Antarctica is known for being a vast land of ice and snow, a place too cold for most life. Despite this, the continent is slowly starting to turn warm. According to the Guardian, the Antarctic has registered a new high temperature for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world's iciest place.

On Feb 9, Brazilian researchers at Seymour Island reported a temperature of 20.75℃ on the icy continent of Antarctica. It was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8℃, taken on Signy Island (西格尼岛) in January 1982.

This record-breaking reading was taken at a monitoring station in the northern part of Antarctica. According to Brazilian soil scientist Carlos Schaefer, the temperature was documented during a 20-year-long research project. The focus of this project is to study the effect that climate change has on the permafrost(永久冻土)within the region. Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for at least two years. Although this is a first record high for Antarctica, Schaefer stressed that "We can't use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future. It's simply a signal that something different is happening in that area."

But in fact, the last high temperature reading was in the 19℃ range. These higher temperatures can cause ice and glaciers in Antarctic regions to melt. The Antarctic peninsula(半岛)---the long finger of land that stretches towards Argentina---is most dramatically affected. Scientists saw glaciers that have retreated by more than 100 meters in Discovery Bay where the snow melted in little more than a week, leaving dark exposed rock. This melted ice leads to a rise in sea levels that can threaten the safety of coastal areas. It's believed to be behind an alarming decline of more than 50 percent in chinstrap penguin(帽带企鹅) colonies, which are dependent on sea ice.

Like American writer Ernest Hemingway once said, "The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for." We should do everything we can to help save our planet. Otherwise, it may become too hot for us to fix.

Now, a study proves that gardens are more than just a pretty place. The study, by researchers at Illinois State University, demonstrates that such constructed gardens can have a measurable and positive impact on water quality.

Floating gardens are essentially platforms built and wrapped in coconut husks (椰子壳), and filled in with native plantings. As plants grow, they extend their roots into the water. On the North Branch of the Chicago River, non-profit Urban Rivers and its partners are developing a mile-long floating eco-park called the Wild Mile. The re-development of this former industrial canal is Urban Rivers’ important project. As part of the park, floating gardens, attached to shore, are being fixed.

The primary aim of the floating gardens is beautification. But the Illinois State team, from the University’s Department of Geology, Geography, and the Environment, saw an ideal setup for a controlled experiment. “We joined it because it’s the perfect opportunity to see if there’s an influence on water quality,” explains lead author Abigail Heath.

The study is novel: previous studies have explored floating gardens’ influence on water quality over time, primarily in wastewater treatment ponds, but not over space, in moving water. The project also matches well with Urban Rivers’ broader goals. “The city is interested in bettering water quality,” says Phil Nicodemus, Urban Rivers’ Director of Research. “Happily, Illinois State took part in it later.”

Could this small human-made park improve water quality? An average of data collected over the course of the study shows middle but definitive improvement. For example, nitrogen (氮) dropped from 4.69 milligrams per liter in surface water to 4.43 milligrams per liter, a drop of about 1 percent.

“Despite how small this garden was, there was measurable improvement in water quality from upstream to downstream,” notes Heath. She and her colleagues see this as a model for how large floating gardens should be to help improve water in similar settings. “Even this tiny garden makes a difference,” she says.

Wind turbines (涡轮) and solar panels (太阳电池板) that produce electricity are examples of “green” technology. A new study finds that such renewable energy might be green in another sense. Large collections of those turbines or solar panels appear capable of bringing rains to the desert and would allow more plants to grow.

Building large wind or solar farms just to study their question was not an option. It would be too expensive. So experts Kalnay and Safa developed a model of North Africa’s Sahara Desert to find out how wind turbines and solar farms might change the desert’s climate.

The team ran its model several times. In one run, it assumed that people would set up wind farms only. Another run assumed people would set up just solar farms. A third assumed people would build both. They would affect the desert’s weather with temperature and average daily rain increased — but differently. Setting up a mix of solar farms and wind turbines brought about a bigger change — not in temperature but in rainfall. In the Sahara, having both wind and solar farms more than doubled the amount of rain that fell, up to 215.4 millimetres (毫米) per day.

The models predicted that the average rainfall would increase over time, as more plants grew. Plants move water from the ground to the air. Warmer air can carry more water. So as this air rises, it can carry more water up to become clouds. Those clouds can release rain, relieving the thirst of plants below. Over time, this process repeats itself over and over. This positive feedback can greatly increase rains.

“Such rainfall changes could lead to better agriculture,” says Safa. “More rain also would help wild plants grow. We believe that the countries in the Sahara should seriously consider investing in wind and solar power,” he added.