WWF: Global Warming May Kill Polar Bears
January 31 — Some Arctic animals including polar bears and species of seal face the possibility of extinction in just decades because of global warming, the World Wide Fund for Nature says. (Associated Press)

Chilly Winter May Widen Ozone Hole Over Europe
January 31 — Record cold temperatures this winter could create a bigger hole in the ozone layer over parts of northern Europe, leading to damaging ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer, the European Commission says. (Reuters)

Global Warming Demands Urgent Solutions, Scientists Say
January 31 — The world must halt greenhouse gas emissions and reverse them within two decades or watch the planet spiral towards destruction, scientists said. (Reuters)

Unique Australian Trees Endangered
January 31 — The only known wild stand of a tree species dating to Jurassic times has been endangered by a deadly disease probably introduced by an unauthorized hiker, a government official said. (Associated Press)

NASA to Set Up Cape Verde Weather Station to Study African Storms
January 31 — NASA reportedly plans to set up a weather research station in Cape Verde which will study the impact of African monsoons on the world's climate during one year, a local official said. (AFP)

Washington Weather May Be Killing Seabirds
January 31 — The mass starvation deaths of murres on Tatoosh Island off the Olympic Peninsula may be due in part to unusual weather patterns along the West Coast, scientists say. (Associated Press)

California Starts Monitoring Air Pollution in Farm Town Plagued by Pesticides, Smog
January 31 — The California Department of Pesticide Regulation began a yearlong air monitoring program to gauge levels of 40 airborne chemicals for the first time. (LiveScience.com)

Augustine Volcano Continues to Erupt
January 31 — The Augustine Volcano continued to erupt, producing a continuous crescent-shaped plume of steam, ash and gas speeding down the flanks of the island mount and into the sea. (Associated Press)

'Dangerous' Global Warming Possible by 2026
January 30 — World temperatures could surge in just two decades to a threshold likely to trigger dangerous disruptions to the Earth's climate, the WWF environmental group says. (Reuters)

Glacial Tricks of a Volcanic Sculptor
January 30 — Lava channels created when Mount Etna blew its top in 2001 have prompted volcanologists to rethink the way volcanoes sculpt the Earth. (New Scientist)

NASA Test Provides Pilots With Better Weather Forecasts
January 30 — Weather forecasters in the middle of the United States are making better local predictions for pilots and others thanks to an airborne sensor being tested by NASA's Aviation Safety Program. (SpaceRef.com)

NASA Satellite Catches a Hurricane Transforming Itself
January 30 — Hurricanes can completely restructure themselves and recently a NASA satellite was able to see Hurricane Ophelia in 2005 rebuild the clouds and rains around its open "eye" of the storm. (Science Daily)

Satellites Unlock Hurricane Lili's Sudden Death
January 30 — Using a fleet of NASA and other satellites as well as aircraft and other observations, scientists were able to unlock the secret of Hurricane Lili's unexpected, rapid weakening as she moved toward a Louisiana landfall in 2002. (Science Daily)

Keeping New York City "Cool" is the Job of NASA's "Heat Seekers
January 30 — Several heat-busting strategies have recently been put in place to lessen the urban heat island effect in New York City, and NASA researchers have now taken a hard look at how well they are working, by using a combination of NASA satellite observations, computer models and geographic mapping information. (Science Daily)

Five Different Ways to Refer to Snow
January 30 — Scientists are launching a new way of rating snowstorms, a scale with five categories of intensity to be used not as a warning tool but to allow storms to be compared. (Associated Press)

Cosmic Rays Linked to Cloudy Days
January 30 — High-energy particles originate in outer space and in solar flares, and can have a small but significant effect on the weather, increasing the chances of an overcast day by nearly 20 percent. (New Scientist)

Stark Warning over Climate Change
January 30 — Rising concentrations of greenhouse gases may have more serious impacts than previously believed, a major scientific report has said. (BBC)

Parts of Portugal Could Become Desert
January 30 — Portugal's south risks turning into a desert as temperatures rise, its coasts will erode and droughts will become more frequent, the country's most complete report on the impact of global warming showed. (Reuters)

Floods and Drought Boost Global Disasters in 2005
January 30 — More frequent floods and drought, blamed by some scientists on global warming, brought a near 20 percent rise in natural disasters in 2005, researchers said. (Reuters)

Glaciers Shrinking in a Warming World
January 29 — Up and down the icy spine of South America, the glaciers are melting, the white mantle of the Andes Mountains washing away at an ever faster rate. (Associated Press)

Arctic Ozone May Drop to New Low
January 29 — The coming weeks could bring the most severe thinning of the ozone layer over northern Europe since records began. (BBC)

How Cold Is It? Not Very, If You Are a Statistician
January 29 — As of yesterday, this January, as measured by temperatures in Central Park (New York City), has ranked as only the 66th coldest on record, and the 16th snowiest, say meteorologists. (New York Times)

Hurricanes Shape New Natural Order
January 29 — Scientists say coral reefs, flocks of sea birds, crab- and shrimp-filled meadows and dune-crowned beaches were wrapped up in and altered by the force of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Dennis. (Associated Press)

Bat Evolution Linked to Warming
January 28 — A sharp rise in global temperatures about 50 million years ago may have been responsible for the evolution of bats, Science magazine reports. (BBC)

U.S. Navy Surveying Waters Near Tsunami Epicenter
January 28 — The U.S. Navy is surveying the Malacca Strait and coastal waters off Indonesia for signs that last month's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami altered the sea bed under the world's busiest shipping lane. (Reuters)

Scientists Find Frozen Methane Gas Deposit
January 28 — Scientists have discovered an undersea deposit of frozen methane just off the Southern California coast, but whether it can be harnessed as a potential energy source is unknown. (Associated Press)

Alaska Volcano Erupts After 10 Days of Quiet
January 28 — After 10 days of relative calm, Alaska's Augustine Volcano roared back to life, shooting a cloud of ash 40,000 feet into the sky. (Reuters)

Major Quake Hits Off Indonesia Coast, No Tsunami
January 28 — A strong earthquake struck in the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia, but there were no reports of casualties or major damage, and local fears of a tsunami proved unfounded. (Reuters)

Study: Large Fires Created Australian Desert
January 27 — Settlers who came to Australia 50,000 years ago and set fires that burned off natural flora and fauna may have triggered a cataclysmic weather change that turned the country's interior into the dry desert it is today, U.S. and Australian researchers say. (Reuters)

UK Works for Climate Adaptation
January 27 — The British government says it is now working on a strategy to adapt to the effects of increasing climate change. (BBC)

Algeria Hit by Worst Snow in Half a Century
January 27 — The heaviest snow in more than 50 years fell on the Algerian capital, paralyzing traffic, killing 13 people and isolating nearly a third of the North African country's provinces, authorities say. (Reuters)

Cooler Weather, Rain Calms Australia Bushfires
January 27 — Cooler conditions and a little rain calmed deadly bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria and allowed weary firefighters to make some headway in their battle, but authorities warned the crisis was not over. (Reuters)

Another Hurricane Record for 2005
January 27 — Forecasters studying data from July's Tropical Storm Cindy found a pocket of wind hit 75 miles-per-hour, making it a hurricane, and pushing the 2005 Atlantic hurricane count to 15. (Associated Press)

Gulf Reefs Damaged by Rita, Warm Waters
January 27 — Hurricane Rita's pounding waves and a hotter-than-usual Gulf of Mexico took a toll on the Gulf of Mexico's only government-protected coral reefs about 100 miles off the Louisiana and Texas coasts. (Associated Press)

Team Finds Rare Sandpipers in Bangladesh
January 27 — At least 11 rare spoon-billed sandpipers have been discovered along the coast of Bangladesh, scientists said, raising hopes for the survival of the birds, whose population has dwindled to just 300-350 pairs in the wild. (Associated Press)

Researcher: Pollution Limits Sun in China
January 27 — China's skies have darkened over the past 50 years, possibly due to haze resulting from a nine-fold increase in fossil fuel emissions, according to researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy. (Associated Press)

Blobs Inside Earth Might Explain Rapid Mountain Building
January 27 — The Andes mountains rose to their dizzying heights in as little as 7 million years, a new study concludes. (LiveScience.com)

Scientists Debate Climate Change Amid Stark Warnings
January 26 — World scientists gather next week to discuss the climate change crisis threatening the planet amid stark warnings that the time for talking is over and action is urgently needed. (Reuters)

Scientists Say Valdez Spill Impacts Slow to Fade
January 26 — Crude oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill still lingers in Alaska's Prince William Sound and nearby areas, with parts of the environment still far from recovery, several scientists said at a three-day conference. (Reuters)

Alarm at New Climate Warming
January 26 — Temperatures around the world could rise by as much as 11 degrees Celsius, according to one of the largest climate prediction projects ever run. (Reuters)

Dome Building Slows at Mount St. Helens
January 26 — Growth of the new lava dome inside the crater of Mount St. Helens has gradually slowed since the mountain reawakened in October, scientists say. (Associated Press)

NASA Software Tool Helps Prevent Air Traffic Bottlenecks
January 26 — In response to the growing need to improve the National Airspace System, NASA is developing tools to ensure future air travel will be safe and efficient. (Science Daily)

Study: Global Warming May Raise Sea Levels
January 26 — Global warming will cause sea levels to rise up to 34 centimeters (11 inches) by the end of the century, causing increased flooding and coastal erosion, according to a new study by Australian researchers. (Associated Press)

Erosion a Drain on Great Lakes
January 25 — Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are losing vast amounts of water because of erosion from a decades-old dredging project, according to a new study. (Associated Press)

Antarctica, Warming, Looks Ever More Vulnerable
January 25 — Huge glaciers in Antarctica are thinning and ice shelves the size of American states are either disintegrating or retreating - all possible indications of global warming says new research. (New York Times)

Earth's Thermostat Went Awry, and the Air Grew Thin
January 25 — New research suggests that about 251 million years ago, a climate swing jolted the world so violently that oxygen became scarce; the planet's thermostat went awry and nearly all life fell into oblivion in the greatest of mass extinctions. (New York Times)

Two Large Lakes Discovered Under Antarctic Ice
January 25 — Antarctica has at least 145 small lakes buried under its ice and one large one called Vostok - and now scientists have found the second and third largest known bodies of subsurface liquid water there. (Reuters)

Coral, Mangroves Good for Economy
January 25 — Coral reefs and mangroves are worth protecting for economic reasons, contributing as much as 1 million U.S. dollars per square kilometer to tropical economies. (Reuters)

Report: Global Warming at Critical Point
January 24 — Global warming is approaching the point of no return, after which widespread drought, crop failure and rising sea levels will be irreversible, an international climate change task force warns. (Associated Press)

Australian Scientists Join Worldwide Reef Census Project
January 24 — Australian marine scientists have joined an international census of marine life in the world's coral reefs and they estimate there are somewhere between one and nine million species living on coral reefs - but they have never been counted. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Last Year Was Warmest in a Century
January 24 — Researchers calculated that 2005 produced the highest annual average surface temperature worldwide since instrument recordings began in the late 1800s, said James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. (Associated Press)

Warming Probably Not Killing Arizona Frogs
January 24 — Arizona researchers say that a fungal disease killing off frogs in the state probably isn't being triggered by global warming. (Associated Press)

Arkansas Scientist Says Fault Activity Unclear
January 24 — A researcher at the University of Arkansas says recent research showing a build up of strain in the New Madrid Seismic Zone is inconclusive because the tension cannot be seen well enough to determine any earthquake hazard. (Associated Press)

Japan Scientists Find Million-Year-Old Ice
January 24 — A team of Japanese researchers drilling on Antarctica has recovered what is believed to be the oldest sample of ice ever -- possibly dating back 1 million years, officials said. (Associated Press)

Deadly Cold Wave Sweeps across Europe
January 24 — Vienna's subway tracks cracked, German authorities shut a key canal to ships after it iced up, and a zoo moved its penguins indoors as a deadly deep freeze tightened its arctic grip on much of Europe. (Associated Press)

NASA to Fly Into Tropical "Portal" to the Stratosphere
January 23 — NASA scientists are leading an airborne field experiment to a warm tropical locale to take a close look at a largely unexplored region of the chilly upper atmosphere - critical to the recovery of the ozone layer and predicting future climate change. (Associated Press)

Tsunami Warning System Wins Endorsement
January 22 — Efforts to create a tsunami warning system have been approved at a United Nations conference, and will receive $8 million in funding. (Associated Press)

Ship Begins Wave Research Off Yucatan
January 22 — Scientists working off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula begin using sound waves to search for information about an asteroid that may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. (Associated Press)

Is Erratic Weather a Revival of the Past?
January 22 — Some suggest climatic factors are returning America to more extreme weather of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. (ABC)

UK Sends Data-Collecting Ship to Epicenter
January 22 — A British research ship will survey the sea floor near the epicenter of the earthquake that triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami to gather data for an early warning system, the British embassy in Indonesia says. (Reuters)

United States Ranks 28th on Environment, a New Study Says
January 22 — A pilot nation-by-nation study of environmental performance shows that just six nations - led by New Zealand, followed by five from Northern Europe - have achieved 85 percent or better success in meeting a set of critical environmental goals. (The New York Times)

Volcanic Warming Eyed in 'Great Dying'
January 21 — An ancient version of global warming may have been to blame for the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history. (Associated Press)

World's Largest Iceberg Posing Problems
January 21 — The world's largest iceberg appears to have run aground near Antarctica, posing more problems to scientific bases and penguin colonies, where tens of thousands of chicks face starvation, scientists say. (Associated Press)

Global Warming Melts Winter Joy at Top German Resort
January 21 — Global warming is more than just a theory to Germany's most famous winter resort, where a worrisome shortage of snow in recent decades has forced the Alpine village to reinvent itself. (Reuters)

Caribbean Vulnerable to Killer Tsunamis
January 20 — Scientists predict killer tsunamis could strike the Caribbean, which lacks a warning system even though its seabed is gouged by some of the world's deepest trenches, where the giant waves can be generated by tectonic activity. (Associated Press)

Arctic Rivers Flowing Faster
January 20 — The amount of fresh water entering the Arctic Ocean from the rivers that feed it is increasing, UK scientists report. (BBC)

Iceberg Smash May Not Happen
January 20 — A huge collision expected to occur between the world's biggest iceberg and an Antarctic promontory may not happen. (BBC, Associated Press)

Silt Threatens Tsunami-Hit Coral Life
January 19 — The tsunami split coral reefs in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands chain, burying them under sand deposits and threatening the entire marine habitat in the area, researchers say. (Associated Press)

New Asia Quake Measurements Released
January 19 — The undersea earthquake that caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean last month also permanently changed landscapes up to 930 miles away from the epicenter off the coast of Indonesia, Dutch researchers say. (Associated Press)

Scientists Release Tsunami Effect Data
January 16 — Boats at sea felt only a gentle swell as the Asian tsunami passed under their hulls, but by the time the first giant wave slammed into Sri Lanka's coast it was a monstrous 15 feet high, scientists say. (Associated Press)

Senses, Sand Dunes Helped Tsunami Animals Escape
January 15 — Wildlife in Sri Lanka's biggest national park survived last month's tsunami, but it was probably keen senses and the lay of the land rather than any mysterious instinct for danger that enabled animals to scamper to safety. (Reuters)

U.S. Announces Tsunami Warning System Plan
January 14 — The United States unveils a plan to erect a tsunami warning system designed to protect both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts by mid-2007. (Associated Press)

Sirens and Ringing Phones Keep Some U.S. Cities Tsunami Ready
January 14 — From Kodiak, Alaska, which was nearly obliterated in 1964, to Crescent City, Calif., where 11 people perished, 11 U.S. cities are now recognized by the National Weather Service as "Tsunami-Ready." (Christian Science Monitor)

Tsunamis Leave Environmental Devastation
January 14 — Scientists from around the world have expressed grave concerns about the health of local ecosystems and their ability to sustain survivors of the tsunamis that struck parts of Asia and Africa last month. (CNN)

Huge Iceberg to Ram Glacier
January 14 — A 100-mile-long iceberg is steaming towards a floating glacier near the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica and NASA scientists have predicted the collision will occur no later than January 15. (LiveScience.com)

Record Warm Winter Stirs Sleepy Bears
January 14 — Estonia's warmest winter for two centuries has woken some of its 600 bears several months early from hibernation, wildlife experts say. (Reuters)

Fisheries 'Devastated' by Tsunami
January 13 — Fisheries in many countries affected by last month's Asian tsunami have been devastated, according to a United Nations assessment. (BBC)

Quake's Echo Raised Surface Around Globe
January 13 — New studies of the giant earthquake that produced devastating tsunamis in the Indian Ocean show that its shock waves ricocheted around the globe for hours and lifted the earth's surface nearly an inch even half a world away. (New York Times)

NASA Details Earthquake's Earth Effects
January 13 — The tsunami-spawning earthquake in Indonesia affected Earth's rotation and shape, shaved the length of a day and shifted the North Pole, NASA scientists say. (Discovery.com)

Tsunami Damage Gives Clues to Climate Peril
January 13 — Damage done by Asia's tsunami gives a clearer idea of the danger climate change poses to small islands, which fear rising seas will submerge them as the world warms, says the United Nations. (Reuters)

Ostracized Forecaster Predicted Tsunami
January 13 — Until two weeks ago, Smith Thammasaroj was a prophet without honor -- as chief of Thailand's meteorological department in 1998, he was accused of scare-mongering when he warned that the country's southwest coast could face a deadly tsunami. (Associated Press)

Why the Sun Seems to be Dimming
January 13 — We are all seeing rather less of the Sun, according to scientists who have been looking at five decades of sunlight measurements. (BBC)

Fossil Fuel Curbs May Speed Global Warming: Scientists
January 13 — Cutting down on fossil fuel pollution could accelerate global warming and help turn parts of Europe into desert by 2100, scientist says. (Reuters)

Polar Bear Census Shows 3,000 Off Arctic Europe
January 13 — About 3,000 polar bears live around the Arctic Barents Sea off northern Europe, according to a first census that sets a benchmark to judge bears' vulnerability to pollution and melting ice. (Reuters)

Groups: Sprawl Threatens Plants, Animals
January 12 — Urban sprawl is gobbling up open spaces in fast-growing metropolitan areas so quickly that it could spell extinction for nearly 1,200 species of plants and animals, environmental groups say. (Associated Press)

U.S. West Coast Storms May Have Started in Asia
January 12 — Don't blame El Nino for the deadly storms that have scourged the U.S. West Coast since New Year's Day; the real cause could be an Asian-born weather pattern called the Madden-Julian Oscillation. (Reuters)

Satellites Measured Killer Tsunami
January 12 — The tsunami that killed thousands around the Indian Ocean was caught by a series of radar satellites, allowing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists to develop measurements of the wave in mid-ocean. (Associated Press)

Tsunami Early Warning System by Next Year
January 12 — A tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean could be up and running by the middle of next year, according to the United Nations. (BBC)

Deadly and Yet Necessary, Quakes Renew the Planet
January 11 — Powerful jolts like the one that sent killer waves racing across the Indian Ocean on December 26 are inevitable side effects of the constant recycling of planetary crust, which produces a lush, habitable planet. (New York Times)

Rising Seas Threaten Islands, Cities, Coasts
January 11 — It sounds insignificant alongside the Indian Ocean tsunami, yet an almost imperceptible annual rise in the world's oceans may pose a huge threat to ports, coasts and islands by 2100. (Reuters)

Europeans Wonder: Snow, Where'd You Go?
January 11 — Forgoing a white Christmas was one thing, but the utter absence of snow for weeks on end from the Baltics to the Balkans has many Europeans pining for what seems -- so far, anyway -- like The Winter That Wasn't. (Associated Press)

Saharan Dust Affects Thunderstorm Behavior in Florida
January 11 — Scientists using NASA satellite data have discovered tiny particles of dust blowing across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara Desert can affect Florida thunderstorms. (Space Daily)

NASA Free Computer Model Available to Classrooms
January 11 — A free NASA global climate model is available for high school and university desktop computers. (SpaceRef.com)

A Natural, Low-Tech Solution to Tsunamis: Mangroves
January 10 — As nations around the Indian Ocean discuss plans for a tsunami early-warning system, environmental scientists point to an existent, natural form of disaster minimization: mangrove forests. (Christian Science Monitor)

Some Levels of Rocket Fuel Pollution Safe
January 10 — Some levels of rocket fuel pollution are safe, but not as much as industry had argued, a National Academy of Sciences committee says. (Reuters)

Scientists: Earth Ringing Like a Bell After Asia Quake
January 10 — The Earth is still vibrating from the massive undersea earthquake off Indonesia that triggered the tsunami, Australian researchers say. (Reuters)

Hurricanes May Have Spared Manatees
January 9 — The fury of four hurricanes in Florida may have spared the state's endangered manatee population from further decline. (Associated Press)

Study Urges Water Conservation on Farms
January 9 — A growing population coupled with diminishing fresh water supplies should force major changes in the way the world's farmers water their crops in the coming decades, a recent study recommends. (Associated Press)

Asia Quake Impacts Virginia Well-Water Levels
January 9 — The South Asian earthquake that spawned deadly tsunami waves also shifted water levels by at least 3 feet in a geologically sensitive Virginia well some 9,600 miles away from the epicenter, researchers say. (Associated Press)

Tsunami Rebuilding Should Not Overlook Nature
January 9 — Poorly planned coastal development compounded the impact of Asia's tsunami and rebuilding efforts should use natural protection provided by reefs and forests, conservationists urge. (Reuters)

Salt's Impact on Mountain Lakes Studied
January 8 — Scientists are researching the long-term environmental effects of winter road maintenance, using the Cascade Lakes near Lake Placid, New York, as a laboratory. (Associated Press)

Winter Storms Spur Flowing Arizona Rivers
January 7 — For the first time in seven years, virtually every river in Arizona is doing what rivers are supposed to do: flow with water. (Associated Press)

Tsunami Reverts Beaches to Natural State
January 7 — Many believe the tsunami that devastated tourist hotspots and killed thousands had one positive side: returning beaches to nature. (Associated Press)

Scientists Chart Global Disaster Hot Spots
January 7 — The human impact of a natural catastrophe depends greatly on where it happens, but now scientists have mapped out some of the worst places to live when Mother Nature shows the ugly side of her face. (Science Live)

Tsunami's Ripples, Unnoticed, Washed Along Atlantic Coast
January 7 — The tsunami that ravaged countries all around the Indian Ocean also hit the eastern United States, though only the tide gauges noticed. (New York Times)

NASA Goes "Down Under" for Shuttle Mapping Mission Finale
January 6 — NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have completed Earth's most extensive global topographic map. (Ascribe Newswire)

Weak El Niño to Affect Weather for Next Three Months
January 6 — A weak El Niño during the next three months will mean cooler and wetter weather in parts of the U.S. South and drier conditions in some areas of Indonesia, Africa and Australia, U.S. government weather forecasters say. (Reuters)

Much Uncertainty in Predicting Tsunamis
January 6 — Despite advances in technology, scientists say tsunamis are still very difficult to predict, as is assessing their potential impact in particular regions. (ABC News)

Beware of Climate and Tsunamis - Says United Nations
January 6 — A leading UN official says the world must guard against natural catastrophes such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the threat of climate change as well. (BBC)

Tsunamis Salt Threat to Islands
January 6 — Water supplies on some Indian Ocean islands may have been ruined for years or decades by the salt water that flooded them during the Asian tsunami. (BBC)

UN Report: Science Vital to Cut Scale of Disasters
January 6 — Developing the scientific potential of poor nations could reduce the scale of disasters like the Asian tsunami, researchers say. (Reuters)

In Melting Arctic, Warming is Now
January 6 — Scientists who consult Inuit for their take on climate change discuss profounding ecological changes that are already taking place. (Christian Science Monitor)

Getting Word Out a Challenge in Tsunami Warnings
January 6 — The tsunamis that struck after an earthquake under the Indian Ocean took the world by surprise, but the killer waves could have been tracked almost from their birth if warning systems were in place, according to scientists. (CNN)

U.S. Scientists Map Tsunami Zones
January 5 — A computer model that can predict the impact of a tsunami from the San Francisco Bay area to Alaska is helping U.S. scientists plot danger zones in coastal cities to guide emergency planning. (Associated Press)

Tsunami May Have Dealt Blow to Marine Life
January 5 — Researchers are just beginning to assess damage to marine life from the Indonesian tsunami, but they fear damage may be extensive, especially to mangroves and coral reef communities, which are vital to fishing industries and tourism. (ABC News)

Did Tsunami Redraw Map of Indian Islands?
January 5 — Cartographers are studying whether the tsunami redrew India's southern archipelago - breaking, tilting or even sinking the islands. (Associated Press)

In Past Tsunamis, Tantalizing Clues to Future Ones
January 4 — Experts are now taking a closer look at the Indian Ocean to find geological evidence of earlier tsunamis, which would allow scientists to estimate how often they occur. (New York Times)

Asian Tsunami is a Repeat Performance
January 4 — Until last week, few experts or governments gave much thought to the likelihood of tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, but Australian scientists, using a computer simulation, have found that an underwater quake in 1833, originating just a few hundred miles south of the 2004 epicenter, spawned a ferocious tsunami that swept the Indian Ocean and pulverized some of the same coastlines. (New York Times)

Scientists: Volcano Could Swamp U.S. with Mega-Tsunami
January 4 — A wall of water up to 55 yards high crashing into the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, flattening everything in its path -- not a Hollywood movie but a dire prophecy by some British and U.S. academics. (Reuters)

NASA Will Operate TRMM Satellite Through Spring 2005
January 4 — NASA will continue to operate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft through spring 2005. (Space Daily)

Record Number of Tornadoes Reported in 2004
January 4 — There were 1,555 tornadoes recorded in the United States through September, breaking the record set in 1998 by more than 130, according to statistics compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. (Associated Press)

UN Puts Tsunami Toll at 150,000, Warns It May Soar
January 3 — The United Nations says the latest death toll in Asia's tsunami is around 150,000, but might soar as relief workers confront devastated areas without roads, bridges and airstrips. (Reuters)

The Next Frontiers in Tsunami Science
January 3 — Researchers are sampling the seafloor with advanced sonar; others are cross-examining coral to establish a region's offshore earthquake history; and some are designing and testing sophisticated computer models, in a new effort to predict tsunamis. (Christian Science Monitor)

Deepest U.S. Reef Discovered
January 3 — Marine researchers have discovered the deepest coral reef ever found in the United States in about 250 feet of water off the Florida coast. (Associated Press)

Affluent California County Joining Disaster List: Lawmaker
January 3 — As California towns hit hard by flooding after days of heavy rains cleaned up, a state lawmaker said officials would add affluent Marin County, north of San Francisco, to a list of counties eligible for disaster funds. (Reuters)

Vineyards Unscathed as Flood Waters Recede from California Wine Country
January 3 — Vineyards in California's chic wine country went unscathed in the deadly storms that flooded towns, knocked out electricity, and triggered landslides, wineries said. (Reuters)

Indonesia Flood Toll Hits 63, Villages Cut Off
January 3 — Hundreds of rescue workers and soldiers struggled to reach villages devastated by floods and landslides in Indonesia's East Java as the known death toll climbed to 63. (Reuters)

Tropical Storm Zeta Slightly Strengthens
January 3 — The record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season refused to end as Tropical Storm Zeta defied expectations and gained strength as it churned well offshore. (Associated Press)

Beijing Experimental Buses Aim to Cut Smog
January 3 — Beijing is fitting out 50 of its buses with experimental braking systems that it hopes could cut fuel use by up to 30 percent and help clear its smoggy skies, officials said. (Reuters)

Cool Weather Helps Dampen Australian Bushfires
January 2 — Cooler weather and light rain across southeastern Australia helped contain scores of bushfires that destroyed 15 homes and vast areas of farmland over the weekend. (Reuters)

Bad Equipment Hurt Tsunami Warning Efforts
January 1 — Faulty equipment, poor communications and cumbersome bureaucracy are being blamed for the failure of nations around the Indian Ocean's rim to warn communities about to be hit by one of the world's most devastating natural disasters. (Associated Press)

U.S. Research Budget Worries Scientists
January 1 — Defense and space projects account for most increases in the $135 billion federal research and development budget, worrying scientists who fear that after years of growth the nation is beginning to skimp on technology that fuels marketplace innovation. (Associated Press)

Floods Continue in Parts of California Wine Country
January 1 — Heavy rains continued to cause flooding in towns across Northern California's wine country, with more stormy weather expected over the next day, the National Weather Service said. (Reuters)

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