NASA: National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationEarth Observatory

Media Alerts: December 2001

  1. November 2001
  2. January 2002
  1. Southern Ocean Iron May Have Come from the Depths, Not the Atmosphere December 19, 2001

    Scientists believe that increases in plant life in the Southern Ocean are associated with increases in iron, which acts as a fertilizer, in the ocean water. (American Geophysical Union release)

  2. Here Comes the Rain December 19, 2001

    Even just a degree or two of greenhouse warming will have a dramatic impact on water resources across western North America. (New Scientist release)

  3. Antarctic Mud Reveals Ancient Evidence of Global Climate Change December 14, 2001

    Scientists concerned about global warming are especially troubled by dramatic signs of climate change in Antarctica - from rapidly melting glaciers to unexplained declines in penguin populations. (Stanford University release)

  4. The Past Says Abrupt Climate Change in Our Future December 13, 2001

    Past climates changed abruptly, suggesting that abrupt changes in the future will also occur, according to a Penn State geoscientist. (Penn State release)

  5. Engineered Strategies to Mitigate Global Warming Could Influence Biosphere December 12, 2001

    Blocking the sun may not be such a cool way of counteracting climate change, scientists at the University of Illinois say. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign release)

  6. LLNL Scientists to Present Tool for Ridding the Atmosphere of Excess Carbon December 12, 2001

    Researchers present evidence that a new method for capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and placing it in the ocean has less impact on marine life than atmospheric carbon dioxide release or other global warming mitigation methods. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory release)

  7. Alaska's Columbia Glacier Will Retreat 10 Miles December 11, 2001

    New research indicates the massive Columbia Glacier in Alaska will continue to increase its rate of recession over the next decade, possibly retreating as much as 10 miles in that time and creating a new fjord. (University of Colorado at Boulder release)

  8. Pollution in Asian Air Mass Likely Measured on Both Sides of Pacific December 11, 2001

    Scientists watched closely last spring as a haze of pollution, which had been tracked by satellite as it crossed the Pacific Ocean, settled over a large swath of North America from Calgary, Canada, into Arizona. (University of Washington release)

  9. New Study Shows Early Signals of Climate Change in Earth's Cold Regions December 10, 2001

    Global mean temperatures have risen one degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, with more than half of the increase occurring in the last 25 years. (University of Colorado at Boulder release)

  10. Tiny Particles of Pollution May Carry Large Consequences for Earth's Water Supply December 6, 2001

    A new study argues that particles of human-produced pollution may be playing a significant role in weakening Earth's water cycle, much more than previously realized. (Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego release)

  11. Floods Ain't What They Used To Be December 3, 2001

    In the Midwest, floods are worse than ever, according to two Washington University professors. (Geology Magazine release)

  12. Paradox of Groundwater Age Has Implications for Hydrology December 3, 2001

    How old is your groundwater? Chances are, it?s much older than you, or many scientists, had thought. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign release)

  13. Shipboard Aerosol Measurements Enhance Climate Models December 3, 2001

    Sea-level measurements of aerosol properties in the Pacific Ocean, are helping to quantify aerosol optical properties related to climate change. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign release)

  14. Beware of Leap Year When Predicting Climate Change, Warns Researcher December 3, 2001

    A word of warning to scientists studying climate change: Don't forget to factor leap year into your calculations. (Stanford University release)

  15. Stratospheric Polar Vortex Influences Winter Cold, Researchers Say December 1, 2001

    A mechanism to explain how the behavior of the stratosphere may affect tropospheric weather patterns has been proposed by scientists at the University of Illinois. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign release)