Soot’s Role in Climate Change Underestimated
A new comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the role of black carbon, aka soot, in the climate system found that the direct warming effect of…
Earth News
Australian Heat Wave Causes Gadgets to Fail
The Australian heat wave is getting so hot that Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology had to add new colors to its weather map. There are parts…
EU’s Carbon Capture and Storage Problem
Europe’s carbon-trading market and tougher emission targets make it appear somewhat more responsible than the rest of the world at climate-policy negotiations. But recently, the…
Dredging Of Canal Could Release Harmful Chemicals
The dredging of a highly contaminated canal along the shore of Lake Michigan, in Indiana, has begun, triggering concerns that the dredging could release harmful…
Possible Planetary Disasters That Could Cause Extinction
In the last 40,000 years, there have been at least ten gigantic landslides of more than 100 cubic kilometers (24 cubic miles) in the North…
Pollutants in Lakes Linked to Oil Sands
Some of the world’s largest reserves of crude oil are held in the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, and production has been ongoing. A new…
Gene-Expression Indicates How Coral Reefs Will Handle Climate Change
Scientists have discovered a pattern of gene activity, which allows some corals to survive in higher temperatures. This suggests a way to predict how different…
The Inherent Unpredictability of El Nino Events
El Niño events are not as predictable as previously thought. According to new analyses of climate records locked within ancient corals, the frequency and strength…
Hong Kong Temperatures to Rise by 2-3 Degrees Celsius in 30 Years
The temperature in the inner urban areas of Honk Kong, China, is predicted to rise by two to three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in…
Cloud Forest Trees Depend on Fog
Trees in Costa Rica, as well as a number of plant species, in the tropical cloud forests quench their thirst by directly ingesting fog droplets…
All Coral Reefs May be Dying by 2100
If current carbon dioxide emission trends continue, nearly every coral reef would be decimated by 2100, according to a new review of major climate models….
Toxic Algal Blooms Could be Boosted by Climate Change
Physical and chemical conditions in the oceans cause populations of algae to wax and wane in cycles. Harmful algae consist of only a few species…
Data Shows 2010 Amazon Megadrought Caused Serious Devastation
A new study indicates that the megadrought that struck the Amazon in 2010 devastated millions of hectares of rainforest, shedding a new light on the…
Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells Linked to Earthquakes
Scientists presented evidence tying the disposal of wastewater from shale gas hydrofracking to an increased occurrence of earthquakes. The scientists presented their findings at the…
“Iron-Rich Blobs” Penetrate Deep Into Earth’s Mantle
In a lab experiment, Yale researchers discovered that molten iron can deeply penetrate single crystals of magnesium iron oxide, resulting in “metal-rich blobs” that penetrate…
Invasive Species King Crabs Could Wipe Out Antarctic Ecosystems
Colder temperatures have kept crabs out of Antarctic seas for 30 million years, but warmer waters from the ocean depths are now intruding onto the…
US EPA Will Try to Monitor Hormone-Like Substances
The US EPA is initiating a new effort to see whether low doses of hormone-mimicking chemicals can harm human health and whether chemical testing should…
An Invasive Grass Species Spreads Wildfires Quicker
New research indicates that an invasive species of grass is making wildfires in the western USA larger, hotter, and more frequent. A variety of grasses…