Latest science news in Earth & Climate
New menhaden study will help identify balance between fishing and preserving Bay forage fish
Millions of tiny Atlantic menhaden swim in the Chesapeake Bay and are the favorite menu item of prized rockfish. They are also the heart of a major fish oil industry...
Human role in climate change now virtually certain, leaked IPCC report says
A leaked draft report by the world's top climate scientists has found that is virtually certain that humans are causing climate change but parts of it have been wildly misinterpreted...
Deep Earth tremors may foretell quakes
Tiny tremors, smaller than earthquakes, are shaking the Cascadia subduction zone deep beneath the Pacific Northwest.
Good Soil Doesn't Just Fall From The Sky, You Know
Soil organic matter makes up the bulk of terrestrially bound carbon in our biosphere. Those compounds play an important role, not only for soil fertility and agricultural yields but also...
Flesh-eating fungus responsible for 5 deaths post-tornado
A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed 5 people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new [...]
Fighting Soot In The Air
Clean Air: Industry claims that environment agency, by tightening the rules for fine-particle pollution, could harm job creation
UN sounds alarm on unsecured uranium waste in Tajikistan
The United Nations warned Friday that nearly 55 million tonnes of radioactive waste from old Soviet-era uranian mines remain in unsecured sites in northern Tajikistan.
Mali Map Water Grabbers
This map shows the location of barrages, diversion canals, and irrigation plans for Mali's inland delta.
'House hunters walrus'
Scientists have developed a novel camera system to map the surface topography of Arctic sea ice to assess walrus habitat.
More flooding on 2nd day of CA 'king tides'
A Southern California beach town is sloshing through another day of minor flooding because of a so-called king tide.
New peatland bacteria feed on greenhouse gas and excess fertilizer
Researchers have discovered new methane-consuming bacteria in the soil beneath the Brunssummerheide peatland reserve in Limburg, the Netherlands. Although the bacteria may be the result of environmental pollution, they are...
Pictures: Unspoiled Rivers
How do we balance population growth and economic security with freshwater ecosystem protection?
Extreme weather more persuasive on climate change than scientists
AP poll shows that events like superstorm Sandy are succeeding with climate sceptics where scientists have been failingAs one of the Marx brothers famously said: who do you believe, me or your...
The limits of the productive capacity of ecosystems
In a new article, researchers discuss how the measurement of biomass production and consumption can be used to gain a better understanding of the limits of the productive capacity of...
Agricultural research 'key to easing climate-change impacts'
Agricultural research must be moved to the heart of efforts to limit climate change's impacts on those living in dry areas, says a report.
Green Blog: Q. and A.: Jeremy Irons and 'Trashed'
As the film opens in the United States, its star reflects on consumerism, excess waste and environmental toxins -- and on ways to push back
Second Japan nuclear plant at fault risk
A second nuclear plant in Japan sits atop a possibly active seismic fault, government-appointed experts said Friday, days after the first facility was said to be at risk.
Reservoirs 'can affect rainfall'
Researchers say large man-made reservoirs can increase the intensity of rainfall and can affect the effectiveness of flood defences.
Mid-level tropical clouds form differently during active and break monsoon periods
(Phys.org)—Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory employed a method to understand how and when mid-level clouds, hovering between their conspicuous "siblings," form in the tropics. Low and high clouds get...
Fracking shifts global energy balance
North America's shale oil and gas boom has shifted the balance in global energy markets, giving the US and Canada new leverage as exporters, despite the Middle East retaining a...
Head of Catalina Island Conservancy at center of controversy
The board is meeting to address the departure of officers and scientists under the leadership of Ann Muscat. The conservancy that manages 88% of Santa Catalina Island is roiling with...
Green Blog: On Our Radar: Eco-Pragmatists on the Rise
A new mode of environmental thinking emphasizes that the movement might as well reconcile the needs of people with the needs of nature, given that humankind has irreversibly transformed the...
Green Blog: No Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card on Sea Level
A new study rejects the notion that enough snowfall will be preserved as glacial ice in Antarctica to help limit sea level rise.
Top officials meet at U.S. Office of Naval Research as Arctic changes quicken
The U.S. Navy's chief of naval research, Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, met this week with leaders from U.S. and Canadian government agencies to address research efforts in the Arctic, in...
Government 'Exams' for Italian Scientists Trigger Outcry
Researchers say a massive evaluation of researchers and institutions misses the mark
Better tools for saving water and keeping peaches healthy
Peach growers in California may soon have better tools for saving water. Scientists are evaluating whether infrared sensors and thermal technology can help peach growers decide precisely when to irrigate...
Weird Underwater Volcano Discovered Near Baja
An explosive rhyolite volcano shouldn't be at the Alarcón Rise spreading center, between Baja and mainland Mexico.
Court rules for fish in S.C. water battle
COLUMBIA, S.C., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Conservation groups have won a court battle to force an energy company to increase water flow past a South Carolina dam to protect...