Measuring Carbon in Soils Almost Instantly
May 31 — A new laser-based sampling device can make very quick analyses of farm soil, which could help reduce levels of harmful carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (UPI)

Glacier Melts Will Have Global Impacts
May 30 — Most of the world?s glaciers are melting faster, according to a USGS and NASA joint assessment. (UPI)

Warmer Climate Prompts Flowers to Bloom Earlier
May 30 — Plants bloomed up to two weeks earlier in the spring, according to a study that used 47 years of data. (CBC, AP)

Satellites Show Local Air Pollution Has Global Reach
May 30 — A NASA scientist finds that pollutants travel the globe with prevailing air currents. (Space.com)

Satellite to Enhance El Niño Forecast
May 30 — A new satellite from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will provide a steadier data stream for climatologists to track El Niño. (UPI)

Rainfall Can Predict El Niños
May 29 — NASA scientists use a computer model to predict El Niños before they occur. (UPI)

New Technology Opens Up Views of Earth
May 29 — Scientists are finding new ways to image the world and the universe with bouncing lasers. (Scripps)

Laser 'Radar' Tracks Quakes, Climate
May 29 — Researchers are using a ranging and location system based on light instead of radio waves to monitor changes in geologic faults and ice sheets. (UPI)

Little Relief for Drought-Stricken Southwest
May 29 — The parched U.S. Southwest and plains states will find little relief before July, experts said. (Reuters)

Satellites to Help Collate Fire Data, Weather Forecasts
May 28 — A consortium of scientists has patched together a network of satellite images to watch fires across the entire Western Hemisphere. (Scripps)

Climate Scientists Tailor the News for Resource Managers
May 23 — A new online tool evaluates seasonal forecasts for water, land and agricultural managers. (SpaceDaily)

Runoff Greater Polluter than Oil Spills
May 23 — Runoff, rather than oil spills, causes the vast majority of man-made oil pollution in U.S. ocean waters, according to a new report. (Scripps)

Scientists Begin Dust-Devil Experiment
May 21 — Scientists from several nations began an experiment to discover how dust devils may affect atmospheres on Earth and on Mars. (Spaceflight Now)

NASA Sends Children on Odyssey of the Mind
May 21 — Every year, children from around the world gather and compete in a creative problem-solving competition that challenges students to solve long-term topics.

Changes in Rainfall Patterns Affect Plants, Carbon in U.S.
May 20 — A NASA-funded study finds that changing rainfall patterns over much of the United States in the last century have allowed plants to grow more vigorously and absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (UPI, Spaceflight Now, Cosmiverse)

Taking the Temperature of a Hurricane?s Eye
May 16 — When hurricane Erin was beating up the North Atlantic last year, NASA researchers decided to take its temperature. (Universe Today)

April Second Warmest on Record Worldwide
May 16 — Last month was the second warmest April on record worldwide, and warmer and drier than usual for much of the U.S. (USA Today)

Antarctic Ice Melt Poses Worldwide Threat
May 15 — The Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves are breaking up, presenting the most serious thaw since the last ice age 12,000 years ago. (Reuters)

Wait and See for El Nino
May 15 — Not all researchers agree with forecasts predicting a return of El Nino this summer. (Lisa Pinsker, Geotimes)

Arctic Warming Imperils Polar Bears
May 14 — Loss of Arctic Sea Ice that makes up Polar bear hunting grounds could have devastating consequences for world's largest land predator. (Reuters)

Ocean Ecosystems Unexpectedly Stable over Hundreds of Millions of Years
May 14 — Though marine life has recovered from two mass extinctions, it has remained very stable over the last 450 million years. (ScienceDaily)

World Warming Faster Than Expected
May 13 — Planet Earth is warming faster than previously expected, the head of a leading climate research said. (Reuters)

Dry Weather Caused New Zealand Glaciers Big Loss of Ice Mass
May 12 — Dry weather has seen New Zealand's famed South island glaciers record one of their biggest annual losses of ice mass in 25 years and they would continue shrinking if this trend continued, scientists said. (Reuters)

Shutdown of Airlines Aided Contrail Studies
May 11 — September airline shutdown allowed scientists a rare glimpse into the effects of airplane contrails on climate. (Science News)

Giant Iceberg Falls Into Ocean Near New Zealand
May 10 — A huge iceberg 10 times larger than Manhattan island has plummeted into the Ross Sea near New Zealand. (Reuters)

In the Midst of Drought, Scientists Hunt for Water Vapor
May 10 — A team of scientists are conducting experiments in the International H20 Project (IHOP) in the nation's heartland stretching from Kansas to Texas, in search of water vapor that feeds heavy rain and thunderstorms. (SpaceDaily.com, UPI)

Experts Predict Weaker El Nino
May 9 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now projects a "weaker" El Nino by the end of this year. The African Weather Service is waiting until after June to make their prediction. (Reuters)

Ocean Cores May Give Clues on Climate Change
May 8 — A Geologist from the University of Edinburgh is using cores from the ocean floor to form a picture of dramatic climate change that occurred millions of years ago. (SpaceDaily.com)

El Nino Seen Hitting Southern Africa in Late 2002
May 7 — The South African Weather Service said it expects an El Nino to hit southern Africa at the end of the year, bringing another dry spell. (Reuters)

El Nino to Hit the Philippines in Late 2002
May 6 — The Philippine government said that a "weak to moderate" El Nino is expected to bring the onset of drought to the Philippines in the last three months of 2002. (SpaceDaily.com)

Pollution May Discourage Clouds
May 3 — Tiny aerosols or airborne particles of pollution may discourage clouds from forming by altering the size of ice crystals and increasing the quantity of them. (UPI, Cosmiverse.com)

Ozone Hole Is Now Seen as a Cause for Antarctic Cooling
May 3 — Ozone loss over the Antarctic has cooled the upper atmosphere, and has caused winds to shift causing some areas of the continent to cool, and warming other areas. (Ananova.com, NY Times)

Ozone Hole Causes Mixed Antarctic Message
May 3 — Changing wind patterns triggered by the ozone hole are causing some areas of Antarctica to warm and others to cool, according to a study from Colorado State University (NewScientist.com, Scientific American on-line)

Changing Climate, Shrinking Habitats
May 2 — Computer models suggest that Earth's changing climate will cause most places to have radically different ecosystems within 50 years. (ENN.com)

NASA Stares Down the Eye of a Hurricane
May 1 — For the first time, scientists have taken the temperature of the eye of a hurricane and as a result, have a better understanding of a hurricane?s warm core, that powers storms. (Cosmiverse.com)

Smog Can Protect Against Global Warming
May 1 — Smog particles are absorbing solar radiation before it reaches the surface, which is cooling India?s winters, according to researchers conducting the Indian Ocean Experiment. (Cosmiverse.com)

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