Latest science news in Earth & Climate
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...
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...
Arctic storms and sea ice drift are linked
GREENBELT, Md., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says the rising frequency and intensity of Arctic storms during the last half century is accelerating the rate...
Fungus Fights Air Pollution By Removing Sulfur From Crude Oil
Researchers in Iran are publishing what they describe as the first study on a fungus that can remove sulfur -- a major source of air pollution -- from crude oil...
2008 ozone hole larger than last year
Ozone hole during Oct. 7, 2008, as measured by the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) atmospheric sensor onboard ESA's Envisat. The 2008 ozone hole – a thinning...
Lichens function as indicators of nitrogen pollution in forests
Scientists have found lichens can give insight into nitrogen air pollution effects on Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino mountain ecosystems, and protecting them provides safeguards for less sensitive species.
Feature: Profile - Australias new Chief Scientist, Penny Sackett
Only days after being announced as chief scientist, Professor Penny D Sackett has made it clear she intends to keep the role as independent from government as possible.
Pacific 'chemical equator' is discovered
YORK, England, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found a "chemical equator" that divides Northern Hemisphere polluted air from the mostly uncontaminated Southern Hemisphere.
Nitrogen Fertilizers Used Off-Season Help Crops Planted Later
Recent study results have shown have shown that using nitrogen fertilizer on off-season cover crops can not only increase the biomass of these crops, but can also have a beneficial...
China vows overhaul of 'chaotic' milk industry
(AP) -- China's Cabinet vowed a complete overhaul of the scandal-ridden dairy industry Monday, pledging to inspect every link from the farm to the dinner table to try to...
Prince Charles has climate change concerns
LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince Charles is voicing concerns about global warming and calling for a more revolutionary approach to solving the problem.
Canada watches U.S. E. coli outbreak
OTTAWA, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it's investigating a link between a U.S. E. coli outbreak and two possible cases in Southern Ontario.
US Navy Sonar Linked To Whale Strandings
With the US Supreme Court due to review a series of lower court rulings that restrict the Navy's use of sonar in submarine detection training exercises off the coast of...
EU's climate package 'in crisis'
The EU's attempt to lead the world on climate change will crumble unless its current policy crisis is resolved, a study warns.
The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave In The Rocks?
What will be the lasting impression made by mankind - 100 million years hence? "From the perspective of 100 million years in the future --- a geologist's view --- the...
Study: Water table depth tied to droughts
LIVERMORE, Calif., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say whether another Great Plains 1930s-type "dust bowl" again develops depends on underground water storage depth.
Scientists Take Off For Southeastern Pacific Climate Study
During October and November 2008, some 150 scientists from 40 institutions in eight nations will take part in an international field experiment designed to make observations of critical components of...
Field Of The Future: Ecological Experiment Simulates Conditions In 2100
A new experiment to find out how British plant ecosystems may be affected by future changes to climate and biodiversity is underway at Imperial College London.
VIDEO: A Bear Walks Into a Restaurant ...
A bear wandered into a Subway sandwich shop in Canada, startling an employee, and sampling some food before letting itself out.
Some Antarctic scientists train in British mud
YELD FARM (Reuters) - There hasn't been a glacier in England since the Ice Age so Antarctic scientists flock to a muddy field here to learn how to survive on...
Pressure Is on to Recycle Water Filters
Some advertisements for tap water filters are being lampooned by people who point out these filters cannot be recycled, at least in the United States.
Sea-level history off the ice
The record of Paleozoic Era sea level changes is now much longer and shows variations not explained by glaciation
Shanghai highrises could worsen threat of rising seas
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shanghai, China's most populous city and an aspiring global financial center, is also among the world's most vulnerable urban areas to a rise in sea levels as...
Tainted Cadbury chocolate found in Hong Kong
(AP) -- Hong Kong said Sunday it found two Cadbury chocolate products contained considerably more of the industrial chemical melamine than the city's legal limit in a growing scandal...
Tectonic fragment linked to Tokyo's quake peril: scientists
A massive slab of rock lurking beneath the Kanto Plain on the central Japanese island of Honshu is a major source of the earthquake threat that dogs Tokyo, scientists said...
AP Investigation: Ike environmental toll apparent
(AP) -- Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half...
Venus flytraps caught in shrinking natural habitat
(AP) -- Laura Gadd pauses at the edge of a pristine savanna, delicately lifting her feet to avoid trampling any venus flytraps hidden underfoot.
Ancient Peru pyramid spotted by satellite
A new remote sensing technology has peeled away layers of mud and rock near Peru's Cahuachi desert to reveal an ancient adobe pyramid, Italian researchers announced on Friday at a...