Floating photovoltaics (FPV), or “floatovoltaics,” are spreading across water bodies worldwide. From California’s vineyards to China’s massive energy projects, these solar systems glide atop irrigation ponds, reservoirs, and wastewater treatment plants. 



They produce clean energy without consuming precious land, a seemingly perfect solution in a space-constrained world.



But the water beneath these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-panels-could-power-entire-countries/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">panels</a> isn’t empty. It teems with life. Birds drift, dive, nest, and hunt in these waters. As FPV systems expand, they introduce a new dynamic to these habitats - and nobody knows yet what the consequences might be.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-floating-solar-and-bird-habitats">Floating solar and bird habitats</h2>



A recent study from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a>, published in the journal Nature Water, raises a vital question: Can renewable energy and wildlife coexist without collateral damage? The researchers, part of the UC Davis Wild Energy Center, are among the first to examine how waterbirds respond to FPV systems.



“That’s why it’s so important to understand how waterbirds are going to respond to floating solar and if there is the possibility for conservation concessions at new floating solar facilities,” said Elliott Steele, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Wild Energy Center within the Energy and Efficiency Institute.



Steele’s words are urgent. Bird populations are plummeting. Habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and avian influenza have combined into a perfect storm of threats. If floating solar disrupts waterbird behavior, it could exacerbate an already dire situation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-responses-to-floating-solar-systems">Bird responses to floating solar systems</h2>



Imagine a black-crowned night heron standing motionless on a solar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-panels-could-power-every-home-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">panel</a> before dawn. Below, cormorants dart through the water, jostling for a place to perch. A black phoebe builds a nest beneath the panels, sheltered but close to human-made structures.



These are not imagined scenes. During their fieldwork, the UC Davis researchers observed all these behaviors. Birds are not just interacting with FPV systems — they are adapting to them, sometimes in unexpected ways.



“Our team has been documenting such a diversity of bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floridas-waterbirds-expert-divers-with-bold-hunting-techniques/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behavior</a> with floating PV, so we immediately knew this was a very important interaction, especially given the precipitous decline in waterbird numbers globally,” said senior author and UC Davis Professor Rebecca R. Hernandez.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-and-risks-of-floating-solar">Benefits and risks of floating solar</h2>



Renewable energy projects have not always considered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-americas-birds-scientists-declare-a-full-on-emergency-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a>. Now, as FPV systems expand, researchers are determined not to repeat past mistakes. The UC Davis team identified five areas demanding urgent study.



First, the researchers are exploring how waterbirds interact with FPV structures, questioning whether these birds use the solar panels as nesting sites, hunting perches, or safe resting places.



In addition, they are investigating the direct and indirect effects of FPV systems on waterbirds. While a panel may provide shelter to one species, it may simultaneously deter another.



The team is considering how conservation strategies can be tailored to specific sites, regions, and seasons, recognizing that bird populations vary significantly in their behaviors and needs.



Furthermore, they are examining how best to design monitoring systems at FPV sites. Should they rely on cameras, sensors, or traditional bird counts to collect data effectively?



The researchers are also assessing the potential for pollutants to be released from FPV systems. If such contamination occurs, they aim to determine what can be done to mitigate the risks to aquatic and avian life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-renewable-energy-design">Rethinking renewable energy design</h2>



Study co-author Emma Forester is a Ph.D. candidate with the UC Davis Land, Air and Water Resources department and the Wild Energy Center.



“There are some things we wished we’d known before other kinds of renewable energy were developed,” said Forester.



“While we’re at this critical threshold of renewable energy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-panels-are-1000-times-more-powerful-with-new-tech-breakthrough/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">development</a>, we want to put more thought into the design that can benefit birds and other wildlife as we go forward.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-balancing-act-energy-vs-ecology">The balancing act: Energy vs. ecology</h2>



Floating solar systems present a compelling case for water conservation. They can reduce evaporation by shading the water surface, an added benefit in drought-prone areas. But there’s a catch.



While some birds, like the black-crowned night heron, seem to thrive on the panels, others might not. Researchers observed birds using FPV systems in various ways - nesting, perching, feeding - but the long-term impacts remain unclear.



And then there’s pollution. Solar panels are not inert objects. As they age, they can degrade, releasing chemicals into the water. What happens to the fish, algae or the birds? These questions linger, unanswered.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-for-wildlife">Designing for wildlife</h2>



To ensure that FPV systems are truly green, wildlife considerations must be integrated from the start. 



Hernandez and her team emphasize that waterbirds are ideal subjects for these studies. They occupy both the water and the air, making them sensitive indicators of environmental change.



But there’s a deeper challenge. Conservation strategies that work in California may fail in Florida. Solutions for herons may not suit cormorants. Customization is key.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-at-stake">What’s at stake</h2>



Floating solar may be new, but the questions it raises are not. When energy projects collide with nature, unintended consequences often follow. As renewable energy scales up, researchers must consider not just the panels but the ecosystems they disrupt.



Floating solar has enormous potential. But without rigorous, long-term studies, that potential could come at a steep ecological cost. For now, the researchers at UC Davis are watching the waterbirds - and hoping the world will pay attention.



The study, funded by the <a href="https://uckeepresearching.org/california-climate-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Climate Action Seed Grant</a>, <a href="https://www.enelgreenpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Enel Green Power</a>, and several U.S. government agencies, is a starting point. 



The research team includes scientists from UC Davis, the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, the <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Central Florida</a>, <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lancaster University</a>, and <a href="https://www.enelgreenpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Enel Green Power</a> in Italy.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00429-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Water.</a>



Image Credit: Rebecca R. Hernandez, UC Davis.



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Floating solar panels affect bird habitats in unexpected ways

Floating photovoltaics (FPV), or “floatovoltaics,” are spreading across water bodies worldwide. From California’s vineyards to China’s massive energy projects, these solar systems glide atop irrigation ponds, reservoirs, and wastewater treatment plants. They produce clean energy without consuming precious land, a seemingly perfect solution in a space-constrained world. But the water beneath these panels isn’t empty. It teems with life. Birds drift, dive, nest, and hunt in these waters. As FPV systems expand, they introduce a new dynamic to these habitats - and nobody knows yet what the...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> has found that future levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean will make it difficult for baby fish to reach safety, which will threaten the stability of fish populations.

The researchers observed barramundi larvae in water with high levels of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-energy-costs/">CO2</a> and found that the hatchlings turned away from ocean noises that would normally attract them to a safe shelter. Instead, they were drawn to sounds from the wrong habitats and to artificial noise.

“The oceans are far from silent environments; they harbor many noisy animals, for example snapping shrimps and whales and dolphins,” said lead author Professor Ivan Nagelkerken.

“Oceanic larvae (hatchlings or baby fish) from quite a few species of fishes and invertebrates listen to sounds of coastal ecosystems. They use these sounds to guide them from the open ocean, where they hatch, to a sheltered home in shallow waters, where they can spend their juvenile and adult lives.”

“Unfortunately the CO2 that humans are pumping into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels gets absorbed by the ocean and causes acidification, and this causes changes to the behavior of many marine animals.”

The study was focused on barramundi larvae in marine tanks with levels of CO2 that are consistent with those expected by the end of the century. They compared the activity of the baby fish to the responses of barramundi larvae that were exposed to current CO2 levels.

“In our study we found that while larvae of barramundi are attracted to the sounds of tropical estuaries, larvae raised under future ocean conditions with elevated CO2 were deterred by these natural sounds,” explained Professor Nagelkerken. “Moreover, under elevated CO2, larval barramundi were attracted to the wrong sounds.” 

Noises found on cold water reefs and artificial sounds or “white noise” demanded the attention of the larvae in heavily acidified water. According to study co-author Professor Sean Connell, this means that the larvae could end up in the wrong habitats and in places where they cannot survive.

“Fewer larvae are arriving in coastal ecosystems, estuaries and rivers could result in smaller population sizes and, in the case of commercial species like barramundi, this could have a significant impact on fisheries, whether it be commercial or recreational,” explained Professor Connell.

“The research also raises questions about future fish populations in areas with unnatural sounds. Will some species be more attracted, for example, to areas where there are a lot of human structures and sounds in and under the water, such as harbours and oil platforms, in the future?”

The study is published in the Nature journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rising ocean acidity is threatening the survival of baby fish

A new study from the University of Adelaide has found...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.fsu.edu/">Florida State University</a> are reporting that urban areas throughout the Florida peninsula are experiencing shorter yet increasingly intense wet seasons compared to rural areas.

The study is shedding new light on how seasonal climate conditions are being impacted by land development.

The researchers mapped the correlation between the length of the wet season and land development using a system that measured urban land cover on a scale of one to four.

“What we found is a trend of decreasing wet-season length in Florida's urban areas compared to its rural areas,” said lead author Vasu Misra.

The investigation revealed that land cover changes in the past four to six decades has led to a shorter wet season by 3.5 hours per year in most of the urban areas examined in the study. On the other hand, seasonal rainfall accumulation patterns did not significantly change in these regions during the same time frame.

“In other words, the urban areas experience the same amount of rainfall as the rural areas but in a shorter amount of time,” said Misra. “Therefore, the hourly rain rate is stronger in urban regions. This suggests that urban areas are receiving the rainfall in shorter, more intense bursts - particularly during the summer months.”

The findings of this study are consistent with a growing collection of research which has found that rapid urbanization can directly affect local weather systems. 

“The strong relationship between land cover and these trends in rainfall seems to suggest that land cover has everything to do with changing wet seasons,” said Misra. “I think this has some very strong implications for urban planning in Florida as well as for Florida's hydroclimate.”


The exact cause of more intense and shorter wet seasons in urban areas has not yet been established.

“We have theories, but whether those theories are actually representative of what's happening in nature has not been investigated intensively in the context of what we are observing in Florida. We don't have enough data available at our disposal,” explained Misra.

Regardless, the research suggests that the trend will continue as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flamingos-comeback-florida/">Florida's</a> metropolitan areas continue to grow.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npjclimatsci">npj Climate and Atmospheric Science</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: Wikipedia

Urban development has caused more intense wet seasons in Florida

Researchers at Florida State University are reporting that urban areas...

Wildfire smoke is extra dangerous for seniors. The <a href="http://heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> is warning that smoke from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoke-toxic-gases-wildfires/">wildfires</a> has been linked to heart and stroke-related issues, particularly in older adults. While it has been previously established that wildfire smoke worsens respiratory conditions, its effect on other aspects of health has been unclear.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California San Francisco</a>, the California Department of Public Health, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collaborated for one of the largest studies on the health impacts of wildfires in California to date.

The experts analyzed over one million emergency room visits in northern and central California during intense wildfires in the summer of 2015. They investigated the relative risk of visits for complications of the heart, brain, and blood vessels on days with light, medium, or dense smoke and compared this data to days with no wildfire smoke.

The study revealed that smoke exposure is linked to increased rates of emergency room visits for respiratory problems, ischemic heart disease, irregular heart rhythm, heart failure, pulmonary embolism, and stroke. 

Adults aged 65 and older were found to be the most at risk. Within 24 hours of dense wildfire smoke, rates of emergency room visits among senior adults increased by 42 percent for heart attacks and by 22 percent for ischemic heart disease.

Furthermore, emergency room visits for all cardiovascular and cerebrovascular causes were found to be elevated across days with any level of smoke exposure. As expected, the number of patients with respiratory conditions also increased.

Study co-author Wayne E. Cascio believes that the research “will have a significant impact on how clinicians and public health officials view future wildfire events and the smoke that's generated from them.”

First author Zachary S. Wettstein pointed out that, as wildfires are expected to become more intense and frequent in North America, more research is needed to understand the wide range of health impacts from smoke exposure. 


“We need to study effective interventions that might decrease exposure to smoke and the associated health impacts,” said Wettstein. “These findings urge us to study these impacts over longer periods of time and within susceptible populations.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://jaha.ahajournals.org/">Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wildfire smoke is extra dangerous for seniors

Wildfire smoke is extra dangerous for seniors. The American Heart...

Apple announced this week that the company has achieved its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy for all global facilities. Now that the organization has reached this ambitious target, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apple-rated-eco-friendly/">Apple</a> product suppliers are being encouraged to transition to clean power as well.

“We’re committed to leaving the world better than we found it,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“After years of hard work we’re proud to have reached this significant milestone. We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it.”

Apple sells tens of millions of electronic devices every year, and the corporation previously reported that 77 percent of its carbon emissions are generated from the manufacturing of these products.

For this reason, Apple launched a green energy plan in 2015 with a goal of converting all energy usage in China to clean power. The corporation has now exceeded this target by using renewable energy in its facilities worldwide after launching wind and solar projects across parts of China, Japan, and the United States. Most recently, 25 new projects have added up to 625 megawatts of generation capacity.

Lisa Jackson is Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. She explained in an interview that the renewable energy projects are not costing the company any more than they would have already been spending.

“We're seeing the benefits of an increasingly competitive clean energy market,” said Jackson.

Back in 2015, the company developed the Clean Energy Portal, which offers regional guidance and tools to help suppliers transition to clean power sources. So far, 23 of Apple's suppliers have committed to making the switch.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Apple is now 100 percent powered by clean energy

Apple announced this week that the company has achieved its...

Imagine if combating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-insecurity-climate-change/">climate change</a> also meant recycling harmful carbon emissions into products we use every day?

It’s a solution that could bolster global markets, aid in infrastructure and create new, innovative technologies without doing further harm to the environment.

For ten finalists in the <a href="https://carbon.xprize.org/">NRG COSIA Carbon XPrize</a> competition, it’s a goal worth reaching for.

The Carbon XPrize competition is a 20-million-dollar contest that gives carbon cyclers a chance to test innovative technologies that transport CO2 emissions from power plants into everything from plastics, fuel, to shoes and concrete.

At this point in the competition, the ten teams that were picked as finalists will get to test their ideas at real power plants in the US and Canada.

There is more carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/">than ever before in recorded history</a>, and finding a way to prevent CO2 from reaching the atmosphere would be a big step in reducing the impacts of climate change.

“The point is to try to move the needle on climate and energy,” said Marcius Extavour, the XPrize Senior Director of Energy and Resources told<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5587933/20M-XPrize-selects-finalists-competition-transform-carbon-emissions-useful-products.html"> Daily Mail</a>. “Recycling CO2 emissions alone is not going to solve the climate problem, but it could be a really important part of the mix.”

38 teams of competitors first entered the contest and were judged by how much CO2 their technologies could convert and the overall value of the products in question. 

The ten finalists include Breathe (based in India), Carbon Capture Machine (from Scotland), Canada-based CarbonCure, Carbon Upcycling UCLA (based in Los Angeles), and Canada- based Carbicrete and Carbon Upcycling Technologies.

Of these, five teams over the course of the next two years will work at a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming and the other five will work at a natural gas-powered plant in Alberta, Canada.

While they work at the two sites, the teams will collect data in order to gain a better scope of what their carbon footprint is in comparison to the amount to CO2 they are able to recycle.

Carbon is not traditionally thought of as an ingredient but this competition sheds light on how much carbon is used in everyday things.

The problem is that in making these products, more emissions are created, so these technologies are a way to create a cyclical process where emissions are harvested, used, and emitted and harvested again.

“We take carbon out of the ground, we use it, we dump it,” Extavour told Daily Mail. “But we can wrap this chain around itself. Instead of using more fossil fuels like carbon, coal, oil and gas, we can use CO2 emissions as a base for many materials.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Recycling carbon emissions into concrete, shoes and plastic

Imagine if combating climate change also meant recycling harmful carbon...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">University of New South Wales</a> are reporting that warming ocean temperatures have caused marine heatwaves to increase in number, duration, and intensity over the past century.

The study has revealed that, between 1925 and 2016, the frequency of marine heatwaves rose by an average of 34 percent while the length of the events jumped by 17 percent. Overall, the researchers found a 54 percent increase in the number of marine heatwave days every year.

“Our research also found that from 1982 there was a noticeable acceleration of the trend in marine heatwaves,” said lead author Dr. Eric Oliver.

“While some of us may enjoy the warmer waters when we go swimming, these heatwaves have significant impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, fisheries, tourism and aquaculture. There are often profound economic consequences that go hand in hand with these events.”

As a result of a marine heatwave in 2001, ecosystems in Western Australia permanently transformed from being dominated by kelp to being dominated by seaweed. A marine heatwave in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gulf-mexico-dead-zone/">Gulf of Mexico</a> in 2012 led to an abundance of lobsters that drove prices down and stifled profits.

When warm ocean temperatures persisted in the North Pacific from 2014 to 2016, large amounts of marine mammals were stranded from harmful algal blooms along coastlines. This particular heatwave was also responsible for changing large-scale weather patterns in the Pacific Northwest.

The research team examined the long-term trend of marine heatwaves by combining satellite measurements with data that had been obtained from ships and land stations over the course of a century. By removing the influences of natural variability, they were able to identify the underlying trend.

“There was a clear relationship between the rise in global average sea-surface temperatures and the increase in marine heatwaves, much the same as we see increases in extreme heat events related to the increase in global average temperatures,” said co-author Professor Neil Holbrook.

“With more than 90% of the heat from human caused global warming going into our oceans, it is likely marine heatwaves will continue to increase. The next key stage for our research is to quantify exactly how much they may change.”

“The results of these projections are likely to have significant implications for how our environment and economies adapt to this changing world.”

The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</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: Daniel Hjalmarsson/Unsplash.com

Marine heatwaves are becoming far more common and intense

Researchers at the University of New South Wales are reporting...

A new study from researchers at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> (BAS) has found that snowfall has increased in Antarctica by 10 percent over the last 200 years. 

An additional 272 billion tons of snow accumulation over the last two centuries may be helping to offset the amount of sea level rise imposed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

“Our new results show a significant change in the surface mass balance (from snowfall) during the twentieth century,” said study co-author Dr. Liz Thomas. 

“The largest contribution is from the Antarctic Peninsula, where the annual average snowfall during the first decade of the 21st century is 10 percent higher than at the same period in the 19th century.”


Dr. Thomas explained to the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> that the general assumption has been that snowfall has not fluctuated in the Antarctic, but this study proves otherwise.


The trend of gradually increasing snowfall in Antarctica may help to slow down sea ice melt on the continent, which is threatening to have a major impact on global sea-level rise in the coming decades. 

The researchers wanted to examine the balance between snowfall and ice loss in order better understand the actual potential of sea level rise that could be caused by the changing conditions of the Antarctic.

“When ice loss is not replenished by snowfall then sea level rises,” explained Dr. Thomas. “Satellite observations give us a picture going back around 20 years. Analysis of the ice core records allows us to reconstruct snowfall over several hundred years.”

The research team inspected ice cores obtained from across the continent. The chemistry of the cores enabled the researchers to analyze the history of both snowfall and rainfall.

The study revealed a rate of increasing mass in the Antarctic ice sheet of seven billion tons per decade from 1800 to 2010. The researchers have demonstrated that, as Antarctica becomes warmer, the atmosphere is holding more moisture which leads to increasing snowfall.


Dr. Thomas presented the research at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.climate-of-the-past.net/">Climate of the Past</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could increased Antarctic snowfall help slow sea level rise?

A new study from researchers at the British Antarctic Survey...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/">Kyoto University</a> have found that sea urchin populations are more vulnerable to human activities than what was previously thought. An observational study that spanned 50 years has revealed that algal blooms and fluctuating water temperatures have significantly impacted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-urchins-erode-reef/">sea urchins</a> and have led to abnormal larvae development.

Sea urchins are commonly found in shallow water, and this makes them more susceptible to human influences. Sea urchins are ecological drivers that can affect the dynamics of entire marine communities due to the fact that they eat seaweed and experience large population fluctuations.

Continuous long-term monitoring is needed to examine ecological changes so that their causes can be identified. The study was focused on three common species of sea urchins located at a marine reserve in Japan's Hatakejima Island from 1963 to 2014. The team conducted surveys of the area every year, and also conducted six surveys of the entire coast.

The patterns that emerged throughout the course of the study were found to be similar in all three species. The researchers found large numbers of sea urchins in the 1960s and 1970s, sharp declines in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a recovery in the late 1990s.

The experts also discovered that algal bloom, ocean current, and warm winter ocean temperatures all contributed to the sizes of the sea urchin populations. In addition, each species was found to be affected by different conditions. In one species, algal bloom was linked to abnormal larvae development.


“Our study is the longest of its kind into sea urchin populations, and demonstrates the importance of monitoring impacts of environmental stressors and addressing the mechanisms of changes in the abundance of not only sea urchins but other marine creatures,” said study co-author Tomoyuki Nakano.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-indicators">Ecological Indicators</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: Kyoto University / Nakano Lab

Human activity threatening sea urchin populations

Researchers at Kyoto University have found that sea urchin populations...

As far as the natural world is concerned, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-mexico-border-wall-threaten-100-endangered-species/">international borders</a> are just lines drawn on a map.  Abstract. A wall is a way to manifest an unnatural idea. 

Jaguars perhaps most famously often cross the fluid border between the US and Mexico.  Fish seem to wander at will along the very fluid border set by the Rio Grande between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas.

Of course it’s little different with people.  Native American tribes such as the Tohono O’odham and Yaqui have lived on both sides of the US-Mexico border since before either country existed, often travelling across the not yet existing border.  Today the reality hasn’t changed much, with many tribes crossing the borders for ceremonies, work or simply to visit family members and friends. 

The truth of the ecological unity between the United States of America and Mexico is shown quite clearly in the lands protected by governments on both sides of the border.  

Organ Pipe National Monument is a desert park taking up 330,689 acres of land on the southern border of Arizona and Mexico.  95% of the land in Organ Pipe is set aside as wilderness area. From peaks inside Organ Pipe National Monument, you can look across the border into Mexico and see El Picante y Gran Desierto de Altar.  El Picante y Gran Desierto de Altar is considerably larger than the US Organ Pipe, measuring approximately 1,765,731 acres. Organ Pipe also partners with Delta de Rio Colorado and Alto Golfo de California in Mexico for management.  The landscape of broken volcanic geology and spare desert vegetation is common to Organ Pipe as well as El Picante y Gran Desierto de Altar. Sonoran Pronghorn are monitored by staff in both desert parks. The parks on the coast in Mexico share water from the Colorado River originating in the US.  

Of course, the border is a stark reality to humans on both sides of it.  In the 90s, border security in urban areas increased dramatically; forcing Mexicans seeking a better life, and illegal smuggling operations into the desert to cross into the US.  According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">The Guardian</a>, border patrol intercepted about 23 people in Organ Pipe National Monument per day in 2015.  The remains of 129 people who crossed the border illegally were found in the desert of southern Arizona in 2014.       

The reality of Organ Pipe National Monument has changed radically in recent decades.  In 2002 Kris Eggle, a Park Law Enforcement Officer, was killed by members of a drug cartel fleeing Mexico.  The murder prompted closing the majority of the park, an order that remained largely in effect for almost 11 years.  When the park completely reopened to the public in 2014, it was with a very different face. <a href="https://www.hcn.org/">High Country News</a> reported that the park in 2014 had 20 law enforcement officers compared to 5 in 2003.  Likewise, Border Patrol agents increased 20-fold to a total of over 500. The park is now said to be safe for tourists.

Big Bend National Park in Texas shares a border with Mexico for 118 miles says the National Park Service website.  On the same website, under the heading of ‘Safety Advice’ is a recommendation: 

“People in distress may ask for food, water, or other assistance. It is recommended that you do not make contact with them, but note the location, and immediately notify park rangers. Lack of water is a life-threatening emergency in the desert.”

It’s clear from the context that this refers to illegal immigrants from Mexico.  Elsewhere on the website, the subject of border merchants is broached. On the U.S. side of the border, tourist items such as walking sticks and bracelets are left for sale by Mexican merchants.  The website says buying these items encourages illegal crossing of the river which may lead to incarceration. 

According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/">NPR</a>, The Big Bend Sector of the border has had the lowest apprehension rate of illegal crossers annually for the last 44 years.  The inhospitable terrain might be the reason why. Unlike in the Sonoran desert, the terrain of Big Bend might keep many from even trying to cross into the US, outside of border merchants.

In Big Bend, the Rio Grande River which already forms a natural border between US and Mexico is also of supreme importance to wildlife.  A potential border wall could kill animals searching for a drink in the arid Chihuahuan Desert. Black Bears, Mountain Lions, Big Horn Sheep, Coyotes, and Coati all live in the park.  Wildlife doesn’t respect borders and needs freedom to move for survival, especially in demanding desert regions. 

Bordering Big Bend National Park on the Mexico side are Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area and Maderas Del Carmen Biosphere Reserve, both of which are sister parks to Big Bend.  As sister parks, the managing agencies of the parks in the US and Mexico work together on things such as wildlife monitoring on both sides of the border. All together, the two Mexican protected areas and the one in the US make up The Big Bend Conservation Corridor Initiative, protecting more than 3 million acres, an area Wikipedia notes, as large as the US state of Connecticut.  As the name corridor implies, the area has been set aside partially to enable migration of wildlife north to south through the border region. 

At the turn of the last century, Black Bears were said to be common in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park.  Ranchers, hunters and federal predator control agents put an end to Black Bears in the Big Bend region. By 1944 when Big Bend National Park was established, there were virtually no Black Bears at all.

In the 1980s bears made a comeback in Big Bend, journeying across the deserts of Mexico, swimming the Rio Grande a female from Sierra Del Carmen crossed even more desert in Texas to re-establish her species in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend once again.  Without the corridor left intact between the US and Mexico, Black Bears could never have come back to Big Bend. 

So far, the president and his cabinet have said that Big Bend won’t be a place where an actual border wall will be built.  

All along the border, parks and preserves in the US partner with those in Mexico to protect the land and wildlife common to both.  Chiricahua National Monument, Saguaro National Park, Coronado National Memorial all in Arizona have sister Parks in Mexico. White Sands National Monument in New Mexico partners with Cuatrocienagas Biosphere Reserve to develop shared inventory and monitoring programs.  Besides Big Bend in Texas, Padre Island National Seashore also partners with a Biosphere Reserve and a National Park in Mexico. 

Beyond parks, projects such as the Northern Jaguar Project bridge the international border between the US and Mexico.  Monarch Butterflies that pollinate millions of flowers in the US winter in Mexico, where tourists flock to see magical clouds of the insect.  

It’s easy to forget that nature works as a whole and isn’t divided by artificial boundaries drawn on the map so human can cut the world into chunks easily used for human purposes.  For now, the border between US and Mexico remains fluid in many areas. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Life on the US-Mexico border is fluid for many wildlife species

As far as the natural world is concerned, international borders...

California has been adding sand to beaches for decades, and experts have recently analyzed such projects to gain a better understanding of how artificially-placed sand moves in response to waves and currents. 

San Diego County is currently planning to implement $160 million worth of beach nourishments over the next five decades in order to provide recreational space for tourists and to combat flooding and erosion.

Scientists at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California, San Diego</a> examined the outcomes of four previous beach nourishment projects for their investigation. The research will help planners to develop more effective nourishment strategies to avoid unintended issues.

“There's a lot that is not known about how sand moves,” said lead author Bonnie Ludka. “If you put sand on a beach, it won't just stay in one place. The question is, how long does it stay where you want it? And as it moves, where does it go?”


One of the projects examined in the study took place at Torrey Pines beach, which is north of San Diego. In 2001, sand placed on this beach was swept away in a single storm.

The largest beach nourishment project evaluated in the study was at Imperial Beach. An enormous amount of sand placed on this beach, which was comparable to the capacity of 138 Olympic sized swimming pools, moved north and south along the coast and ultimately led to the closure of the Tijuana River estuary. 


The experts used jet skis, ATVs, and other resources to survey the four beaches for more than a decade. They managed to create elevation maps that were accurate within a few centimeters, enabling them to observe how each beach had changed over time.

“These data allowed us to compare the behavior of the nourished beach with how the beach behaved during unnourished times under similar wave conditions,” said Ludka.

The size of the sand grains were found to make a big difference in how fast and how far the sand shifted after its placement. The study also revealed that the sand movement followed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atlantic-ocean-currents-rainfall/">ocean currents</a>: the sand moved southward in the winter and northward in the summer. 

In some cases, more sand had been removed from the beaches than the amount that had been artificially placed there.

Ludka said that, even though there is still more work to be done to predict how nourishment projects will evolve over time, the results of this research give a good first indication.

“In the future, we might have to make difficult decisions about where we invest in sandy beaches, and where other beaches are left to their fate determined by rising seas and limited sand supplies,” said Ludka.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/coastal-engineering">Coastal Engineering</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, Earth.com Staff Writer

By Katherine Leitzell | California sea Grant

Adding sand to beaches helps combat flooding and erosion

California has been adding sand to beaches for decades, and...

The Spanish government is kicking off a new campaign to clean up the oceans after a young sperm whale was discovered dead off the coast, its guts filled with plastic and trash.

The whale was discovered on Feb. 27 near the lighthouse of Cabo de Palos, the <a href="http://www.carm.es/">Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia</a> said in a press release.

A necropsy revealed that the digestive system of the emaciated young sperm whale was filled with about 64 pounds of trash, including ropes, plastic, fishing nets, raffia and a drum.

“The presence of plastics in seas and oceans is one of the greatest threats to the conservation of wildlife throughout the world, as many animals are trapped in the trash or ingest large amounts of plastics that end up causing their death,” said Consuelo Rosauro, who directs environmental programs for CARM. 

The Region of Murcia, an autonomous province on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, is no stranger to the problem of pollution, Rosauro added. The discovery of the whale and other animals harmed by trash shows the importance of clean-up efforts and raising citizens’ awareness, she said.

It’s especially important for regions like Murcia, where the diversity of ocean life runs up against modern living and visiting tourists.

CARM is home not just to sperm whales but also to bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, loggerhead turtles. A project in Murcia monitors how trash and pollution affect the region’s wildlife and conservation efforts.

There are about 5.25 trillion pieces of trash in the ocean, much of it plastic that doesn’t biodegrade, according to <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150109-oceans-plastic-sea-trash-science-marine-debris/">National Geographic</a>. 

Instead, it can be mistaken for jellyfish by hungry turtles, break down into tiny pieces that fish eat, or end up in the bellies of birds that hunt those fish – or it could end up joining the massive Pacific Garbage Patch, now <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-now-twice-as-big-as-texas/">twice as large as the state of Texas</a>. The tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-swimming-waste-plastic/">Henderson Island in the South Pacific</a> alone is awash in plastic garbage.

Wildlife like the young sperm whale can struggle to survive amid the plastic pollution. CARM announced that its new campaign would focus on reducing plastic waste and raising citizens’ awareness. 

And it won’t stop there. Murcia is launching 11 different beach cleanup efforts that will include cataloging and tracking the kinds of trash volunteers collect. A series of 19 presentations will also be offered throughout the province on the problem of ocean trash and how people can act.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Young sperm whale dies, 64 pounds of trash in its system

The Spanish government is kicking off a new campaign to...

Along with many other environmental benefits, green roofs introduce new habitats for wildlife. A team of researchers is reporting that some organisms are making their way onto green roofs by riding along with birds or getting carried by the wind.

Green roofs can be a challenging place for plants to survive with conditions such as extreme temperatures, high winds, and intense sunlight and rainfall. This harsh environment makes it even more critical that certain soil organisms are present which promote nutrient cycling and plant growth.

The research team set out to determine whether soil organisms such as mites, springtails, bacteria, and fungi are introduced to green roofs in their building materials or if they arrive by some other means.

Study co-author Dr. Heather Rumble is a senior lecturer in Environmental Geography at the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a>.

“We found that while there was a healthy soil community in construction materials, most species died off soon after the roof was constructed due to the harsh conditions,” said Dr. Rumble. “This means that green roof soil species must arrive via another mechanism, such as by hitching lifts on birds or by coming in the aerial plankton.”

For their investigation, the experts monitored a new green roof on the grounds of Royal Holloway from September 2011 to July 2012. They tracked soil microorganisms living in the construction materials to find out if they would colonize the green roof.

As a result of the study, the researchers have made important recommendations. First off, in order to make the green roofs more sustainable, the soil must be engineered so that the biology is well-balanced.

“This is important, because as a completely man-made environment, getting the soil community right in the construction materials could ensure that the roof is sustainable in the long term,” said Dr. Rumble.

The experts also explained that green roofs must somehow be connected to ground-level <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-soil-killing-superbugs/">soils</a> so that critical species have easier access. According to the experts, this could be done by combining green roofs and living walls.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/applied-soil-ecology">Applied Soil Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Image Credit: Heather Rumble, University of Portsmouth

&nbsp;

Green roofs offer habitat opportunities for diverse species

Along with many other environmental benefits, green roofs introduce new...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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