Adding beans and pulses can lead to improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults

New research to be presented at Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo 2024

The Ginger Network

 

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When people add one cup of Beans and/or Chickpeas daily to their diet, diet quality improves.

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Credit: Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses

Moscow, Idaho, October 3, 2024:   New research showing the association between greater bean and pulse consumption and improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults will be presented during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy) Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2024 in Minneapolis, MN. The poster session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 10:45 – 11:45 AM CT at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  

Researchers assessed the effect of increased bean and pulse consumption, in the typical US dietary pattern, on shortfall nutrient intakes and diet quality outcomes. According to the findings, dietary patterns that are rich in beans and pulses are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores and greater intake of shortfall nutrients, including nutrients of public health concern. Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family.  Pulses grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and include beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils.  For this study, canned and dried kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans (beans) were included in the composite. 

Impact on Shortfall Nutrients

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018, the analyses modeled the addition of one- and two-servings of beans (as outlined above) in adults. Results show that greater consumption of beans is associated with significant increases in several shortfall nutrients, including dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and choline.

Impact on Diet Quality

Additionally, the addition of 1 and 2 servings of beans daily to the US typical dietary pattern significantly increased overall diet quality, as assessed by USDA’s Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015).  In fact, HEI-2015 total scores were 15% greater with an additional serving of beans and 19% higher with 2 servings of beans, relative to the US typical dietary pattern.

In both younger and older adults, this evaluation showed that beans contributed to a substantial increase to daily dietary fiber intake.iv  This is critical since fewer than 1 in 10 US adults meet fiber recommendations to maintain optimal digestive health and prevent chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.[i]  Additionally, the majority of US adults fall short on meeting potassium recommendations.[ii]  According to the American Heart Association[iii],[iv], “foods with potassium can help control blood pressure by blunting the effects of sodium and the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you process out of the body.”

“This research clearly shows that eating beans and pulses is good, but eating more is better.,” states study author Yanni Papanikolaou, of Nutritional Strategies Inc.  “Beans and pulses are excellent sources of fiber, folate and potassium and excellent sources of plant protein that also provides iron and zinc like other protein foods.” The study was funded by Cannedbeans.org on behalf of Bush’s Best and the Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses.

Beans and pulses remain under consumed in the United States, with greater than 80% of the population below recommendations.[v]  Consumption data show beans, peas, and legumes are consumed in relatively small amounts, at an average of 0.1 cup/day.[vi]  Recent research published in April and June of 2024 shows that dietary patterns rich in canned and dried kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and/or chickpeas are associated with significantly higher diet quality scores.[vii],[viii] Highest diet quality scores are associated with 24% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, 31% reduced risk for coronary heart disease, 20% lowered risk for stroke, 23% decreased risk for diabetes, and 6% reduced risk for cancer. [ix] 

“This research supports the growing body of evidence that consumption of beans and pulses may have numerous nutrient and public health benefits,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO, of USA Pulses.  “In fact, pulses are so nutritious that they were recently listed on DietaryGuidelines.gov as among the highest sources of potassium, iron and fiber, three nutrients of concern, in the latest health professional resources.”

 

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Poster Presentation Details

Title: Greater Pulse Consumption in Children is Associated with a Higher Diet Quality and Improved Shortfall Nutrient Intake

Authors: Yanni Papanikolaou, Joanne Slavin, Sophia Papanikolaou, Victor L. Fulgoni, III
Session Date and Time: Tuesday, October 8, 10:45 – 11:45 AM CT

Location: Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

All abstracts will be published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics September 2024 FNCE Abstract Supplement. 

 

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ABOUT THE COALITION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PULSES

The Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses (CAP) is an initiative led by the American Pulse Association (APA) with support from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC), the U.S. Dry Bean Council (USDBC), and the Pulse Foundation. The CAP coalition represents a collective of pulse crop growers, processors, manufacturers, and related organizations. CAP is committed to increasing the consumption of pulses in the United States by increasing research on the nutritional benefits of pulses and growing awareness about the many health benefits of pulse crops.  For more information visit usapulses.org or contact CAP@usapulses.org

ABOUT CANNEDBEANS.ORG

Cannedbeans.org, sponsored by Bush’s Best®, is a category-building marketing campaign aimed at promoting the universal health benefits of canned beans regardless of brand. Containing fiber, protein and iron, canned beans make it easy to add more plants to your diet and help people live longer, healthier lives. For more information, check out the latest tools, recipes, and resources below to learn more about the benefits of canned beans at www.cannedbeans.org.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

Representing more than 112,000 credentialed nutrition and dietetics practitioners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.

 

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[i] US Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, 9th ed.; 2020. Available online: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf (accessed on 4 April 2023).

[ii] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2019. Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25353. Available online: http://nap.edu/25353 (accessed on 17 September 2023).

[iii] American Heart Association. How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure. Available online: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/how-potassium-can-help-control-high-blood-pressure (accessed on 20 September 2023).

[iv] American Heart Association. A Primer on Potassium. Available online: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/potassium (accessed on 20 September 2023).

[v] US Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, 9th ed.; 2020. Available online: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf (accessed on 4 April 2023).

[vi] Proprietary data calculated by Bush’s Best and based in part on data reported by NIQ through its Syndicated database for the Bean category (branded only) for the Latest 52 weeks ending 4/29/23, for Total US xAOC (sales in the Food, Drug, Mass, Club, Dollar, and Military channels), according to the NIQ standard product hierarchy. Copyright © 2023, Nielsen Consumer LLC.

[vii] Papanikolaou, Y., Slavin, Papanikolaou, S., J., Fulgoni, V. L.III, Adding more beans to the US typical dietary patterncan lead to greater intake of shortfall nutrients and a higher diet quality in younger and older adults, Maturitas,Volume 186, August 2024, 108012

[viii] Papanikolaou, Y., Slavin, J. & Fulgoni, V.L. Adult dietary patterns with increased bean consumption are associated with greater overall shortfall nutrient intakes, lower added sugar, improved weight-related outcomes and better diet quality. Nutr J 23, 36 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-024-00937-1

[ix] M.L. McCullough, D. Feskanich, M.J. Stampfer, E.L. Giovannucci, E.B. Rimm, F.B. Hu, D. Spiegelman, D.J. Hunter, G.A. Colditz, W.C. Willett. Diet quality and major chronic disease risk in men and women: Moving toward improved dietary guidance. Am J Clin Nutr. 76 (2002) 1261-1271.

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Journal

Nutrition

DOI

10.1186/s12937-024-00937-1 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Adult dietary patterns with increased bean consumption are associated with greater overall shortfall nutrient intakes, lower added sugar, improved weight-related outcomes and better diet quality

This research was funded by Cannedbeans.org on behalf of Bush’s Brothers & Company and the Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses.

 

Toddlers get nearly half their calories from ultra-processed foods

Toddlers in the UK obtain nearly half (47%) of their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and this rises to 59% by the age of seven, according to a new study led by UCL researchers

University College London

Toddlers in the UK obtain nearly half (47%) of their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and this rises to 59% by the age of seven, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, looked at data from 2,591 children born in the UK in 2007 and 2008 whose parents recorded what their children ate and drank over three days.

The most common UPFs consumed by the toddlers – who were 21 months when their parents recorded their diets – were flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals, products typically seen as healthy. By the age of seven, the most common UPFs were sweet cereals, white bread and puddings.

Lead author Dr Rana Conway, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “Ultra-processed foods are not all bad for our health and the foods typically eaten by the toddlers in our study are ones that are seen as quite healthy.

“However, some wholegrain cereals and flavoured yoghurts have high levels of added sugar and salt and our study found that toddlers who consumed more ultra-processed foods also had a higher intake of these ingredients.

“This is concerning, especially as toddlers in general consume more added sugar and salt than is recommended.

“Aside from sugar and salt, a diet that includes a lot of ultra-processed food is less likely to get children used to the natural flavours of whole foods and therefore less likely to encourage healthy eating later in life.”

Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “Eating patterns in the early years are important, as they help set habits that can persist through childhood and into adulthood. This was reflected in our findings, with 21-month-olds who ate more ultra-processed foods also likely to be higher consumers of ultra-processed foods at the age of seven.”

The researchers analysed data from the Gemini twin cohort study, using the Nova classification to divide the food and drink consumed into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (eggs, milk, vegetables, fish and fruit); processed culinary ingredients (salt, butter and oil); processed foods (tinned fish, peanut butter and cheese); and UPFs (cereals, yoghurts, industrially made sliced bread, biscuits, sausages, crisps).

UPFs are typically industrially produced and contain ingredients not used or very rarely used in home cooking, such as emulsifiers, colourings and sweeteners.

Toddlers were divided into five groups according to their ultra-processed food intake. The research team found that toddlers in the lowest UPF group consumed 28% of their calories from UPFs, while for toddlers in the highest of the five groups this was 69%.

They also found that ultra-processed foods consumed at 21 months predicted UPF consumption at seven years old. Toddlers who consumed the most UPFs were 9.4 times more likely to be in the highest UPF-consuming group at age seven compared to toddlers who consumed the lowest proportion of UPFs. The research team said this may be partly attributable to the “hyperpalatable” nature of these UPFs, as they tend to be foods higher in fat, sugar and/or salt.

In all five UPF groups, the toddlers’ consumption of free sugars exceeded the UK government recommended maximum of 5% of daily calorie intake. In the two highest UPF groups, added sugar intake exceeded 10% on average.

The researchers called for policies to redress the balance of children’s diets towards a lower proportion of UPFs, such as restricting the promotion of unhealthy foods marketed towards children, adding warning labels to products (e.g. those that are high in sugar), and subsidising fresh and minimally processed food.

Dr Conway said: “It’s not easy to feed children healthily in our current food environment. Highly processed foods are often cheaper than the foods parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.

“Also, despite labels suggesting they’re a healthy choice, ultra-processed foods marketed for children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices.”

In the paper, the research team also said there was a range of commercial products intended for young children that would not be classified as a UPF as they did not contain UPF-style ingredients but mimicked UPFs in terms of textures. These might include vegetable sticks or puffs or snacks resembling cookies.

Early exposure to these foods, the researchers wrote, was unlikely to encourage consumption of vegetables, even if the foods’ nutritional content was healthy (i.e., they did not include added sugar or salt).

In their study limitations, the researchers noted that people of white ethnicity and a higher socioeconomic status were over-represented in their population sample compared to the UK population as a whole.

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Journal

European Journal of Nutrition

DOI

10.1007/s00394-024-03496-7 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Ultra-processed food intake in toddlerhood and mid-childhood in the UK: cross sectional and longitudinal perspectives

Article Publication Date

3-Oct-2024

 

Kids miss out on learning to swim during pandemic, widening racial and ethnic disparities

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Nearly three out of four kids in Chicago had no swimming lessons in summer of 2022, with significant racial and ethnic differences, according to a parent survey from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago published in Pediatrics. Black and Hispanic/Latine kids were disproportionately affected (85 percent and 82 percent, respectively), compared to white kids (64 percent).

The most common reasons for not getting swimming lessons also differed among racial and ethnic groups. Parents of White kids reported they already knew how to swim, however Black and Hispanic/Latine parents reported being not comfortable with swimming themselves as a reason their kids did not take swimming lessons. All groups cited cost as a barrier to swimming lessons.

Racial and ethnic differences in learning to swim have been documented among adults. According to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released in May 2024, two out of three Black adults (63 percent) and three out of four Hispanic/Latine adults (72 percent) never had a swimming lesson, compared to less than half of White adults (48 percent). The CDC report stresses the importance of accessible basic swimming and water safety skills training, a proven and effective way to prevent drowning.

Tragically, 40 people drowned in Lake Michigan this summer, including adults and children.

“It is important to recognize that over the pandemic, a group of kids missed out on learning to swim, which typically occurs when kids are pre-school and early elementary school age,” said lead author Michelle Macy, MD, MS, Director of Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s, and Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We need new approaches to fill this gap, such as targeted outreach and expanded programming that offers beginning swimming lessons to older elementary and middle school age kids, so they don’t feel out of place having to take lessons with little kids.”

Dr. Macy and colleagues analyzed data from 1,042 parents with children 3 years of age or older across all 77 Chicago neighborhoods. Data were collected in October and November 2022 through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey.

“We were particularly disheartened by the stark differences in the swim skills of Black, Hispanic/Latine and White parents, which we know is the result of a long history of racial and economic segregation. We need to acknowledge the unique challenges minority communities face and work in a multidisciplinary way to address those challenges,” said study co-author Sadiqa Kendi, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Safe Kids Worldwide and Associate Division Chief of Academic Affairs and Research at Children’s National Hospital.  

In another approach to help prevent drownings, at the start of the summer Lurie Children’s digital health program launched a MyChart Water Safety Care Plan in partnership with Goldfish Swim Schools Chicago. Families of children from infancy to 18 years of age with a Lurie Children’s MyChart account and a Lurie Children’s primary care provider are automatically enrolled to receive seasonal, age-appropriate water safety messages with links to additional resources.

“Our goal is to teach families how to stay safe around water at home, at the pool and in nature,” said Dr. Macy. “Water safety education and swimming lessons are critical to prevent more drownings and are especially important with Lake Michigan in Chicago’s backyard.”

This project was funded through the Illinois Indiana College Sea Grant Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under grant number NA22OAR4170100.

Listen to Dr. Macy discuss her research into barriers to swim safety in Chicago on the In Pursuit podcast from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois and one of less than 35 nationally. This is where the top doctors go to train, practice pediatric medicine, teach, advocate, research and stay up to date on the latest treatments. Exclusively focused on children, all Lurie Children’s resources are devoted to serving their needs. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, which is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Emergency medicine-focused research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through the Grainger Research Program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 

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Journal

PEDIATRICS

 

Detroit researchers to examine links between bacterial infections, environmental pollution and preterm birth

Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research

 

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Dr. Petriello and trainees Hashan Jayarathne and Brooklyn Murray visualize and discuss protein expression in PFAS exposed mice.

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Credit: Julie O'Connor, Wayne State University

DETROIT — A new grant will help Wayne State University researchers explore the links between bacterial infections, the environmental factors that increase their susceptibility and the risk of preterm birth.

The five-year, $2,858,821 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, “PFAS increases susceptibility to infection-mediated preterm birth,” will be led by Michael Petriello, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wayne State’s Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Pharmacology in the School of Medicine.

Petriello hopes that the team’s studies will identify critical pathways responsible for preterm birth and establish a causative link between pollutant exposures and adverse birth outcomes. He said Wayne State’s collaborative atmosphere made the study possible.

“When I came to Wayne State five years ago, I was looking for interdisciplinary collaborators and I saw how strong this university is in terms of preterm birth studies and expertise,” said Petriello. “Dr. Gil Mor has done some great work on the subject, and he was focusing mainly on viruses. We’ve initiated the collaboration with the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development thanks to studies by our Superfund Research Center, CLEAR (The Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research), related to benzine exposure in preterm births. Now we’re all pooling our expertise to explore new avenues on this subject.”

Petriello and his collaborators hypothesize that pollutant exposures, particularly per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), can increase the susceptibility to bacterial infection and increase preterm birth risk, resulting in children being born too early and potentially leading to severe health issues or even death.

“We hope to find links between PFAS exposure in mothers and preterm birth, focusing on the placenta as a major target of PFAS toxicity,” said Petriello. “We think it is an under-studied organ in terms of PFAS exposure. What we are doing that is novel is using spatial transcriptomics, which looks at different regions of the placenta to see which cell types are affected by the PFAS. We also want to look at bacterial infection as a factor in preterm birth to see if PFAS exposure increases that likelihood of infection.”

This complex research requires an interdisciplinary team including additional faculty at Wayne State with expertise in maternal and fetal health (Dr. Gil Mor), genomics (Drs. Doug Ruden and Katherine Gurdziel) and chemistry (Dr. Charlie Fehl).

“In order to solve many of the problems in our community, such as preterm birth, we need more of this type of collaborative work between experts in different fields,” said Gil Mor, M.D., the scientific director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development. “Dr. Petriello is an outstanding environmental science scientist. My interest has been how the placenta responds to infections, but it has always been a challenge to us that some women would respond to changes in the environment and others don’t. Some had major complications during COVID, and others weren’t affected at all, for instance. We are creating animal models to study these environmental effects on pregnancy. I originally came to Detroit because it is the capital in the United States, unfortunately, for preterm birth, and there was strong chance that this high rate was because of environmental factors.”

“The link between a community’s environment and its health is crucial,” said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for research & innovation at Wayne State University. “This important study led by Dr. Petriello will provide new knowledge on this topic and offer new ideas to improve people’s lives.”

The award number for this grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health is ES035692.

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About Wayne State University

Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu.

Wayne State University’s research efforts are dedicated to a prosperity agenda that betters the lives of our students, supports our faculty in pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation further, and strengthens the bonds that interconnect Wayne State and our community. To learn more about Wayne State University’s prosperity agenda, visit president.wayne.edu/prosperity-agenda.

 

Improved water quality offsets in growing cities could protect Reef

University of Queensland

 

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The Esplanade on Cairns' waterfront.

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Credit: UQ

New research shows how growing Queensland regions can learn from biodiversity and carbon offsetting efforts to better meet water quality targets.

The study, led by The University of Queensland researcher Joseph McMahon from the Reef Catchments Science Partnership, explores how the integrity of water quality offsets – critical to protecting the health of the Great Barrier Reef – can improve, especially in areas with growing populations such as Cairns and Mackay.

“Water quality offsets are designed to counterbalance industrial pollution by reducing emissions elsewhere, often from agricultural sources,” Mr McMahon said.

“However, our study highlights substantial uncertainties in the effectiveness of this approach, especially in accurately measuring pollution reductions from agricultural land use changes.

“In this study, we summarised these uncertainties and estimated the demand for water quality offsets from sewage treatment plants – the largest industrial emitter of total nitrogen in Great Barrier Reef catchments – until 2050.

“We also discussed the implications of both on the ability of offsetting to counterbalance industrial emissions in catchments where water quality has a large influence on the Reef’s health.”

Researchers found that sewage treatment plants will require a large volume of water quality offsets by 2050 in Cairns, and a small volume of offsets immediately in Mackay.

“It’s particularly important that water quality offsets in these catchments have a high integrity to ensure increased industrial pollution is adequately counterbalanced and important water quality targets for the Reef are met,” Mr McMahon said.

“Water quality offsets could help industries like sewage treatment plants comply with regulations while also protecting the Reef, but uncertainties in measuring their effectiveness pose challenges.

“Some examples of water quality offsets these regions could employ include improved crop management practices and riverbank revegetation to improve water quality in waterways in Reef catchment areas.

“In general, if agricultural offsets are implemented near industrial emissions and have a high certainty of effectiveness, they are more likely to have a high integrity.

“This allows industries to comply with regulations while protecting the Reef from pollution linked to population growth.

"This approach provides a balance between scientific rigour and policy workability until further research into pollution hotspots and transport pathways can address some of the uncertainties.”

The research is published in Science of the Total Environment.

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DOI

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175786 

 

Climate lessons from the fall of a Pacific chiefdom

PNAS Nexus

 

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A conceptual rendering of a reconstructed Nan Madol.

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Credit: Albert Yu-Min Lin

New dates for an ancient site in the Pacific correlate with sea level rise and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability. Nan Madol is a monumental complex, built from stone and coral rubble on the Pacific Island of Pohnpei. Nan Madol was the administrative and cultural center of the Saudeleur Dynasty. The exact dates of construction had been unclear, obscuring possible links between the history of the site and climactic changes. Chuan-Chou Shen and colleagues used uranium–thorium dating for 167 coral samples and carbon dating for 18 charcoal samples to refine the site’s chronology. The dates reveal two major construction phases: the first from the 10th–12th centuries and the second from the late 12th to the early 15th century. These dates are centuries earlier than previous estimates. The authors link the history of the site to variations in the ENSO that can elevate regional sea level by up to 30 cm during La Niña events, as well as subsidence-related sea level rise. The authors estimate that the sea rose from -126 cm at CE 800 to -90 cm at CE 1180 and -70 cm by 1380. Taking into account silt deposits, some channels were submerged under seawater up to 70 cm at middle tide and water likely breached the site’s seawall—prompting major repairs and new construction. The end of the second period of work presaged the fall of the dynasty that ruled Pohnpei, the Saudeleurs. The authors draw lessons from the history of Nan Madol, noting that the inhabitants of Pohnpei found themselves in a cycle of repair and increasing investment in coastal protection—a trend that may have contributed to the overthrow of the Saudeleurs. According to the authors, the story of Nan Madol is a warning for today’s Pacific Ocean communities. 

Seawall compound of Nan Madol.

Northeastern corner of the outer wall of Royal Tomb Complex of Nan Madol.

Researchers conducting surveys and sampling at Nan Madol.

Credit

Chuan-Chou Shen

Aerial view of Nan Madol.

Credit

Albert Yu-Min Lin

Journal

PNAS Nexus

Article Title

Links between climatic histories and the rise and fall of a Pacific chiefdom

Article Publication Date

1-Oct-2024

 

How future heatwaves at sea could devastate UK marine ecosystems and fisheries

Frontiers

The oceans are warming at an alarming rate. 2023 shattered records across the world’s oceans, and was the first time that ocean temperatures exceeded 1oC over pre-industrial levels. This led to the emergence of a series of marine heatwave events across both hemispheres, from the waters around Japan, around South America, and across the wider North Atlantic. Marine heatwaves are periods of extremely warm sea temperatures that can form in quite localized hot spots but also span large parts of ocean basins. By definition, they have to last five days to be classed as a marine heatwave, but some major events have lasted months — even years, in an extreme case.

Notable events have led to catastrophic impacts on marine ecosystems, the economy and coastal communities. For example, coral bleaching in the tropics has caused huge losses to the tourism industry, mass mortalities or major shifts in fisheries have impacted fishing industries worldwide, and vast losses of sea grass meadows and kelp forests have decimated countries’ natural capital.

Closing a crucial gap in our understanding

The UK has largely escaped any major marine heatwaves that could have caused notable impacts to marine ecosystems and the blue economy. However, in June 2023 a short-lived but intense event materialized around the shores of the UK and Ireland, which was widely documented in the media. The impacts of this heatwave remain unknown, highlighting a crucial gap in our understanding of past marine heatwaves’ characteristics around the UK and what their potential future impacts may be.

In our new article, we characterized both marine heatwaves and their opposites — marine cold spells — around the UK for the first time. UK waters do not appear as a major hot spot across the wider North Atlantic, with the Gulf Stream and central subpolar gyre experiencing the greatest heatwave and cold spell activity respectively. However, when zooming in on UK waters, regional variability becomes apparent, particularly for marine heatwaves. On average, the southern North Sea and English Channel tend to experience longer (around a month) and moderately intense (maximum temperatures reaching 1.5oC higher than expected) heatwaves, whereas the eastern North Sea has a tendency to experience shorter (two to three weeks) but more intense (maximum temperatures >3oC) heatwaves.

Considerable variability exists

Marine heatwaves are documented all around the UK, lasting up to five months and occurring throughout the year, even in winter. When investigating individual events, it is evident that considerable variability exists in terms of location, intensity, duration and time of year.  This high variability may also explain the inconsistent response in chlorophyll-a, a proxy for phytoplankton abundance.

Our research reveals that chlorophyll-a extremes do not coincide with temperature extremes in UK waters, although there is some indication that highly productive events, for which we have coined the term ‘greenwaves’, occur more frequently in the southern North Sea and closer to the coast. For the wider North Atlantic, marine heatwaves are more likely to co-occur with ‘bluewaves’ (low chlorophyll-a extremes) in the tropics and subtropics, while cold spells are more likely to co-occur with greenwaves at higher latitudes. The direct relationship between these types of extremes is inconsistent and needs more investigation around the UK. This may be due to the UK residing between mid- to high latitudes. Seasonality may also play a vital role.

Seasonal differences

The timing of events will also greatly affect the impacts on the wider marine ecosystem. For example, if a marine heatwave occurs at the height of summer, the thermal limits of species like seagrass or seaweed may be breached, which could lead to extensive damage or even mortality, which has been documented in other places worldwide. But if an event were to occur in winter or spring, the unseasonably warm temperatures may initiate phytoplankton blooms, possibly leading to either a temporary boost in productivity, greatly benefiting fisheries, or causing harmful algal blooms, leading to negative impacts.

Our research also shows that when marine heatwaves occur in the relatively shallow southern North Sea and English Channel, near-bottom oxygen concentrations tend to be extremely low, which puts benthic ecosystems under increased stress. For other locations around the UK, this relationship is apparent during the first half of the year, where the water column is well-mixed and the impact of extreme surface temperatures is able to reach the seafloor. During summer, the water column is not as well mixed, keeping the impacts of the marine heatwave confined to the surface.

Unique opportunity

Given the complexity of this region, it is vital that more targeted research is undertaken to understand the future impacts of marine heatwaves on marine ecosystems, the blue economy and society. If high-risk regions can be identified, the resilience of species and coastal communities can be assessed and properly managed.

The June 2023 marine heatwave should be perceived as an alarm bell. While these events do not appear to be as long-lasting or intense as other heatwaves around the world at the moment, they are projected to increase. This means that the UK is presented with a unique opportunity to take advantage of our head start and learn from other nations to increase preparedness and response capability for future extreme events.

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Journal

Frontiers in Marine Science

DOI

10.3389/fmars.2024.1434365 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Marine heatwaves and cold spells in the Northeast Atlantic: what should the UK be prepared for?

Article Publication Date

4-Oct-2024