Butterflies are slipping away from the British countryside. Yet hope may lie in some of its most familiar sights: thorny hedges, pocket-sized woods, even a single oak in the middle of a field.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/">Butterfly Conservation</a> shows that these modest features can lift <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/butterflies-can-adapt-quickly-but-evolution-has-its-limits/">butterfly</a> numbers in ordinary farmland.



This gives species such as the Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown a fighting chance just as national counts have hit historic lows.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-ten-year-countryside-snapshot">A ten-year countryside snapshot</h2>



The research team mined ten years of records from the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work/recording-and-monitoring/wider-countryside-butterfly-survey">Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey</a>, in which volunteers stroll one-kilometer routes around farmland and record every butterfly they see.



Altogether, they analyzed more than a thousand routes scattered across England. They then matched each one to habitat maps that reach three kilometers in every direction.



Wherever hedgerows, groves, or field trees took up more space on that map, the counts rose. The pattern was clearest in arable regions where otherwise tidy fields leave few wild corners.



Dr. Ruth Feber, lead author of the study, pointed out numbers told only part of the story. 



“As well as demonstrating the importance of trees and hedgerows for biodiversity on farmland, our results also highlighted the relatively lower numbers of butterflies on intensively managed grassland compared to arable land," said Dr. Feber.



Those silage pastures, cut and fertilized for maximum yield, now cover more than a quarter of the country. Even small changes in how they are managed could tip the scales for wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farmers-want-to-help-and-need-support">Farmers want to help, and need support</h2>



The scientists also spoke with 31 farmers who manage land near the survey squares. Most recognized the upside of hedges and shade trees - from sheltering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/livestock-grazing-is-changing-soil-plants-and-insect-populations/">livestock</a> to soaking up floodwater.



But nearly expressed concern about the cost and commitment of planting, trimming, and replacing them. That tension sits at the heart of the study.



“It is clear that farmers recognize the importance of these crucial habitats," noted Dr. Feber. "But they need to be supported. We need to recognize that these trees and hedgerows provide public goods which benefit <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-report-disturbing-details-about-the-state-of-earths-wildlife/">wildlife</a> and people."



She noted that agri-environment payments must stretch beyond basic prescriptions and cover the true expense of keeping woody features healthy for decades. Otherwise, good intentions can wither the moment grain prices tighten.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farmland-hedges-are-butterfly-highways">Farmland hedges are butterfly highways</h2>



Hedges do more than mark a boundary. Their tangled branches serve as food plants for caterpillars and provide adult butterflies with a buffet of nectar. Thick growth breaks the wind, allowing butterflies to warm up and fly on cooler days. 



Above all, lines of woody cover act as green corridors, guiding insects from one flower-rich patch to another so that no colony becomes isolated.



That highway network is exactly what common butterflies need right now. Fresh figures show that 2024 ranks among the worst years on record. For the first time, more than half of U.K. species have slipped into long-term decline.



“We know that butterflies are in desperate trouble, including our common countryside species. Butterflies are important indicators of wider biodiversity, so actions that help butterflies will also help other declining wildlife,” said Dr. Feber.



“With 70 percent of the U.K.'s land area being farmland, our farmers and landowners play a vital role in helping these species recover, through protecting and restoring hedgerows and trees.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farming-with-butterflies-in-mind">Farming with butterflies in mind</h2>



Dr. Feber’s group is already probing one promising route. At Northfield Farm near Oxford, cattle are moved daily in a “mob grazing” system that leaves each paddock to regrow for weeks.



“My current project is investigating regenerative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feeding-the-world-without-harming-nature-the-complex-balance-of-farming/">farming</a>, which uses livestock grazing and other practices to help promote soil health and increase soil carbon,” said Dr. Feber. 



“This is receiving increasing attention as an approach to grassland management that might contribute to tackling some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-and-agriculture-are-locked-in-a-destructive-feedback-loop/">climate impacts of agriculture</a>."



Dr. Feber added that more research is needed on how this may impact biodiversity, particularly above-ground invertebrate groups, such as butterflies, moths, and other pollinators.



Early surveys will track whether butterflies bounce back when lush grass is replaced by more varied, flower-rich swards.



“In this system, areas of land are grazed for a short period of time before the cattle are moved on and the pasture allowed to recover,” Dr. Feber said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-butterflies-need-better-farmland">Butterflies need better farmland</h2>



The study’s message is disarmingly simple: keep - or better yet, expand - the scruffy, butterfly-friendly edges of Britain’s farmlands. A single thorn hedge or an untidy willow clump can be enough to connect the dots for butterflies.



For farmers, the next step is clear financial backing that rewards the effort year after year. For policymakers, it means seeing hedges and field trees as green infrastructure every bit as vital as roads and drains.



Butterflies respond quickly; give them corridors and they will return. The countryside may look pared to the bone, but its recovery could begin with nothing fancier than a line of hawthorn left to bloom or a young oak allowed to stand. Recognizing that these small gestures stitch life back into the land is the first step.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.70042">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a>.



-----



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Simple farmland features can reverse butterfly declines

Butterflies are slipping away from the British countryside. Yet hope may lie in some of its most familiar sights: thorny hedges, pocket-sized woods, even a single oak in the middle of a field. A new study led by the University of Oxford and Butterfly Conservation shows that these modest features can lift butterfly numbers in ordinary farmland. This gives species such as the Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown a fighting chance just as national counts have hit historic lows. A ten-year countryside snapshot The research team mined...

In a commentary written for the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, Professor Karen Holl acknowledges the benefits of planting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/recovery-project-launched-to-restore-one-million-trees-in-australia/">trees</a> but cautions against the belief that it is a solution for climate change and environmental degradation.  

Along with study co-author Professor Pedro Brancalion, Professor Holl reports that the issue of climate change is too complicated for one single solution, and even millions of new trees should be looked at as one part of a "multifaceted environmental solution."

"We can't plant our way out of climate change," said Professor Holl, who is a leading expert in forest restoration at <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">UC Santa Cruz</a>. "It is only one piece of the puzzle."

"Trees are deeply entrenched in the human psyche. It's very satisfying to go out and put a tree in the ground. It's a concrete, tangible thing to do."

However, major initiatives for planting trees like the Trillion Tree Campaign must be approached with a commitment to long-term management, explained Professor Holl.

"Planting trees is not a simple solution. It's complicated, and we need to be realistic about what we can and cannot achieve. We need to be thoughtful and plan for the long term."

While planting trees cannot reverse climate change, they still come along with many benefits. Trees improve water quality, reduce erosion and flooding, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and improve air quality. 

At the same time, tree-planting has the potential to harm native ecosystems and species and reduce water availability. 

The researchers recommend specific principles to guide forest enhancement initiatives, such as planning ahead to resolve conflicting land-use goals to ensure maximum effectiveness over the long term. 

"Much of the land proposed for tree planting is already being used to grow crops, harvest timber, and other subsistence activities, so tree planting initiatives need to consider how landowners will earn income," said Professor Holl. "Otherwise, activities such as agriculture or logging will just move to other lands"

Professor Holl applauds the widespread enthusiasm for "increasing forest cover," but emphasizes that it is not the same thing as planting more trees.

"The first thing we can do is keep existing forests standing, and the second is to allow trees to regenerate in areas that were formerly forests," said Professor Holl. "In many cases, trees will recover on their own--just look at the entire eastern United States that was deforested 200 years ago. Much of that has come back without actively planting trees."

"Yes, in some highly degraded lands we will need to plant trees, but that should be the last option since it is the most expensive and often is not successful. I've spent my life on this. We need to be thoughtful about how we bring the forest back."

Professor Holl explained that slowing the pace of climate change requires a comprehensive strategy that starts with burning less fossil fuel.

"Trees are a small piece of what needs to be a broader strategy," said Professor Holl. "We're better off not releasing greenhouse gases to begin with."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Planting trees will not solve the issue of climate change

In a commentary written for the journal Science, Professor Karen...

A team of scientists has solved the mystery of how honey <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/honey-bees-reveal-how-heat-stress-affects-fertility-among-insects/">bees</a> in the Cape region of South Africa are capable of virgin births. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a> have discovered that a single gene makes it possible for Cape honey bees to reproduce without ever having sex.

"It is extremely exciting," said Professor Benjamin Oldroyd. "Scientists have been looking for this gene for the last 30 years. Now that we know it's on chromosome 11, we have solved a mystery."

"Sex is a weird way to reproduce and yet it is the most common form of reproduction for animals and plants on the planet. It's a major biological mystery why there is so much sex going on and it doesn't make evolutionary sense. Asexuality is a much more efficient way to reproduce, and every now and then we see a species revert to it."

A gene found on chromosome 11, GB45239, allows the Cape honey worker bees to lay eggs that produce only females. 

"Males are mostly useless," said Professor Oldroyd. "But Cape workers can become genetically reincarnated as a female queen and that prospect changes everything."

The Cape bees make up the only known subspecies of honey bees with the ability to produce daughters asexually, known as "thelytokous parthenogenesis." Despite the benefits of having an abundance of worker bees, this also causes conflict. 

"Instead of being a cooperative society, Cape honey bee colonies are riven with conflict because any worker can be genetically reincarnated as the next queen," explained Professor Oldroyd. "When a colony loses its queen the workers fight and compete to be the mother of the next queen."

The Cape honey bees have other unique characteristics beyond asexual reproduction. The ovaries of the female bees are larger, more easily activated, and are able to produce queen pheromones. These chemicals trigger a social response from other honey bees, including those in foreign colonies.  

The Cape bees often use queen pheromones for social parasitism, which is when they invade foreign colonies and assert reproductive dominance. Each year, about 10,000 colonies of commercial beehives are lost in South Africa due to the social parasitic behavior of Cape honey bees.

While it has been known for a century that Cape bees are capable of virgin births, a modern genomic tool was needed to pinpoint the genetic mechanism that is involved. 

"Further study of Cape bees could give us insight into two major evolutionary transitions: the origin of sex and the origin of animal societies," said Professor Oldroyd.

For the researchers, one of the most exciting prospects is the potential to understand how the newly-identified gene actually works. 

"If we could control a switch that allows animals to reproduce asexually, that would have important applications in agriculture, biotechnology and many other fields," said Professor Oldroyd.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

A single gene allows Cape honey bees to reproduce asexually

A team of scientists has solved the mystery of how...

An international team of experts has identified changes in Earth's surface that occurred months before two major <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-roughness-of-tectonic-plates-may-predict-earthquake-magnitude/">earthquakes</a>. The ground underwent a shift, or a "wobble," that may be used to help experts predict future earthquakes.

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, often referred to as the Great East Japan Earthquake, had a magnitude of 9.0. The quake triggered massive tsunami waves that killed more than 15,000 people and destroyed 450,000 homes.    

In the new study, scientists analyzed data from Japan's large network of earthquake monitoring equipment. They detected a strange movement in the ground that shifted the country's landmass from side to side, and this wobbling motion lasted for up to seven months. 

The study revealed that Japan was shifting from west to east and back again by a fraction of an inch per month leading up to the earthquake. 

While these tiny shifts were "imperceptible," the researchers found them to be obvious in data that was collected from more than 1,000 GPS stations around the country.

Study co-author Dr. Michael Bevis is a professor of Geodynamics in the School of Earth Sciences at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>. Dr. Bevis said what they found in Japan was an enormous but very slow wobble, something that had never been observed before.

"The world is broken up into plates that are always moving in one way or another. Movement is not unusual. It's this style of movement that's unusual," said Dr. Bevis.

The wobble could indicate that in the months before the earthquake, the plate under the Philippine Sea began a "slow slip event," said Dr. Bevis. He explained that the catalyst for the 2011 quake was a relatively gentle underthrusting of two oceanic plates beneath Japan.

Study lead author Dr. Jonathan Bedford is a researcher at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. He noted that the findings cannot be applied to other vulnerable subduction zones that lack the monitoring capabilities of Japan's advanced network.

When the researchers analyzed data from the 2010 Maule earthquake in Chile, which had a magnitude of 8.8, they detected a similar wobble. 

Dr. Bedford said the data was just good enough to capture the signal.

"We really need to be monitoring all major subduction zones with high-density GPS networks as soon as possible," he added.

The team hopes that future wobbles could serve as early warning signs of upcoming disasters.

Study co-author Dr. Marcos Moreno Switt from <a href="http://udec.cl/">Universidad de Concepción</a> said that satellite data makes it possible to identify how the Earth's surface changes before major earthquakes. 

"The vast majority of major earthquakes are likely to be accompanied by precursor activity, as had already been recorded before the Iquique earthquake in 2014, and now before the 2011 Japan and Maule earthquakes in 2010," said Dr. Switt.

"Much remains to be understood. this pioneering activity, but it is a great advance to be able to detect these movements. This is the focus of our new RING 2020 PRECURSOR project, financed by Anid, in which we will integrate an interdisciplinary team of Chilean and foreign researchers to obtain more and better information on these processes."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Scientists detect a strange "wobble" before two major earthquakes

An international team of experts has identified changes in Earth's...

Taxes have reduced sugary drink consumption in Mexico. Taxes on sugary drinks in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/jumbo-squid-declines/">Mexico</a> have significantly reduced consumption over the last three years. The research, which was published by <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>, indicates that "health taxes" are effective public health strategies. 

Mexico has some of the highest rates of diabetes and obesity in the world. In 2014, Mexico implemented an excise tax on sugar-sweetened drinks of one peso per liter, which hiked up the prices by about 10 percent.

In the years since the tax was added, studies have shown reductions in household purchases of sugary drinks. However, the current study is the first to analyze some of the individual changes in consumption that have resulted from the tax.

The investigation was focused on 1,770 adults with an average age of 47, who had participated in the Health Workers Cohort Study. For this survey, the adults had provided details about their food and drink consumption over the previous 12 months.

The researchers split the adults into four categories based on their level of sugar-sweetened drink consumption: none, low, medium, or high.

Using a statistical model, the team estimated the probability of belonging to one of the four categories after implementation of the tax.

The study revealed that the probability of becoming a non-consumer increased by nearly five percent, while the probability of being a low consumer increased by 8.3 percent. Furthermore, the probability of being in the medium or high levels of soft drink consumption decreased by between six and seven percent. 

The study authors said that taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks are an effective means of deterring consumption, and suggest that additional increases to the tax "could encourage further reductions in the very high consumption levels in Mexico."

The researchers added that more research is needed to understand the longer term implications that these changes could have for body weight or metabolic disease.

The study is published in <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Taxes have reduced sugary drink consumption in Mexico

Taxes have reduced sugary drink consumption in Mexico. Taxes on...

Tree <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/poison-frogs-flourish-competitors/">frogs</a> have developed a clever strategy for evading predators while producing mating calls. According to researchers at <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a>, the frogs overlap their mating calls with neighboring frogs, escaping harm through the use of auditory illusion.

The tree frogs enhance these false perceptions by overlapping their calls at nearly perfect synchrony with nearby frogs. Predators are more attracted to the leading call, which allows the illusive frogs to find a mate without putting their life on the line.

"The male frogs are essentially manipulating the eavesdroppers through creating this auditory illusion," said study author Henry Legett. "Humans experience this illusion too, it's called the 'precedence effect.' When we hear two short sounds in quick succession, we think the sound is only coming from the location of the first sound."

Legett led the research with Ximena Bernal, an associate professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue. Studies at the Bernal lab are primarily focused on the relationship between predation and communication, which the researchers simply refer to as eavesdropping.

"The illusion created by the male tree frogs calling in synchrony has no effect on female frogs, which was a surprising observation," explained Bernal.

"These male frogs have figured out a way to trick their enemies. We thought the females might be more attracted to the leading caller, but it didn't really affect attraction at all. It's a win-win for the frogs because it helps reduce attacks from those enemies who were hoping to prey on the male frogs and females are not tricked by the illusion."

The researchers played back recorded mating calls in both lab and field settings at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The team discovered that after the initial male tree frog sends out a mating call, other frogs chime in within milliseconds.

"It's so fast, it's almost like a reflex," said Legett. "There's no way their brains have time to process that information. They hear their neighbor and they react immediately."

The study authors said the research has cultivated even more questions about how frogs communicate.

"You have to wonder why a male frog would call first, given that it increases his chances of being eaten," said Legett. "It's a very strategic game they're playing. The frog that calls first might not get lucky that time, but maybe he knows he'll get his chance the next time he hears one of his friends make the first call. These are the questions we'll keep asking as we move forward."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/an/current">American Naturalist</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Tree frogs rely on illusions to deceive their enemies 

Tree frogs have developed a clever strategy for evading predators...

While it is widely accepted that hot air rises, a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a> has proven that sometimes cold air can rise too. In a tropical <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-droughts-hotter/">climate</a>, the lightness of water vapor allows cold air to rise.

According to the researchers, this water vapor buoyancy effect helps to offset global warming in tropical climates.

The study is one of the first to demonstrate the profound effects that water vapor has on Earth's climate and energy balance.

Study senior author Da Yang is an assistant professor of Atmospheric Science at UC Davis and a joint faculty scientist with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

"It's well-known that water vapor is an important greenhouse gas that warms the planet," said Professor Yang. "But on the other hand, water vapor has a buoyancy effect which helps release the heat of the atmosphere to space and reduce the degree of warming. Without this lightness of water vapor, the climate warming would be even worse."

Even with the same temperature and pressure conditions, humid air is lighter than dry air, which is called the vapor buoyancy effect. 

The research team discovered that cold, humid air rises and forms clouds and thunderstorms in the tropics, while warmer dry air sinks in clear skies. This means that Earth's atmosphere emits more energy to space than it would without water vapor buoyancy.

The study revealed that the lightness of water vapor increases the planet's thermal emission by about 1 to 3 watts per square meter over the tropics. This amount of energy is comparable to the energy captured by doubling carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

According to the researchers, their calculations indicate that the radiative effects of water vapor buoyancy increase with climate warming. 

The team concluded that a better understanding of the water vapor buoyancy effect and its stabilizing role in the tropics can improve cloud and thunderstorm simulations, as well as climate models.

"Now that we understand how the lightness of water regulates tropical climate, we plan to study whether global climate models accurately represent this effect," said study lead author Seth Seidel.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Water vapor buoyancy mitigates climate warming in the tropics

While it is widely accepted that hot air rises, a...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> have discovered that temperate and dry forests are home to the same level of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/1880486/">biodiversity</a> as tropical rainforests. 

Conservation efforts are widely focused on rainforests because they contain so many unique tree species.

However, the study shows that nearly 30% of tree evolutionary diversity is found in temperate or tropical dry forests, as opposed to just 26 percent in rainforests.

"Our findings show that temperate forests and dry forests have a unique evolutionary history that merits far greater conservation attention," said Professor Toby Pennington.

"Protecting rainforests is obviously vital for many reasons, but we shouldn't ignore the unique tree biodiversity of temperate and dry forests."

The study was focused on data from more than 10,000 forest and savanna sites across the Americas. The researchers pinpointed special tree biodiversity.

"The temperate forests in Chile and further north in the Andes, and scattered and isolated tropical dry forests across the Americas, are highlighted as particularly unique, threatened and in need of conservation action," said study first author Ricardo Segovia.

Temperate forests like those found in Chile and the United States are positioned between the tropics and the cold boreal regions. 

The study revealed that temperate forests have distinctive tree lineages that include members of the oak and elm families. Among the dry forests, unique tree lines include members of the pea and cacti families.

"What is unique about this study is that it uses DNA sequence information from thousands of tree species right across the Americas to give completely new insights into the countries and habitats where the major branches of the tree of life are found," explained Dr. Kyle Dexter.

The researchers investigated the main factors that prevent species from expanding into new areas and environments. The "fundamental divide" was found to be the presence or absence of freezing temperatures, which some plants cannot tolerate.

The team also identified an evolutionary split between trees that dwell in rainforests versus dry tropical forests.

"This is a really important paper in terms of our view of what has controlled the global distribution of plant biodiversity through history," said Dr. Dexter.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Tree diversity in temperate and dry forests should not be overlooked

Researchers at the University of Exeter have discovered that temperate...

Rising temperatures may reawaken an ancient <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-smart-agricultural-practices-will-boost-global-food-security/">climate</a> pattern in the Indian Ocean, according to researchers at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>. The team found that if global warming continues at the current rate, a weather system similar to El Niño will emerge in the Indian Ocean as soon as 2050.

The system will disproportionately impact populations that are the most vulnerable to climate change with worsening floods, storms, and droughts. 

The researchers studied simulated climate changes during the second half of the century. They discovered that global warming could disturb the Indian Ocean's surface temperatures, causing extreme annual fluctuations. 

The steep rise and fall of ocean surface temperatures will form a pattern that is very similar to El Niño, a climate event that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and impacts weather on a global scale.

Study lead author Pedro DiNezio is a climate scientist at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics.

"Our research shows that raising or lowering the average global temperature just a few degrees triggers the Indian Ocean to operate exactly the same as the other tropical oceans, with less uniform surface temperatures across the equator, more variable climate, and with its own El Niño," said DiNezio.

The study builds on previous work by the researchers, who found evidence of a past Indian Ocean El Niño hidden in the shells of microscopic sea life that lived 21,000 years ago - during the peak of the last ice age.

The team analyzed climate simulations to investigate whether global warming could trigger an Indian Ocean El Niño in the near future. 

The computer models were ranked according to how well they matched present-day observations. The most accurate simulations, which accounted for global warming,  predict that an Indian Ocean El Niño will emerge by 2100.

"Greenhouse warming is creating a planet that will be completely different from what we know today, or what we have known in the 20th century," said DiNezio.

The findings add to a growing collection of research that highlight the potential for the Indian Ocean to drive much stronger climate swings than it does today.

Study co-author Kaustubh Thirumalai, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, said that the way glacial conditions affected wind and ocean currents in the Indian Ocean in the past is similar to the way global warming affects them in the simulations.

"This means the present-day Indian Ocean might in fact be unusual," said Professor Thirumalai.

Today, the Indian Ocean experiences only slight fluctuations because the winds blow gently from west to east, maintaining stable ocean conditions. According to the study, global warming could completely reverse the direction of these winds, resulting in climate extremes such as disruption of the monsoons over East Africa and Asia.

Professor Thirumalai noted that a break in the monsoons would be a significant concern for populations dependent on the regular rainy season to grow their food.

Michael McPhaden is a physical oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"If greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current trends, by the end of the century, extreme climate events will hit countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, such as Indonesia, Australia and East Africa with increasing intensity," said McPhaden. 

"Many developing countries in this region are at heightened risk to these kinds of extreme events even in the modern climate."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Destructive weather pattern may return to the Indian Ocean 

Rising temperatures may reawaken an ancient climate pattern in the...

According to a new study published by the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/">British Ecological Society</a>, severe <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brutal-coral-bleaching-event-strikes-the-great-barrier-reef/">coral</a> loss on the Great Barrier Reef has been linked to the appearance of large herbivorous fish with long lives. The reduced turnover, or lack of recycled biomass, may ultimately cause the ecosystem to collapse.

An international team of researchers led by James Cook University compared reef surveys from 2003 and 2018. They found that up to 83 percent of corals had been lost in the hardest hit areas. Severe coral losses were associated with increases in fish biomass, productivity, and consumed biomass.

"It's as if the herbivorous fish community has been scaled up, with larger fish growing and providing more food for predators when they die," said study lead author Renato Morais. "However, this does not come without a cost."

At a glance, it would seem that the appearance of bigger fish after severe coral loss is a good sign which suggests the population is stable. But the researchers warn that decreased recycling of biomass could mean that the bigger fish may not be supported for long. 

"The fish have not multiplied. Instead, there are more bigger fish and less smaller ones," said Morais. "This suggests that many of these long-living herbivorous fishes, such as surgeon fish which can live up to 40 years, could have been there before the corals died, only growing bigger. Eventually, these older fish will die and, if not replaced by young ones, productivity could collapse."

Algal turf, which grows abundantly over dead coral skeletons, is the preferred food of herbivorous fish like surgeonfish and parrotfish. This may explain why the large herbivores seem to thrive after severe coral loss. 

If the corals recover, the fish will lose their main food source and their populations will crash. 

The research was focused on reefs around Lizard Island, where the corals were devastated by two back-to-back bleaching events and two severe cyclones between 2014 and 2017. The collective impacts of these events wiped out 80 percent of the corals around the island. 

Previous studies have primarily looked at the loss of corals. This study examined the cumulative effects of coral mortality over time based on fish growth, mortality, and energy turnover.

The researchers analyzed two snapshot assessments that were 15 years apart, which means they were limited to assessing the long-term trends. 

"If there were changes to the energetic balance of the fish assemblages at that reef that happened between surveys but did not have a lasting effect, they would have gone unnoticed," explained Morais.

He noted that the findings apply to one specific reef and other reefs could behave differently, although a number of factors indicate that similar changes have taken place elsewhere. For example, herbivore populations commonly increase in post-coral reefs. 

The researchers plan to follow up on the Lizard Island reef to see what type of energetic shifts may occur. 

"Any further shifts will depend on what happens to the reef, said Morais. "Will there be a recovery of corals? Or will this degraded state be maintained? Then, will these large and old herbivorous fishes be replaced by younger ones? There are many aspects in this story to be investigated."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652435">Functional Ecology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Fish that thrive after severe coral loss may collapse

According to a new study published by the British Ecological...

By 2050, one in every three Americans will be exposed to extreme <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-smart-agricultural-practices-will-boost-global-food-security/">climate</a> events every year, according to a study led by the <a href="https://www.ornl.gov/">Oak Ridge National Laboratory</a> (ORNL). The researchers used the Titan supercomputer to estimate the frequency of nine types of extreme climate events, ranging from heat waves to intense floods. 

The projections are based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information Climate Extremes Index, or CEI. 

The findings indicate that extreme weather will increasingly threaten human health, ecosystem stability, and regional economies over the next three decades. 

Previous research has been primarily focused on the potential impacts of a single type of weather extreme, such as temperatures or precipitation, on broad climate zones.

The ORNL study has quantified the consequences of coninciding weather extremes on a county level, generating unprecedented regional and climate projections that can pinpoint the areas that will be hit the hardest. 

"We calculated population exposure at a one-kilometer scale, which had never been done before, to provide more precise estimates," explained Moetasim Ashfaq, a climate computational scientist at ORNL.

According to the study, more than 47 million people in the United States are currently exposed to extreme climate conditions each year - a number which has gradually increased in recent decades. The research suggests that this number will double by the year 2050, when one in every three residents of the United States will be directly affected by extreme climate events on an annual basis.

Human health, food security, and ecosystems will widely suffer from the impacts. 

The researchers determined that human-induced climate change is to blame for the projected increase in extreme weather, and widespread exposure is highly likely within 30 years unless harmful greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. 

"Seeing the same upward trend in the number of climate extremes in our historical simulations and observations strongly suggests that these changes are driven by human activity," said Ashfaq said.

The experts will run another set of simulations based on new scenarios for the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, and their findings have already been incorporated into additional studies. 

"These collaborative efforts could uncover how various climate extremes affect certain areas and help determine the types of policies and mitigation strategies that may be required to prevent or reduce the damage," said Ashfaq.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23284277">Earth's Future</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Extreme weather will directly impact one-third of Americans by 2050

By 2050, one in every three Americans will be exposed...

Logging likely increased the risk and severity of the recent Australian <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/1877669/">bushfires</a>, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>. The catastrophic wildfires were the worst in Australia's recorded history. 

The research is part of an international collaboration to investigate land use changes across Australia. 

James Watson is a UQ professor of Conservation Science and the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Science and Research Initiative. Professor Watson said logging regimes have made many forests more prone to fire for a host of reasons.

"Logging causes a rise in fuel loads, increases potential drying of wet forests and causes a decrease in forest height," said Professor Watson. "It can leave up to 450 tons of combustible fuel per hectare close to the ground - by any measure, that's an incredibly dangerous level of combustible material in seasonally dry landscapes."

"By allowing these practices to increase fire severity and flammability, we undermine the safety of some of our rural communities."

Professor Watson added that logging negatively impacts forest wildlife by creating habitat loss, fragmentation, and disturbance for many species.

Study lead author Dr. David Lindenmayer is a professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University. Dr. Lindenmayer said there are land management actions that must be taken to stop these fires from occurring in the future.

"The first is to prevent logging of moist forests, particularly those close to urban areas. We must also reduce forest fragmentation by proactively restoring some previously logged forests," explained Dr. Lindenmayer.

"In the event of wildfires, land managers must avoid practices such as 'salvage' logging - or logging of burnt forests - which severely reduces recovery of a forest."

The Australian government has launched a royal commission to find ways to improve the country's level of preparedness, resilience, and response to natural disasters.

Michelle Ward, a researcher in the  UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said it is time for the government to act.

"We urge policy makers to recognize and account for the critical values of intact, undisturbed native forests, not only for the protection of biodiversity, but for human safety," said Ward.

"Let's act strongly and swiftly for the sake of our communities, the species they house, our climate and Australia's wild heritage."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Logging intensified the risk and severity of Australian wildfires

Logging likely increased the risk and severity of the recent...

A new study has revealed that sea level rise will increase <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coastal-flooding-will-soon-be-common-in-the-u-s/">flood</a> risks across Honolulu from multiple sources in the coming decades. Researchers at the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a> School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology found that groundwater inundation will pose the biggest flooding threat for Honolulu.

As sea levels continue to rise, the frequency of extreme high tide events will increase. Honolulu will not only be impacted from seawater washing directly onshore, but also from groundwater inundation and reverse flow through the municipal drainage system.

The researchers determined that direct marine inundation represents only three percent of the predicted flooding, while rising groundwater will be responsible for the majority of the anticipated flooding events.

Study lead author Shellie Habel is a coastal geologist and extension agent with the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program and UH Coastal Geology Group. 

"This is significant because many people think that sea level rise can be mitigated by seawalls," said Habel. "But a seawall will not stop groundwater inundation. Our results highlight the need to readjust our thinking regarding the flooding that accompanies sea level rise. We want to be sure to implement flood management strategies that will be effective at mitigating flooding."

The researchers developed a method to assess all types of flooding and to identify vulnerable infrastructure. They simulated the extent and locations of flooding from each of the three sources to produce flood maps. 

By overlapping the simulations, the team managed to pinpoint areas that will be vulnerable to combined flooding in the coming decades.

In collaboration with experts at the UH Sea Level Center, the researchers developed a statistical model that incorporated tide and sea level rise predictions. 

Using the flood simulations, the research team estimated the frequency of flooding in specific areas and identified critical infrastructure that is likely to fail and cause direct impacts, such as dangerous roadways and vulnerable storm drainage inlets. Potential impacts were found to be widespread among Honolulu's primary urban center.

"Because each type of flooding infiltrates through unique pathways, they will require unique engineering strategies to manage," said Habel. "The design of flood management strategies required to mitigate these impacts necessitate site-specific consideration of each mechanism to avoid being ineffective."

The UH researchers will partner with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the Hawaii Sea Grant, and others to develop a coastal groundwater monitoring network. 

Data collected through monitoring, such as the effects of extreme rainfall, will improve the capabilities of the statistical model developed by the researchers. The monitoring network will also be used to inform short and long-term flood management strategies.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Honolulu faces a high flooding risk from multiple sources

A new study has revealed that sea level rise will...

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 the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image 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.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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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.

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



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.

Santiago, Chile in South America

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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&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.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



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.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



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.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; 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.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&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.

How the immune system responds to injury

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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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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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.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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