Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Plastic pollution: Washed clothing's synthetic mountain of 'fluff'
Scientists calculate how many tiny fibres our polyester and nylon garments lose in the wash.
Synthetic clothing fibers contribute vast amounts of plastic pollution on land
176,500 metric tons of synthetic microfibers—chiefly polyester and nylon—are released every year onto terrestrial environments across the globe, according to a new study in the open access journal PLOS ONE...
Seismic monitoring may improve early warnings for glacial lake outburst floods
Vibrations in the ground may help to improve advanced warnings about sudden floods that result from glacial melting, according to a study published today in Science Advances.
Most landslides in western Oregon triggered by heavy rainfall, not big earthquakes
Researchers at the University of Washington, Portland State University and the University of Oregon have shown that deep-seated landslides in the central Oregon Coast Range are triggered mostly by rainfall,...
United Nations blames Venezuela for killings, human rights violations
A United Nations mission on Wednesday blamed the Venezuelan government for extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, arbitrary detentions and torture of residents since 2014.
Sally brings floods to Gulf Coast; Florida bridge breaks away
A section of a bridge over Pensacola Bay in Florida broke off Wednesday after Hurricane Sally caused a construction crane to topple onto the span, local emergency officials said.
Barbados to become republic, remove Queen Elizabeth II as head of state
Barbados Governor-general Sandra Mason said Wednesday her Caribbean island nation has decided to remove Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and declare itself a republic.
Hurricane Sally barely above tropical storm strength over Alabama, Florida
Hurricane Sally made landfall in the U.S. Gulf Coast early Wednesday as a Category 2 storm but is now barely above tropical storm strength, forecasters said.
Paulette moves further into open Atlantic
Forecasters with the National Weather Service reclassified Paulette as a "strong" post-tropical cyclone over the North Atlantic on Wednesday, though the system retained Category 1 hurricane strength.
Researchers dig into Canadian North to understand carbon storage in permafrost
Researchers analyzed core samples from nine different regions across northern Canada. They found carbon isn’t just being released in thawing permafrost soil, it’s also ending up in water, potentially ending...
Reforestation can only partially restore tropical soils
Tropical forest soils play a crucial role in providing vital ecosystem functions. They provide nutrients for plants, store carbon and regulate greenhouse gases, as well as storing and filtering water,...
Colorado's famous aspens expected to decline due to climate change
Along three scenic drives through Colorado's Rocky Mountains in fall, tourists will see less of a brilliant golden tree in the next 100 years, researchers from North Carolina State University...
Hurricane Sally unleashes flooding along the Gulf Coast
Hurricane Sally lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line Wednesday with 105 mph (165) winds and rain measured in feet, not inches, swamping homes and trapping people in high water as...
Deadly snake found wrapped around gas pump in Australia
An Australian snake catcher was summoned to a gas station where a deadly tiger snake was found coiled around a pump.
NASA finds wind shear not letting up on Tropical Storm Vicky
NASA's Terra satellite obtained visible imagery of Tropical Storm Vicky as it continued moving through the eastern North Atlantic Ocean fighting strong wind shear. Outside winds are pushing at the...
Climate crisis ages fish, amphibians and reptiles
Climatic conditions are changing at an unprecedented rate, affecting mainly fish, amphibians and reptiles, ectothermic animals that are unable to generate their own internal heat. With heat waves and rising...
Sunfleck use research needs appropriate experimental leaves
"All the roads of learning begin in the darkness and go out into the light." This quote is often attributed to Hippocrates and exhibits a double level of relevance in...
Watch: Railroad car ferry found 110 years after sinking in Lake Michigan
A team of Minnesota-based shipwreck hunters announced they have found the wreckage of the Pere Marquette 18, a railroad car ferry that sank into Lake Michigan 110 years ago.
ABC cancels 'United We Fall' after one season
ABC has canceled family comedy "United We Fall" starring Will Sasso and Christina Vidal after one season.
Climate change and forest management have both fueled today's epic Western wildfires
What is driving the wildfires that are ravaging California, Oregon and Washington? President Trump and state officials have offered sharply different views.
Siberia's permafrost erosion has been worsening for years
The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on the planet. As a result, permafrost that is thousands of years old is now being lost to erosion. As measurements...
How cigarette butts can be recycled into bricks: A step-by-step plan
Researchers have shown how industries could work together to recycle cigarette butts into bricks, in a step-by-step implementation plan for saving energy and solving a global littering problem.
Home of 'Asian unicorn' becomes nature reserve in Vietnam
Research by the University of Leeds has helped secure the highest government protection for internationally-important Vietnamese forests.
Can pumping up cold water from deep within the ocean halt coral bleaching?
The risk of severe coral bleaching—a condition in which corals lose their symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae—is five times more frequent today than it was forty years ago. Coral bleaching is...
Mercury concentrations in Yukon river fish could surpass EPA criterion by 2050
The concentration of mercury in the fish in Alaska's Yukon River may exceed the EPA's human health criterion by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming are not...
Big Ten to start college football season Oct. 23
The Big Ten Conference said Wednesday it will start 2020 games Oct. 23, changing its previous plans to postpone the fall football season to spring 2021 due to the coronavirus...
Hurricane Sally: Floods, power outages, water rescues across Gulf Coast
Hurricane Sally arrived in the U.S. Gulf Coast early Wednesday, bringing heavy rains, powerful winds and floodwaters to a wide swath of the coastline between Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Image: Spalte Glacier breaks up
This series of four Copernicus Sentinel-2 images captured between 29 June and 24 July 2020, shows a segment of the largest ice shelf in the Arctic break up and shatter...