Natural,Environment,Climate-neutral,Long-term,Emissions,Strategy,Net,Zero,2050,Carbon

Balancing cleaner air with rising incomes is not a luxury question for developing countries. It is a real-world, and real-life, policy problem that shapes health, jobs, and the future of their cities.



A new <a href="https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S0217590825500304" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> lays out when zero emissions can go hand in hand with steady <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-will-cut-world-gdp-by-a-staggering-40-percent-if-nothing-changes/">growth</a>, even when governments rely on foreign aid.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-zero-emissions-and-economic-growth">Zero emissions and economic growth</h2>



The work comes from <a href="https://tus.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/hideo-noda" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hideo Noda</a> at the Tokyo University of Science (<a href="https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TUS</a>) with coauthor Fengqi Fang, a Ph.D. candidate in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business Administration at TUS. 



The team builds a simple but testable way to check if a country can hit zero net <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-trade-is-fueling-a-dangerous-rise-in-methane-emissions/">emissions</a> while its economy keeps expanding.



They also verify the model numerically using real world style parameters so it is not just a chalkboard exercise. 



The paper connects theory to a specific United Nations target on decoupling growth from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/limiting-global-warming-to-1-5c-is-almost-certainly-out-of-reach/">environmental damage</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-zero-emissions-models">Zero emissions models</h2>



First, the authors define a zero-emissions <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">policy</a> as keeping net pollution at zero at every point in time, by matching abatement to emissions. That requires money, technology, and clear rules to assign who pays.



They run two versions of the economy. 



One is a public goods <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/stantcheva/files/lecture8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a> where government services like roads or schools lift private production for everyone at once, a standard growth <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/261726" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a> introduced by Robert Barro in 1990. 



The second adds <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-will-climate-change-hit-hardest-global-index-reveals-vulnerability/">congestion</a>, where more people share the same public services so the boost per person shrinks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-minimum-income-rule">Minimum income rule</h2>



The key test is whether gross domestic product (<a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GDP</a>) per capita rises above a minimum income threshold so a country can fully clean what it emits. 



The authors call this the kindergarten rule level of abatement, as in: “clean-up what you make dirty.”



"Following the Kindergarten rule means implementing zero emission technologies in either finite time or asymptotically," noted M. Scott Taylor and William Brock in their related <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w9597" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>. 



This frame anchors the new threshold concept for developing countries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aid-supports-clean-income-growth">Aid supports clean income growth</h2>



Many low income governments fund services with official development assistance (<a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/official-development-assistance-oda.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ODA</a>), so the model lets outside aid pay for both cleaning and public services. 



That design reflects classic work showing how aid aimed at productive public services can shift long run growth.



In related <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387806000290" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theory</a>, flexible labor and aid tied to public capital influence the path of output and welfare. The new paper extends this logic to pollution control that must be paid for every year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changing-income-threshold">Changing income threshold</h2>



The threshold depends on clean technology, population size, and how much aid is fixed to environmental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/expanding-oil-and-gas-fields-threaten-global-climate-goals/">uses</a>. Better abatement technology lowers the income bar because each dollar of cleanup removes more pollution.



Population matters differently across the two models. In the public goods case, a larger labor force can raise growth because services scale with the economy, while in the congestion case that scale effect drops out as services get diluted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taxes-and-zero-emissions-targets">Taxes and zero emissions targets</h2>



The model also looks at tax policy, focusing on a labor income tax that finances services. 



There is a tax rate that maximizes the growth of income per person, and under both models governments can reach the needed income threshold in finite time if they choose that growth maximizing rate.



Public services that complement private capital are the link. When governments tax and spend on those services efficiently, private firms produce more and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-action-economies-can-grow-while-cutting-emissions/">economy climbs</a> to the income level that makes full abatement feasible.



"Both models indicate that implementing the zero-emissions policy is compatible with sustainable economic growth," wrote Noda. 



They also show the kindergarten rule threshold is higher with congestion than without it, so crowding of public services slows the crossing.



"We call this threshold the kindergarten rule level of pollution abatement in terms of GDP per capita," wrote Noda. The result gives policymakers a clear income target, not just a slogan about decoupling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-income-growth-and-sdgs">Income growth and SDGs</h2>



Target 8.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (<a href="https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SDGs</a>) asks countries to decouple growth from environmental degradation. 



The authors argue their framework helps explain when that is possible in practice, and how policy levers change the timing.



The UN defines the <a href="https://metadata.un.org/sdg/8.4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">target</a> as improving resource efficiency and decoupling growth from environmental harm through 2030. The paper’s threshold view fits that mandate with a concrete yardstick.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-results-still-matter">Why results still matter</h2>



Earlier <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652621009112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> in the same research stream focused on developed, innovation-driven economies and showed that zero emissions could be achieved alongside continued growth. 



That study examined whether sustained economic expansion could occur while also maintaining <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-net-zero-world-will-require-75-trillion-of-investment-and-1-billion-electric-cars/">zero net pollution emissions</a>.



The new paper shows the same compatibility can hold in aid dependent settings where innovation is not the main growth engine. 



That extension fills a real gap, because many low income countries face tighter fiscal and technological limits.



Build or buy cleaner technology so the threshold falls. Treat tied aid for environmental programs as a growth tool and not just a cost center.



Set tax policy to raise the growth rate of income per person, then sustain it long enough to pass the threshold. Guard against congestion by scaling services with population, so gains are not diluted.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S0217590825500304" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Singapore Economic Review</a>.



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Net-zero emissions and rising income levels can both be achieved simultaneously

Balancing cleaner air with rising incomes is not a luxury question for developing countries. It is a real-world, and real-life, policy problem that shapes health, jobs, and the future of their cities. A new study lays out when zero emissions can go hand in hand with steady growth, even when governments rely on foreign aid. Zero emissions and economic growth The work comes from Hideo Noda at the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) with coauthor Fengqi Fang, a Ph.D. candidate in Business Administration from the Graduate School...

I had first heard of Padre Island years ago, when my younger brother went on a short vacation to Texas with a friend and visited Padre Island.  I don’t remember the specific details, but the idea was enough to capture my imagination.

Maybe it was the name, at once evocative and vague; father island?  Maybe it was the stories I heard later in life about the beauty of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sahara-dust-hurricanes/">Gulf of Mexico</a> or the environmental tragedy that played out there.  Whatever it was, something inside me was determined to visit Padre Island National Seashore if I ever got the chance. This spring, following up a two month road trip through Mexico, my long dormant dream awoke and I got my chance to visit Padre Island.

<a href="https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm">Padre Island National Seashore</a> is actually the meeting of a father island with Mother Ocean.  Laguna Madre is a hypersaline lagoon that stretches along the Southern Texas portion of the Gulf of Mexico.  Laguna Madre is a good mother, home to 80% of the seagrass in Texas, and more finfish than anywhere else in the state.  The hypersaline nature of the Laguna is special, being one of only six hypersaline lagoons in the world. 

About 77 percent of North America’s Red Headed Ducks winter in the Laguna Madre.  The only hypersaline adapted oysters in North America live there, too. The water on the Laguna Madre side of the island is glass smooth with nearly a ripple.  The water is shallow; the Laguna Madre is only an average of 3.3 feet deep. The lagoon itself covers 609 square miles and is usually less than five feet deep. People in waders walk far into the water of the lagoon and fish in the quiet, calm, bright ocean.  We watched a man windsurfing across the calm water at sunset. 

Made of rolling sand hills covered in grass, long stretches of beach and tidal flats, Padre Island National Seashore itself encompasses 130,434 acres and boasts at being the longest undeveloped piece of barrier island in the world.  Most of the National Seashore itself is road-less, yet driving on the long undeveloped stretch of beach is allowed, if only recommended to four wheel drive vehicles. On the eastern side of the island, open to the Gulf of Mexico, waves roll onto the sand, the water isn’t glassy calm like in the Laguna Madre.  Brown pelicans fly over the rolling hills and beach in bobbing lines.

Tri-colored herons can be found hunting in the marshy areas of the island.  There are small ponds, including at least one with a blind for birdwatching.  Corpus Cristi, Padre Island’s nearest town, has won America’s Birdiest city award ten years running, which means they have more birds than any other city in the United States.

Crabs are everywhere, at least on the Laguna Madre side of the island.  We arrived after dark and took our dogs for a walk, only to realize with some horror that we couldn’t take a step without crunching a crab under foot.  The tiny arthropods run everywhere in the moonlight, their misbalanced claws flailing at any disturbance. In the day time all you see are tiny holes in the sand pock marking the beach.  The crabs we saw are Ghost Crabs (subfamily Ocypodinae). Ghost crabs are pale and nocturnal, all but disappearing in the day. Crabs belong to subphylum of Crustaceans; there are 41 species of crustacean found on Padre Island, including at least 9 species of crab.  Other crustaceans include shrimp, lobsters and barnacles. 

Burrowing in the same intertidal sand as crabs are Ghost Shrimps.  Ghost Shrimp have transparent exoskeletons, baring bright red organs.  The shrimps are amazingly adapted to a constantly changing environment that fluctuates between flood at high tide and relatively dry and hot at low tide.  Ghost Shrimp can survive up to six days with no oxygen and are an important food source for birds. Some of the holes I saw in the beach and assumed were crabs were probably the burrows of Ghost Shrimp.  

Padre Island is home to five species of sea turtle and the only place in Texas where all five species found in the Gulf of Mexico have been known to nest.  Most importantly, Padre Island is the best nesting location for the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, the smallest turtle found in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re lucky, and take a walk on the beach early in the morning during nesting season (April to September) you might spot the strange mechanical looking trackway of a mother turtle.  

Dolphins and whales swim past Padre Island and the very lucky will see a fin or the spectacular spout of a blowhole.  Unexpectedly, West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus) can sometimes be seen in the waters surrounding Padre Island.

There have been 149 species of fish documented by National Park Service staff at Padre Island National Seashore.  Stingrays, hammerhead sharks, eels, tarpons and many others have been found. Fishing is incredibly popular here, especially on the calm Laguna Madre side of the island where I imagine the sport to be meditative and peaceful.     

Perhaps surprising for a place so dominated by the ocean, Padre Island is also home to four frog species and six toads.  There are also coyotes, white tailed deer, raccoons, a pocket gopher, black tailed jack rabbit and the Padre Island Kangaroo Rat found only on... Padre Island.  

Despite being an island, there is a paved road connecting it to the mainland.  It’s a little strange for someone like me who’s lived most of his life far from an ocean to drive a thin ribbon of asphalt across the ocean, but it’s much more convenient than a boat.  

Beyond Padre Island National Seashore, the island itself stretches far.  North of the National Seashore is Mustang Island State Park, which protects another five miles of coast.  The park is similar to Padre Island National Seashore in being a place to explore the beach, camp or kayak on a <a href="https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/mustang_island/">paddling trail</a>.  There is also the small <a href="https://www.nuecesbeachparks.com/packerychannelpark.html">Packery Channel Park</a>, a small nature park on the beach managed by Nueces County.  Other campgrounds and small public parks aren’t hard to find north of the national seashore as well as restaurants and hotels.

South Island is the part of Padre Island that is most developed as a beachfront vacation destination.  South Padre is known for the place to go to party or drink away a spring break rather than connect with nature.  Still there is spectacular nature to be seen on South Padre Island and worthy organizations promoting environmental education.  <a href="http://www.spibirding.com">South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center</a> is an interpretive center that also hosts guided tours.  <a href="http://www.seaturtleinc.org">Sea Turtle Inc.</a> is another organization based on South Padre Island working to rehabilitate and conserve turtles, as well as educate the public.  

Off the island, Laguna Madre continues, south and into Mexico.  On the mainland of Texas, <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/laguna_atascosa/">Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge</a> protects a chunk of the lagoon.  Laguna Atascosa is also one of the few places in the United States you have even a slim chance of spotting an Ocelot in the wild.  Although Ocelots are endangered and very rare in the US, a successful den was found in 2016 in Laguna Atascosa. 

In Mexico, the southern part of the Laguna Madre is protected in Laguna Madre y Rio Bravo Delta State Park.  

All together the different parts of the island and the ocean are a patchwork of different public and private lands, some relatively protected others sacrificed for the sake of partying in the sun.  However, the island and the land around it is one beautiful whole of sun and water, fish and bird and mammal. Crabs dance on the sand at night and pelicans bob through the warm air in the day. There is fishing, there is kayaking, and there is windsurfing.  There’s plenty of opportunity to sit and take the world in in its most sun bleached elemental state. 

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

The diverse array of wildlife on Padre Island National Seashore

I had first heard of Padre Island years ago, when...

It’s been estimated that around<a href="https://theconversation.com/eight-million-tonnes-of-plastic-are-going-into-the-ocean-each-year-37521"> eight million metric tons of plastic </a>ends up in the world’s oceans each year. Now a study shows that 90 percent of plastic waste from rivers can be traced back to ten major rivers in Asia and Africa.

The world’s plastic problem has quickly become a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-crisis-antarctic/">plastic crisis</a> and around five trillion pounds of it is currently in the oceans.

Major efforts to remove plastic from the oceans are a long way off, so researchers from the <a href="https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=33573">Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research</a> in Germany conducted a study to target the source of the ocean’s plastic. 

The results, published in the journal Environmental Science &amp; Technology, show that by reducing plastic pollution in the Yangtze and Ganges rivers, the amount of pollution that ends up in the ocean every year could decrease by half.

Getting to the source of the pollution is one of the best ways to get ahead of the plastic crisis according to the study.

“One thing is certain: this situation cannot continue,” Christian Schmidt, a hydrogeologist at Germany's Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5910011/Plastic-bag-ban-criticised-90-cent-plastic-waste-comes-rivers-Asia-Africa.html">Daily Mail</a>. “But as it is impossible to clean up the plastic debris that is already in the oceans, we must take precautions and reduce the input of plastic quickly and efficiently.”

To find out the biggest contributors to the ocean’s plastic the researchers reviewed data from 79 sampling sites along 57 rivers.

The worst river polluter was the Yangtze River in China, which sends 1.5 million tons of plastic to the Yellow Sea every year.

It is not well known how plastic from rivers ends up in the ocean even though rivers become major carriers of waste and this study helps shed light on the issue.

Only a few of the world’s rivers contribute the largest amount of plastic, the study found.

“The 10 top-ranked rivers transport 88-95 percent of the global load into the sea,” said Schmidt. “The rivers with the highest estimated plastic loads are characterized by high population - for instance the Yangtze with over half a billion people.”

Part of the reason cleanup in the ocean itself is so difficult is because of microplastics which are found in every major sea and river but cause serious harm to marine life who accidentally ingest them.

Instead, the researchers suggest that efforts should focus on reducing plastic at the river sources.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

90 percent of river plastic waste comes from Asia and Africa

It’s been estimated that around eight million metric tons of plastic...

Do bacteria go extinct? The world is filled with hugely diverse populations of microbes, and its because of the sheer number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kitchen-sponges-contain-insane-amount-bacteria/">bacteria populations</a> that it was commonly thought bacteria rarely go extinct or die off. 

However, a new study shows that this isn’t the case and that bacteria, like a wide range of other species, have gone extinct. However, it was difficult to track these declines in populations because bacteria have avoided the large, planet-wide mass extinctions easily evidenced in the fossil record. 

“Bacteria rarely fossilize, so we know very little about how the microbial landscape has evolved over time,” said Stilianos Louca, the leader of the study. “Sequencing and math helped us fill in the bacterial family tree, map how they've diversified over time, and uncover their extinctions.” 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a>, <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">Caltech</a>, and <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> used DNA sequencing and data analysis to create the first evolutionary tree of bacteria over the past billion years. 

“This study wouldn't have been possible 10 years ago,” said  Michael Doebeli, the senior author on the paper. “Today's availability of massive sequencing data and powerful computational resources allowed us to perform the complex mathematical analysis.”

Even though the researchers were able to track the evolutionary history of an estimated 1.4 to 1.9 million bacterial lineages through the years, the resulting family tree only represents a small fraction of bacteria overall. 

“While modern bacterial diversity is undoubtedly high, it's only a tiny snapshot of the diversity that evolution has generated over Earth's history,” said Louca. 

The results, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, show that bacteria have experienced thousands of extinctions throughout the years, between 45,000 and 95,000 extinctions in the last million years alone to be exact. 

Bacteria have managed to avoid large mass extinction events and the researchers found that they have also been able to diversify exponentially without interruption, even with thousands of extinctions within their family tree. 

The researchers next plan to study the evolution of bacteria and its physiological properties through the years to see what advantages bacteria have gained in order to thrive and sustain such high numbers and diversity. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Stilianos Louca, <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a>

Research shows that bacteria do in fact go extinct

Do bacteria go extinct? The world is filled with hugely...

In the 1980s, the U.S. government along with the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) created the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/superfund">Superfund Program</a> to clean up thousands of toxic sites from chemical spills, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/silverton-colorado-preps-big-changes-superfund-cleanup/">mines,</a> and factory toxic waste across the country. 

No company has been more entangled with the EPA and Superfund than Dow, one of the world’s largest chemical companies responsible for everything from Saran Wrap to mustard gas. 

Dow is potentially responsible for at least 14 percent of the Superfund cleanup sites the EPA has classified as a priority, accounting for 171 toxic areas in the United States, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/climate/dow-epa-superfund.html">New York Times</a> . 

One of DOW’s biggest offenses includes the contamination of more than 50 miles of the Tittabawassee River in Midland Michigan, home of the chemical giant’s headquarters. 

Clean up efforts have only just begun along the Tittabawassee River and no one can say for sure when the project will be done. 

Years of pushback on behalf of DOW, and reports that the company mislead the public, skewed data, and delayed cleanup stalled any progress on the Midland cleanup project. 

Now, one of the lawyers who spent years working for DOW and who was a lead negotiator in talks with the EPA during the Midland cleanup case is slated to be the next EPA Lawyer in charge of overseeing the Superfund program. 

In March, Donald Trump nominated former Dow Chemicals lawyer Peter Wright to lead the Superfund program. 

Wright is currently working in an advisory capacity to the EPA, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/climate/dow-epa-superfund.html">New York Times</a>, awaiting congressional approval before he can officially take over Superfund. 

The nomination has raised many concerns and more than a few red flags due to Wright’s long history working with DOW. 

DOW’ slow progress in addressing and dealing with the Midland cleanup has been cited as one of the biggest conflicts of interest in nominating Wright to the EPA. 

Christine Todd, the leader of the EPA under President George W. Bush told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/climate/dow-epa-superfund.html">New York Times</a> that Wright’s nomination “raises all kinds of red flags, and it makes his job more difficult in the sense that he will be watched every second.” 

There are others who list Wright’s former work with DOW as reasons why he is the right pick for the job. 

After former head of the E.P.A Scott Pruitt resigned amidst a host of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/climate/scott-pruitt-epa-trump.html">ethics violations</a>, the government agency is now in the spotlight and Wright’s nomination doesn’t seem to be doing much to restore confidence in the agency, in Superfund, or Trump’s cabinet picks. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Dow lawyer is Trump's new nominee to head EPA’s legal team

In the 1980s, the U.S. government along with the Environmental...

A period of global warming jump-started the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-age-earths-history/">Holocene period</a> around 11,000 years ago which allowed for human expansion, agriculture, and a stable climate.

As temperatures warmed, glaciers retreated, humans could spread out over a larger landscape, and the higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere made permanent settlement possible. 

The climate during the Holocene was unusually stable with atmospheric carbon levels increasing from 260 parts per millions (ppm) to 280 parts per million. 

While the warming over the past 11,000 years has been well documented, the explanation for the sudden warming trend remained unknown. 

An international collaboration of researchers led by <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> and the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/153030/chemie">Max Planck Institute for Chemistry</a> conducted a study examining Southern Ocean upwelling as the possible explanation for the Holocene’s warming. 

Activity in the Southern Ocean weakens the oceans’ abilities to store carbon and the study proposes that this is what caused the warming starting 11,000 years ago. 

The world’s oceans contain huge stores of CO2 and there is concern that warming temperatures will release these carbon stores back into the atmosphere, driving further climate change. 

That’s why it’s important to understand what was behind the stable interglacial warming of the Holocene as it could help better predict climate models and show the effect that an increase in fossil fuels will have on ocean circulation and atmospheric CO2 levels in the future. 

The results were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

“We think we may have found the answer,” said Daniel Sigman, a member of the research team. “Increased circulation in the Southern Ocean allowed carbon dioxide to leak into the atmosphere, working to warm the planet.”

Sigman and the researchers theorized that a leak in the Southern Ocean, venting carbon from phytoplankton populations deep below the Ocean’s surface, was responsible for the Holocene warming. 

To study this possibility, the researchers collected and analyzed diatoms, foraminifers, and deep-sea coral fossils from different areas of the Southern Ocean. 

Diatoms and foraminifera are shelled microorganisms and researchers can measure the nitrogen isotope ratios trapped within the fossils to model the nutrient levels of the Southern Ocean at the time the fossils were alive. This can help show temperatures, oxygen levels, and the climate during that time as well. 

After analyzing the isotope ratios, the measurements indicated that during the early years of the Holocene, the Southern Ocean saw an increase in nutrients and carbon dioxide and this weakened the ocean’s ability to contain its carbon stores and CO2 leaked into the atmosphere.

This could explain the 20 parts per millions rise in atmospheric carbon. The researchers say the same processes responsible for warming the Holocene are happening now, made worse by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activities. 

“This process is allowing some of that deeply stored carbon dioxide to invade back to the atmosphere,” said Sigman. “We're essentially punching holes in the membrane of the biological pump. If the findings from the Holocene can be used to predict how Southern Ocean upwelling will change in the future, it will improve our ability to forecast changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and thus in global climate.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How a warming Earth encouraged human settlement and expansion

A period of global warming jump-started the Holocene period around...

According to a team of scientists at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, climate change could cause Western Europe and New Zealand to relapse to the hot tropical climate of the early Paleogene, the first period of the Cenozoic Era which took place 56-48 million years ago.

Currently, a heat wave across Europe is affecting health, drying out land, and triggering wildfires.

The early Paleogene is particularly significant to climate scientists because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dioxide-record-broken/">carbon dioxide</a> levels at that time were similar to those predicted for the end of this century.

Dr. David Naafs from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences is the lead author of the study.

“We know that the early Paleogene was characterized by a greenhouse climate with elevated carbon dioxide levels,” said Dr. Naafs.

“Most of the existing estimates of temperatures from this period are from the ocean, not the land - what this study attempts to answer is exactly how warm it got on land during this period.”


By analyzing the molecular fossils of microorganisms preserved in ancient peat, the team was able to estimate the land temperature 50 million years ago. 

The scientists found that average temperatures in Western Europe and New Zealand were between 23 and 29 degrees Celsius, which is at least 10 degrees higher than current temperatures across these regions.

The findings suggest that the scorching temperatures of the current heat wave will become the new norm by the end of this century if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.

“Our work adds to the evidence for a very hot climate under potential end-of-century carbon dioxide levels,” said study co-author Professor Rich Pancost. “Importantly, we also study how the Earth system responded to that warmth. For example, this and other hot time periods were associated with evidence for arid conditions and extreme rainfall events.”

The researchers will now investigate how hot land temperatures became in lower latitudes during the early Paleogene.

“Did the tropics, for example, become ecological dead zones because temperatures in excess of 40 °C were too high for most form of life to survive? Some climate models suggest this, but we currently lack critical data,” said Dr. Naafs.

“Our results hint at the possibility that the tropics, like the mid-latitudes, were hotter than present, but more work is needed to quantify temperatures from these regions.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scorching heat may become the norm by the end of the century

According to a team of scientists at the University of...

An international team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/">University of Newcastle</a> has identified a growing frequency of intense rainstorms in Australia over the past 50 years. The researchers have found that short yet powerful storms are strengthening faster than what was expected with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thawing-permafrost-global-warming/">global warming</a>, and the experts say that this will lead to increased flash flooding.

The investigation was focused on daily and hourly rainfall extremes between 1966-1989 and 1990-2013, which were collected from 107 weather stations across Australia.

The study revealed that the amount of water falling in hourly storms such as thunderstorms is increasing at a rate that is two to three times higher than what was anticipated with climate change. The largest increases in rainfall have occurred during the most extreme events.

“It was thought there was a limit on how much more rain could fall during these extreme events as a result of rising temperatures,” said study lead author Dr. Selma Guerreiro.

“Now that upper limit has been broken, and instead we are seeing increases in rainfall, two to three times higher than expected during these short, intense rainstorms.”

“This does not mean that we will see this rate of increase everywhere. But the important thing now is to understand why rainfall is becoming so much more intense in Australia and to look at changes in other places around the world. How these rainfall events will change in the future will vary from place to place and depend on local conditions besides temperature increases.”

The research suggests that short, intense rainstorms may be underestimated due to the frequency and severity of flooding that can result from them.

“These changes are well above what engineers currently take into account when determining Australia's flood planning levels or designing stormwater management and flood defence infrastructure,” said study co-author Professor Seth Westra.

“If we keep seeing this rate of change, we risk committing future generations to levels of flood risk that are unacceptable by today's standards.”

The research has demonstrated that extreme hourly rainfall cannot be predicted based on temperature alone because many other atmospheric changes also play a role in these complex events.


The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Australian rainstorms became more severe in the past 50 years

An international team of scientists led by the University of...

According to the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/">Los Angeles Times</a>, California has achieved its goal of lowering harmful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-dairy-production-emissions/">emissions</a> from electricity generation with four years to spare. However, a report from the <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/homepage">California Air Resources Board</a> (CARB) shows that traffic pollution across the state continues to rise.

To make matters worse, a plan by the Trump administration aims to weaken fuel economy standards that were put in place by President Obama, and the new legislation could revoke California’s ability to set its own vehicle emission standards.

State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell said: “This would be the first time the federal government has really taken on California’s authority to do this, which is, as much as anything, a states’ rights issue.”

The CARB emissions report shows that the state was able to reach its 2020 goal in 2016 due to an increase in the use of renewable energy. California had achieved 46-percent renewable electricity by 2016, when solar electricity grew by 33 percent and natural gas decreased by over 15 percent.

Dave Edwards is the chief of CARB’s greenhouse gas and toxics emissions inventory branch. “We’ve seen a substantial increase in solar and wind power, particularly rooftop solar installations,” Edwards told the Los Angeles Times.

Emissions from electricity generation dropped by 18 percent in California from 2015 to 2016. On the other hand, increased traffic in a recovering economy continues to boost traffic pollution levels.


Alex Jackson is a senior attorney at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/">Natural Resources Defense </a>Council. He told the L.A. Times: “The deep reductions from electric power generation are compensating for lackluster performance in other sectors of the economy, including an uptick in the transportation sector where we know we have our work cut out for us.”

Pennsylvania, one of more than 12 states that abide by California’s stricter vehicle emissions standards, is anticipating the potential rollback by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is prepared to respond with legal action. Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro has already filed a lawsuit over an order by former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt regarding rebuilt truck engines.

“On his last day in office, former Administrator Pruitt took his worst action and seriously harmed our environment,” said Shapiro. “Gliders - new trucks with older, rebuilt engines - need to meet the same strict emissions rules as trucks with newer engines. If the EPA won’t protect Pennsylvanians from the dangers of this type of air pollution, I will.”

California has now set a new goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 40 percent by the year 2030. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

California hits climate goals, but traffic pollution rises

According to the Los Angeles Times, California has achieved its...

Plastic straws have been the focus of many recent campaigns that are addressing the worldwide issue of plastic pollution. According to the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/">National Park Service</a>, Americans use 500 million drinking straws every day. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/starbucks-plastic-straws/">Plastic straws</a> cannot be easily recycled, and they never fully degrade. According to the <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/">Ocean Conservancy</a>’s TIDES system, plastic  straws and stirrers are the 11th most common type of trash found in ocean cleanups.

A recent article published by <a href="https://www.wired.com/">WIRED</a> magazine explains how easily straws make their way into the environment.

Sherry Lippiatt is the regional coordinator for NOAA's marine debris program in California.

“I think the fact that straws are small and used on-the-go lends itself to the fact that they can easily leak into the environment,” Lippiatt told WIRED. “Any moment when trash is being transferred from one mode to another, some fraction of it is lost.”

Straws are small and lightweight, which makes it inevitable that many are lost during the waste management process. Plastic straws and stirrers are not only ending up in the ocean, but are also getting washed away into lakes, rivers, and streams where they can do a lot of damage to marine life.

Many states have pending legislation to ban plastic straws including regions of California, Washington, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. In addition, large companies such as Starbucks, Hyatt, and American Airlines have pledged to ditch plastic straws.

However, there is some debate over whether banning straws will effectively lead to more measurable actions.

Kara Lavender Law is a research professor of Oceanography at the <a href="https://www.sea.edu/">Sea Education Association</a>. Law told WIRED magazine: “I’m not sure that straws are exceptional in terms of their impact to an ecosystem.”

“I think the reason straws have been singled out is because they are a low-hanging fruit. They are something that most of us, though not all, for example some disabled people, children, can easily do without, and by doing so we reduce the amount of plastic trash that is generated and therefore needs to be managed somehow.”

While straws may not be the biggest contributor to the plastic pollution crisis, banning them is still a good start for companies to reduce their plastic footprints.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Americans use 500 million plastic straws per day

Plastic straws have been the focus of many recent campaigns...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> have analyzed the chemistry of ocean sediments to investigate whether rapid climate change was linked to Atlantic Ocean circulation in the past. The study is providing new insight into the interactions between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-displacement-climate-change/">climate change</a>, melting ice, and ocean circulation.

“Large, rapid changes in climate, carbon dioxide, and ice sheet volume occurred as the planet emerged from the most recent ice age some 20,000 years ago,” said study lead author Dr. Hong Chin Ng.

“Changes in the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean are believed to have played an important role in driving these climate events - but direct evidence has been hard to find.”

“In this study, we analyzed radioactive elements in ocean sediments to provide a much better-constrained picture of the strength of ocean circulation in the past, and therefore its relationship with the timing of ice sheet and climate changes during the last major deglaciation.”


The investigation was focused on sediment cores from across the Atlantic Ocean. The study revealed that shifts in ocean circulation patterns had corresponded with rapid climate change events when the ice sheets were retreating.

“This is the first time that spatially coherent, widespread observations (from the tropics to high latitudes) have been brought to together on a common age scale,” said Dr. Ng.

“We found that the ocean slowed down its circulation in two steps, linked to two episodes of ice melting - one from Eurasia and one from North America.”

The study findings highlight the influence of melting ice on the slowdown of ocean circulation. According to the researchers,  this is important because ice in the northern latitudes is currently melting at an accelerated rate due to climate change.

The data obtained from this research could be used to investigate whether climate models accurately respond to the dynamics of melting ice and ocean circulation during periods of rapid climate change.

The study is published in the journal <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: Dr Hong Chin Ng, University of Bristol

Atlantic Ocean circulation linked to rapid past climate change

Researchers at the University of Bristol have analyzed the chemistry...

Malaria killed nearly half a million people in 2016, most of them under the age of 5, and infected another 200 million more. The easiest solution might be wiping out malaria-carrying mosquitoes – but would that trigger some sort of twisted “butterfly effect” that causes destruction of ecosystems on a massive scale?

Not likely.

New research by an international team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> have found that a species of malaria-carrying mosquitoes isn't all that necessary in its native habitats.

Most cases of malaria today are found in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, not every species of mosquito carries the tropical disease, which leads to fever, chills, vomiting, seizures and other painful symptoms. 

As part of their <a href="https://targetmalaria.org/">Target Malaria</a> project, the team of researchers hopes to genetically engineer Anopheles gambiae, one of the carrier species of mosquito, to suppress the illness. Before they did, however, they wanted to research how the species’ disappearance might affect the ecosystems in which An. gambiae lives.

That’s when they discovered that the malaria-carrying mosquitoes don’t really fill much of an ecological niche. No animals depend on them for food, and their presence isn’t needed to keep other insects’ or animals’ populations from exploding.

“As adults, An. gambiae mosquitoes are small, hard to catch, most mobile at night and not very juicy, so they are not a rewarding prey for both insect and vertebrate predators,” lead researcher Dr. Tilly Collins told the <a href="http://dailymail.co.uk/">Daily Mail</a>.

Blood-heavy female mosquitoes do make an important meal for a species of spider that lives in some of the An. gambiae habitats, but it’s not picky about the species of mosquito it feeds on.

And in the habitats studied so far, researchers found that the disappearance of the malaria-carrying mosquitoes wouldn’t cause any population explosions of its competitor species. Other mosquitoes that don’t spread the disease would simply fill the vacuum.

To verify its findings, Target Malaria is launching a new, four-year study of An. gambiae in Ghana, supported by the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and the <a href="https://www.ug.edu.gh/">University of Ghana</a>.

The current research has been published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652915">Medical and Veterinary Entomology</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Scientists: ecosystem doesn't need malaria-carrying mosquitoes

Malaria killed nearly half a million people in 2016, most...

Northern Europe has been in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heatwave that looks to linger for weeks. Sweden is seeing its hottest summer in a century. Scotland recorded its highest temperature ever in Motherwell, and records were shattered in Belfast in Northern Ireland as well.

Now, weather data indicates that climate change may have played a role in creating it.

“The summer of 2018 has been remarkable in northern Europe. A very persistent high-pressure anomaly over Scandinavia caused high temperature anomalies and drought there from May to (at least) July,” researchers from the <a href="http://wwa.climatecentral.org/">World Weather Attribution</a> consortium wrote on their website. “These reached  as far southwest as Ireland. Southern Europe was unusually wet, with damaging thunderstorms in France in the first half of June.”

The team of scientists looked at climate data collected from seven sites in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. The sites were chosen because they record weather information in real-time, and have digitized records going back several decades.

The researchers then analyzed the current and historic data to look at trends.

“We firstly analyze observed temperatures and estimate how rare the current heatwave is, measured as three-day maximum temperatures, and whether or not there is a trend toward increasing temperature,” they wrote.

They found that man-made climate change has raised the chances of northern Europe seeing a record-breaking heatwave, and this summer’s heat seems to be an example.

“We estimate that the probability to have such a heat or higher is generally more than two times higher today than if human activities had not altered climate,” <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/analyses/attribution-of-the-2018-heat-in-northern-europe/">the researchers wrote</a>.

The team did note that this was only a preliminary study. Additional research to verify their conclusions and more climate modeling would be needed before they can extend their findings to other extreme heat events, such as a record-breaking heatwave in Japan that has killed dozens or record high temperatures in the Arctic.

But the findings do add to a growing body of work suggesting that climate change is real, and that human activity may play a role in it.

“The logic that climate change will do this is inescapable – the world is becoming warmer and so heatwaves like this are becoming more common,” Dr. Friederike Otto of the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a>, a co-author of the study, told the <a href="http://dailymail.co.uk/">Daily Mail</a>. “What was once regarded as unusually warm weather will become commonplace – in some cases, it already has.”

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Climate change may be behind record-breaking heatwave

Northern Europe has been in the fierce grip of a...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

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

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</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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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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