Traumatic Hurricane Season Draws to Close
November 30, 2004One of the most traumatic hurricane seasons in Florida history officially ended Tuesday with the state's governor calling the occasion a time for "reflection and celebration." (Associated Press, BBC)
Coral Thrives on Sunken WWII Ships in Gulf
November 29, 2004A University of Alabama scientist and other researchers have found coral growing at extreme depths in the Gulf of Mexico - on several ships sunk during World War II by Nazi submarines. (Associated Press)
Booming China Awash in 'Out of Control' Acid Rain
November 29, 2004China's explosive economic growth is outpacing environmental protection efforts, leaving the country awash in "out of control" acid rain, the China Daily says. (Reuters)
Asia Faces Living Nightmare from Climate Change
November 29, 2004In the decades to come, Asia -- home to more than half the world's 6.3 billion people -- will lurch from one climate extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods, disease, food shortages and rising sea levels. (Reuters)
Strong Quake Hits Northern Japan
November 28, 2004A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 hit a wide area of Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, says the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). (Reuters)
Earthquake Shakes Mount St. Helens
November 27, 2004A 3.1-magnitude earthquake shook the crater at Mount St. Helens, the strongest quake at the volcano since mid-October. (Associated Press)
Wind Industry Bids to Win Over Doubters
November 26, 2004The European wind energy industry, thriving as climate change tops the global agenda, says it could eventually supply all of the continent's electricity, but must first overcome public resistance over eyesore turbines. (Reuters)
Arctic People Seek Tropical Team on Global Warming
November 25, 2004Arctic peoples aim to team up with tropical islanders in a campaign against global warming, arguing that polar bears and palm-fringed beaches stand to suffer most. (Reuters)
Oceans Yield Thousands of New Species
November 24, 2004A huge international collaboration involving hundreds of scientists has revealed thousands of previously unknown marine species lurking in the shadowy depths and currents of the world's oceans. (Associated Press, Reuters)
New World Conservation Boss Eyes Climate, Oceans
November 24, 2004The newly elected president of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) says that global warming and the lack of protected marine zones are key challenges that need to be hoisted high on the green agenda. (Reuters)
Half of Brazil's Amazon Jungle Occupied - Study
November 24, 2004About half of Brazil's original Amazon rainforest has been occupied by man, deforested or used for industry like logging and its destruction is worse than government data shows, a leading environmental group says. (Reuters)
No Sign of El Niño in Pacific for Now - Scientists
November 23, 2004Sea temperatures in the southeastern Pacific show no sign of bringing extreme "El Niño" weather conditions in the next two months, Peru's Maritime Institute (IMARPE) says. (Reuters)
Scientists 'Rebuild' Grand Canyon
November 22, 2004Scientists have begun releasing floods of water into the Grand Canyon in an attempt to boost local wildlife. (Associated Press, BBC)
Strong Earthquake Rattles New Zealand's South Island
November 22, 2004A strong earthquake shakes New Zealand's South Island, but there are no reports of injuries or major damage, officials and witnesses say. (Reuters)
Volcano Erupts in Southern Colombia, Ignites Fires
November 21, 2004The Galeras volcano in southern Colombia erupts, spraying rocks and starting short-lived forest fires, but no injuries are reported, the government says. (Reuters)
Where's the Water, Mate?
November 19, 2004A long-term drought could cause severe water shortages for many Australian cities by 2006. (Christian Science Monitor)
Scientists See Hope Amid Coral Doom and Gloom
November 19, 2004Even though nearly two thirds of coral reefs are now officially endangered, some are bouncing back despite warmer oceans and pollution, giving hope the marine marvels are not completely doomed, scientists say. (Reuters)
Asian CEOs Warned of Threat from Climate Change
November 19, 2004More severe tropical cyclones, heat waves, and a dramatic shift in rainfall patterns could batter Asia by the end of the century as its factories boom, a leading climate expert tells Asian chief executives. (Reuters)
Climate Change Skeptics Wrong
November 18, 2004A major argument used by skeptics of global warming is flawed, a UK Met Office study says. (BBC)
A Cold, Hard Look at a Telltale Region
November 18, 2004Researchers will establish a network of sensors in the Arctic to better record climate changes. (Christian Science Monitor)
NASA's Eyes in the Sky to Help Global Conservation
November 18, 2004NASA will now help to map the Earth in the name of conservation, the agency says. (Associated Press, Reuters)
Global Experts Unite to Study Water Shortages
November 18, 2004By 2025, a third of the world's population will be facing acute water shortages and farmers, academics and governments must work together to solve the problem, global experts say. (Reuters)
Greens Paint Grim Picture of Future, Warmer World
November 18, 2004Environmentalists forecast a grim future for planet Earth, predicting that droughts, heat waves and hurricanes will become increasingly common and more severe if global warming is allowed to continue unchecked. (Reuters)
NASA Research Shows Wetland Changes Affect Florida Freezes
November 18, 2004Scientists funded by NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS) find a link between the losses of wetlands and more severe freezes in some agricultural areas of south Florida. (Science Daily)
Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply
November 17, 2004Mountain glaciers, which act as the world's water towers, are shrinking at ever faster rates, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people and the future of countless species, scientists say. (Reuters)
French Harvests Show Hot Spots over the Centuries
November 17, 2004Records of the harvest dates, which are closely related to temperature and have been registered in local archives for hundreds of years, show that last year's sweltering summer days were probably the hottest in more than 600 years. (Reuters)
Everest Needs UNESCO Status as Glaciers Melt, Environmentalists Say
November 16, 2004Mount Everest should be put on a United Nations danger list as global warming threatens the Himalayan region, environmentalists say. (Reuters)
Melting Swiss Glaciers Threaten Alps
November 15, 2004Switzerland's glaciers are melting faster than expected, shrinking by as much as one-fifth of their size over the 1985-2000 period alone, scientists at Zurich University say. (Associated Press, Reuters)
Australia Faces Weather Blitz from Warming
November 15, 2004Australia could expect more frequent droughts, heat waves, rainstorms and strong winds because of greenhouse gas-induced climate change, the country's main science research body says. (Reuters)
Scientists Test Materials with Fake Quakes
November 15, 2004Scientists produce the first simulated earthquakes designed to test how well common building materials and critical infrastructure, such as power lines, can withstand a quake's destructive forces. (Associated Press)
States Hit By Hurricane See Oyster Losses
November 15, 2004Oyster reefs in Alabama suffered severe damage from Hurricane Ivan's wave surge, which flushed out an estimated 80 percent of the $4 million crop, disrupting the livelihood of some 200 oystermen who work the reefs in winter. (Associated Press)
Indigenous Groups Urge U.S. to Slow Arctic Thaw
November 12, 2004Arctic indigenous peoples urge the United States to join other nations in cutting greenhouse gas emissions to break an accelerating thaw of polar ice. (Reuters)
India, France to Develop Climate Satellite
November 12, 2004The space agencies of India and France sign an agreement to cooperate in launching a satellite in four years that will help make climate predictions more accurate. (Associated Press)
Mexico Plans to Preserve Tropical Forest
November 12, 2004Mexico and a U.S. environmental group agree on a plan to protect 370,000 acres of tropical forest on the Yucatan Peninsula. (Associated Press)
Hurricanes Blamed for Fruit Infection
November 11, 2004This year's hurricanes spread citrus canker to at least 11,000 trees in Charlotte County, one of the largest outbreaks of the fruit-damaging infection to ever affect Florida's citrus industry, state officials say. (Associated Press)
Earthquake Shakes Mount Rainier
November 10, 2004Mount Rainier shook with a 3.2-magnitude earthquake, but scientists say the quake was not related to recent rumblings at Mount St. Helens, its sister volcano 50 miles to the south. (CNN)
Himalaya Glaciers Melt Unnoticed
November 10, 2004Environmentalists are warning that the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas could spell disaster for millions of people living in the region. (BBC)
Woes of Warming Arctic to Echo Worldwide Via Birds
November 10, 2004The decline of migratory birds due to an accelerating Arctic thaw may also disrupt the delicate ecosystems of their far-flung winter homes from Africa to South America, experts say. (Reuters)
Arctic Thaw May Open Ship Lanes, But Risks High
November 10, 2004A faster-than-expected thaw of the Arctic is likely to open legendary short-cut routes between the Pacific and the Atlantic but experts say icebergs and high costs will prevent any trans-polar shipping boom. (Reuters)
Aviation Key in Climate Change Battle - UK Report
November 9, 2004Britain must make aircraft pollution a priority to confront the problems of climate change, an expert parliamentary committee of peers say. (Reuters)
NASA Climatologists Named in Scientific American Top 50 Scientists
November 9, 2004For the first time, NASA researchers have been awarded the Scientific American Top 50 Scientist Award. (Science Daily)
Oceans to Rise One Meter by 2100-Arctic Expert
November 9, 2004Global warming is melting Arctic ice faster than expected, and the world's oceans could rise by about a meter by 2100, swamping homes from Bangladesh to Florida, a new study shows. (Reuters)
A Melting Glacier in Tibet Serves as an Example and a Warning
November 9, 2004Warming temperatures over the last three decades has resulted in considerable ice loss in a major glacier in Tibet, home to some of the loftiest highlands on Earth. (New York Times)
Volcano 'Cowboys' Who Ride a Ring of Fire
November 9, 2004With things like Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, space-based radar imagery, micro-technology, and much more powerful computers, geologists are much better equipped to predict earthquakes and volcanoes. (Christian Science Monitor)
China in for Extreme Weather as Climate Change Felt
November 9, 2004China can expect more droughts, floods and other extreme weather as it struggles to balance rapid development with environmental concerns, according to a new report. (Reuters)
Australia in Grip of Water Crisis
November 8, 2004A sustained drought in Australia could mean the loss of drinking water in some of the country's large cities. (Associated Press)
Report: Many Species Scramble to Adjust to Warming
November 8, 2004North American wildlife species ranging from butterflies to red fox are scrambling to adapt to Earth's rising temperatures and may not survive, according to a new study. (Reuters)
Arctic Thaw Threatens People, Polar Bears
November 8, 2004Global warming is heating the Arctic almost twice as fast as the rest of the planet in a thaw that threatens millions of livelihoods and could wipe out polar bears by 2100, an eight-nation report indicates. (Reuters)
New Pressures Threaten California Ecosystems
November 8, 2004A proposal to send more water to Central Valley fields and Southern California neighborhoods could undermine ecological gains in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, environmentalists say. (Associated Press)
TRMM Satellite Proves El Niño Holds the Reins on Global Rains
November 8, 2004NASA scientists recently found the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main driver of the change in rain patterns all around the world. (Science Daily)
Drought Forcing Farmers to Change Industry
November 5, 2004A drought that has lasted more than five years and increasing water demand from growing metropolitan areas are forcing farmers in the West and Midwest into trying new farming methods that use less water, such as no-till. (Associated Press)
Los Angeles Air Cleaner in 2004
November 5, 2004With a little help from good weather, air in Los Angeles was the cleanest on record this year, regulators say. (Associated Press)
Antarctic Forests Reveal Ancient Trees
November 5, 2004A quarter-billion years ago, forested islands flashed with autumnal hues near the South Pole -- a polar scene unlike any today, researchers say. (Discovery.com)
Awesome Power of Iceland Volcano
November 4, 2004A spectacular volcanic eruption under an Iceland glacier, with explosions sending ash up to 40,000 feet in the air, has forced airlines to divert flights to avoid flying through gas emissions from the blast. (BBC)
World 'Will Act on Climate Gases'
November 4, 2004International action to cut greenhouse gases is on the way, a leading British expert on the environment believes. (BBC)
Memphis Has No Days of High Air Pollution
November 3, 2004Memphis didn't have a day of excessive air pollution during the seven-month ozone season for the first time in seven years. (Associated Press)
Climate Gas Cuts 'Are Affordable'
November 3, 2004The world can ward off a dangerous rise in temperature much more cheaply than many people think, a UK scientist says. (BBC)
Drought Unearths a Buried Treasure
November 2, 2004A severe drought has made Glen Canyon, at the shallow confluence of Coyote Creek and Escalante River in Utah, open and visible, much as it was before the dam was built. (New York Times)
Catch the Wind, Change the Weather
November 2, 2004A new study finds that wind turbines slow down air flow and help create warmer, drier conditions at the surface. (New York Times)
Italy Basks in Record High Temperatures
November 2, 2004Italy is basking in an unseasonable heat wave with record high temperatures as the year of highly abnormal weather continues. (Reuters)
UNH Center to Study Stormwater Treatment
November 2, 2004A new research center at the University of New Hampshire hopes to help reduce a huge threat to water quality nationwide: stormwater carrying pollutants into streams, wetlands and coastal harbors. (Associated Press)
Restoration May Help Gulf of Maine
November 2, 2004Improved fish passage on the Penobscot River and recovery of a salt marsh on the west branch of the Pleasant River could bring environmental benefits to the Gulf of Maine, according to a new report. (Associated Press)
Arctic Heads into Warmer Future
November 2, 2004The Arctic is undergoing rapid and possibly irreversible change, according to a new report prepared for the eight nations which rim the region. (BBC)
Global Warming Brings No Debate Among Scientists
November 1, 2004The timberline on Cascade peaks will creep upward, waves will grow taller on the Oregon coast and plants and animals will breed earlier in the summer, according to a report on the effects of global warming in the Pacific Northwest. (Associated Press)