Gold is everywhere - in our phones, computers, medical devices, and satellites. But getting it out of the ground or from discarded electronics usually means dealing with cyanide, mercury, and a lot of toxic waste. 



That’s been the trade-off: valuable metal at a steep environmental cost. But now, researchers at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> in Australia are showing there’s a better way.



The Flinders team, working across green chemistry, engineering, and physics, has developed a safer, more sustainable method to recover gold. 



The method works not only on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-largest-iron-ore-deposits-reveal-a-1-3-billion-year-old-secret/">ore</a>, but also on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electronic-waste-is-growing-five-times-faster-than-recycling/">electronic waste</a> and even scientific byproducts. Instead of relying on mercury or cyanide, the technique uses materials that are widely available and far less toxic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extracting-gold-from-e-waste">Extracting gold from e-waste</h2>



At the heart of the method is trichloroisocyanuric acid - a common disinfectant used in pool and water treatment. When mixed with salt water, it becomes a powerful gold extractor. 



Once the gold is dissolved, it’s captured by a sulfur-rich polymer developed by the Flinders team. The polymer binds selectively to gold, even in complex mixtures full of other metals.



Then comes the clever part: the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/everyday-polymers-that-are-considered-safe-release-harmful-toxins/">polymer</a> can be broken down to release the gold and be recycled for future use. This makes the entire process cleaner, safer, and more circular.



“The study featured many innovations including a new and recyclable leaching reagent derived from a compound used to disinfect water,” said Professor Justin Chalker, who leads the Chalker Lab.



“The team also developed an entirely new way to make the polymer sorbent, or the material that binds the gold after extraction into water, using light to initiate the key reaction.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-safer-option-for-small-scale-miners">A safer option for small-scale miners</h2>



The method has already been tested on a wide range of materials, including e-waste, ore concentrates, and mixed-metal scrap. And it's not just a lab experiment. The researchers are planning to scale it up, working with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gold-mining-causes-long-lasting-damage-in-the-amazon-rainforest/">mining</a> companies and recycling facilities to put it into real-world use.



“The aim is to provide effective gold recovery methods that support the many uses of gold, while lessening the impact on the environment and human health,” said Professor Chalker.



This is especially important in small-scale and artisanal mines around the world, where mercury is still widely used to extract gold. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mercury-pollution-in-the-amazon-is-recorded-in-tree-rings/">Mercury pollution</a> from gold mining is one of the leading sources of contamination globally. The team worked with experts in the United States and Peru to test the new method on gold ore, with the goal of offering safer alternatives to these communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gold-from-a-mound-of-e-waste">Gold from a mound of e-waste </h2>



The researchers aren’t just solving a technical problem. They’re trying to make sure the solution actually fits into real systems -economic, environmental, and social.



“We are especially grateful to our engineering, mining, and philanthropic partners for supporting translation of laboratory discoveries to larger scale demonstrations of the gold recovery techniques,” noted Professor Chalker.



Dr. Max Mann, one of the study's lead authors, highlighted the scale of the problem. “This paper shows that interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to address the world's big problems managing the growing stockpiles of e-waste.”



Dr. Thomas Nicholls noted that the newly developed gold sorbent is made using a sustainable approach in which UV light is used to make the sulfur-rich polymer. He explained that recycling the polymer after the gold has been recovered further increases the green credentials of this method.



“We dived into a mound of e-waste and climbed out with a block of gold! I hope this research inspires impactful solutions to pressing global challenges," said Dr. Harshal Patel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-path-forward-for-gold-recovery">A path forward for gold recovery</h2>



The work out of Flinders University is more than just a chemistry breakthrough. It’s a potential roadmap for how science can rethink an entire process - replacing toxic practices with something smarter, cleaner, and just as effective.



Dr. Lynn Lisboa connected the project to the bigger picture. “With the ever-growing technological and societal demand for gold, it is increasingly important to develop safe and versatile methods to purify gold from varying sources," she said.



If the new extraction method continues to succeed at larger scales, it could help rewrite how the world mines, recycles, and values one of its most sought-after elements.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01586-w">Nature Sustainability</a>.



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Turning trash into treasure: Scientists are safely extracting gold from e-waste

Gold is everywhere - in our phones, computers, medical devices, and satellites. But getting it out of the ground or from discarded electronics usually means dealing with cyanide, mercury, and a lot of toxic waste. That’s been the trade-off: valuable metal at a steep environmental cost. But now, researchers at Flinders University in Australia are showing there’s a better way. The Flinders team, working across green chemistry, engineering, and physics, has developed a safer, more sustainable method to recover gold. The method works not only on ore,...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> have investigated the impact of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-climate-change-species/">climate change</a> on the land of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, and found that these effects happen more rapidly than previously realized.

The research team looked at environmental changes surrounding the African savannah and wetlands over the last 5,000 years. The experts discovered that this dynamic ecosystem had constantly transformed itself to adapt to shifting climate conditions.

The most notable changes have occurred over the last 500 years, which dates back to the arrival of the Maasai people and the start of the ivory trade. The sediment contained evidence that the Maasai people used fire to help cultivate the landscape, which altered the composition of the vegetation for a short time.


“East African savannahs support large human and animal populations, but are undergoing rapid developments and pressures on water resources,” said study co-author Esther Githumbi. 

“Changes are leading to reductions in wildlife habitats and biodiversity loss, so it is important to understand how various environmental factors have interacted in the past, particularly human influences, to get a realistic idea of what the future might look like.”


The vegetation, which consisted of sparse woodlands and shrubs 5,000 years ago, showed high variability in response to climate change and the expansion of the wetlands. Vegetation had also changed in response to the size of the herbivore animal population.

“You have to see all of these different climate, animal, and human interactions in one dataset in order to get a realistic sense of how each impacts on the other,” said co-author Robert Marchant. “By far the biggest impact to the landscape, both in the past and today, is human activity.

The study suggests that National Park boundaries may need stricter management to keep pace with the changing climate.

“Now that we know how rapidly these changes occurred in the history of this area we can better predict the future,” said Githumbi. “Our project is just one of many around the world looking at land-based climate changes.”

“Once we have full datasets from these countries, the aim is to combine the results to get a global picture of what is happening on land. For the savannahs of East Africa this could mean considering how decisions are made about boundary lines around protected lands, given that the ecosystems can change more quickly than previously thought.”

The research is published by the <a href="http://www.kva.se/en/">Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: University of York

African savannahs quickly changing in response to climate change

Researchers from the University of York have investigated the impact...

Roughly 307 million years ago, the Earth’s climate underwent a drastic transformation that wiped out many species, but some tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) thrived. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/">University of Birmingham</a> discovered how this ancient climate change reshaped the future and shows how the conditions were favorable to the evolution of tetrapods. 

The Carboniferous period, which started around 359 million years ago, was a time when North America and Europe were connected and covered with dense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/10-largest-rainforests/">tropical rainforests</a>. The humid climate provided the perfect environment for tetrapods to thrive and diversify. 

However towards the end of the Carboniferous period the climate changed, and became much drier, the rainforests began to disappear, and the many species, including dominant plant groups, went extinct. 

While scientists were aware of how the change in climate affected different species and caused a mass extinction event, there is not much known about tetrapods, which prompted the new study.

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B and fills in important gaps in the fossil record that shows the diversity of tetrapods both before and after the change in climate. 

For the study, the researchers compiled a new dataset from the Paleobiology Database and used advanced statistical methods to estimate tetrapods’ diversity. 

Not surprisingly, the results show that tetrapod diversity decreased after the shift to a drier climate. The rainforests began to disappear, and this led to habitat degradation for many tetrapods that had thrived in the humid and wet environments.

The researchers found that even though diversity decreased, the drier climate gave rise to some tetrapod migrations whose larger size made it easier for them navigate further away from the equator to find more hospitable habitats. 

“We now know that the rainforest collapse was crucial in paving the way for amniotes, the group which ultimately gave rise to modern mammals, reptiles and birds, to become the dominant group of land vertebrates during the Permian period and beyond,” said Emma Dunne, the lead author of the study in an interview with <a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-02-rainforest-collapse-million-years-impacted.html">Phys.org</a>. 

The study explains how some species were able to thrive even in the midst of a mass extinction that decreased tetrapod diversity. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Ancient climate change reshaped Earth’s climate and species

Roughly 307 million years ago, the Earth’s climate underwent a...

A new regulation created by the <a href="https://www.imo.org/">International Maritime Organization</a> requires that all marine fuels contain 80 to 86 percent less sulfur by 2020. 

The regulation was created in response to global health concerns about the pollution emitted from marine shipping operations. Sulfur particles, in particular, can cause many respiratory diseases and asthma in children. 

Air pollution from ships have the largest impact in coastal cities next to popular shipping routes, and almost 14 million cases of childhood asthma reported each year are linked to shipping fuels. 

Sulfur particles and pollutants from shipping also contribute to early deaths from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.

A new study examining the possible effects of reducing sulfur emissions from marine shipping found that cleaner fuel would reduce childhood asthma by 3.6 percent worldwide. 

However, the study also found that sulfur particles offset somewhat the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-5-years/">global warming</a>, and cleaner fuel could increase the impact of climate change. 

The study was conducted by an international team researchers from the <a href="http://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>, the<a href="http://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/"> Finnish Meteorological Institute</a> (FMI), the <a href="https://www.rit.edu/">Rochester Institute of Technology</a> (RIT) in New York, and <a href="http://www.energyandenvironmental.com/">Energy and Environmental Research Associates. </a>

The researchers used satellite records to create a state-of-the-art models of global ship traffic. The model showed where emissions from shipping fuels were at their highest and what shipping lanes and emissions would be like in the coming years. 

Another model mapping emission disbursement highlighted those residential and city areas with the most exposure to sulfur and pollution from ships. 

The results show that while the new regulation will decrease sulfur particle emissions and decrease the risk of childhood asthma, it comes with several costs. 

The cleaner fuel adoptions will increase prices on goods for consumers and could detrimentally impact climate change. 

Sulfur particles, while damaging to health, also reflect sunlight and help diminish the warming from carbon emissions.

“The use of cleaner ship fuels will increase the rate of global warming by about 3 percent,” said Mikhail Sofiev, who led the climate-related research. “This means more attention may be needed to reduce greenhouse gases across all sectors of the global economy.”

Shipping traffic is also expected to increase, and with it, pollution from marine shipping fuels which will continue to adversely impact health. 

The study shows that even though a reduction in sulfur particles will have positive benefits on respiratory and cardiovascular health, other more stringent measures should be implemented in order to have a greater impact and still combat climate change, 

“Our results show that these regulations are beneficial, but also that more air pollution health benefits remain possible with less-polluting ships,” said James Winebrake, an authority on the environmental impacts of transportation, including health risk assessments.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit: University of Delaware

New clean shipping fuel regulations come at a cost

A new regulation created by the International Maritime Organization requires...

In the first study of its kind, an international team of scientists has estimated the number of viruses circulating between the surface of the Earth and the atmosphere. They found that billions of viruses and millions of bacteria are falling back onto our planet daily.

Viruses and bacteria are carried by sea spray and soil dust up into the free troposphere, which is just below the stratosphere. These microorganisms can travel thousands of miles through the troposphere before being re-deposited onto the planet through dust storms and precipitation.

The team gathered samples from sites at high altitudes in the Sierra mountains to track the flow of viruses and bacteria to and from the Earth. The study revealed that over 800 million viruses per square meter are swept up above the planetary boundary layer on a daily basis.

The researchers also found that billions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-virus-present-humans/">viruses</a> per square meter return to the planet every day, along with millions of bacteria.

Curtis Suttle is a virologist at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> and the study's senior author.

“Roughly 20 years ago we began finding genetically similar viruses occurring in very different environments around the globe,” said Suttle.”This preponderance of long-residence viruses traveling the atmosphere likely explains why it’s quite conceivable to have a virus swept up into the atmosphere on one continent and deposited on another.”

Despite how disturbing the findings of the study may seem, the researchers explained that this movement of organisms between the atmosphere and the planet is most likely a good thing.

“Rather than being a negative consequence, this deposition provides a seed bank that should allow ecosystems to rapidly adapt to environmental changes,” wrote the study authors.

The research is published in the <a href="http://www.nature.com/ismej">International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Billions of viruses fall to Earth on a daily basis

In the first study of its kind, an international team...

Researchers at the <a href="https://uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a> are reporting that ancient oceanic mountain ridges have preserved a record of volcanism for millions of years. The study reveals a global increase in magmatic activity in submarine volcanoes 66 million years ago, which was right after the Chicxulub meteor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroid-dinosaurs/">struck</a> Earth.

The findings of the research indicate that there was a shift in the strength of gravity above the seafloor, followed by the release of a large volume of magma. The molten lava left an imprint on the oceanic boundaries of tectonic plates.

Lead author Joseph Byrnes said that powerful seismic waves from the impact of the Chicxulub meteor likely triggered the worldwide eruptions. He explained that this heightened volcanic activity would have been active during the mass extinction of the world's non-avian dinosaurs.

A particularly large amount of lava was recorded across the Deccan Traps in India. Volcanic disasters on this scale catastrophically disturb the climate and are often linked to mass extinctions.

Ever since evidence of the Chicxulub meteor first emerged, there has been a debate about whether this event or volcanism in Deccan Traps was the main cause of dinosaur extinction.

In 2015, researchers at the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>, found that the two events may be connected. They theorized that the  impact of the meteor escalated volcanic activity across the Deccan Traps.

Co-author Leif Karlstrom explained that the current study adds another layer to this concept, suggesting that the meteor strike triggered volcanic activity at Deccan Traps and also around the world. He said that seismic waves radiating through the Earth likely accelerated volcanic activity that was already in progress along oceanic mountain ridges.

“Our work suggests a connection between these exceedingly rare and catastrophic events, distributed over the entire planet,” said Karlstrom. “The meteorite's impact may have influenced volcanic eruptions that were already going on, making for a one-two punch."

“This study does not say precisely that this volcanic activity is what killed the dinosaurs,” said Byrnes. “What we are adding to the conversation is global volcanic activity during the known environmental crisis."


The research is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs triggered submarine volcanoes

Researchers at the University of Oregon are reporting that ancient...

As the issue of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-threat-land/">plastic pollution</a> is becoming increasingly threatening, researchers are scrambling to assess the extent of the impacts of plastic waste in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. A new report from <a href="http://www.murdoch.edu.au/">Murdoch University</a> is warning that microplastics are particularly dangerous for filter-feeding animals such whales.

Filter feeders swallow thousands of gallons of water every day as part of their feeding process, putting them at a very high risk of ingesting microplastics. Filtering the plastic particles can damage their digestive tract and lead to developmental and reproductive problems.

“Despite the growing research on microplastics in the marine environment, there are only few studies that examine the effects on large filter feeders,” said lead author Elitza Germanov. 

“We are still trying to understand the magnitude of the issue. It has become clear though that microplastic contamination has the potential to further reduce the population numbers of these species, many of which are long-lived and have few offspring throughout their lives.”

The research team investigated the conditions of the Sea of Cortez in California, and found an average of 0.7 plastic items per cubic meter of water. Based on this measurement, the experts estimated that whales sharks could be ingesting as many as 171 plastic items in a single day.

The researchers also determined that fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea may be swallowing thousands of microplastic particles on a daily basis.

“Our studies on whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez and on fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea confirmed exposure to toxic chemicals, indicating that these filter feeders are taking up microplastics in their feeding grounds,” said study co-author Maria Cristina Fossi. 

“Exposure to these plastic-associated toxins pose a major threat to the health of these animals since it can alter the hormones, which regulate the body's growth and development, metabolism, and reproductive functions, among other things.”

Germanov explained that future research is most urgently needed in coastal regions where threatened species feed.

“Many areas are biodiversity hotspots and of economic importance due to fisheries and marine tourism,” said Germanov. “Targeting these with the backing of local government and industry will help ensure efforts to mitigate the plastic threat are employed to their fullest.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Whales and filter feeders ingest 171 plastic items per day

As the issue of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly threatening,...

Ecosystems and the species within them rely heavily on the timing of the changing of the seasons, making the predictability of temperature and weather patterns extremely important for the survival of many species.

Unfortunately, a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a> has found evidence that animal species are changing the timing of their seasonal activities – known as phenology – at different rates in response to shifting seasonal temperatures and precipitation patterns.

These effects on the daily functioning of ecosystems can also have significant impacts on human food supplies and the spread of diseases. 

“We rely on honeybees to pollinate seasonal crops and migratory birds to return in the spring to eat insects that are crop pests and vectors of human diseases,” explains lead author Jeremy Cohen, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="http://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a> Department of Integrative Biology. “If the timing of these and other seasonal events are off, ecosystems can malfunction with potentially adverse effects on humans.”

After the researchers reviewed thousands of records of phenological shifts, dating back to the 1950s, they discovered some interesting patterns. The results showed that cold-blooded species and species with smaller body sizes are breeding or aggregating earlier than warm-blooded or large-bodied species in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earlier-spring-carbon-emissions/">spring</a>. 

“Our research elucidates the drivers of phenological responses and the traits of organisms that influence their ability to track changing climates,” says co-author Jason Rohr, PhD, a professor at the <a href="http://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a>. “We expect these findings to improve our ability to forecast the locations, systems and species that might be at the greatest risk from climate change and ideally mitigate any adverse effects that these changes might have on the services that ecosystems provide to humans.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Jeremy Cohen, PhD, <a href="http://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a>

Shifting seasons and changing weather are altering ecosystems

Ecosystems and the species within them rely heavily on the...

According to the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20356084">Mayo Clinic,</a> esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths around the world.

It has long been known that smoking and excessive alcohol intake increase the risk of esophageal cancer, but a new study has found that drinking hot tea in combination with cigarettes and alcohol raises the risk of esophageal cancer even more. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/publish/portal1/">National Natural Science Foundation of China </a>and<a href="http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/programmes1/200610/t20061009_36224.htm"> National Key Research and Development Program</a>, who set out to study the link between drinking hot tea and esophageal cancer. 

China has one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world, and according to the researchers, Chinese tea drinkers are also more likely to smoke and drink alcohol. 

It was previously suggested that hot tea might increase the risk of cancer, but the researchers wanted to prove if there was a connection. 

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 

The researchers surveyed 456,155 participants who were part of the <a href="http://www.ckbiobank.org/">China Kadoorie Biobank</a> study. If a person already had been diagnosed with cancer or reported reducing tea or alcohol consumption, they were excluded. 

A little over nine years later, the researchers followed up to see how many of the participants had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and if this could be linked to drinking hot tea. 

After the follow-up, 1,731 cancer cases were reported, and the results of the study showed that drinking hot, near boiling tea increased the risk of esophageal cancer in combination with either smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. 

Drinking hot tea, smoking, and excessive alcohol correlated with a five times great risk of cancer than those who didn’t smoke or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/adolescent-drinking-liver-problems/">drink</a>. 

The study also found that drinking tea alone did not increase the risk of esophageal cancer. 

The results suggest that if someone can’t give up smoking or drinking, it may be crucial to avoid hot tea based on its connection to an increased risk of esophageal cancer. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Hot tea, smoking, and alcohol increase risk of esophageal cancer

According to the Mayo Clinic, esophageal cancer is the sixth...

In September 2017, Mexico experienced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/severe-earthquake-mexico-city/">two major earthquakes</a> about two weeks and several hundred miles apart. Now, new research has found that Mexico’s early earthquake warning system gave residents almost 2 minutes of advance warning.

On September 7th, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck with an epicenter near the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, with tremors that were felt as far as Mexico City. 

A little over a week later on September 20th, Mexico City experienced a 7.1 magnitude quake, and both earthquakes were the result of movement along the Cocos Plate. 

The strong earthquakes show how important early warning systems can be to saving lives.

Mexico’s early warning system, SASMEX, gave almost two minutes of warning before the September 7th quake tremors reached Mexico city, according to a report published in the journal Seismological Research Letters. 

However, the system only offered a few seconds of warning before the second quake.

The report details how SASMEX consists of a expensive connection of networks along with checks and balances that ensure that warnings can be broadcast, even if one communications system is affected by a quake. 

SASMEX also decreases the time needed to receive and broadcast alerts but the system, is by no means perfect. 

The early warning system focuses on the subduction zone off the southern coast of Mexico. 97 seismic monitoring stations constantly track the plate movement and send information to data collection centers where SASMEX alerts are received through an insured system of satellite links, internet links, and radio. 

According to Gerardo Suárez, the lead author of the Seismological Research Letters paper, researchers at the <a href="http://www.cires.org.mx/">Centro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico</a> are working on a new algorithm that could provide even more warning time by speeding up seismic data processing.

Suárez notes that the new algorithm could have warned Mexico City of the second quake eight to ten seconds earlier, which is still very little time for government agencies to respond, but earlier than the warning SASMEX did give. 

For Suárez, the new algorithm could be helpful for early earthquake warning and detection, but he says that caution should be exercised. 

“To me, this shows that we should not enamored of the technology and simply install seismic early warning systems without thinking of the social issue,” said Suárez. “Any early warning system should have a clearly thought-out strategy as to who will be warned. After more than 25 years, the Mexican seismic early warning system is still lacking these procedures that I believe should be a governmental responsibility."

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mexico’s earthquake warning system gave residents advance notice

In September 2017, Mexico experienced two major earthquakes about two...

The results of a new study suggest that the recovery of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/proof-ozone-hole-recovery/">ozone layer</a> may be limited to the Antarctic region. The researchers found that the bottom portion of the ozone layer at more populated latitudes seems to be declining, possibly due to changes in the atmosphere.

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 led to the elimination of CFCs and, as a result, scientists have recently documented the first signs of recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer. However, the stratospheric ozone does not appear to be recovering at lower latitudes.

“Ozone has been seriously declining globally since the 1980s, but while the banning of CFCs is leading to a recovery at the poles, the same does not appear to be true for the lower latitudes,” said study co-author Professor Joanna Haigh.

“The potential for harm in lower latitudes may actually be worse than at the poles. The decreases in ozone are less than we saw at the poles before the Montreal Protocol was enacted, but UV radiation is more intense in these regions and more people live there.”

For their investigation, the researchers compared data collected from a long-term series of studies by multiple international teams.

While the cause of the deterioration of ozone in the lower stratosphere is not yet known, the experts believe that a changing climate may be altering the atmospheric circulation pattern, causing more ozone to be carried away from the tropics.


The decline could also be attributed to very short-lived substances (VSLSs), solvents such as paint strippers and degreasing agents. Previously, scientists thought that VSLSs did not persist long enough in the atmosphere to affect the ozone.

“The finding of declining low-latitude ozone is surprising, since our current best atmospheric circulation models do not predict this effect,” explained lead author Dr.William Ball. “Very short-lived substances could be the missing factor in these models.”

The experts said that further research is needed to determine what is causing the ozone decline. The study is published today in the European Geosciences Union journal <a href="https://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/">Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The ozone layer is struggling to recover at lower latitudes

The results of a new study suggest that the recovery...

Polyacrylfasern im Erdreich

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.igb-berlin.de/en">Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)</a> are reporting that plastic particle pollution is just as threatening on land as it is at sea. The experts believe that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-tap-water-contains-plastics/">microplastics</a> are having the same, if not worse, impacts on terrestrial ecosystems compared to marine habitats. 

According to the research team, the presence of microplastics in soils, sediment, and in freshwater bodies could have long-term consequences across the globe.

This image features a look at polyacrylic fibers caught in soil.

While the dangers of marine plastic pollution have been widely documented, the IGB researchers set out to investigate the effect of microplastics on land animals.

“Although only little research has been carried out in this area, the results to date are concerning: fragments of plastic are present practically all over the world and can trigger many kinds of adverse effects,” explained lead author Anderson Abel de Souza Machado. 

“The previously observed effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on terrestrial ecosystems around the world indicate that these ecosystems may also be in serious jeopardy.”

Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year, and it is estimated that one third of all plastic waste ends up in soils or freshwater bodies. The majority of this plastic disintegrates into microplastics, which are particles smaller than five millimeters.

Depending on the environment, terrestrial microplastic pollution is between four and 23 times higher than marine microplastic pollution. 

Sewage is a major contributor to this issue, due to the fact that 80 to 90 percent of the plastic particles contained in sewage persist in the environment. For example, sewage sludge is often used as fertilizer, which results in the delivery of several thousand tons of microplastics into soils every year.

Microplastics have been detected in fish, salt, sugar, seafood, and beer. The researchers believe that these plastics already commonly exist within terrestrial organisms.

The research from IGB emphasizes a need for more scientific evidence and reliable data on the presence and degradation behavior of terrestrial microplastics in order for an accurate assessment and an effective response.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Anderson Abel de Souza Machado

Plastic pollution also poses major threat on land

Researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries...

The most recent <a href="http://www.lung.org/about-us/media/top-stories/state-of-the-air-2017.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/">State of the Air</a> report conducted by the <a href="http://www.lung.org/">American Lung Association</a> found that four in ten Americans live in areas with dangerous levels of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-pollution-cardiovascular-health/">ozone</a> or particulate pollution. 

Ozone pollution is a major health concern and exposure can cause issues with breathing, aggravate lung diseases, and cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Even though there are areas with unhealthy levels of ozone in North America, ozone pollution has decreased in Europe and North America over the past 15 years, according to a new global assessment of surface ozone. 

The research, published in the journal Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, also found that ozone is increasing in parts of eastern Asia due to economic development and a rise in emissions. 

“Despite improvements in air pollution emissions in Europe and North America, ozone levels that are harmful to human health are still a cause for concern across the world and ozone is rising in East Asia,” said Zoë L. Fleming, the first author of the report.  

The report is the first of its kind to show surface ozone around the world, and the report is now publicly available with access to statistics and maps of ozone levels between 2000 and 2014. 

The global surface ozone measurement was part of the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR), which is an international effort to understand better how ozone is distributed and where ozone exposure is dangerous. 

An international team of researchers from 14 different institutions collected data from over 4,800 monitoring stations around the world. 

The data was then analyzed, and the researchers noted how ozone levels had changed over the years, and what regions had unhealthy or potentially dangerous levels of ozone that could be harmful to health and wellbeing. 

Previous ozone studies were limited, showing smaller regional areas and their ozone levels, but not depicting the broader scale of global surface ozone. Now thanks to this new research and report, scientists will have easy access to global surface ozone maps. 

“TOAR is the most ambitious project to date to assess global ozone levels at the surface of the Earth, helping us to understand potential human health impacts better,” said Fleming. 

The results show that ozone levels are decreasing across Europe and North America but increasing steadily in East Asia as emissions also increase, and will be helpful in future studies monitoring ozone exposure and regions where ozone could affect respiratory health. 

"There is an increasing awareness of the issues of human health from poor air quality and making such a database freely available and disseminating the results from the study will inform the public on the health implications of ozone,” said Fleming. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ozone pollution decreasing in North America, increasing in Asia

The most recent State of the Air report conducted by...

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

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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 



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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



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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



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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



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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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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



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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



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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



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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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