When we talk about plastic pollution, oceans and rivers dominate the conversation. Beaches lined with plastic bottles have become the symbol of this crisis. Farms and city streets also show clear signs of contamination. But forests? Few would imagine plastic reaching there.



Researchers at <a href="https://www.tu-darmstadt.de/index.en.jsp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TU Darmstadt</a> have shown otherwise. Their study reveals, for the first time, that forest soils carry large amounts of microplastics. 



The particles arrive mainly through the air, settle on leaves, and later end up in the ground. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-may-trigger-rapid-release-of-soil-carbon/">Forests</a>, once thought of as clean and distant, are absorbing pollution every day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microplastics-falling-from-the-sky">Microplastics falling from the sky</h2>



Unlike farmland, forests do not receive fertilizers laced with plastic. They do not sit beside landfills or sewage plants. Yet they still collect microplastics. How? The atmosphere delivers them.



Leaves catch the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organic-matter-helps-soil-hold-water-even-in-conditions-like-mars/">particles</a> first. Rain and falling foliage move them downward. Forests act like large nets that sweep pollution from the sky.



"The microplastics from the atmosphere initially settle on the leaves of the tree crowns, which scientists refer to as the 'comb-out effect,'" explains lead author Dr. Collin J. Weber. "Then, in deciduous forests, the particles are transported to the forest soil by rain or the autumn leaf fall, for example."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soil-as-storage">Soil as storage</h2>



Once in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-is-losing-nitrogen-along-with-its-climate-fighting-power/">soil</a>, the particles do not stay at the surface. Leaf litter slowly breaks down, and with it, plastics sink deeper. 



Insects, fungi, and other organisms speed up this process. The result is long-term storage of plastics in soil horizons that usually contain decomposed organic matter.



The researchers measured concentrations ranging from 120 to more than 13,000 particles per kilogram of soil. Stocks of up to nearly a million particles per square meter were recorded at some sites. Forest soils, it turns out, rival urban soils in plastic load.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastics-in-forest-soil">Plastics in forest soil</h2>



The team analyzed the chemical makeup of the particles. Polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide dominated the samples. These are common in packaging and textiles. 



The particles were mostly fragments and films, not fibers. Most measured less than 250 micrometers, far smaller than a grain of sand.



The similarity between what fell from the air and what lay in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amthropocene-humans-began-causing-global-soil-erosion-much-earlier-than-believed/">soil</a> points to the same source: atmospheric deposition. Other ground-based sources like littering or forestry practices may add some plastic, but their role is minor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forests-collect-plastics-for-decades">Forests collect plastics for decades</h2>



The story does not end with today’s measurements. The scientists modeled how long it would take to build up current soil levels. 



The answer points back to the 1950s, when plastic production exploded worldwide. For 70 years, forests have been quietly gathering plastic particles from the air.



Even under conservative scenarios, the amounts found in soil today can be explained by steady deposition over decades. Forest soils, like silent records, tell the history of the plastic age.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forests-match-city-pollution">Forests match city pollution</h2>



The surprise is not just the presence of plastics but the quantity. Compared to global data, these German forest soils contain as much plastic as urban soils and often more than agricultural, wetland, or coastal soils. The assumption that forests stand apart from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-microbes-found-earths-deep-soil-critical-zone/">pollution</a> no longer holds.



Forests cover about a third of Earth’s land surface. If all are acting as sinks, the scale of storage is enormous. This changes how scientists think about the global flow of microplastics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forests-as-indicators">Forests as indicators</h2>



"Our results indicate that microplastics in forest soils originate primarily from atmospheric deposition and from leaves falling to the ground, known as litterfall. Other sources, on the other hand, have only a minor influence," said Dr. Weber.



"We conclude that forests are good indicators of atmospheric microplastic pollution and that a high concentration of microplastics in forest soils indicates a high diffuse input - as opposed to direct input such as from fertilizers in agriculture - of particles from the air into these ecosystems."



Forests, in other words, act like monitors. The amount of plastic in their soils reflects what is falling from the sky across regions and continents.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risks-for-nature-and-people">Risks for nature and people</h2>



What does this mean for ecosystems? Microplastics can change soil structure, affect microbes, and alter nutrient cycles. Over time, this could influence tree growth and forest health. 



The combination of climate stress and plastic pollution could place new pressure on already fragile ecosystems.



"Forests are already threatened by climate change, and our findings suggest that microplastics could now pose an additional threat to forest ecosystems," noted Dr. Weber.



There is also a human angle. The same particles found in forests travel through the air we breathe. What lands on a leaf today may be part of tomorrow’s inhaled dust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-plastic-in-forest-soils">Future of plastic in forest soils</h2>



This study is the first to show, with clear evidence, that forests are major recipients of microplastic pollution from the atmosphere. 



The research raises urgent questions. How do different tree species capture particles? How do seasonal changes affect deposition? And what will decades more of plastic production mean for soils and air?



For now, one conclusion is unavoidable: forests, once considered safe from plastic waste, are firmly part of the story. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02712-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Plastic rain: Forests are trapping microplastics from the sky

When we talk about plastic pollution, oceans and rivers dominate the conversation. Beaches lined with plastic bottles have become the symbol of this crisis. Farms and city streets also show clear signs of contamination. But forests? Few would imagine plastic reaching there. Researchers at TU Darmstadt have shown otherwise. Their study reveals, for the first time, that forest soils carry large amounts of microplastics. The particles arrive mainly through the air, settle on leaves, and later end up in the ground. Forests, once thought of as clean...

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer drifting on its own. Human-driven greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols are steering ocean temperatures in ways that dry out the American West. The same forces may keep the region parched for decades.



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado Boulder</a> and collaborators used hundreds of climate simulations to revisit a famous ocean pattern and link its recent behavior to the West’s record-breaking drought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-hand-in-pacific-cycle">Human hand in Pacific cycle</h2>



For more than a century, scientists have watched the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which seesaws over decades between a warm, “positive” phase and a cool, “negative” phase. 



In the negative phase, cooler waters line the U.S. West Coast, storm tracks shift north, and rain and snow across the Southwest decline.



The standard view held that this cycle was almost entirely internal to the climate system. The latest IPCC report even judged, with high confidence, that human influence was negligible. However, the new study overturns that view.



Using over 500 model runs, the team found that since the 1950s, human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-hit-a-record-high-in-2023/">emissions</a> explain more than half of PDO variability, while before 1950, natural swings dominated.



“Our results show that the drought and ocean patterns we’re seeing today are not just natural fluctuations - they’re largely driven by human activity,” said lead author Jeremy Klavans, a postdoctoral researcher in CU Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pacific-stuck-in-dry-mode">Pacific stuck in dry mode</h2>



The PDO has lingered in its negative state since the 1990s. That persistence is unusual. It matters because it pushes moisture north and leaves the Southwest with less precipitation and drier air.



“If the PDO were purely natural, we would have expected it to shift back to positive after the strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-climate-shifts-date-back-250-million-years/">El Niño</a> in 2015,” Klavans said. “Instead, it flipped briefly and then reverted - suggesting something deeper and undiscovered is holding it in place.”



That “something deeper” is the external shove from greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols, the authors conclude. The ocean pattern is still a cycle, but it is being nudged into one gear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-forcing-clear-in-models">Human forcing clear in models</h2>



The team’s rethink relied on advances in climate modeling. For years, many models suffered from a “signal-to-noise paradox.” 



They inflated the role of random swings while muting the effect of external forcing from human activity. The researchers corrected that imbalance across a large ensemble.



“Once we corrected for that imbalance, it became clear that human emissions are the dominant factor behind the current PDO pattern and the West’s extreme dryness,” Klavans said.



“Our work shows that, on decadal timescales, climate models have been underestimating how sensitive regional climates are to external forcing,” said co-author Pedro DiNezio, a professor at the University of Colorado.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worst-drought-on-record">Worst drought on record</h2>



Tree ring records show the Southwest’s past two decades are the driest since at least 800 CE. Across the West, most areas are in drought, and a large share is in severe drought. Reservoirs, soils, forests, and rivers reflect the strain.



The study warns that if emissions continue on their current path, the PDO is likely to stay negative for many years, which would lock in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megadroughts-are-becoming-more-frequent-and-severe/">megadrought</a>. This would constrain water supplies, heighten <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-risk-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-southern-u-s/">wildfire risk</a>, and pressure farms and cities.



“This isn't a temporary dry spell,” Klavans said. “It’s a climate-driven transformation of the region’s water system. Planners and policymakers need to treat it as such.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-to-a-changing-climate">Adapting to a changing climate</h2>



The methods in this paper may sharpen forecasts far from the Pacific. Other ocean patterns, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, shape rainfall in Europe and beyond. 



Better separating human forcing from internal swings could improve projections of wet and dry trends on the time horizons that matter for planning.



“Our methods have the potential to drastically improve predictions of climate impacts - including precipitation trends across the globe,” said co-author Amy Clement, a professor at the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Miami</a>. “That kind of foresight is critical for planning and adapting to a changing climate.”



For the American West, the message is blunt. Managing a water system built for a wetter past will require new rules, new investments, and, above all, time. The PDO may eventually flip. But the study argues that external forcing has tilted the odds against a quick reversal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cut-emissions-calm-the-pacific">Cut emissions, calm the Pacific</h2>



The science also underscores the leverage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/states-taking-action-on-their-own-can-cut-half-of-u-s-emissions/">emission cuts</a>. Less forcing means less push on the ocean cycle and better odds that the Pacific can slip out of its drought-favoring mode sooner.



This is not a story of the ocean alone. It is the story of how greenhouse gases and aerosols have rewired a familiar Pacific rhythm, with cascading effects on storms, snowpack, and rivers. The pattern is still oscillating - it is just doing so on a drought-shifted baseline that is reshaping the West.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09368-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Emissions are driving the West’s worst drought in 1,200 years

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer...

A submarine fiber-optic cable has revealed how glacier calving stirs fjords long after the splash. The measurements capture surface tsunamis and towering internal waves triggered by glaciers that mix warm and cold layers.



The result is faster underwater melting and a powerful feedback loop that helps glaciers shed ice.



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> and partner institutions recorded calving across South Greenland’s Eqalorutsit Kangilliit Sermiat by laying a sensing cable along the fjord floor. The work shows how to quantify a process that is accelerating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emergency-meeting-reveals-the-alarming-extent-of-antarcticas-ice-loss/">ice loss</a> and affecting ocean circulation and ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-remote-view-of-glacier-edge">Remote view of glacier edge</h2>



The front of a glacier is no place to linger. Ice blocks the size of buildings break free and hurl into the sea. Traditional instruments cannot safely sit in the impact zone.



“We took the fiber to a glacier and we measured this calving multiplier effect that we never could have seen with simpler technology,” said co-author Brad Lipovsky, a geophysicist at the University of Washington. “It’s the kind of thing we’ve just never been able to quantify before.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-tracks-waves-from-glaciers">Light tracks waves from glaciers</h2>



The team used Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). A 10-kilometer cable was unspooled from a boat near the glacier’s mouth. A compact receiver pulsed light and read tiny changes as the cable strained. 



Those optical backscatter patterns recorded ground motion and temperature at thousands of points along the line, for three weeks.



The setup turned the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-fjords-show-signs-of-struggle-in-a-warming-world/">fjord</a> into an instrument. It registered the instant of impact when ice hit the water and followed the wake as icebergs sped past - some as big as stadiums and moving 15 to 20 miles per hour. It also captured what the eye cannot see.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glaciers-waves-and-warm-water">Glaciers, waves, and warm water</h2>



Calving first launches a surface surge. These calving-induced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/20-years-later-remembering-the-worlds-deadliest-tsunami/">tsunamis</a> rake the fjord’s top layers. Then the surface calms. The cable, however, kept shaking. Beneath the still water, internal gravity waves rolled between density layers.



“When icebergs break off, they excite all sorts of waves,” said lead author Dominik Gräff, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington.



The internal waves were as tall as skyscrapers and lasted longer than the surface swell. They mixed the water column, lifting warmth upward and pushing cold water downward. That sustained stirring renewed contact between the glacier face and warmer water at depth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feedback-loop-accelerates-melt">Feedback loop accelerates melt</h2>



Glaciers are top-heavy where they meet the ocean, while most of their mass hides below the surface. Warm water erodes the submerged ice and hollows the base. 



Afterward, calving sheds the overhanging top. The splash does more than make noise. It stirs the fjord like a spoon in a drink.



Gräff used a simple image. Around an ice cube, still water turns cool and forms a thin insulating layer. Stirring strips that layer away, making the cube melt faster. 



In the fjord, calving does the stirring, and the boundary layer at the ice front is disrupted again and again. The researchers observed a large event every few hours.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-it-matters-well-beyond-one-fjord"><a></a>Why it matters well beyond one fjord</h2>



The Greenland ice sheet is shrinking. It is a frozen cap roughly three times the size of Texas. If it melted, sea levels would rise by about 25 feet, inundating coasts and displacing millions. 



Scientists also worry about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/polar-warming-could-reduce-ocean-currents-amoc-and-cause-massive-flooding-in-the-us/">AMOC</a>), which moves heat and nutrients around the globe since ice loss and freshwater inputs can weaken that system.



“Our whole Earth system depends, at least in part, on these ice sheets,” Gräff said. “It’s a fragile system, and if you disturb it even just a little bit, it could collapse."



"We need to understand the turning points, and this requires deep, process-based knowledge of glacial mass loss.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-models-and-warning-systems">Improving models and warning systems </h2>



Before this expedition, no one had attempted to capture calving with a submarine fiber-optic array.



“We didn’t know if this was going to work,” Lipovsky said. “But now we have data to support something that was only an idea before.”



The cable recorded internal waves not only from the splash but also from glaciers as they cruised down the fjord. Earlier studies relied on isolated bottom sensors and strings of thermometers, which offered only snapshots.



The fiber delivered a movie, with both space and time resolved along the entire line. That level of detail can improve models and inform warning systems for calving-induced tsunamis in narrow fjords.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fiber-optics-in-glacial-science">Fiber optics in glacial science</h2>



“There is a fiber-sensing revolution going on right now,” Lipovsky said. “It’s become much more accessible in the past decade, and we can use this technology in these amazing settings.”



The approach is scalable. Cables can be redeployed, linked, and left in place. They can watch a fjord through seasons, storms, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-made-heatwaves-more-deadly/">heatwaves</a> and can record the subtle shifts that push a glacier toward a tipping point.



The lesson is clear: watch the waves you cannot see, and you will learn how glaciers vanish. With that knowledge, scientists can better forecast sea-level rise and its cascading effects - from coastlines to currents to communities.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09347-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Glaciers are melting from hidden underwater waves

A submarine fiber-optic cable has revealed how glacier calving stirs...

Transforming the way we grow, eat, and waste food could halt and even reverse land degradation. A new analysis shows that cutting food waste and scaling sustainable ocean foods would free land on a continental scale.



 Pair that with ambitious restoration, and the world could bend the curve on climate and biodiversity while strengthening global health.



The case comes from 21 scientists who lay out a food system roadmap to land recovery. The research quantifies how much land could be spared by 2050 and sets a higher restoration target. 



To accomplish this, the authors argue that food must move to the center of climate, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-are-the-biggest-drivers-of-biodiversity-loss/">biodiversity</a>, and land agendas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-make-food-the-priority">Make food the priority</h2>



“Food systems have not yet been fully incorporated into intergovernmental agreements, nor do they receive sufficient focus in current strategies to address <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-degradation-severely-threatens-planetary-boundaries/">land degradation</a>,” the authors wrote.



“Rapid, integrated reforms focused on global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vicious-cycle-food-systems-both-suffer-from-and-cause-emissions/">food systems</a>, however, can move land health from crisis to recovery and secure a healthier, more stable planet for all.”



The scientists call for a 50 percent restoration goal by 2050, up from the current 30 percent by 2030. That level of recovery would add back about 5 million square miles of land - roughly 1.16 million square miles of cropland and 3.86 million square miles of non-cropland.



People on the land, such Indigenous Peoples, smallholders, women, and other vulnerable communities, should lead the work. It also means fair access to technology, secure tenure, and markets, backed by farm supports that reward stewardship, not depletion.



Transparent labels can guide better choices, while better data can track impacts in real time. Moreover, taxes and tariffs can favor low-impact producers and hold polluters to account.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slash-food-waste-spare-the-soil"><a></a>Slash food waste, spare the soil</h2>



Globally, about 21.8 million square miles of land feed humanity. We lose roughly a third of that effort as waste -14 percent after harvest and 19 percent in stores, restaurants, and homes.



Cut <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-waste-has-a-surprising-impact-on-climate-change/">food waste</a> by three quarters and you spare an estimated 5.17 million square miles - land that need not be plowed or grazed.



Policy can drive the change, preventing overproduction and spoilage. Governments and businesses should expand donation channels and near-expiry discounts, and enforce public education that cuts household waste. 



Additionally, small farmers could improve storage and cold chains. Spain, for example, now requires stores to donate or sell surplus food and asks restaurants to offer take-home containers. 



Cutting food waste also mandates formal waste-reduction plans along the supply chain. Such steps show what rapid progress can look like.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bring-seafood-into-the-menu"><a></a>Bring seafood into the menu</h2>



Red meat produced in unsustainable ways uses vast pasture and feed, and emits large amounts of greenhouse gases. 



Nutritious <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/imported-seafood-is-spreading-antibiotic-resistance-genes/">seafood</a> and seaweed can ease that pressure. Seaweed needs no freshwater and absorbs carbon as it grows. Replacing 70 percent of unsustainable red meat with sustainable seafood could spare 6.6 million square miles of land.



If seaweed-derived foods replaced just 10 percent of global vegetable intake, more than 154,000 square miles of cropland could be freed. This shift would open vast areas for other uses or restoration.



These shifts matter most in wealthy countries with high meat consumption. In some poorer regions, animal products remain vital for nutrition, so any change must be tailored and just.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-africa-sized-land-restored">Africa-sized land restored</h2>



Two big moves - waste cuts and ocean-based foods - could spare about 11.9 million square miles by mid-century, an area roughly equal to Africa.



Combine that with restoring half of degraded land, and the total spared or restored area reaches about 16.9 million square miles between 2020 and 2050.



The climate dividend would be large. The authors estimate about 13 gigatons of CO₂-equivalent mitigated each year through 2050.



Biodiversity would also benefit as habitats recover and pressure to convert remaining natural ecosystems declines. Food security and health would strengthen as soils, watersheds, and diets improve.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-working-together-for-restoration">Working together for restoration</h2>



“This paper presents a bold, integrated set of actions to tackle land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change together, as well as a clear pathway for implementing them by 2050,” said lead author Fernando Maestre from the <a href="https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a> (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.



Transforming food systems, restoring land, promoting sustainable seafood, and fostering global cooperation can reverse land degradation and advance <a href="https://www.unccd.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UN Convention to Combat Desertification</a> (UNCCD) goals.



“Once soils lose fertility, water tables deplete, and biodiversity is lost, restoring the land becomes exponentially more expensive," said Barron Orr, UNCCD Chief Scientist. "Ongoing rates of land degradation contribute to a cascade of mounting global challenges."



“Land degradation isn’t just a rural issue, it affects the food on all our plates, the air we breathe, and the stability of the world we live in.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-joining-forces-to-heal-land">Joining forces to heal land</h2>



The authors urge the three Rio Conventions - on biodiversity, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oases-grow-by-human-effort-but-face-threats-from-desertification/">desertification</a>, and climate - to align around land and food goals, share cutting-edge knowledge, track progress, and turn science into policy faster.



They note that Parties to the UNCCD have already agreed to avoid, reduce, and reverse degradation on agricultural lands, most recently at COP16 in Riyadh. Coordination can speed action on the ground, link national targets, and unlock finance.



The message is clear. Fix food systems, and land can recover. Do it fast, do it fairly, and the world gets a safer climate, richer nature, and healthier lives.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09365-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Global food shift could free up land the size of Africa

Transforming the way we grow, eat, and waste food could...

Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have not done in almost 100 years. Rather than sprouting and being eaten back to nubs by elk and bison, they're actually growing into tall, adult forest trees rising up towards the canopy.



This matters more than it might seem, because it shows what happens when a missing piece of an ecosystem returns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-yellowstone-aspens-and-elk">Yellowstone, aspens, and elk</h2>



In the 1920s, people <a href="https://www.yellowstone.org/wolf-project/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eliminated wolves in Yellowstone</a>. At the time, with limited scientific knowledge, managers believed it was the right thing to do.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-wolves-to-dogs-did-domestication-begin-without-human-help/">Without wolves</a>, elk herds grew very large. Elk love to eat aspen shoots - the tender young growth is highly palatable to them.



For roughly 70 years, elk browsed aspen sprouts down to stub height, and the trees couldn't grow. 



If you had walked through Yellowstone in the 1980s, you would have seen many tiny aspen shoots covering the ground, but almost no young trees gaining height. 



The forest's regeneration was stalled. Old trees died, and no new ones replaced them.



In 1995 and 1996, park managers reintroduced wolves into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption-study-sparks-new-debate-on-where-and-when-it-will-erupt/">Yellowstone Park ecosystem</a>. Scientists hoped and wondered whether this would change anything for the trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-aspen-matter-to-yellowstone">Why aspen matter to Yellowstone</h2>



Aspen groves provide habitat for many species. Birds nest in them. Beavers eat the bark and use the wood for dams. Butterflies and moths lay eggs on the leaves. 



Their canopy admits enough light for wildflowers and shrubs to grow beneath. When it rains, aspen groves hold water in the soil better than some other forest types.



In short, when aspen return, dozens of other species benefit. More trees support more insects, which in turn support more birds, enriching the ecosystem.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-trees-three-decades-later">Checking the trees three decades later</h2>



<a href="https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/users/luke-painter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke Painter</a>, an ecologist at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon State University</a>, sought clear answers. His team returned to 87 aspen stands across Yellowstone that scientists had previously surveyed. 



They measured thousands of young trees, looked for bite marks, and counted how many stems were tall enough that elk could no longer reach the tips.



About a third of these stands now have many tall young aspens pushing toward the canopy. 



"About 26 of the 87 aspen stands we examined had large numbers of tall saplings throughout, a remarkable change from the 1990s when surveys found none at all," Painter said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wolves-matter-to-yellowstone-aspens">Why wolves matter to Yellowstone aspens</h2>



Breaking it all down, the conclusions of this study are pretty simple. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wolves-move-pups-across-mountains-to-adapt-to-climate-pressure/">Wolves hunt elk</a>. When wolves came back, two things happened. First, elk numbers declined from unusually high levels. Second, elk changed their behavior. They spent less time in the same areas feeding.



With fewer elk and shorter feeding bouts, more aspen shoots survived long enough to exceed the browsing zone - about six to seven feet high. 



Once a sapling reaches that height, elk cannot easily reach the growing tip. The tree continues to grow.



"The reintroduction of large carnivores has initiated a recovery process that had been shut down for decades," Painter explained.



Scientists call this a <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/trophic-cascades-across-diverse-plant-ecosystems-80060347/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trophic cascade</a> - when adding or removing one species causes changes that ripple through the whole system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-places-recover-others-don-t">Some places recover, others don't</h2>



Unfortunately, not every aspen stand has recovered yet. Some valleys still have many short, heavily browsed shoots, because it's not only elk eating them anymore. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstones-iconic-bison-have-merged-into-a-single-herd/">Bison herds have grown</a>, and bison browse on aspen as well. They are strong enough to break young trees. 



"Increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint to aspen in some areas," Painter confirmed.



Additionally, winter snow depth varies; droughts stress trees; bears and mountain lions also hunt elk; and hunting outside the park influences elk distribution. 



All of these factors interact, which is why some sites show strong recovery, others show moderate recovery, and a few have changed very little.



The key pattern is that places with many tall saplings experience little browsing, and aspen groves that remain popular eating grounds today stay short. 



This fact is the strongest indication that tree recovery is linked directly to wolf presence, not solely to weather or soil conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proof-in-the-measurements">Proof in the measurements</h2>



Painter's team did not rely on casual observation. They used the same methods as earlier researchers, measuring the same plots. 



They counted recruitment - when young trees surpass browsing height and begin progressing toward maturity. This measure is crucial. Sprouts are insufficient if they never grow; without recruitment, the forest cannot replace itself.



The results are robust. After being stalled for most of a century, Yellowstone's aspens are increasing in height. In recovering stands today, you will see saplings - six, eight, or ten feet tall - that were not present in the 1990s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-yellowstone-s-aspens">The future of Yellowstone's aspens</h2>



"This is a remarkable case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-found-in-yellowstones-hot-springs-may-be-near-the-root-of-all-life-on-earth/">ecological restoration</a>," Painter concluded. "Wolf reintroduction is yielding long-term ecological changes contributing to increased biodiversity and habitat diversity."



Trees grow slowly, so even with wolves restored, it will take decades for these young aspens to form a full-grown forest. 



Some areas might never fully recover if bison numbers continue to rise or if the climate becomes too hot and dry.



Thanks to the work of Painter and his team, scientists are now certain that restoring the Yellowstone predator has restarted aspen forest regeneration. Not everywhere and not perfectly, but enough to be measured, creating hope for the future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725004499?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forest Ecology and Management</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

Yellowstone's aspen trees are growing again thanks to the reintroduction of wolves

Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have...

Lakes are often labeled as steady emitters of carbon dioxide, yet new research suggests that view misses what happens along their edges, where plants work fast and sediments hold tight. 



A peer-reviewed analysis finds that when these fringes are included, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-oceans-are-rapidly-changing-colors-matching-climate-predictions/">lakes</a> may act as net carbon sinks at the global scale.



Lake edges are known as littoral zones - the shallow belts where land and water meet, and they wrap around an astonishing length of shoreline. 



In fact, the total shoreline of the world’s lakes and reservoirs is estimated to be roughly four times longer than the global ocean coastline. The research was led by Charlotte Grasset of Uppsala University.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vegetated-edges-and-lake-carbon">Vegetated edges and lake carbon</h2>



Add the vegetated littoral zone to the ledger and the balance shifts in surprising ways. A commentary describes how including these zones can substantially alter, and in some cases reverse, whole-lake carbon budgets by boosting burial and trimming apparent outgassing.



The key is that littoral plants take in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) during photosynthesis, send a portion of that carbon below ground, and help trap organic matter in low-oxygen <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-lakes-may-disappear-faster-than-others/">sediments</a>. 



Those sediments can store carbon for long periods, changing the net ledger of what lakes contribute to the atmosphere versus what they lock away.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-trap-and-store-carbon">Plants trap and store carbon</h2>



Aquatic plants, known as macrophytes, often grow densely in littoral zones and can be highly productive per square foot. 



Independent global work has shown that carbon burial in lakes and reservoirs is on the same order as burial in the oceans, underscoring how potent these inland sinks can be.



That background makes the new accounting intuitive. If the most productive, plant-rich parts of lakes were omitted from global budgets, the scale would tilt toward emissions by default, even if sediments at the edges were quietly piling up carbon year after year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calculating-carbon-balance">Calculating carbon balance</h2>



The study links littoral zones to open-water areas using a simple transport model and a mass-balance approach. 



The research builds on recent syntheses showing that global inland waters emit substantial greenhouse gases (GHGs) but also bury a lot of carbon, with regional variation and strong dependence on surface area estimates.



By integrating shoreline vegetation into the budget, the authors report scenarios in which the annual carbon buried in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-shock-lakes-are-losing-oxygen-faster-than-expected/">lake</a> sediments exceeds the annual carbon released to the air.



This flips the global lake balance from net source to net sink in their estimates - a change driven by the sheer footprint and productivity of vegetated edges.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lakes-can-switch-to-carbon-sinks">Lakes can switch to carbon sinks</h2>



One detail is important for interpretation. Part of the CO2 escaping from open-water zones may actually come from carbon originally fixed in the littoral zone, transported horizontally, and then respired offshore. 



This suggests that previous attributions may have overestimated the portion coming directly from land.



This adjustment doesn’t eliminate emissions - it clarifies them. It highlights the multiple pathways carbon takes within lakes and shows that the littoral zones do more than just support reeds, frogs, and shallow shelves: they actively process and store carbon on a continental scale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lake-edges-and-the-carbon-budget">Lake edges and the carbon budget </h2>



“We were planning to write a conceptual paper about how aquatic plants in the littoral zone are overlooked in lake carbon cycling," said Grasset. 



"But after doing some initial calculations quantifying the role of these plants, we quickly realized that littoral zones could be a significant player in the global carbon budget!” 



The team’s calculations revealed that factoring in vegetated lake edges can change the overall carbon balance, often transforming lakes from net carbon sources into net carbon sinks.



According to Grasset, the team hopes their findings will encourage further investigation into the importance of littoral zones and highlight the potential benefits of restoring these habitats as part of nature-based climate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-in-arctic-lakes-are-fueling-a-large-methane-surge/">solutions</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoration-takes-center-stage">Restoration takes center stage</h2>



Marine blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes have been treated as nature-based climate solutions for more than a decade, backed by extensive monitoring and finance frameworks. 



The new lake analysis argues that freshwater shorelines deserve a similar look, not only for carbon but also for water quality and biodiversity.



There is practical support for that move. Studies show that healthy macrophyte communities help stabilize clearer water states, reduce algal blooms, and retain nutrients, all of which can reinforce carbon burial in sediments while improving ecological conditions for fish and invertebrates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-lake-edges">What’s next for lake edges</h2>



Accounting choices for methane (CH4) matter because methane warms more per pound than CO2 over a century, and littoral habitats can be methane hotspots. 



Current assessments use IPCC AR6 100-year global warming potentials, where non-fossil methane has a value of about 27 with climate-carbon feedbacks considered, a standard that sharpens cross-gas comparisons and helps frame tradeoffs.



Improved maps of vegetated littoral coverage, better separation of terrestrial versus littoral carbon sources, and year-round measurements in underrepresented tropical and productive lakes would tighten the error bars. 



As these data become available, planners can more precisely balance shoreline restoration with other measures to achieve climate, water quality, and habitat objectives.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01739-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Geoscience</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Lakes with vegetated edges are powerful carbon sinks

Lakes are often labeled as steady emitters of carbon dioxide,...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ubu.es/english-version" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Burgos</a>, Spain, have found that cross-ventilation is the best type of natural ventilation to maintain healthy air quality inside buildings. 



However, they found that they could not practically apply it in more than half of the existing public buildings they surveyed.



Since the COVID-19 pandemic, recirculated air in public spaces has become a real cause for concern. People need safe access to public spaces. 



Schools, colleges, office spaces, and gyms are essential for a thriving community. But how do we make the air safe?



The researchers developed a replicable model for this. The model assesses the capacity of buildings to maintain good indoor air quality based on real ventilation capacity. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/19/7331" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carbon dioxide</a> (CO₂) concentration is a key marker in the model.



This study proposes that ventilation should be a critical design detail in future public buildings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-co₂-characterizes-air-quality">CO₂ characterizes air quality</h2>



CO₂ levels rise predictably with human respiration. Researchers consider it a reliable marker for the dilution of potentially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-microbes-are-finding-surprising-new-ways-to-survive">infectious aerosols</a>.



“Good” <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023004002" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">air quality indoors</a> is when the difference between CO₂ levels indoors and outdoors is less than 500 ppm. 



European standards call this IDA2 category. IDAs 1- 4 classify indoor air quality for non-residential buildings. The buildings surveyed in this study were located in Móstoles, Spain.



Keeping CO₂ within an IDA category requires a specific ventilation flow rate. For infection control, the study suggests aiming for about three air changes per hour (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_changes_per_hour" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACH</a>).



ACH is a measure of how many times the total volume of air in a room is replaced with fresh air in one hour. 



Only CO₂ levels below 800 ppm are safe. More than five ACH can cause discomfort and be counterproductive for disease control.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-buildings-lack-natural-ventilation">Most buildings lack natural ventilation</h2>



Cross-ventilation is where air can enter and exit through openings on opposite facades or walls. It is the only natural method consistently capable of reaching the recommended ACH. 



Researchers emphasized that good indoor air quality is critical for the health and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132323010119" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">well-being</a> of office workers. It is also imperative to reduce airborne diseases.



Yet about 53% of the 183 analyzed rooms had no possibility for natural ventilation at all!&nbsp;



Only a few spaces with windows could achieve good <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-americans-live-in-areas-without-air-quality-monitoring/">air quality</a> with only natural ventilation. For example, designers planned to accommodate 77 people in the city’s Plenary Hall (City Council). 



However, the study found that it could accommodate only 20 people while maintaining IDA2 conditions - even with every window fully open.



Because of similar issues, just 11% of the rooms met IDA2 occupancy standards.&nbsp;



Between 28% and 57% reached the more modest benchmarks of five or three ACH, depending on room type and density of occupation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-improve-natural-ventilation">How to improve natural ventilation</h2>



The findings make it clear that many existing public buildings do not maintain good <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-and-bushes-near-highways-improve-air-quality/">air quality</a>. Their natural ventilation is inadequate. 



The researchers recommended pairing windows with mechanical ventilation to maintain IDA2 conditions. 



They also demonstrated how to transform simple CO₂ monitoring into a daily operational tool. For example, restricting or staggering admission to a space when thresholds of CO₂ are exceeded. 



Sensors could trigger window openings and not require <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778816304868" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">manual intervention</a>. This would balance energy efficiency and safety in air-conditioned spaces.



“Natural ventilation is a low-cost, scalable intervention,” the authors noted in the paper. This study did not focus on other air purification methods, like filters or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bioengineered-super-plant-acts-as-natural-indoor-air-purifier/">air purifiers</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-buildings-that-breathe">Designing buildings that breathe</h2>



This study provides an integrated approach to designing healthy buildings. They considered specific ventilation conditions, activity types, and occupancy levels.&nbsp;



The majority of public spaces in this study lacked the architectural design to take advantage of natural ventilation. Therefore, forced or mechanical ventilation needs to be combined with the existing system, making it a hybrid.



The study found that cross-ventilation is the most efficient natural way to dilute indoor contaminants. It requires little capital to operate. 



It can be combined with the monitoring of CO₂ levels to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worker-rights-are-among-the-least-protected-human-rights/">protect occupants</a> dynamically. The effects of poor air quality go beyond the spread of infections to other aspects of respiratory health.



Taken together, these findings suggest that the path forward is twofold. 



Existing buildings need to be upgraded to include hybrid systems where required. Secondly, architects should design all new public buildings to breathe from the start.



The study proposes that incorporating cross-ventilation into building design is an essential step toward creating healthier public spaces.



The study findings were published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4117/6/8/197" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eng.</a>



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/"> Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Is natural ventilation the key to healthier public spaces?

Researchers at the University of Burgos, Spain, have found that...

Sea levels in the Indian Ocean started rising faster much earlier than scientists had assumed. And the proof isn’t buried in computer models or satellite data - it’s recorded in the skeletons of living coral.



Marine scientists have pieced together a 100-year record of ocean change by studying coral samples from the Maldives. 



The team behind the research comes from the <a href="https://nus.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National University of Singapore</a> (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Their work sheds new light on how quickly the ocean has responded to global warming.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-time-machine-in-the-indian-ocean">A time machine in the Indian Ocean</h2>



By analyzing coral cores - essentially cross-sections of coral that grow year by year like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-rings-show-amazon-rainfall-is-getting-more-extreme/">tree rings</a> - the team was able to push the sea-level timeline for the Indian Ocean back by another 60 years, reaching all the way to the early 1900s.



This extended record doesn’t just fill in historical blanks. It changes our understanding of how quickly human-driven climate change has impacted the sea.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clear-fingerprint-of-human-activity">Clear fingerprint of human activity</h2>



The research produced two key findings. First, sea-level rise in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/destructive-weather-pattern-may-return-to-the-indian-ocean/">Indian Ocean</a> began accelerating around 1959. That’s decades earlier than satellite data or tide gauge records suggested. 



The timing tracks closely with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-temperature-in-2023-expected-to-be-among-highest-on-record/">global temperature</a> increases and rapid glacial melt - both driven by human activity.



“What we’re seeing is a clear fingerprint of human-driven climate change etched into the skeletons of corals. The early acceleration in sea-level rise is a warning sign that the ocean has been responding to global warming far earlier and more strongly than we thought,” said Professor Paul Kench.



The second key finding is that since the mid-20th century, the Indian Ocean has risen about 30 centimeters. That’s a dramatic shift in a body of water that covers nearly 30% of the world's ocean area and supports around 30% of the global population.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rising-sea-levels-in-the-indian-ocean">Rising sea levels in the Indian Ocean </h2>



This rise isn’t just a number - it’s a direct threat. For millions living in low-lying coastal areas, higher seas mean more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seeking-ways-to-prevent-flooding-caused-by-climate-change/">flooding</a>, more erosion, more saltwater creeping into freshwater supplies, and more damage to critical ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs.



The Indian Ocean’s changes also affect regions far beyond Asia. Shifts in sea level here influence weather, water resources, food security, and disaster risk around the world.



For Singapore and its Southeast Asian neighbors, this kind of long-term record is a game-changer. It gives climate scientists more accurate data to feed into models. That means better predictions - and better preparation.



The findings can support existing efforts like Singapore’s Coastal-Inland Flood Model and Climate Impact Science Research Programme. With more precise projections, planners can build smarter defenses against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-seas-are-already-toppling-coastal-cities/">rising seas</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-corals-are-reliable-record-keepers">Corals are reliable record-keepers</h2>



What makes this study especially powerful is how clearly it confirms that corals are reliable record-keepers.



As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-single-celled-microbe-is-protecting-corals-from-heat-and-helping-them-survive-climate-change/">corals</a> grow, they build up layers that capture the chemical and physical traits of the surrounding water - temperature, salinity, and sea level. To confirm the accuracy of the records, the team compared coral data with readings from tide gauges and satellites. They found a close match.



Looking ahead, this validation positions coral as a powerful tool for climate science - not only for measuring sea-level change, but also for tracking extreme events such as heatwaves, cooling periods, and droughts.



“These findings have far-reaching implications for climate adaptation planning globally, especially for low-lying and densely populated coastal regions. We hope this work contributes meaningfully to the global dialogue on resilience and preparedness,” said Professor Kench.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-vulnerable-coastal-communities">Protecting vulnerable coastal communities </h2>



This research gives us more than numbers. It offers perspective. Sea levels have been rising longer and faster than we realized. That knowledge gives us a better shot at facing what’s coming next.



For the scientists behind this work, corals aren’t just marine life. They’re storytellers - quietly recording history one layer at a time. 



In this case, corals have compensated for the absence of extended historical records of sea level changes in the central Indian Ocean.



"Such data is critical in the region given the abundance of low-lying coastal areas, and islands, and heightened vulnerability of coastal communities and coastal ecosystems in the Indian Ocean," wrote the researchers.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60972-2">Nature Communications</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Sea levels have been rising longer and faster than we realized

Sea levels in the Indian Ocean started rising faster much...

Tropical bird populations have fallen hard in recent decades. A new analysis reports that human-driven heat extremes cut tropical bird abundance by 25 to 38 percent between 1950 and 2020 when compared to a world without warming.



The effects ripple far beyond any single forest. Tropical forests hold the largest share of the world’s bird diversity, with research indicating that about 72 percent of bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-are-struggling-to-keep-pace-with-a-warming-climate/">species</a> live in these ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tropical-bird-declining-numbers">Tropical bird declining numbers</h2>



To investigate, Maximilian Kotz worked with colleagues at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (<a href="https://www.bsc.es/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BSC</a>) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (<a href="https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PIK</a>), alongside James E. M. Watson and Tatsuya Amano at the University of Queensland (<a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UQ</a>).



The team coupled long term bird population records from the <a href="https://www.livingplanetindex.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Living Planet Index</a> with daily weather records to test how temperature spikes and rainfall shifts affect annual changes in abundance. 



The researchers used ERA5, a global reanalysis that blends observations and models to reconstruct historical weather, to ensure consistent daily data across decades.



They analyzed the data to determine how much of the extreme heat exposure could be traced directly to human-driven warming. "As far as we are aware, this is the first animal climate attribution study,” said Kotz. 



Across the tropics, the frequency of dangerously hot days has surged. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-be-using-quantum-physics-for-migration/">Birds</a> there now experience roughly ten times as many extreme heat days as they did several decades ago - a shift that lines up with the observed declines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-kills-tropical-birds">Heat kills tropical birds</h2>



Birds maintain high body temperatures and have tight thermal limits. When air temperatures spike, the path to hyperthermia is short, and the main emergency response is evaporative cooling through rapid breathing and related behaviors that trade water for heat loss.



That trade-off gets riskier as hot periods lengthen. Evidence shows that humidity pushes bodies toward lethal overheating faster, shrinking the margin for survival during hot spells in warm climates.



Heat stress also carries delayed costs. Birds that avoid immediate mortality can leave the breeding season lighter and less fit, which reduces nesting success and the number of young that reach independence.



These mechanisms line up with the new estimates. The analysis found that short bursts of extreme heat, not just small changes in seasonal averages, were the strongest predictors of reduced annual growth in tropical bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-bird-species-could-vanish-in-the-next-century/">populations</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tropical-birds-in-protected-areas">Tropical birds in protected areas</h2>



For years, biologists reported declines in seemingly intact tropical forests without a clear culprit. In central Amazonia, long term sampling reveals large falls in ground and near ground birds since the early 1980s, even in undisturbed sites.



In Panama’s protected Barro Colorado Island, a century of data shows a persistent erosion of tropical bird diversity. This trend cannot be chalked up to recent habitat destruction within the reserve.



These records are consistent with the new study’s estimates. The magnitude of decline in some intact sites resembles the size of the heat-attributed reductions reported for tropical populations overall.



The link does not claim a single cause for every place. It shows that the intensification of heat extremes is a powerful driver in regions where most birds already live near their thermal limits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-damage-beats-other-threats">Heat damage beats other threats</h2>



Disentangling climate from direct human pressures has been hard. Here, the attribution framework indicates that in the observed tropical populations, the cumulative impact of heat extremes driven by climate change has been larger than direct human pressures across the same time window.



That does not minimize the damage from land clearing, logging, or mining. It highlights a second, already active threat that operates even when forests still stand.



The method distinguishes between average warming and extremes. The signal points to spikes of heat as the primary stressor for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-are-declining-fastest-where-they-were-once-common/">bird</a> abundance in lower latitude regions.



This finding matters for planning and forecasting. Management that only tracks mean temperatures will understate the risk posed by a cluster of very hot days to small, localized populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-tropical-birds-from-heat">Protecting tropical birds from heat</h2>



The IPCC’s latest assessment demonstrates that climate change is already a major risk to ecosystems and biodiversity, with escalating losses expected without rapid emissions cuts and stronger adaptation.



Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will blunt the rise in extreme heat that the new analysis identifies as the main driver of tropical bird declines. That is the foundation for any long term recovery of abundance in the hottest regions.



Ultimately, protecting tropical birds means preserving the forests they depend on and reducing the heat they cannot escape.



“On the conservation side, this work tells us that in addition to protected areas and stopping deforestation, we urgently need to look into strategies for species who are more vulnerable to heat extremes to maximize their adaptation potential," said Amano. 



"That might mean ex-situ conservation work, so working with some populations in other locations."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02811-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Tropical bird populations are rapidly shrinking - and now scientists know why

Tropical bird populations have fallen hard in recent decades. A...

The Great Barrier Reef has just faced its largest single-year loss of live coral since surveys began nearly four decades ago. Australian authorities say the losses were driven mostly by a major bleaching event last year linked to climate change.



Still, despite the heavy toll, overall coral cover remains close to the long-term average. That’s because coral growth in recent years - especially since 2017 - had boosted the reef’s health before this latest setback.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increasing-frequency-of-coral-bleaching">Increasing frequency of coral bleaching </h2>



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian Institute of Marine Science</a> report that 2024’s live coral cover was the highest recorded in 39 years of surveys, and this made the recent losses all the more striking.



Mike Emslie, who heads the institute’s long-term monitoring program, explained that starting from a strong base meant the reef was somewhat cushioned against the worst effects of climate damage. But that cushion is shrinking.



"These are substantial impacts and evidence that the increasing frequency of coral bleaching is really starting to have detrimental effects on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-bleaching-has-reached-catastrophic-levels-on-the-great-barrier-reef/">Great Barrier Reef</a>," Emslie said. "While there's still a lot of coral cover out there, these are record declines that we have seen in any one year of monitoring."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-loss-on-the-great-barrier-reef">Coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef </h2>



The reef stretches 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) along the Queensland coast and is divided into three main regions: north, central, and south. 



According to the survey, the south lost nearly a third of its living coral in just 12 months, the north lost about a quarter, and the central region experienced a 14% decline.



The Great Barrier Reef’s struggles are part of a much wider problem. Since early 2023, the world has been in the grip of its largest recorded <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/60-percent-global-coral-reefs-face-bleaching-rising-temperatures/">mass coral bleaching event</a>. 



It’s only the fourth such global crisis ever documented, but it has already affected nearly 84% of the planet’s coral reef areas, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch.



This event, which began in January 2023 and was declared a crisis in April 2024, has surpassed the previous worst bleaching period from 2014 to 2017, when 68.2% of reefs were affected.



In Australia, aerial surveys of 281 reefs in the Torres Strait and northern Great Barrier Reef confirmed widespread bleaching. Of those, 78 reefs had more than 30% of their coral bleached.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-heat-hurts-coral">Why heat hurts coral</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microscope-reveals-coral-health-in-unprecedented-detail/">Coral</a> can cope with short bursts of warm water, the kind that might pass after a few days. But when the heat lingers for weeks, it’s a different story. 



The coral gets stressed and pushes out the tiny algae living inside its tissues. These algae are more than just tenants - they give coral its color and, more importantly, most of its food.



Without them, the coral turns ghostly white in a process known as “bleaching.” Bleached coral isn’t necessarily dead right away, but it’s weakened. It’s like losing your main source of food - you can survive for a while, but your strength fades, and you’re more likely to get sick.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frequent-coral-bleaching-events">Frequent coral bleaching events</h2>



If the water cools down soon enough, the algae can return and the coral can recover. But when the heat stays for too long, the coral can starve and die. Even when coral survives, it tends to regrow more slowly and becomes less resilient to future stress.



What makes today’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-escalate-coral-bleaching-threats/">bleaching</a> events so alarming is how often they’re happening. In the past, a reef might have had a decade to bounce back between big bleaching events. 



Now, the gap can be just a few years - not nearly enough time for full recovery. And each time it happens, the reef loses a little more of its strength.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fragile-future-for-coral-reefs">A fragile future for coral reefs </h2>



The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that tropical coral reefs are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to rising temperatures. 



In 2018, the panel said they face “very high risk” at just 1.5°C of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/limiting-global-warming-to-1-5-degrees-celsius-would-save-billions-of-lives/">global warming</a>, with most evidence suggesting they could largely disappear beyond that threshold.



The world has already warmed 1.3°C since pre-industrial times. And past back-to-back bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef suggest that scientists may have underestimated the risks.



"Warm water (tropical) coral reefs are projected to reach a very high risk of impact at 1.2°C, with most available evidence suggesting that coral-dominated ecosystems will be non-existent at this temperature or higher. At this point, coral abundance will be near zero at many locations," the researchers concluded.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Great Barrier Reef suffers record coral loss after years of growth

The Great Barrier Reef has just faced its largest single-year...

Florida homeowners have learned to keep watch for wood dust, yet the latest alert sounds different. Two separate termite invaders have started a family, and the offspring could march far beyond state lines.



Associate Professor <a href="https://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/dr-thomas-chouvenc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas Chouvenc</a> of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (<a href="https://ifas.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UFIFAS</a>) spent years noting odd courtship dances between Formosan and Asian subterranean termites. 



His new genetic survey confirms that those dances produced hybrids and that the young colonies are already sending winged scouts into the air.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-enter-the-scene">Hybrid termites enter the scene</h2>



Both parents, Coptotermes formosanus and C. gestroi, rank among the world’s top structural pests, each with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-have-evolved-to-eat-ants-and-termites-12-different-times-since-the-dinosaurs/">colonies</a> topping two million workers and an annual United States repair bill near one billion dollars. Their hybrid offspring inherit twice the genetic playbook for gnawing through cellulose.



“We have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms every year since 2021, including in April 2025,” says Chouvenc. 



The discovery rests on field collections from Fort Lauderdale, where every spring since 2021 researchers have captured swarms that do not match either parent species, then confirmed mixed DNA in the lab.



That persistence signals a stable population rather than a one off incident. The study labels the event introgressive <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/introgression" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hybridization</a>, a process that can speed evolution when separated lineages suddenly meet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-invaders-are-worse-than-one">Two invaders are worse than one</h2>



Each parent species forms sprawling underground galleries that let workers chew through a foot of two by four pine in roughly six months. Combining that appetite with larger hybrid brood sizes could overwhelm local control efforts.



Laboratory tests show that first generation hybrid queens can backcross with males from either original species, opening the door to second generation mixes that might pick up even more survival tricks. 



The team also notes that hybrid <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/alate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alates</a> emerge at dusk when humid winds rise, a timing that maximizes dispersal and pairs easily with the yacht traffic common along Florida’s coast.



Chouvenc warns, “This may be a Florida story now, but it likely won’t stay just in Florida, give it time.” 



The warning carries weight because adult alates can ride prevailing winds twenty miles or stow away on wooden pallets, boats, and nursery stock bound for distant ports.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cost-of-hybrid-termites">The cost of hybrid termites</h2>



Formosan colonies alone have emptied homeowner wallets in New Orleans, where the pest costs an estimated three hundred million dollars a year in damage and treatment. The hybrids threaten to export that expense to every Gulf state and eventually the Mid Atlantic.



Unlike drywood <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-system-attracts-and-eliminates-termites-with-a-natural-scent-and-no-toxins/">termites</a>, these subterranean colonies keep contact with the soil, sip water through mud tubes, and can attack wooden frames, live trees, and even foam insulation. Insurance rarely covers termite damage, leaving families to foot the repair bills.



City managers also fret over infrastructure because the insects tunnel under sidewalks and hollow utility poles. An untreated infestation can topple a mature oak, creating both public safety hazards and hefty removal fees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-and-climate-change">Hybrid termites and climate change</h2>



Termites do more than eat houses; their gut microbes pump out methane, a greenhouse gas thirty times more potent than carbon dioxide over a century. 



Global estimates place termite methane at one to three percent of natural sources, roughly twenty million tons each year. 



Field <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1809790115" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> in northern Australia shows that termite mounds can trap about half of that gas before it escapes, but subterranean colonies lack such filters and vent straight into the air. 



More colonies, especially in warming regions where the insects thrive, could nudge emissions higher.



Researchers in Louisiana and Brazil <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/news/warming-temperatures-termites-may-play-larger-role-future-ecosystems" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> that colonies increase feeding rates at temperatures above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, suggesting warmer states could see faster wood turnover and even higher methane release. Higher energy demands inside each colony translate into more gas expelled per worker.



Scientists already predict <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hybrid-termites-could-spread-worldwide-from-florida-boats/">termites</a> will expand poleward as winters soften. Hybrid vigor may accelerate that march, giving the insects tolerance for cooler nights and broader diet choices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-scientists-can-and-cannot-do">What scientists can and cannot do</h2>



Chouvenc’s group can monitor flight seasons, map nest distribution, and test baits, yet they cannot stop wild mating flights. 



Once a male and female land in damp soil, they seal themselves inside a starter chamber, shed their wings, and vanish from view.



Chemical barriers around foundations help, but rainfall and shifting soils create gaps big enough for a worker as thin as a credit card to slip through. 



Baits laced with chitin synthesis inhibitors work better because returning workers share the toxin with nestmates, collapsing the colony quietly.



Regulators consider introducing natural enemies risky, as past biological control attempts sometimes harmed native insects. For now, the strategy focuses on early detection and public education.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-homes-and-forests">Protecting homes and forests</h2>



Home inspectors recommend removing firewood piles, trimming shrubs away from siding, and fixing leaks that keep soil moist. 



Simple steps reduce the chemical footprint and buy time for researchers to refine next generation baits that exploit hybrid genetics.



Marine surveyors now inspect hulls and wooden crates before granting port clearance, trying to cut off oceangoing “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-play-an-unexpected-role-in-rainforest-revival/">termites</a> as stowaways,” as one expert called them. Similar protocols could appear at rail hubs if inland incursions begin.



Good record keeping matters too. When contractors document infestation dates, treatment types, and reinfestation intervals, entomologists can model spread patterns and plug weak spots in the defense grid.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-ahead">Looking ahead</h2>



Hybrid termites remind us that invasive species do not stay within political borders. Global trade, climate shifts, and urban sprawl give them tickets to ride.



The question is not whether the hybrids will reach new zip codes but how prepared those zip codes will be when the first alates flutter down. As Chouvenc quips, “Give it time.”



The study is published in <a href="https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi%3A10.5061/dryad.mcvdnckb4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B.</a> Photo credit Thomas Chouvenc.



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/"> Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Invasive termites are interbreeding and creating a more destructive and resilient species

Florida homeowners have learned to keep watch for wood dust,...

When wildfires rage, the skies turn dark, the air smells of ash, and people retreat indoors to escape the haze. Most of us think of the smoke’s visible particles - the kind that irritate eyes and clog lungs. But there’s a less obvious danger drifting in that haze: ozone.



Ozone is a reactive oxygen molecule, O₃, that can damage lungs and other sensitive tissues in the body. 



Unlike the blanket of fine particulate matter you can see hanging in the air, ozone is nearly invisible and easy to overlook. Yet it can be just as harmful - sometimes more so - causing respiratory problems and aggravating existing health conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildfire-smoke-and-ozone-levels">Wildfire smoke and ozone levels</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Utah</a> studied how smoke from Western wildfires affects ozone concentrations. They found that smoke can substantially raise <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-smog-by-taming-ozone-levels-in-a-changing-climate-is-proving-quite-difficult/">ozone levels</a> - even in remote areas far from cities and industrial sites. 



These are places where human-made sources of ozone’s main building blocks, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), are minimal.



“The question I wanted to ask was, if we don’t have urban emissions, let’s say that we zero out all emissions, will we still have an ozone problem?” said lead author Derek Mallia, a research assistant professor of atmospheric sciences. 



“This study suggests that we could remove all of the regional emissions from anthropogenic sources of NOx, but fires can still produce a large amount of ozone.”



The team’s findings reveal a troubling reality: wildfire smoke delivers a “double hit” to air quality - first with fine particles, then with elevated ozone. In the United States, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-smoke-exposure-linked-to-mental-health-issues/">smoke exposure</a> is linked to an estimated 6,300 deaths each year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-wildfires-boost-ozone">How wildfires boost ozone</h2>



Ozone doesn’t come directly from fires. Instead, it forms when sunlight triggers chemical reactions between oxygen atoms, NOx, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-household-products-expose-people-to-dangerous-chemicals/">volatile organic compounds</a> (VOCs). VOCs are abundant in wildfire smoke, while NOx comes mainly from vehicles and industry.



Modeling ozone is tricky because so many factors influence it - wind patterns, temperature, cloud cover, and time of day all play a role. 



To study the connection, Mallia’s team used coupled computer models, WRF-Sfire and WRF-Chem, to examine a record-setting smoke event in August 2020.



That month, fires burned across the West. California’s August Complex fire scorched more than 1 million acres and caused $12 billion in damage. Utah’s East Fork fire consumed 90,000 acres, and Oregon’s Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires together destroyed 400,000 acres.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ozone-spikes-far-from-the-flames">Ozone spikes far from the flames</h2>



The study found that wildfire smoke increases ozone concentrations by an average of 21 parts per billion (ppb). "Ozone was roughly 20 to 30% higher because of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-smoke-is-an-underestimated-threat-to-public-health/">wildfire smoke</a>,” Mallia said. “That’s pretty big.”



Given that background ozone in the West is already elevated, the added boost often pushes levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s health limit of 70 parts per billion.



The researchers also found that smoke can work against itself. When thick plumes block sunlight, ozone production slows, sometimes by up to 10 ppb inside the plume.



“You also have a lot of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breast-cancer-incidence-linked-to-high-particulate-air-pollution/">particulate matter</a>, which is a pollutant, too, but it can block sunlight and therefore that will reduce the amount of sunlight available for ozone photochemistry. It can be substantial in some cases,” Mallia said. 



“If you’re right over the fire, there’s usually enough smoke shading where it limits the amount of ozone. But if you get far enough away and the plume becomes relatively diffuse, it’s usually not thick enough to really limit ozone.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-models-to-forecast-air-quality">Better models to forecast air quality </h2>



With climate change making fires more frequent and intense, the need for accurate models is growing. 



The study suggests that tools like WRF-Sfire and WRF-Chem will be critical for forecasting air quality during wildfire season. But these models need refining to better handle the complex chemistry and weather effects inside smoke plumes.



The message is clear: as wildfires grow in number and strength, ozone pollution will remain a hidden but serious health hazard - one that can reach people far from the flames.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1352231025003796">Atmospheric Environment</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Wildfire smoke delivers a 'double hit' to air quality

When wildfires rage, the skies turn dark, the air smells...

Dinosaur teeth are best known for their bite, yet new research says they also stored a chemical snapshot of prehistoric air. By probing that record, scientists have rebuilt carbon dioxide levels and plant productivity for the age of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jurassic-dinosaurs-had-specialized-diets-to-coexist-peacefully/">dinosaurs</a> with a detail once thought impossible.



The study comes from <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TzDE38MAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Dingsu Feng</a> and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Göttingen</a>, the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (<a href="https://www.uni-mainz.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JGUM</a>), and Ruhr University Bochum (<a href="https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RUB</a>). 



Feng’s team focused on the Mesozoic Era, a span from 252 million to 66 million years ago when ecosystems ran hot and lush.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-lock-in-ancient-air">Dinosaur teeth lock in ancient air</h2>



The outer coat of a dinosaur’s tooth, made of durable tooth enamel, is harder than bone and shrugs off most chemical change. 



Inside that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/with-teeth-like-knives-this-giant-kept-the-young-tyrannosaurs-at-bay/">enamel</a> sits a mix of oxygen atoms captured when the animal breathed and drank, effectively sealing in the atmosphere of its time.



"Our method provides us with completely new insights into the Earth's past," stated Dr. Feng. He and his co-authors adapted a laboratory technique that separates the three natural oxygen isotopes in enamel to parts per million accuracy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isotopes-reveal-past-climate">Isotopes reveal past climate</h2>



What they measured is called the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2105074118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">triple oxygen isotope</a> signal. A slight excess of the rare isotope in atmospheric oxygen rises when carbon dioxide climbs and falls when global plant growth, or gross primary productivity (<a href="https://www.un-redd.org/glossary/gross-primary-productivity-gpp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GPP</a>), surges.



Because animals incorporate that signal through their body water, enamel preserves it like handwriting in stone. Earlier <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304580458_Temperature_and_atmospheric_CO2_concentration_estimates_through_the_PETM_using_triple_oxygen_isotope_analysis_of_mammalian_bioapatite" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> proved the idea in Cenozoic mammal teeth, but this is the first time it has been applied to dinosaurs.



"The analysis of the three oxygen isotopes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-plant-eating-dinosaurs-chewed-through-thousands-of-teeth/">dental</a> enamel allows us to also measure the proportions of oxygen assimilated with respiratory air and drinking water," explained <a href="https://www.paleontology.uni-mainz.de/pub_tt.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Thomas Tütken</a> of Mainz. His remark highlights why enamel, not bone, became the sample of choice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-show-co₂-changes">Dinosaur teeth show CO₂ changes</h2>



Results show Late Jurassic skies carried about 1,200 ppm of CO₂, roughly four times the pre industrial benchmark of 280 ppm. By the Late Cretaceous, CO₂ dipped to near 750 ppm, still three times today’s level.



Certain Tyrannosaurus rex and Kaatedocus siberi teeth held isotope <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-predator-dissacus-praenuntius-ate-bones-adapting-to-climate-shock/">patterns</a> that differ sharply from their peers. Those outliers hint at short lived CO₂ spikes, possibly tied to volcanic gas releases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-co₂-sped-plant-growth">High CO₂ sped plant growth</h2>



Using published climate <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504324122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">models</a>, the team calculated that GPP in the Late Cretaceous ran almost double modern output. More CO₂ means photosynthesis can run faster, so forests and plankton likely pumped out extra oxygen while drawing down carbon.



"The information obtained through our study on the global primary production provides important evidence of both marine and terrestrial food webs that would be otherwise difficult to obtain," emphasized <a href="https://evo.oeko.uni-mainz.de/prof-dr-eva-m-griebeler-publikationen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Eva M. Griebeler</a> of Mainz. 



Greater plant productivity could explain how giant herbivores found enough calories to thrive.



High output also suggests rapid carbon cycling. Fast plant growth pulls CO₂ from air, but equally fast decay and volcanism can add it back, creating a dynamic greenhouse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-reveal-volcano-co₂-spikes">Dinosaur teeth reveal volcano CO₂ spikes</h2>



The isotope peaks coincide with the timing of eruptions in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X25001777" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deccan Traps</a>, a vast lava field in what is now India. Geochemical studies estimate the province vented more than 200,000 gigatons of CO₂ over a short geological window.



Such gas surges could drive abrupt warming, reinforce monsoons, and disturb ocean chemistry. Some researchers see them as a prelude to the mass extinction that followed.



Modeling <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2007797118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> of Deccan outgassing show that even moderate estimates of emitted carbon can lift global temperatures by several degrees Fahrenheit. The new tooth data provide a direct terrestrial check on those calculations.



"Our teeth samples offer a previously missing land based puzzle piece," Feng added. By pairing enamel records with marine proxies, scientists can now test how quickly air, sea, and life responded to volcanic jolts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-help-study-climate-future">Dinosaur teeth help study climate future</h2>



Today’s CO₂ is racing past 420 ppm, still only a third of Late Jurassic values, yet the planet is already warming fast. 



That difference reminds us that continental layouts, ocean circulation, and solar input frame how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases.



The method promises fresh looks at other deep time events, from Permian super greenhouses to ice house swings. It could also refine biogeochemical models that feed into future climate projections.



Feng’s group is now collecting enamel from early mammals to chart CO₂ through the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum, an analog for rapid warming driven by carbon release. 



If the technique holds up, museum drawers filled with fossil teeth may become a new archive for climate science.



"Our work turns dinosaurs into climate experts," Feng said with a grin. Their bites, it seems, still have plenty to teach.



Image credit: Tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex that was excavated in Alberta, Canada. Credit: photo/©: Thomas Tütken



The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504324122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Dinosaur teeth reveal CO2 levels and climate conditions in the Jurassic Period

Dinosaur teeth are best known for their bite, yet new...

<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>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----



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>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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>



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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.

<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://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter 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://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

[sendtonews key="sFFhiK9OOn-1720418-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

News coming your way