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...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the Lena River Delta in northeastern Siberia.



The Lena River flows north for thousands of miles from its source in the Baikal Mountains in south-central Russia, creating the largest river delta in the Arctic.&nbsp;



Overall, the river delta spans nearly 30,000 square kilometers, which is about the size of the state of Maryland.



The image was acquired on July 13, 2021, with the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. Norman Kuring of NASA’s Ocean Biology group applied color-filtering techniques to draw out the fine details in the water.&nbsp;



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Norman Kuring/NASA's Ocean Color Web



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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 Lena River Delta in northeastern Siberia

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the city and port of Palma, the capital city of the Balearic Islands off eastern Spain. Palma is situated on the largest island of Mallorca, east of the Iberian Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea.



According to NASA, Palma has a rich history that has been influenced by several civilizations, including the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Moors, before becoming a province of Spain.&nbsp;



The image was captured by an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).&nbsp;



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 city and port of Palma, Mallorca

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features Spencer Gulf, which indents the southeastern coast of South Australia. Every winter, thousands of Australian giant cuttlefish make their way here to participate in the world's largest known aggregation of cuttlefish.



Australian giant cuttlefish can grow to nearly a meter long. They have special skin cells called chromatophores that allow them to change the color, or even the texture, of their skin to attract mates and evade predators.



Over the decade leading up to 2013, the cuttlefish population had declined by 90 percent, prompting a fishing ban in False Bay - the northern part of Spencer Gulf. By 2020, the population had rebounded from fewer than 20,000 cuttlefish to about 250,000, and the exclusion zone was scaled back.&nbsp;



According to NASA, the light-colored swirls that are visible in the water in False Bay are caused by sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churn shallow parts of the gulf.&nbsp;



The image was captured on September 8, 2021 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite.&nbsp;



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 site of the world's largest cuttlefish aggregation

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features Victoria Island and King William Island in Canada’s Nunavut Territory, along with what appears to be a late-season bloom of phytoplankton in the Arctic Ocean.



Water sampling will be needed to confirm the presence of coccolithophores, phytoplankton that make water appear milky blue.



According to ESA, the light colors in the water could also be due to outflows of sediment from the islands, which would suggest that streams are still running and snow and ice are still melting in the late-season sunlight.&nbsp;



A 2020 study from Stanford University revealed that between 1998 and 2018, the rate of growth of phytoplankton biomass across the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas increased by 57 percent. Some of this increase is tied to warming water, changing ocean properties, and more areas of open water.&nbsp;



“We are getting more heat and moisture from the ocean going into the atmosphere because the sea ice acts like a cap or a barrier between the relatively warm ocean surface and the cold and dry atmosphere above,” said Linette Boisvert, a sea ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “When the lid is removed, heat and steam escape into the air. This warming and moistening of the atmosphere slows down the vertical growth of the sea ice, meaning that it will not be as thick, so it’s more vulnerable to melt in the summer months.”



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

Late season phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic

Researchers at <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">UC Santa Cruz</a> have compiled data from four decades to untangle the impacts of environmental conditions, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/declining-salmon-populations-linked-to-environmental-decline/">population</a> density, and maternal features on reproductive success among northern elephant seals.



The seals are a successful example of reviving a critically endangered species. In the 1900s, northern elephant seals were hunted to near extinction, but have made an exceptional recovery since the end of commercial sealing. 



Every year, thousands of pups are born at the breeding colony at Año Nuevo Reserve, which is part of the UC Natural Reserve System. Since the 1960s, the long-running elephant seal research program at UC Santa Cruz has been investigating this particular colony, producing a wealth of information.&nbsp;



The program, which was started by Professor Emeritus Burney Le Boeuf, has advanced under the leadership of Professor Daniel Costa. The current investigation was focused on the weight of the pups during weaning (weaning mass), as higher weaning mass increases the survival prospects of the pup. 



According to study lead author Rachel Holser, the research team assumed that major oceanographic events would have a significant influence on the abundance and distribution of the seals, and were surprised to learn that other factors were more significant.



Holser explained that the impact of ocean conditions such as El Niño events, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and marine heatwaves on the weaning mass is relatively low compared to other factors. "It’s not that it doesn’t play a role, but it’s not nearly as important as those onshore conditions - who your mother is and how dense the colony is."



“During a major El Niño, you can see almost complete reproductive failure in some years for species like sea lions, With elephant seals, we don’t see that kind of boom and bust effect. Even in a poor year, they manage to be pretty successful,” said Holser.



However, she emphasized that the effects of ocean conditions on elephant seals can be evident in other indices of population health besides weaning mass. During bad years, some females choose to skip reproducing completely to improve their body conditions. There could also be a decrease in adult female survival rates.



“The single most important factor in determining the weaning mass of pups was the age of the mother. That was more important than the mother’s size, which is a measure of her foraging success, and certainly more important than conditions in the ocean."



Holser noted that the age of the mother is a significant factor due to numerous reasons. At the beginning of lactation, older females produce milk with a higher fat content than younger ones.&nbsp;



The mother's experience is also very important as females with more experience are able to select a good location on the beach for raising their pup, defend the young ones, prevent the pup from getting lost and exhausting its energy.&nbsp;



Contrary to the general assumption that a larger female will bear larger puppies, Holser said that the mother's age is more important than her size. “There’s a lot of variability in size, and the data show that what’s really important is the experience of having been through multiple reproductive cycles."



“Previous work has shown that ocean conditions impact the ability of the mother to invest in her young, but this study shows that age and, more importantly, experience can compensate for those environmental changes,” said study co-author Daniel Costa.



Raising the pup becomes tougher when more and more animals are crowded together on the beach.&nbsp;



“When the colony becomes more dense, there are more interactions - sometimes the females are fighting, or the males will cause a disturbance - and pups end up getting lost and wasting energy trying to find their mother," Holser said.&nbsp;



“When she gives birth to this tiny pup, it’s got four weeks to put on as much fat as it can, which means it needs to spend as much time as possible nursing and resting."



The northern elephant seals' reproductive approach is partly responsible for their adaptability to shifting environmental conditions. Female elephant seals spend months at sea feeding and gaining weight before returning to the colony to give birth, covering great distances across the North Pacific Ocean. They do not leave the beach to feed while nursing their pup, relying instead on the stored energy gained during the foraging journey.&nbsp;



Other species, such as the California sea lion, rely on regular feeding forays while nursing their pups, so a shift in weather that makes hunting difficult can be disastrous.&nbsp;



“This study was only possible because of the work of hundreds of people who have been taking these measurements for over 40 years,” said Holser.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://mailto:ashikha92@gmail.com">Ashikha Raoof</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Northern elephant seals are surprisingly resilient

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have compiled data from four...

In America, almost half of adults and twenty percent of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-drives-millions-of-children-into-hunger/">children</a> are obese. A recent report from the UN states that more than four million people die each year due to excess weight or obesity.



Researchers claim that this problem goes untreated due to stigma and reluctance of doctors to prescribe effective treatments. A lack of insurance also plays a role in unchecked obesity.&nbsp;



Now, new research published by the <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/">Endocrine Society</a> looks at some of the main causes of this growing worldwide epidemic.



“Obesity is the epidemic crisis of our time. The disease leads to serious comorbidities such as diabetes, fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease and significantly shortens a person’s length and quality of life," said Dr. Christos S. Mantzoros.



"Until recently we did not understand the genetic and hormonal causes of obesity and how obesity leads to these comorbidities. We have recently started to understand the causes of obesity in humans, which is a big discovery that has led to designing effective therapies.”



The research mapped out molecular and hormonal pathways that can contribute to obesity and related comorbidities. This information is hoped to be useful for other researchers seeking to create new treatments for obesity.&nbsp;



Safe treatments for obesity are especially important, according to the scientists. The possibilities include new drug delivery systems, modulation of gut biomes, vaccines and gene therapy. It is also important is for insurance companies to play their part, explained Dr. Mantzoros. 



"Insurance companies need to pay attention to data from studies and the scientific progress we are making and start covering the medications that are and will be approved soon, given that currently only a small minority of patients with obesity have coverage for the medications and medical care they need."



"It would be much more cost effective to cover treatments early instead of waiting for comorbidities and their complications to develop.”



The researchers say that the ultimate goal is a personalized approach to obesity treatment that will result in safe, effective and sustainable weight loss until the root causes of the problem are identified and addressed.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edrv">Endocrine Reviews</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Obesity is the epidemic crisis of our time

In America, almost half of adults and twenty percent of...

According to the <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en">World Meteorological Organization</a> (WMO), the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to record levels in 2020, despite the lockdowns that were imposed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.



Greenhouse gas emissions are associated with human activities such as burning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-fuels-must-be-reduced-immediately-and-drastically/">fossil fuels</a>, heating, transportation, farming, and deforestation, and they build up in the atmosphere, trapping more heat and causing increases in temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea rises.&nbsp;



While the restrictions imposed around the world during the pandemic caused an overall decline in CO2 emissions of 5.6 percent, this decrease does not seem to be echoed in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.&nbsp;



This discrepancy is caused by the fact that CO2 emissions have increased progressively over the past decades, and even if carbon output was lower in 2020, the increase in the atmospheric concentrations was still larger than the average between 2011 and 2020. According to the WMO's annual&nbsp;<a href="https://library.wmo.int/index.php?lvl=notice_display&amp;id=21975#.YXWJmdlBx0s">Greenhouse Gas Bulletin</a>, CO2 reached 413.2 parts per million in the atmosphere in 2020 and is now 49 percent higher than it used to be in the pre-industrial era.&nbsp;



Scientists claim that the last time the Earth experienced a similar atmospheric concentration of CO2 was between three to five million years ago, when temperatures were two to three degrees Celsius warmer and the sea levels 10 to 20 meters higher.



Atmospheric concentrations of other greenhouse gases, such as methane or nitrous oxide also reached record levels in 2020, as they increased at much faster rates than in the past decade. For instance, last year witnessed the biggest increase of methane emissions since global methane levels started rising again in 2007.



"At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, we will see a temperature increase by the end of this century far in excess of the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 to 2C above pre-industrial levels," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. "We are way off track."



"This is more than just a chemical formula and figures on a graph. It has major negative repercussions for our daily lives and well-being, for the state of our planet and for the future of our children and grandchildren," he concluded.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Harmful emissions hit record high in 2020, despite pandemic

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the concentrations of...

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The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh Today&#8217;s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) provides a glimpse of the famous coastal resort town of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
Located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in between the desert and the Red Sea, this region was a vacation destination for ancient Romans and Greeks all the way back to the 4th century B.C.
Divers are attracted to Sharm El Sheikh to explore the diverse marine life found in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-in-the-northern-red-sea-can-resist-global-warming/">Red Sea,</a> including hundreds of coral reefs. Ras Muhammad National Park one of the most popular diving destinations in the region, with its clear warm water and breathtaking desert landscape.
The Authorities in Egypt announced earlier this week that the completion of the wall is encircling the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh in South Sinai, according to a statement made by Tamer Makram, the head of the South Sinai Investors, to Youm7. The attack took place on Egypt&#8217;s Revolution Day, a public holiday in Egypt, and was part of a strategy of hurting Egypt&#8217;s economy by disrupting tourism, a major industry.
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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
Video Credit: European Space Agency