Tropical Storm Zeta Moves across Atlantic
December 31 — Tropical Storm Zeta moved across the Atlantic, a day after it tied a record for the latest developing named storm in an already-infamous hurricane season. (Reuters)

Europe Hammered by a Second Snowstorm
December 30 — Europe's second snowstorm this week piled drifts onto railway tracks and roads, slowing buses, trains and trams and stranding motorists; the week of icy weather was blamed for dozens of deaths. (Associated Press)

Did Animals Have Quake Warning?
December 31 — Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka have reported that, despite the loss of human life in the Asian disaster, there have been no recorded animal deaths. (BBC, Associated Press)

Earthquake Redraws the Map
December 31 — The devastating earthquake that struck the Indian Ocean probably caused some islands to move by several meters. (BBC)

U.S. Is Vulnerable to Waves, Too
December 30 — Scientists say grinding geologic circumstances similar to those in Sumatra also exist just off the Pacific Northwest coast, which could trigger a major tsunami off northern California, Washington, Oregon or British Columbia in minutes � too fast for the nation's deep-sea tsunami warning system to help. (Associated Press)

U.N.: Asia Tsunami Alert System by End of 2005
December 30 — A tsunami early alert system, which could have saved thousands of lives around the Indian Ocean this week, should be in place in South and Southeast Asia within a year, a U.N. official says. (Reuters)

Taming of Lightning Harder than Expected
December 29 — The taming of lightning by technology is proving harder than expected, say researchers working on ways to use the latest femtosecond lasers to make lightning strike when and where they want. (Discovery.com)

Earth's Permafrost Starts to Squelch
December 29 — Permafrost is beginning to melt in many areas of the globe, including Alaska and Canada, likely due to global warming, say scientists. (BBC)

Official Seeks Extensive Tsunami Alerts
December 29 — Caribbean and Atlantic coastlines � not just the Indian Ocean's tsunami-ravaged shores � would benefit from a tsunami warning system like the one in the Pacific, says the chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (Associated Press)

Observations Rule Out Asteroid Impact
December 28 — Additional observations have ruled out the chance that a recently discovered asteroid, believed to be about 1,300 feet long, could hit Earth in 2029, NASA scientists say. (Associated Press)

Asia Considers Disaster-Warning System
December 28 — The extraordinary loss of life from the recent earthquake and tsunami waves is prompting Asian governments to consider developing a more comprehensive and effective warning system. (Associated Press)

Quake May Have Made Earth Wobble
December 28 — The deadly Asian earthquake may have permanently accelerated the Earth's rotation -- shortening days by a fraction of a second -- and caused the planet to wobble on its axis. (Reuters)

U.S. Scientists Say Quake Movement Shifted Islands
December 28 — The massive earthquake that devastated parts of Asia permanently moved the tectonic plates beneath the Indian Ocean as much as 98 feet, slightly shifting islands near Sumatra an unknown distance. (Reuters)

'Megathrust' Quake Severe, but No Surprise
December 27 — Scientists describe the December 26 devastating earthquake off the island of Sumatra as a "megathrust" -- a grade reserved for the most powerful shifts in the Earth's crust. (Associated Press)

Tidal Wave Began Beneath Indian Ocean
December 27 — The chain reaction that sent enormous, deadly tidal waves crashing into the coasts of Asia and Africa on December 26 started more than six miles beneath the ocean floor off the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. (Associated Press)

Massive Quakes Difficult to Measure
December 27 — The incredibly powerful earthquake in Sumatra had a preliminary magnitude of 9.0, classifying it as a great quake and making it the strongest in 40 years - but its exact power is unknown, partially because such quakes are so rare. (Associated Press)

Global Warming, Pollution Add to Coastal Threats
December 27 — A creeping rise in sea levels tied to global warming, pollution and damage to coral reefs may make coastlines even more vulnerable to disasters like tsunamis or storms in future, experts say. (Reuters)

System Might Have Reduced Tsunami Toll
December 26 — The catastrophic death toll in Asia caused by a massive tsunami might have been reduced had India and Sri Lanka been part of an international warning system designed to warn coastal communities about potentially deadly waves, scientists say. (Associated Press)

One of World's Largest Quakes Hits Near Australia
December 24 — Australia's southern state of Tasmania was rocked by the world's largest earthquake in three-and-a-half years when it struck under the sea half way between Australia and Antarctica, seismologists say. (Reuters)

Study: Global Warming May Affect Pikas
December 23 — Populations of the hamster-like American pika continue to decline in the West and global warming is partly to blame, a new study says. (Associated Press)

Polluted Clouds Hold Less Moisture
December 23 — A NASA study finds some clouds that form on tiny haze particles are not cooling the Earth as much as previously thought. (Science Daily)

Hong Kong Fades Under China's Smog
December 23 — Hong Kong's air quality worsens as pollution drifts in from Guangdong, which has no real environmental laws. (Christian Science Monitor)

Evidence of Sun-Climate Link Reported
December 22 — University of Maine researchers say evidence from ice cores point to an association between the waxing and waning of zonal wind strength around Antarctica and a chemical signal of changes in the Sun's output. (Big News Network)

Lake Tahoe Warming Likely due to Climate Change
December 21 — Lake Tahoe is warming up twice as fast as the world's oceans and it is probably because of climate change, a new study says. (Knight Ridder News)

Ozone 'Hole' Pulls Back, but Danger Lingers
December 19 — The worst of the ozone hole has pulled back once more to Antarctica this southern spring, leaving behind a shadow of uncertainty for the people living at the bottom of the Americas. (Associated Press)

Forecasters Face Losing Key Tools
December 17 — Meteorologists fear they are losing one of their essential forecasting tools microwave frequencies uniquely able to "see" through clouds from satellites, because commercial applications such as mobile phones are interfering with microwave weather technology. (BBC)

EPA Pans Air in 20 States
December 17 — The Environmental Protection Agency says 224 counties in 20 states and the District of Columbia don't meet new air quality health standards because of microscopic soot from diesel-burning trucks, power plants and other sources. (Associated Press)

Sri Lanka Floods Spread, 120,000 Still Stranded
December 17 — At least 120,000 Sri Lankans spent a fourth day sheltering in schools and temples as monsoon floods spread, and an eighth person was killed, buried in an earth slip. (Reuters)

California Quake Data Bringing New Insights
December 17 — An unprecedented amount of data from a major central California earthquake is generating new insight into how and where quakes strike, but hasn't improved scientists' ability to predict them. (Associated Press)

Tiniest Creatures May Reveal Health of Oceans
December 16 — Scientists look to ocean phytoplankton to see how environmental change everything from land-borne pollution to global warming affects ocean ecosystems and the atmosphere. (Christian Science Monitor)

No Safe Place for Satellites
December 16 — The once-suspected safe zone for satellites, called the Van Allen Radiation Belt Slot, is probably not free from radiation or magnetic storms, narrowing the area in which satellites can orbit. (Space.com)

2004 Among Hottest on Record
December 16 — The year 2004, punctuated by four powerful hurricanes in the Caribbean and deadly typhoons lashing Asia, was the fourth-hottest on record, extending a trend since 1990 that has registered the 10 warmest years, a U.N. weather agency says. (Associated Press)

NASA Study Finds Tiny Particles in Air May Influence Carbon Sinks
December 16 — A NASA-funded study provides direct measurements confirming aerosols, tiny particles in the atmosphere, may be changing how much carbon plants and ecosystems absorb from or release to the air. (Science Blog)

Earlier Spring from Global Warming, Say Researchers
December 15 — A comprehensive study of plants in the Northeast shows they are responding to the global warming trend. (Associated Press)

Arctic Ocean Was Balmy 70 Million Years Ago
December 15 — It may be freezing cold and covered in ice now, but 70 million years ago the Arctic Ocean was as tepid as the Mediterranean, with temperatures as warm as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, according to British researchers. (Reuters)

2004 Signals More Global Warming, Extreme Weather
December 15 — Global warming is set to continue, and bring with it an increase in extreme weather such as hurricanes and droughts, scientists from the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization say. (Reuters)

NASA Spacecraft Tracks Global Air Pollution
December 15 — NASA's Aura spacecraft has begun the first-ever daily tracking of air pollution movement around the globe. (Reuters)

Scientists Warn of Global Warming Threat
December 15 — Scientists say a long-term increase in global temperature of 3.5 degrees could threaten Latin American water supplies, reduce food yields in Asia and result in a rise in extreme weather conditions in the Caribbean. (Associated Press)

NASA Scientists Discuss Giant Atmospheric Brown Cloud
December 15 — NASA scientists say a giant, smoggy atmospheric brown cloud, which forms over South Asia and the Indian Ocean, has intercontinental reach. (Space Daily)

Greenland's Ice Thinning More Rapidly at Edges
December 15 — Greenland's coastline ice thinned between 1997 and 2003 much more substantially than in the past. (Science Daily)

NASA Eyes Ice Changes Around Earth's Frozen Caps
December 14 — Scientists present findings on dramatic changes to Arctic sea ice and warming, glacier acceleration, and newly discovered relationships between ice sheets, sea level rise and climate warming. (United Press International)

Climate Change Impact? Look in Your Backyard
December 14 — Widespread ecological impacts of climate change are already visible in every part of the world, and in every ecosystem, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. (Reuters)

Ten Percent of Bird Species to Disappear
December 13 — Ten percent of all bird species are set to disappear by the end of this century, and with them the services they provide such as cleaning up carcasses and spreading seeds, U.S. researchers say. (Reuters)

NASA Finds Trees and Insect Outbreaks Affect Carbon Dioxide Levels
December 13 — Insect control and tree planting could greatly affect Earth's greenhouse gases, according to NASA scientists. (Science Daily)

NASA's ICESat Satellite Sees Changing World Affecting Many
December 13 — NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite's (ICESat) precise measurements of Earth's ice sheets, atmosphere, land masses and volcanoes provide a unique look at our planet. (Space Daily)

China, Brazil Reveal Climate Plan
December 10 — Developing nations Brazil and China reveal details of their greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to halt global warming. (BBC)

Reindeer Threatened by Warmer Weather
December 10 — Global warming could render reindeer extinct by the end of the century, according to new research that examined fossils from a cave in southwestern France. (Discovery.com)

Scientists Study Clues to Forecasting Quakes
December 9 — Two researchers say they've discovered a pattern of tremors deep beneath the San Andreas Fault that someday may yield clues into unlocking the mysteries of California earthquakes. (CNN)

Amazon Burning Makes Brazil a Leading Polluter
December 8 — Burning of the Amazon and other forests accounts for three quarters of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions and has made the country one of the world's leading polluters, says a new report. (Reuters)

Red Tide Algae Lurks Off Gulf Coast
December 8 — Scientists are tracking a 400 square-mile bloom of red tide algae lurking off the Gulf Coast, pointing to it as the likely cause of a mass fish kill and several dolphin deaths at the tip of the Florida peninsula. (Associated Press)

Most Coral Reefs Under Threat, Some Resilient
December 6 — About 70 percent of the world's coral reefs have been damaged or are at risk from human activities, but some are showing surprising resilience to global warming, a report says. (Reuters, Associated Press)

Icelandic Tin Bath Could Give Earthquake Warnings
December 5 — A tin bath on the cliffs of northern Iceland, where locals take a dip to treat skin complaints, could help scientists give an early warning of big earthquakes and save thousands of lives. (Reuters)

Eyes on Mount St. Helens for Volcano Clues
December 3 — Scores of geologists are keeping their eyes riveted on Mount St. Helens for clues to help predict the violent whims of its kin that tower over metropolitan areas worldwide. (Discovery.com)

How Global Warming Can Lead to a Big Chill
December 3 — Global warming could lead to a big chill in the North Atlantic, at least if history is anything to go by, researchers say. (Reuters)

Major Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast
December 3 — Hurricane forecasters are calling for an above-average Atlantic hurricane season again next year after one of the most destructive seasons on record. (Associated Press)

UK to Invest in Long-term Science
December 2 — U.K. leaders adopt a long-term plan of investment in science education and hi-tech industry. (BBC)

Mount St. Helens is State's Top Polluter
December 2 — Washington State's top polluter isn't a pulp mill, a power plant, or refinery - it's the newly awakened Mount St. Helens. (Associated Press)

NASA Satellites Witnessed El Niño Creep in from the Indian Ocean
December 1 — A new index using satellite wind and rain data will help scientists detect the development of El Nino conditions. (Science Daily)

Emissions Double Heatwave Risk
December 1 — Emissions of greenhouse gases have more than doubled the risk of European heat waves similar to last year's, according to a study by U.K. scientists. (Reuters)

Groups Alarmed Over Delta Water Plan
December 1 — A proposed change in how the federal government measures water for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta has environmental groups alarmed and California officials concerned about potential harm to wildlife habitat. (Associated Press)

Brazil Amazon Deforestation Jumps, Data Show
December 1 — An area of Amazon jungle larger than the state of New Jersey has been destroyed this year and work on a new highway is mainly to blame, environmental group Friends of the Earth and the government says. (Reuters)

South Asia Stares at Looming Water Crisis
December 1 — Global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gas emissions from burning of fossil fuels will only worsen water shortages and farming difficulties in South Asia, says the U.N. (Reuters)

Carbon to Blame for Pollution Heart Damage
December 1 — Air pollution clearly causes immediate damage to the heart, including heart attacks, but its short-term effects on asthma and other respiratory symptoms are harder to document, U.S. researchers say. (Reuters)

Brazil Garbage Dump Could Be Climate Trailblazer
December 1 — A Brazilian garbage dump could be a trailblazer for thousands of projects in developing nations under a U.N. plan to battle global warming, a Norwegian company says. (Reuters)

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