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  The Disappearance of the Maya Rainforest: A Call to Action The world’s tropical forests are rapidly disappearing, with the Maya rainforest losing 33% of its forest cover over the past 23 years, particularly in Petén, Guatemala. This alarming trend is primarily driven by the livestock industry, as highlighted in a recent report by NASA, which utilized data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to track changes in forest cover since 1999.   The Importance of the Maya Rainforest The Maya rainforest is the second-largest tropical forest in the Americas and was designated as a biosphere reserve in 1990, covering over 21,000 square kilometers. The establishment of this reserve allowed local inhabitants to remain in certain areas, provided they used the forest sustainably. Many residents engaged in low-impact activities such as selective logging of mahogany, harvesting hibiscus flowers, honey, and chicle resin, which not only supported their livelihoods but...

The Earth has tilted 31.5 inches because of human activity   https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/earth-tilted-315-inches-sea-level global balance   When humans pump groundwater, it has a substantial impact on the tilt of Earth’s rotation.   Additionally, a study documents just how much of an influence groundwater pumping has on climate change.   Understanding this relatively recent data may provide a better understanding of how to help stave off sea-level rise.   Water has power. So much power, in fact, that pumping Earth’s groundwater can change the planet’s tilt and rotation. It can also impact sea-level rise and other consequences of climate change.   Pumping groundwater appears to have a greater consequence than ever previously thought. But now — thanks to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters — we can see that, in less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater. This equates to...

   The land beneath the New York City area, including the borough of Queens, pictured here, is moving by fractions of inches each year. The motions are a legacy of the ice age and also due to human land usage. NASA/JPL-Caltech Scientists using space-based radar found that land in New York City is sinking at varying rates from human and natural factors. A few spots are rising.   Parts of the New York City metropolitan area are sinking and rising at different rates due to factors ranging from land-use practices to long-lost glaciers, scientists have found. While the elevation changes seem small – fractions of inches per year – they can enhance or diminish local flood risk linked to sea level rise.   The new study was published Wednesday in Science Advances by a team of researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and Rutgers University in New Jersey. The team analyzed upward and downward vertical land motion – also known as uplift an...

  NASA's TROPICS Offers Multiple Views of Intensifying Hurricanes NASA's newest storm-watching satellites have collected their first views of hurricanes, offering scientists a new tool for understanding the inner workings of storms over shorter time spans.   Data from the TROPICS mission — short for Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats — will help weather researchers learn more about the environmental factors contributing to hurricane structure and intensity. Such information could prove useful for NOAA, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center, and international agencies responsible for developing hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone forecasts. This animation shows the evolution of Hurricane Adrian between 8:31 a.m. local time on June 28, 2023, and 4:18 p.m. local time on June 29, 2023. Data for the animation were acquired by the TROPICS mission, NASA’s newest constellation of storm-watching satellites. Credit...