The Drift

Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally

'Nuff Said!

Today is March 31, 2023

Today is: Teri's Day

On This Day In History

In 1657CE: English Parliament makes the Humble Petition and Advice to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell offering him the crown: he declines.

Ain't That The Truth

Oh, and while you're at it - check out our sister blog Come What May for off the cuff and off the wall seriousness. Heck, who are we kidding, it's just fun and hilarity.

Editorial Comment

A quiet day to round out the month.

We do want to give a shout out to our readers in Brazil and India and say thanks for stopping by to read Carolina Naturally.

Remember to have fun and enjoy life.

Editorial Staff

What are auroras, and why do they come in different shapes and colors?

Over millennia, humans have observed and been inspired by beautiful displays of light bands dancing across dark night skies. Today, we call these lights the aurora: the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere, and the aurora australis in the south.
What are auroras, and why do they come in different shapes and colors? Two experts explain

Window Blonde

California bill would require free condoms at public high schools

Contraceptive access throughout California high schools was on the docket for Wednesday’s Senate Education Committee meeting, where people in support and opposition took the stand.
If it the bill progresses — and eventually passes in the Senate — free condoms would be available to all students starting next school year.
Read More 

The Internet Archive loses lawsuit to publishing houses

Oh, no. 
The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and other different forms of media published over the years. It was established in 1996 with the mission of providing “universal access to all knowledge.” 
However, it seems that this said access may now be taken away from its public users. A group of book publishers has sued the nonprofit archive for scanning and lending digital copies of copyrighted books. These companies, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House accused the library of “mass copyright infringement” for loaning digital copies of books without permission (or compensation) from these establishments. 
The Internet Archive countered this by saying that their online library is legal under the doctrine of fair use. Additionally, they also stated that entities that own physical copies of these books can lend out scanned versions through controlled digital lending. U.S. District Court Judge John G. Koeltl of the Southern District of New York sided with the publishers. 
The Archive aims to appeal the ruling. "Libraries are more than the customer service departments for corporate database products," Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder said. "For democracy to thrive at global scale, libraries must be able to sustain their historic role in society—owning, preserving, and lending books." 

A Real Look Into Backpacking In Europe

Backpacking refers to the recreational activity of carrying gear on one’s back. Usually, this is done while hiking in the mountains. However, the practice of putting on a backpack only as you traverse different locations is now a common kind method of traveling around different countries. 
Insider’s Joey Hadden has noticed that backpacking has been portrayed nicely on different social media platforms. From men and women photogenically posing with their backpacks in different picturesque sceneries, Hadden only realized what it’s really like going around with only a backpack compared to the heavily romanticized activity. 
Hadden started to backpack around August 2022, when she decided to make minimalist travel style her priority. During her short trip to Eastern Canada, she thought that it was actually easier and more efficient. Because of her trip’s success in the area, she decided to plan a two-week train trip through four European countries with only her backpack with her. 
The travel reporter backpacked across Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland while exploring the cities of Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan, and Zürich. While sleeping through sleeper trains, shared train cabins, and budget Airbnbs, she noted down a few things that these travel influencers never share on social media. 
One of the things she noticed was that her backpack couldn’t squeeze in all the clothes she wanted to bring. This means that she can only bring a few items, so she had to do laundry at every accommodation. “This was a bummer since I often arrived at each accommodation feeling exhausted from travel, and washing my clothes was the last thing I felt like doing,” she remarked. 
Read more about her travels here!

Check The Plane Model Before You Leave On A Flight

Here’s a fun tip for travelers: before you book, try to check out the plane model and layout. 
This extra step can allow you to check the layout of the plane, which can help you find the perfect seat for your next flight. 
An assumption that can be made is that airlines usually have the same format or layout for their airplanes. However, their cabin layouts actually can vary from plane to plane. Different plane models offer different in-seat amenities as well as varying sizes for overhead compartments and underseat storage. If you’re really keen on having carry-on luggage only, you need to check the sizes of this storage so you can ensure that your luggage can fit. 
Aside from storage space, you can also check how much legroom you’ll have for your flight. To check which airplane model you could be flying, look at your chosen airline’s reservation page. These companies usually display the aircraft type on their ticketing pages. Third-party websites such as Expert Flyer and SeatGuru can also be of assistance if you can’t find information on official websites.

Portrait

The States That Drink The Most Alcohol

Spoiler alert: it’s certainly fun to drink in New Hampshire. 
In a new report published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, different states were rated based on how much people consume three categories of adult beverages in their state. These alcohol were beer, wine, and liquor.
Some factors of course have to be considered as to why some states rank higher than the rest. One of them is state liquor taxes. Because these rates vary from state to state, people might consume less alcohol in an area where the taxes are high, as it would translate to higher selling prices. Others who live close to a border may cross state lines for a less expensive bottle, which will add to that state’s number of consumers. 
One of the stand-out states is New Hampshire, as it consistently appeared in the top five in each beverage category. It ranked first in the beer category (1.89), second in the wine category (0.84), and second as well in the liquor category (2.10).
According to The Manual, the state’s tiny liquor tax is a probable explanation for their high rankings in the three categories. Aside from that, New Hampshire certainly has a lot of alcohol consumers. 
Delaware, Vermont, and the District of Columbia also appeared in the top five of the three lists. 

Worst Lies You Might Believe But Shouldn't

Some lies are so obvious, yet people continue to get suckered into believing them. Even though your brain knows and is telling you that it's a lie, you want to believe it so badly that you just ignore those warning bells. Here are some especially ridiculous ones that you need to absolutely stop falling for.
10 Worst Lies You Might Believe But Shouldn't

Gross Things People Shouldn't Enjoy, But Do

Everyone has their guilty pleasures. Whether it be repeatedly watching the same show, a bad habit, or jokes that only you think are funny. Here's a list of 10 things people find funny or enjoy that they shouldn't.
10 Gross Things People Shouldn't Enjoy, But Do

Ginger

Scientists identify secret ingredient in da Vinci paintings

“Old Masters” such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Rembrandt may have used proteins, especially egg yolk, in their oil paintings, according to a new study.
Trace quantities of protein residue have long been detected in classic oil paintings, though they were often ascribed to contamination. A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found the inclusion was likely intentional — and sheds light on the technical knowledge of the Old Masters, the most skilled European painters of the 16th, 17th, or early 18th century, and the way they prepared their paints.
“There are very few written sources about this and no scientific work has been done before to investigate the subject in such depth,” said study author Ophélie Ranquet of the Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, in a phone interview. “Our results show that even with a very small amount of egg yolk, you can achieve an amazing change of properties in the oil paint, demonstrating how it might have been beneficial for the artists.”
Simply adding some egg yolk to their works, it turns out, could have long-lasting effects that went beyond just aesthetics.
Scientists identify secret ingredient in da Vinci paintings

Fabric discovered in Scottish Highlands bog may be the oldest traditional tartan ever

A piece of textile discovered 40 years ago in a Highland peat bog is likely to be the oldest tartan ever found in Scotland, according to new research. 
The scrap is believed to have been created in about the 16th Century, making it more than 400 years old.
Although it was found in the 1980s, The Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) this week authorized testing and analysis of the fabric, which is green, brown, and possibly red and yellow, to prove its age.
The scientists, who used dye analysis and radiocarbon testing, found that it likely was made in the 16th century around the time of Mary, Queen of Scots's rule. 
Fabric discovered in Scottish Highlands bog may be the oldest traditional tartan ever 

Scientists Shoot Down a Popular Theory About the Mystifying Stonehenge

Stonehenge, an ancient neolithic monument located on the Salisbury Plain in England, is one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology. No one knows for sure who built the famous circle of stones or for what purpose. On that last point, most archaeologists agree that Stonehenge—at the very least—marks the changing of the seasons, as certain stones appear perfectly aligned with the sun on solstices and equinoxes.
Scientists Shoot Down a Popular Theory About the Mystifying Stonehenge

Highlands

First photo of Earth's curvature was taken in 1935

The claim: The first photo of Earth's curvature was taken on April Fools' Day, 1960

A March 9 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features an image of the Earth taken from outer space. 
“The first ‘photo’ of the curvature was published on April Fools Day,” reads the text in the image.
The post garnered more than 60 shares in less than three weeks. Other versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook and Twitter. 
While the image in the post is dated correctly, it is not the first image of the Earth's curvature. The first such photo was taken more than two decades earlier in the 1930s. 
Fact check: First photo of Earth's curvature was taken in 1935, contrary to post 

Astronomers Use the Last Light of the Big Bang to Solve a Galactic Mystery

Astronomers studied a distant galaxy cluster by measuring its silhouette against the Cosmic Microwave Background, the last light of the Big Bang.
Astronomers Use the Last Light of the Big Bang to Solve a Galactic Mystery

Lavender

Discover Which Plants Keep Copperhead Snakes Away?

Nature has its own set of pest controls, whether it’s a plant or another creature. Some plants repel mosquitoes and ants, others may be unpleasant for rodents.
Given that many people are terrified of snakes—you may be one of them! If so, you’re probably wondering whether any of those bug-repellant plants will also work to keep copperheads away.
Unfortunately, that answer is no. However, we’ll dig into this and give you some solid advice you can use to minimize the snakes in your yard or garden.
Discover Which Plants Keep Copperhead Snakes Away?

Rare T-Rex skeleton to go under the hammer in Switzerland

Millions of years after dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex was introduced to the public in Switzerland on Wednesday ahead of its auction next month.
The giant carnivore, named TRX-293 Trinity, is expected to fetch between 5 million ($5.43 million) and 8 million Swiss francs ($8.70 million) when it goes on sale in Zurich on April 18.
Standing 3.9 meters high and measuring 11.6 meters long, it is only the third T-Rex skeleton to be offered at auction, and the first in Europe
Rare T-Rex skeleton to go under the hammer in Switzerland

What a Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull Tells Us About Its Intelligence

The name Tyrannosaurus rex means the “king of the tyrant lizards,” and by all accounts, that’s exactly what T. rex was. A ruthless and fearsome predator, it ruled the world in the Late Cretaceous Period, around 90 million years ago. With teeth as big as a banana, a crushing bite and a sense of smell as keen as a cat, this infamous theropod was a vicious predator. But how smart was T. rex? What do we know, and what can we know about the brains of the most ferocious predator that the world has ever seen? 
What a Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull Tells Us About Its Intelligence

The Permian Basin Superorganism: An Urban Legend or True Story?

Like New York City's sewer alligators or Area 51's aliens, the Permian Basin superorganism in Odessa, Texas, is yet another story that sparks both fear and curiosity. Rumored to be have caused several people to go missing more than a decade ago, the Permian Basin superorganism — aka Mystery Flesh Pit National Park — remains a hot topic of discussion years after the fact.
So is the Permian Basin superorganism real? Or is it simply a myth?
The Permian Basin Superorganism: An Urban Legend or True Story?

Animal Pictures

The Drift

Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally

'Nuff Said!

Today is March 30, 2023

Today is: International Laundry Folding Day

On This Day In History

In 240BCE: 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

Ain't That The Truth

Oh, and while you're at it - check out our sister blog Come What May for off the cuff and off the wall seriousness. Heck, who are we kidding, it's just fun and hilarity.

Editorial Comment

April is just about here - the official start to lawnmower and blower season ... but some of the obsessive-compulsive neighbors have been disturbing the peace for the entire month of March already with their loud yard 'tools'. Not only do they shatter any tranquility, but they destroy the early Spring pollination process of the bees and butterflies and other pollinators. From this point on someone close by will be disturbing the peace with their infernal racket every day until late November.

We do want to give a shout out to our readers in Brazil and India and say thanks for stopping by to read Carolina Naturally.

Remember to have fun and enjoy life.

Editorial Staff

Wong Kim Ark's Fight for Citizenship in His Country of Birth

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1868. It begins with "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." There's a lot more to it, but the idea was to settle the question of citizenship for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. Political leaders argued over whether it covered Native Americans as well, but it soon became clear that the federal government really did not want this law to cover Asians.  
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants in 1870. His parents returned to China a few years later, but Wong traveled back to San Francisco with an uncle and grew up to live and work there. He traveled to China occasionally, where he married and conceived children. Wong was 24 when he was denied entry into the US because he wasn't a citizen. Although he was born in California, his parents weren't US citizens, nor could they become citizens because of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Wong lived on ships offshore for months while he fought this decision, and federal authorities came to see him as an important test case for birthright citizenship for people of Chinese ancestry. They wanted to deny his citizenship as a precedent for all Chinese Americans born in the US, and therefore any of their children, whether born in the US or abroad. The case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark in 1898 had far-reaching implications for Asian immigrants and their descendants in the US. Read about the case that went to the Supreme Court and its aftermath at Smithsonian.

Peru police seize $20 million of cocaine headed for Turkey

Peruvian authorities said Monday they seized 2.3 tonnes of cocaine disguised as ceramic tiles destined for Turkey via a growing maritime route for illicit drugs.
The drug bust happened Friday at a warehouse at Peru's biggest port, El Callao, just outside the capital Lima, police said. 
Peru police seize $20 million of cocaine headed for Turkey

A moment of Zen ...

Bird flu FAQ: What is avian influenza?

Avian influenza (“bird flu”) is a highly contagious viral infection that affects wild and domestic birds worldwide. It has recently gained notoriety for its devastating impact on the commercial poultry sector and as an emerging human public health threat.
Bird flu FAQ: What is avian influenza? How is it transmitted to humans? What are the symptoms? Are there effective treatments and vaccines? Will H5N1 become the next viral pandemic?

A new psychology study has uncovered cultural differences in perceptions of heroes

In the field of social psychology, the study of heroes has attracted growing interest over the past decade, as heroes have been found to be an important part of everyday life and provide important psychological functions to children and adults. However, most research in this area has focused on predominantly WEIRD (white, educated, industrialized, rich, and from developed countries) samples and may not reflect wider conceptions of heroes across cultures. A recent study by my colleagues at the University of Limerick and myself delved into the cultural differences in lay perceptions of heroes ...
Read More 

The More Traumatic The Childhood, The Angrier The Adult

Scientists have found that depression and anxiety sufferers who have had a traumatic childhood tend to grow up as angry adults, and the worse the trauma, the angrier the adult. This can affect personal mental health and social interaction, but also makes it more difficult to treat the depression and anxiety. This work is presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry in Paris.
Previously, the researchers had found that more than 40% of patients with both anxiety and depression had a tendency towards anger. This compares to only around 5% of healthy controls. The present study worked with data from the ongoing Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety2, which was designed to investigate the course of depression and anxiety disorders over a period of several years.
Beginning in 2004, the study took participants between the ages of 18 and 65 and began to question them about their childhood; by the end of the study, 2276 people had taken part. Working over a period of years they were able to discover if there had been any history of childhood trauma, such as parental loss, parental divorce, or being placed in care. They also asked participants about neglect, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The participants were also later checked for a variety of psychiatric symptoms related to depression and anxiety, including their tendency to anger and how this manifested itself.
Lead researcher Nienke De Bles (Leiden University, the Netherlands) said:
“There is surprisingly little research on anger in general. The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety is a well-established study which has produced a lot of good scientific data, but there has not been any significant work looking at the data on childhood trauma and seeing if this is linked to increased levels of anger. We have now found that there is a link”.
We found that anxious or depressed people with a history of emotional neglect, physical or psychological abuse, were between 1.3 and 2 times more likely to have anger problems. We also found that the more traumatic the childhood experience, the greater the tendency towards adult anger. We can’t definitively say that the trauma causes the anger, but the link is clear.
We found that children who suffered emotional neglect had an increased tendency to grow into adults who were irritable or easily angered, whereas those who had been physically abused had a greater tendency towards anger attacks or antisocial personality traits. Sexual abuse tended to result in a suppression of anger, possibly because of a greater sensitivity to rejection – but this needs to be confirmed”.
She continued:
“Being easily angered can have several consequences. It can make personal interactions more difficult, and it can have consequences for your mental health and wellbeing. But people who get angry easily also have a greater tendency to discontinue psychiatric treatment, so this anger may mean that it reduces their chances of a better life”.
If the person but bottles the anger up, the therapist may not see it. We believe that it should be standard practice to ask depression and anxiety sufferers about anger and past trauma, even if the patient is not exhibiting current anger. Psychiatric treatments for past trauma may differ to treatment for current depression, so the psychiatrist need to try to understand the cause so that they can offer the correct treatment to each patient”.
Dr Julian Beezhold (University of East Anglia, Secretary General of the European Psychiatric Association) commented:

“This study looks at the somewhat neglected symptom of anger and its association with childhood experience. The findings are in line with what we see in day-to-day clinical practice and will hopefully help increase the awareness of the importance of both anger and associated childhood trauma”.

Gothic

Two Teens May Have Finally Proven This “Impossible” 2,000-Year-Old Theorem

Despite it being a fundamental concept in every high school math class, I’m not going to do you the disservice of pretending like I recall any of the details or nuances of the Pythagorean theorem (sorry, Mr. Keller). The gist of it, however, is a²+b²=c², and while it’s been proven many times over, it’s never been so with trigonometry as it constitutes “circular reasoning” — or an argument that assumes what it’s meant to prove.
That said, per a new report from The Guardian, two high school seniors from New Orleans have purportedly cracked the code doing just that — a feat that mathematicians have believed to be impossible for more than 2,000 years.
Two Teens May Have Finally Proven This “Impossible” 2,000-Year-Old Theorem

We’ve been connecting brains to computers longer than you’d expect

Since it was founded in 2016, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface (BCI) company Neuralink has had its moments in biotech news.
Whether it was the time Musk promised his “link” would let people communicate telepathically, or when the whole company was under investigation for potentially violating the Animal Welfare Act, the hype around Neuralink means it’s often the first mental reference people have for BCI technology.
But BCIs have been kicking around for much longer than you’d expect. Musk’s is just one in a growing list of companies dedicated to advancing this technology. Let’s take a look back at some BCI milestones over the past decades, and forward to where they might lead us.
We’ve been connecting brains to computers longer than you’d expect. These 3 companies are leading the way

This School Is Throwing Away Something Shocking

This is disheartening, really. 
An image posted by Reddit user alwayslurkeduntilnow in the r/anticonsumption forum has made rounds online for the sheer amount of computer monitors inside a room. At first glance, one might think that these are just some extra devices on hand in case of units need to be replaced. Unfortunately, while they are all still working, they were meant to be thrown out so the school can replace them. 
The post left Internet users talking about how e-waste is getting more traction with actions like throwing away still-functioning computer parts. The issue is that a lot of precious metals, such as copper, silver, and gold are just thrown away when they can be extracted, recycled, and reused. 
“I think the problem is that all electronics aren’t designed to be recycled. Every device which could be replaced by better technology will end like this. This is a huge problem,” one person commented. 

Lavender Fields

The Bali Rice Crisis

Taking the Culture Out of Agriculture

The island of Bali in Indonesia boasts enticing tropical beaches, volcanic mountains, and beautiful terraced rice fields. These terraces provided enough rice for the island for thousands of years, thanks to an invisible system of subaks, which are a sort of farmer's co-op melded with the worship of the water goddess Dewi Danu. It was an ingenius system that few outside of the farmers themselves knew about. But in the 1970s, the rest of the world discovered Bali, and both the population and the tourism industry exploded.
To boost rice production, the government instituted a program called Bimbingan Massal, or “Massive Guidance,” funded by the Asian Development Bank. Rice farmers were provided with the latest agricultural technology: irrigation aids, high-yield varieties of rice seed, and plenty of fertilizers and pesticides. They were encouraged to produce three crops of rice per year instead of the traditional two. You can probably guess what happened. Production rose by a very small percentage, but farmers confronted problems they never had before: plagues of insects, poor yields, and a lack of adequate water. Meanwhile, Bali's beaches suffered from fertilizer runoff.
Strangely, the situation was unmasked and alleviated by another bit of modern technology in the form of computer modeling. Read the story of how Bali's ancient and modern rice production systems worked against each other and why at Damn Interesting.  You can also listen to the story as a podcast. 

Two newly discovered Andes Mountain plant species have an appetite for insects

An international team of botanists recently discovered two new species of carnivorous plants in the high Andes of southern Ecuador near the Peruvian border. Both species are described in a study published March 24 in the journal PhytoKeys and part of the butterworts group. This group of about 115 species of flowering plants can catch and digest small insects with their sticky leaves. Carnivorous plants use these animals as an additional food source to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies in the soil they're growing in.
Eating insects gives these plants a competitive advantage over other plants and helps them thrive in challenging habitats like the tropical high Andes Mountains.
Two newly discovered Andes Mountain plant species have an appetite for insects

They ripped through a protected wilderness to find oil. Instead, they found trouble

For the Canadian company hoping for an oil bonanza in the watershed of the wildlife-rich and visually spectacular Okavango Delta, 2022 was another grim year, and 2023 may not be any better. A hearing in Namibia set for April 3 could decide whether ReconAfrica's drilling permit, extended last year until 2025, will be revoked.

They ripped through a protected wilderness to find oil. Instead, they found trouble

Mighty Oceans And Humble Ponds Play Key Roles In Biodiversity

By SOFIA STRODT
In January, word emerged that scientists had discovered a new colony of penguins in Antarctica using images from Europe’s flagship Copernicus satellite network. By coincidence, the same month marked the start of an initiative that will rely on the same Earth-observation system for different purposes.
The EU-funded NECCTON project is gearing up to help Europe protect endangered fish and whales. It will harness the European Copernicus Marine Service – or CMEMS – to collect more detailed data on species threatened by habitat loss, unsustainable fishing and industrial pollution.
From satellites to seabeds
‘This is going to be particularly helpful for policymakers, marine managers and fisheries,’ said Stefano Ciavatta, coordinator of the project running through 2026. ‘We want to provide better simulations and projections of the state of marine ecosystems and of their ability to support diverse fish communities.’
While earth-observation satellites including Europe’s flagship Copernicus number in the many hundreds, it’s often claimed that we know less about the ocean floor than we do about the surface of the moon.
Biodiversity protection has received fresh impetus as a result of a United Nations summit in Canada in December 2022 and a landmark UN agreement in March this year on a High Seas Treaty to protect oceans. And with 68 000 kilometres of coastline – more than the US and Russia combined –the EU is stepping up efforts to improve marine health.
CMEMS, one of six Copernicus services, provides analyses and forecasts of marine environments for all kinds of users ranging from fishing hobbyists to the navies of EU Member States. It is run by France-based Mercator Ocean International, a non-profit entity in the process of becoming an intergovernmental organisation.
The Copernicus marine service monitors all the European regional seas and the world’s oceans. Its models forecast things like sea temperatures, tides and currents, making it easier to anticipate developments such as fish migration patterns.
NECCTON plans to provide a more complete picture of the environmental state of these waters by gathering data on fish, pollution and the seabed conditions for marine life.
‘We will develop new tools to share the modelling capabilities of the Copernicus Marine Service across the different centres in Europe, optimise scientific efforts and boost collaboration,’ said Ciavatta, an oceanographer at Mercator Ocean International. 
Clearer views
The ultimate aim is to help users of the service make better-informed decisions about the sustainable use of marine resources.
The Copernicus marine service could, for instance, deliver information on where tuna populations are located or whether marine habitats have the right conditions for dolphins.
To make sound policy decisions, scientists and authorities need projections on how changes that result from global warming, pollution and overfishing could affect the marine system as a whole.
NECCTON plans to simulate changes in organisms within the food web using climate scenarios. This activity could, for example, enable researchers to get a clearer picture of the impact of declining fish stocks on the marine system over the coming decades.
Pond treasures
When it comes to protecting biodiversity, it’s not just the mighty oceans that have researchers’ attention. So do humble duck ponds.
The EU-funded PONDERFUL project is examining the relationship between ponds and their surrounding environment. The initiative is focusing on the wide range of living organisms to which ponds are home.
Fish, toads, snails, dragonflies and leeches are just some of the creatures making up a vast, balanced web that, if disrupted, could result in the ecosystem’s collapse.
‘Collectively, ponds are the richest freshwater habitats,’ said project coordinator Sandra Brucet, a biologist and researcher on aquatic ecology at the University of Vic in Spain. ‘They are more abundant than lakes, rivers and wetlands.’
Research suggests that ponds make a greater contribution to biodiversity than many larger bodies of water by supporting more plants and animals, many of which are endangered.
Nonetheless, ponds so far have been largely neglected by policymakers. For example, a major piece of EU legislation in 2000 on cleaning up water bodies excludes for the most part those smaller than 50 hectares. Also, research on ponds has long been overlooked.
‘Two decades ago, researchers mainly focused on lakes and rivers,’ said Brucet, who came up with the idea of PONDERFUL.
Home stretch
Now things are changing as the project, which began in late 2020, enters its final two years.
With more than 80 researchers from 11 countries – Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and Uruguay – the initiative is deepening knowledge about how best to manage and restore ponds in a changing climate.
PONDERFUL is evaluating future “pondscapes” at eight demonstration sites that include a total of more than 500 ponds. Testing will help develop a guide for reducing pollution in ponds, creating new ones and helping them serve broader environmental goals such as the preservation of biodiversity.
Runoff from agricultural fields is one of the main threats to the health of ponds. Nutrients in such runoff can cause harmful algal blooms, a lack of oxygen and dead zones as fish die off.
Key lessons
Brucet and her team have already drawn some important lessons.
An accumulation of debris and an increase in sediment loads, which result mainly from agricultural-field erosion and are usually rich in nutrients from fertiliser runoff, can have a harmful effect on the overall state of ponds.
Sediment increases are accelerated by erosion of ponds’ edges and seasonal buildup of organic material such as dead plants and tree leaves, for instance. The nutrients in this material in turn often feed algal blooms that can produce toxins and kill fish, mammals and birds.
Dredging and removing sediments help prevent such buildup.
Separately, reshaping the edges of ponds that are artificially drained for agriculture can prevent too much water from escaping.
When efforts are made to enhance pond wildlife as a whole, the researchers found that not only do populations of endangered frogs, toads and newts increase but also flora benefits.
‘Biodiversity of aquatic plants increases significantly after cleaning up ponds,’ Brucet said.
Healthy ponds even play a role on another important environmental front: fighting climate change. That’s because they act as “carbon sinks” that store greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide.
Brucet’s project runs through November 2024 and signals that ponds, after long being disregarded by researchers and policymakers, are finally joining oceans and seas as a focus of Europe’s green ambitions.