Climate change is rapidly joining overexploitation and habitat destruction as a third major driver of global biodiversity loss, forcing thousands of animals onto the endangered species list.



A sweeping analysis recently identified at least 3,500 animal species already deemed directly threatened by rising temperatures, intensifying storms, droughts, and other climate-related stresses.



The research, led by <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon State University</a> ecologist William Ripple, draws on international databases to show that risk is especially acute for invertebrates. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alarming-climate-impacts-threaten-key-marine-species/">Marine species,</a> in particular, face heightened danger because they cannot easily move away from warmer waters.



The study also warns that true vulnerability is likely far greater because scientists have not formally assessed most animal groups for climate danger.



“We’re at the start of an existential crisis for the Earth’s wild animals,” Ripple said. “Up till now, the primary cause of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-action-and-biodiversity-striking-the-right-balance/">biodiversity</a> loss has been overexploitation and habitat alteration. As climate change intensifies, we expect it to become a third major threat to the Earth’s animals.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-threats-to-animal-species">Climate threats to animal species</h2>



Ripple and colleagues analyzed records for 70,814 species across 35 taxonomic classes, relying on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (<a href="https://iucn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN</a>) threat categories.



The team discovered that in six whole classes - arachnids, centipedes, anthozoans, hydrozoans, and two other invertebrate groups - climate change threatens at least one-quarter of species.



Other classes, including mammals, birds, and reptiles, contain smaller but still significant proportions of climate-imperiled members. 



The oceans stand out as a danger zone because seawater absorbs most excess heat from greenhouse forcing.



“We are particularly concerned about invertebrate animals in the ocean,” Ripple said. “Those animals are increasingly vulnerable because of their limited ability to move and promptly evade adverse conditions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-iucn-red-list">Understanding the IUCN Red List</h2>



The IUCN <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Red List of Threatened Species</a> is like the world’s pulse check for wildlife. It tracks the health of thousands of species - plants, animals, fungi - and tells us who’s thriving, who’s struggling, and who’s on the brink of extinction. 



Scientists use a detailed set of criteria to evaluate risk, ranging from population trends and habitat range to actual threats like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dehorning-rhinos-significantly-cuts-down-on-poaching/">poaching</a> or climate change. 



When a species lands in categories like “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered,” it’s not just a label - it’s a cry for help backed by data.



Governments, conservationists, and communities use the Red List to make decisions about land use, funding, and protection strategies. It influences environmental policies and helps prioritize where to focus resources. 



When we protect what’s on that list, we’re safeguarding ecosystems, cultures, and future generations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-disasters-kill-millions-of-animals">Climate disasters kill millions of animals</h2>



In recent years extreme climate events have delivered dramatic proof of these vulnerabilities. Off Israel’s coast, a 90 percent crash in mollusk abundance followed a jump in sea-surface temperature.



During the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome, billions of intertidal mussels, clams, and snails died in a matter of days. A severe marine heatwave in 2016 bleached nearly 30 percent of Australia’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-is-on-the-brink-of-extinction/">Great Barrier Reef</a>.



Terrestrial and pelagic vertebrates have suffered too. An extreme warm spell in 2015-2016 altered the marine food web in the North Pacific, starving four million common murres, slashing Pacific cod numbers by 71 percent, and contributing to the loss of roughly 7,000 humpback whales.



Ripple noted that such <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-was-the-cause-of-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">mass mortality</a> events reverberate through ecosystems. “The cascading effects of more and more mass mortality events will likely affect carbon-cycle feedbacks and nutrient cycling.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-missing-data-on-a-massive-scale"><a></a>Missing data on a massive scale</h2>



Although the headline figures are sobering, the authors emphasize that they represent only a fraction of the problem. 



Sixty-six of the planet’s 101 recognized animal classes have not had any species evaluated for climate risk by the IUCN. The 70,814 species examined in the study account for just 5.5 percent of all described animals.



“Our analysis is meant to be a preliminary effort toward assessing climate risk to wildlife species,” Ripple said. “Understanding the risk is crucial for making informed policy decisions."



"We need a global database on mass mortality events due to climate change for animal species in all ecosystems, and an acceleration in assessing currently ignored species.”



The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">Red List</a> itself is heavily skewed toward vertebrates, which make up fewer than six percent of named animal species, leaving the vast majority of invertebrates - essential to pollination, soil health, and marine food webs - largely unexamined.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-merging-climate-and-conservation">Merging climate and conservation</h2>



Ripple argued that policymakers must couple improved risk assessments with policies that synchronize biodiversity conservation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-mitigation-strategies-may-be-endangering-biodiversity/">climate mitigation</a>.



“There is also a need for more frequent climate risk assessments of all species and better consideration of adaptive capacity,” he added. “We need the integration of biodiversity and climate change policy planning on a global scale.”



Ripple and his co-authors call for real-time monitoring of die-off events and expansion of citizen science initiatives to cover overlooked taxa. 



They also advocate incorporating species’ dispersal abilities and genetic diversity into risk models.



Only with such knowledge can policymakers design interventions that help vulnerable species stand a fighting chance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-animals-with-climate-action">Saving animals with climate action</h2>



With global temperatures already flirting with the 1.5°C threshold that scientists warn will unleash accelerating hazards, the time for closing data gaps is rapidly shrinking.



The new study shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-the-largest-threat-to-u-s-endangered-species/">climate change</a> is no longer a distant or incremental danger for wildlife; it is a present crisis that compounds longstanding threats.



Whether governments heed the warning will decide how many species remain confined to the 3,500-strong endangered column - and how many more quietly slide into it as the planet continues to warm.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biaf059/8127685?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BioScience</a>.



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Thousands of animal species face an imminent threat of extinction from climate change

Climate change is rapidly joining overexploitation and habitat destruction as a third major driver of global biodiversity loss, forcing thousands of animals onto the endangered species list. A sweeping analysis recently identified at least 3,500 animal species already deemed directly threatened by rising temperatures, intensifying storms, droughts, and other climate-related stresses. The research, led by Oregon State University ecologist William Ripple, draws on international databases to show that risk is especially acute for invertebrates. Marine species, in particular, face heightened danger because they cannot easily move away...

Florida algae outbreak is a man-made affliction The enormous algae outbreak that has coated swaths of Florida's St. Lucie River with guacamole-like sludge is a man-made affliction, arising from political and economic decisions made over the past 140 years.
Chasing dollars, Florida land developers and their government allies broke up nature's flow that used rivers, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to move water south from central Florida to the Florida Bay at the peninsula's tip. That spurred Florida's economic growth, but it came with a price: Rivers and lagoons have periodically become so toxic with green and brown slime that fish die off, residents are sickened and tourists stay away.Florida algae outbreak is a man-made affliction
The algae-laden runoff flowing down rivers and estuaries after this year's heavy winter rains has hit especially hard along the St. Lucie River nearing the heavily populated Atlantic beaches.
It's an oft-recurring problem. Yet joint federal and state projects agreed upon in 2000 by former Democratic President Bill Clinton and then-Republican Gov. Jeb Bush have been slow to materialize amid tight budgets and political opposition.
---
WHAT CAUSES SEVERE ALGAE OUTBREAKS?
It's complicated, but the simple answer is humans. From the late 1800s well into the 1900s, business interests with government cooperation sought to drain the Everglades so land could be developed. Water that naturally flowed south from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay was diverted east and west into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and out to sea.
Around the lake, farms, ranches and homes sprang up, producing human and animal waste and fertilizer, all laden with phosphorus and nitrogen that fast-reproducing algae feast upon. Florida's heavy seasonal rains wash the pollutants into the lake and slow-moving rivers, prompting massive blooms almost annually in Florida's summer heat.
---
WHAT ARE THE OUTBREAKS' CONSEQUENCES?
Environmental, health and economic. Outbreaks kill fish and other plants by sucking oxygen from the water and releasing toxins. Toxins in the food chain can kill birds, reptiles and mammals. Humans fall sick by touching or breathing toxins. Boaters, fishermen and beachgoers stay away as waters look and smell rancid.
---
WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, which control much of the flow through levees and gates, are holding more water north of Lake Okeechobee and sending less water into the rivers. That has alleviated the immediate outbreak, at least in the river. An algae bloom in the lake covers 200 square miles.
---
WHAT ABOUT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS?
Gov. Rick Scott wants to spend unspecified millions to get homeowners off septic tanks and onto sewer lines, reducing nutrient runoff.
Scott also wants federal authorities to expedite an $880 million project strengthening a dike which surrounds <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=lake+okeechobee&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=LS&amp;cvid=2cff9f8c6b4842eba2d936e1995498be&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfMc6Hc5uhW2sqhHiyprBz7DAdZnMqGpHrjP7LLlBt4laqBWiq7zyDCFdjvZZH8MlVhcGYwsVm*3H0wsfne90lSU&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Lake Okeechobee</a>, controlling its water flow. The 18-year project is scheduled for completion in 2025; Scott wants it done faster. Democrats and Republicans are at odds over who's to blame for not allocating extra money.
Eric Draper, Audubon Florida's executive director, said strengthening the Herbert Hoover Dike "won't do anything" to alleviate algae because the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dakota-access-easement/">Army Corps</a> of Engineers will never significantly raise Lake Okeechobee's water level.
John Campbell, a Corps spokesman, said even with expedited funding, it's unclear how much faster the project could be completed - given there are only so many qualified contractors to do the work.
---
WHAT ARE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PROPOSING?
Some environmentalists say nature has the best solution: Let the water flow south into the Everglades as it did before man intervened. That's what was proposed in the then-$7.8 billion pact Clinton and Bush negotiated 16 years ago.
To achieve that end, retention reservoirs covering 90 square miles would be built south of Lake Okeechobee. Supporters say the water could be cleaned of phosphorus, nitrogen and other pollutants before releasing it into the Everglades. They say that also would improve the health of Florida Bay, which lost seagrass when dwindling freshwater turned the bay water too salty.
---
DOES EVERYONE AGREE?
No. Brian LaPointe, an algae researcher at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said scrubbing the water of so much nitrogen would be nearly impossible. Besides, nitrogen-laden water would be a disaster for the Florida Bay, its seagrass and its coral, he said. Instead, he recommends reducing the amount of nutrients that farmers, ranchers and residents near the lake leech into the water.
---
COULD THE RESERVIOR PLAN BE ENACTED?
That's doubtful in the current political climate. The plan would require buying land owned by powerful cane growers U.S. Sugar Corp. and Florida Crystals. U.S. Sugar struck a deal in 2008 to sell 300 square miles of land to the state for $1.7 billion, but Florida's economy tanked, the state ran low on money, legislators balked and the company changed its mind. Only 42 square miles were purchased for $197 million.
© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Florida algae outbreak is a man-made affliction

Florida algae outbreak is a man-made affliction The enormous algae...

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The hint of an eye in Tropical Storm Estelle. Tropical Storm Estelle continues to strengthen in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> satellite imagery showed what appears to be a developing eye in the storm.

On July 17 at 09:30 UTC (5:30 a.m. EDT), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Storm Estelle. The VIIRS image showed the hint of a cloud-covered eye in Estelle surrounded by a ring of powerful thunderstorms. The Suomi <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/suomi-npp-satellite-sees-depression-becoming-tropical-storm-darby/">NPP</a> satellite is managed by NASA and NOAA with support from the U.S. Department of Defense.

On July 17 at 5 a.m. EDT, infrared data showed Estelle's cloud tops near the center were as cold as minus 80 Celsius (minus 112 Fahrenheit) and colder during the past couple of hours. On July 18 at 0905 UTC (5:05 a.m. EDT) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provided more infrared temperature data on Estelle. NHC forecaster Brown said, "Although the cloud tops are not as cold as they were yesterday, the area of convection is a little more symmetric around the center indicating that the northwesterly (wind) shear is relaxing."

On July 18 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Estelle was located near latitude 17.7 North, longitude 114.9 West. That's about 485 miles (780 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Estelle is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph (110 kph) making it just shy of hurricane-strength. NHC said strengthening is likely during the next day or so, and Estelle is forecast to become a hurricane later today or tonight.

At 11 a.m. EDT on July 18, an automated weather observing site on Clarion Island recently reported sustained winds of 59 mph (95 kph) and a gust to 82 mph (133 kph). The estimated minimum central pressure is 991 millibars. A pressure of 995.3 millibars was recently reported on Clarion Island.

Estelle is only expected to be a short-lived hurricane. Within a day and a half to two days, Estelle is forecast to move over cooler sea surface temperatures and later a more stable air mass. Both of those factors are expected to weaken the storm.


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The hint of an eye in Tropical Storm Estelle

The hint of an eye in Tropical Storm Estelle. Tropical...

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NASA sees a tightly wrapped Tropical Cyclone Abela. NASA satellite imagery shows that Tropical Cyclone Abela's center has become tightly wrapped.

On July 16 the first Tropical Cyclone of the year formed in the Southern <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=indian+ocean&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=513d3f2dd809473e8060183b8e9b47f7&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfMc6Hc5uhW2sqhHiyprBz7D1VYxgDhpVZRVajhrTON3dnqPvB6uRsn4mWW6Iau9YNbpeWCjv3rXFHbvNcIcgkhC&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Indian Ocean</a>. Tropical cyclone 01S, now known as Abela, developed about 320 nautical miles west-southwest of Diego Garcia.

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nasa-provides-key-insights-into-sea-level-rise/">NASA's</a> RapidScat instrument measured the surface winds around Tropical Cyclone Abela on July 17 and found the strongest winds stretching from northeast to southeast of the center of circulation (red) near 30 meters per second (67 mph/108 kph). Winds around the rest of the storm were around or less than 22 m/s (50 mph/80 kph). NASA sees a tightly wrapped Tropical Cyclone Abela

RapidScat flies aboard the International Space Station and is helpful to forecasters because it shows where the strongest winds are in the storm (winds are not evenly distributed).

At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on July 18, Tropical Cyclone Abela was located near 13.6 degrees south latitude and 59.8 degrees east longitude. That's about 440 nautical miles (506 miles/815 km) north-northeast of Port Louis, Mauritius. Abela has been moving to the west-southwest at 14 knots (16.1 mph/25.9 kph). Maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots (57 mph/92 kph).

On July 18 at 09:30 UTC (5:30 a.m. EDT), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Cyclone Abela east of Madagascar. The VIIRS image showed a tightly-wrapped low-level center with bands of thunderstorms spiraling into it.NASA sees a tightly wrapped Tropical Cyclone Abela

Tropical Cyclone Abela is forecast to move west-southwest towards Madagascar and will begin weakening because of adverse atmospheric conditions and cooler waters.


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NASA sees a tightly wrapped Tropical Cyclone Abela

NASA sees a tightly wrapped Tropical Cyclone Abela. NASA satellite...

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A cloud-filled eye in a weaker Hurricane Darby. NASA satellite imagery revealed a cloud-filled eye in a weaker Hurricane Darby. Although obscured by clouds in previous days, the eye was apparent in wind data from NASA's RapidScat instrument.

On July 16, NASA's RapidScat instrument measured the surface winds around Hurricane Darby and found the strongest winds all around the storm with the exception of the southwestern quadrant. Sustained winds were greater than 30 meters per second (67 mph/108 kph).

RapidScat flies aboard the International Space Station and is helpful to forecasters because it shows where the strongest winds are in the storm (winds are not evenly distributed).

On July 17 at 09:30 UTC (5:30 a.m. EDT), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Hurricane Darby. The VIIRS image showed cloud-filled eye surrounded by a ring of powerful thunderstorms, and bands of thunderstorms wrapping into the low-level center. A cloud-filled eye in a weaker Hurricane Darby

The Suomi NPP satellite is managed by <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nasa&amp;cvid=0f93214717cd4de1b256392b5c5ecf9e&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">NASA</a> and NOAA with support from the U.S. Department of Defense.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Monday, July 18, the center of Hurricane Darby was located near latitude 18.5 north and longitude 130.2 west. That's about 1,345 miles (2,165 km) west of the southern tip of Baja California, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-track-the-flow-of-nutrients-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/">Mexico.</a> Darby is moving toward the west near 10 mph (17 kph). NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that a westward to west-northwestward motion at a slightly faster forward speed is expected during the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 mph (130 kph) with higher gusts.

NHC forecaster Roberts noted that "Deep convection associated with Darby continues to diminish this morning with a couple of thin, fragmented curved bands located just to the southwest of the center of circulation."

NHC said additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Darby should become a tropical storm later today. For updated forecasts on Darby, visit: <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nhc.noaa.gov</a>.


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A cloud-filled eye in a weaker Hurricane Darby

A cloud-filled eye in a weaker Hurricane Darby. NASA satellite...

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Overcoming a weakness of global climate models Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have overcome a seeming weakness of global climate models. They had previously not been able to simulate the extreme warm period of the Eocene. One aspect of this era that particularly draws interests to climatologists: It was the only phase in recent history when greenhouse gas concentration was as high as researchers predict it to be for the future. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">AWI</a> scientists have now found that the apparent model weakness is due to a misinterpretation of the temperature indicator TEX86. These molecules, which are produced by archaea do not record the surface temperature of the ancient ocean as expected, but rather the temperature of water depths up to 500 metres. In the current issue of the journal Nature <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/submerged-vegetation-helps-to-neutralize-ocean-acidification/">Geoscience</a>, the scientists report on this new finding which has now made it possible to correctly simulate the temperature distribution of the Eocene in climate models.

Climate scientists often hear the same complaint: How can climate models accurately predict the future of our planet if it is not even possible to correctly reproduce the climate of the past? One of the unsolved problems was that all previous attempts to simulate the extreme temperatures of the Eocene with climate models failed.

At that time, 49 to 55 million years ago, the carbon dioxide content of the air was likely more than 1000 ppm (parts per million) - i.e. at least two times the current greenhouse gas concentration. The earth warmed up so strongly that the icesheets on Greenland and Antarctica disappeared. Instead of ice crystals, palm trees grew there. "Until recently, we believed that the sea surface temperature near the North Pole at the time was 23 degrees Celsius; in Antarctica, it was believed to have been more than 30 degrees Celsius," says Dr Thomas Laepple, climate researcher at the AWI Potsdam.

These temperature estimates were based on data from the climate indicator TEX86. This abbreviation stands for a ratio of specific organic compounds produced by archaea, depending on the water temperature in which they lived. "Archaea are unicellular organisms that can in part withstand surprisingly high ambient temperatures. The molecules of the organisms that were living at that time are still preserved in the sedimentary layers of the seafloor. They are one of our most important archives for warm climate conditions, but as we have seen, we decoded them wrongly in the past," says Thomas Laepple.

He and his AWI colleague at the time, Sze Ling Ho, first had doubts about the interpretation of the TEX86 temperature indicator during a comparison of climate data from the most recent ice age. The scientists noticed that the TEX86 temperatures were far too cold compared to other geological evidence. "The discrepancy was so obvious that we started to review the TEX86 values of around 3,000 sediment samples from different ocean basins and from different epochs of the Earth. It soon became apparent that the average temperature change inferred from TEX86 was exaggerated, always and on all time scales, by one and a half to two times. The temperature it showed for cold periods was much too cold and the one for warm periods was much too warm," explains geochemist Sze Ling Ho.

The cause of this pattern had to be of a fundamental nature, a suspicion that was confirmed upon closer analysis. "TEX86 had previously been interpreted as an indicator of sea surface temperature, in spite the fact that the archaea that produce TEX86 rarely directly live at the sea surface. Through the comparison with other climate archives, we have been able to constrain the depth in which the TEX86 signal is produced. We now assume that TEX86 represents the water temperature at a depth of up to 500 metres," Sze Ling Ho explains.

At this water depth, the temperature difference between the tropical oceans and the polar seas is smaller than at the surface. This has direct consequences for climate reconstruction, since the information generated from the indicator is differently translated into temperature values. "In practice, the TEX86 extreme values need to be roughly halved in the climate reconstructions. Comparing the corrected temperatures with the models shows that they now reflect the climate of the Eocene in a realistic and physically consistent way," explains Thomas Laepple.

However, we also have to correct our temperature-conception of the Eocene. Thomas Laepple: "The era remains the warmest period of the past 65 million years. The water temperatures that we assumed for the Arctic and Antarctica, though, were overstated by at least ten degrees Celsius. Now, we know that the water in the Southern Ocean had a temperature of about 20 to 25 degrees Celsius at that time. The region was therefore still warm enough for there to be palm trees sprouting on the beach."


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Overcoming a weakness of global climate models

Overcoming a weakness of global climate models Scientists from the...

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NASA sees a weaker Hurricane Darby in infrared light. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite shows that Hurricane Darby is losing its punch.

When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA's</a> Aqua satellite passed over Darby on July 18 at 1047 UTC (6:47 a.m. EDT), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder known as the AIRS instrument looked at the storm in infrared light. Infrared light provides temperature data, which is important in seeing the height and power of the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone. The colder the cloud tops, the higher they are in the atmosphere, and the stronger the convection or uplift of air (and evaporation, condensation and thunderstorm development). NASA sees a weaker Hurricane Darby in infrared light

AIRS data showed that strong convection had been decreasing as cloud top temperatures warmed. That strong convection continued to decrease during the early morning hours on July 19 according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). However, NHC noted that Darby still has a well-defined and tight circulation.

NHC Forecaster Cangialosi said "Microwave [satellite] data indicates that the low-level center of Darby is located to the south of the eye feature seen in infrared satellite images, which is likely the result of southerly [vertical wind] shear."

At 5 a.m. PDT (0900 UTC) on July 19 the center of Hurricane Darby was located near 19.4 degrees north latitude and 134.4 degrees west longitude. That's about 1,345 miles (2,165 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. The estimated minimum central pressure is 988 millibars.

Darby is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 mph (20 kph) and this motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the west is forecast to occur tonight.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 75 mph (120 kph) and weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours. Darby is likely to become a tropical storm later today.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.


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NASA sees a weaker Hurricane Darby in infrared light

NASA sees a weaker Hurricane Darby in infrared light. Infrared...

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Flood damages in Germany could multiply under climate change. Flood-related losses can be expected to increase considerably in Germany as a result of climate change, a new study shows. Extreme events like the severe floods along the river Elbe have already illustrated the potentially devastating consequences of certain weather conditions such as severe rainfall events, when continuing intense rain can no longer be absorbed by the soil and water levels in the rivers rise. Without appropriate adaptation, flood-related damage of currently about 500 million euros a year could multiply in the future, the comprehensive expert analysis published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences highlights. Flood damages in Germany could multiply under climate change

"Extreme events like the Elbe flood in June 2013 may be rare events, but they have major impacts on people and the environment and cause tremendous financial damage," lead author Fred Hattermann from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) explains. The assessment of damage is therefore of importance for local communities but also for the insurance business. Based on an earlier study on behalf of the German Insurance Association (GDV), the researchers reviewed the extent of potential flood damages and reconfirmed their original results by means of a much broader set of climate model combinations and computer simulations. "Not only does our elaborated analyses illustrate once again how flood-related damage will increase in the future, the damages costs could be even higher than previously thought," Hattermann says.

Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Weser and Ems: 5473 river sections

"We examined in 35 different projections how the five largest river basins in Germany will be affected by climate change up until the end of this century. 5473 river sections of the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, the Weser and the Ems were considered," Hattermann explains. These changes in climate were transformed into changes in flood hazards and their damage potential. "It is remarkable how, despite the uncertainties that come with each scenario analysis, all new scenarios project an increase in damage. So it is all the more important to adapt to a changing climate - and there are quite a lot of possibilities to do so when it comes to floods," says co-author Olaf Burghoff, Head of Statistics (Property) and Natural Hazard Modelling of GDV.

"Research is never finished, but is an ongoing process. As scientists we continuously put our work to the test in order to achieve even more robust results," co-author Peter Hoffmann from PIK says. "Here the recheck turned out to be interesting in more ways than one, because the confirmation of our results also showed that the previous estimates were too conservative." To compute the potential damage, only private houses and small enterprises were considered, but no large firms or power plants which are usually located near rivers. In reality, total economic losses can be essentially higher.
###
Article: Hattermann, F.F.; Huang, S.; Burghoff, O.; Hoffmann, P.; Kundzewicz, Z. (2016): Brief Communication: An update of the article „Modelling flood damages under climate change conditions - a case study for Germany". Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

Weblink to the article once it is published: <a href="http://www.natural-hazards-and-earth-system-sciences.net/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.natural-hazards-and-earth-system-sciences.net/index.html</a>

Link to the previous study on behalf of the German Insurance Association (GDV): Hattermann, F.F.; Huang, S.; Burghoff, O.; Willems, W.; Österle, H.; Büchener, M.; Kundzewicz, Z. (2014): Modelling flood damage under climate change conditions - a case study for Germany. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 3151-3168. [DOI:10.5194/nhess-14-3151-2014] <a href="http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/14/3151/2014/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/14/3151/2014/</a>

For further information please contact:
PIK press office
Phone: +49 331 288 25 07
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:press@pik-potsdam.de">press@pik-potsdam.de</a>
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<a href="http://www.pik-potsdam.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.pik-potsdam.de</a>

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Flood damages in Germany could multiply under climate change

Flood damages in Germany could multiply under climate change. Flood-related...

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Aqua satellite sees an almost symmetrical Tropical Storm Estelle. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-telescope-will-capture-millions-of-galaxies/">NASA's</a> Aqua satellite saw an almost well-rounded Tropical Storm Estelle and identified the locations of the strongest convection in the developing eyewall.

At 10:00 UTC (6 a.m. EDT) today, July 19, NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Estelle from space and gathered infrared data on the storm. The MODIS instrument, or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, collected the infrared data that showed a circular storm with two areas of strongest convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up the storm) where cloud top temperatures were as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). Those strongest storms were located around the developing eye northeast and southwest of the center. Aqua satellite sees an almost symmetrical Tropical Storm Estelle

Satellite imagery shows that Estelle is strong and almost symmetrical, but periodically dry air has crept into the mid-levels of the tropical storm and prevented further intensification and development of a closed eyewall.

An eyewall is located just outside of the eye and often consists of a vertical wall of clouds. This is the location within a hurricane where the most damaging winds and intense rainfall is found. The eye is a clear area where air sinks and lowest surface pressure can be found. The eye is the point from which the rest of the storm rotates.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on July 19, 2016 the center of Tropical Storm Estelle was located near 18.5 north latitude and 117.6 west longitude. That's about 585 miles (940 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.

Estelle was moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that a motion toward the west or west-northwest with some increase in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 993 millibars.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 kph) and NHC said some strengthening is possible during the next day or so, and Estelle could still become a hurricane later today. For the latest updates on Estelle, visit the NHC website: <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.nhc.noaa.gov</a>.

NHC forecaster Stewart said that gradual weakening is expected to begin on Wednesday when Estelle is forecast to move over cooler sea surface temperatures. Those temperatures are cooler than the 26.6 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) needed to sustain a tropical cyclone. Estelle will also be moving into a drier and more stable air mass which will also sap the tropical cyclone's strength.


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Aqua satellite sees an almost symmetrical Tropical Storm Estelle

Aqua satellite sees an almost symmetrical Tropical Storm Estelle. NASA's...

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How meltwater from the ice sheets disturbed the climate 10,000 years ago. Today, a negative correlation is observed in the amount of rainfall in north-western Africa and north-western Europe. If a humid winter climate prevails in north-western Europe, the climate in north-western Africa is dry. Due to meltwater from melting ice sheets, this correlation was reversed in the early Holocene period; this resulted in both regions being humid respectively dry at the same time. Radical climate change occurred. The researchers have published their report in the current edition of Nature Geoscience.

Climate determined by opposing atmospheric pressures

Winter climate in north-western Europe and in the Mediterranean region is controlled by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), i.e. the variation in the difference of atmospheric pressure between the Azores high in the south and the Icelandic low in the north. The researchers aimed to find out how the NAO will respond to melting ice sheets and glaciers around the North Atlantic as they are doing now due to climate change. How meltwater from the ice sheets disturbed the climate 10,000 years ago

Climate journal from the cave

To this end, they used speleothems as climate archives: they were able to demonstrate that the ratio of the oxygen isotopes 18O and 16O contained therein is affected by, among other factors, the amount of rainfall. With the aid of speleothems in north-western Morocco and western Germany, they were able to draw conclusions regarding the climate in those regions for the early to late Holocene period from 11,700 to 2,500 years ago.

Correlation reversed

The researchers show that on multi-decadal to multi-centennial timescales a negative correlation existed between the amount of rainfall in both regions druing during the mid-Holocene from 8,000 to 5,900 years ago and the late Holocene from 4,700 to 2,500 years ago. That means that one region experienced less rainfall when the other experienced a lot, just like today. In the early Holocene, however, a positive correlation existed between both regions. During the transition from the mid to the late Holocene, the correlation reversed.

Climate simulations illustrate how climate reacts to the melting of ice

In order to identify the reasons for this behaviour, the team carried out climate simulations using a coupled atmosphere and ocean model. "A possible explanation for the negative correlation is the melting of the North American ice sheet in the early Holocene period," explains Jasper Wassenburg, who conducted the analyses in collaboration with Prof Dr Adrian Immenhauser at the Department of Sediment and Isotope Geology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and is now at the Institute of Geosciences at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. During the most recent ice age, this ice sheet covered large areas of Canada. Huge volumes of meltwater flowed into the North Atlantic and changed its circulation pattern. "Using the simulations of our climate model, we demonstrated that the positive correlation of rainfall in Morocco and Germany is caused by a combination of effects: namely the impact of the North American ice shield on the atmospheric circulation and the impact of its meltwater on the oceanic circulation," explains Dr Stephan Dietrich, who evaluated the simulations at the Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung and is now at the Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde in Koblenz.

Ice sheet had a strong cooling effect

Atmospheric circulation patterns such as the NAO are determined by atmospheric pressure patterns that occur as a result of heating and cooling of air. Oceanic currents play an important role, because they affect the distribution of heat and, thus, <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/simultaneous-atmospheric-rivers-over-australia/">atmospheric</a> circulation. The North American ice sheet has a strong cooling effect: snow and ice reflect most of the solar radiation; researchers refer to this as the albedo-effect. This was the reason why a stable high-pressure field developed above the ice sheet.

Moreover, the meltwater affected the strength of ocean currents, especially the North Atlantic Current. "Even though the precise mechanisms have not yet been fully understood, it is very likely that these effects were essential factors that caused the positive correlation of rainfall in Morocco and Germany to reverse into a negative one, due to the melting of the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+american&amp;cvid=af7fe95a9d824005bf1c235d4e5aff5c&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North American</a> ice sheet," explains Jasper Wassenburg.

Similar scenario is conceivable

If the ice in Greenland melts and the meltwater flows into the North Atlantic, a scenario similar to the one that caused the change of the NAO in the early Holocene period might occur, according the researchers. "However, the climate conditions in the early and late Holocene differed considerably. This is why it is difficult to predict if and how NAO will be affected," conclude the researchers.

"We suggest that it all depends on the speed at which the ice in Greenland will melt and on the volume of meltwater." Detailed reconstructions of the climate and precise measurements of the changes in Greenland ice are necessary in order to understand the mechanisms that contribute to the changes in correlation patterns.

International team involved in the study

The study was conducted by researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Alfred Wegener Institute - Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research -, Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg, Innsbruck University, Faculty of Sciences Dhar Mahraz Fès, and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz.
###
Funding

The study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG IM44/1; WA3532/1-1) and the Max Planck Society.

Original publication

Jasper A. Wassenburg, Stephan Dietrich, Jan Fietzke, Jens Fohlmeister, Klaus Peter Jochum, Denis Scholz, Detlev K. Richter, Abdellah Sabaoui, Christoph Spötl, Gerrit Lohmann, Meinrat O. Andreae and Adrian Immenhauser. Reorganization of the North Atlantic Oscillation during early Holocene deglaciation, in: Nature Geoscience, 2016, DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2767

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How meltwater from the ice sheets disturbed the climate 10,000 years ago

How meltwater from the ice sheets disturbed the climate 10,000...

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Mercury exposure is common in Northern Canada. Mercury exposure is common in communities in Canada's north, especially in indigenous peoples who consume fish and other wild food with high mercury content, yet current clinical guidelines are not adequate for this population. A review in CMAJ <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.151138" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a> provides guidance for health care providers on the effects of mercury exposure and how to manage it in patients who consume diets high in<a href="http://www.earth.com/video/chemists-are-creating-ocean-friendly-fishing-nets/"> fish</a> and marine animals.

"Communities that frequently consume predatory fish and/or marine mammals have elevated mercury exposure," states Dr. Catherine Pirkle, Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii, Manoa, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=honolulu&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=6b1fc723263445c59b0badb15d749e9f&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfNcI5dP9v9G08gsHOyyYrAtwEMIfrpaBk2M44TSW1qgzjf6K2eW51P6HlAtBtJspf87ytSJni67amRAqgDFA%21MM&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Honolulu</a>, United States. "It is important for clinicians to be clear on the potential risks, the complexity of the underlying epidemiological data, and how to approach, in a culturally sensitive manner, communities where mercury exposure may be a concern."Mercury exposure is common in Northern Canada

People are usually exposed to mercury through diets of fish and other marine animals. Because the diets of some indigenous people in northern Canada are high in fish and marine mammals, these people are at greater risk of the negative health effects of mercury.

Mercury exposure in pregnant women can have multiple effects in children, affecting brain development. In adults, mercury poisoning can cause vision changes, numbness in extremities, muscle weakness, cognitive changes and even death. Symptoms of mercury poisoning are often difficult to detect and vary between people, requiring diagnosis by a toxicologist or neurologist.

The Nunavik Child Development Study, conducted by Laval University professor Gina Muckle, which for nearly 20 years has been following a cohort of children recruited before birth, found blood mercury concentrations above the Canadian guidance value in 16.9% of school-aged children. In another study of Inuit women aged 18-39 in northern Quebec, 53.3% had blood levels above the guidance value; the average in Canadians is 2.2% (Canadian Health Measures Survey).

Mercury levels vary widely in wild foods and are influenced by location, according to Melanie Lemire, professor with the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Université Laval in Quebec. To help health care providers recommend appropriate consumption levels, the authors have included tables with consumption guidelines and blood mercury levels and information on how to test.

The authors caution that there should be a balance between appropriate consumption and overconsumption of wild foods with mercury; if physicians recommend complete avoidance, people may not have enough nutritious food to eat.

"Mercury exposure is one of many health concerns facing northern Canadian communities," write the authors. "Counselling to reduce exposure must recognize and address wider food security issues and nutritional challenges, or it will unlikely be effective."


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Mercury exposure is common in Northern Canada

Mercury exposure is common in Northern Canada. Mercury exposure is...

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The rising price -- in both money and health -- of extreme weather events amid rapid urbanisation, and the corresponding value of applying science and technology to reduce the risks, is underscored in six new research papers formally launched at a UN event today.

Assembled by UN University's Malaysia-based International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), the papers are published in a special issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health.

And they help inform a special Forum on Advancing Science and Technology in the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, hosted in Kuala Lumpur July 19 by UNU-IIGH and the UN Development Programme.

The papers include a warning about large productivity losses due to heat stress, estimating that in South-East Asia alone "as much as 15% to 20% of annual work hours may already be lost in heat-exposed jobs," a figure that may double by 2050 as the planet continues warming.

According to author Tord Kjellstrom of the Health and Environment International Trust, New Zealand: "Current climate conditions in tropical and subtropical parts of the world are already so hot during the hot seasons that occupational health effects occur and work capacity for many people is affected."

Dr. Kjellstrom's paper cites estimated GDP losses due to heat stress for 43 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Russia, Saint Lucia, Samoa, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu and Vietnam (see tables at <a href="http://bit.ly/29BL0Dn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://bit.ly/29BL0Dn</a>).

The situation in Malaysia is typical of the South-East Asian countries: As work slows or stops to avoid dangerous heat stress, the country's Gross Domestic Product will decline by an estimated 5.9% (value: US $95 billion) by 2030, more than double the estimated 2.8% GDP lost to heat stress in 2010.

According to latest estimates, the global economic cost of reduced productivity may be more than US $2 trillion by 2030. The most susceptible jobs include the lowest paid -- heavy labour and low-skill agricultural and manufacturing.

In 2030, in both India and China, the GDP losses could total $450 billion, although mitigation may be made possible by a major shift in working hours, among other measures employers will need to take to reduce losses.

This problem is already placing major strain on, for example, electricity infrastructure, Dr. Kiellstrom notes. The additional energy needed for a single city the size of Bangkok for each 1°C increase of average ambient temperature can be as much as 2000 MW, roughly the output of a major power plant.

"It is very important to develop and apply adaptation measures now to protect people from the disasters that current climate and slowing changing climate brings," says Dr. Kjellstrom. "However, adaptation is only half an answer -- we must also take decisive action now to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases. Failure will cause the frequency and intensity of disasters to worsen dramatically beyond 2050, and the situation at the end of this century will be especially alarming for the world's poorest people."

Heat stress is one of several direct and growing impacts on human health due to a warming planet, understanding all of which "is critical in planning for mitigation and adaptation plans," the authors say.

According to the papers:
<ul>
 	<li>Disastrously heavy rains can expand insect breeding sites, drive rodents from their burrows, and contaminate freshwater resources, leading to the spread of disease and compromising safe drinking water supplies.</li>
 	<li>Warmer temperatures often promote the spread of mosquito-borne parasitic and viral diseases by shifting the vectors' geographic range and shortening the pathogen incubation period.</li>
 	<li>Climate change can worsen air quality by triggering fires and dust storms and promoting certain chemical reactions causing respiratory illness and other health problems.</li>
 	<li>In extreme disasters, harm is often amplified by the destruction of medical facilities and disruption of health services</li>
 	<li>Central and south China can anticipate the greatest number of casualties and highest economic losses from extreme weather events in the Asia Pacific region -- the world's most disaster-prone region -- and a more integrated, multidisciplinary approach is needed to upgrade the nation's emergency response system for natural disasters.</li>
 	<li>From 1980 to 2012, roughly 2.1 million people worldwide died as a direct result of nearly 21,000 natural catastrophes such as floods, mudslides, extreme heat, drought, high winds or fires. The cost of those disasters exceeded $4 trillion (US) -- a loss comparable to the current annual GDP of Germany.</li>
 	<li>In Asia Pacific 1.2 billion people have been affected by 1,215 disasters since the millennium. Some 92% of human exposure to floods occurs in Asia Pacific, along with 91% of exposure to cyclones and two-thirds of all exposure to landslides. Between 1970 and 2011, two million people in the region -- 75% of the world total -- were killed by disasters.</li>
 	<li>From 1993 to 2012, the Philippines experienced the highest number of extreme weather events (311), Thailand experienced the greatest financial loss (US$ 5.4 billion) and Myanmar experienced the highest death rate (13.5 deaths per 100,000 people).</li>
 	<li>In just 40 years, from 1970 to 2010, the regional population exposed to flooding risk more than doubled from about 30 million to 64 million while those in cyclone-prone areas rose from roughly 72 to 121 million.</li>
 	<li>Cities cover 2% of world land cover, generate 60 to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions and half of all waste, and are expanding at a rate of 1 million people per week. In a single generation -- from 2000 to 2030 --urban land extents are expected to have tripled.</li>
</ul>
The authors underline that fast-rising numbers of people are being exposed to the impacts of climate change, with much of the increase occurring in cities in flood-prone coastal areas or on hills susceptible to mudslides or landslides. Especially vulnerable are people living in poverty, including about one billion in slums.

Cities -- concentrated sources of energy consumption, heat and pollution, covered in surfaces that absorb warmth -- create local heat islands and impair air quality, both threats to health.

And rising demand for cooling contributes to warming the world. Air conditioners not only pump heat out directly, the electricity required is typically produced by burning fossil fuels, adding to atmospheric greenhouse gases. As well, people acclimatized to air conditioning become less heat tolerant, further increasing demand for cooling.

On the other hand, better urban planning presents "tremendous opportunity" to mitigate the health impacts of more extreme weather events.

Urban planners, the authors say, can help by designing cities "in ways that enhance health, sustainability, and resilience all at once," incorporating better building design, facilitating a shift to renewable energy, and fostering the protection and expansion of tree cover, wetlands and other carbon sinks, for example.

To mitigate the health impacts of longer, more severe extreme weather events, the authors stress the need to replace piecemeal reactive responses with integrated, multi-disciplinary planning approaches.

Beyond better preparation and warning systems to improve disaster response, recommended steps include enhancing drainage to reduce flood risks and strengthening health care, especially in poor areas.

In an introduction to the <a href="http://bit.ly/29Be3Wn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">six paper collection</a>, UNU-IIGH Research Fellows Jamal Hisham Hashim and José Siri write that humanity faces "substantial health risks from the degradation of the natural life support systems which are critical for human survival. It has become increasingly apparent that actions to mitigate environmental change have powerful co-benefits for health."

<hr />

Comments:

"It is not clear yet whether considerations of health and sustainability will overrule the press of economic progress in coming decades, and ethical considerations surrounding the right to development are thorny indeed. What is clear is that tremendous opportunities exist to design cities in ways that enhance health, sustainability, and resilience all at once. Decisions made today will have a profound impact on health around the world for many decades to come. We hope these papers help improve understanding of the complex relationship between global environmental change and health, of the threat climate change poses to hard-won advances in human health worldwide, and of policy options available to mitigate these risks."

Anthony Capon, Director, UNU-IIGH

"The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) underlines the increasing importance of science-based decision-making. Public health and disaster risk reduction needs the concerted approach of scientists, policy makers, civil society, the private sector, media and other stakeholders. It is now time to develop "Words into Action" for implementation of the SFDRR."

Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam

"Disasters have killed more than 1.3 million people and cost over US$2 trillion during the last two decades. The only way to protect development gains from disasters and to eradicate poverty is to integrate disaster risk reduction into development and to make all development risk-informed. UNDP will continue to provide support for getting DRR on the political agenda as a cross-cutting development priority, and facilitating the translation of DRR policy frameworks into action at the local level for empowered lives and resilient nations."

Rajib Shaw, Executive Director, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk Programme, China

"This excellent series of peer review papers help to focus attention on the impact of disasters and their health consequences, particularly in South East Asia. The papers summarise the need for emphasis on public health impact measurements as well as stressing the importance of enhanced scientific and technical work on disaster risk reduction. This very welcome series demonstrates that only by documenting the effects of disasters can evidence be provided to support the availability and application of science and technology to inform decision-making during difficult times."

Virginia Murray, Global Disaster Risk Reduction Expert, Public Health England, and vice-chair, Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

"People know intuitively that "react and cure" is a far more expensive strategy than "anticipate and prevent." The experts behind these insightful papers, by detailing the high price of inaction in terms of both our finances and our health, greatly strengthen the case for taking defensive steps against disaster risks -- and the sooner the better."

Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Malaysia
###
The six papers, published by the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
<ul>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29AXLlM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Human Health Implications in the Asia Pacific Region, by Jamal Hisham Hashim and Zailina Hashim</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29N9IBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Urbanization, Extreme Events, and Health: The Case for Systems Approaches in Mitigation, Management, and Response, by José G. Siri, Barry Newell, Katrina Proust, and Anthony Capon</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29BL0Dn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Impact of Climate Conditions on Occupational Health and Related Economic Losses: A New Feature of Global and Urban Health in the Context of Climate Change, by Tord Kjellstrom</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29EX6y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality and Public Health in Urban Areas, by Noor Artika Hassan, Zailina Hashim, and Jamal Hisham Hashim</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29EWWXw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Review of Climate Change and Water-Related Diseases in Cambodia and Findings From Stakeholder Knowledge Assessments, by Lachlan J. McIver, Vibol S. Chan, Kathyrn J. Bowen, Steven N. Iddings, Kol Hero and Piseth P. Raingsey</a></li>
 	<li><a href="http://bit.ly/29UhBI7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Emergency Response to and Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events and Environmental Changes in China, by Li Wang, Yongfeng Liao, Linsheng Yang, Hairong Li, Bixiong Ye, and Wuyi Wang</a></li>
</ul>

<hr />

Background

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was agreed at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in March 2015 and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015.

The goal of the Sendai Framework is to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery, and thus strengthen resilience.

The outcome expected by 2030 is a substantial reduction in disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental aspects of persons, private sector, communities and countries.

A key feature of the Sendai Framework is the shift of focus from managing 'disasters' to managing 'risks'. Such a shift requires a better understanding of risk in all its dimensions of hazards, exposure and vulnerability.

The role of science and technology in providing the evidence and knowledge on risk features heavily in the Sendai Framework.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Science and Technology Conference, held 27-29 January 2016 in Geneva, produced the Science and Technology Roadmap to Support the Implementation of the Sendai Framework.

<hr />

The UNU and UNDP Joint Public Forum and High Level Roundtable on Advancing Science and Technology in the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 has the following goals:
<ul>
 	<li>Raise awareness of the value of science, technology and innovation (STI) for disaster risk reduction</li>
 	<li>Engage key stakeholders in options to build STI capacity in this field, and</li>
 	<li>Identify strategic next steps.</li>
</ul>
It takes place in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday, 19 July, 9 a.m. to noon (full details: <a href="http://bit.ly/29BK7dW" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://bit.ly/29BK7dW</a>).

<hr />

About <a href="http://www.unu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN University</a>

Established in 1973, United Nations University (UNU) is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization headquartered in Japan. The mission of the UN University is to contribute, through collaborative research and education, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human development, welfare and survival that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States.

In carrying out this mission, UN University works with leading universities and research institutes in UN Member States, functioning as a bridge between the international academic community and the United Nations system. Through postgraduate teaching activities, UNU contributes to capacity building, particularly in developing countries.

About <a href="http://iigh.unu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UNU-IIGH</a>

The UNU International Institute for Global Health was founded in 2007 with a US$ 40 million endowment from the Malaysian Government. Based in Kuala Lumpur, the mission of UNU-IIGH is to build knowledge and capacity for decision-making by the UN system about global health issues.

As part of the International Council for Science (ICSU), UNU-IIGH is a co-sponsor of a 10-year global interdisciplinary science program on Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment - A Systems Analysis Approaches.

UNU-IIGH contributions include capacity building in systems methods for population health research; development and evaluation of metrics for healthy urban development, particularly those relevant to low and middle income countries; and leadership training for city planners, elected officials, public health workers and others.

About <a href="http://www.undp.org/">UNDP</a>

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

The rising price of extreme weather events

The rising price -- in both money and health --...

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Operation IceBridge targets pools of melt water on Arctic ice. This summer, with sea ice across the Arctic Ocean shrinking to below-average levels, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> airborne survey of polar ice just completed its first flights. Its target: aquamarine pools of melt water on the ice surface that may be accelerating the overall sea ice retreat.

NASA's Operation IceBridge completed the first research flight of its new 2016 Arctic summer campaign on July 13. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/the-science-behind-big-80s-hair/">science</a> flights, which continue through July 25, are collecting data on sea ice in a year following a record-warm winter in the Arctic. Operation IceBridge targets pools of melt water on Arctic ice

The summer flights will map the extent, frequency and depth of melt ponds, the pools of melt water that form on sea ice during spring and summer. Recent studies have found that the formation of melt ponds early in the summer is a good predictor of the sea ice yearly minimum extent in September: if there are more ponds on the ice earlier in the melt season, they reduce the ability of sea ice to reflect solar radiation, which leads to more melt.

"Although there have been previous airborne campaigns in the Arctic, no one has ever mapped the large-scale depth of melt ponds on sea ice using remote sensing data," said Nathan Kurtz, IceBridge's project scientist and a sea ice researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The information we'll collect is going to show how much water is retained in melt ponds and what kind of topography is needed on the sea ice to constrain them, which will help improve melt pond models."

This short flight campaign is operating from Barrow, Alaska. The flights are low at an altitude of 1500 feet (450 meters) aboard an HU-25C Guardian Falcon aircraft from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The plane carries three instruments that measure changes in the ice elevation and surface temperatures and create color maps of sea ice.

Operation IceBridge provides connectivity between the measurements of polar ice between two NASA satellite campaigns: the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat, which operated from 2003 to 2009, and its successor, ICESat-2, scheduled to launch by 2018. The Barrow campaign will give a glimpse into what ICESat-2 will be able to observe in the Arctic in the summertime, since the laser altimeter IceBridge carries is similar to the one that will be aboard ICESat-2.

Kurtz expects that flying in the summer will allow his team to find areas of sea ice not covered by snow, which will let them take direct measurements of the freeboard, the fraction of sea ice that floats above the waterline. This measurement would improve studies of sea ice thickness in the Arctic.

Flights will be shorter than the usual IceBridge Arctic flights, due to the Falcon's smaller fuel capacity compared to the P-3 aircraft that IceBridge normally uses in the Arctic. In total, IceBridge scientists are expecting to carry out five 4-hour-long flights, each one covering 1000 nautical miles (1150 miles) and focusing on the Beaufort and Chukchi seas north of Russia, Alaska and Canada..

"The advantage of being based in Barrow is that we'll be starting the flights right from the water's edge," Kurtz said.

For its annual Arctic and Antarctic campaigns, IceBridge flights follow pre-established lines selected by the scientific community. But in Barrow, due to weather uncertainty, the mission will pursue targets of opportunity.

"The day before the flight we'll be looking at weather imagery and models, and I'll try to plan a flight line that basically gets into any hole in the clouds there is, rather than following a specific path," Kurtz said.

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia provided the laser altimeter and the infrared camera that are being used during this summer campaign. IceBridge's Digital Mapping System came from NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.
###
For more about Operation IceBridge and to follow the summer Arctic campaign, visit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge</a>

</div>

Operation IceBridge targets pools of melt water on Arctic ice

Operation IceBridge targets pools of melt water on Arctic ice....

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</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[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

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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