Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features Noirmoutier, a small tidal island on the western coast of France. The photograph, which was taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS), captures the northwestern portion of the island.&nbsp;



According to NASA, the photo was taken at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time, when the low tide exposes mudflats, salt marshes, and sand dunes.



Noirmoutier is famous for its salt and oysters. In the summer months, the locals collect salt from a series of channels, while oyster farming is widespread in the bay.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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

Noirmoutier on the western coast of France

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features...

Spiral Snapshot

Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the barred spiral galaxy Messier 91 (M91), which is located about 55 million light-years from Earth in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/spiral-galaxy-in-the-constellation-fornax/">constellation</a> Coma Berenices.



According to NASA, M91 is one of over 1,000 galaxies that make up the Virgo cluster, a group of galaxies that are gravitationally bound to one. The photo was captured by the Wide Field Camera 3 on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.&nbsp;



"While M91’s prominent bar makes for a spectacular galactic portrait, it also hides an astronomical monstrosity," reports ESA. "Like our own galaxy, M91 contains a supermassive black hole at its centre. A 2009 study using archival Hubble data found that this central black hole weighs somewhere between 9.6 and 38 million times as much as the Sun."



Using data from the archives, astronomers could weigh M91’s central black hole. But ESA explains that the latest observation is part of an effort to build a treasure trove of astronomical data exploring the connections between young stars and the clouds of cold gas in which they form.&nbsp;



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

Spiral galaxy M91 in the constellation Coma Berenices

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features an astronaut photograph of the San Luis Valley along the border of Colorado and New Mexico. At an altitude of 8,100 feet, the San Luis Valley is one of the largest high desert valleys in the world.&nbsp;



"Extinct volcanoes speckle the southern margin of the valley - an area known as the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field. Free-standing mountains in the volcanic field, such as San Antonio and Ute, are lava domes that were formed during eruptions almost 3 million years ago," reports NASA.



The Rio Grande flows from the San Juan Mountains through the center of the valley and continues south. According to NASA, the river has provided water and irrigation to people in the American Southwest for thousands of years, including the community of Native Americans that live in Taos.&nbsp;



The Taos Plateau has served as a primary field training area since the 1960s during the Apollo era.&nbsp;



"The San Luis Valley served as a planetary analog for the Apollo 15 lunar landing site at Hadley Rille," says NASA. "The southern area of the valley contains igneous rock structures similar to those on the lunar surface. Such field training prepares current and future astronauts for exploration of the Moon and Mars."



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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

The San Luis Valley of Colorado

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> captures an impressive display of natural and man-made landmarks where the Netherlands meets the North Sea.



The man-made infrastructure was designed to help protect the low-lying country from rising sea levels, while the natural wetlands serve as a biodiversity hotspot.



The world’s largest system of unbroken mud flats, the Wadden Sea, supports 10,000 species of plants and animals, including harbor seals and Eurasian spoonbills.&nbsp;The sea extends&nbsp;along the coasts of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.



According to NASA, the Wadden Sea provides a critical resting and feeding place for millions of birds as they make their yearly migration along the East Atlantic Flyway.&nbsp; 



The coastline of the Netherlands consists of sandy beaches and estuaries of long rivers. The country was dealing with sea-level rise and river flooding long before global warming became an issue for the rest of the world. 



Due to a dense population, along with intensive use of the sea and area surrounding it, there have been various environmental issues affecting the sea's ecosystems. Adverse environmental issues in the Netherlands – such as overfishing and dumping – have led to a number of efforts to prevent degradation.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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

The Netherlands and the North Sea

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory captures...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features an astronaut photograph of Neeltje Jans, an artificial island just off the coast of the Zeeland province of The Netherlands.



According to NASA, the island is part of a network of land reclamation and coastal protection projects that is helping about nine million people adapt to living below sea level.



"The Eastern Scheldt tidal basin was Zeeland’s only barrier to the North Sea during a massive coastal flood in 1953, when a storm surge destroyed 138,000 hectares (340,000 acres) of land. The historic event inspired the Delta Plan, an engineering project to protect The Netherlands from future storm surges and coastal erosion through a series of artificial islands and dams," says NASA.



"In 1957, the construction of Neeltje Jans began. The artificial island was eventually connected to the Peilerdam and the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier; together they reduced the inflow of water to the basin during storm surges and extreme high tides."



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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

The artificial island of Neeltje Jans

People who <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-intensity-linked-to-different-mental-health-benefits/">exercise</a> are less likely to have sleep problems, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a>. The experts found that individuals who are physically fit are less likely to need a sleeping pill prescription from their doctor.



A recent <a href="https://www.sleephealth.org/sleep-health/the-state-of-sleephealth-in-america/#:~:text=difficulty%20falling%20asleep.-,Sleep%20Disorders,intermittent%20sleep%20problems%20each%20year.">report</a> from sleephealth.org, revealed that more than 50 million Americans suffer from over 80 different sleep disorders, such as insomnia. Many people who struggle with sleep problems become dependent upon sleeping aids.



The research was focused on data from over 34,000 adults who participated in Norway’s Trøndelag Health Survey (the HUNT study).&nbsp;



“We’ve observed that people who are in better physical condition have a lower risk of taking prescription sleeping pills,” said Professor Linda Ernstsen. She noted that about 5,800 of the participants received their first prescription sleep medication during the study period.



This means that overall, around 17 percent of the participants had sleep issues that were serious enough to require a prescription. The study showed that individuals who were the most physically fit were much less likely to have sleep problems.&nbsp;



The beneficial effects of exercise were found to be stronger among physically fit men compared to women. The fittest men had a 15 percent lower risk of needing drugs for sleep issues.



“The corresponding percentage risk for the fittest women was much lower. But women who struggle with sleep can still benefit from getting in better shape,” said Professor Ernstsen.



“Our findings support the idea that improving or maintaining fitness can be an effective alternative for preventing sleep problems."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.08.013">Mayo Clinic Proceedings</a>.



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.



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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

People who exercise are less likely to have sleep problems

People who exercise are less likely to have sleep problems,...

The quality of drinking water will suffer as forests disappear due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bioenergy-can-slow-climate-change-but-the-window-is-closing/">climate change</a>, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.ufz.de/">Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research</a> (UFZ). The experts note that the detrimental effects of climate change are particularly apparent in Germany's largest drinking water reservoir, the Rappbode reservoir, which provides drinking water for roughly one million people.



Between 2015 and 2020, long periods of drought severely weakened the tree population in the Harz region, where&nbsp; parasites such as bark beetles had already caused a significant amount of damage. The additional strain of drought was too much for the trees, and they were quickly wiped out.&nbsp;



"Over the past four years, the Rappbode catchment area, characterized by conifers, primarily spruce, has lost over 50 percent of its forest," explained UFZ hydrologist Professor Michael Rode. "This massive forest dieback is advancing rapidly and is dramatic. This will have consequences for the drinking water reservoir."



Forests are needed for good water quality because they filter water and bind nutrients. Water with less nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorus compounds, are easier to treat.



"This makes it more difficult for algae to develop, making drinking water treatment in the waterworks more cost-effective and easier," explained study co-author Dr. Karsten Rinke. "Nutrient management in water conservation areas is therefore very important. Over the past decades, long-term concepts with close cooperation between forest and water management have advanced the development of large areas of forest in the Rappbode reservoir catchment area."



The UFZ team set out to investigate the effects of climate-induced deforestation on reservoir water quality. "We were able to access environmental data from a period of over ten years, providing us with a solid set of data," said study lead author Dr. Xiangzhen Kong.



"We first fed these data into a model in order to estimate the climate-related effects on the nutrient balance in the catchment area. The resulting data were then processed in a reservoir ecosystem model with which we were able to determine the effects of different deforestation scenarios on the predicted water quality for 2035."



"We were able to demonstrate that, for an anticipated deforestation of up to 80 percent, the Rappbode predam will experience an 85 percent increase in dissolved phosphorus concentration and a more than 120 percent increase in nitrogen concentration within only 15 years. The Rappbode pre-dam will thus reach nearly the same nutrient levels as the Hassel pre-dam."



This will result in an increase in diatoms of more than 80 percent and an increase in green algae of more than 200 percent in the Rappbode pre-dam. The findings highlight an urgent need for a wide range of adaptations in drinking water management.&nbsp;



"Nutrient input to reservoir catchment areas should be reduced even more than previously, reforestation projects with drought-resistant tree species should be further promoted and waterworks should be adapted to the impending developments with selective water removal strategies," said Professor Rode. "And what remains important and must be further increased: extensive, granular environmental monitoring."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.118721">Water Research</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

Drinking water quality will suffer from climate change

The quality of drinking water will suffer as forests disappear...

As we age, our bodies change and we become weaker, less agile, and less balanced. We may experience pain in our joints and muscles. But in addition to these physical changes, our brains also show signs of aging. Not only does the volume of the brain decrease, but it becomes thinner in certain regions, indicating fewer neural connections. This is all part of the normal aging process, but such changes should most certainly not be detected in the brains of teenagers.



A new study from researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> suggests that this is indeed what has happened to teenagers who have lived through a host of stressful, pandemic-related experiences in the past couple of years. The researchers find that the brains of adolescents have aged abnormally and now appear several years older than those of comparable peers before the pandemic.



“We already know from global research that the pandemic has adversely affected mental health in youth, but we didn’t know what, if anything, it was doing physically to their brains,” said&nbsp;study first author Professor <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/ian-gotlib">Ian Gotlib</a>.



Brain growth and development change throughout our lifetimes. In the early years, an infant’s brain forms millions of new neuronal connections every minute, and by the age of six, a child’s brain has increased to around 90 percent of its adult volume. During puberty and early teenage years, brain structures such as the hippocampus and the amygdala increase in size – these areas of the brain respectively control access to certain memories and help to modulate emotions. At the same time, tissues in the cortex, an area involved in executive functioning, become thinner. From the age of about 30, brain volume begins to decrease, as our brains gradually shrink.&nbsp;



Professor Gotlib and the research team originally began a long-term study on a cohort of 163 children and adolescents from the San Francisco Bay area, to assess the incidence of depression during puberty. They took MRI scans of the youths and were planning to follow up with subsequent regular scans when the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-infection-may-lead-to-chronic-liver-damage/">COVID-19</a> lockdowns intervened and the research had to be halted. Nine months later, as soon as it was possible, the team recommenced with MRI scans and found that the participants’ physical brain structure had altered unexpectedly during the intervening months.&nbsp;



Once regular MRI scanning of the cohort could continue, the planned study was a year behind schedule. Under normal circumstances, it would have been possible to statistically correct for the delay to enable analysis of the study’s data to continue. But the pandemic brought with it abnormal circumstances.&nbsp;



“That technique only works if you assume the brains of 16-year-olds today are the same as the brains of 16-year-olds before the pandemic, with respect to cortical thickness and hippocampal and amygdala volume,” said Professor Gotlib. “After looking at our data, we realized that they’re not. Compared to adolescents assessed before the pandemic, adolescents assessed after the pandemic shutdowns not only had more severe internalizing mental health problems, but also had reduced cortical thickness, larger hippocampal and amygdala volume, and more advanced brain age.”



The results of these comparisons between before and after COVID-lockdown scans are published in the journal <a href="https://www.bpsgos.org/">Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science</a>. They show that the process of brain aging sped up in adolescents as they lived through the stresses of COVID lockdowns. Gotlieb says that, prior to this, these sorts of accelerated changes in “brain age” have appeared only in children who have experienced chronic adversity, whether from violence, neglect, family dysfunction, or a combination of multiple factors.



Although those types of experiences are linked to poor mental health outcomes later in life, it’s unclear whether the changes in brain structure that the Stanford team observed are linked to changes in mental health, Gotlib noted.



“It’s also not clear if the changes are permanent,” said Gotlib, who is the director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University. “Will their chronological age eventually catch up to their ‘brain age’? If their brain remains permanently older than their chronological age, it’s unclear what the outcomes will be in the future. For a 70- or 80-year-old, you’d expect some cognitive and memory problems based on changes in the brain, but what does it mean for a 16-year-old if their brains are aging prematurely?”



The findings indicate that the neurological and mental health effects of the pandemic on adolescents may have been even worse than they were for adults, for whom the incidence of anxiety and depression rose by 25 percent during 2020 alone. In addition, future studies of brain development that involve participants who experienced the pandemic as adolescents will have to take into account the abnormal changes in brain structure that may have occurred during that time.&nbsp;



“The pandemic is a global phenomenon – there’s no one who hasn’t experienced it,” said Gotlib. “There’s no real control group.”



These findings might also have serious consequences for an entire generation of adolescents later in life, added co-author Jonas Miller, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Gotlib’s lab during the study and is now an assistant professor of psychological sciences at the University of Connecticut.



“Adolescence is already a period of rapid reorganization in the brain, and it’s already linked to increased rates of mental health problems, depression, and risk-taking behavior,” Miller said. “Now you have this global event that’s happening, where everyone is experiencing some kind of adversity in the form of disruption to their daily routines - so it might be the case that the brains of kids who are 16 or 17 today are not comparable to those of their counterparts just a few years ago.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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

Adolescent brains aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic

As we age, our bodies change and we become weaker,...

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The diverse landscapes of Central Italy Today&#8217;s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features an incredible satellite view of Central Italy, which includes the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, and Lazio.
The image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1B <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nasa&amp;cvid=43697a2372814c2aaef744253b1c12a9&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59l2j0l4j69i60l3.598j0j4&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">satellite</a>, highlights the diversity of the region&#8217;s landscapes. 
Dual Polarization Radar technology makes it possible to view the landscapes in stunning detail. 
Many important landmarks of Central Italy are visible, including the volcanic lakes of Albano and Nemi, as well as Lake Vico, or Lago di Vico.
Italy is divided into 20 different regions, each of which has its own unique culture and cuisine. Also a geographical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-diversity-will-decline-along-with-rainfall-in-dry-regions/">region</a> in central Italy may also include the regions of Abruzzo and Molise, which are otherwise considered part of Southern Italy for socio-cultural, linguistic and historical reasons. Central Italy includes the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Lazio. It is dominated by the hills and mountains of the Apennines, from which a few major rivers flow. Also The three most renowned cities in central Italy are Rome, Florence, and Pisa. They are also three of the most most popular attractive cities during tours of central Italy. The Appennies Mountains are in central Italy and are a major focal point of the central diverse landscapes you may see in Italy.
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By <a href="http://csexton@earth">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 
Video Credit: European Space Agency