Researchers Help to Understand Climate Change
March 30 — Researchers from around the world are working on the cold tundra in northern Alaska to transform scientists' understanding of what the future may hold for Earth's climate. (Sandia National Laboratories press release) More

International Team Calls for Better Global Warming Forecasting
March 30 — A team of international scientists is calling for better forecasting methods in predicting how climate changes will impact the earth's plant and animal species. (Case Western Reserve University press release) More

ESA Satellite Images Can Help IPY Expeditions in the Arctic Ocean
March 30 — International Polar Year expeditions attempting to navigate through the treacherous, ice-infested waters of the Arctic Ocean will be able to access the latest ESA Envisat satellite radar images of the ice conditions surrounding their vessel. (European Space Agency press release) More

Warm Winter Also in the Arctic
March 29 — Unusually mild temperatures prevented ice formation in the Arctic this winter, specifically in the region around Spitsbergen. (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research press release) More

Scientists Find Lightning is a Good Indicator of Volcanic Activity
March 28 — Lightning that occurred during the January 2006 eruption of Mount Augustine may have been caused by the eruption itself. (University of Alaska-Fairbanks press release) More

Thinning of West Antarctic Ice Sheet Demands Improved Monitoring
March 28 — Polar ice experts issue a statement noting consensus on rapid changes occurring in the Amundsen Sea. (University of Texas at Austin press release) More

Greenhouse Gas Effect Consistent Over the Past 420 Million Years
March 28 — New calculations show that sensitivity of Earth's climate to changes in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide has been consistent for the last 420 million years. (Yale University press release) More

New Modeling Study Forecasts Disappearance of Existing Climate Zones
March 26 — A new climate modeling study forecasts the complete disappearance of several existing climates in tropical highlands and regions near the poles. (National Science Foundation press release) More

Microfossils Unravel Climate History of Tropical Africa
March 23 — Scientists have obtained for the first time a detailed temperature record for tropical central Africa over the past 25,000 years. (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research press release) More

Changing Ocean Conditions Led to Decline in Alaska's Sea Lion Population
March 22 — Studies reveal that a sudden ocean climate change 30 years ago may be a leading factor in the decline of Alaska�s endangered western stock of Steller sea lions. (Marine Conservation Alliance press release) More

International Team Finds Evidence of First Plate Tectonics
March 22 — Identification of the oldest preserved pieces of Earth's crust in southern Greenland has provided evidence of active plate tectonics as early as 3.8 billion years ago, according to a new report. (Scripps Institution of Oceanography press release) More

New Tool to Track Carbon Dioxide by Source
March 21 — Scientists have released a new tool to monitor changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by region and source around the world. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration press release) More

Uncovering Prehistoric Hurricane Activity
March 20 — A scientist has uncovered prehistoric hurricane activity and clues about predicting the future by drilling holes into the past. (Louisiana State University press release) More

Airborne Campaign Provides Glimpse of Future Satellite Images of Sea Ice
March 20 — An ambitious airborne campaign is now underway in the extreme north of Europe in support of ESA's Sentinel-1 mission that will contribute to ice monitoring efforts. (European Space Agency press release) More

First Greenhouse Gas Animations Produced Using Envisat Data
March 20 — Scientists have produced the first movies showing the global distribution of the most important greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide and methane -- that contribute to global warming. (European Space Agency press release) More

Biologists Produce Global Map of Plant Biodiversity
March 20 — Covering several hundred thousand species, scientists have created the most extensive map of the distribution of biodiversity on Earth to date. (University of California-San Diego press release) More

Rocket Launches Test Alaskan Auroras
March 16 — Aurora and weather came together one recent winter night in a perfect match for researchers who launched four rockets to study heat in the upper atmosphere. (Clemson University press release) More

Crops Feel the Heat as the World Warms
March 15 — Over a span of two decades, warming temperatures have caused annual losses of roughly $5 billion for major food crops, according to a new study. (Carnegie Institution press release) More

Arctic Sea Ice Decline May Trigger Climate Change Cascade
March 15 — Arctic sea ice that has been dwindling for several decades may have reached a tipping point that could trigger a cascade of climate change reaching into Earth's temperate regions. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release) More

First Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide Measurements from MetOp-A
March 14 — The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 on board MetOp-A has delivered the first geophysical products for monitoring the Earth's ozone layer and global air quality. (European Space Agency press release) More

Transported Black Carbon a Significant Player in Pacific Ocean Climate
March 14 — More than three-quarters of the particulate pollution known as black carbon transported at high altitudes over the West Coast during spring is from Asian sources, according to a new study. (University of California-San Diego press release) More

Cold-Water Eddy 'Monsters' Mighty Current Off Sydney
March 13 — Oceanographers have identified a huge, dense mass of cold water off Sydney, but know very little about what causes it or the influence it has in the Tasman Sea ecosystem. (CSIRO press release) More

Smithsonian Scientists Report New Carbon Dioxide Study
March 12 — New research suggests a limited capacity of Earth's ecosystems to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide and slow global warming. (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center press release) More

How Plants Manage Calcium May Reduce Effects of Acid Rain
March 9 — A new understanding of how plants manage their internal calcium levels could lead to modifying plants to avoid damage from acid rain. (National Science Foundation press release) More

Regardless of Global Warming, Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels Threaten Marine Life
March 8 — Higher ocean acidity threatens marine life, including corals and shellfish, which may become extinct from the chemical effects of carbon dioxide, even if the planet warms less than expected. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign press release) More

Pollution Shown Cutting Rainfall in Hilly Areas
March 8 — New research shows manmade climate change due to pollution seriously inhibits precipitation over hills in semi-arid regions. (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem press release) More

Study Shows Pollution from China and India Affecting World's Weather
March 5 — Severe pollution from the Far East is almost certainly affecting the weather around the world, a new study finds. (Texas A&M University press release) More

Tundra Disappearing at Rapid Rate
March 5 — Forests of spruce trees and shrubs in parts of northern Canada are taking over tundra landscapes and forcing out the species that lived there. (University of Alberta press release) More

Miniature Lab Ice Spikes May Hold Clues to Warming Impacts on Glaciers
March 5 — Tiny lab versions of 12-foot tall snow spikes that form naturally on some high mountain glaciers may someday help scientists mitigate the effects of global warming in the Andes. (University of Colorado-Boulder press release) More

Climate Change Brews Trouble for Marine Life in European Seas
March 2 — New research details the impact of climate change on European sea levels and marine ecosystems. (European Science Foundation press release) More

Heat Wave on the Top of the World
March 2 — The French Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global warming has increased the average temperature 1.33 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century. (CNRS press release) More

United States Launches New International Polar Year
March 1 — The International Polar Year will study changes to permafrost, the melting of polar ice sheets, and marine life in the cold and dark. (National Science Foundation press release) More

Sediment Wedge Key to Glacial Environmental Stability
March 1 — A wedge of sediment, pushed up by glacial movement, may be a buffer against moderate sea level rise, pointing to ocean temperature rise as the key factor in glacial retreat. (Penn State University press release) More

Hurricane Can Form New Eyewall and Change Intensity
March 1 — A study finds rapid intensity changes in hurricanes can be caused by clouds outside the wall of a hurricane's eye coming together to form a new eyewall. (University of Washington press release) More

Back to: News