🐧 Penguin Poop Mitigates Climate Change

🌳 Measuring the Importance of Rainforests via Satellite

Rainforests are often referred to as the lungs of the Earth. They store billions of tons of carbon, helping to reduce the impacts of climate change. Quantifying exactly how much carbon is stored in more than 1.5 trillion trees has been nearly impossible, until now. The European Space Agency recently launched a satellite equipped with a special radar system to reveal what lies beneath the rainforest canopies, in hopes of better understanding carbon storage and deforestation. The satellite uses an approach similar to a CT scan, passing through trees multiple times to build a picture of how much woody material is present. The amount of material can then be used as a proxy for the amount of planet-warming CO2 stored.

Esme Stallard, BBC News

🌪️ Are Large Tornado Outbreaks Becoming More Common Due to Climate Change?

According to the Midwest Regional Climate Center, the Midwest typically sees a little more than 600 tornadoes by mid-to-late May. This year, there have been more than 850. Deadly tornadoes have torn across several midwestern states this spring, killing dozens and injuring numerous others. Although the overall number of tornadoes throughout the year have been pretty stable since the 1950s, the number of large tornado outbreak days is increasing. Scientists can’t currently say whether climate change is affecting tornadoes in the U.S., but as the Earth continues to heat up, warm and moist conditions are becoming more common, which is one necessary ingredient for tornado formation, especially during times of the year that used to be colder and drier.

Rebecca Hersher, NPR

🐧 Penguin Poop Mitigates Climate Change

New research shows that penguins could be playing a crucial role in stabilizing the climate in Antarctica. A study near a colony of 60,000 Adelie penguins at Marambio Base in Antarctica revealed that penguins are major emitters of ammonia, via their poop. When the ammonia reacts with gases that contain sulfur emitted from phytoplankton in the ocean, it increases the creation of aerosols, which give water vapor a surface to condense upon and leads to cloud formation. The clouds can then act as an insulation in the atmosphere, helping reduce surface heating and in turn prevent sea ice from melting. This process is likely helping to reduce the impacts of climate change on the continent, and further highlights the need to protect native ecosystems and biodiversity.

Julia Jacobo, ABC News