Catalytic Converter Theft Is on the Rise – Here’s Why
Catalytic converters cut down on toxic car emissions, and, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, they’re one of the greatest environmental inventions of all…
Atmospheric Science
Satellite Observations Show Marine Clouds Amplify Global Warming
A new analysis of satellite cloud observations finds that global warming causes low-level clouds over the oceans to decrease, leading to further warming. The work,…
Oxygen Control Hypothesis – Did Earth’s Early Rise in Oxygen Help Multicellular Life Evolve?
A new study is taking the air out of a hypothesis linking early Earth’s oxygenation to larger, more complex organisms. Georgia Tech researchers report a…
Allergy Season Starts Earlier and Lasts Longer Each Year Due to Climate Change and Pollen Transport
Scientists in Munich study how pollen from far distances — sometimes hundreds of kilometers away — affects the length of allergy seasons in Germany. Allergy…
Climate Protection: Deep Decarbonization by 2050 Is Currently Not Plausible
Today the Hamburg-based Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society” (CLICCS) publishes a new, essential study on climate futures. The study represents the first…
NASA Releases Most Accurate Space-Based Map of Los Angeles’ Carbon Dioxide
Such detailed maps could help policymakers choose the most effective ways of cutting carbon emissions. Using data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3) instrument…
Geostationary Earth Orbit Hyperspectral Infrared Radiance Data Improves Local Severe Storm Forecasts
Since the era of meteorological satellites began in the 1950s, continuous remote sensing instrument improvements have elevated Earth science and have significantly increased available atmospheric…
NASA’s Telescope on an Airplane – SOFIA – Offers New Way to Study Earth’s Atmosphere
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, has been used extensively to look many objects…
Edge of Space: The Science of NASA’s AIM Spacecraft
Launched in 2007, the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, mission is the first detailed exploration of Earth’s unique and elusive clouds that…
Climate Science Surprise: Antarctica Wasn’t As Cold During the Last Ice Age As Previously Thought
A study of two methods for reconstructing ancient temperatures has given climate researchers a better understanding of just how cold it was in Antarctica during…
Mapping Intermittent Methane Emissions Across the Permian Basin – The Largest Oil- and Gas-Producing Region in the U.S.
The Permian Basin, located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, is the largest oil- and gas-producing region in the U.S. The oilfield operations emit…
Earth’s History Sends Climate Warning – Urgent Action Needed
A new study of historical carbon dioxide levels stresses urgent action is needed to avoid prehistoric levels of climate change. The international team of scientists,…
Newly Discovered Atmospheric Circulation Enhances Heatwaves and Wildfires Around the Arctic
Scientists have uncovered a summertime climate pattern in and around the Arctic that could drive co-occurrences of European heatwaves and large-scale wildfires with air pollution…
Researchers Examine “Godzilla” – The Record-Shattering 2020 Trans-Atlantic Dust Storm
For two weeks in June 2020, a massive dust plume from Saharan Africa crept westward across the Atlantic, blanketing the Caribbean and Gulf Coast states…
Satellites May Have Underestimated Global Warming in the Lower Atmosphere Over the Last 40 Years
New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) climate scientists and collaborators shows that satellite measurements of the temperature of the troposphere (the lowest region…
Fossil Pollen Shows Earth’s Vegetation Is Changing Faster Today Than It Has Over the Last 18,000 Years
A global survey of fossil pollen has discovered that the planet’s vegetation is changing at least as quickly today as it did when the last…
New NASA Earth System Observatory Will Create a 3D, Holistic View of Earth – Help Address, Mitigate Climate Change
NASA will design a new set of Earth-focused missions to provide key information to guide efforts related to climate change, disaster mitigation, fighting forest fires,…
Surprisingly High Levels of Toxic Mercury Discovered in Greenland Glacial Meltwaters
New research from Florida State University shows that concentrations of the toxic element mercury in rivers and fjords connected to the Greenland Ice Sheet are…