Greenland's Ice Tells of Past Climate, Maybe Ancient Life
August 31 — Plant material and pink ice found at the bottom of the ice sheet in Greenland could give scientists an unprecedented look at life that's survived in the ice for perhaps a million or more years. (USA Today)

No-Till Farming Can Decrease 'Global Warming Potential'
August 31 — New research finds that certain activities, such as switching to no-till farming, may also increase crop yields while helping the environment. (Agricultural Research Service)

NASA Satellites Detect 'Glow' of Plankton in Black Waters
August 30 — For the first time, scientists may now detect a phytoplankton bloom in its early stages by looking at its red "glow" under sunlight, due to the unique data from two NASA satellites. (Science Daily)

NASA Satellites Allow USDA to See World's Lakes Rise and Fall
August 30 — A few NASA satellites designed to study heights of Earth's ocean surfaces are now also coming in handy for tracking water levels of inland lakes and reservoirs. (Space Daily)

Major Tokyo Quake Expected Within 50 Years
August 27 — Japan's capital has a 90 percent chance of being devastated by a major earthquake some time in the next 50 years, according to a study by a government panel. (Associated Press)

Tampa Radar Failed Before Charley Hit
August 27 — As Hurricane Charley bore down on Florida this month, the principal radar covering the landfall area went down due to mechanical failure and wasn't restored until 14 hours before the storm smashed into the state, according to documents and officials. (Associated Press)

UN: North Korea Environment in Poor Shape
August 27 — North Korea's forests are depleted, its rivers and streams are filled with runoff from factories and a reliance on coal energy has created severe urban air pollution, says the United Nations. (Associated Press)

Expedition Seeks Record of Earth's Climate
August 27 — Beginning this month, an international team is drilling deep into the Arctic Ocean ridge for the first time, in a technically complex effort to extract sediment that will provide a climatic history, and may help explain how humans are changing the planet. (Associated Press)

Typhoon Aere Strikes China
August 27 — Typhoon Aere crashed into mainland China unleashing torrential rains and prompting the evacuation of nearly a million people, as the death toll climbs to 35 after a mudslide killed 15 villagers in Taiwan. (Associated Press)

U.S. Study Links Global Warming to Human Activity
August 26 — Warmer temperatures in North America since 1950 were probably caused in part by human activity, according to a new U.S. government report. (Reuters)

UN Agency Sees No Rapid Development of El Niño
August 26 — Fears of a new El Niño, a phenomenon that brings extreme weather patterns, are unfounded despite unusual ocean temperatures which often herald the devastating weather anomaly, the World Meteorological Organization says. (Reuters)

Global Warming Means More Frost-Free Days
August 25 — Frost will become less and less common across much of the world as global warming accelerates, researchers say. (Reuters)

Forest Burning is a Net Contributor to Global Warming, Says Scientist
August 24 — A new study by Stanford University argues that biomass burning causes short-term cooling, but long-term global warming. (Science Daily)

Scientists Explore Role of Algae in Climate Change
August 24 — The Arctic Ocean could be a sink for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change, say scientists studying the marine ecosystem. (CBC)

Researchers Work on Predicting Rainfall
August 24 — University of Arizona researchers are trying to determine how much rain to expect based on how often lightning strikes. (Associated Press)

Pollution Overtaking Lakes, Rivers
August 24 — More than one-third of the nation's lakes and nearly one-fourth of its rivers contain fish that may be contaminated with mercury, dioxin, PCB and pesticide pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency says. (Associated Press)

Weak El Niño Forecast in Pacific by End August
August 24 — Weak El Niño, a weather pattern that distorts wind and rainfall patterns worldwide, is expected to develop in the central Pacific by the end of this month, U.S. government forecasters say. (Reuters)

Barents Sea under Threat from Fishing, Oil
August 24 — The Arctic Barents Sea is under threat from over-fishing, oil and gas exploration and Soviet-era radioactive waste, the U.N. Environment Program says. (Reuters, Associated Press)

Air Pollution 'Masking Global Warming'
August 23 — Aerosols — particles of pollution in the air — help to cool the earth, but as they diminish in coming decades, global warming may be found to accelerate, says a German researcher. (The Scotsman, UK)

Weather Gets 3D Gaming Makeover
August 23 — A version of 3-D software Weatherscape XT has been developed by New Zealand firm Metra and the BBC to give viewers a realistic-looking forecast. (BBC)

Global Warming Makes China's Glaciers Shrink by Equivalent of Yellow River
August 23 — Global warming is causing China's highland glaciers, including those covering Mount Everest, to shrink by an amount equivalent to all the water in the Yellow River every year. (Terra Daily)

Scientists Study Trees to Get to Root of Pollution Debate
August 22 — About 60 researchers from seven countries are meeting in northern Wisconsin to study the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone pollution on aspen, birch, and maple trees. (Duluth News Tribune)

Severe Thaw Threatens Arctic
August 21 — Severe warming of the Arctic is inevitable, threatens the way of life of the Inuit, will alter the face of the North almost beyond recognition and has potentially disastrous global climate change consequences, according to a new study. (The Toronto Star)

Study: Development Endangers Coastal Bays
August 20 — Maryland's coastal bays support a wide range of aquatic life but are threatened by intense development pressures, according to the first comprehensive study of the chain of shallow bays that separate Ocean City and Assateague Island from the mainland. (Associated Press)

Water Finally Rises in Great Lakes
August 20 — Great Lakes water levels have rebounded from near record lows thanks to months of heavy rain, providing a boon to boat owners, swimmers and fish, say scientists. (Reuters)

Glaciers Shrink, But Some Resist Global Warming
August 20 — Glaciers are melting faster than before in some regions from the Arctic to the Alps but others are getting bigger, scientists say. (Reuters)

Dust Storms on the Rise
August 20 — Dust storms are increasing globally with far-reaching consequences for the environment and human health, scientists are warning. (New Scientist)

Moist Soil 'Hot Spots' May Affect Rainfall
August 19 — A NASA researcher has led an effort that uses a dozen computer models to locate "hot spots" around the world where soil moisture may strongly affect rainfall during northern hemisphere summertime. (Science Daily)

Global Warming Expert Shares 50 Years of Research
August 19 — A leading climate expert says the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere this winter was more than one-third higher than the pre-industrial level, and will likely continue to increase each year. (The Missoulan, Montana)

Dust "Is Hidden Climate Problem"
August 19 — The huge amounts of dust blowing across the Earth may have serious consequences for the environment, a scientist says. (BBC News)

Scientists Study the Hudson River
August 19 — Researchers are plunking a series of high-tech sensors into the Hudson River to better understand the changing ecosystem. (Associated Press)

After Charley, a Better Crystal Ball
August 19 — Rapidly strengthening hurricanes, like Charley, are major challenges to forecasters, but scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say their predictive skills will improve by 20 to 25 percent in the next five years thanks to new and better data. (Christian Science Monitor)

Hurricane Charley Hits Ocean Dwellers Too
August 19 — Satellite imagery before and after hurricane Charley crossed Florida shows that the category four hurricane not only thrashed the land, but it churned up coastal waters as deep as 130 feet off southwest Florida. (Discovery.com)

Weak El Niño Seen Affecting U.S. this Fall, Winter
August 19 — A weak El Niño, the weather anomaly that distorts wind and rainfall patterns worldwide, is expected to develop and affect the United States this fall and winter, U.S. government weather experts said on Thursday. (Reuters)

Europe Is Warned of Changing Climate
August 18 — European winters will disappear by 2080 and extreme weather will become more common unless global warming across the continent is slowed, warns a major new report. (Associated Press, Reuters)

Huge Waves Eroding British Coast
August 18 — Storm waves over 20 meters high are getting bigger, more frequent and eroding Britain's Atlantic coast, experts say. (BBC)

Researcher Says Glacier No Stranger to Climate Change
August 18 — Tree ring data shows that the advance and retreat of Glacier National Park's glaciers could be the result of natural causes and not solely human activities, a Montana State University graduate student says. (Hungry Horse News Online)

Plankton "Poo" Key to Global Warming
August 18 — A researcher says the carbon absorbed by ocean zooplankton is released in its feces, and if it floats to the surface it can be reabsorbed into the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. (Herald Sun, Australia)

Charley Shows Progress, Pitfalls in Forecasting
August 18 — Despite the surprise expressed by some when Charley roared ashore on August 13 farther down the southwest Florida coast than expected, and far stronger than expected, forecasters say the National Hurricane Center could not have done a better job. (Associated Press)

More Summer Storms Point to Global Warming
August 18 — Climate change is predicted by supercomputer models to cause more violent summer storms in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. (The New Zealand Herald)

Scientists Studying Desert Air to Understand Weather and Climate
August 18 — NASA, Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists have assembled in the Arabian Desert to study tiny airborne particles called aerosols and their effect on weather and climate. (Science Daily)

Alaska Wildfires Grow to Record 5 Million Acres
August 17 — Wildfires have scorched over 5 million acres in Alaska forestry officials say, a new record that signals possible changes in climate conditions and the composition of the vast forests. (Reuters)

TRMM Sees Rain from Hurricanes Fall Around the World
August 17 — A recent study funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation offers insight into patterns of rainfall from tropical storms and hurricanes, critical in saving lives and property. (Science Daily)

Global Warming Could Bring Extreme Changes to California
August 16 — A scientific study presents an alarming view of climate changes in California, finding that by the end of the century rising temperatures could lead to a sevenfold increase in heat-related deaths in Los Angeles and imperil the state's wine and dairy industries. (Associated Press, Reuters)

Hunting Hurricanes
August 16 — Despite the storm tracking technology available today, forecasters still find it difficult to predict what storms like Hurricane Charley will do. (ABC News)

Technology Already Exists to Stabilize Global Warming
August 12 — Existing technologies could stop the escalation of global warming for 50 years and work on implementing them can begin immediately, according to an analysis by Princeton University scientists. (PhysOrg.com, Christian Science Monitor)

New Findings Show Earth is Not Getting Warmer
August 12 — Contrary to most research, a new study finds the Earth is not warming significantly, say scientists with the universities of Rochester and Virginia. (U.S. Newswire)

Scientists Probe Pacific for Dead Zone
August 12 — Scientists are probing the Pacific Ocean's dead zones � parts of the ocean which cannot sustain life � in the belief that the appearance of such an area may be a sign of fundamental change in the ocean and ecosystem. (Associated Press)

Heat Waves Set to Become Brutal
August 12 — Heat waves in the 21st Century will be more intense, more frequent and longer lasting, say U.S. scientists. (Associated Press, BBC)

Simultaneous Tropical Storms is a Rarity
August 12 — The prospect that a tropical storm and a hurricane could strike Florida within 24 hours is something meteorologists say they have never seen. (Associated Press)

Scientists Hope to Unlock Secrets of Arctic
August 11 — A team of European researchers has set off for the North Pole to take part in a six-week expedition to study the geological history of the Arctic Ocean. (Swiss Info)

Evidence Shows Ice in Arctic Thinning
August 11 — Sonar recordings by American submarines suggest that the summer ice across the central Arctic Ocean was more than a meter thinner on average in the 1990s than three and four decades earlier. (The Toronto Star)

Global Warming Causes Shrinkage of Glaciers
August 11 — Shrinkage of highland glaciers in Asia, including one on Mount Everest, has intensified over the past decade due to global warming, a senior Chinese scientist said on Wednesday. (The Hindustian Times, India)

Reefs Get Global Warming Lifeline
August 11 — New research shows that some forms of algae can allow coral to withstand higher temperatures, potentially reducing the impact of global warming. (Nature, CBC)

Signs of El Nino Give Hope for Rainy Winter
August 10 — Far out in the equatorial Pacific, beginning near New Guinea and shifting to 2,500 miles west of the Galapagos Islands, surface waters have been warming - a strong sign of a developing El Niño this winter, that might bring much-needed rainfall to California. (San Diego Tribune)

Scientists Looking for Better Way to Measure Rainfall
August 9 — Scientists at North Carolina State University are developing software programs that use radar readings in combination with measurements taken from ground gauges to more accurately estimate where it rained and how much rain fell. (Associated Press)

Deep-Sea Vessel Puts Ocean Floor in Reach
August 7 — A new deep-sea research vessel will be able to carry people to 99 percent of the ocean floor, diving deeper than the famed Alvin that pioneered the study of seafloor vents, plate tectonics and deep ocean creatures over the past 40 years. (Associated Press)

Expedition to Probe Gulf of Mexico
August 6 — Scientists will use advanced technology never before deployed beneath the sea as they try to discover new creatures, behaviors and phenomena in a 10-day expedition to the Gulf of Mexico's deepest reaches. (Associated Press)

Pacific May Be Seeing El Niño
August 5 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that warming water temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific last month may indicate the start of a new El Niño. (Associated Press)

New Method May Predict Quakes Weeks Ahead
August 5 — Swedish geologists may have found a way to predict earthquakes weeks before they happen by monitoring the amount of metals like zinc and copper in subsoil water near earthquake sites. (Associated Press)

Acid Rain Helps Slows Global Warming Process
August 5 — Acid rain, considered hazardous until recently, helps in slowing the process of global warming, according to scientists with the National Academy of Sciences. (Associated Press)

NASA Extends TRMM Operations Through 2004 Hurricane Season
August 5 — NASA will extend operation of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) through the end of 2004, in light of a recent request from NOAA. (SpaceRef.com)

Hotter Climate Raising Concern About Health
August 4 — A new study concludes that warmer climate can cause dangerous changes in air quality and increase the number of days with smog in major cities (Associated Press, Reuters)

NASA Selects Proposals to Study Global Carbon Cycling
August 4 — NASA, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy recently awarded 59 research grants to study changes in the distribution and cycling of carbon among land, ocean, and atmospheric reservoirs, with emphasis on North America. (Science Daily)

Dead Zone Spreads Across Gulf of Mexico
August 4 — A huge "dead zone" of water so devoid of oxygen that sea life cannot live in it has spread across 5,800 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico this summer in what has become an annual occurrence caused by pollution. (Reuters)

Climate Change Could Doom Alaska's Tundra
August 4 — A University of Oregon study finds that over the next 100 years Alaska will experience a massive loss of its historic tundra. Global warming will allow these vast regions of cold, dry lands to support forests and other vegetation that will dramatically alter native ecosystems. (Space Daily)

Greenhouse Gases, Not Solar Activity, Cause of Global Warming
August 3 — Solar activity affects the climate but plays a minor role in current global warming, say German researchers. (Environment News Service)

Wildlife Changes Show Global Warming
August 3 — Dramatic changes in the breeding habits of the United Kingdom's seabird species offers proof that global warming is in action and requires urgent political attention. (Reuters)

Retreating Glaciers Spur Alaskan Earthquakes
August 2 — In a new study, NASA and United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that retreating glaciers in southern Alaska may be opening the way for future earthquakes. (Discovery Channel)

Predicting Effects of Global Warming on the Sea
August 2 — An international research team is working to help predict the future patterns of biodiversity in the sea and interactions with global climate change. (The Evening Telegraph and Post, Australia)

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