Latest news with #UniversityofHawaiiManoa
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iron from steel and coal manufacturing is changing the North Pacific ecosystem: Study
Iron released from coal combustion and steel production is altering the ecosystem in a critical part of the North Pacific, a new study has found. About 39 percent of dissolved iron in the uppermost layer of the ocean is rooted in human industrial activity, according to the study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Iron is essential for the growth of microscopic phytoplankton in the ocean, but industrial emissions contain aerosolized iron, which quickly dissolves in the ocean and disrupts nutrient balances, the authors noted. These airborne metals, they explained, can flow to distant lands or oceans before getting scrubbed from the atmosphere via rain. 'This is an example of the large-scale impact that human pollution can have on marine ecosystems that are thousands of miles away from the source,' lead author Nick Hawco, an assistant professor in oceanography at the University of Hawaii Manoa, said in a statement. Hawco and his colleagues sampled oceanic water and phytoplankton samples across the North Pacific Transition Zone — an area just north of Hawaii — on four expeditions between 2016 and 2019. They also evaluated the properties of iron in these waters to identify whether the unique 'signature' of industry-generated iron was present. The scientists observed that the phytoplankton in the region tend to be iron-deficient during the spring and that a surge in iron supply boosts their seasonal bloom. But that burst also causes these microscopic marine algae to deplete other nutrients more rapidly, which then leads to a crash later in the season, according to the study. In tandem with their observations of this boom-and-bust trend, the researchers also confirmed the presence of industrial iron in the region, thousands of miles away from any possible source. 'The ocean has boundaries that are invisible to us but known to all sorts of microbes and animals that live there,' Hawco said. The North Pacific Transition Zone, he explained, is one of these critical boundaries, as this region separates low-nutrient ocean whirlpools from nutrient ecosystems in the north. 'With more iron coming into the system, that boundary is migrating north, but we are also expecting to see these boundaries shift northward as the ocean warms,' Hawco added. Similar such effects may have occurred in areas of the North Atlantic during the industrialization of North American and Europe, as coal-powered shipping saw an uptick in the early 20th century, the authors noted. While Hawco acknowledged that the changes impacting the North Pacific Transition Zone may not necessarily be entirely negative, he warned that regions closer to Hawaii are among those reaping the negatives of these developments. 'It's a one-two punch: industrial iron is impacting the base of the food web and the warming of the ocean is pushing these phytoplankton-rich waters further and further away from Hawaii,' he said. Going forward, Hawco and his colleagues added that they are working on developing new techniques to monitor iron nutrition in ocean plankton. Having greater insight into the metal's presence, they stressed, could help shed light on how changes in iron supply could be influencing ocean life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
02-06-2025
- Science
- The Hill
Iron from steel and coal manufacturing is changing the North Pacific ecosystem: Study
Iron released from coal combustion and steel production is altering the ecosystem in a critical part of the North Pacific, a new study has found. About 39 percent of dissolved iron in the uppermost layer of the ocean is rooted in human industrial activity, according to the study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Iron is essential for the growth of microscopic phytoplankton in the ocean, but industrial emissions contain aerosolized iron, which quickly dissolves in the ocean and disrupts nutrient balances, the authors noted. These airborne metals, they explained, can flow to distant lands or oceans before getting scrubbed from the atmosphere via rain. 'This is an example of the large-scale impact that human pollution can have on marine ecosystems that are thousands of miles away from the source,' lead author Nick Hawco, an assistant professor in oceanography at the University of Hawaii Manoa, said in a statement. Hawco and his colleagues sampled oceanic water and phytoplankton samples across the North Pacific Transition Zone — an area just north of Hawaii — on four expeditions between 2016 and 2019. They also evaluated the properties of iron in these waters to identify whether the unique 'signature' of industry-generated iron was present. The scientists observed that the phytoplankton in the region tend to be iron-deficient during the spring and that a surge in iron supply boosts their seasonal bloom. But that burst also causes these microscopic marine algae to deplete other nutrients more rapidly, which then leads to a crash later in the season, according to the study. In tandem with their observations of this boom-and-bust trend, the researchers also confirmed the presence of industrial iron in the region, thousands of miles away from any possible source. 'The ocean has boundaries that are invisible to us but known to all sorts of microbes and animals that live there,' Hawco said. The North Pacific Transition Zone, he explained, is one of these critical boundaries, as this region separates low-nutrient ocean whirlpools from nutrient ecosystems in the north. 'With more iron coming into the system, that boundary is migrating north, but we are also expecting to see these boundaries shift northward as the ocean warms,' Hawco added. Similar such effects may have occurred in areas of the North Atlantic during the industrialization of North American and Europe, as coal-powered shipping saw an uptick in the early 20th century, the authors noted. While Hawco acknowledged that the changes impacting the North Pacific Transition Zone may not necessarily be entirely negative, he warned that regions closer to Hawaii are among those reaping the negatives of these developments. 'It's a one-two punch: industrial iron is impacting the base of the food web and the warming of the ocean is pushing these phytoplankton-rich waters further and further away from Hawaii,' he said. Going forward, Hawco and his colleagues added that they are working on developing new techniques to monitor iron nutrition in ocean plankton. Having greater insight into the metal's presence, they stressed, could help shed light on how changes in iron supply could be influencing ocean life.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Rare carnivorous 'bone collector' caterpillars in Hawaii survive on strange diet
Rare carnivorous 'bone collector' caterpillars in Hawaii survive on strange diet Scientists in Hawaii have discovered a new, extremely rare species: carnivorous, bone-collecting caterpillars, that live in one 5-mile area on Oahu. Show Caption Hide Caption Flying insect traps that actually work Get rid of annoying gnats and fruit flies around your house with insect traps that actually work. Scientists in Hawaii have discovered a new, rare and bizarre species of carnivorous, bone-collecting caterpillars. After hatching, the tiny insects live almost their entire lives in the web of a single spider, eating any weakened or recently deceased insects that have been caught by their host – all while adorned in a grisly collection of body parts. "They'll also find bits of dry bug jerky stuck to the web and eat that," said Daniel Rubinoff, a professor and entomology chair at the University of Hawaii Manoa. They're not just meat-eating but also cannibalistic. If they come across another, smaller caterpillar they will happily consume it. "That's why we never find more than one caterpillar per web," Rubinoff said. A bizarre and macabre protection mechanism Carnivorous caterpillars are exceedingly rare; they make up less than 0.13% of the moth and butterfly species around the globe. But these are even rarer still. The researchers have dubbed this newly discovered species "bone collector" and are working on publishing a species description that will include a formal scientific (Latin) name. It belongs to an unusual genus called Hyposmocoma moths, known as fancy case caterpillars in their larval stage. Much as hermit crabs borrow shells, fancy case caterpillars craft elaborate homes with sand, bits of plant material and lichen. Different types make different cases, with names such as cigars, candy wrappers, purses and crab. But this new caterpillar has perhaps the most gruesome method of fashioning a case yet discovered, a bizarre housekeeping regime not reported in any other insect. The bone collector caterpillar weaves a silken portable case it uses to cover itself, then carefully, methodically decorates it with the body parts of dead insects. As they traverse the square foot or so of spider web where they make their home, the caterpillars pick up bits and pieces of insect parts left by the spider after it has devoured its prey. They then carefully measure these body parts before weaving them into their collection, rotating and probing each piece and sometimes chewing them down so they fit. The caterpillars are always working on their cases, which they add to as they grow. Scientists believe they do this because living in a spider's web is not the safest thing to do if you're a tasty little caterpillar cohabitating with a hungry arachnid. "It's crazy – talk about living in the lion's den," Rubinoff said. "But it's also not a bad deal. If, say, a beetle tried to attack you, the spider's going to attack it first." Their meticulously built covering of insect parts makes them taste like nothing the spider wants. If they trigger the web and the spider rushes out thinking it's captured some prey, the first taste would be of the inedible bits of its own previous meals, and it would stop before it got to the succulent moth inside, the scientists believe. So far, researchers have never found any of these caterpillars that have been eaten or wrapped in spider silk. Once the caterpillars have consumed enough bugs and bug jerky to be ready to metamorphosize – usually a few months – they pupate, then emerge as tiny moths about the size of a grain of rice. These fly away and mate. The female moths deposit their almost invisible eggs in places where spider webs are likely to form, especially rotten logs, tree hollows and rock cavities. "They're spring moths," Rubinoff said. "We start finding the caterpillars in February." Bone collecting catterpillars are exceedingly rare These predatory caterpillars are among the rarest of the rare. They are the only caterpillar lineage in Hawaii known to have evolved to live in spider webs. Genetic testing showed that they likely split off from similar caterpillar species more than 5 million years ago. Habitat destruction and the introduction of invasive species has significantly diminished where they can live. So far they have only been found in a remote, 5-square-mile area in the Waiʻanae mountains on the western side of the island of Oahu. Scientists worry the caterpillars are on the verge of going extinct just as they've been discovered. "We've only collected 62 of them over 20 years," Rubinoff said. "There's unique and then there's super-unique," he said. "These guys are super-unique."
