Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Winter forecast looks mixed across nation
(AP) -- Winter looks likely to be mild in the Midwest and dry in the Southeast, the government said Thursday. Warmer-than-average temperatures are expected for the nation's center, especially...
Japan's Pollution Problems Worsen
Japan's greenhouse gas emissions surged last year, the government said in a report, putting the country even further behind in its struggle to meet obligations under the Kyoto international climate...
Dirty SoCal Air Deadlier Than Car Crashes?
Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new...
Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?
Long seen as myth, an ancient Amazon civilization may have been fueled by a man-made soil. Scientists are racing to recreate the recipe, which they say might fight hunger and...
Sea level rise alters bay's salinity
While global-warming-induced coastal flooding moves populations inland, the changes in sea level will affect the salinity of estuaries, which influences aquatic life, fishing and recreation...
Sea Lions Decline In Alaska Waters
Steller sea lions in far western Alaska continue to do a disappearing act with already distressed numbers slipping further in some areas, according to a federal survey.
Invasive mussel confirmed in Utah's Electric Lake
(AP) -- Trouble-making zebra mussels have arrived in Utah. But not where they were expected to show up. Electric Lake is Utah's first body of water where the damaging,...
Concerns on mercury emissions may foster new 500 million per year industry
Proposed government regulations limiting emissions of mercury from electricity-generating stations may foster development of a new half-billion-dollar per year industry offering technology for removing mercury from power plant smokestacks, according...
Crisis Of Illicit Alcohol In Central And Eastern Europe, Report Finds
The consumption of illicit or noncommercial alcohol is widespread in central and eastern Europe and contributes significantly to the region’s high levels of alcohol-related problems, according to a new report....
New Method For Tracing Metal Pollution Back To Its Sources
A new way of pinpointing where zinc pollution in the atmosphere comes from could improve pollution monitoring and regulation, according to new research.
Restock helps fishers and ecosystem
A science-backed restock in NSW has been a resounding success, replenishing a depleted prawn area and returning the ecosystem to its old state.
Governors pledge to fight global warming together
(AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his counterparts in 12 states and regional leaders from four other countries signed a declaration Wednesday pledging to work together to combat global warming,...
Yoga: Ancient Indian practice has been turned on its head
You can do it in the air. Or by sea. You can do it if you're young. Or old. Or in 100-plus-degree rooms (Bikram yoga).
Jupiter's Shrinking Red Spot, Oil Spills, Spreading Germs: Highlights of Fluid Dynamics Conference in San Antonio
Ever since the ancient thinker Archimedes shouted "Eureka" in the tub, inspired as he watched the water spill out, scientist though the ages have solved many of life's mysteries by...
The Physics of Oil Spill Cleanups
Oil spills are a major environmental problem because they often occur at sea and in remote, ecologically-sensitive areas where their impact on birds, sea mammals and subsurface life may last...
Not in My Backyard: Stopping Illegal Export of Junked Televisions and Computers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week fined electronics recycler Jet Ocean Technology of Chino, Calif., just over $10,000 for illegally exporting cathode-ray tubes from old television sets to...
A model to measure soil health in the era of bioenergy
One of the biggest threats to today's farmlands is the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic matter (SOM) from poor land-management practices. The presence of these materials...
Fluor extends strategic outsourcing contract with IBM
IBM today announced that it has signed a three-year, approximately $130 million contract extension with Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) for information technology (IT) outsourcing services...
UCAR Weather Forecasts Aim to Reduce African Meningitis Epidemics
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research will provide long-term weather forecasts to medical officials in Africa to help reduce outbreaks of meningitis. The forecasts will enable local health providers to...
Nuclear renaissance plans hit by financial crisis
Role of fission in fighting climate change looks likely to wane.
Urban Trees Enhance Hydrologic Cycle And Water Infiltration
Global land use patterns and increasing pressures on water resources demand creative urban stormwater management. Advertisement: read more
Final plea on Earth observation
Leading Earth observation scientists urge Gordon Brown to back Europe's environmental monitoring project, GMES.
Computers determine when to stop searches at sea
British researchers are developing a new computer model to predict how long someone will survive when lost at sea, which will in turn determine when a search and rescue operation...
Middle East synchrotron on the lookout for funds
Jordan facility needs final donations to construct machine.
Wallace Broecker: How to calm an angry beast
Some say former U.S. vice-president Al Gore invented climate change with his movie An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, but it was 1957 when Wally Broecker first mused about the impact...
UMass Amherst Spinoff Raises $25 Million for Ethanol Breakthrough
SunEthanol, a spinoff from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has raised $25 million in Series B financing from a consortium of funders including BP and Soros Fund Management LLC, and...
A Good Appetite: Almost Heaven: Leftover Mashed Potatoes, Uplifted
Leftover mashed potatoes normally head straight for the trash can, but this year they are destined for a higher purpose.
Observatory: Drip Irrigation May Not Save Water, Analysis Finds
A new analysis suggests that subsidies and other policies that encourage conservation methods like drip irrigation can actually increase water consumption.