Dhofar Region, Oman. Much of Oman is desert, but the Arabian Sea coast in the Dhofar region represents a startling difference in climate. This coastal region catches the monsoon rains, or khareef, during the summer months. Drenching rains fall primarily on the mountainous ridge that separates the lush, fertile areas along the coast from the arid interior, recharging streams, waterfalls and springs that provide plentiful water supplies in the fertile lowlands for the remainder of the year. Image taken by Landsat 5 on April 2, 2005. (Photo by USGS/NASA)

People play ice hockey in front of the Olympic Tower near the National Stadium at Olympic Park on January 13, 2022 in Beijing, China. Playing host to the 2022 Winter Olympics has boosted the popularity of winter sports and outdoor activities in many parts of China, with the government pouring billions of dollars into developing programs, athletes, and fans. With more outdoor skating rinks, ski resorts, and other activities luring people outside, the ice and snow sports boom has created nearly 350 million winter sport enthusiasts since Beijing"u2019s successful Games bid in 2015, according to officials. China is seeking to become a winter sports destination as the global snow sports industry eyes growth in the world second largest economy. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A little girl stands next to a painted buffalo during the “Buffalo Painting” contest that is part of the Tich Dien festival in Ha Nam province, Vietnam, 10 February 2019. Artists from all over the country have gathered for the festival which attracts thousand of residents and visitors. Tich Dien festival features the importance of agriculture and the role of farmers in the vietnamese society and contributes to preserving the local cultural values. (Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA/EFE)

An ethnic Shan artist performs during a ceremony to mark the 8th anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) at the Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, October 15, 2023. (Photo by Aung Shine Oo/AP Photo)

A person takes photos of Vervet monkeys that are eating in a parking lot near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Dania Beach, Florida, USA, 10 May 2022. Over 40 descendants of smallish vervets, escaped from now closed breeding facility, are living within 1,500 acres around the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. The Dania Beach Vervet Project is an organization established in 2016 with the purpose of promote the conservation, and education about the local free ranging vervet monkeys in Dania Beach, Florida. (Photo by Cristóbal Herrera/EPA/EFE)

Among the fish populations that could be harmed by the Xayaburi dam in Laos is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s largest freshwater fish. The fish, which grows to 650 pounds and about 10 feet long, is only found in the Mekong River. It is migratory, moving between downstream habitats in Cambodia upstream to northern Thailand and Laos each year to spawn. Some experts fear the Xayaburi dam could block the migration and drive the giant catfish to extinction. (Photo by Courtesy of Zeb Hogan/University of Nevada, Reno)

Aerial view of a giant sinkhole on June 09, 2021 in Santa María Zacatepec, Mexico. The giant sinkhole is located 20 kilometers northwest from the capital city Puebla, the hole now measures 110 meters across its widest point, covering around 11,000 square meters and damaging a house built near the place where it appeared. Farmers of the surroundings have been affected since they are not allowed to enter their fields due to the warning perimeter set up by the authorities. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Vatnajökull (meaning Glacier of Rivers), also known as the Vatna Glacier, is the largest and most voluminous Icelandic glacier, and one of the largest in area in Europe. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8 percent of the country.