Manta,In,The,Blue,Background,While,Diving,Maldives

A new survey of North Sea waters has revealed that several shark and ray species move through Dutch offshore wind farms and may even use them as shelter.



By reading traces of DNA suspended in seawater, scientists from <a href="https://www.wur.nl/en.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wageningen University &amp; Research</a> have shown that these high-tech energy sites could also play an unexpected part in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-conservation-credit-system-could-reduce-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine conservation</a>. 



The research provides new evidence that renewable-energy structures can interact with marine life in complex ways - sometimes for the better.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sharks-and-rays-at-wind-farms">Sharks and rays at wind farms</h2>



The team collected 436 water samples inside and around four wind-farm zones: Borssele, Hollandse Kust Zuid, Luchterduinen, and Gemini. Each sample was filtered in the lab for fragments of genetic material shed by passing animals. The method, known as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-fishing-helps-scientists-survey-marine-life-in-the-deep-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environmental DNA</a> or eDNA, is sensitive enough to confirm a species’ presence without nets or hooks.



“We're trying to understand whether these animals are actually using the wind farms as habitat, or whether they're being displaced by them,” said lead author Annemiek Hermans, a PhD candidate at Wageningen University &amp; Research.



Five elasmobranchs - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-sharks-face-growing-threats-despite-conservation-efforts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharks</a> and rays - left a clear genetic signature at wind farms. Thornback rays appeared most often and in three of the four farms throughout the year.



Starry smooth-hound sharks and blonde rays showed up in multiple seasons. Basking sharks, famous for their long migrations, were detected in Hollandse Kust Zuid during winter, hinting at cold-season routes previously unknown in Dutch waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reading-the-water-for-clues">Reading the water for clues</h2>



“It's like finding a fingerprint in the water,” Hermans explained. “Even if you don't see the shark, the DNA tells you it's been there.”



Because the technique is quick and does not disturb wildlife, it opens new doors for large-scale monitoring in rough offshore conditions. It also lets scientists compare many sites over time, revealing patterns that traditional surveys might miss.



The study drew on earlier data gathered by <a href="https://www.therichnorthsea.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Rich North Sea program</a>, then added fresh fieldwork to paint a broader picture. By merging datasets, the researchers confirmed that sharks and rays are not just skirting the turbine fields - they are moving through them in measurable numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turbines-sharks-and-rays-find-shelter">Turbines: Sharks and rays find shelter</h2>



Turbine safety zones ban bottom-trawling and other gear that gouges the seabed. Those restrictions give benthic habitats a break from constant disturbance, allowing worms, shellfish and small fish to rebound. Such changes create richer feeding grounds and hiding spots for predators higher up the food web.



“We must tread carefully,” Hermans cautioned. “If we start allowing bottom trawling in these areas, we risk losing the very protection these zones may offer.”



Vulnerable elasmobranchs, which mature slowly and lay few eggs, could benefit most from these inadvertent sanctuaries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wind-farms-influence-sharks-and-rays">Wind farms influence sharks and rays</h2>



The findings arrive just as the European Union rolls out the Nature Restoration Law and updates its Habitats Directive.



Policymakers face a delicate task: scaling up <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tapping-into-the-natural-power-of-plants-for-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">renewable energy</a> without harming the ecosystems they hope to safeguard. Evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/offshore-wind-farms-threaten-marine-life-hotspots/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wind farms</a> can double as conservation assets offers a rare chance for a “win-win” approach.



The six-year <a href="https://www.wur.nl/en/project/elasmopower-1.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ElasmoPower project</a>, under which this study falls, also looks at how electromagnetic fields from subsea power cables might influence shark and ray behavior.



Future work will blend lab trials with camera arrays, sensors, and more eDNA sampling to see whether the animals linger, feed, or breed inside turbine clusters - or simply pass through.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-for-north-sea-wildlife"><a></a>Next steps for North Sea wildlife</h2>



Using non-invasive genetics, the team now has a baseline for tracking seasonal movements and long-term trends. Repeating the survey in different years and depths could reveal whether the number of elasmobranchs rises as benthic life recovers beneath turbine blades.



The same approach might be applied to other protected species, guiding spatial plans that place turbines where they help rather than harm.



For now, the study demonstrates that wind farms are more than power plants. They are new structures in a busy sea, shaping habitats in ways still being mapped. Whether those changes become a net gain for threatened sharks and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-rays-were-more-diverse-than-previously-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rays</a> will depend on careful management - and on keeping the trawls out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beneath-the-waves">Beneath the waves</h2>



The North Sea is a crowded stage of shipping lanes, fishing grounds and growing energy grids. Environmental DNA offers a swift, animal-friendly way to see how each new addition affects life below the surface.



In this case it has been shown that, under the right rules, rows of spinning turbines might turn into corridors of relative calm for some of the ocean’s most ancient fish.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107671" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ocean &amp; Coastal Management</a>.



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Offshore wind farms are now habitats for sharks and rays

A new survey of North Sea waters has revealed that several shark and ray species move through Dutch offshore wind farms and may even use them as shelter. By reading traces of DNA suspended in seawater, scientists from Wageningen University &amp; Research have shown that these high-tech energy sites could also play an unexpected part in marine conservation. The research provides new evidence that renewable-energy structures can interact with marine life in complex ways - sometimes for the better. Sharks and rays at wind farms The team...

Post Oil Cleanup, SoCal Beaches Could Reopen For the Weekend. A 7-mile stretch of Southern California coastline that was closed to swimmers and surfers after globs of oily goo washed ashore could reopen Friday after a two-day cleanup effort.
Officials were assessing the popular beaches on Santa Monica Bay and would make a decision by midday, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Michael Anderson said.
Workers scooped up truckloads - about 30 cubic yards - of sandy tar balls and patties that began washing up Wednesday but had mostly dissipated by Thursday.
"We've made significant progress," Anderson said. "We estimate 90 percent of what we saw on the beach on Wednesday has been recovered." Post Oil Cleanup, SoCal Beaches Could Reopen For the Weekend
U.S. Coast Guard and state officials said samples of tar and water would be analyzed to identify where the material originated, but it could take days to get the results.
There is a refinery and offshore oil tanker terminal nearby but the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=coast+guard&amp;cvid=a533cbb80f4b412080887a020fc740ba&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Coast Guard</a> did not find a sheen from a possible spill after the tar started to accumulate. There is also a major shipping channel in the area.
Nothing has been ruled out, including last week's oil spill that dumped thousands of gallons of crude along the Santa Barbara County coast about 100 miles to the northwest. Two beaches there have been closed until at least June 4. Post Oil Cleanup, SoCal Beaches Could Reopen For the Weekend
The environmentalist group Heal The Bay worried that the shoreline from Manhattan Beach to Redondo Beach would reopen too soon.
"From a human health perspective, exposure through skin contact is a concern," the group said in a statement.
Someone dropped off an oil-covered loon at a wildlife center in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/iceberg-breaks-off-antarctica/">Manhattan Beach</a>, but it's not clear exactly where the bird or the oil came from, the Coast Guard said. No other wildlife issues have been reported. The loon is expected to recover and be released back into the wild.
Lifeguards chased a handful of surfers out of the water Thursday at Manhattan Beach, but beach life was otherwise normal for people exercising, playing volleyball, skating and riding bikes along the shore.
"I got a couple waves in and then they came by again and told me to get out," said Scott Berk, who regularly surfs waves in the area.
He said surfers are used to seeing bits of tar in the water and on the shore from natural seafloor seepage, but the amount that came in Wednesday was concerning.
"I hope they clean it up quickly," he said.
Public health officials told people to avoid contact with the water, wet sand or any material that washed up in the area.
---
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Post Oil Cleanup, SoCal Beaches Could Reopen For the Weekend

Post Oil Cleanup, SoCal Beaches Could Reopen For the Weekend....

Earthquake Alaska

Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Strikes Alaska. A strong earthquake struck in a remote region off the Alaska coast, but there was no threat of tsunami or immediate reports of damage, officials said.
The magnitude-6.7 quake struck at 11 p.m. Thursday and was centered in the ocean about 35 miles beneath the seabed and some 400 miles southwest of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=anchorage&amp;cvid=006d9bd1c1264156b79d4d8bfac7646f&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Anchorage</a>, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It hit a remote and lightly populated Aleutian Island region.
The temblor was felt on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/dust-streams-over-the-gulf-of-alaska/">Alaska</a> Peninsula and Kodiak Island, more than 100 miles away.
The "earthquake lasted a minute - max," Kodiak resident Don Roberts told the Kodiak Daily Mirror (<a href="http://bit.ly/1eDdSvE" target="-blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://bit.ly/1eDdSvE</a> ). "We're up for the next two hours talking about it." Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Strikes Alaska
The police dispatch office in Kodiak says the quake was felt at the station, but it received no reports of damage. Alaska is by far the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states <a title="Texas" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas">Texas</a>, California, and Montana combined, and the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and the most sparsely populated state, but by far the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the <a title="60th parallel north" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60th_parallel_north">60th parallel</a>, with an estimated population of 738,432 as of 2015—more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and <a title="Greenland" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland">Greenland</a>. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. The state capital of <a title="Juneau, Alaska" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau,_Alaska">Juneau</a> is the second-largest city in the United States by area, comprising more territory than the states of <a title="Rhode Island" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island">Rhode Island</a> and <a title="Delaware" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware">Delaware</a>.
Several aftershocks of magnitude-3.0 or greater followed the larger shaking, the Geological Survey said.
There is no tsunami danger, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
---
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Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Strikes Alaska

Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Strikes Alaska. A strong earthquake struck in...

Senegal Is Latest To Ban Thin Plastic Shopping Bags. At a market in Senegal's capital, the sandy paths are strewn with them. They blow around like feathers in Dakar's coastal breezes, piling up alongside buildings on city streets and clogging canals.
Thin plastic shopping bags, and pieces of them, litter this seaside capital and the nearby waters of the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=atlantic+ocean&amp;cvid=f338844e166a488090284ed9a31f2f73&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Atlantic Ocean</a>. The number of discarded bags is staggering - a total of 5 million in Senegal, according to Environment Minister Abdoulaye Balde.
Now, the government is set to impose a ban, joining a global shift against the bags.
Street vendors wonder how they will do business without them. Dauda Ndiaye sells hundreds of plastic bags a day to other vendors, who sell fish, meat and other goods in the Ouakam neighborhood. For 500 francs (about $1), a customer can buy a packet of 100.
Banning the bags will "be a huge problem because all the vendors here use plastic to sell nuts, glass, meat, fruit and vegetables," said Ndiaye, a 23-year-old father of three. "If they are going to ban plastic, I won't be able to feed my family."
Another merchant, Ami Ndiaye, says she must keep using plastic to protect the charcoal she sells wrapped in small paper rolls which are then neatly piled into plastic.
"The problem isn't the plastic, it's the people," she said. "People must put it in the garbage and not on the streets so animals don't eat it and it doesn't pile up."
But Pascaline Ouedraego fully supports the measures, saying she worries about chemicals from the sacks getting into the food she buys. She moved to Senegal four years ago from Burkina Faso, which adopted a ban.
"The problem is no one understands what else to use, so it's been difficult," she said of Burkina Faso. "Little by little people can learn" to use safer alternative products, like paper and reusable bags.
In April, Senegal's National Assembly unanimously prohibited the production, importation, possession and use of the black bags that are so thin they can barely hold several cans of soda without falling apart and are usually discarded after one use. Implementation was planned for six months later.
In 2013, Mauritania imposed a ban, saying an estimated 70 percent of cattle and sheep in the capital were dying from ingesting plastic bags, according to the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute. Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Malawi are also among countries that have adopted or announced bans, according to the institute. Botswana and South Africa require a certain thickness of plastic bags, so they can be reused, and added levies saw a reduction in use, the institute added.
Rwanda banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic at a certain thickness in 2008 and carries out strict enforcement, including taking plastic off of luggage and seizing bags that don't meet specifications from visitors flying into the country.
In France this week, the National Assembly approved a bill that would ban plastic bags in all supermarkets and stores on January 1, 2016. And in April, The European Parliament approved rules to clamp down on the use of flimsy plastic bags, removing the last major hurdle to pass the legislation. It would require member states to reduce the use by some 80 percent by 2025.
The U.S. is seeing most bans imposed on local levels, by cities and counties.
Senegal's government hasn't announced details on how it will enact the bans, but said alternative solutions to the flimsy bags will have to be found. The discarded bags are an eyesore, shredded and hanging in trees and beautiful flowering branches. And they are a danger to fish, sheep and other animals that may ingest the bags and their toxins.
Modou Fall, who has dedicated himself to getting Senegalese to stop littering and quit using plastic bags, is optimistic about the ban, though he notes that garbage bins are needed around the city so people can properly dispose of trash.
Clad in more than 7,000 thin plastic sacks and a dome cap made from 100 plastic cups stapled together, the tall 42-year-old is a familiar, although bizarre, sight in Dakar. Wearing the plastic items that he gathered from the streets and cleaned, he looks like a creature that emerged from a swamp, the litter clinging to him. Senegal Is Latest To Ban Thin Plastic Shopping Bags
He walks 15 kilometers (9 miles) every day, urging people over a microphone and speaker to stop littering and to switch to paper bags that he sells. He pushes a cart with two Senegalese flags protruding from it and speakers playing military music.
Fall buys bulk paper sacks from a factory and sells about 1,000 per day, including to a pharmacy and other stores.
"Plastic sticks around for hundreds of years, beyond anyone's lifetime," he said. "We must think of future generations."
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Senegal Is Latest To Ban Thin Plastic Shopping Bags

Senegal Is Latest To Ban Thin Plastic Shopping Bags. At...

May 2015 Has Been A Month Of Global Extreme Weather. Even for a world getting used to extreme weather, May seems stuck on strange.
Torrential downpours in Texas that have whiplashed the region from drought to flooding. A heat wave that has killed more than 1,800 people in India. Record 91-degree readings in Alaska, of all places. A pair of top-of-the-scale typhoons in the Northwest <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/noumea-in-the-south-pacific-archipelago-of-new-caledonia/">Pacific.</a> And a drought taking hold in the East. May 2015 Has Been A Month Of Global Extreme Weather
"Mother Nature keeps throwing us crazy stuff," Rutgers University <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=climate+change&amp;cvid=dad26286b65146e9bba9e6f83923f50e&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">climate</a> scientist Jennifer Francis says. "It's just been one thing after another."
Jerry Meehl, an extreme-weather expert at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, points out that May is usually a pretty extreme month, with lots of tornadoes and downpours. Even so, he says, this has been "kind of unusually intense."
The word "stuck" provides one possible explanation.
Francis, Meehl and some other meteorologists say the jet stream is in a rut, not moving nasty weather along. The high-speed, constantly shifting river of air 30,000 feet above Earth normally guides storms around the globe, but sometimes splits and comes back together somewhere else.
A stuck jet stream, with a bit of a split, explains the extremes in Texas, India, Alaska and the U.S. East, but not the typhoons, Francis says.
Other possible factors contributing to May's wild weather: the periodic warming of the central Pacific known as El Nino, climate change and natural variability, scientists say.
Texas this month has received a record statewide average of 8 inches of rain and counting. Some parts of the Lone Star State and Oklahoma have gotten more than a foot and a half since May 1. The two states have gone from exceptional drought to flooding in just four weeks.
Texas state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon attributes the heavy rainfall to an unusually southern fork in the jet stream, a stuck stationary front and El Nino, and says the downpours have probably been made slightly worse by <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=climate+change&amp;cvid=dad26286b65146e9bba9e6f83923f50e&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">climate change.</a>
For every degree Celsius the air is warmer, it can hold 7 percent more moisture. That, Nielsen-Gammon says, "is supplying more juice to the event."
While it is too early to connect one single event to man-made warming, scientific literature shows "that when it rains hard, it rains harder than it did 20 to 30 years ago," says University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
As bad as the Texas flooding has been, the heat wave in India has been far worse - in fact, the world's fifth-deadliest since 1900, with reports of the 100-degree-plus heat even buckling roads. And it's a consequence of the stuck jet stream, according to Francis and Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters.
When climate scientists look at what caused extreme events - a complex and time-consuming process that hasn't been done yet - heat waves are the ones most definitely connected to global warming, Shepherd says.
The stuck jet stream has kept Alaska on bake, with the town of Eagle hitting 91, the earliest Alaska has had a temperature pushing past 90, Masters says.
And on the other end of the country, New York; Boston; Hartford, Connecticut; Albany, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; and Concord, New Hampshire, all have received less than an inch of rain this month and are flirting with setting monthly records for drought, he says.
El Nino is known to change the weather worldwide, often making things more extreme. This El Nino is itself weird. It was long predicted but came far later and weaker than expected. So experts dialed back their forecasts. Then El Nino got stronger quickly.
Some scientists have theorized that the jet stream has been changing in recent years because of shrinking Arctic sea ice, an idea that has not totally been accepted but is gaining ground, Shepherd says.
Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, likens what's happening to a stewpot: Natural climate fluctuations such as El Nino go into it. So do jet stream meanderings, random chance, May being a transition month, and local variability. Then throw in the direct and indirect effects of climate change.
"We know that the stew has an extra ingredient," Hayhoe says, referring to climate change. "That ingredient is very strong. Sometimes you add one teaspoon of the wrong ingredient and boy, it can take your head off."
---
Seth Borenstein can be followed at <a href="http://twitter.com/borenbears" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/borenbears</a>
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May 2015 Has Been A Month Of Global Extreme Weather

May 2015 Has Been A Month Of Global Extreme Weather....

Republicans Vow To Reverse Obama's Course On <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/breakthrough-may-greatly-improve-the-production-of-clean-water/">Clean Water</a> And Global Warming. The Obama administration says a new federal rule regulating small streams and wetlands will protect the drinking water of more than 117 million people in the country.
Not so, insist <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Republicans&amp;cvid=242dd1c2a7cb4f37805555fd05539e13&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Republicans</a>. They say the rule is a massive government overreach that could even subject puddles and ditches to regulation. Republicans Vow To Reverse Obama's Course
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is promising to "rein in" the government through legislation or other means. Republicans Vow To Reverse Obama's Course On Clean Water
It's a threat with a familiar ring.
What else are Capito and other Republicans pledging to try to block?
- the administration's plan to curb carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.
- its proposal for stricter limits on smog-forming pollution linked to asthma and respiratory illness
- a separate rule setting the first national standards for waste generated from coal burned for electricity.
The rules are among a host of regulations that majority Republicans have targeted for repeal or delay as they confront President Barack Obama on a second-term priority: his environmental legacy, especially his efforts to reduce the pollution linked to global warming.
---
WHAT HAS OBAMA PROPOSED?
Last June, Obama rolled out a plan to cut earth-warming pollution from power plants by 30 percent by 2030, setting in motion one of the most significant U.S. actions ever to address global warming. Once completed this summer, the rule will set the first national limits on carbon dioxide from existing power plants, the largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S.
The administration says the rule is expected to raise electricity prices by about 4.9 percent by 2020 and spur a wave of retirements of coal-fired power plants.
The administration also has moved forward on other rules, including the water plan announced last Wednesday. Officials say it will provide much-needed clarity for landowners about which small waterways and tributaries must be protected against pollution and development.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, said the rule only would affect waters with a "direct and significant" connection to larger bodies of water downstream that already are protected.
The administration has proposed stricter emissions limits on smog-forming pollution linked to asthma and respiratory illness. Rather than settling on a firm new ozone limit, the EPA is proposing a range of allowable ozone levels that cut the existing level but do not go as far as environmental and public health groups want. The rule is expected to be completed later this year.
In December, the administration set the first national standards for waste generated from coal burned for electricity, treating it more like household garbage than a hazardous material. Environmentalists had pushed for the hazardous classification, citing hundreds of cases nationwide in which coal ash waste has tainted waterways or underground aquifers, in many cases legally.
The coal industry wanted the less stringent classification, arguing that coal ash is not dangerous, and that a hazardous label would hinder recycling. About 40 percent of coal ash is reused.
---
WHAT DO REPUBLICANS SAY ABOUT THE RULES?
GOP lawmakers criticize the rules as anti-business job killers that go further than needed to protect the nation's air and water supplies and other natural resources.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the new water rule will send "landowners, small businesses, farmers and manufacturers on the road to a regulatory and economic hell."
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Obama and the EPA are "aggressively pushing an extreme and costly regulatory agenda" that will harm the U.S. economy and everyday life of Americans. His committee "continues to pursue legislation to take aim at EPA's costly and harmful regulations," Inhofe said.
---
WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO CONGRESSIONAL OPPONENTS?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has led the charge against the power plant rule, which he says amounts to a declaration of war against his home state, a longtime leader in coal production.
McConnell wrote the 50 governors in March urging them not to comply with the rule, which requires implementation by the states. McConnell has encouraged legal challenges to the rule and recently announced a new wrinkle, telling the EPA's McCarthy that Congress could block the plan by using an obscure section of the Clean Air Act requiring congressional consent for agreements among states.
"The law reads: `No such agreement or compact shall be binding or obligatory upon any state ... unless and until it has been approved by Congress,'" McConnell told McCarthy at an April hearing. "Doesn't seem ambivalent to me. I can assure you that as long as I am majority leader of the Senate, this body will not sign off on any backdoor national energy tax."
---
WHAT'S NEXT?
<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coal-plants-closed-trump/">Obama</a>, McCarthy and officials are not backing down. At the April hearing, McCarthy told McConnell that the EPA guidelines are reasonable and give states "tremendous flexibility."
The EPA will produce a rule "that will withstand the test of time in the courts," McCarthy said.
"You're going to have to prove it in court," McConnell said.
"As we most often do," McCarthy replied.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate will continue to hold hearings on the administration's plans and push bills to block the rules or curb spending on them. The GOP-controlled House passed a bill blocking the EPA water rule on May 12 - two weeks before it was officially announced. Bills to block the power plant rule, ozone limits and coal ash regulation have been filed in both chambers.
"We are going to pursue all avenues," McConnell told The Associated Press. "The solution is not right here (in Congress), it's out there - either in the courts or the governors refusing to file plans."
This week, the EPA is expected to propose regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty trucks, cutting millions of tons of carbon dioxide pollution while saving millions of barrels of oil.
EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said in all its actions, the agency is merely fulfilling its mission to protect the environment.
"Clean air and clean water should not be a political issue," she said. "All sides of the aisle want a clean and safe planet for their children and future generations. We are just doing our jobs - as Congress has directed us, and as courts have affirmed for us - to protect public health and the environment."
---
Follow Matthew Daly: <a href="http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC</a>
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Republicans Vow To Reverse Obama's Course

Republicans Vow To Reverse Obama's Course On Clean Water And...

The Ebb And Flow Of Greenland's Glaciers. In northwestern Greenland, glaciers flow from the main ice sheet to the ocean in see-sawing seasonal patterns. The ice generally flows faster in the summer than in winter, and the ends of glaciers, jutting out into the ocean, also advance and retreat with the seasons.

Now, a new analysis shows some important connections between these seasonal patterns, sea ice cover and longer-term trends. Glaciologists hope the findings, accepted for publication in the June issue of the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface and available online now, will help them better anticipate how a warming Greenland will contribute to sea level rise.

"Rising sea level can be hard on coastal communities, with higher storm surges, greater flooding and saltwater encroachment on freshwater," said lead author Twila Moon, a researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). NSIDC is part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

"We know that sea level will go up in the future," Moon said. "The challenge is to understand how quickly it will rise, and one element of that is better understanding how Greenland glaciers behave."

Moon and colleagues from the University of Washington focused on 16 glaciers in northwest Greenland, collecting detailed information on glacier speed, terminus position (the "end" of the glacier in the ocean) and sea ice conditions, during the years 2009-2014.

Sea ice had an important influence on the glaciers: When the waters in front of the glacier were completely covered by sea ice, the ends of the glaciers often advanced out away from land; icebergs that might otherwise have broken off and floated away stayed attached. When sea ice broke up in the spring, the ends of the glaciers usually quickly <a href="http://www.agu.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">retreated</a> back toward land as icebergs broke away.

By contrast, seasonal swings in glacier speed had little to do with sea ice conditions or glacier terminus location. Rather, the speed (velocity) of ice flow is likely responding to changes in the surface melt on top of the ice sheet and the movement of meltwater through and under the ice sheet.

Over the longer-term, however, Moon and her colleagues found a tight relationship between the speed of glaciers and terminus location. When sea ice levels were especially low and glaciers' toes (termini) retreated more than normal and then didn't re-advance, the glaciers sped up, moving ice toward the sea more quickly. While low sea ice is likely not the full cause of the changes, it may be a visible indication of other processes, such as subsurface ice melt, that also affect terminus retreat, Moon said.

It's important to recognize that the mechanisms driving seasonal glacier changes--in northwestern Greenland and around the world--are not necessarily the same ones driving longer-term trends, Moon said. Knowing the differences may help researchers better anticipate the impact of anomalously low sea ice years, for example.

"We do know we're going to see sea ice reduction in this area, and it's possible we can begin to estimate how that may affect glacier velocities," Moon said. It's also possible, she said, that researchers and communities interested in long-term glacial changes--the kind that affect sea levels--may not need to focus as much on seasonal advance and retreat of the rivers of ice. The Ebb And Flow Of Greenland's Glaciers

"It may be that we need to instead pay more attention to these out-of-bounds events, these anomalous years of very low sea ice or very high melt that likely have the greatest influence on longer-term trends."

---

<a href="http://www.agu.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Geophysical Union</a>

The Ebb And Flow Of Greenland's Glaciers

The Ebb And Flow Of Greenland's Glaciers. In northwestern Greenland,...

ENV-SMOG

Major Oil Companies Call For Carbon Price To Curb Emissions. Six European oil and gas companies have called for a global price on carbon as a way to curb climate-warming emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
The appeal by the chief executives of Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Eni, Total, Statoil and the BG Group came as U.N. climate talks resumed Monday in Bonn. Major Oil Companies Call For Carbon Price To Curb Emissions
It shows the oil and gas industry, at least in Europe, wants to play a public role in the conversation on a new global climate deal that's expected to be adopted in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/inconsistent-paris-agreement-pledges/">Paris</a> in December.
"Our companies would like to open direct dialogue with the U.N. and willing governments," the companies said in the letter, which was addressed to U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
The six corporations called for carbon markets to be introduced around the world and the creation of an international framework that would eventually link them all.
While that involves a cost for fossil-fuel companies, they said "carbon pricing policy frameworks" will help provide a roadmap for energy companies and investors.
Carbon markets set limits on the amount of pollution a company can release and allow them to trade emissions permits using the market to set the price.
What role <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=carbon&amp;cvid=9aa6eaecc2b44fe28648c9b1e8e95636&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">carbon</a> markets will play in the Paris agreement is still unclear. At the two-week session in Bonn, negotiators were hoping to streamline a sprawling negotiating text that contains various options and sub-options.
On his way to Bonn, Fabius told The Associated Press that governments have to make progress now because "I don't want to draw the text out of my pocket in Paris."
Some environmental groups that oppose carbon markets were suspicious of the letter from the chief executives, with Greenpeace calling it a "smoke screen."
"In the long term they have the wrong business model and that's something they have to acknowledge," said Martin Kaiser, a Greenpace climate policy expert.
Environmental groups are calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels and a shift to renewable energy sources like wind or solar power, which fossil fuel companies say is unrealistic, given the world's growing demand for energy.
----
Ritter reported from Stockholm.
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Major Oil Companies Call For Carbon Price To Curb Emissions

Major Oil Companies Call For Carbon Price To Curb Emissions....

Swimming Pool Industry Under Fire Due To California Drought. The drought gripping California has the swimming pool and spa industry on the offensive. Pool contractors worry about damage to their business as water districts consider bans on filling new pools and refilling existing ones.
Here is a look at the numbers being cited by three different parties who are concerned about the installation - or lack of installation - of new pools in California this summer: Swimming Pool Industry Under Fire Due To California Drought
-THE SWIMMING POOL AND SPA INDUSTRY
The California Pool and Spa Association estimates that, after an initial fill, a standard-sized backyard swimming pool plus deck results in one-third less water use than a similarly sized, irrigated lawn. The calculation is for a pool with no evaporation cover.
With a cover, the pool becomes as efficient as a backyard planted with drought-tolerant, California-native plant species, according to John Norwood, the association's president and chief lobbyist. Norwood's calculations assume the pool and deck together cover 1,200 square feet.
"You're talking 7 to 200 gallons a day from a leaking toilet and how many toilets are there in California? Do the math. It's crazy," Norwood said. "A symbolic gesture is not worth putting people out of business."
-THE WATER DISTRICT
Some water districts considered bans on filling and refilling pools, but rolled them back after hearing from the swimming pool industry. Even so, water districts' estimates of water use by a pool differ from the industry's.
The Santa Margarita Water District in <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orange+County&amp;cvid=7fcba6444876486d8fdc2e11a18436ca&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Orange County</a> last year abandoned plans for a ban on new swimming pools, but did its own calculations and now provides a widget on its home page that helps prospective pool permit applicants design an efficient pool.
The district estimates that a pool and deck covering 1,000 square feet uses about 3,000 gallons less than traditional lawn the first year but breaks even within three years. With a pool cover on 70 percent of the time, the district says, a pool will use more than five times less water than a traditional landscape and still less than a drought-tolerant landscape of native California plants.
"We're comfortable with three-year break-even point, but the message is that a pool can be more efficient than even California-friendly turf if it's covered," said Jonathan Volske, spokesman for the water district.
-THE CONSERVATIONIST
Californians have no business putting in new pools or refilling drained pools in a drought, according to Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit research institute in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/local-air-pollution-map-oakland/">Oakland</a> that focuses on the environment and sustainability issues.
Variables such as splash rate, whether a pool is covered and how the lawn was managed before it was ripped out make the pool-versus-lawn calculation almost meaningless - although they probably roughly use the same amount of water, he said.
But such calculations miss the point: Instead of installing a pool, homeowners should be letting their lawns die or replanting with drought-tolerant species to save water, he said.
"It's all about the choices you make," Gleick said. "We're in a drought and if you have a pool, I'm not saying remove it - but you sure better cover it."
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Swimming Pool Industry Under Fire Due To California Drought

Swimming Pool Industry Under Fire Due To California Drought. The...

California Oil Spill

Things To Know About The California Oil Spill. Cleanup crews continued to mop up oil-stained beaches along California's Central Coast two weeks after an onshore underground pipeline ruptured, leaking thousands of gallons of crude into the Pacific.
The May 19 spill occurred along the same stretch of Santa Barbara County coast as the devastating oil platform blowout in 1969 that galvanized the environmental movement.
While the impacts of the latest spill have been far less severe, the episode has angered conservationists and residents who lived through the earlier disaster.
Here are some things to know about the oil spill and the aftermath:
HOW DID THE SPILL HAPPEN?
A 24-inch pipeline that delivers crude oil from offshore drilling rigs to refineries inland ruptured and leaked for several hours before firefighters stopped the flow.
Up to 101,000 gallons of oil escaped including an estimated 21,000 gallons that washed into a storm drain and flowed out to sea. The spill quickly stretched 9 miles along the coast, forcing the closure of two state beaches and prompting a fishing ban.
Before the spill was discovered, an employee with Plains All American Pipeline noticed problems with the pipeline and remotely shut it down.
Last week, a section of the ruptured pipeline was excavated for testing to determine the cause of break - a process that could take months.
HOW IS THE CLEANUP GOING?
The task of cleaning up the mess has come under fire from environmentalists and lawmakers who questioned whether enough was done early on to contain the damage.
In a letter last week to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California labeled the response to the spill "insufficient." The senators questioned why it took Plains about 90 minutes after the spill to alert a clearinghouse that coordinates agencies in an emergency. They also questioned whether enough workers were mobilized to tackle the spill.
The Coast Guard defended the early response, saying it took some time to ramp up because crews had to parachute in from all over the state and country.
"We had people on the ground on day zero - people who were actually physically doing things to prevent the worsening of the spill," said Coast Guard Capt. Jennifer Williams.
About 1,150 workers currently are involved in the cleanup that includes removing tar and oil from sand and rocks and collecting oil-covered seaweed and kelp on the beach. About a dozen ships deployed to skim oil from the ocean have recovered nearly 12,000 gallons of oily water mixture.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT TO WILDLIFE?
Wildlife officers have recovered 168 birds and marine mammals coated in oil since the spill. About half were found dead including brown pelicans, sea lions and dolphins.
The toll on wildlife is relatively small compared to the 1969 spill that spewed more than 3 million gallons of oil into the ocean, killing thousands of seabirds and other animals.
ARE THE TAR BALLS SIGHTINGS RELATED TO THE SPILL?
Several days after the spill, tar balls and blobs of oil washed up on beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Beaches were temporarily closed as workers scooped up the oily goo.
Investigators are analyzing samples to determine if the oil is related to the Plains spill to the northwest or whether it's an excess of the natural seepage that can occur in the region.
WHO PAYS FOR THE CLEANUP?
The cost of the cleanup has not been released, but authorities have said the pipeline operator would foot the bill. The company also set up a claims process for people and businesses affected by the spill.
---
Contact the reporter at: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia</a>
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Things To Know About The California Oil Spill

Things To Know About The California Oil Spill. Cleanup crews...

Feds Releasing Bull Trout Recovering Plan. Federal officials are releasing a plan to recover struggling bull trout populations in five Western states with the goal of lifting Endangered Species Act protections.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the draft plan for six recovery units spread over Idaho, western Montana, Washington, Oregon and a tiny portion of northern <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-danger-will-continue-to-increase-in-california-and-nevada/">Nevada</a> will be released on Thursday with public comments being taken through July 20.
The agency proposes allowing the lifting of federal protections in the six recovery units individually when specific requirement are met. The agency said the recovery units contain distinct populations of bull trout with unique characteristics. Feds Releasing Bull Trout Recovering Plan
"We think the approach is tactical and appropriate," said Steve Duke, bull trout recovery planning coordinator for the agency. "We think it focuses on what still needs to be done, and it lets local agencies and those with managerial oversight focus on those areas without having to look at the larger distribution of bull trout."
Specifically, the agency identifies 111 core bull trout areas in the six recovery units. Duke said the plan doesn't dictate actions, but looks at ways to keep clean and cold water in streams.
The draft plan is the result of a settlement the agency made last year following a lawsuit by two environmental groups - the Alliance for the Wild <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=rockies&amp;cvid=fcfc7a11b08a4e1981a147878d79e6fe&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Rockies</a> and Friends of the Wild Swan.
Michael Garrity of Alliance for the Wild Rockies said he's concerned the agency is looking to define bull trout differently in different regions so federal protections could be removed in some areas while fish are still in trouble in other areas. He said his organization would be against that plan.
"We're optimistic they'll listen to us," Garrity said. "But we're optimistic because we've sued them on bull trout about a dozen times and won each time. If they don't follow the best available science, we won't hesitate to sue again."
Bull trout are a cold water species listed as threatened in the lower 48 in 1999. Both Garrity and Duke said maintaining cold and clean water is essential for bull trout.
Non-native brook trout are a problem because they can hybridize with bull trout. Other problems include isolated of populations. The plan also considers warming waters due to climate change that is forcing some populations, Duke said, into upper regions of river systems.
"We expect that to continue into the future," he said.
He said the presence of bull trout is often a sign of a healthy river system.
"They're a good indicator species for a variety of reason," Duke said.
He said that bull trout occupy about 60 percent of their former range, which he noted has remained steady since the fish received federal protection in 1999.
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Feds Releasing Bull Trout Recovering Plan

Feds Releasing Bull Trout Recovering Plan. Federal officials are releasing...

Study: Most Americans Could Eat Locally Grown Foods. New farmland-mapping research published today shows that up to 90 percent of Americans could be fed entirely by food grown or raised within 100 miles of their homes.

Professor Elliott Campbell Opens a New Window., with the University of California, Merced, School of Engineering, discusses the possibilities in a study entitled “The Large Potential of Local Croplands to Meet Food Demand in the United States Opens a New Window..” The research results are the cover story of the newest edition of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the flagship journal for the Ecological Society of America, which boasts a membership of 10,000 scientists.

“Elliott Campbell's research is making an important contribution to the national conversation on local food systems,” influential author and UC Berkeley Professor Michael Pollan said. “That conversation has been hobbled by too much wishful thinking and not enough hard data — exactly what Campbell is bringing to the table.”

The popularity of “farm to table” has skyrocketed in the past few years as people become more interested in supporting local farmers and getting fresher food from sources they know and trust. Even large chain restaurants are making efforts to source supplies locally, knowing more customers care where their food comes from.

“Farmers markets are popping up in new places, food hubs are ensuring regional distribution, and the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill supports local production — for good reason, too,” Campbell said. “There are profound social and environmental benefits to eating locally.”

Local food potential has declined over time, which Campbell said was an expected finding, given limited land resources and growing populations and suburbanization.

The surprise, though, was how much potential still remains.

Most areas of the country could feed between 80 percent and 100 percent of their populations with food grown or raised within 50 miles. Campbell used data from a farmland-mapping project funded by the National Science Foundation and information about land productivity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With additional support from the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/tule-fog-across-californias-central-valley/">California</a> Global Food Initiative, he found there is enough land to assure that eating locally doesn’t have to be a passing fad. Study: Most Americans Could Eat Locally Grown Foods

“These results are very timely with respect to increasing interests by the public in community-supported <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=agriculture&amp;cvid=72f8f888aaf8427c99c03a7ebd074546&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">agriculture</a>, as well as improving efficiencies in the food-energy-water nexus,” said Bruce Hamilton, program director for NSF, which supports a spectrum of emerging technologies Opens a New Window.that might help alleviate growing agricultural demands.

Campbell and his students looked at the farms within a local radius of every American city, then estimated how many calories those farms could produce. By comparing the potential calorie production to the population of each city, the researchers found the percentage of the population that could be supported entirely by food grown locally.

The researchers found surprising potential in major coastal cities. For example, New York City could feed only 5 percent of its population within 50 miles but as much as 30 percent within 100 miles. The greater Los Angeles area could feed as much as 50 percent within 100 miles.

Diet can also make a difference. For example, local food around San Diego can support 35 percent of the people based on the average U.S. diet, but as much as 51 percent of the population if people switched to plant-based diets.

Campbell’s maps suggest careful planning and policies are needed to protect farmland from suburbanization and encourage local farming for the future.

“One important aspect of food sustainability is recycling nutrients, water and energy. For example, if we used compost from cities to fertilize our farms, we would be less reliant on fossil-fuel-based fertilizers,” Campbell said. “But cities must be close to farms so we can ship compost economically and environmentally. Our maps provide the foundation for discovering how recycling could work.”

---

<a href="http://www.ucmerced.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.ucmerced.edu/</a>

Study: Most Americans Could Eat Locally Grown Foods

Study: Most Americans Could Eat Locally Grown Foods. New farmland-mapping...

Appeals Court Sides With Environmental Protection Agency. A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency complied with the law in deciding which areas of the country failed to meet federal limits on smog-forming pollution that can cause asthma and respiratory illness.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-sea-sponge-discovered-in-british-columbia/">Columbia</a> Circuit rejected challenges from states, industry and environmental groups that claimed the agency was being either too strict or too lenient in determining which areas satisfied federal ozone restrictions.
States including Mississippi, Indiana and Texas had challenged the EPA's finding that certain areas within their borders were violating the standard. A finding of noncompliance means states have to spend money to reduce ozone levels.
Connecticut and Delaware argued that the EPA should have designated more than a dozen eastern states in violation, saying their air quality was being hindered by other states.
But the court said the EPA's decisions had not violated the Constitution or any provisions of the Clean Air Act.
EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said the agency is pleased with the decision and would continue to work with states "toward implementing ozone standards to protect public health as required by the Clean Air Act."
The Obama administration recently proposed even stricter emission limits on ozone of 65 to 70 parts per billion, below the existing standard of 75 that President George W. Bush put in place in 2008. The EPA has estimated that cutting ozone emissions to 70 parts per billion would cost industry about $3.9 billion in 2025. Appeals Court Sides With Environmental Protection Agency
Business groups say the latest proposal is unnecessary and would be the costliest regulation in history.
Ozone, the main ingredient in smog, is a powerful lung irritant that has been linked to a range of health problems. Smog is created when emissions from cars, power plants, refineries and other factories mix in sunlight and heat.
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Appeals Court Sides With Environmental Protection Agency

Appeals Court Sides With Environmental Protection Agency. A federal appeals...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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



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



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



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



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



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



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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