In July 2025, the Mediterranean Sea reached an average water temperature of 80.4°F - the warmest ever recorded. In places such as Spain, Italy, and Greece, waters are now hitting 82°F or even higher - more like a hot tub than a sea.



For swimmers, that might sound like a dream, but for marine life and ecosystems that depend on stable conditions, it’s a serious red flag.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-warning-for-global-oceans">Early warning for global oceans</h2>



Unlike wide-open oceans, the Mediterranean is semi-enclosed. It connects to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-spot-in-the-atlantic-could-signal-big-trouble-for-global-climate/">Atlantic</a> through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, which limits how fast it can exchange water. That means heat, pollution, and acidification build up more quickly here than in most other seas.



Between 1982 and 2019, its surface water temperature rose by 2.3°F. In the same period, the global ocean average went up by just over 1°F. 



That difference matters. It’s why scientists call the Mediterranean a “climate change hotspot.” It’s warming and acidifying faster than most of the rest of the planet.



“What happens in the Mediterranean often foreshadows changes to be expected elsewhere," said Abed El Rahman Hassoun, a biogeochemical oceanographer at the <a href="https://www.geomar.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel</a>. 



"The Mediterranean Sea acts like an early warning system for processes that will later affect the global ocean.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mediterranean-temperature-risk-map">Mediterranean temperature risk map</h2>



A group of researchers considered 131 scientific papers that studied the influence of climate change on marine and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restoring-coastal-ecosystems-can-mitigate-climate-change/">coastal ecosystems</a> within the Mediterranean. 



The team relied on the data from the IPCC’s climate scenarios to know what will probably occur at various emission levels.



The researchers built a risk map - called a "burning ember" diagram - to visualize how serious the threats are at various temperature increases.



“The diagram clearly shows how strongly climate change threatens key ecosystems," said Meryem Mojtahid, a professor of paleo-oceanography. "I hope our results will help raise awareness and inspire real action to protect these unique ecosystems.” 



The findings are clear: even small temperature increases can lead to major ecological damage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-warming-big-consequences">Small warming, big consequences</h2>



Some people think a fraction of a degree isn’t a big deal. But the research shows that even an additional 0.8°F of warming puts many ecosystems in serious trouble.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-climate-solutions-enhancing-the-role-of-seagrass-meadows/">Seagrass meadows</a> such as Posidonia oceanica - vital to oxygen production and nursery grounds for marine animals - would be reduced dramatically and potentially disappear by 2100. Indigenous seaweeds such as Cystoseira are likely to decrease, and invasive algae will probably dominate.



Fish stocks might fall by 30 to 40 percent. Some will move north into cooler seas, leaving space for newcomers such as lionfish, which disrupt food webs.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-corals-can-survive-high-ocean-heat-which-could-save-reefs/">Corals</a>, surprisingly, are more resistant - but only up to a point. They face moderate to high risk starting at 5.6°F above today’s temperatures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-ecosystems-under-rising-threat">Coastal ecosystems under rising threat</h2>



Warming isn’t the only issue. Sea level rise, including in the Mediterranean, adds another layer of stress, especially for areas up to 30 feet above sea level. Beaches, dunes, and rocky shores are losing ground - literally.



Sea turtle nesting sites are at risk, too. Over 60 percent of them could disappear. And even rocky coasts, which usually resist erosion better than sand, are beginning to lose biodiversity.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wetlands-are-a-hidden-source-of-rising-methane-emissions/">Wetlands</a>, salt marshes, lagoons, and deltas are also feeling the heat. Many are already showing damage at just +0.8°F to +1.0°F. 



Plants are dying off, invasive species are moving in, and water supplies are drying up due to changes in rainfall. Flooding and excess nutrients only make things worse as temperatures climb.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-every-fraction-of-a-degree-counts">Every fraction of a degree counts</h2>



Scientists used two IPCC emissions scenarios to project future outcomes. In the moderate scenario, known as RCP 4.5, emissions level off in the near future.



Even along this more optimistic path, the Mediterranean is expected to warm by a temperature of 1.1°F by 2050 and up to 2.3°F by 2100. In the high-emissions scenario, called RCP 8.5 - where emissions continue to rise without major policy changes - warming could reach between 4.9°F and 6.8°F by century’s end.



The impacts multiply with every increase. More heat means greater acidification, faster sea-level rise, and larger disruptions in food chains.



“These scenarios show we can still make a difference - every tenth of a degree counts,” said Hassoun. “Political decisions made now will determine whether ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea collapse or remain functional, supporting the ecosystem services they provide.”



“At the same time, our study also shows that even with moderate climate protection and an additional 0.8°C warming, we must expect some consequences. Our focus should be on minimizing the impacts as much as possible.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-data-gaps-cloud-mediterranean-future">Data gaps cloud Mediterranean future</h2>



The study also pointed out a big gap in what we know. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-temperature-has-been-steadily-rising-since-the-1850s/">Temperature data</a> is scarce for parts of the Mediterranean, especially in the south and east. That means the risk in those areas might be underestimated.



There’s also a lack of research on how multiple stressors - like pollution, overfishing, and invasive species - combine to make things worse. Deep-sea habitats, salt marshes, and marine megafauna still need more attention.



“We found that Mediterranean ecosystems are remarkably diverse in how they respond to climate-related stress. Some are more resistant than others, but none are invincible,” said Mojtahid. “Only strict climate protection measures can keep the risks at a level to which ecosystems can still adapt."



This isn’t just about saving a few species. The Mediterranean supports millions of people - from fishing to tourism to coastal agriculture. When ecosystems collapse, the damage doesn’t stop at the shoreline. The science is clear. We can slow this down. But only if action is taken now.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-07858-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Mediterranean Sea reaches its hottest temperatures ever recorded

In July 2025, the Mediterranean Sea reached an average water temperature of 80.4°F - the warmest ever recorded. In places such as Spain, Italy, and Greece, waters are now hitting 82°F or even higher - more like a hot tub than a sea. For swimmers, that might sound like a dream, but for marine life and ecosystems that depend on stable conditions, it’s a serious red flag. Early warning for global oceans Unlike wide-open oceans, the Mediterranean is semi-enclosed. It connects to the Atlantic through the narrow...

Clay, one of Earth’s most common nanomaterials, might soon play a surprising role in reducing carbon emissions. Researchers have found a way to use this simple, abundant material to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the air.



The scientists behind this work are from <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University</a>, working in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories. Their recently published study earned a 2024 R&amp;D 100 Award and has a patent application underway. 



The research could lead to new solutions for reducing the amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tech-can-capture-carbon-dioxide-from-the-atmosphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon dioxide in the atmosphere</a>, an urgent challenge in managing the global climate crisis.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-clay-particles-big-potential">Small clay particles, big potential</h2>



The Purdue University team has been studying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/understanding-how-soil-sequesters-carbon-from-the-atmosphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clay minerals</a> for more than 30 years. Over time, they’ve unraveled important details about how these tiny particles behave.



Cliff Johnston is lead researcher and professor of agronomy in the College of Agriculture and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in the College of Science at Purdue University.



"Clay minerals have an exceptionally high surface area," he said. "One tablespoon of clay has approximately the same surface area as an American football field."



"Most of this surface area is found in the internal pores of the clay. Over decades of research, we have found that these internal pores have polar and nonpolar regions."



Engineers can design clays that selectively absorb CO₂ by leveraging the molecule’s preference for nonpolar regions compared to water’s preference for polar regions.



The focus of the study is a group of clays called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-mars-missing-atmosphere-hiding-in-plain-sight/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smectites</a>, which are some of the most common nanomaterials found in nature. Their vast surface area and tiny size make them ideal candidates for environmental applications, especially for capturing gases like carbon dioxide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-on-past-experience">Building on past experience</h2>



In previous research, the team examined how clays absorb <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-can-make-other-pollutants-more-toxic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toxic pollutants</a> from water. "Our prior work focused on absorption of toxic organic pollutants on clay minerals from aqueous solution," noted Johnston.



"We found that certain types of smectites have hydrophobic surfaces and can sorb significant levels of hydrophobic contaminants, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, one of the most toxic organic compounds known."



Dioxins, often the result of combustion and industrial activities, are harmful pollutants found at many Superfund cleanup sites. The success of clay-based materials in capturing such toxins gave the researchers confidence to apply similar methods to absorb gases like carbon dioxide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clay-s-surprising-benefits">Clay's surprising benefits</h2>



Until recently, most efforts to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-system-captures-carbon-dioxide-directly-from-air/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">capture carbon dioxide</a> focused on high-tech materials like zeolites, metal-organic frameworks, and solid amine-based sorbents. For instance, Climeworks’ Orca facility in Iceland uses amine-based technology to pull carbon dioxide from the air.



However, clay minerals were often overlooked. They seemed too ordinary. This new study changes that perspective.



The team focused on a specific type of smectite called saponite. They explored how saponite manages carbon dioxide and water vapor - both of which compete for space in the clay’s tiny pores. 



Instead of heating the clay to boost its absorption ability, the researchers took a different route. They studied the effect of humidity.



The experts found that saponite has a strong attraction to carbon dioxide when humidity is low. This behavior was confirmed using advanced spectroscopic and gravimetric techniques.



This is the first time that researchers have shown how a clay mineral can absorb both carbon dioxide and water vapor at conditions close to what we experience in everyday life - ambient concentrations of carbon dioxide and room temperature.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tackling-the-climate-crisis">Tackling the climate crisis</h2>



The implications of this discovery are promising. With clay being abundant and inexpensive, it could offer a scalable way to capture carbon dioxide from the air.



People could use it to cut <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-emissions-weaken-carbon-storage-in-the-southern-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emissions</a> from factories or store carbon dioxide underground, keeping it out of the atmosphere long-term.



This idea isn’t just theoretical. Johnston has already written nearly 200 papers, many of which explore how soil minerals interact with pollutants and gases. This extensive background adds weight to the new findings.



In a world looking for cost-effective and scalable solutions to the climate crisis, tiny clay particles might just have a very big role to play.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c01210" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Journal of Physical Chemistry C</a>.



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Clay may be a simple solution to tackle carbon pollution

Clay, one of Earth’s most common nanomaterials, might soon play...

In a quiet corner of a museum, behind glass or inside drawers, sit creatures long departed from the wild. A bird collected from a soot-covered forest in the early 1900s. A fish caught from a river that no longer runs clear. These specimens, once seen mainly as records of biodiversity, are now being reinterpreted. 



The specimens carry the fingerprint of the environments from which they came. This includes not just the climate and ecology but also the pollution, hidden in feathers, scales, bones and skin.



A recent study has highlighted this unexpected role. The researchers discovered that preserved plants and animals in natural history museums serve as powerful tools for understanding pollution over time. 



These preserved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-discovery-pushes-back-reptile-evolution-by-40-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">organisms</a> hold clues about environmental contamination, and offer a rare glimpse into ecosystems that existed more than two centuries ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-museum-specimens-and-pollution-data">Museum specimens and pollution data</h2>



We treat pollution as a modern issue. Smog, chemical waste and microplastics dominate headlines today. But the environmental degradation caused by industry and human expansion stretches back much further. 



The problem is that monitoring systems did not exist in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-modern-fossils-will-be-the-most-surprising-to-future-explorers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">past</a>. That means we do not have continuous data on how pollution levels have changed or how they impacted communities.



“We often lack the historical pollution data needed to understand the links between environmental contamination and long-term health effects, such as cancer, asthma, cognitive disorders and premature birth,” said Dr. DuBay, assistant professor of biology at <a href="https://www.uta.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UT Arlington</a> and lead author of the study.



“By leveraging museum specimens, we can reconstruct environmental conditions from over a century ago and assess how pollution has impacted different communities.”



This historical gap limits our ability to connect environmental data with public health trends. Knowing when certain pollutants appeared or peaked could provide critical context for rising disease rates, childhood asthma or even regional disparities in birth outcomes. 



That is why museum collections are so valuable. They allow researchers to go back in time using biology as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/34-million-year-old-snake-fossil-hibernophis-breithaupti-changes-our-understanding-of-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record-keeper</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-record-of-shifting-pollution-levels">A record of shifting pollution levels</h2>



Dr. DuBay and his team have shown that biological specimens contain more than DNA or taxonomy. These samples preserve traces of airborne and waterborne pollutants. 



The researchers analyzed items such as feathers and fish tissues and discovered that they still carry metals and particulates from their original environments, even if they were collected more than 100 years ago.



Before the rise of environmental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-discovery-anadoluvius-turkae-suggests-humans-originated-in-europe-not-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">science</a>, no one thought to measure mercury in fish or airborne lead in birds. But the creatures that lived through those times did absorb such substances. By studying the specimens now, scientists can reconstruct long-term pollution timelines.



One compelling case involved two field sparrow specimens from the U.S. Rust Belt. One was collected in 1906, the other in 1996. 



The 1906 bird had visible black carbon deposits, the result of coal-based pollution. In contrast, the 1996 bird had clean feathers, showing how pollution levels had changed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-patterns-of-chronic-illness">Patterns of chronic illness</h2>



DuBay and his colleagues believe these museum archives can do more than map trends. They can help link historical pollution exposure to human health outcomes. 



If researchers compare pollution levels in specimens to local medical records, they might reveal patterns of chronic illness, cognitive issues or premature births that are tied to environmental exposures.



“We’ve always had gaps in historical pollution data,” said DuBay. “These specimens offer a new way to fill those gaps and better understand how pollutants persist in the environment.”



This line of inquiry adds depth to both environmental and medical studies. It could explain why certain communities experienced health disparities for decades. It could also expose how long certain pollutants linger in an ecosystem even after being banned or regulated.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-specimens-for-pollution-analysis">Specimens for pollution analysis</h2>



Of course, turning a 19th-century bird or fish into a source of chemical data is not easy. These specimens were not originally collected for pollution analysis. 



Many were part of projects that documented species distributions, or collected for museums and educational displays. This makes the data uneven. Some regions are well-represented, while others have few or no samples.



Also, the techniques required to detect trace pollutants in feathers, bones or scales can be highly advanced. Some even risk damaging the original specimen. That is a heavy cost when dealing with irreplaceable archives. 



Scientists must strike a balance between extracting useful data and preserving the sample’s integrity.



Still, the field is advancing. Less invasive methods are being developed. And interdisciplinary teams are working together to share techniques, data and insights.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-specimens-reveal-pollution-s-impacts">Specimens reveal pollution’s impacts</h2>



Despite these challenges, the authors of the study believe there is vast, untapped potential. Natural history museums can serve as long-term archives of human impact on the planet. They are no longer just about biodiversity. They are about environmental change.



“This study underscores the importance of natural history collections - not just for understanding biodiversity, but for examining environmental changes over time,” said DuBay. “By studying these specimens, we can improve our understanding of pollution trends and their broader impacts.”



In a way, these specimens offer a bridge between the past and present. They let us ask: What was in the air when this bird lived? What was present in this fish’s river? The answers could reshape how we view the legacy of industrialization, regulation and recovery.



As researchers continue unlocking the secrets of these long-preserved organisms, one thing becomes clear: the past still speaks. We just need to know where to listen.



Experts from the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a>, University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and <a href="https://www.yale.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale University</a> also contributed to the research.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403781122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Museum specimens preserve traces of pollution from centuries ago

In a quiet corner of a museum, behind glass or...

Signals from navigation satellites, radio broadcasts, and distant spacecraft all squeeze through a thin, electrified veil in Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. Stretching from about 50 miles to nearly 400 miles up, this region bristles with charged particles set loose by daylight. 



After sunset, that energy settles, but not always in the tidy pattern engineers expect. A new set of nighttime snapshots shows the plasma folding itself into unexpected letters of the alphabet - and that spelling lesson matters for everyone who relies on an accurate map or clear call.



Most evenings, two broad ribbons of extra-dense plasma form on either side of Earth’s magnetic equator. Together they make the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023SW003737" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Equatorial Ionization Anomaly</a>, a feature first charted in the 1940s and long blamed for after-dark radio static. 



The bands usually stay parallel like lanes on a highway. Yet recent images from NASA’s Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (<a href="https://gold.cs.ucf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GOLD</a>) satellite reveal that the lanes sometimes twist, mingle, and collide without warning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gold-finds-x-shapes">GOLD finds X shapes</h2>



GOLD was launched in 2018 and is parked in geostationary orbit, hovering above the Western Hemisphere. Its ultraviolet camera keeps a constant watch on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/u-s-rocket-launch-ripped-a-hole-in-earths-ionosphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ionosphere’s nighttime glow</a>, offering a movie instead of a snapshot. 



That continuous view helped researchers led by Fazlul Laskar at the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (<a href="https://lasp.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LASP</a>) spot a striking crossover pattern they call the EIA-X. 



“Earlier reports of merging had appeared only during geomagnetically disturbed conditions - so its presence during geomagnetically quiet conditions was unexpected,” said Laskar, whose team detailed the findings in a comprehensive study published in JGR.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/earth-upper-atmosphere_x-shaped-structures_unexplained_NASA-Gold-Mission_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/earth-upper-atmosphere_x-shaped-structures_unexplained_NASA-Gold-Mission_1s.webp" alt="This visualization shows C-shaped and reverse-C-shaped plasma bubbles appearing close together in the ionosphere on Oct. 12, 2020, and Dec. 26, 2021, as observed by NASA’s GOLD mission (Credit: NASA’s Visualization Studio)" class="wp-image-1972740"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This visualization shows C-shaped and reverse-C-shaped plasma bubbles appearing close together in the ionosphere on Oct. 12, 2020, and Dec. 26, 2021, as observed by NASA’s GOLD mission. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA’s Visualization Studio</figcaption></figure>



Computer simulations back up the X shapes that GOLD saw. When winds in the upper atmosphere slide downward over the magnetic equator just before sunset, they can shove the twin crests toward each other. 



The meeting point seen by GOLD lights up as an X. Simulations also hint that waves rising from lower layers of air lend an extra nudge, showing once again that weather near the ground can echo all the way to space.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-quiet-skies-turn-chaotic">When quiet skies turn chaotic</h2>



The ionosphere is famous for mood swings during solar storms, but GOLD surprised scientists by catching the X shapes on nights when the Sun was calm. 



“The X is odd because it implies that there are far more localized driving factors,” said Jeffrey Klenzing, a physicist at NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goddard Space Flight Center</a> who was not part of Laskar’s modeling team. 



Detecting an X during a lull means forecasters must pay closer attention to subtle tides and winds bubbling up from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activities-are-increasing-ozone-in-the-upper-troposphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">troposphere</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-travel-has-left-a-metal-mark-on-earths-stratosphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stratosphere</a>, not just flares erupting 93 million miles away.



EIA-X episodes do not last long. They blossom after dusk and fade toward midnight, but while active they can bend radio waves enough to throw off a GPS fix by more than a few dozen feet - an error that matters to a surveyor, an oil tanker, or a precision-guided tractor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-x-marks-equator-on-gold-satellite">X marks equator on GOLD satellite</h2>



Tracking these brief crossovers requires wide-angle coverage. Because GOLD spins with Earth, it records the same longitude continuously and can watch the EIA-X blossom over South America for hours at a stretch. 



That window showed that the crossover sometimes stretches thousands of miles east-to-west before dissolving. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/earth-upper-atmosphere_x-shaped-structures-2020-2021_NASA-Gold-Mission_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/earth-upper-atmosphere_x-shaped-structures-2020-2021_NASA-Gold-Mission_1s.webp" alt="Images from NASA’s GOLD mission show C-shaped and reverse-C-shaped plasma bubbles appearing close together in the ionosphere on Oct. 12, 2020, and Dec. 26, 2021. Credit: NASA/D.Karan" class="wp-image-1972742"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Images from NASA’s GOLD mission show C-shaped and reverse-C-shaped plasma bubbles appearing close together in the ionosphere on Oct. 12, 2020, and Dec. 26, 2021. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/D.Karan</figcaption></figure>



At other times it stays confined to a single time zone, hinting that several different atmospheric recipes can cook up an X.



“It’s a little like a tree growing in a windy area,” explains Klenzing. Wind direction changes with height, while magnetic field lines act like guy wires, shaping the plasma just as gusts bend a sapling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-curious-curves-mystery-winds">Curious curves, mystery winds</h2>



GOLD also discovered plasma bubbles that curve into C-shapes or reverse-C-shapes instead of running straight along magnetic field lines. 



“Such closely spaced, opposite-shaped plasma bubbles had never been predicted or imaged before,” said Deepak Karan of LASP, who reported the odd pairing in November 2023. 



The team saw a normal C and a mirror-image reverse-C only about 400 miles apart - roughly the drive from Baltimore to Boston. That distance is tiny by ionospheric standards.



Winds that strengthen with altitude appear to sculpt a forward C, while winds that weaken carve the reverse. Having both shapes side by side suggests that whirling vortices or fierce shear layers lurk in the upper atmosphere. 



“The fact that we have very different shapes of bubbles this close together tells us that the dynamics of the atmosphere is more complex than we expected,” Klenzing said. 



And the stakes are high: “It’s really important to find out why this is happening,” Karan said. “If a vortex or very strong shear forms in the plasma, it can completely distort that region. Signals will be lost completely with a strong disturbance like this.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alphabet-matters-down-here">Alphabet matters down here</h2>



Pilots, emergency responders, and power-grid operators all rely on forecasts of space weather. An unexpected X or C in the ionosphere can enlarge positioning errors, garble high-frequency radio, and even trip protective relays in long transmission lines. 



Because GOLD spots these shapes in real time, engineers may soon receive alerts that flag vulnerable regions before signals stray. 



The mission’s data feed also helps scientists refine computer models that drive tomorrow’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electron-activity-in-auroras-will-help-us-understand-space-weather/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">space-weather</a> bulletins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-missions-to-figure-out-x-events">Future missions to figure out X events</h2>



Only two close C-shaped pairings and a handful of X events have appeared in GOLD’s catalog so far, yet each one pushes researchers to widen their search. 



New missions such as NASA’s upcoming <a href="https://lws.larc.nasa.gov/gdc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geospace Dynamics Constellation</a> will add low-Earth-orbit perspectives, offering a 3-D look at plasma motions. 



Combined with ground-based radars and all-sky cameras, those views promise to turn today’s alphabet soup into tomorrow’s readable forecast - a forecast that could keep your next GPS route on the right road and your next phone call crisp and clear.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JA032224" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics</a>.



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NASA unexpectedly finds 'X-shaped structures' in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which they can’t fully explain

Signals from navigation satellites, radio broadcasts, and distant spacecraft all...

A new study has revealed that carbon stored deep in Earth’s landscapes for thousands - or even millions - of years is making its way back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide released from river surfaces.



This discovery changes our understanding of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-plankton-play-a-big-role-in-the-global-carbon-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">global carbon cycle</a> and suggests that plants and soils are playing an even bigger role in removing carbon from the air than previously believed.



Led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a>, the international research team found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-disrupting-the-seasonal-flow-of-rivers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rivers</a> across the world are releasing carbon not just from recent organic material but also from much older sources. This ancient carbon comes from deep soil layers and even weathered rock.



“The results took us by surprise because it turns out that old carbon stores are leaking out much more into the atmosphere than previous estimates suggested,” said lead author Josh Dean, an associate professor of biogeochemistry at Bristol.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deep-carbon-emerges-unexpectedly">Deep carbon emerges unexpectedly</h2>



Previously, scientists assumed that the gases released from rivers - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprising-sources-of-methane-emissions-from-rivers-and-streams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">methane</a> and carbon dioxide - mostly came from recent plant matter that had decayed and washed into the water within the last 70 years.



But this study found something different. More than half - around 60% - of the CO2 released by rivers actually comes from carbon that has been buried underground for centuries to millennia.



“The implications are potentially huge for our understanding of global carbon emissions," Dean said. "<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-may-stop-absorbing-carbon-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/">P</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-may-stop-absorbing-carbon-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">l</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-may-stop-absorbing-carbon-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/">ants</a> and trees take up CO2 from the atmosphere and can then lock this carbon away in soils for thousands of years.”



“Our findings show some of this old carbon, as well as ancient carbon from rocks, is leaking sideways into rivers and making its way back to the atmosphere.”



Although it's unclear how human activity influences the release of ancient carbon, researchers found that plants and trees are currently absorbing more atmospheric carbon to offset this unrecognized release.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-global-river-investigation">A global river investigation</h2>



The research team examined over 700 river reaches from 26 countries across every continent except Antarctica.



Using advanced radiocarbon dating techniques, they measured the age of carbon dioxide and methane released from rivers.



By analyzing the amount of carbon-14, an isotope that helps scientists determine how old a sample is, they were able to distinguish between “young” carbon and ancient sources.



“We discovered that around half of the emissions are young, while the other half are much older, released from deep soil layers and rock weathering that were formed thousands and even millions of years ago,” said co-author Bob Hilton, a professor of sedimentary geography at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-carbon-changes-climate-math">Hidden carbon changes climate math</h2>



Rivers are often overlooked in climate discussions, but they play a critical role in the carbon cycle.



Globally, rivers release about two gigatons of carbon each year. In comparison, human activity emits around 10 to 15 gigatons annually.



This makes river emissions a significant part of the natural carbon flow - one that scientists are now realizing is more dynamic than previously believed.



“These river emissions are significant at a global scale, and we’re showing that over half of these emissions may be coming from carbon stores we considered relatively stable," said co-author Gemma Coxon, an associate professor of hydrology at Bristol. "This means we need to re-evaluate these crucial parts of the global carbon cycle.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-carbon-emissions-need-review">Old carbon emissions need review</h2>



The discovery opens up several new questions. If ancient carbon is routinely leaking back into the atmosphere through rivers, how might that flow change over time - especially as the climate warms and human activity reshapes the land?



The team plans to continue its research by investigating how the age of river carbon emissions varies in areas not captured in the current study, and whether those patterns have shifted historically.



By reshaping our understanding of where carbon emissions originate, this study also underscores the vital role of natural ecosystems in counterbalancing those emissions.



According to the researchers, plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-may-trigger-rapid-release-of-soil-carbon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soils</a> may already be compensating for this unexpected source by pulling roughly one extra gigaton of CO2 out of the atmosphere every year.



The findings highlight the need for more accurate carbon budgets as policymakers and scientists work to address climate change. 



Understanding the hidden sources and sinks of carbon in the environment isn’t just a scientific activity - it’s essential for building effective strategies to reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-are-hidden-sources-of-greenhouse-gases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">greenhouse gases</a> and protect our planet’s future.



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Rivers are releasing a massive amount of carbon dioxide into the air

A new study has revealed that carbon stored deep in...

Underwater,Photo,Nudibranches,On,The,Sand,Sea,Life

Most of Earth’s surface lies hidden beneath miles of saltwater on the deep ocean floor. Almost every breath we take and every weather pattern we watch on the evening news depends on what happens there, yet humans have seen very little of it. 



The deep sea - water deeper than about 656 feet - covers two-thirds of our planet, but we’ve seen little of it with our own eyes. 



An ambitious new analysis shows how little: less than 0.001 percent of the deep seafloor has ever been photographed.



That fraction is smaller than a single blade of grass on a football field, and it leaves scientists making big decisions from a sliver of evidence.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-deep-ocean-is-unexplored">Earth's deep ocean is unexplored</h2>



Dr. Katy Croff Bell of the <a href="https://www.oceandiscoveryleague.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ocean Discovery League</a> led the team that pored over records from roughly 44,000 dives going back to 1958. 



She and her colleagues found that, if every picture ever taken of the deep seafloor were stitched together, the patchwork would cover an area about the size of Rhode Island. It is also only one-tenth the size of Belgium, a country many travelers cross by train before lunch.



“As we face accelerated threats to the deep ocean - from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-we-mitigate-climate-change-with-deep-ocean-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a> to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-mining-impacts-marine-life-for-decades/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential mining</a> and resource exploitation - this limited exploration of such a vast region becomes a critical problem for both science and policy,” she says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploration-record-thinner-than-hair">Exploration record thinner than hair</h2>



The tally of dives might sound impressive until you consider scale. The study looked at 66 percent of Earth’s surface and found that almost 30 percent of all visual observations were captured before 1980, often with grainy black-and-white film. 



Nearly two-thirds of the images were taken within 230 miles of the United States, Japan, or New Zealand. Five well-funded nations - the United States, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Germany - conducted 97 percent of documented deep-sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/underwater-volcano-becomes-a-natural-incubator-for-thousands-of-live-skate-eggs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">submersible missions</a>.



“If the scientific community were to make all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of only 0.001 percent of that total area,” the authors explain, “they would be basing their assessments of all land-based life on Earth on an area roughly the size of Houston, Texas.” The mismatch is staggering.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deep-ocean-and-daily-life-on-earth">Deep ocean and daily life on Earth</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-satellite-is-rewriting-what-we-know-about-ocean-currents/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deep-sea currents</a> shuttle heat around the globe, shaping the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-accelerate-jet-stream-winds-and-airplane-turbulence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jet stream</a> and steering hurricanes. 



Microbes living in darkness help produce much of the planet’s oxygen and store vast amounts of carbon in ocean sediments. 



Medicines drawn from deep-sea sponges and corals already fight cancer, infection, and pain. 



When warm surface conditions change, the deep absorbs or releases heat, moderating the climate we feel at street level. 



Yet policies on seabed mining, carbon storage, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-marine-protected-areas-boost-human-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine conservation</a> often proceed with almost no direct visual evidence of what is at stake.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-technology-bottleneck">The technology bottleneck</h2>



Cost sits at the heart of the problem. A single day at sea on a modern research vessel can cost more than $50,000, and deploying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/living-baby-colossal-squid-captured-on-video-for-the-first-time-ever/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)</a> or crewed submersibles adds many thousands more. 



Hardware built to survive pressures that would crush a car must be rugged and thoroughly tested, which inflates budgets. Not surprisingly, most countries choose to spend limited research funds closer to shore.



A new generation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exo-auvs-searching-for-life-on-alien-ocean-worlds-will-involve-robots/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)</a>, however, is changing the calculus. Backpack-size AUVs now map seabeds, hover over vents, and capture high-definition video for a fraction of the cost of legacy systems. 



Open-source control software and modular sensor bays make these robots easier to maintain far from large laboratories. 



Once such tools move into wider circulation, regions long ignored by oceanographers could come into view.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uneven-map-carved-by-wealth">Uneven map carved by wealth</h2>



History shows how priorities follow money. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union probed submarine canyons in part to understand undersea warfare. 



Japan’s focus on nearby trenches and volcanic arcs reflects earthquake research. Europe’s dive records cluster along commercial telecommunication cable routes and proposed mining sites. 



All of this skews scientific ideas about what “typical” deep-sea life looks like. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-pigs-unicumbers-strange-stunning-creatures-discovered-abyssal-plains-ccz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abyssal plains</a> - those seemingly flat regions more than 13,000 feet down - cover nearly half of the deep ocean yet remain among the least photographed places on Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-closing-the-gap-with-new-tools">Closing the gap with new tools</h2>



“There is so much of our ocean that remains a mystery. Deep-sea exploration led by scientists and local communities is crucial to better understanding the planet’s largest ecosystem," says Dr. Ian Miller of the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Geographic Society</a>, which helped fund the work. 



"Dr. Bell’s goals to equip global coastal communities with cutting-edge research and technology will ensure a more representative analysis of the deep sea. If we have a better understanding of our ocean, we are better able to conserve and protect it.”



Community-based programs already train researchers from small island nations to operate compact ROVs launched from fishing boats. 



Low-cost cameras pressure-rated to 20,000 feet can be paired with baited frames to document undiscovered species. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-ocean-currents-play-a-huge-role-in-earths-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artificial intelligence</a> now sifts thousands of images overnight, flagging potential new organisms for human review.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-earth-s-deep-ocean-floors">Future of Earth's deep ocean floors</h2>



Policymakers face a pivotal choice. They can green-light deep-sea mining concessions and expand distant-water fishing with scant imagery to guide them, or they can invest in the tools that pull back the curtain on the largest habitat on Earth. 



Every pixel gathered from the abyss fills a yawning gap in our knowledge and, perhaps, in our stewardship. 



The deep ocean’s story is still mostly unwritten. With shared technology and broader participation, the next chapter could finally show the full picture rather than a sliver of evidence.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp8602" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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99.999% of Earth's deep ocean floor has still never been seen by humans

Most of Earth’s surface lies hidden beneath miles of saltwater...

Flooding has become an unwelcome visitor to many coastal neighborhoods. For a long time, official records suggested these floods were rare. But new research shows they are happening much more often than previously believed - and we may have been measuring them incorrectly.



The risks extend beyond storm surges and times of heavy rain. Even calm, sunny days can bring rising water into streets and homes.



Scientists from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Carolina State University</a> and UNC Chapel Hill have taken a closer look. The study reveals that relying on marine water-level data - the standard method for tracking floods - misses a big part of the story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flood-data-under-scrutiny">Flood data under scrutiny</h2>



Miyuki Hino is a corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of city and regional planning at UNC.



“Government agencies and researchers use data from tide gauges to measure water levels in coastal areas, then use that data to estimate flood frequency in the region,” said Hino. “Those estimates are used both to assess how often flooding has taken place and to predict how often it may take place in the future."



The study reveals that current flood assessments underestimate both the frequency and duration of flooding events. This matters now more than ever. 



“Due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-cities-will-spend-over-3-trillion-dollars-damages-from-sea-level-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea-level rise</a>, we’re now seeing flooding in coastal areas outside of extreme storms like hurricanes,” said Katherine Anarde, assistant professor of coastal engineering at NC State.



“There can be flooding during everyday rain showers or at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-tide-flooding-will-rapidly-increase-along-the-u-s-coastline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">high tide</a> on sunny days. It’s important that the methodology we use to monitor and predict flooding reflects this reality, since sea-level rise means these flooding events are going to become even more common."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-tools-for-flooding">Better tools for flooding</h2>



Tide gauges have been the backbone of flood measurement in coastal areas. Agencies often rely on thresholds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) to infer inundation based on water levels. 



However, these measurements are made offshore - not where people live, work, and drive. The researchers, part of the Sunny Day Flooding Project, wanted to change that. They built a network of land-based sensors that can detect floods on roads.



These new sensors were placed across three North Carolina communities: Beaufort, Carolina Beach, and Sea Level. Over the course of a year, the sensors picked up a surprising number of high-water events: 26 days in Beaufort, 65 days in Carolina Beach, and a striking 128 days in Sea Level.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-numbers-don-t-add-up">The numbers don't add up</h2>



“These numbers were very different from what the HTF and NWS thresholds tell us based on water levels at tide gauges,” said Anarde. “In general, the thresholds drastically underestimated the number of floods."



"For example, when you subtract floods associated with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/once-in-a-thousand-years-extreme-storms-are-becoming-much-more-frequent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">extreme storms</a>, we recorded flooding on 122 days in Sea Level."



Professor Anarde noted that tidal gauge data significantly underestimated flood days, showing just 31 (NWS threshold) and 9 (HTF threshold).



The results were inconsistent. The NWS threshold sometimes overestimated the number of flood days as at Carolina Beach, for example. The researchers recorded 65 days of flooding using their system, while the NWS data from the closest tidal gauge identified 120 days of potential flooding.



But it’s not just about how often this happens. The duration of these events was also longer than is captured by the HTF and NWS thresholds. “Essentially, the thresholds don’t adequately account for how long it takes water to drain off of land,” explained Hino.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-data-helps-protect-coasts">Better data helps protect coasts</h2>



When communities are left with poor information, they can’t plan effectively. 



“More accurate information on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-flooding-will-soon-be-common-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coastal</a> flooding can inform where and how we invest resources in building more resilient communities,” said Anarde. “It’s hard to design an efficient solution when you don’t know the scope of the problem.”



“Every community is unique, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” added Hino. “But with more accurate data, we can help communities assess what <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-migration-a-good-response-to-climate-change-the-answer-is-complicated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">response strategy</a> is best for them, now and in the future.”



With a clearer understanding of the risks, towns can make smarter choices about infrastructure upgrades and emergency planning. It also helps residents better understand the changes happening around them. 



In the long run, having the right information can mean stronger, safer communities for generations to come.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02326-w">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Coastal flooding is happening far more often than we thought

Flooding has become an unwelcome visitor to many coastal neighborhoods....

Every year, June 5 marks World Environment Day. It's a moment to step back and ask ourselves: What kind of Earth are we leaving behind? It is not just about recycling a bottle or switching off a light - it's about recognizing the deep ties between us and the living planet. 



World Environment Day began in 1972, launched by the United Nations during the Stockholm Conference. Since then, it has become the world’s largest platform for environmental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-our-power-our-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">awareness</a>. 



Each year, the campaign takes on a new theme and a new host country. This year, the Republic of Korea leads the campaign with a focus on ending the plastic crisis under the powerful slogan: “Beat Plastic Pollution.”



As we witness floods, wildfires, and droughts with increasing regularity, it becomes clear: the environment is not an isolated issue. It is the foundation of our health, food, safety, and survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ending-plastic-pollution-is-urgent">Ending plastic pollution is urgent</h2>



Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-innovation-takes-the-lead-in-environmental-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">challenges</a> of our time. Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans, rivers, and landscapes. 



Beyond harming wildlife and ecosystems, microplastics have been found in the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe.



The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasizes that plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue but also a health and economic concern. The costs associated with plastic pollution, including cleanup efforts and health impacts, are staggering.



“Plastic pollution is choking our planet - harming ecosystems, well-being, and the climate. Yet there is a movement for urgent change,” noted Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-link-between-plastic-and-climate">The link between plastic and climate</h2>



Plastic production and disposal contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. From the extraction of fossil fuels to the manufacturing process and eventual incineration or degradation, plastics release harmful pollutants into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-what-were-really-fighting-for/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atmosphere</a>.



Moreover, plastic waste in oceans disrupts marine ecosystems, affecting the ocean's ability to sequester carbon dioxide. This disruption exacerbates climate change effects, creating a feedback loop that further harms the environment.



World Environment Day&nbsp;highlights that addressing plastic pollution is a critical step in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-action-on-world-environment-day">Take action on World Environment Day </h2>



While policy changes and corporate responsibility are vital, individual actions play a crucial role in reducing plastic pollution. Simple steps like carrying reusable bags, avoiding single-use plastics, and supporting products with sustainable packaging can collectively make a significant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-turtle-day-2025-ancient-creatures-with-modern-challenges/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impact</a>.



Education and awareness are also key. By informing others about the dangers of plastic pollution and advocating for sustainable practices, individuals can drive community-level change.



“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something,” says <a href="https://www.unccd.int/convention/who-is-who/executive-secretary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ibrahim Thiaw</a>, executive secretary of the UNCCD. His words highlight a key truth: restoration is not about grand gestures. It is about daily habits, done with care and purpose.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-movements-driving-local-change">Global movements driving local change</h2>



World Environment Day is not a one-day affair. It energizes thousands of grassroots movements, public campaigns, and international collaborations. 



Initiatives like the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aim to revive one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030. This ambitious target covers forests, farmlands, wetlands, savannahs, and coastlines.



In Africa, countries are planting trees under the Great Green Wall initiative. In Asia, farmers are restoring rice paddies that absorb carbon. In Latin America, indigenous communities are reviving ancestral water systems. These projects show that environmental change is already underway. It just needs more momentum.



Digital platforms like <a href="https://www.youth4nature.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Youth4Nature</a> are helping young people become restoration stewards. At the same time, institutes like the <a href="https://www.wri.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Resources Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.unep.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNEP</a> support policy shifts and data-driven strategies. Together, they create a global network of local solutions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hope-not-fear-will-restore-the-planet">Hope, not fear, will restore the planet</h2>



Many people feel overwhelmed by the scale of the environmental crisis. That fear is understandable. Fear cannot rebuild soil or plant trees, but hope can. The beauty of restoration is that it begins with simple acts. It is not about undoing the past - it's about shaping the future.



Nature knows how to heal. We just need to give it space, time, and respect. When we restore land, we restore life. We bring back insects that pollinate. Birds that spread seeds. Microbes that make soil fertile. These quiet helpers create a web of resilience. Humans are part of that web.



World Environment Day 2025 urges us to see land not as property but as kin. It breathes when forests sway, feeds when crops ripen, and listens when raindrops fall. When we give back to the land, it gives back in abundance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-environment-day-hope-and-renewal">World Environment Day: Hope and renewal</h2>



Marking World Environment Day is not enough. What matters is what we do after June 5. Will we let the momentum fade, or will we keep it alive in our homes, schools, and workplaces? The answer shapes our shared destiny.



We must build a culture of restoration. One that honors nature not as a resource but as a relative. One that recognizes care as strength, not weakness. In this culture, every act of restoration, no matter how small, becomes an act of resistance, hope, and renewal.



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World Environment Day 2025: Plastic pollution is choking our planet

Every year, June 5 marks World Environment Day. It's a...

Beyond the lively music and familiar clink of pint glasses, the air in Dublin carries something far less visible: fragments of DNA.



A new study has revealed that genetic material from plants, animals, microbes - and even traces of illicit drugs like cannabis and poppy - can be found drifting through the city’s atmosphere.



This discovery showcases the expanding possibilities of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-fishing-helps-scientists-survey-marine-life-in-the-deep-ocean/">environmental DNA</a>, or eDNA - genetic material collected not from an animal or plant itself, but from the surrounding environment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-airborne-dna-holds-clues-to-life">Airborne DNA holds clues to life</h2>



The new research shows that even the air we breathe contains enough stray DNA to map out species in the area, track disease <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-pandemic-looms-as-pathogens-move-from-wild-plants-to-crops/">pathogens</a>, and detect chemical signatures from human activity.



David Duffy is a professor of wildlife disease genomics at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a>. Professor Duffy and his team originally developed their eDNA tools to study sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-turtle-day-2025-ancient-creatures-with-modern-challenges/">turtle</a> populations by analyzing samples from water, sand, and soil.



“The level of information that’s available in environmental DNA is such that we’re only starting to consider what the potential applications can be, from humans, to wildlife, to other species that have implications for human health,” said Professor Duffy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-airborne-dna-can-reveal">What airborne DNA can reveal</h2>



Housed at the University of Florida, the <a href="https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/">Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience</a> has since broadened its methods to extract and analyze DNA from nearly any environment - including air.



This DNA, invisible to the naked eye, doesn't just rest on surfaces or float downstream. It also exists freely in the air. The researchers discovered that simple air filters, run for hours or days, could collect large amounts of informative genetic material.



“When we started, it seemed like it would be hard to get intact large fragments of DNA from the air. But that’s not the case. We’re actually finding a lot of informative DNA,” said Professor Duffy.



“That means you can study species without directly having to disturb them, without ever having to see them. It opens up huge possibilities to study all the species in an area simultaneously, from microbes and viruses all the way up to vertebrates like bobcats and humans.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-pathogens-to-pollen">Tracking pathogens to pollen</h2>



As a real-world test, Duffy’s lab set up airborne DNA collection devices in Dublin. The filters picked up traces of hundreds of human pathogens - including viruses and bacteria - floating in the city’s air.



Such monitoring could prove crucial in early detection of disease outbreaks or understanding how infections spread through populations.



The same method can also detect environmental allergens more precisely than current technologies. From pollen to peanut particles, the ability to pinpoint <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-allergy-season-worse-and-longer-lasting/">allergens</a> could transform how doctors advise patients or how public health agencies issue warnings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildlife-monitoring-without-disturbance"><a></a>Wildlife monitoring without disturbance</h2>



Beyond the urban setting, Duffy’s team also tested their approach in the wilds of Florida. There, air filters collected DNA from animals as elusive as bobcats and as small as spiders.



Remarkably, the DNA revealed not only the presence of these animals, but also where they came from - providing location data without relying on sighting reports, camera traps, or scat samples.



Such precision could be a game-changer for conservation. When trying to protect endangered species, knowing their geographic origin can be as critical as knowing their current location.



By tracking this data through the air, scientists can study animals that are rare, shy, or difficult to observe - without ever disturbing them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-speed-simplicity-and-global-access"><a></a>Speed, simplicity, and global access</h2>



Perhaps just as impressive as the scope of detection is the speed and affordability of the technique. Duffy’s team showed that a single researcher could analyze all the DNA in an air sample in about a day. 



The process uses compact lab equipment and cloud-based software, lowering the barriers for researchers around the world.



This accessibility makes it possible to deploy eDNA monitoring across ecosystems and cities without requiring vast scientific infrastructure. But with that power comes responsibility. 



Since airborne DNA includes fragments from humans, researchers have urged the creation of ethical standards to guide how this data is handled and shared.



“It seems like science fiction, but it’s becoming science fact,” Duffy said. “The technology is finally matching the scale of environmental problems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-frontier-for-science"><a></a>A new frontier for science</h2>



As climate change and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-action-and-biodiversity-striking-the-right-balance/">biodiversity</a> loss pose growing threats, tools like airborne eDNA offer a powerful way to keep track of both wildlife and public health. 



By analyzing one sample, scientists can detect pathogens, pollutants, invasive species, and endangered animals - accelerating environmental responses.



Dublin may be the first city to offer proof of concept. But this approach could soon be used globally - to monitor disease, study ecosystems, or even map how human activity shapes the microscopic life around us. With every breath of air, there’s now a new window into the world we live in.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02711-w">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Airborne DNA can track wildlife, diseases - and even drugs

Beyond the lively music and familiar clink of pint glasses,...

Concept,Nature,Reserve,Conserve,Wildlife,Reserve,Tiger,Deer,Global,Warming

Stand on any hillside on Earth and the view jumps from desert to forest to coast, with each bioregion hosting its own cast of creatures. For decades, naturalists asked why a South American rainforest hosts parrots and jaguars while an African one shelters hornbills and leopards. 



The explanation, many suspected, lies in the deep history of place, not just in climate or chance.



Fresh analysis of records for more than 30,000 species now points to a single thread that stitches those patches together. 



The work hints at clearer forecasts of how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natures-ecosystems-constantly-share-energy-to-achieve-balance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems will react</a> as the planet warms, dries, and becomes more crowded, and it offers practical clues for anyone trying to keep biodiversity intact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-nature-clusters">Why nature clusters</h2>



The project came from Rubén Bernardo-Madrid of <a href="https://www.umu.se/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Umeå University</a>, Joaquín Calatayud of <a href="https://en.urjc.es/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rey Juan Carlos University</a>, and partners in Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom. 



They sliced the globe into the well-known biogeographical regions and traced amphibians, birds, dragonflies, mammals, marine rays, reptiles, and trees across them. 



Order appeared where chaos was expected. In every territory, the team found a robust center that shelters the majority of resident species. 



“In every bioregion, there is always a core area where most species live. From that core, species expand into surrounding areas, but only a subset manages to persist," Bernardo-Madrid explains.



"It seems these cores provide optimal conditions for species survival and diversification, acting as a source from which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-leaks-conservation-efforts-may-shift-harm-elsewhere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity radiates outward</a>.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seven-zones-per-bioregion">Seven zones per bioregion</h2>



The team then mapped seven nested zones inside each bioregion, each with its own mix of widespread residents and highly local specialists. The central belt holds many species; the outer belts hold fewer but often unique ones.



The rule stayed intact whether the subject crawled, flew, swam, or rooted. Trees and marine rays may live worlds apart, yet their distributions echoed the same lattice from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gold-mining-causes-long-lasting-damage-in-the-amazon-rainforest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon Basin</a> to Hudson Bay.



Each bioregion is bounded by barriers that discourage wanderers - an ocean trench, a desert interior, a frosty ridge. Over thousands of generations, those barriers steer evolution down separate paths. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marsupials-are-key-to-healthy-ecosystems-in-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marsupials flourish in Australia</a> because the surrounding sea keeps placental mammals at bay. Likewise, venomous vipers fill Central America but fade near the Andean wall.



Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace drew the first <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-wallace-line-a-natural-border-that-no-species-crosses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">broad outlines of these divisions</a> in the 1800s, yet their maps were blunt instruments. 



Modern databases, satellite imagery, and museum collections now let researchers slice the globe with much finer resolution, revealing hidden borders such as Wallace’s Line between Borneo and Sulawesi, where Asian and Australasian fauna still collide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-bioregion-cores-stay-rich">How bioregion cores stay rich</h2>



Central zones usually enjoy milder temperatures, steadier rains, and larger habitat blocks - conditions that cushion populations against droughts, fires, or disease. Over time, those safe harbors spark new species, so the core doubles as nursery and archive.



Farther out, tougher climates and sharper competition thin the roster. The survivors often evolve in isolation, explaining why a corner of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mouse-lemurs-of-madagascar-are-threatened-with-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Madagascar</a> or a Panamanian ridge can host creatures found nowhere else.



Environmental filtering, long a core idea in ecology, emerged as the engine behind the seven-zone scheme. 



If an organism cannot cope with a site’s heat, salt, or altitude, it fails to gain a foothold. Global evidence for that rule had been patchy until now.



Calatayud notes, “The predictability of the pattern and its association with environmental filters can help us better understand how biodiversity may respond to global change.” 



In practice, that insight lets conservation planners model vulnerability without guessing region by region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-conservation">Implications for conservation</h2>



Budgets for conservation are finite, and field crews often face tough choices on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beehive-fences-keep-elephants-from-raiding-farms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">where to place fences</a> or patrols. Knowing that a region’s biological bank lies in its core offers a clear target. 



Guarding that nucleus secures most species, while a few carefully placed reserves at the fringes hold the irreplaceable endemics that give every landscape its distinct feel.



The Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution paper highlights how a rainforest refuge the size of a county, or a string of barrier islands, can buoy entire landscapes. Protect those pockets from mining or ill-planned sprawl, and the wider biome stands a better chance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-bioregions-and-the-future">Humans, bioregions, and the future</h2>



The new rule surfaces as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-humans-are-warming-the-planet-faster-than-ever-before/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">humans alter habitats</a> faster than many species can adjust, while warming nudges climatic bands roughly 12 miles north each decade. 



With a consistent framework, researchers can forecast which cores may shrink or shift and where fresh refuges might form. 



Some centers may have to leap uphill or poleward to survive, dragging dependent species along a gauntlet of highways, farms, and cities.



More data will sharpen those forecasts, yet the message is already clear. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/effective-conservation-efforts-key-to-saving-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biodiversity is not random</a>; it follows a sturdy, planet-wide logic. 



By working with that logic, communities can steer scarce resources toward the spots that quietly keep life thriving - and in turn secure our own future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02724-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology and Evolution</a>.



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Scientists discover one simple rule that explains all life on Earth

Stand on any hillside on Earth and the view jumps...

Rising sea levels are a constant reminder of how climate change is reshaping reef ecosystems around the world. 



New research reveals that the Great Barrier Reef might be able to keep pace with rising waters alone, but when combined with other environmental pressures, its future becomes much less certain.



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a> have dug deep - literally - to understand how reefs have responded to dramatic changes in the past.



Using fossil reef cores extracted from beneath the Great Barrier Reef, they uncovered important clues. These cores, which serve as geological time capsules, show that rapid sea level rise alone did not lead to the downfall of an ancient version known as Reef 4.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rising-seas-shape-ancient-reefs">Rising seas shape ancient reefs</h2>



The study focused on how the reef ecosystem evolved from about 13,000 to 10,000 years ago. This period includes a particularly intense phase called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sea-level-rose-by-18-meters-after-the-last-ice-age/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meltwater Pulse</a> 1B. 



During this 350-year window, sea levels rose sharply as polar ice sheets melted under warmer global temperatures.



“This 350-year period is crucial; it covers a time when global sea levels rose very rapidly,” said Professor Jody Webster from the&nbsp;School of Geosciences. 



“It’s a period when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-polar-ice-sheets-cant-withstand-1-5c-warming-target/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polar ice sheets</a> are thought to have experienced accelerated melting due to warming temperatures," he said. "Based on records from Barbados, we previously thought sea levels were rising by about 40 millimeters a year at this time."



"Our research shows the rise wasn’t so large and fast. It was more likely to have been in the order of three to five millimeters a year, comparable to what we’re experiencing today.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-from-reef-four">Learning from Reef Four</h2>



The fossil reef cores tell the story of Reef Four, the so-called proto-Great Barrier Reef. Extracted from the shelf edge at depths between 40 and 50 meters, these cores revealed that Reef Four had a structure and coral community very much like today’s reef.



“Reef Four is very exciting,” said Professor Webster. “It had a similar morphology and mix of coral reef communities to the modern Great Barrier Reef."



"The types of algae and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-reef-awareness-day-2025-bringing-corals-back-to-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">corals</a>, and their growth rates, are comparable. Understanding the environmental changes that influenced it, and led to its ultimate demise, therefore offers clues on what might happen to the modern reef.”



Following its collapse, Reef Four’s ecosystem didn’t disappear altogether. Over 1,000–2,000 years, it moved landward, forming the foundation of today’s Great Barrier Reef.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-the-great-barrier-reef-survive">Will the Great Barrier Reef survive?</h2>



Today’s Great Barrier Reef is under mounting environmental pressure. While it has endured natural changes over thousands of years, the challenges it faces today are more complex and widespread. Scientists warn that its future could look very different if current trends continue.



“The modern reef faces <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rising sea levels</a>, more heat waves and extensive bleaching, along with increasing sediment and nutrient input. This combination, on top of rising sea levels, is of deep concern," Professor Webster said. 



"If the current trajectory continues, we should be concerned about whether the Great Barrier Reef will survive the next 50 to 100 years in its current state.”



“It won’t die but its characteristics may change. We will see a different collection of coral species, perhaps simpler and not as structurally complex.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-can-learn-from-the-past">What we can learn from the past </h2>



To carry out this research, the team used radiometric dating to precisely match fossil coral samples to the period of Meltwater Pulse 1B. The cores were collected through the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), a collaborative marine research initiative involving 21 countries.



“These data allow us to more precisely understand how reef and coastal ecosystems have responded to rapid environmental changes, like the rises in sea level and temperature we face today,” said Professor Webster.



The value of these ancient records is hard to overstate. Unlike modern instrumental records, which span only the past century or so, these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-animals-become-fossils-while-others-just-disappear/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil cores</a> stretch back thousands of years. They provide an irreplaceable window into how ecosystems have weathered - and sometimes failed to weather - rapid climate shifts in the past.



As the Great Barrier Reef stands at a critical point in its history, lessons from its ancient predecessor offer a sobering glimpse of what might lie ahead.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59858-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Ancient coral collapse may help save the Great Barrier Reef

Rising sea levels are a constant reminder of how climate...

Over the past few decades, a section of the Amazon rainforest has experienced conditions far drier than usual. Scientists launched a project to understand how reduced rainfall might change this green stronghold.



Lucy Rowland, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a>, is part of the team that has monitored this forest region for more than 20 years. The efforts are closely tied to an international collaboration aimed at <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02702-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">documenting</a> the rainforest’s response to stress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-amazon-stores-carbon">How the Amazon stores carbon </h2>



Much of the Amazon serves as a critical buffer against rising <a href="https://www.climate.gov/ghg/what-are-greenhouse-gases-and-why-do-they-matter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">greenhouse gases</a>. This status is due to the enormous amount of carbon dioxide the rainforest can hold, as supported by prior <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1164033" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a> on tree mortality patterns. 



The forests soak up carbon and help regulate global temperatures. For years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traditional-forest-farming-is-an-overlooked-climate-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> researchers have wondered what prolonged dryness might mean for this natural reservoir. 



In previous studies, experts at NASA's <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-led-project-tracking-changes-to-water-ecosystems-land-surface/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> used satellites to track vegetation and water content. Together, the data provides a clearer picture of the interplay between ground-level forest conditions and broader atmospheric cycles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-drought-changed-the-forest-canopy">Drought changed the forest canopy</h2>



The <a href="https://www.esecaflor.ufpa.br/index_eng.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Esecaflor project</a>, located in the Caxiuana National Forest, set out to examine how lower soil moisture affects tree growth and overall forest vitality. 



To make sense of long-term trends, instruments were placed on living trunks, in the soil, and on tall metal towers overlooking the canopy. Regular measurements helped gauge tree health by tracking sap flow, leaf water status, and other key markers.



“We saw a really big decline in biomass, big losses and mortality of the largest trees,” said Professor Rowland.



Early observations showed that mature <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-forests-helps-birds-and-humans-in-many-ways/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trees</a> could keep growing, but many eventually showed signs of water stress. Their absence made light and heat more noticeable in spots that had once been shaded by leafy crowns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-amazon-balanced-its-carbon-role">How the Amazon balanced its carbon role</h2>



Over time, the thinning canopy led to new conditions for surviving vegetation. Younger stands, with different rooting strategies, began to flourish. 



The researchers discovered that when big, older trunks no longer competed for water, the rest of the forest slowly reached a new balance.



To interpret these patterns, investigators gathered data on how much water remained in the top layers of soil. Seasonal rainfall could not keep moisture levels high enough for every plant, but it proved sufficient for those that adapted to drier conditions. 



Eventually, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-carbon-credits-are-failing-so-what-needs-to-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forest</a> patch held a steady balance instead of losing more vegetation - indicating a move toward stability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-for-forest-recovery">Next steps for forest recovery</h2>



“The forest has already adapted. Now we want to understand what happens next,” said meteorologist João de Athaydes, study co-author and professor at the <a href="https://ufpa.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Federal University of Para</a>. 



“The idea is to see whether the forest can regenerate and return to the baseline from when we started the project.”



Many plastic covers were pulled from the ground to see how the site responds when rain returns to typical levels.



Teams are watching the root growth beneath the soil, the air’s temperature, and the steady change in soil moisture. Researchers hope to learn if the forest can regain enough dense foliage to restart substantial carbon uptake. 



An even bigger question is whether the site might reach a state similar to its early days before rainfall was reduced.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-amazon-carbon-loss-matters">Why Amazon carbon loss matters</h2>



Environmental scientists worry about widespread drought events in the Amazon. Extended dryness, triggered by El Niño patterns, has been documented over many years. 



The implications include stress on wildlife, changes in local climates, and potential spikes in greenhouse gases if too many large trees succumb.



The Esecaflor experiment highlights how a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-still-fighting-climate-change-against-all-odds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forest</a> ecosystem might transform under drier circumstances. Though parts of this tract survived with reduced canopy cover, that survival came with lower capacity to store carbon. 



If the broader Amazon faces similarly harsh conditions, the global climate picture could shift considerably.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-amazon-has-its-carbon-limits">The Amazon has its carbon limits</h2>



The findings from this <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02702-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">project</a> suggest that some resilience remains in tropical rainforests. Yet, the results serve as a reminder that even these robust ecosystems have limits when faced with less rainfall. 



The years of dryness in this experiment did not convert the area into grassland, which offers a sign of hope.



Scientists involved in this research will continue to share data with policymakers and other academic institutions. Discussions at international gatherings demonstrate the urgency of protecting vital carbon sinks and reinforcing conservation efforts. 



In places like the Amazon, practical measures that support forest health can be pivotal in stabilizing our changing climate.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02702-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Dry spells weaken the Amazon's ability to store carbon

Over the past few decades, a section of the Amazon...

World Seaweed Day, celebrated on June 4, shines a spotlight on a vital yet often overlooked marine plant. Seaweed plays a key role in ocean ecosystems, supports diverse marine life, and benefits a wide range of human industries - from nutrition and agriculture to scientific research and climate solutions.



The day aims to boost awareness and inspire greater investment in this valuable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seaweed-farming-could-boost-food-security-slow-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">resource</a>. As seaweed farming expands, so too does global interest in its wide-ranging potential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-seaweed-day-needs-global-attention">World Seaweed Day needs global attention</h2>



Seaweed forms the base of many <a href="https://www.seaweed.ie" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coastal ecosystems</a>. One of the most important types is kelp - a large brown seaweed that grows in cold, nutrient-rich waters. It attaches to rocks on the seafloor and rises toward the surface, forming thick underwater forests.



Kelp forests support high biodiversity. Fish, crabs, sea urchins, and sea otters all live, hunt, or breed among the kelp. Juvenile fish use the dense fronds as shelter from predators. Many invertebrates feed directly on the kelp or on the microorganisms living on its surface.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kelp-forests-in-crisis-how-toxic-turf-algae-are-taking-over/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kelp</a> grows quickly - some species grow up to half a meter per day. As it grows, kelp absorbs carbon dioxide from seawater and produces oxygen. This helps reduce local ocean acidification. Kelp also slows water movement, which protects shorelines from erosion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indicators-of-ocean-health">Indicators of ocean health</h2>



In regions like California, Tasmania, and British Columbia, kelp forests are key parts of the coastal food web. They also support commercial fisheries and ecotourism. 



When kelp declines due to warming waters or sea urchin overgrazing, the entire ecosystem feels the impact. That’s why scientists monitor kelp closely as an indicator of ocean health.



Seaweed also protects coasts. It stabilizes sediment and slows wave action. These functions reduce coastal erosion. Seaweed adapts better than coral to temperature shifts and acidic waters. That makes it a useful tool in marine conservation.



Researchers continue to study how seaweed interacts with other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sargassum-seaweed-a-growing-problem-could-become-a-sustainable-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> and how it might reduce ocean acidification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-traditional-and-modern-food">A traditional and modern food</h2>



In many countries, people have eaten seaweed for centuries. It is part of everyday diets in Japan, Korea, China, and parts of India. It offers key nutrients such as iodine, calcium, iron, and vitamin K. It also adds natural flavor, especially umami.



Now, global markets are adopting seaweed as a food product. It appears in snacks, sauces, and health supplements. It is low in calories and high in fiber. It also suits vegan and gluten-free diets.



Seaweed farming does not use soil or fresh water, which makes it more sustainable than many land crops. As global food systems face pressure, seaweed provides an efficient and low-impact option.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seaweed-farming-and-local-economies">Seaweed farming and local economies</h2>



Seaweed farming is simple and low-cost. Farmers tie seaweed to ropes and let it grow in coastal waters. In countries like Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, these farms create jobs, often for women.



Besides supporting income, seaweed farms improve the environment. Seaweed absorbs excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients cause algae blooms in polluted waters. Seaweed helps reduce that risk and restore balance.



Governments and NGOs are working to scale seaweed production. The goal is to improve both rural incomes and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-the-evolutionary-adaptations-of-seagrasses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine health</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-seaweed-day-and-climate-action">World Seaweed Day and climate action</h2>



Seaweed absorbs carbon while growing. Some researchers suggest that large-scale seaweed farms could help remove carbon from the atmosphere. This process is still being studied. One idea involves sinking harvested seaweed deep into the ocean to store carbon long-term.



Another tested solution involves livestock. Adding small amounts of red seaweed to cattle feed reduces their methane emissions. Trials show up to 80 percent reduction in some cases.



Seaweed will not solve climate change alone. But it can support broader strategies through carbon capture and reduced agricultural emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-industrial-uses-and-new-research">Industrial uses and new research</h2>



Seaweed has applications far beyond food. It appears in cosmetics, fertilizers, packaging, and pharmaceuticals. Extracts from seaweed act as thickeners, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents.



Researchers also study seaweed-based materials for biodegradable plastics and fabric. In construction, seaweed-derived products may improve insulation. Interest is growing because seaweed is renewable, versatile, and relatively easy to grow.



Innovation in this field depends on research funding, fair supply chains, and environmental monitoring.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-of-seaweed-farming">Challenges of seaweed farming</h2>



Despite its benefits, seaweed farming still faces challenges. Many farmers lack secure access to coastal waters. In some regions, laws are unclear or missing. Infrastructure is often weak, and small producers have limited market access.



Uncontrolled harvesting also poses a threat. Some regions cut seaweed from wild stocks without considering long-term impact. Poor practices can damage ecosystems.



To avoid these risks, governments must support training, regulations, and monitoring. A balance is needed between industry growth and environmental protection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-action-on-world-seaweed-day">Take action on World Seaweed Day </h2>



Taking action on World Seaweed Day can start with something as simple as learning more about the role seaweed plays in ocean health and climate solutions. 



You can support sustainable seaweed products by choosing foods, cosmetics, or packaging made with responsibly harvested or farmed seaweed. 



Sharing what you learn on social media or with friends helps spread awareness and encourage others to take interest. 



If you live near a coast, you might look into local seaweed farming initiatives or marine conservation programs to volunteer with or support. 



Even small actions like asking for more seaweed-based options at your grocery store can help drive change. You can also donate to organizations that support seaweed and ocean sustainability, such as the <a href="https://www.kelpforestfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kelp Forest Foundation</a>.



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World Seaweed Day 2025: Saving the ocean’s sustainable powerhouse

World Seaweed Day, celebrated on June 4, shines a spotlight...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-monitoring-networks">Scientific monitoring networks</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.



The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.



The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.



The full study was recently published in <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.



Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.



Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents". In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively. MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.



MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization. The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.



Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.



A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.



This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.



PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.



In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.



As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.



The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.



For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.



The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.



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MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a>



Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.



The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-global-food-security">Implications for global food security</h2>



The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

[sendtonews key="fxH3eJHEkQ-2010196-12187" 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.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



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

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NTU...

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

[sendtonews key="gRpsplpwpe-2251464-12187" 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.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

[sendtonews key="eAVLRk51oJ-1826888-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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