Wildfires leave behind loss and ruin - charred homes, scorched forests, communities upended. Yet even in those blackened remnants, Professor Pei Chiu sees an overlooked resource with climate potential.&nbsp;



In his lab at the<a href="https://www.udel.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> University of Delaware</a>, Professor Chiu studies “char,” the carbon-rich residue produced when biomass burns without much oxygen. His team has probed both naturally produced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-risk-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-southern-u-s/">wildfire</a> char and its artificial cousin, biochar.



The researchers uncovered a surprising role of chars: they can help starve methane-producing microbes and tilt microbial communities toward pathways that generate far less climate damage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wildfire-char-is-everywhere">Why wildfire char is everywhere</h2>



Char forms whenever organic matter is heated at high temperatures with limited <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-oxygen-discovery-deep-ocean-rocks-upends-centuries-of-scientific-beliefs/">oxygen</a>. In nature, that’s wildfires; in industry, it’s pyrolysis, the controlled heating of leftover biomass such as wood chips, corn stalks, rice husks, and other agricultural residues.&nbsp;



Commercial “biochar” is already used to improve soils, blend into compost, and filter stormwater. 



Wildfire char, by contrast, is scattered by the ton across burned landscapes and gradually worked into soils by wind, rain, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">roots</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chars-that-behave-like-batteries">Chars that behave like batteries</h2>



Several years ago, Chiu’s group noticed something striking: chars made by pyrolysis behaved like tiny rechargeable batteries. They could store and release electrons - a property the team calls electron storage capacity (ESC).&nbsp;



That matters because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-aquificales-discovered-in-hot-springs-breathe-oxygen-and-sulfur-at-same-time/">microbes</a> make a living moving electrons around. In oxygen-rich settings, they “breathe” oxygen to accept electrons as they break down sugars. In oxygen-poor places - think landfills, manure pits, waterlogged soils, rice paddies, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wetlands-are-a-hidden-source-of-rising-methane-emissions/">wetlands</a>, or the guts of anaerobic digesters - other organisms take over.&nbsp;



Among the most consequential are methanogens, microbes that churn out <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-have-emerged-as-major-source-of-methane-emissions/">methane</a>, a heat-trapping gas roughly 85 times more potent than CO₂ over the short term and responsible for about a third of current warming.



Chiu’s team showed that char gives many common soil microbes an alternative “breath.” In essence, char can stand in for oxygen as an electron sink, letting beneficial microbes keep metabolizing without ceding the field to methanogens. When that happens, methane production drops.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-wildfires-have-to-do-with-it">What wildfires have to do with it</h2>



Wildfire char has been part of Earth’s carbon cycle for millions of years. That longevity led Chiu to a simple hypothesis: if char has been embedded in soils for eons, microbes likely evolved ways to use it.&nbsp;



Across a range of chars - those born in wildfires and those made in kilns - the team measured substantial ESC, enough to change who thrives in oxygen-limited environments.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-much-charge-are-we-talking-about">How much “charge” are we talking about?</h2>



The numbers are eye-opening. In lab tests, a single gram of char - about a quarter teaspoon - could hold on the order of 10²¹ electrons. Scale that to real-world biomass and the potential grows fast.&nbsp;



U.S. agriculture alone generates roughly 140 million dry tons of crop residues each year (with corn stover and wheat straw leading the way), while forestry adds 60–70 million dry tons more.&nbsp;



Collectively, Chiu noted, chars represent an immense rechargeable, bioavailable reservoir of electrons - he likens it to a “trillion-trillion-trillion” (10³⁶) electrons injected into the global biogeochemical cycle annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-down-methane-naturally">Turning down methane - naturally</h2>



In controlled experiments, all wildfire chars and plant-based biochars tested suppressed methane formation.&nbsp;



The mechanism is elegant: by giving char-“breathing” microbes a competitive edge, the material helps outcompete methanogens, which still produce more than 50% of global methane today.&nbsp;



Unlike a chemical additive that’s used once and gone, char can be reused by microbes repeatedly, serving as a long-lived electron buffer in soils, sediments, and engineered systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cleaner-water-healthier-soils">Cleaner water, healthier soils</h2>



Steering electrons through char doesn’t only curb methane. The same microbial pathways can keep arsenic from mobilizing into drinking water or crops and can remove nitrate and perchlorate from stormwater and groundwater.&nbsp;



That dovetails with biochar’s existing uses in filtration and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-diverse-crops-traps-carbon-and-boosts-soil-health/">soil health</a>, suggesting one material can deliver multiple environmental services at once.



None of this minimizes the devastation of wildfires, which destroy ecosystems, businesses, and lives. But Chiu argues there’s value in learning from what’s left behind.&nbsp;



Wildfire char’s electron-trading ability points to a sustainable lever for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-mitigation-strategies-may-be-endangering-biodiversity/">climate mitigation</a> and pollution control - one built on microbes already common in nature and on carbon materials produced at massive scales, whether by accident (fires) or design (pyrolysis).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-urgency-and-the-hope">Why the urgency - and the hope</h2>



CO₂ rightly dominates climate discussions, but it lingers for 50 to 200 years. Methane is different: far stronger in the near term and with an atmospheric lifetime of about 12 years. That makes near-term methane cuts an unusually fast-acting climate lever.&nbsp;



“If we can find ways to reduce methane, we could see the impact within our lifetimes,” said Professor Chiu.



That promise keeps his team pushing on the basic science: How exactly do microbes “breathe” a solid? How do different chars - from different fires, feedstocks, or kiln settings - shift ESC and microbial behavior?&nbsp;



And how can this knowledge be scaled into landfill covers, livestock waste systems, wetlands restoration, or post-fire land management so that nature’s own electron economy helps dial down a powerful greenhouse gas?



Char, in other words, may be the rare wildfire remnant that points forward.



Study co-authors include doctoral student Jiwon Choi and former graduate student Danhui Xin (now at the <a href="https://www.sccwrp.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern California Coastal Water Research Project</a>).



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c05709" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.



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From ashes to action: Wildfire char holds a hidden climate solution

Wildfires leave behind loss and ruin - charred homes, scorched forests, communities upended. Yet even in those blackened remnants, Professor Pei Chiu sees an overlooked resource with climate potential.&nbsp; In his lab at the University of Delaware, Professor Chiu studies “char,” the carbon-rich residue produced when biomass burns without much oxygen. His team has probed both naturally produced wildfire char and its artificial cousin, biochar. The researchers uncovered a surprising role of chars: they can help starve methane-producing microbes and tilt microbial communities toward pathways that generate...

Researchers at <a href="http://www.cnrs.fr/index.php">The National Center for Scientific Research</a> (CNRS) have investigated why it is hotter in some cities after the sun goes down compared to others. They found that more organized cities with straight and perpendicular streets trap more heat than those with less structure and organization.

When the air temperature is higher in the city than its surrounding rural areas, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-green-facades-cool-urban-heat-islands/">urban heat islands</a> (UHIs) are created. 

Around 80 percent of the urban population in the United States is affected by heat islands, which have a detrimental effect on health, worsen air pollution, intensify energy consumption, and generally lower the quality of life. The environmental and economic costs of UHIs are barely being offset by any current strategies. 

The research team examined the major factors that drive warmer urban temperatures, such as the thermal mass of buildings. The experts wanted to gain insight into how much of the heat being absorbed during the day is being released or retained at night and why.

The researchers documented the footprints of buildings and the temperatures recorded in urban and rural areas over the course of several years. By studying more than 50 major cities, the research team was able to investigate the link between urban geometry and the effects of UHIs at night.

The study revealed that buildings release heat depending on their level of spatial organization. The experts demonstrated that a high level of urban organization, which is found in most North American cities, corresponds with more pronounced UHI effects and greater heat retention. The opposite is true for less organized cities, which release more heat at night.

The findings of the research could be used to explore new urban planning methods that could help to achieve optimal energy management.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/">Physical Review Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some cities stay hotter at night due to their layout

Researchers at The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) have...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> are reporting that city trees have a much better chance of surviving threats from heat and insect pests if they are hydrated. Dehydration can harm trees on its own, but the new study suggests that a lack of water also makes them more vulnerable to other stressors.

“We would see some vibrant urban trees covered in scale insects, but we'd also see other clearly stressed and struggling urban trees covered in scale insects,” said study first author Emily Meineke. “We wanted to know what allowed some trees to deal with these pests so much more successfully.”

“This is important because trees need to grow in order to perform valuable ecosystem services, such as removing pollutants from the air and storing carbon,” said co-author Steve Frank.

The research team used both field data and controlled laboratory experiments in an effort to account for the complex number of variables involved.

Over the course of two years, data was collected on 40 urban willow oak trees. The experts documented how water-stressed the trees were, the temperature conditions, and the density of common tree pests known as scale insects. 

Willow oak saplings were used in lab experiments. While the young trees were growing, the researchers manipulated the temperature as well as the presence of water and scale insects.

The study revealed that warmer temperatures actually had a positive impact on tree development when the trees had enough water. In addition, scale insects had no significant effect on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-green-spaces-carbon/">trees</a> when they were hydrated.

The experts discovered that water stress was enough to limit tree growth on its own, but also found that this impact was greatly increased by the presence of heat or scale insects.

“This tells us that management strategies aimed at increasing tree hydration in cities may reduce the adverse effects of all three of these key stressors,” said Meineke. 

“And that is likely to become increasingly important as water availability, temperature and pest abundance are affected by further urbanization and climate change.”

Professor Frank pointed out that urban managers could invest in various hydration strategies and plant heat-resistant trees in the hottest city regions.


“Moving forward, we're very curious about the prevalence of water stress in urban trees globally - and whether this leads to similar problems regarding the impact of tree pests,” said Meineke. “If so, improved tree hydration could become a higher priority for urban forestry management.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2664/">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Emily Meineke

Lack of water puts city trees at risk of multiple threats

Researchers from North Carolina State University are reporting that city...

An expedition currently underway off the coast of New Zealand could provide important information for understanding certain types of earthquakes and tsunamis as well as aid in early detection. 

The mission’s goal is to study plate movements in the Hikurangi subduction zone, which is located by New Zealand’s North Island in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-stuck-pacific-ocean/">Pacific Ocean</a>. 

Scientists from <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> and <a href="https://www.gns.cri.nz/">GNS Science</a> are leading the expedition which was funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> (NSF).

Two sub-seafloor observatories with equipment will be lowered 1,641 feet below the seafloor into the subduction zone thanks to the scientific drillship JOIDES Resolution. 

The equipment will monitor movements, temperatures, and record any changes that occur in the subduction zone for five to ten years. 

“This expedition will yield information that's key to understanding why destructive tsunamis happen after shallow earthquakes and after underwater landslides,” said James Allan, a program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences. 

The reason the Hikurangi subduction zone was chosen is the potential to study the little-understood phenomenon of slow-slip earthquakes which happen in the area every 12-24 months at shallow depths. 

Slow-slip earthquakes occur as a result of movement among tectonic plates over a long period, but they have the same impact and effect that typical earthquakes do and can cause major tsunamis. 

The <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=244653&amp;WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&amp;WT.mc_ev=click">National Science Foundation</a> noted that the subduction zone is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and could be capable of creating earthquakes greater than magnitude eight. 

“We don't yet understand the slow-slip processes that cause faults to behave in this way, and we don't know very much about their relationship to large subduction zone earthquakes,” said Demian Saffer, the co-leader of the expedition. 

Studying slow-slip earthquakes could help with early earthquake detection, and according to the NSF, better understanding this type of earthquakes is the missing puzzle piece to understanding how the world’s faults work.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Monitoring seabed earthquakes could aid in early detection

An expedition currently underway off the coast of New Zealand...

California’s Current Ecosystem, which includes marine life off the Pacific coast, is now just beginning to recover from a two-year marine heatwave that caused population declines in many species including salmon. 

The recent recovery rates were reported by the <a href="https://swfsc.noaa.gov/">Southwest Fisheries</a> and <a href="https://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/">Northwest Fisheries Science Centers</a>, two marine laboratories that are part of the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA).

The annual <a href="https://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/F1a_NMFS_Rpt1_2018_IEA_SoCC_FINAL_main_Mar2018BB.pdf">"California Current Ecosystem Status Report</a>" is important to the <a href="https://www.pcouncil.org/">Pacific Fishery Management Council</a> for making informed decisions about ecosystem management and preservation.

“The report gives us an important glimpse at what the science is saying about the species and resources that we manage and rely on regarding our West Coast economy,” said Phil Anderson, the Council Chair. “The point is that we want to be as informed as we can be when we make decisions that affect those species, and this report helps us do that.”

The report discussed the two-year extreme heat wave that lasted from 2014 to 2016, starting with warm ocean temperatures called “the Blob” that covered a lot of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-wetlands/">west coast</a>. 

These temperatures combined with a strong El Nino pattern in 2015 caused many species to travel outside of their traditional range to feed. 

Although the report notes that some areas and species are recovering, the impact of “the Blob” will still be felt, particularly among salmon populations, in the coming years. 

Some of the other highlights of the report include improved feeding conditions for California sea lions and seabirds, and vital plankton species shifting back to fat-rich, cool-water species that help aid in the survival of salmon. 

The report also notes that even though areas are recovering, adult salmon populations will still be lower than normal for the next few years, and whale entanglements are becoming increasingly common as the whales have been forced closer to shore to follow prey. 

In 2017, parts of the west coast had low snowpack levels, indicating possible future drought conditions for 2018. This would pose further risk to salmon populations as they rely on river systems to spawn. 

All in all, the California Current Ecosystem is slowly recovering from the extreme rise in marine temperatures, but it will be a few years before some species’ populations, such as salmon, completely bounce back. 

“These changes occur gradually, and the effects appear only with time,”  said Chris Harvey, a d coauthor of the report. “The advantage of doing this monitoring and watching these indicators is that we can get a sense of what is likely to happen in the ecosystem and how that is likely to affect communities and economies that are closely tied to these waters.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Adam Obaza/West Coast Region/<a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">NOAA</a> Fisheries

West coast marine ecosystems recovering from 2 year heatwave

California’s Current Ecosystem, which includes marine life off the Pacific...

After the eruption of the super volcano Mount Toba in Indonesia around 74,000 years ago, plants and trees were struggling to survive under the drastic conditions of rapid climate change. Scientists have found evidence that early modern humans on the coast of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cape-town-day-zero/">South Africa</a> were not only surviving, but thriving, after this catastrophic event.

In 1816, there was a year without summer. Experts believe that a volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia was to blame, as crops failed across North America and Eurasia and mass migrations occurred. The impact of volcanic activity at nearby Mount Toba, however, was around 100 times more intense.

The Toba eruption devastated some ecosystems more than others, and likely created areas called refugia, in which some human populations were more successful than others throughout the event. The blast at Mount Toba violently shot out fire, smoke, and microscopic pieces of glass that spread across the planet’s atmosphere like wildfire.

In the 1990s, scientists began arguing that this eruption of Mount Toba, the most powerful in the last two million years, caused a long-lived volcanic winter that may have caused humans to nearly become extinct.

Panagiotis Karkanas is the director of the <a href="http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/Wiener-Laboratory/">Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science</a> at the American School of Classical Studies in Greece. He examined a single shard of glass from this explosion that was encased in resin and dated back 74,000 years. The shard had been recovered on the coast of South Africa.

“It was one shard particle out of millions of other mineral particles that I was investigating. But it was there, and it couldn't be anything else,” said Karkanas.

The scientists found a distinct chemical signature that could be used to learn more about the massive eruption.


“Many previous studies have tried to test the hypothesis that Toba devastated human populations,” explained study co-author Curtis Marean. “But they have failed because they have been unable to present definitive evidence linking a human occupation to the exact moment of the event.”


While previous  studies have confirmed that extreme climate change was caused by the explosion at Mount Toba, this study is the first to provide evidence of how people were impacted. Along the food-rich coastline of southern Africa, people not only survived but actually thrived through this historic eruption. 

Photorealistic 3D models were developed based on samples and fossils removed from the dig site of ancient humans on the South African coast. Erich Fisher is an associate research scientist with the <a href="https://iho.asu.edu/">Institute of Human Origins</a> who constructed the digital models.


“These models tell us a lot about how people lived at the site and how their activities changed through time,” said Fisher. “What we found was that during and after the time of the Toba eruption people lived at the site continuously, and there was no evidence that it impacted their daily lives.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

South Africans survived super volcano that could’ve ended humans

After the eruption of the super volcano Mount Toba in...

New research from the <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en">Barcelona Institute for Global Health</a> (ISGlobal) has revealed a connection between prenatal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-crime-behavior/">air pollution</a> exposure and altered brain development. 

The study authors observed a lack of inhibitory control in school-aged children, such as hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, that can likely be attributed to air pollution vulnerability before birth.

Exposure to fine particles has been linked to the development of a thinner brain cortex in several regions of both hemispheres. These structural changes in the brain appear to contribute to impaired cognitive function including difficulty with inhibitory control.

The research team investigated the residential pollution levels of 783 unborn babies, and tracked the subjects from their fetal lives into childhood. Brain imaging was used when the children were between 6 and 10 years old for the experts to assess brain development.

The average residential levels of fine particle pollution were found to be well below the levels that are considered unsafe, and the average levels of nitrogen dioxide were right at the safe limit.

Despite finding relatively low amounts of air pollution, the team discovered that the relationship between fine particle exposure, structural changes in the brain, and inhibitory control was still present.


This research adds to a growing collection of studies that have linked acceptable air pollution levels with health complications and fetal growth development. 

“Therefore, we cannot warrant the safety of the current levels of air pollution in our cities,” said lead author Dr. Mònica Guxens.

“Although specific individual clinical implications of these findings cannot be quantified, based on other studies, the observed cognitive delays at early ages could have significant long-term consequences such as increased risk of mental health disorders and low academic achievement, in particular due to the ubiquity of the exposure.”

The study is published in <a href="http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/">Biological Psychiatry</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fetal exposure to air pollution linked to cognitive impairment

New research from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)...

Facing an uncertain future, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-companies-climate-change/">oil</a> and gas industry giants are expressing the need to take action and respond to the rising challenge of climate change. 

Executives from some of the world's largest oil and gas companies have agreed that the best climate mitigation strategy is a solution known as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). 

In this process, carbon waste is captured at fossil fuel plants and transported to sites where it can be stored underground, preventing harmful emissions from reaching the atmosphere. 

According to the <a href="http://www.ccsassociation.org/">Carbon Capture and Storage Association</a>, CCS technology can capture up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by fossil fuel use.

<a href="http://time.com/">Time</a> magazine reports that there was widespread support for CCS at the annual energy conference known as CERAWeek by IHS Market. Those in favor of the climate solution included Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol.

“The oil projections that we have, they are definitely not in line with the Paris climate goals,” Birol said at the conference. “Unless we make use of one technology which is critical for the use of fossil fuels, which is carbon capture utilization and storage.”

A bill that was passed in the United States last month includes a hefty tax credit for carbon capture and underground storage. 

Critics of the technology say that it is too expensive to implement without knowing the real benefits, while some environmentalists believe that carbon capture and storage tax breaks are only promoting more oil and gas production.

Energy industry leaders attending the conference were not all completely sold on the idea of CCS technology either, but the one thing everyone did agree on is that a solution is urgently needed.

“The energy landscape is changing fast. So we must change, where change is what the world needs,” said Shell CEO Ben van Beurden.

“There may not be total unity behind the Paris Agreement any longer, but there is no other issue with the potential to disrupt our industry on such a deep and fundamental level.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Oil and gas companies discuss carbon capture climate solution

Facing an uncertain future, oil and gas industry giants are...

Desert landscapes are extremely sensitive to both climate changes and human activities. Just a small change can have a major impact on arid desert environments, which makes sediment records in deserts excellent indicators of past climate change.

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a> in Sweden examined the Loess Plateau in China and created a model that accurately dates the geological and climate history of the area. 

The Loess Plateau consists of large parts of central China that are covered by fine-grained soil (loess) which was carried to the area by winds during the Ice Age. The fertile soils that formed on the Plateau have been crucial to agriculture and development. 

The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, emphasize the influence that ice volume had on seasonal monsoons and desertification thousands of years ago. 

“We have conducted the most detailed dating of the loess to date, which has enabled us to identify changes in the monsoon and desertification processes in more detail and with much greater accuracy than previously possible,” said Thomas Stevens, the study’s first author. “We can now compare these changes to other known climate changes such as variation in ice volume, sea level, and even the Earth's orbit during the Ice Age.” 

The study contradicts the commonly held chronostratigraphie, or the dating of rock layers, of the <a href="http://www.stratigraphy.org/">International Commission on Stratigraphy</a> (ICS). 

The researchers used luminescence dating to show that the ICS records for the Loess Plateau are inaccurate. Luminescence dating involves studying the amount of energy stored in certain rocks and soils. 

The researchers took samples of loess sediments from the Plateau and found indicators for different climate phenomena like sea level changes and ice volume that affected the monsoons and desertification in the region. 

“We can now show that when ice volume decreased and sea level rose, the summer monsoon rainfalls in East Asia intensified and spread further inland, while sandy deserts in China retreated,” said Stevens.

The study not only shows how ice volume and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-bay-area/">sea level</a> impacted monsoon rains and desertification, but the results could also be used to predict how climate changes will impact the region in the future. 

Sea level is rising and researchers have recorded substantial <a href="http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card">sea ice loss</a>, and these changes could affect future agriculture and development especially in sensitive areas like the Loess Plateau.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Thomas Stevens

How ice and sea level impacted monsoon rains and desertification

Desert landscapes are extremely sensitive to both climate changes and...

Goodyear Oxygene concept

Tire titan Goodyear has announced the company’s new eco-friendly concept tire “Oxygene” at the <a href="https://www.gims.swiss/en/">Geneva International Motor Show</a> in Switzerland. 

Oxygene is a tire with moss embedded in the inside of an open tread outer rubber casing. The open tread will allow the tire to absorb water from the road which will water the moss on the inside of the tire. The moss will then be able to convert <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-energy-costs/">CO2</a> into oxygen using photosynthesis. 

Goodyear claims that in a city the size of Paris with 2.5 million cars, the new moss tires could remove more than 4,0000 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 3,000 tons of oxygen each year. 

Besides being eco-friendly, Goodyear says the rubber tread casing will have better wear and tear than other tire models on the market today, and the open design will provide better traction on slippery roads. 

The Oxygene tire will also be puncture proof. Other features include electronic sensors powered by photosynthesis that communicate with other cars on the road at the speed of light. The cars and tires would also have smart capabilities. 

Goodyear, like many other companies, is working to find innovative ways to stay ahead of the race to mitigate climate change and combat emissions. 

“Smarter, greener infrastructure and transport will be crucial in addressing the most pressing challenges of urban mobility and development,” said Chris Delaney, the president of Goodyear Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

It may be some time before Oxygene becomes commercially available or even goes into production, but Goodyear’s new tire could motivate other companies to create similar solutions to the world’s emissions and transportation problems. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: PRNewsfoto/Goodyear

Goodyear reveals eco-friendly tires that absorb carbon dioxide

Tire titan Goodyear has announced the company’s new eco-friendly concept...

2017 was a record year for fires all over the world. Forest fires swept through the western United States, and parts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-southern-california/">California</a> were particularly devastated. 

Europe also faced one of its worst years on record for fires, and over 800,000 hectares of land was burnt in Portugal, Italy, and Spain. 

Heatwaves and drought prompted by climate change have created prime conditions for widespread fires around the Mediterranean. But a new study has found that unless action is taken to combat emissions and warming, all of Europe could face an increased risk of wildfires. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/joint-research-centre_en">European Commission Joint Research Centre </a>conducted a study to predict the extent of fire risk in Europe under several different climate scenarios. 

The study predicted outcomes based on a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, and one that limited global warming to two degrees Celsius (in line with the Paris Accord). 

Unless swift action is taken to mitigate climate change, increases in temperature will cause hot and dry weather extremes, raising the risk of forest fires in the Mediterranean. 

This dryness, according to the study, will move further north and put even greater areas of land at risk, even those regions that are considered safe such as the Alpine Mountains. 

The researchers suggest that coming up with effective adaptive strategies as well as identifying fire risks outside of climate change are key to minimizing future potential fire damage. 

For example, the <a href="http://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/">European Forest Fire Information System </a>shows that nearly all forest fires in Europe start due to human activity. 

While climate change may create peak conditions, the study notes that finding ways to increase awareness of human-caused fires would help reduce the risk of fires. 

Human activity, vegetation and agricultural land management, and sustainable forest management were all included in the study as key risks to consider. 

The European Commission has already taken measures to strengthen defenses against fires in the European Union, and this new report shows the importance of looking at both natural and social factors in order to effectively combat and prevent forest fires due to climate change. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Risk of wildfires in Europe will increase due to climate change

2017 was a record year for fires all over the...

According to research from the <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a>, climate change could drive fishery yields down by 20 percent across the world ocean and by 60 percent in the North Atlantic before the year 2300.

The decline is primarily linked to a lack of ocean mixing. When the surface layer of ocean water is warm, it prevents the nutrients that have built up in the deep waters from rising to the surface. 

The study authors explained that significant changes in ocean mixing would ultimately drive a decline in fish populations near the surface.

Many studies have confirmed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-oceans-fisheries-fish/">fisheries</a> will be significantly less productive by the end of this century, but little research has investigated the fate of fisheries beyond 2100.

A team led by J. Keith Moore used modeling to predict the effects of climate change on fisheries under the condition that the rate of carbon emissions remains the same as it is today.

Currently, the Southern Ocean has such a successful amount of mixing that nutrients abundantly flow into other oceans. 

But now, model simulations produced by the current study indicate that changing wind patterns and warmer ocean surface layers will cause an increased portion of nutrients to sink into the deeper layer of the ocean and become trapped there. The model showed that phosphate, for example, will become 41 percent less abundant.

The steep decline of mixing in the Southern Ocean will also be facilitated by a polar shift of nutrient upwelling into the Antarctic. 

The study authors also established that ocean mixing will be particularly reduced in the North Atlantic. They explained that the long-term impact of these changes in ocean mixing will reduce fishery yields for at least a thousand years.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate changes will significantly reduce fishery yields

According to research from the University of California, Irvine, climate...

Scientists have discovered that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-permafrost-thaw-carbon/">Arctic</a> just experienced its warmest winter ever documented, causing sea ice to hit record lows. As a result, there is now a large area of open water that is normally covered with thick sea ice. 

This unprecedented weather is heavily influenced by global warming and will also tip the scales toward extreme weather events in other regions of the planet in a “vicious cycle,” according to the experts.

Mark Serreze is the director of the <a href="https://nsidc.org/">National Snow and Ice Data Center</a> in Boulder, Colorado, and has been studying conditions across the Arctic since 1982. 


“It's just crazy, crazy stuff,” said Serreze. “These heat waves, I've never seen anything like this.”

At the weather station closest to the North Pole in Greenland, the temperature had only briefly exceeded freezing twice in the month of February prior to this year. This past season, however, the station recorded over 60 hours of temperatures above freezing in February.

Across the entire Arctic Circle, regions averaged temperatures around five degrees warmer than usual this year. Climate scientist Ruth Mottram of the <a href="http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/icecover.uk.php">Danish Meteorological Institute</a> said that Cape Morris Jesup, the northernmost point of mainland Greenland, experienced record temperatures that felt more like May than February.

The Ice Data Center reported this week that Arctic sea ice covered an area of around 62,000 square miles less than the record low that was recorded last winter. This year, Arctic sea ice coverage was around 521,000 square miles short of the  30-year average, which is a loss that is equivalent to almost twice the area of the state of Texas.

“The extended warmth really has kind of staggered all of us,” said Mottram. She explained that unseasonably warm air has made its way north into a region of the Atlantic Ocean that usually has thick sea ice.

Some scientists believe that, when warm weather limits sea ice formation in the north, the climate is then altered south of the Arctic and triggers weather events such as nor’ easters in the United States and extreme snowfall in Europe. 


Jennifer Ann Francis is a research professor at Rutgers University's <a href="https://marine.rutgers.edu/">Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences</a> who supports this theory. She pointed out that a weaker jet stream causes storms to stall and hover over the same region for days at a time.

“If you look at the whole picture, the whole jet stream around the northern hemisphere, it's had these very large excursions north and south and that's led to all of the wacky weather,” said Francis. She added that the underlying problem of man made climate change is continuing to get worse, and that “these are just the symptoms.”
--
By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Record high temperatures cause record low sea ice in the Arctic

Scientists have discovered that the Arctic just experienced its warmest winter...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

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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

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

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

[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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

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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

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

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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



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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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

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