Earth’s oceans are turning green with a warming climate, but exactly how and...

NASA Climate Change 2 years ago

Earth’s oceans are turning green with a warming climate, but exactly how and why is unclear. Current satellites don’t have enough sensitivity to color to see subtle shifts in hue. PACE will see the ocean in more color than ever before, helping us discern what’s driving the shift toward greener oceans. #Earth #PACE #Climate #ClimateChange #Ocean #NASA #PACE #KeepingPACE Video description: :00 Aerial view of the blue open ocean. In a new view of the ocean, arrows show how the water absorbs light. A diagram shows how phytoplankton, zooplankton, and lager marine life interact in the food web. :20 Animation of a globe in green, blue, yellow and red, showing the presence of different type of phytoplankton. A circle appears. Inside of it are green phytoplankton, Prochlorococcus. :30 Phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, sea lions, sharks, krakens and more appear on screen in succession. :45 An animation shows blue and green colors on a globe of Earth’s oceans, showing where the ocean is changing hue. Another globe shows green pixels in the ocean labeled “areas with chlorophyll change.” :55 An animation shows the color detection capabilities of several satellites: NIMBUS-7, SEASTAR, AQUA, TERRA, SUOMI-NPP, and PACE. All of the satellites except PACE have large gaps between the purple, blue, green, red, and other colors they can detect. Next to PACE is a rainbow bar showing the full spectrum of color. 1:05 The video ends on another aerial view of water.

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 hour ago



Momentum in sustainable construction is now driven by tangible progress in materials and methods rather than declarations. The focus on reducing embodied carbon in materials and undertaking robust whole life carbon assessment is reshaping how developers, architects and engineers define sustainable building design. Initiatives such as the Reducing Plastics in Construction Summit reinforce the value of renewable building materials, eco-design for buildings and circular economy in construction frameworks to eliminate petroleum-based polymers and improve resource efficiency in construction.

Biobased composites, recyclable resins and modular approaches are being evaluated through lifecycle assessment tools that can accurately measure the carbon footprint of construction and inform sustainable material specification throughout each project stage. Digitisation is rapidly becoming integral to low carbon design and energy-efficient buildings. Advanced platforms now enable unified modelling of cost, performance and carbon, aligning lifecycle cost optimisation with environmental sustainability in construction.

TM2 Bygg’s software-led method illustrates how low carbon building processes built on data-driven insights help achieve net zero carbon buildings and deliver improved building lifecycle performance. At the policy level, regulators are reinforcing requirements for measurable reductions in embodied carbon and clear evidence of net zero whole life carbon outcomes. These shifts point toward an industry-wide transformation grounded in whole life carbon transparency and the adoption of BREEAM v7 and other sustainable building practices to standardise reporting.

The result is a market that values circular construction strategies, end-of-life reuse in construction and environmental product declarations (EPDs) as verification of a project’s environmental impact of construction. New renewable energy infrastructure, including next‑generation geothermal systems, could redefine the carbon footprint reduction potential of green building materials and low carbon construction materials. As baseload renewables expand, achieving carbon neutral construction and sustainable urban development becomes increasingly viable. The sector is moving beyond pilot projects toward a mature phase of green construction, integrating life cycle thinking in construction and decarbonising the built environment as core business practice.

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