Popular Science articles about Earth & Climate

Future risk of hurricanes: The role of climate change

Zooming in on future climate, scientists are "nesting" a regional weather model, at a resolution as fine as 2.5 miles, within a global model, at a resolution of about 100 miles.

Team led by Livermore scientists helps to resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science

A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics.

Wildfires cause ozone pollution to violate health standards, new study shows

Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate U.S. health standards, a new study concludes. The research, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), focused on...

Volcanic eruptions more complex and harder to predict, according to new Science paper

New research by a team of US and UK scientists into volcanoes has found that they function in a far more complex way than previously thought, making future eruptions even...

AAAS satellite image analysis reveals South Ossetian damage

Satellite images captured before and after the 7-8 August clash between Georgia, South Ossetian separatists and Russia reveal that 424 civilian structures near Tskhinvali were damaged by 19 August –...

Waterborne disease risk upped in Great Lakes

An anticipated increased incidence of climate-related extreme rainfall events in the Great Lakes region may raise the public health risk for the 40 million people who depend on the lakes...

Population growth puts dent in natural resources

It's a 500-pound gorilla that Robert Criss, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, sees standing on the speaker's dais...

Diversity of plant-eating fishes may be key to recovery of coral reefs

For endangered coral reefs, not all plant-eating fish are created equal.

Arctic soil reveals climate change clues

Frozen arctic soil contains nearly twice the greenhouse-gas-producing organic material as was previously estimated, according to recently published research by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.

Preserved by ice: Glacial dams helped prevent erosion of Tibetan plateau

The Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world, starting at 14,500 feet elevation and plunging to the Bay of Bengal, scouring huge amounts of rock and soil...

Barcelona Declaration 2008: Challenges and Pathways to Earth Sustainability

The Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), in the celebration of its 20th anniversary, organised a meeting whit a group of international experts to discuss the environmental future...

Warming in Yosemite National Park sends small mammals packing to higher, cooler elevations

Global warming is causing major shifts in the range of small mammals in Yosemite National Park, one of the nation's treasures that was set aside as a public trust 144 years ago, according to a new study by University of...

Iowa State researchers developing wireless soil sensors to improve farming

Ratnesh Kumar keeps his prototype soil sensors buried in a box under his desk. He hopes that one day farmers will be burying the devices under their crops.

Tropical rainforest and mountain species may be threatened by global warming

Contrary to conventional wisdom, tropical plant and animal species living in some of the warmest places on Earth may be threatened by global warming, according to an article by University...

Deep magma matters in volcanic eruption cycle

Although the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat exhibits cycles of eruption and quiet, an international team of researchers found that magma is continuously supplied from deep in the crust but...

Turning freshwater farm ponds into crab farms

Work by researchers at North Carolina State University is leading to a new kind of crab harvest – blue crabs grown and harvested from freshwater ponds, instead of from the...

Satellite data reveals extreme summer snowmelt in northern Greenland, CCNY professor says

The northern part of the Greenland ice sheet experienced extreme snowmelt during the summer of 2008, with large portions of the area subject to record melting days, according to Dr....

'Fingerprinting' method tracks mercury emissions from coal

University of Michigan researchers have developed a new tool that uses natural "fingerprints" in coal to track down sources of mercury polluting the environment.

Pickleweed tolerates irrigation with seawater and high levels of boron

Reuse of agricultural drainage water (DW) for irrigation is one of the few on-farm water management options available to growers on the west side of California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV)...

Study: Tropical wetlands hold more carbon than temperate marshes

In one of the first comparisons of its kind, researchers have demonstrated that wetlands in tropical areas are able to absorb and hold onto about 80 percent more carbon than...

Scientists simulate gut reaction to arsenic exposure

A simulated gastrointestinal system is helping scientists test contaminated soil for its potential to harm humans. The method is likely to save time and money for people hoping to repurpose...

Most Alaskan glaciers retreating, thinning, and stagnating

Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to a new book published by...