Smith West, which sped up dramatically - by about 560 meters per year.



The slowdown puzzled scientists, until they looked at the ice flow patterns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kohler-west-and-kohler-east">Kohler West and Kohler East</h2>



“We think that the observed slowdown on Kohler West Glacier is due to the redirection of ice flow towards its neighbor - Kohler East," explained lead author Dr. Heather L. Selley from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Leeds</a>.



"This is due to the large change in Kohler West’s surface slope, likely caused by the vastly different thinning rates on its neighboring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-glaciers-flow-faster-during-the-summer-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">glaciers</a>.” 



She added that because Kohler East’s ice stream is flowing and thinning faster as it travels, it absorbs, or ‘steals’ ice from Kohler West. 



"This is effectively an act of ‘ice piracy’, where ice flow is redirected from one glacier to another, and the accelerating glacier is essentially ‘thieving’ ice from its slowing neighbor,” explained Selley.



“We didn’t know ice streams could ‘steal’ ice from each over such a short period, so this is a fascinating discovery. It’s unprecedented as we're seeing this from satellite data and it’s happening at a rate of under 18 years, whereas we’ve always thought it was this extremely long, slow process,” she added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watching-ice-piracy-from-space">Watching ice piracy from space</h2>



To track this shift, the research team used satellite images and a technique that follows the movement of surface features like crevasses and rifts. 



They also incorporated data on ice thinning from the European Space Agency’s <a href="https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/CryoSat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CryoSat mission</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_speed-direction_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_2015-2022_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_speed-direction_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_2015-2022_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The image depicts the average speed and direction of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2015 to 2022. The arrows show change in direction of flow. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969725"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The image depicts the average speed and direction of multiple glaciers flowing into the Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica from 2015 to 2022. The arrows show change in direction of flow. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



Data was sourced from satellites operated by ESA, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.



“This study provides an interesting demonstration of ice piracy, where flow into one glacier gradually switches to flow into another glacier, as the ocean melts the grounding zone and re-configures ice flow,” said Pierre Dutrieux, climate researcher at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Antarctic Survey</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



The research team looked into several factors that influence ice flow, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean temperatures</a>, circulation changes, air temperature, and snowfall. 



They discovered that ice redirection is affecting the amount of ice reaching the floating ice shelves fed by these glaciers.



Two major ice shelves - the Crosson and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-ice-shapes-never-seen-by-humans-dotson-ice-shelf-ran-submersible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dotson</a> - are already among the fastest-changing outlets in West Antarctica. 



Crosson spans roughly 40 miles (60 kilometers), and Dotson stretches about 30 miles (48 kilometers). Both are thinning and retreating at their grounding lines.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_map_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Antarctica_ice-piracy_Crosson-Dotson-Ice-Shelves_map_ESA_1s.webp" alt="The Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves are situated in West Antarctica. These huge ice shelves are fed by numerous glaciers flowing towards the Amundsen Sea. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1969723"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Crosson and Dotson Ice Shelves are situated in West Antarctica. These huge ice shelves are fed by numerous glaciers flowing towards the Amundsen Sea. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



“The changes in flow direction have substantially altered the ice mass flux into Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves, likely playing an important role in maintaining Dotson and accelerating the deterioration of Crosson," explained Professor Anna Hogg, co-author and Professor of Earth Observation at the University of Leeds.



“This suggests that ice flow redirection is an important new process in contemporary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-sheet-fracture-sets-a-speed-record-in-antarctica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice sheet dynamics</a>, which is required to understand present-day structural change in glaciers and the future evolution of these systems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-piracy-rising-seas-global-impacts">Ice piracy, rising seas, global impacts</h2>



The stakes are high. Sea levels are already rising due to climate change, and over 410 million people could be affected by coastal flooding by the year 2100. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-sea-levels-spiked-dramatically-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global sea levels</a> have increased by more than 10 centimeters over the past decade.



“This new study highlights the unique ability of satellites to provide both the temporal and spatial coverage required to assess change in the polar regions,” remarked Dr. Martin Wearing, ESA Digital Twin Earth Scientist and Polar Science Cluster Coordinator.



Using data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ESA's Earth Explorer CryoSat, the team has revealed the complex evolution of ice flow in part of West Antarctica over the past few decades. 



Understanding these changing dynamics and what drives them is crucial for improved projections of future ice-sheet change and contributions to sea-level rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-it-all-mean">What does it all mean?</h2>



To sum it all up, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-sheet-past-present-and-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic ice sheet</a> - once thought to be sluggish and stable over millennia - is changing much faster than we realized, and in unexpected ways. 



This discovery of "ice piracy" shows that glaciers can dynamically interact, competing for ice and rerouting flow like rivers shifting course, which completely reshapes how we model future sea-level rise.



If one glacier can weaken another by stealing its ice, entire ice systems may destabilize quicker than predicted, feeding more ice into the ocean and raising sea levels. 



In plain terms: Antarctica isn’t just melting - it’s reorganizing itself in ways that could have big consequences for coastal cities around the world.



-----



The study brought together experts from the University of Leeds, the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Antarctic Survey</a>, and the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (<a href="https://cpom.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CPOM</a>), which is led from <a href="https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northumbria University</a>. 



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/1725/2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Cryosphere</a>.



-----



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



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



-----

Ice piracy: Antarctic glacier discovered "stealing" ice from a neighbor, and that's not good for sea level rise

A new phenomenon dubbed "ice piracy" is unfolding in the frigid wilderness of West Antarctica, where one glacier appears to be stealing ice from its neighbor. This unusual behavior - once believed to take hundreds or even thousands of years - has now been recorded happening in under two decades. Scientists from the University of Leeds, working with international collaborators, have used high-resolution satellite data to reveal that a fast-moving glacier is redirecting ice flow away from its slower neighbor. This surprising event is changing how scientists...

Climate change is slowing down hurricanes, making them stronger. In 2017, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-intensified-ocean-heat/">Hurricane Harvey</a> hit the eastern part of Texas – including the city of Houston – resulting in chaos and devastation across the state. Much of the destruction was caused by massive flooding, which only got worse as up to 50 inches of rain fell over the course of several days. The cause of this historic rainfall was due to the fact that the hurricane stalled over eastern Texas, rather than dissipate as it moved over land, as most hurricanes do. Researchers now believe this stalling action may have been a result of the increase in global temperature, which is causing hurricanes to move more slowly.

In a study comparing data from 1949 to 2016 for worldwide hurricane tracking and intensity – known as best-track data – researcher James Kossin of the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/climate">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Weather and Climate</a> found that hurricane translational speeds have averaged a 10 percent slow down over time. 

The destructive winds that hurricanes bring to coastal regions play a large part in the damage done to people and property, but Kossin says that the speed at which hurricanes track along their paths – the translational speed – also plays a part in how much damage they cause. This is because their movement is a factor in how much rain falls in the areas they affect.

“Just a 10 percent slowdown in hurricane translational speed can double the increase in rainfall totals caused by 1 degree Celsius of global warming,” says Kossin. However, the degree to which hurricanes have slowed depends on where they occur. “There is regional variation in the slowdown rates when looking at the 10 percent global average across the same time frame,” Kossin explains. Climate change is slowing down hurricanes, making them stronger

The most significant slowdown was found along the Western North Pacific Region, where hurricanes decreased their speed by as much as 20 percent. But through further analysis of hurricane speeds over land, Kossin found that they slowed by as much as 30 percent over land in the Western North Pacific. 

In the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>, Kossin says that these changes are a result of climate change. Hurricanes travel through the strength of environmental steering winds, but as the Earth’s atmosphere warms, these winds may weaken. This weakening is particularly significant in places like the tropics, where hurricanes frequently occur. Furthermore, a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more water vapor, which can increase the amount of rain that hurricanes bring with them.

Previous studies by Kossin have found that hurricanes are reaching their maximum intensities as they move further from the tropics and closer to the poles. These changes can bring hurricanes to areas that have not historically dealt with major storms before, including heavily populated coastal regions.

“The rainfalls associated with the ‘stall’ of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey in the Houston, Texas, area provided a dramatic example of the relationship between regional rainfall amounts and hurricane translation speeds,” says Kossin. “In addition to other factors affecting hurricanes, like intensification and poleward migration, these slowdowns are likely to make future storms more dangerous and costly.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change is slowing down hurricanes, making them stronger

Climate change is slowing down hurricanes, making them stronger. In...

May saw some of the hottest average temps in at least 124 years.  A new report from the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has revealed that last month was the hottest May in the continental United States since weather was first recorded 124 years ago. The temperatures even exceeded the record-breaking heat experienced during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

The average temperature of May 2018 was 65.41 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5.21 degrees above the month’s average temperature between the years 1901 and 2000.

There was no point in time last month where any state was colder than average. In fact, eight states broke heat records for the month of May including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia.

Across the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-americans-want-the-us-to-remain-leader-in-space-exploration/">United States</a>, more than 8,590 May warmth records were also broken or tied at individual weather stations, according to NOAA. The number of cold temperature records broken or tied at individual weather stations was only around 450.

In addition, many states experienced more extreme precipitation than usual last month. Maryland and Florida recorded their wettest May months in well over a century.

In the Mid-Atlantic, many states dealt with both extreme precipitation and extreme temperatures. For example, North Carolina had its third-wettest and third-warmest May in recorded history, while Virginia's hottest-ever month of May was combined with its sixth-wettest.

As rain was drenching the East, drought conditions persisted in the southwest and the Great Plains.

The May warming trend, however, did not extend to states beyond the lower 48. NOAA reports that San Juan, Puerto Rico, saw its coolest May since 2011 and conditions were relatively dry for this time of year.

One of the most notable climate events during the month of May was Subtropical Storm Alberto. Arriving three days before hurricane season officially started, Alberto made landfall in the Florida Panhandle with 65 mile-per-hour winds, and moved slowly across many regions of the South while dumping heavy rainfall.

NOAA’s climate report for the month of May can be found <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/news/contiguous-us-had-its-warmest-may-on-record">here</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

May saw some of the hottest average temps in at least 124 years

May saw some of the hottest average temps in at...

More and more countries are investing in solar and wind power as a means to keep up with energy demands while reducing emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. 

Solar and wind power jobs are projected to be some of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-creating-jobs/">fastest growing in the United States</a>, and in the United Kingdom, 15 percent of its power was supplied by wind turbines last year. 

But what happens when calm weather and wind shortages cause wind turbines to come to a standstill? 

This was the case recently in the UK, according to a report from the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5812811/Wind-turbines-standstill-wind-disappears-thew-UK.html">Daily Mail </a>, and it’s causing a steep drop in the amount of power supplied by renewables. 

A longer than usual “wind drought” due to high-pressure systems over the UK has drastically reduced the amount of power that wind turbines in the country currently supply. 

Over the course of the last week, low winds have resulted in wind turbines generating less than two percent of the country’s power this month, the lowest amount of power supplied through wind energy in more than two years. 

Unfortunately, the winds are not projected to pick up until later in June, the Daily Mail reports, and the low energy production calls into question the reliability of dependence on renewables. 

This past weekend, only 1 to 2 percent of the UK’s power was supplied by wind turbines, however, when wind conditions were favorable earlier in March, that number jumped to over 30 percent. 

If the UK were completely dependent on renewables, a wind drought could cause major power shortages. 

“The renewable energy family continues to perform well, powering over 30 percent of Britain's commercial and domestic needs over the last year,” Frank Gordon from the <a href="https://www.r-e-a.net/">Renewable Energy Association</a> told the Daily Mail. “Advances in energy storage technologies ensure energy stability to the grid, storing excess energy produced by renewables such as wind and solar for periods when we experience less wind or sun.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What happens to wind power when there’s no wind?

More and more countries are investing in solar and wind...

Gulf of Mexico dead zone growing into the size of Connecticut.  A team of scientists led by <a href="http://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a> (LSU) has predicted that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gulf-mexico-dead-zone/">dead zone</a> in the Gulf of Mexico will grow larger than the state of Connecticut by the end of next month. The dead zone will stretch out across 6,620 square miles off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, according to the forecast.

Across the globe, there are over 500 dead zones, which are hypoxic areas that have little or no oxygen in the deepest waters. These regions develop from factors such as excessive nutrient pollution from human activities. Once the oxygen is depleted, the ocean can no longer sustain marine life in bottom water.

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the second largest human-caused coastal hypoxic area in the world, and is about three and a half times larger than the goal outlined by the Hypoxia Action Plan.

The LSU team conducts an annual research cruise to take new measurements of the dead zone. The data is used to predict how large the dead zone will become each summer.


Study co-author Eugene Turner is a professor in LSU’s Department of Oceanography &amp; Coastal Sciences.

“The oceans warm a little more each year and currents change, making new observations a necessity. Model calibration is not a fixed phenomenon,” said Professor Turner.

Nutrients from the Mississippi River watershed such as nitrogen and phosphorus fertilize the Gulf of Mexico's surface waters, creating excessive amounts of algae. When the algae decomposes in the deepest parts of the ocean, it causes low oxygen conditions that are threatening to marine life including shrimp, crabs, and fish.

 “This means that the impacts of water quality changes upstream in the Midwest affect our coast - directly,” explained Professor Nancy Rabalais.

While the dead zone exists year-round, it is most persistent and severe in the spring and summer. Various computer models use the amount of nitrogen in the Mississippi River in May to predict the size of the dead zone in late July. 


In addition to other models, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used data from the LSU team’s computer models to generate its own prediction for the mid-summer size of the dead zone, which is 5,830 square miles.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gulf of Mexico dead zone growing into the size of Connecticut

Gulf of Mexico dead zone growing into the size of...

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make gas and fuels. In the future, gasoline may originate from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-profitable-business/">carbon dioxide</a> pulled straight out of the sky rather than from oil pumped out of the ground. In fact, engineers at a facility in British Columbia are already successfully capturing carbon and turning it into fuel.

<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> Professor David Keith is the founder and chief scientist of <a href="http://carbonengineering.com/">Carbon Engineering</a>, a Canadian CO2-capture and clean fuels enterprise.

“The carbon dioxide generated via direct air capture can be combined with sequestration for carbon removal, or it can enable the production of carbon-neutral hydrocarbons, which is a way to take low-cost carbon-free power sources like solar or wind and channel them into fuels that can be used to decarbonize the transportation sector,” explained Professor Keith.

Direct air capture technology uses giant fans to bring air into contact with an aqueous solution that strains out and traps carbon dioxide. Through heating and several chemical reactions, the filtered carbon dioxide is re-extracted and ready for further use, such as making valuable chemicals like fuels.


Professor Keith and his colleagues have implemented one of the first scalable and cost-effective working systems for direct air capture. 

The team has estimated that using their system on an impactful scale will cost roughly $94 to $232 per ton of carbon dioxide captured, which is drastically less than previous estimates of the cost of direct air capture that have ranged up to $1,000 per ton. 

“Electricity from solar and wind is intermittent; we can take this energy straight from big solar or wind installations at great sites where it's cheap and apply it to reclaim and recycle carbon dioxide into new fuel,” said Professor Keith. “Making fuels that are easy to store and transport eases the challenge of integrating renewables into the energy system.”


Hundreds of years of carbon emissions from human activities can provide an essentially unlimited stock of CO2 to be transformed into new fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

“We are not going to run out of air anytime soon,” said Carbon Engineering CEO Steve Oldham. “We can keep collecting carbon dioxide with direct air capture, keep adding hydrogen generation and fuel synthesis, and keep reducing emissions through this <a href="http://carbonengineering.com/about-a2f/">AIR TO FUELSTM</a> pathway.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/home">Joule</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Carbon Engineering

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make gas and fuels

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make...

&nbsp;

New way to estimate how fast magma is building under Yellowstone.  The Yellowstone supervolcano has been the focus of news stories, conversation, and speculation, as according to several experts, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption/">it's overdue for the next mega-eruption.</a>

The big question then is, when will Yellowstone erupt? 

Unfortunately, geologists and volcanologists are not yet able to pinpoint exactly when the volcano will erupt, but a new study has provided a technique for measuring how quickly magma is building up beneath of the supervolcano. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> and helps provide a better foundation for understanding the inner workings of one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes. 

Magma building up in chambers beneath a volcano, a process called recharging, is a key part of an eruption and could lead to accurate predictions for Yellowstone. 

“It is the coal in the furnace that's heating things up,” said Peter Larson, the study’s co-author. “It's heating up the boiler. The boiler is what explodes. This tells us what is heating the boiler.”

Once Yellowstone’s magma chambers have refilled, an eruption could be imminent so it's important to understand how quickly the volcano is recharging. 

For the study, the researchers focused on rhyolite, the volcanic rock that causes such explosive eruptions. 

The rate that rhyolite is being heated from magma plumes below the supervolcano can give researchers a better understanding of how much magma is recharging according to Larsen. 

Larsen and his colleagues placed the stable radioactive isotope deuterium into hot springs in Yellowstone that were linked to hydrothermal vents. 

The researchers then recorded temperatures of the springs and calculated how much water was leaving the springs. 

Much more water than had been previously thought is flowing through Yellowstone's hot springs as the calculations showed, and the researchers were able to estimate how much magma was involved in the recharging process. 

 If Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupts, it could cause untold devastation with long-lasting impacts worldwide, which is why so many researchers are working to understand its driving mechanisms  and predict its next potential eruption. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New way to estimate how fast magma is building under Yellowstone

&nbsp; New way to estimate how fast magma is building...

UN report calls for ban on single-use plastics.  Plastic pollution has now even reached protected marine areas <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-galapagos-islands/">as far as the Galapagos Islands</a>, a wildlife reserve which is mostly off limits to humans, and as deep as the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the world’s oceans. 

Finding plastic in these remote corners of the globe shows just how damaging and widespread our plastic problem is. 

The pollution from plastic bags and bottles to microfibers are harmful to habitats as they can be accidentally ingested or become tangled around wildlife. 

Now, the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a> (UN) released a report that found that less than one-tenth of all the world’s plastic has been recycled and calls for immediate government intervention to ban or tax single-use plastic bags and food packaging. 

The report was published on World Environment Day, and is the most comprehensive review of government action to curb single-use plastics. 

UN researchers discovered that 5 trillion plastic bags are used every year and that a majority of the world’s plastic waste ends up in landfills or the ocean. 

Even though many countries have implemented taxes or banned single-use plastic bags, the UN report shows that many of these policies have not been enforced or if they have, little research exists to show if those efforts have been successful in curbing plastic pollution. 

“The scourge of plastic has reached every corner of the Earth,” Erik Solheim, the head of UN Environment said in the report. “Only nine percent of the nine billion tonnes of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled.”

Plastic pollution is such a common problem now that the report found in South Africa plastic litter is referred to as the “new national flower.” 

As far as the biggest offenders of plastic production, use, and waste, China is in the lead, but per capita, the United States produces the most plastic pollution. 

The best course of action, as the UN suggests, is to crack down on single-use plastic bags and food containers. 

“Targeted levies and bans - where properly planned and enforced - have been among the most effective strategies to limit overuse of disposable plastic products,” the report said.

Of the more than 60 countries that currently ban or tax plastic, 30 percent found plastic use was reduced a year after restrictions were imposed.

The report not only calls for more countries to restrict single-use-plastics but also for more research to better assess the success of plastic taxes and bans. 

It can’t be denied that more has to be done worldwide to tackle plastic pollution, and the UN calls for improved recycling, incentives for not using plastic, and promoting reusable packaging and products. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

UN report calls for ban on single-use plastics

UN report calls for ban on single-use plastics.  Plastic pollution...

The tropical beauty of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. In the Mexican state of Tamualipas, it's possible to drive past a small sign marking the Tropic of Cancer.  As you head south past this boundary marking out the tropical belt surrounding the center of the globe, some changes are obvious.  Power lines are hung with the intricately woven, pendulous nests of Oropendolas; trees are draped with moss, wrapped in vines and spotted with lichen.  Lurid butterflies are noticeably more common everywhere. 

On an ongoing road trip through Mexico, my fiancé and I decided to venture into the tropics.  As we drove south, hills rose around us, covered with an abundance of green life.  The air became sticky.  It was hot.  It was humid.  We were driving to El Cielo Biosphere Reserve.  

El Cielo translates as 'Heaven' and the beauty of the place fit the descriptor.  El Cielo is the northernmost extent of tropical forests in North America and contains several different habitats including montane cloud forest, sub-deciduous tropical forest and dry, high elevation xerophyte shrublands.  The park itself extends for 357,100 acres, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contains within it a few small, semi-remote villages. According to a 1999 survey, 6,208 people live inside the park. The human population is scattered among at least seven small villages strung along a road that gets rougher the further into the park you venture.       

[caption id="attachment_1215177" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/el-cielo-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1215177" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/el-cielo-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Image Credit: Erin Moody[/caption]

Arriving in El Cielo, we were too late in the day for camping, so we found a nice hotel hugged by trees overlooking an impressive valley and hillside.  Birds called loudly from the trees. Humidity was omnipresent, sticking clothes to my body, dusting my face. The town we spent our first night in is at the end of the paved road, the rest of the roads are rocky dirt things with patches of concrete that apparently were last officially maintained before I was born.  As day turned to darkness, the songs of insects were everywhere: cicadas and katydids competing with frogs in their calls for sex. The people acted like they lived in heaven too, delicious street food was cheap and live music mingled with the animal sounds in the tropical night. The next day we drove on, following a road I wouldn’t again take our two wheel drive van on to start camping and really experience El Cielo if for but a short time.      

[caption id="attachment_1215174" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/millipede-el-cielo1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1215174" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/millipede-el-cielo1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Image Credit: Erin Moody[/caption]

In El Cielo, black bear, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jaguar-conservation-attitude/">jaguar</a>, and mountain lions coexist.  If you remember that jaguars are often called 'el tigre' in Spanish, you could almost say, 'lions and tigers and bears, oh my!' It's rare to be in the habitat of so many large predators in North America.  Military Macaws nest in El Cielo and we saw a Mot Mot perch briefly in a tree before flitting away into a bank of fog.  Mot mots are an interesting tropical bird, sometimes referred to as ‘pajaro del reloj’ for the resemblance of their long tails to pendulums in old grandfather clocks.  I visited a cave with large clear pools of water and dripping stalactites that shelters vampire bats. Hiding under rocks and leaves are an abundance of interesting arthropods, giant millipedes are common.  I found a dead specimen of one of the world's strangest arachnids, an animal known as the vinegaroon.  Vinegaroons look mainly like scorpions except for delicate whip-like tails without stingers.  Instead of stinging vinegaroons squirt a stream of acid into the eyes of would-be attackers.

The park is also home to extensive karst formations that filter the local rain and supply delicious drinking water for the park’s inhabitants.  There are even caves where the rare blind Mexican Tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) a fish adapted to the subterranean dark lives.  The form of fish living in caves is whitish but not technically albino.  Without the use of eyes, the fish navigates with a lateral line system, sensing slight differences in water pressure.

There are at least 255 species of resident birds in El Cielo and more than 175 migrants have been recorded in the reserve.  There are also 81 reptile and amphibian species and 40 types of bats, according to a pamphlet written by Alejandra Sosa Florescano.  Reptiles include dangerous snakes like the neotropical rattlesnake, the coral snake and the lancehead. There is an alligator lizard adapted to living in trees that can be found in El Cielo as well as throughout the Sierra Madre Oriental.     

Continuing the weird mash-up of tropical and temperate mammal species resulting from such a far north tropical forest, small cat species are all over the map.  Bobcats share El Cielo with Margays, ocelots and jaguarundi. White Tailed deer live in the park as well as the more typically tropical Red Brocket Deer. The ubiquitous raccoon lives in El Cielo as well as the hooded skunk, a species at the northern edge of its range in the southwestern United States.

Trees range from Mexican Maple, Mexican Yew and Mexican Beech to the more obviously tropical species like the beautiful magnolia.  For those like me who are used to seeing maples on in the far north, seeing one in the tropics is exciting. 

Part of the reason for the amazing array of species in El Cielo is the elevation gradient.  The park is full of mountains and hills, half of the reserve being made up by the Cucharas Mountains and ranging in elevation from about 660 feet above sea level to 7,500 feet.  Being in the northern range of the tropics where species from North America as well as species originating further south also adds a dimension to the assemblage of species in El Cielo.

El Cielo is also part of a migration corridor.  Monarch Butterflies rest in El Cielo on their yearly trip to wintering grounds further south in Mexico, near Mexico City.  The Central Flyway birds in North America use for migration also extends into this part of Mexico. 

El Cielo was protected relatively late. From 1900 to the 1930s, the area was under an intensively managed forestry program.  In 1935, a Canadian farmer named John William Francis Harrison created a homestead in what is now El Cielo Biosphere Reserve.  In 1965 Harrison along with Juan Fidel Zorrilla and Francisco García San Miguel created an institution, El Cielo, S.A., created initially with 25 hectares of land, to study and preserve the important environment of the area.  Harrison was later murdered over a land dispute. Harrison’s homestead is now El Cielo Biological Research Center. In 1975, the Tamaulipas government made El Cielo state park. In 1985, the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve was created and in 1987 El Cielo was recognized by UNESCO.                 

We spent five nights at El Cielo and went hiking every day, exploring a small amount of the tropical forest.  The place is beautiful but also somewhat perilous.  Besides the more obvious dangers of large predators, there is the overbearing presence of mosquitoes that descend in the evening.  I picked as many as 15 ticks from my body in a day and Erin found a similar amount on herself.  It also rained every night we were there.  It rained hard enough that we tied a tarp over the back of the van to keep water out.  For me, the hardships highlight the wildness of the place and accentuate its beauty.  You know a place better if you know its nastier moods.

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Images by Erin Moody

The tropical beauty of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

The tropical beauty of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. In the...

A new investigation has identified three major “switches” that intensified the 2017 wildfire season. Experts have found that fuel, aridity, and ignition were the primary drivers of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-southern-california/">wildfires</a>, which were the largest and costliest fires experienced in the United States in recent decades.

In 2017, wildfires caused more than $18 billion in damages. A total of 71,000 wildfires affected 10 million acres of land, destroyed 12,000 homes, evacuated 200,000 people, and claimed 66 lives.

Study lead author Jennifer Balch is the director of the Earth Lab in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a>.

“Last year, we saw a pile-on of extreme events across large portions of the western U.S: the wettest winter, the hottest summer and the driest fall - all helping to promote wildfires,” said Balch.

When conditions are dry, vegetation becomes fuel that is ready to be ignited. Researchers found that this dryness is likely compounded by human-induced climate change.

Increased precipitation in the winter of 2017 helped to set the stage for the upcoming wildfire season by promoting the growth of fine grasses across western regions of the United States. When summer and fall brought arid conditions, the dense fields of grass dried out.

At this point, all that was needed to create a disastrous fire was ignition. Balch found in previous research that human activity triples the length of the average fire season, and nearly 90 percent of the 2017 wildfires were sparked by people.


“We expect to see more fire seasons like we saw last year,” said study co-author said Megan Cattau. “Thus, it is becoming increasingly critical that we strengthen our wildfire prediction and warning systems, support suppression and recovery efforts and develop sustained policies that help us coexist with fire.”

According to the researchers, climate models project an increased risk of extremely wet winters in California and a decrease in summer precipitation across the entire West Coast.

While naturally-occurring climate variability affects the wildfire season, Balch explained that this variation is superimposed on an anthropogenically warmer world, so climate change is magnifying the effects of heat and precipitation extremes.

“The 2018 wildfire season is already underway and here at home in the southern Rockies, fuels are very dry,” said Balch. “June is forecasted to be a busy month in terms of wildfires due to severe drought and low snowpack.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/journal/fire">Fire</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why the 2017 wildfire season was so brutal

A new investigation has identified three major “switches” that intensified...

APTOPIX Guatemala Volcano

With all eyes on Hawaii’s Big Island and Kilauea’s ongoing eruption, it was a shock when a violent volcanic eruption was first reported in Guatemala over the weekend.

The Fuego Volcano, which is located around 25 miles south-west of Guatemala's capital, erupted on Sunday, June 3, 2018, and quickly turned deadly.

So far, the number of casualties is up to 69 people, but as authorities continue to search those numbers are projected to rise. 

It was Guatemala's deadliest volcanic eruption in a century, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-44363444">BBC</a>, and produced <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/pyroclastic-flow/">fast-moving pyroclastic flows</a> which devastated Guatemalan communities near the volcano. 

According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/05/americas/guatemala-volcano-eruption-fuego/index.html">CNN</a>, ash was sent up to 33,000 feet in the air and recovery workers are scrambling to search through buried and ash and rubble which engulfed entire homes, trapping residents inside.  

Others died from fires caused by the intense heat of the explosive pyroclastic flows, as <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/a-volcano-in-guatemala-erupted-suddenly-killing-at-least-6?utm_term=.sqXozrRGaJ#.ibARQDnzev">Buzzfeed</a> reported. 

Search and rescue efforts are hampered by the difficult conditions and hazards caused by the eruptions. Recovery workers are having trouble breathing and the ground is so hot that it is burning shoes.

“It is very, very difficult due to the fact that it's very, very hot,” volunteer firefighter Mario Cifuentes told CNN. “The soil is very unstable. We cannot be walking around. ... The shoes, they've been completely destroyed because of the heat.”

Not only is recovery difficult, but identifying the bodies of those who were trapped by the eruption has also been hard because the heat destroyed common identifiers like fingerprints, Buzzfeed reported.

The eruption forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people, and 1.7 million people in Guatemala have been affected by Sunday’s explosion. 

Volcanologists have also warned nearby residents to be wary of mudslides in the next coming days which are also extremely dangerous. 

--

<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a>, Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Santiago Billy / AP

Explosive volcanic eruption in Guatemala makes recovery difficult

With all eyes on Hawaii’s Big Island and Kilauea’s ongoing...

New clues about Greenland’s past climate will help predict its future. A team of experts at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> have uncovered new evidence about the past climate of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-stream-sensitive/">Greenland</a>. While it was known that the early Holocene and Last Interglacial periods experienced warming in the Arctic due to changes in Earth's orbit, the new study has found that these times were even warmer in Greenland than previously realized.

The analysis of lake mud located just beyond the northwest edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet has revealed new clues about the region’s changing climate that may provide insight into how ice sheets will continue to respond to human-induced global warming today.

“Northwest Greenland might feel really remote, but what happens to that ice sheet is going to matter to everyone in New York City, Miami and every coastal city around the world,” said study senior author Yarrow Axford. 

“One of the big uncertainties in climate science remains how fast the Earth changes when it gets warmer. Geology gives us an opportunity to see what happened when the Earth was warmer than today.”

Greenland's average summer temperatures linger in the 30s and 40s, but there were two separate eras when the summer months experienced temperatures up in the 50s.

During the Last Interglacial period around 116,000 to 130,000 years ago, global sea levels increased by 15 to 30 feet, primarily due to the thinning of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The new research shows that Greenland may have played the bigger role in this extreme sea-level rise.

The climate in northwest Greenland was ideal for preserving the lake sediments that were analyzed in the study.

“During the last ice age, the ice sheet there was just thin enough, and the atmosphere was just cold enough that the ice sheet froze to the ground instead of melting at its base and sliding,” said study lead author Dr. Jamie McFarlin. “It grew on top of itself and preserved most of the geology below.”

The researchers found the remains of fly species in the sediment, which provided proof of a warmer climate during the early Holocene and Last Interglacial periods.

“Other records have shown that northern Greenland's climate was much warmer than people expected during those periods, and those results received justified skepticism,” said Axford. “Now we have an independent record that confirms that when the Arctic warmed in the past, there was especially strong warming in northern Greenland.”

The findings of the research will help to improve climate and ice sheet models that are used to project future changes.


“Past climate is our best analog for future warming, and our results hint that land at these very high latitudes in the Arctic may warm even more than predicted in the coming century,” said Axford. “But nothing in Earth's past is a perfect analog because what's happening today is totally unprecedented.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences_of_the_United_States_of_America">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Image Credit: Yarrow Axford, <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a>

New clues about Greenland’s past climate will help predict its future

New clues about Greenland’s past climate will help predict its...

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health?  Wind turbines are one of the more promising sources of clean renewable energy to gain prominence in recent years – but they’re not without their critics. Complaints about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/military-tech-wind-turbines/">turbines</a> range from them being an eyesore to being a health issue for those who live near them. Recently, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a> published an analysis of how residential distance from wind turbines affects people’s health.

People who live near wind turbines often claim that their quality of life is disturbed by the shadow flicker, audible sounds, and subaudible sound pressure levels that come from the turbines. Researchers report their investigation of these claims through reanalysis of data collected for the “Community Noise and Health Study” by Statistics Canada in the <a href="https://asa.scitation.org/journal/jas">Journal of the Acoustical Society of America</a>.

“The Community Noise and Health Study generated data useful for studying the relationship between wind turbine exposures and human health – including annoyance and sleep disturbances,” says Rebecca Barry, an author on the paper. “Their original results examined modeled wind turbine noise based on a variety of factors – source sound power, distance, topography and meteorology, among others.”

The earlier study from Statistics Canada did not find a direct link between residents’ distance from wind turbines and sleep disturbances, blood pressure, or stress. But this new analysis found that survey respondents who lived closer to wind turbines reported lower ratings for environmental quality of life.

“Respondents who live in areas with higher levels of modeled sound values (40 to 46 decibels) reported more annoyance than respondents in areas with lower levels of modeled sound values (&lt;25 dB),” Barry said. The survey’s respondents who lived closer to the turbines “were more likely to report being annoyed than respondents who live further away.”

However, the authors do note that their cross-sectional study cannot determine whether the respondents were dissatisfied before the wind turbines were installed.  

“Wind turbines might have been placed in locations where residents were already concerned about their environmental quality of life,” says Sandra Sulsky, a researcher from <a href="http://www.ramboll.com/">Ramboll</a>, the engineering company that funded this study. “Also, as is the case with all surveys, the respondents who chose to participate may have viewpoints or experiences that differ from those who chose not to participate. Survey respondents may have participated precisely to express their dissatisfaction, while those who did not participate might not have concerns about the turbines.”

This more recent study was unable to determine if exposure to wind turbines actually has a tangible impact on human health. But they propose that future studies should measure the residents’ perceptions and concerns before and after wind turbine installation, in order to better clarify the effects that turbines may have on the lives of those living in close proximity.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health?

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health? ...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



---



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



---



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



---



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



---



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JrMLDXHmjl-1911953-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



---



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

[sendtonews key="JrMLDXHmjl-1911953-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

News coming your way