For decades, oceanographers assumed the surface waters circling Antarctica were becoming progressively fresher - a shift that helped lock deep heat away and nurture expansive winter sea ice.



However, new observations show the opposite is now happening. An international team led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> reported a sudden rise in surface <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salinity-is-rising-in-coastal-areas-and-hurting-farmlands/">salinity</a> south of 50° latitude. This shift coincided with the steepest drop in Antarctic sea-ice extent ever recorded.



The analysis combines European satellite data with readings from autonomous floats that profile the water column. The result reveals an unanticipated pivot in the Southern Ocean’s salt balance sometime after 2015.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-excessive-salt-melts-sea-ice">Excessive salt melts sea ice</h2>



Cold, fresh surface water normally overlies warmer, saltier layers at depth, creating strong density “stratification” that traps heat below. When the surface grows saltier, that barrier weakens. Heat then mixes upward, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarcticas-melting-ice-shelves-threaten-global-sea-levels/">melting sea ice</a> from beneath and preventing extensive winter growth.



“Saltier surface water allows deep ocean heat to rise more easily, melting sea ice from below," said lead author Alessandro Silvano, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton. "It's a dangerous feedback loop: less ice leads to more heat, which leads to even less ice.” 



Since 2015, the continent has shed sea ice equivalent to the area of Greenland. Researchers call it the largest environmental shift detected anywhere on Earth in recent decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-ice-hole-returns-after-decades">Sea ice hole returns after decades</h2>



One striking symptom is the re-opening of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-hole-polynya-the-size-of-switzerland-appeared-in-the-antarctica-sea-ice/">Maud Rise polynya</a> - a yawning hole in the Weddell Sea ice cover. It spans nearly four times the size of Wales and last appeared in the late 1970s.



“The return of the Maud Rise polynya signals just how unusual the current conditions are,” Silvano said. “If this salty, low-ice state continues, it could permanently reshape the Southern Ocean - and with it, the planet.”



Reduced Antarctic ice darkens the ocean, absorbing more sunlight and already feeding back into the global climate system. This, as Silvano put it, will give rise to “stronger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-antarctic-sea-ice-loss-is-causing-severe-storms-around-the-world/">storms</a>, warmer oceans, and shrinking habitats for Antarctic wildlife.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-predictions-fall-short">Old predictions fall short</h2>



Climate models had projected eventual Antarctic sea-ice loss under greenhouse forcing. However, many scientists believed that enhanced snowfall and increased melt from continental ice sheets would keep surface waters fresh for decades, delaying large declines. The new evidence challenges that assumption.



“While scientists expected that human-driven climate change would eventually lead to Antarctic sea ice decline, the timing and nature of this shift remained uncertain,” said co-author Aditya Narayanan, a physical oceanographer at the University of Southampton.



“Previous projections emphasized enhanced surface freshening and stronger ocean stratification, which could have supported sustained sea ice cover. Instead, a rapid reduction in sea ice - an important reflector of solar radiation - has occurred, potentially accelerating global warming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eyes-on-the-southern-ocean">Eyes on the Southern Ocean</h2>



Because this turnaround was detected only after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-reveal-a-sudden-drop-in-global-freshwater-levels/">satellites</a> began tracking sea-surface salinity in detail, researchers worry that other rapid transitions might be missed without constant observation.



“The new findings suggest that our current understanding may be insufficient to accurately predict future changes,” said senior author Alberto Naveira Garabato, a professor of physical oceanography at the University of Southampton.



“It makes the need for continuous satellite and in-situ monitoring all the more pressing, so we can better understand the drivers of recent and future shifts in the ice-ocean system.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-ice-loss-changes-the-planet">Sea ice loss changes the planet</h2>



Antarctic sea ice acts as a reflective shield, bouncing sunlight back to space and modulating heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere.



Its precipitous decline could amplify warming worldwide, disturb wind patterns, and alter the formation of the deep water masses that power global ocean circulation.



Saltier surface layers may also influence how much carbon the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">Southern Ocean</a> can absorb, potentially weakening one of Earth’s most important climate buffers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-salt-reinforce-sea-ice-loss">Heat and salt reinforce sea ice loss</h2>



The study leaves open questions about what triggered the sudden salinity jump. Possibilities include shifts in wind patterns, changes in precipitation, or increased intrusion of warm Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf.



Whatever the cause, the new feedback between salt and sea ice could lock the region into a self-reinforcing cycle of warming and ice loss.



Scientists stress that only sustained measurements - combining satellites, autonomous floats, and ship-based surveys - will reveal whether the Southern Ocean snaps back to its former fresher state or continues toward an unfamiliar, saltier future.



For now, the message is clear: Antarctica’s floating fringe, once thought relatively resistant to near-term change, is undergoing a rapid transformation that matters far beyond the frozen continent.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500440122">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a sudden surge in ocean salt

For decades, oceanographers assumed the surface waters circling Antarctica were becoming progressively fresher - a shift that helped lock deep heat away and nurture expansive winter sea ice. However, new observations show the opposite is now happening. An international team led by the University of Southampton reported a sudden rise in surface salinity south of 50° latitude. This shift coincided with the steepest drop in Antarctic sea-ice extent ever recorded. The analysis combines European satellite data with readings from autonomous floats that profile the water column. The...

In what scientists are calling an unprecedented amount of habitat recovery, underwater vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay has grown back and revitalized the area.

A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined how a decrease in phosphorus and nitrogen levels led to the biggest resurgence of underwater grasses ever recorded.

Researchers led by Jonathan Lefcheck from the <a href="https://www.bigelow.org/">Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science</a> examined the long-term effect that reducing nutrient pollution had on the Chesapeake Bay’s underwater vegetation. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-lake-erie-from-agricultural-runoff/">Nutrients</a> from agricultural and industrial sources that end up in nearby waterways present a major problem across the country.

Nutrient pollution negatively impacts the wildlife and vegetation in surrounding lakes, rivers, ponds, and even oceans, as is evidenced by the New Jersey-sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Nutrients from runoff spur algal blooms that can spread too fast and smother other vegetation while decreasing the oxygen levels in the water. 

This study shows the powerful impact that a concerted long-term effort to reduce nutrient runoff can have on important aquatic ecosystems. 

“It's a humbling and unique opportunity,” said Lefcheck, the study’s lead author. “These efforts began before I was even born, but we are at a stage now where all of these different threads can be pulled together to unveil a picture of unprecedented success. This is a message of hope, and I look forward to a future when the Bay is filled with grasses, something I never thought I would see during my lifetime.”

For the study, the researcher used advanced analytics to illustrate conclusively how reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution caused habitat recovery in the Chesapeake Bay. 

Data was collected from two sources, one calculated the cascade of nutrients from land to the waterways and the other showed the detrimental impact that nutrient pollution can have on aquatic plants. 

The results showed that a 23 percent decrease in nitrogen levels and eight percent decrease in phosphorus levels correlated with a fourfold increase Submerged Aquatic Vegetations.

The research is exciting because it shows the progress that has been made over time and how effective policies limiting excess pollution can be for crucial waterways. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Chesapeake Bay experiencing remarkable habitat recovery

In what scientists are calling an unprecedented amount of habitat...

Researchers are taking a new approach to determine how global temperature rise can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. 

The new analysis, which is the first to examine how socioeconomic factors may affect the feasibility of achieving climate targets, describes the conditions that are required to achieve these goals.

The study was led by Joeri Rogelj, a researcher for the <a href="http://www.iiasa.ac.at/">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis</a> (IIASA).

“One of the goals of the Paris Agreement is to limit warming to 1.5°C, but scientific studies mainly looked at the question of limiting warming to 2°C,” said Rogelj. 

“This study now fills this gap and explores how climate change by the end of the 21st century can be brought in line with 1.5°C of warming. Individual studies have looked at this question in the past, but this study is the first to use a broad and diverse set of models.”

A few years ago, IIASA teamed up with other organizations to develop a database containing Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), which help to facilitate the integrated analysis of future climate conditions. SSPs are projections based on different ways that the world will progress including population growth, energy demand, land use, and economic growth.

The current study was focused on integrated assessment computer models that each produced its own synopsis of how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/king-penguins-global-warming/">global warming</a> could be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century under five different SSPs.

The computer models could not create a scenario that was able to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius under all five projections. The models that were successful included the following conditions: a rapid shift away from fossil fuel use towards low-carbon energy sources, lowered energy use, and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The researchers also found that the biggest barriers to achieving the 1.5-degree Celsius goal were major social and economic inequalities, continued high fossil-fuel use, and poor short-term climate policies.

Keywan Riahi is an IIASA Energy Program Director and one of the co-authors of the research.


“A critical value of the paper is the use of the SSPs, which has helped to systematically explore conditions under which such extreme low targets might become attainable,” said Riahi. 

“Our assessment shows particularly the enormous value of pursuing sustainable development for reaching extreme low climate change targets. On the other hand, fragmentation and pronounced inequalities will likely come hand-in-hand with low levels of innovation and productivity, and thus may push the 1.5°C target out of reach.”

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

Strategies to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius

Researchers are taking a new approach to determine how global...

Until the stormy weather of the past few days, the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/How-dry-is-this-winter-Sierra-snowpack-now-on-12563228.php">Sierra Nevada snowpack</a> was on track to record one of its lowest years ever, and it’s not alone. Western snowpacks have declined steadily over the past century, a new analysis of snow records found.

The study, led by Dr. Philip Mote of Oregon State University, found that more than 90 percent of snow monitoring sites across the western U.S. had seen declines in the snowpack since 1915 – and sometimes those declines were significant.

"It is a bigger decline than we had expected," Mote, who directs the university’s Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, said in a press release. "In many lower-elevation sites, what used to fall as snow is now rain. Upper elevations have not been affected nearly as much, but most states don't have that much area at 7,000-plus feet.”

Low snowpacks have caused worry along the Pacific Coast this winter, with Washington reporting <a href="http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20180206/warming-causes-worries-for-washington-snowpack">lower than average snow water equivalent</a> at the beginning of February while Oregon <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2018/02/08/oregon-warm-winter-low-snowpack-make-drought-likely/321237002/">prepared for a possible drought</a>. California’s Northern Sierra snowpack held only a <a href="http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action">quarter of its normal water volume</a> for this time of year on Friday, and sites farther south weren’t much better off.

But the problem stretches back far longer than the past couple of years.

On average, western snowpacks have shrunk by about 15 to 30 percent since 1915, the study found. That translates to a water loss similar in volume to Lake Mead, which affects both the environment and wildlife, and human water use in cities, agriculture and industry, the researchers said.

During California’s recent drought, state water advocates and legislators looked to <a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-california-drought-lesson-dams-20170317-story.html">creating more storage for water</a>, but that’s not enough, Mote said.

"The solution isn't in infrastructure. New reservoirs could not be built fast enough to offset the loss of snow storage – and we don't have a lot of capacity left for that kind of storage,” he said. “It comes down to managing what we have in the best possible ways."

To measure the long-term trends in western snowpacks, researchers looked at historical records at 1,766 sites throughout the United States. While they focused primarily on the April 1 data – the usual peak of the snowpack in most western states – they also looked at data collected on the first of each month from January through May. 

Along with crunching the numbers, the researchers used computer modeling to visualize the water cycle and snow activity. 

The shrinking western snowpacks appear to be linked to warmer winters and earlier springs, the researchers found, not a lack of snowfall. Eastern Oregon and northern Nevada saw the most drastic declines, but sites in California, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Arizona also saw 70 percent declines.

"We found declining trends in all months, states and climates, but the impacts are the largest in the spring, in Pacific states, and in locations with mild winter climates," Mote said.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-018-0012-1">NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a>. The majority of the snowpack records were provided by the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a> and <a href="https://www.water.ca.gov/">California Department of Water Resources</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Oregon State University

Western snowpacks shrank dramatically over past century

Until the stormy weather of the past few days, the...

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic Circle is having an unexpected side effect: it’s turning northern lakes and ponds brown.

Permafrost contains <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-permafrost-climate-change/">massive amounts of carbon</a>, and scientists have predicted in the past that thawing permafrost could release all of that carbon. Now, they’re seeing evidence of just that.

A new study by an international team of scientists from Canada, Finland, Sweden and Denmark looked at 253 freshwater Arctic and subarctic lakes and ponds. They found that as permafrost melts and releases organic carbon, it makes its way to these northern ponds and changes their chemical makeup.

"Land-derived organic carbon is having a growing influence on Arctic and subarctic ponds, which carries over into the food web," the study authors said. "The browning of these systems leads to oxygen depletion and cooler water at the bottom of the ponds, which can have a major impact on the microbial activity responsible for the production and consumption of greenhouse gases, particularly the production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas."

The carbon that is leaching into northern lakes and ponds is good at absorbing sunlight, the researchers said. That in turn makes the water darker and more stratified, which has a profound effect on the plants, animals and other organisms that live within them.

The team of scientists analyzed chemical, biological, optical, and isotopic measurements taken at the more than 200 bodies of water in 14 different circumpolar regions to come to their conclusions. The samples were all taken between 2002 and 2016, and 55 of the ponds were sampled multiple times.

Though there were variations between all of the ponds, the effects of the thawing permafrost could be observed in catchment soil, the scientists said.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lol2.10063/full">Limnology and Oceanography Letters</a>. Core funding was provided by the <a href="http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx">Canada Research Chairs Program</a> and the <a href="http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/en/">Centre for Northern Studies</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Thawing permafrost causes ripples in northern lakes' health

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic Circle is having an unexpected...

Without a time machine, scientists can’t possibly know what Earth’s ancient climates looked like, right? Not exactly. Researchers have an array of tools they can use to peek at the ancient environment, and they’ve just added a new one to the kit: leaf wax.

Plants produce a protective, waxy substance in the cuticle of their leaves that changes depending on the environmental circumstances when the leaf budded and grew. The waxy substance helps to minimize water loss and protect leaves from UV radiation.

The makeup of this leaf wax changes depending on the conditions the plant is growing in. In dry conditions, for example, plants use different organic compounds and distribute them differently to hold onto more water and increase odds of survival.

The team of scientists, led by Dr. Yvette Eley of the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/">University of Birmingham</a>, theorized that if they collected leaf wax lipids from organic soil and analyzed them, they could determine the growing conditions their parent plants grew in. 

"Looking at soil today, you're observing the integrated history of all the plant matter that went into forming that soil over the course of hundreds to thousands of years," Dr. Michael Hren of the <a href="https://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a> said in a press release.

Eley and Hren examined leaf wax compounds in topsoil in North and South America, comparing their findings with modern climate records. They found a clear correlation with climate changes and distribution of leaf wax lipid compounds.

Paleoclimate scientists can get an idea of Earth’s past environment by analyzing stable isotopes in mammal bones and teeth, or ice core chemistry. But the new method fills an important gap, the researchers said.

"One of the huge gaps in the past is we didn't have great quantitative records of moisture," Hren said. "We're now managing to get a really nice glimpse of the whole ecosystem and how it's responding."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21959-w">Scientific Reports</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Leaf wax offers insight into Earth's climate history

Without a time machine, scientists can’t possibly know what Earth’s...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-republicans-climate-change/">climate change</a> continues to affect ecosystems around the world, summer temperatures will likely be on the rise. It is believed that increases in precipitation could mitigate the risk of drought in some regions. While this seems like a positive outcome, a recent study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a> has found that wetter summers may bring on other problems.

Generally, summers that are both warm and wet are unusual in most areas of the world. 

“Terrestrial climates around the world tend to alternate between cool, wet summers in some years and warm, dry summers in other years,” says Colin Mahony, a <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> forestry PhD candidate and lead author of the study. “But climate change is driving many climates towards warmer and wetter conditions. We found that where temperature and precipitation are increasing together, climates are changing faster than the temperature trend alone would suggest.”

The negative impacts include disease outbreaks and crop failures, as warm and wet summers break climatic norms that ecosystems and our own communities are adapted to.

In this study, the researchers analyzed historical observations going back to 1901 and global climate model projections looking ahead to the year 2100. The results showed that subtropical and temperate regions were areas where these conditions are most likely to occur. 

“We’re just getting into the time period where we expect to see this effect,” says Mahony. In the forests of western North America, recent outbreaks of fungal diseases have already been linked to warmer and wetter conditions at certain times of the year.

“Some fungal outbreaks over the past couple of decades, such as Dothistroma needle blight, could likely have been anticipated by tracking how temperature and precipitation were changing together,” explains Mahony. “In order to respond to global warming, we need to understand how the climates of the future will be different than the familiar, historical climates that we are adapted to.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Warmer, wetter summers may bring disease and crop failures

As climate change continues to affect ecosystems around the world,...

The winter season is getting shorter and springtime is arriving earlier in many regions across the globe. For every ten degrees north of the equator, the spring season is arriving around four days earlier than it did ten years ago, according to researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a>.


In southern to mid latitudes such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watering-lawns-lost-gallons-water/">Los Angeles</a> or New Orleans, for example, the researchers estimate that spring is arriving about one day earlier compared to a decade ago. Farther north, in areas like Seattle, spring is beginning up to four days earlier. 

In the extreme northern regions of the Arctic, the spring season is predicted to start up to 16 days sooner. This study, which is the most comprehensive of its kind, has found a northward rate of springtime advance that is around three times higher than what was previously thought.

The research team based their investigation on 743 previously published estimates of the rate of springtime advance from studies across the Northern Hemisphere over the last 86 years. As a result, a strong association was found between earlier springs and higher latitudes.

“This study verifies observations that have been circulating in the scientific community and popular reports for years,” said lead author Eric Post. “Yes, spring is arriving earlier, and the Arctic is experiencing greater advances of spring than lower latitudes. What our study adds is that we connect such differences to more rapid springtime warming at higher latitudes.”

Many plants and animals depend on biological cues from the arrival of spring, and the impact that earlier spring weather will have on these species is relatively unknown. The study authors pointed out that the effect of springtime advance on migratory birds, particularly those who move between tropical areas and higher latitudes, could become a concern.

“Whatever cues they're relying on to move northward for spring might not be reliable predictors of food availability once they get there if the onset of spring at these higher latitudes is amplified by future warming,” said Post. 

“The springtime emergence of the plants and insects they'll eat when they arrive is happening faster than the changes at the lower latitudes those birds are departing from.”

The study is published in Nature's online journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spring is arriving much earlier in the higher altitudes

The winter season is getting shorter and springtime is arriving...

Your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/addiction-smartphones-imbalances-brain/">smartphone</a> may not seem like a major contributor to carbon emissions and climate change, but a new study shows that smartphone production and data centers will have the biggest environmental impact of all information and communication technology by 2040. 

The study, led by Lotfi Belkhir, an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Associate Professor at the <a href="https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/sept/">W Booth School of Engineering</a> at <a href="http://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>, was in response to a question asked by a student about the sustainability of software. 

Belkhir, with the help of fellow researcher Ahmed Elmeligi, set out to examine the carbon footprint of small electronic devices like smartphones and laptops as well as the data centers that work behind the scenes. 

The results, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, show that information and communications technology (ICT) will have an increasing environmental impact, particularly with the production of smartphones. 

“We found that the ICT industry as a whole was growing, but it was incremental,” said Belkhir. “Today it sits at about 1.5%. If trends continue, ICT will account for as much as 14% for the total global footprint by 2040, or about half of the entire transportation sector worldwide.”

The materials needed to create a smartphone’s chip and motherboard are costly to mine, and 85 percent of smartphone emissions come from the production alone. 

On top of this, smartphones are easy to buy and phone companies are constantly releasing new models with more attractive features, which means smartphones create a good deal of waste. 

“Anyone can acquire a smartphone, and telecommunications companies make it easy for people to acquire a new one every two years,” said Belkhir. “We found that by 2020 the energy consumption of a smartphone is going to be more than that of PCs and laptops.”

In order to reduce future emissions from smartphones and other information communications technologies, Belkhir notes that data centers need to be powered by renewable energy rather than coal or fossil fuels. 

The study also points out the detrimental environmental impact that most smartphone manufacturers have when encouraging consumers to upgrade to a new phone every few years. 

“Communication and data centers have to go under renewable energy now,” said Belkhir. “The good news is Google, and Facebook data centers are going to run on renewable energy. But there needs to be a policy in place so that all data centers follow suit. Also, it's not sustainable to have a two-year subsidized plan for smartphones.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Your smartphone is more harmful to the environment than you think

Your smartphone may not seem like a major contributor to...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.bnl.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory</a> may have just discovered an efficient method of converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into a usable energy. The experts have identified a new electrocatalyst that converts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-cars-uk/">CO2</a> to carbon monoxide (CO), which is a highly energetic molecule.

“There are many ways to use CO,” said co-author Eli Stavitski. “You can react it with water to produce energy-rich hydrogen gas, or with hydrogen to produce useful chemicals, such as hydrocarbons or alcohols. If there were a sustainable, cost-efficient route to transform CO2 to CO, it would benefit society greatly.”

Using single atoms of nickel as a catalyst, the researchers achieved what scientists have been trying to accomplish for years. Previous efforts were unsuccessful because a competing reaction called the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was dominant over the CO2 conversion reaction.

“Nickel metal, in bulk, has rarely been selected as a promising candidate for converting CO2 to CO,” said co-author Haotian Wang. “One reason is that it performs HER very well, and brings down the CO2 reduction selectivity dramatically. Another reason is because its surface can be easily poisoned by CO molecules if any are produced."

But now, the experts have found that single atoms of nickel produce a different result.

“Single atoms prefer to produce CO, rather than performing the competing HER, because the surface of a bulk metal is very different from individual atoms,” said Stavitski.

Co-author Klaus Attenkofer added, “The surface of a metal has one energy potential--it is uniform. Whereas on a single atom, every place on the surface has a different kind of energy.”

The CO2 conversion reaction was also facilitated by the interaction of the nickel atoms with a surrounding sheet of graphene. By anchoring the atoms to graphene, the scientists managed to adjust them and inhibit HER.

Results of the investigation revealed that single atoms of nickel catalyzed the CO2 conversion reaction with a 97 percent success rate. According to the study authors, the reliability of nickel atoms as a catalyst in this conversion process is a major step toward recycling CO2 for usable energy.

“To apply this technology to real applications in the future, we are currently aimed at producing this single atom catalyst in a cheap and large-scale way, while improving its performance and maintaining its efficiency,” said Wang.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journal/ee">Energy &amp; Environmental Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

One step closer to recycling carbon dioxide into usable energy

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory...

As the GOP continues to neglect the issue of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-partnerships-protect-biodiversity/">climate change</a>, Republican college students who feel estranged by their party leaders have decided to take the matter of climate mitigation into their own hands. 

According to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/harvard-and-yale-young-republicans-gop-is-losing-us-over-climate-change-commentary.html">CNBC</a> report, in the past two years, 23 percent of Republicans under 30 have left for the Democratic Party.

College Republican groups from across the country have united to form the <a href="https://www.s4cd.org">Students for Carbon Dividends</a>, the first-ever student coalition to publicly support a national climate solution.

The group is backing a strategy called the Baker-Shultz carbon dividends plan. This climate solution promotes economic growth in a socially responsible way by issuing a carbon pollution tax that would not be paid to government agencies, but to Americans as monthly dividends.

Kiera O'Brien of <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> and Ben Zollinger of <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> are among the 21  co-founders of Students for Carbon Dividends. Democratic and environmental groups have also join the coalition, which aims to motivate the GOP to restore its legacy of land and nature conservation and to become a world leader in climate mitigation.

In an article contributed to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/">CNBC</a> by O'Brien and Zollinger, they wrote: 

“Unfortunately, today's GOP forces its members to make a false choice between party and planet, to the detriment of both.” 

“President Donald Trump is absolutely right about the need to create jobs, drive economic growth and promote competitiveness. But on climate, he is missing an opportunity to position America as the world leader for the next generation of energy technologies.”

O'Brien and Zollinger also wrote that Republicans “risk driving away the millennial generation that is the future of both parties.” 

The Baker-Shultz plan is also supported by the Climate Leadership Council, which was co-founded by Fortune 500 companies such as fossil fuel organizations and environmental nonprofits. The Students for Carbon Dividends coalition expects to add tens of thousands more students to help strengthen its demand for national legislation to fight climate change.

Organizations can join the student coalition or endorse the carbon dividends solution <a href="https://www.s4cd.org/joinus">here</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:chrissydsexton@gmail.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Young Republicans leaving GOP over lack of climate change action

As the GOP continues to neglect the issue of climate...

The European Union is calling for a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides after it was confirmed that the chemicals are severely harmful to bees. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybee-hives-weakened-pesticides/">As we've reported</a>, previous studies have shown that neonicotinoids, the most common pesticides in the world, cause more bee deaths and can disrupt a bee’s natural foraging and pollinating abilities. 

Concerns over the pesticides led the EU to ban the use of neonicotinoids on oil seed rape and other important crops. But now that the negative impact to wild bees and honey bees has been confirmed, the EU is pushing for a total ban on all crops excluding those grown in a greenhouse.

The <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/">European Food and Safety Agency</a> (EFSA), following up on a report released in 2013, conducted a complete assessment of the risks three major neonicotinoid pesticides posed to bees, the results of which were released on February 28th. 

Philip Donkersley, a senior research associate at <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/">Lancaster University</a>, reviewed the report and found that bees have a high risk of exposure because they feed on nectar from plants that have been treated with the pesticides. 

“This exposure affects solitary bee reproduction, colony viability and learning ability in bumblebees,” Donkersley told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5445033/Call-pesticides-ban-risks-bees-confirmed.html">Daily Mail. </a>

The EFSA’s Pesticides Unit examined all scientific evidence on the harmful risks neonicotinoids posed to bees that had been published since 2013, when the last assessment was made. But this time, the assessment included wild bees such as bumblebees and solitary honey bees. 

After analyzing all the data, the EFSA team in charge of the review reported that neonicotinoid pesticides are harmful to all the types of the bees included in their research. 

“There is variability in the conclusions, due to factors such as the bee species, the intended use of the pesticide and the route of exposure,” said Jose Tarazona, the head of <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/180228">EFSA’s Pesticides Unit</a>. “Some low risks have been identified, but overall the risk to the three types of bees we have assessed is confirmed.” 

The UK government is in support of the ban and will ensure that all restrictions on the harmful neonicotinoids are kept in place even after Brexit, when the UK officially leaves the European Union. 

Researchers hope the EFSA’s assessment will motivate other countries in the EU to follow in the UK’s footsteps, and the complete outdoor ban on the three neonicotinoids will soon be a reality. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

European union pushes for ban on bee-killing pesticides

The European Union is calling for a ban on neonicotinoid...

A new report released by the <a href="https://www.smmt.co.uk/reports/co2-report/">UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders</a> (SMMT) shows that CO2 emissions from new cars have risen for the first time since 2000. 

The cause, according to the SMMT, is the country’s aim to do away with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diesel-vehicles-deaths-europe/">diesel</a>. 

The UK allows taxes to be implemented on new diesel car owners, but rather than buying zero emission and electric cars, consumers are simply purchasing traditional gas-fueled models.

Diesel models are said to have better mileage, which may be another reason why the efforts to ban diesel appear to have slightly backfired. 

Greg Archer, a director of the <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/about-us">Transport &amp; Environment Organization,</a> an association whose mission is cleaner transportation and sustainable development in the EU, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/27/co2-emissions-from-average-uk-new-car-rise-for-first-time-since-2000">the Guardian</a> that blaming diesel is just a convenient way to avoid the real issues. 

“The principal reason CO2 emissions are rising is that carmakers are selling more gas-guzzling SUVs,” said Archer. “Blaming the slump in diesel sales is a smokescreen that hides their failure to fit fuel efficiency technologies to the new cars they are selling.”

The new report states that in 2017, CO2 emissions rose by 8 percent. This is the first recorded rise in emissions in two decades, and there are concerns that now the UK will not be able to meet the goals set by the Paris Accord. 

Even though the SMMT points to declines in diesel sales as one of the main drivers behind the rise in emissions, the report also notes that consumers opting away from zero emission electric, or hybrid models is another important factor. 

Electric models and hybrids are just too expensive for consumers at this point, and there are no tax incentives to make zero-emission cars more affordable in the United Kingdom. 

The chief executive of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, commented on the report saying that in order to keep emissions down and keep up with Paris Climate Agreement, electric and hybrid car sales would have to increase. 

“The industry shares government’s vision of a low carbon future and is investing to get us there – but we can’t do it overnight; nor can we do it alone,” Hawes said. 

“The anti-diesel agenda has set back progress on climate change, while electric vehicle demand remains disappointingly low amid consumer concerns around charging infrastructure availability and affordability.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

CO2 emissions from cars on the rise again in the UK

A new report released by the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers...

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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