Here We Go Again: Like Wolves, Hurricanes Come in Packs
May 31, 2005Eight of the ten last hurricane seasons have been very active and a supercomputer developed by NASA is helping scientists better predict the path of fickle hurricanes. (LiveScience.com)
Major Hurricane Likely to Hit U.S. in '05 -Study
May 31, 2005The Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane season opening 2005-06-01 promises to be "very active," marked by an above-average number of storms and with high odds of a major hit on the United States, a researcher says. (Reuters)
NASA Launches New Hurricane Web Page
May 31, 2005NASA launches an Internet resource page, a compilation of data from various satellites and computer models that also explains why and how NASA investigates hurricanes. (Science Daily)
Large Calcite Formation Found in New Mexico Cave
May 31, 2005A calcite formation named Snowy River could prove a gold mine for scientists - yielding information on everything from specialized bacteria to underground drainage - researchers say. (Associated Press)
Australia's Largest City Tightens Water Restrictions as Drought Bites
May 31, 2005Australia's largest city, Sydney, announces unprecedented water restrictions as the country's worst drought on record leaves dam levels at less than 40 percent. (AFP)
Wolves Teach Experts about Global Warming
May 30, 2005Gray wolves could emerge as a "canary in the coal mine" of global warming by suggesting how climate change will affect species around the world, researchers say. (USA Today)
Hurricane Season Could Renew Global Warming Debate
May 30, 2005If hurricanes again pound the United States this summer, their roar is likely to be accompanied by the din of another storm � an angry debate among U.S. scientists over the impact of global warming. (Reuters)
Mexico 'Fire Volcano' Biggest Blast in 15 Years
May 30, 2005Mexico's "Fire Volcano" spews a column of rock, ash and lava almost three miles into the sky in its largest eruption in at least 15 years, officials say. (Reuters)
Florida Concept Mapping Idea Going Global
May 30, 2005A Florida research institute is taking software designed by NASA and the Defense Department to literally map out what scientists know in diagram form to preserve scientists' knowledge and help children learn. (Associated Press)
Some Fear Catastrophe from Amazon Highway
May 28, 2005In a controversial plan that further worries environmentalists already concerned over growing Amazon deforestation, Brazil's government is now planning to let private companies create a modern two-lane toll highway to link the country's most important soy-growing region with a deep-water Amazon River port. (Associated Press)
California Thaw Yields Spectacular Waterfalls
May 28, 2005After a long and snowy winter, the spring thaw has brought a bloom of waterfalls to the mountains of California unlike anything seen for many years. (ABC News)
Arizona Getting $6.6M Night Sky Camera
May 27, 2005A $6.6 million pixel camera for taking detailed research photographs of the night sky is scheduled to be built for the Kitt Peak National Observatory. (Associated Press)
India's Weather Office Announces Arrival of Annual Monsoon Rains
May 27, 2005India's annual monsoon rains, crucial for its farm-dependent economy, have officially arrived with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands receiving the season's first showers. (AFP)
Engineers Design Tsunami-Resistant Homes
May 27, 2005Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing tsunami-resistant homes with thick concrete-block corners and exterior walls made of bamboo. (Associated Press)
Wind Map Shows Top Sites for Turbines
May 26, 2005Modelers have devised a map showing wind speeds 80 meters (262 feet) above the ground - the ideal height to turn most wind turbines' blades and generate electricity - that could guide the positioning of wind turbines. (Nature)
Ireland Opens First Offshore Wind Farm
May 26, 2005Ireland opens the country's first offshore wind farm, a collection of seven wind turbines capable of meeting the annual electricity requirements of 16,000 homes. (AFP)
Chesapeake Bay Grasses Recover in North
May 26, 2005The underwater grasses that are crucial to filtering polluted Chesapeake Bay waters are recovering in the upper portion of the estuary, while other vast tracts continue to struggle, scientists report. (Associated Press)
Study: Raw Sewage Killing Coral Reefs
May 26, 2005Coral reefs are far more likely to develop disease and die when exposed to bacteria and nutrients in raw sewage than coral in unpolluted areas, according to a new study. (Associated Press)
More Vegetation Increases Forest Fire Risk
May 26, 2005Winter and spring rain patterns boosted the growth of grasses and low-lying vegetation � setting the stage for a worse than normal fire season in the Southwest, Northern Rockies and Alaska, federal wildfire forecasters say. (Associated Press)
Rise in Allergies Nothing to Sneeze At
May 26, 2005New studies suggest that global warming is driving up pollen counts due to increased levels of carbon dioxide, the most significant greenhouse gas that not only causes more weeds to grow but actually encourages each individual weed to release more pollen. (Albany Times Union)
Global Warming Will Increase World Hunger
May 26, 2005Global warming is likely to significantly diminish food production in many countries and greatly increase the number of hungry people, says the United Nations. (Reuters)
UN Warns Sub-Saharan Africa Risks Most from Global Warming
May 26, 2005A UN agency warns that people in sub-Saharan African countries are most in danger of starvation and food security difficulties in light of the latest findings on global warming. (AFP)
Alaska Scientist Warns of Impact of Permafrost Thaw
May 26, 2005A warming climate has heated much of Alaska's permafrost to temperatures just below freezing and drastic changes are expected in the coming decades as that layer of frozen soil thaws, a prominent scientist says. (Reuters)
Hong Kong, China Sign Deal to Tackle Air Pollution
May 26, 2005Hong Kong has signed a co-operation agreement with the Chinese government to tackle the worsening air pollution on both sides, the city's government says. (AFP)
Quake on L.A. Fault Would Be Calamity
May 25, 2005A major earthquake on a little-known fault buried under downtown Los Angeles would cause the most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history, killing thousands of people and causing up to $250 billion in damage, say scientists. (Associated Press)
Quake-Wary Californians Get Computerized Virtual Taste of the "Big One"
May 25, 2005As Californians brace nervously for the "big one," scientists offer a computer-generated glimpse at the death and destruction a major earthquake could wreak in the second largest U.S. city. (AFP)
World Needs More Than Sea Walls to Stop Floods
May 25, 2005Building higher and stronger dykes will not be enough to protect the world's low-lying areas against rising sea levels and global warming, say scientists. (Reuters)
Global Disaster Finder Now Online
May 25, 2005A new website from U.S. Geological Survey allows users to find recent and current earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather, fires and other disasters through an interactive, online map that provides real-time icon-coded information. (LiveScience.com)
China's Yellow River Plagued By Pollution
May 25, 2005Most of the Yellow River, the second-longest in China and the cradle of early Chinese civilization, is so polluted it is not safe for drinking or swimming, says the Xinhua news agency. (Reuters)
China Pollution to Worsen as Population Grows
May 25, 2005Pollution in China is bound to get worse before it gets better, especially with the nation's population expected to grow to 1.46 billion by 2020, say researchers. (AFP)
WWF and World Bank Want to Cut Deforestation Rates By 2010
May 25, 2005A major environmental coalition announces its goal to cut global deforestation rates by 10 percent in the next five years. (AFP)
Greenpeace Launches 'Prize' for Amazon Destruction
May 24, 2005The environmental group Greenpeace nominated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and five others for its first "Golden Chainsaw" prize -- to be awarded to the Brazilian deemed to have contributed most to the Amazon's destruction. (Reuters)
Ocean Warmth Tied to African Drought
May 24, 2005A new study shows a 50-year-long drying trend in southern Africa is likely to continue and appears tightly linked to substantial warming of the Indian Ocean. (New York Times)
Fast and Furious Solar Storm Shocks Earth and its Scientists
May 24, 2005A solar outburst on January 20 that shocked Earth with the highest dose of radiation measured in five decades was so strong that researchers are planning to revise theories on how space storms operate and show that interplanetary space travel will be a deadly serious business. (Space.com)
Voyager Spacecraft Enters Solar System's Final Frontier
May 24, 2005NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a vast, turbulent expanse where the sun's influence ends and the solar wind crashes into the thin gas between stars. (Associated Press)
Arctic Leaders Appeal over Global Warming
May 24, 2005Indigenous leaders from Arctic regions around the world call on the European Union to do more to fight global warming and consider giving aid to their peoples. (Associated Press)
Volcano in Western Mexico Erupts
May 23, 2005A volcano in western Mexico unleashes its most powerful eruption in more than a decade, shooting ash two miles into the sky and sending burning gas and rock fragments down the slopes. (Associated Press)
Plate Find May Force Tokyo to Rethink Quake Plans
May 23, 2005A Japanese geologist says he has discovered another tectonic plate under the Tokyo area, a find that may force Japan to rethink earthquake forecasts and preparations for the capital. (Reuters)
Half of Europe's Plant Species at Risk from Global Warming
May 23, 2005More than half of Europe's plant species will be at threat or classified as vulnerable by 2080 as a consequence of global warming, a study finds. (AFP)
Chinese Climb Everest to See If It's Growing
May 22, 2005Chinese mountaineers and researchers climb to the top of Mount Everest to determine whether the world's tallest mountain is still growing. (Reuters)
Conservation Plan Sought for California Islands
May 21, 2005Less than 30 miles from San Francisco exists an undisturbed wildlife haven that biologists call California's Galapagos, and starting next week the Fish and Wildlife Service will seek public comment on a 15-year conservation plan that will address public access and several other issues. (Associated Press)
Muddy Waters
May 21, 2005Even though human activities such as agriculture and deforestation are sending more sediment into streams and rivers, less of that material is reaching river deltas, a trend that exacerbates problems such as subsidence and coastal erosion. (Science)
Five-Year Ban on Black Coral Recommended
May 21, 2005An advisory group has recommended a five-year ban on harvesting the gemstone known as black coral, a living organism that attaches itself to rocks in deep Hawaiian waters, because younger populations of the coral are declining. (Associated Press)
15,000 Evacuated as Freak Tide Hits Southern India
May 21, 2005At least 15,000 villagers were evacuated after a freak tide caused a surge of sea water in the southern Indian state of Kerala, triggering memories of December's devastating tsunami, officials say. (AFP)
Measuring the Reality of Climate Change
May 21, 2005Scientists have reported worrying signs that the vast ice sheet over Greenland is melting, and if the whole mass of ice disappeared, the world's sea level would rise by about 20 feet. (BBC)
Web Site Explains How Climate Change Affects New York City
May 20, 2005A new highly-researched Web site provides scientific answers to basic questions about climate change and how such changes might impact New York City. (Science Daily)
Climate Change Could Crowd Middle of Europe
May 20, 2005The middle of Europe could become crowded by "climate change refugees" escaping a thawing Arctic to the north and Mediterranean droughts to the south, the head of the European Environment Agency (EEA) says. (Reuters)
Hurricane Adrian Downgraded to Tropical Storm
May 20, 2005Hurricane Adrian was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in El Salvador, quickly losing wind speed but still packing torrential rains and flash flood danger, as thousands of evacuees await news they can go home. (AFP)
U.N. Report Says Biodiversity on Decline
May 20, 2005A new report says changes in biodiversity due to human activities were more rapid in the past 50 years than at any time in human history, and over the last 100 years species extinction caused by humans has multiplied as much as 1,000 times. (Associated Press)
U.S. Launches Weather-Tracking Satellite
May 20, 2005After a series of delays, a rocket carrying a global weather-tracking satellite blasts off on a multimillion-dollar mission to improve forecasting and monitor global climate changes. (Associated Press)
Study Reveals Natural Air Cleaners
May 20, 2005Natural chemicals in the air, called hydroxyl radicals, scrub away pollution more effectively than previously thought, according to new research. (LiveScience.com)
Warming Is Blamed for Antarctica's Weight Gain
May 20, 2005The eastern half of Antarctica is gaining weight, more than 45 billion tons a year, as its surface grows higher due to a build up of ice and snow, a new study shows. (Reuters)
Report: Antarctic Ice Sheet Thickening
May 20, 2005Part of the Antarctic ice sheet is getting thicker, slightly easing rising ocean levels, according to a new report co-authored by a University of Arizona graduate student. (Associated Press)
Tsunami Could Strike Australia in Next Decade
May 20, 2005Australia's populous east coast could be struck by a devastating tsunami during the next decade, researchers say, as the government prepares to create a national tsunami warning system. (Reuters)
Scientists: Sumatra Quake Longest Ever Recorded
May 20, 2005Dramatic new data from the December 26, 2004, Sumatran-Andaman earthquake that generated deadly tsunamis show the event created the longest fault rupture and the longest duration of faulting ever observed. (CNN)
Tsunami Quake Stronger Than Believed
May 20, 2005A new study shows the December 2004 Sumatra earthquake likely had a magnitude of 9.15, rather than 9.0, on the Richter scale. (Reuters)
Tsunami Earthquake 'Unzipped' the Earth
May 19, 2005The great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of Dec. 26 "unzipped" an 800-mile stretch of the planet and bowed Earth like a gigantic cello string, a series of studies show. (Discovery.com)
Sumatra Quake Shook Earth's Total Surface
May 19, 2005December's great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake � the most powerful in more than 40 years and the trigger of a devastating tsunami � shook the ground everywhere on Earth's surface and weeks later the planet was still trembling. (Associated Press)
Scientists Unveil Earthquake Forecast
May 19, 2005United States Geological Survey scientists have launched a Web site that calculates the probability of strong ground-shaking at specific locations in California over a 24-hour period. (Associated Press)
Research Shows L.A. Quake Faults Squeezed
May 19, 2005The San Gabriel Mountains and downtown Los Angeles are being squeezed at such a rate that the strain could cause a moderate temblor, according to new research. (Associated Press)
Antarctica Scientists Get Big Ice Cube Delivery
May 19, 2005An iceberg more than twice the size of Malta has ground to a halt near an Australian outpost on the frozen continent, blotting out much of the horizon. (Reuters)
To Track Global Warming, Watch the Water Flow
May 19, 2005Changes in the water cycle may be subtle and often poorly understood, but researchers using satellite images of the western Arabian Sea found sea-color changes due to seasonal blooms of phytoplankton - which have increased more than 350 percent in seven years. (Christian Science Monitor)
Amazon Deforestation Up 6 Percent in 2004
May 19, 2005Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest in 2004 was the second worst ever says the Brazilian government, and satellite photos show hat ranchers, soybean farmers and loggers burned and cut down a near-record area 10,088 square miles of rain forest in the 12 months ending in August 2004. (Associated Press)
Pick Your Poison: Smog or Global Warming
May 19, 2005A study of the strange climate changes in the Indian Ocean has uncovered a frightening climatic dilemma: by cleaning up smog, we could accelerate global warming. (Discovery.com)
Mount St. Helens: 25 Years of Bitter Memories
May 18, 2005Scientists have come a long way in warning of potential volcanic eruptions like Mount St. Helens that ripped trees out of the ground 17 miles from the crater and devastated an area spanning 230 square miles. (Associated Press)
Predicting the Next Big One
May 18, 2005Scientists say they are more confident about their abilities to predict volcanic eruptions with techniques that range from listening for unique, musical-like vibrations to drilling inside the giant structures. (ABC News)
Marshes Tell Story of Medieval Drought, Little Ice Age, and European Settlers near New York City
May 18, 2005Sediment layers from a tidal marsh in the Hudson River Estuary have preserved pollen from plants, seeds, and other materials, allowing researchers from Columbia University and NASA to see evidence of a 500 year drought from 800 A.D. to 1300 A.D., the passing of the Little Ice Age and the impacts of European settlers. (Science Daily)
Spring Early due to Global Warming
May 17, 2005On a global average, signs of spring appear 9.6 days earlier than they did 30 years ago and Stanford scientists who studied 130 species of birds, animals, trees and other plants found significant changes in springtime activity. (Detroit Free Press)
China: Danger of Melting Everest Glaciers
May 17, 2005Global warming is shrinking glaciers on the Tibet side of Mount Everest faster than ever, putting world water supplies at risk, say scientists. (Reuters)
Aging Sewer Systems Fouling Great Lakes
May 17, 2005Sewage is fouling the Great Lakes and other waters in the region because many municipal waste treatment systems are failing to stop overflows, environmental groups say. (Associated Press)
Request for Forest Carbon Credits
May 17, 2005Rainforest protection should be added to measures to prevent global warming, climate experts say. (BBC)
Another Bad Hurricane Season Predicted
May 16, 2005The Atlantic seaboard and Gulf Coast could be in for another bad hurricane season, say government forecasters, with 12 to 15 named storms, including 9 hurricanes. (Associated Press)
Glaciers in Africa Expected to Disappear
May 15, 2005Mountain glaciers in equatorial Africa are on their way to disappearing within two decades, a team of British researchers report. (Associated Press)
Powerful Earthquake Jolts Sumatra
May 14, 2005An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale rocketed part of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. (Reuters)
Forecasters Predict a Flurry of Hurricanes This Season
May 14, 2005Dr. William Gray of Colorado State University has released his forecast for the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season: 13 named storms, including 7 hurricanes. (Associated Press)
Galapagos Volcano Spews Ash and Vapor
May 13, 2005A volcano has begun to erupt on one of the Galapagos Islands, but authorities say the few unique animal species on the island were not in immediate danger. (Associated Press)
Tsunamis Lay Await in Lake Tahoe
May 13, 2005Faults hidden beneath the waves of one of the world's deepest lakes 2005-05-0occasionally trigger large quakes that could set 30-foot tsunamis sloshing mercilessly back and forth, according to a new study. (Discovery.com)
Scientists to Probe Quake Site of Asian Tsunami
May 12, 2005Scientists are investigating the site of the undersea earthquake that set off last year's tsunami in South Asia in hope of compiling a second-by-second account of the disaster using computer-generated images. (Associated Press)
Large California Quake Possible Within 30 Years
May 12, 2005Researchers have calculated a 20 to 70 percent probability that southern California will be hit by a large earthquake in the next 30 years. (LiveScience.com)
Global Brightening: New Hazard?
May 12, 2005Studies indicate that more sunlight is reaching the Earth's surface and researchers say these measurements are potentially powerful tools for gauging human influences on the climate. (Christian Science Monitor)
Swiss Wrap Glacier to Slow Ice Melt
May 12, 2005Alarmed by the retreat of its Alpine glacier, a Swiss ski resort has wrapped part of the shrinking ice-cap in a giant blanket in a bid to reduce the summer melt. (Reuters)
North Sea Fish Head for Cooler Waters
May 12, 2005Almost two-thirds of the bottom-dwelling fish species studied in the North Sea are showing signs of heading for cooler climates as the water temperatures warm, a survey says. (Discovery.com)
Group: Increase Women in Science
May 11, 2005More than 6,000 scientists, engineers and others experts are urging Congress to increase opportunities for women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (Associated Press)
Ocean Climate Predicts Elk Population in Canadian Rockies
May 11, 2005A University of Alberta doctoral student is the first researcher to show a correlation between the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) and a mammal population. (Science Daily)
Solar Activity Linked to Whale Strandings: Study
May 10, 2005Surges of solar activity may cause whales to run aground, possibly by disrupting their internal compass, Germany scientists say. (AFP)
Changes in Vegetation Might Make Severe Weather Worse
May 10, 2005A changing climate can alter the types and extent of plants in a region and a new study suggests the altered vegetation might make severe weather worse. (LiveScience.com)
British Flora May Face Extinction
May 9, 2005Fewer British fields are bursting into yellow each summer, with 20 percent of native flora species declining at rates that put them at risk of extinction. (Associated Press)
Climate: A Message from the Plankton?
May 9, 2005New research supports the idea that animal and plants do evolve to deal with changing environmental conditions, some better than others. (United Press International)
India to Set up Tsunami Alert System
May 9, 2005India, hit hard by Asia's tsunami last year, will have a warning system ready by September 2007 to protect its eastern and western coasts from killer waves, officials say. (Reuters)
Yellowstone Rated High for Eruption Threat
May 7, 2005The Yellowstone caldera has been classified a high threat for volcanic eruption, according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey. (Associated Press)
Earth Has Become Brighter, but No One Is Sure Why
May 6, 2005Reversing a decades-long trend toward "global dimming," Earth's surface has become brighter since 1990, scientists say. (New York Times)
Small Glaciers in Northern California Buck Global Warming Trend
May 6, 2005While glaciers around the world are shrinking and disappearing, presumably due to global warming, two small glaciers in the Trinity Alps of Northern California are holding their own. (Science Daily)
Climate Change Threatens South Africa
May 5, 2005South Africa will pay dearly for global industrialization and other activities that generate greenhouse gases, a new study shows. (Mail & Guardian, South Africa)
Earth's Gravity Scar
May 5, 2005A new European Space Agency study predicts that the devastating Sumatran earthquake, which resulted in the tragic tsunami of December 26, 2004, will have left a 'scar' on Earth's gravity that could be detected by a sensitive new satellite, due for launch next year. (Science Daily)
Early Earth Not So Hellish, Study Finds
May 5, 2005The prevailing view of early Earth is that it was utter hell, a fiery environment unsuitable for life, but new research shows the planet 2005-05-0have been suitable for life just 200 million years after the solar system formed, new research suggests. (LiveScience.com)
U.K. Earthquakes Explained
May 5, 2005There's a piece of a Yellowstone-like hotspot trapped under England, say geophysicists who have used the latest in seismic imaging techniques to "CATscan" the crust under the British Isles. (Discovery.com)
India Launch of Remote Sensing Satellite a Success
May 5, 2005India has launched a satellite equipped with two cameras to provide images of natural disasters, map land resources and track environmental changes in South Asia, the country's space agency says. (Associated Press)
Coral Species Put on 'Threatened' List
May 5, 2005Two coral species in Florida and the Caribbean now have a spot on the federal threatened list because of dangers posed by human activity, hurricanes and higher water temperatures. (Associated Press)
NASA and NOAA Set to Launch New Environmental Satellite
May 4, 2005NASA is set to launch the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES), another critical link in the development of a global Earth-observation program. (Science Daily)
U.S. Geologists Press for Volcano Early Warning Plan
May 3, 2005At least 13 U.S. volcanoes could erupt with short notice and little warning to people living nearby or aircraft flying overhead, the U.S. Geological Survey says. (Associated Press)
Studies Show Higher Quake Hazard near Reno
May 2, 2005New research suggests the earthquake hazard in the Reno-Lake Tahoe area is higher than previously thought, scientists say. (Associated Press)
Midwest Research Projects Look to Hydrogen
May 2, 2005Several research projects in South Dakota and neighboring states are looking to hydrogen as a fuel source that could reduce air pollution and global warming. (Associated Press)
Mercury-Laden Clouds Threaten Utah
May 1, 2005Mercury-laden clouds from gold mine smokestacks near Elko, Nevada, are floating east and could pose a health threat and damage the ecology of the Great Salt Lake. (Associated Press)