Popular Science articles about Earth & Climate

New method to measure snow, vegetation moisture with GPS may benefit farmers, meteorologists

A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has found a clever way to use traditional GPS satellite signals to measure snow depth as well as soil and vegetation moisture, a technique expected to benefit meteorologists, water...

International expedition investigates climate change, alternative fuels in Arctic

Scientists from the Marine Biogeochemistry and Geology and Geophysics sections of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) organized and led a team of university and government scientists on an Arctic expedition...

Rich ore deposits linked to ancient atmosphere

Much of our planet's mineral wealth was deposited billions of years ago when Earth's chemical cycles were different from today's. Using geochemical clues from rocks nearly 3 billion years old,...

Mysteriously warm times in Antarctica

A new study of Antarctica's past climate reveals that temperatures during the warm periods between ice ages (interglacials) may have been higher than previously thought. The latest analysis of ice...

Microorganism may provide key to combating giant salvinia throughout Louisiana

A team of researchers at Louisiana Tech University has found that a naturally occurring microorganism acts as a natural herbicide against giant salvinia.

Study: Sea stars bulk up to beat the heat

A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water...

Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix: UBC study

Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world's dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to University of...

Volatile gas could turn Rwandan lake into a freshwater time bomb

A dangerous level of carbon dioxide and methane gas haunts Lake Kivu, the freshwater lake system bordering Rwanda and the Republic of Congo.

K-State researchers studying link between climate change and cattle nutritional stress

Kansas State University's Joseph Craine, research assistant professor in the Division of Biology, and KC Olson, associate professor in animal sciences and industry, have teamed up with some other scientists...

Ancient high-altitude trees grow faster as temperatures rise

Increasing temperatures at high altitudes are fueling the post-1950 growth spurt seen in bristlecone pines, the world's oldest trees, according to new research.

New climate treaty could put species at risk

Plans to be discussed at the forthcoming UN climate conference in Copenhagen to cut deforestation in developing countries could save some species from extinction but inadvertently increase the risk to...

Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol

ORNL, Los Alamos pioneer new approach to assist scientists, farmers

Sustainable farming, initially adopted to preserve soil quality for future generations, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy climate, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak...

Hidden threat: Elevated pollution levels near regional airports

Scientists are reporting evidence that air pollution — a well-recognized problem at major airports — may pose an important but largely overlooked health concern for people living near smaller regional...

Oceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing

The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. Now, the first year-by-year accounting of...

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions up by 29 percent since 2000

The strongest evidence yet that the rise in atmospheric CO₂ emissions continues to outstrip the ability of the world's natural 'sinks' to absorb carbon is published this week in the...

NASA's QuikScat and Aqua providing important data on Tropical Storm Anja

Anja has continued to weaken over the last 24 hours, and NASA's QuikScat satellite has confirmed that the once mighty Category 4 Cyclone is now a tropical storm in the...

Research challenges for understanding landscape changes identified

Nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change were unveiled today in a new report by the National Research...

Penguins and sea lions help produce new atlas

Recording hundreds of thousands of individual uplinks from satellite transmitters fitted on penguins, albatrosses, sea lions, and other marine animals, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and BirdLife International have released...

NASA's TRMM satellite mapped 'Ida the Low's' rainfall from space

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite known as "TRMM" has the ability to measure rainfall from space, and assessed the heavy rainfall from last week's coastal low pressure area, formerly...

Warmer means windier on world's biggest lake

Rising water temperatures are kicking up more powerful winds on Lake Superior, with consequences for currents, biological cycles, pollution and more on the world's largest lake and its smaller brethren.

Tiny bubbles clean oil from water

Small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on polluted water. Oil sheen is hard to remove, even when the water is aerated with ozone or filtered through sand. Now,...