Mount Fuji has not snowed since October. How abnormal is this? | Nature Trumpet

Hello everyone, this is the 21st issue of the Environmental Trumpet column. In this issue, we have collected the following environmental research and news worth reading:

1) For the first time in 130 years, Mount Fuji has not seen any snow since October

2) 50 years later, DDT pesticides still remain in fish

3) “Mini forests” are emerging in cities, allowing people to embrace nature when they go out

4) AI could add up to 5 million tons of additional e-waste

5) The mystery of the Siberian giant crater has been solved

Mount Fuji still has no snowfall

For many tourists, the snow-capped top of Mount Fuji is a major sight in Japan's winter. However, this year, Mount Fuji has yet to see any snow.

How unusual is this? Since the establishment of the Japan Meteorological Agency 130 years ago, the "snow top" of Mount Fuji has generally gradually formed around October 2. Last year, Mount Fuji welcomed its first snowfall on October 5. However, this year, Mount Fuji still did not receive its snow until early November .

Mount Fuji: Don't take photos of it, it's bald | earth.org

Relevant personnel from the Kofu City Meteorological Bureau in Japan believe that the "baldness" of Mount Fuji is related to the abnormally warm weather . This year, Japan ushered in the hottest summer since 1898. The temperature from June to August was 1.76℃ higher than the average temperature in previous years, and the high temperature momentum did not subside until September, which eventually blocked the cold air outside the island. In October, although the temperature in Japan dropped, it was still higher than in previous years, which continued to hinder the formation of snow on the top of Mount Fuji to a certain extent.

50 years have passed.

DDT pesticides still remain in fish

Recently, an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that residues of the pesticide DDT (bis(p-chlorophenyl)trichloroethane) can still be detected in the ocean, fish and marine sediments near Southern California.

DDT is a highly effective pesticide that is highly toxic to humans and is not easily degraded in the environment. Its accumulation will destroy the reproduction of fish, birds and other organisms. As early as 1972 , after realizing the widespread environmental hazards of DDT, countries around the world stopped using DDT one after another.

However, in 2021, researchers from the University of California, San Diego, discovered more than 25,000 barrels of DDT wastewater near Southern California that had been submerged on the seabed for decades.

DDT waste barrels found on the seafloor near Southern California in 2021 | UC Santa Barbara

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, used the collected fish and sediment samples, combined with other data sets, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of DDT concentrations in fish and sediments in Southern California. The results showed that more than 50 years later, DDT pollution still exists in fish and marine sediments , but the study shows that DDT concentrations in fish have decreased and meet the edible standards of California fish. It should be pointed out that this study was conducted on fish in the Southern California Bay and did not investigate the sea area near the DDT wastewater barrels.

Fish around the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

The study also found that the DDT concentration in fish is closely related to the DDT concentration in the seabed sediments where they live. The closer the fish live to the seabed, the more significant the correlation is.

"Mini forests" are emerging in cities.

Embrace nature as soon as you go out

Spending 20 minutes in the park can help you get rid of the stress of work. The “20-minute park effect” has suddenly become popular this year. In the UK, a similar trend - tiny forests - is gradually emerging in cities.

The idea of ​​"mini forest" was proposed by Japanese ecologist Akira Miyawaki. Generally speaking, it takes a long time for a forest to form. However, by planting different types of plants closely in a small piece of land, the competition between species will intensify, and the small environment will accelerate succession , thus quickly evolving into a "mini forest".

In the UK, such small forests are planted all over the city - residential areas, schools and even surrounding wastelands, all of which are lush and green. British charity Earthwatch Europe said that 285 "mini forests" have been planted in the UK . Since their planting, these small forests have become homes for many insects, birds and native plants. Such mini forests can also help mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and improve the loss of local biodiversity (such as butterflies).

A small forest planted in Witney is now showing results | Earthwatch Europe

Behind the rise of this trend is people's concern for mental health. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched an initiative called " A Prescription For Nature " to give people a "prescription for nature" and encourage them to actively integrate into nature.

WWF's natural prescription｜WWF

AI will generate up to 5 million more tons of e-waste

Recently, a study published in Nature Computational Science predicted that based on the current usage rate of generative artificial intelligence, by 2030, the technology will cause an additional 1.2 million to 5 million tons of e-waste worldwide .

AI is not only an energy consumer, but also a contributor to e-waste | Pixabay

"Generative AI" refers to the technology that generates text, pictures, sounds, videos, codes and other content based on algorithms, models and rules. New large models such as ChatGPT, Kimi and Wenxinyiyan are typical representatives of generative AI.

Although AI provides many conveniences for human life, in order to maintain the high performance of artificial intelligence, many related hardware - such as servers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), storage devices, etc. have to undergo frequent updates and upgrades .

To reduce the huge amount of electronic waste caused by AI, it is important to extend the use time of hardware devices and strengthen the recycling of components. However, according to the 2024 Global Electronic Waste Monitoring Report, only 22% of electronic waste is currently effectively collected and recycled . The study predicts that in an ideal situation, these measures can be combined to reduce the amount of electronic waste generated by up to 86%.

Mystery of Siberia's bizarre giant crater revealed

In 2014, a huge crater about 30 meters in diameter and 50 meters deep was discovered on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia. The sudden appearance of the crater has caused many speculations, ranging from meteorite impact to natural gas explosion. Now, an article published in Geophysical Research Letters has revealed the mystery of the crater.

The mysterious pit is even getting bigger | Vladimir Pushkarev/Reuters

In previous studies, people used satellite images to discover the formation process of the giant crater. Simply put, due to the explosion of gas stored underground, a hole was blown out of the ground . This hole is the giant crater that people discovered at that time. So how did the gas explode? The latest research explains the specific principle of the formation of the giant crater.

In the researchers' view, the giant pit is closely related to climate warming . The soil in the area is not all permafrost, and the soil on the surface will freeze and thaw repeatedly with the change of seasons. Under the influence of climate warming, these seasonal frozen soils continue to melt, and the meltwater produced seeps downward and reaches the surface of the permafrost soil layer.

As deep meltwater continues to accumulate, the pressure in the deep soil continues to increase, causing cracks to appear in the soil above. When the cracks extend to the soil surface, the methane water solids stored in the permafrost are like ammunition with the fuse pulled out , quickly decomposing and releasing methane gas, eventually exploding on the ground, leaving a pit.

The ground is gradually rising due to the release of gases from deep below | Alevitifina Norenberry

Behind the giant pit is an environmental hazard. In recent years, the temperature rise in the Arctic has been more than three times the global average. As the permafrost melts rapidly, the probability of giant pits is increasing, and the methane inside will be released into the atmosphere in large quantities , bringing new risks to the governance of global warming.

References

[1]https://earth.org/snowless-mount-fuji-emerges-as-a-stark-symbol-of-climate-change-after-japans-hottest-summer/

[2]https://phys.org/news/2024-10-reveals-persistent-ddt-contamination-southern.html

[3]https://theconversation.com/japan-style-tiny-forests-are-taking-root-in-british-cities-239005

[4]https://japanupclose.web-japan.org/techculture/c20231127_2.html

[5] https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/10/28/1106316/ai-e-waste/

[6]https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/23/terrawatch-mystery-of-siberian-explosive-craters-solved

Author: Xiao Xiaoze

Edited by: Yellowtail Pollock

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)