Scientists Use Elephant Seals to Monitor Oceans
June 30, 2007Scientists plan to use elephant seals that dive thousands of feet below the surface and swim from northern California to Russia and back again to monitor what is happening in the oceans and see how the seals are adapting. (NPR)
Wilderness Vanishing From Earth
June 29, 2007Humans have domesticated the planet to such a degree that few untouched spots remain, researchers report in the journal Science. (Discovery News)
The Clearest Ocean Waters on Earth
June 29, 2007As clear as the clearest lakes on the planet, salty as ocean waters, and roughly the size of the Mediterranean, researchers say an area in the southeastern Pacific is the clearest and most lifeless patch of ocean in the world. (New Scientist)
Mysterious Clouds Creeping Out of the Arctic
June 28, 2007A new NASA satellite has recorded the first detailed images from space of a mysterious type of cloud called �night-shining� or �noctilucent" clouds. (LiveScience.com)
Global Warming Will Increase World Death Rate
June 28, 2007The increase in extremely hot summers predicted by climate change models will lead to a higher death toll that will not be offset by fewer deaths during warmer winters, say researchers. (New Scientist)
Study Sees Climate Change Impact on Alaska
June 28, 2007Many of Alaska�s roads, runways, railroads and water and sewer systems will wear out more quickly and cost more to repair or replace because of climate change, according to a new study. (New York Times)
East Antarctic Ice Sheet Stable
June 27, 2007An ice sheet in Antarctica that is the world's largest � with enough water to raise global sea levels by 200 feet � is relatively stable and poses no immediate threat, according to new research. (Associated Press)
Earth's Inner Heat Keeps Cities Afloat
June 27, 2007If it weren't for the hot rocks down below Earth's crust, most of North America would be below sea level, report researchers who say the significance of Earth's internal heat has been overlooked. (Associated Press)
Tropical Giant Penguin Discovered
June 27, 2007A giant penguin that preferred the tropics to the southern oceans has been discovered by a team of scientists. (BBC News)
Swiss Climate Warming Fast
June 26, 2007Switzerland's climate has since the 1970s warmed twice as fast as the average for the Northern Hemisphere, a Swiss public research institute said. (Agence France Presse)
Giant Penguins May Have Roamed Peru
June 26, 2007Giant penguins as tall as 5 feet roamed what is now Peru more than 40 million years ago, much earlier than scientists thought the flightless birds had spread to warmer climes. (Associated Press)
Satellites to Help Track Endangered Reptiles
June 25, 2007Satellites will be used for the first time to find the habitats of endangered reptiles in southern Queensland, said researchers at the University of Southern Queensland. (ABC News)
Arizona Dust Causes Colorado Meltdown
June 25, 2007Wind-blown dust from the drought-stricken Southwest can speed the melt of snow in Colorado�s mountains, yet another unpredictable effect of climate change, a new study shows. (LiveScience.com)
Robots to Search Unexplored Arctic for New Life
June 22, 2007Researchers hope new robotic tools will give them a first look at the mysterious Gakkel Ridge believed to host an array of undiscovered life during a 40-day expedition of the ridge beginning July 1. (Associated Press)
Rising Seas to Push Back U.S. Beaches
June 22, 2007Thanks to rising sea levels and more intense tropical storms, scientists report that potential sand losses to North Carolina beaches from a 1-foot rise in sea level would cause the coast to move inland by 2,000 to 10,000 feet by 2080. (LiveScience.com)
Icebergs are 'Ecological Hotspot'
June 22, 2007Drifting icebergs are "ecological hotspots" that enable the surrounding waters to absorb an increased volume of carbon dioxide, a study suggests. (BBC News)
Climate Turns Up Heat on Sea Turtles
June 21, 2007Scientists are worried climate change will destroy the sea turtles� habitat through rising sea level and increasing sand temperatures, endangering a species that has lived for 200 million years.(Christian Science Monitor)
Fish Populations Linked to Climate Change
June 21, 2007A 13-year study along the Great Barrier Reef has linked climate fluctuations with changes in fish populations for the first time. (ABC News)
Creating 'Escape Routes' for Wildlife
June 21, 2007Biological corridors, such as one planned from Panama to Mexico, would let species migrate to safer climates as global warming heats up their old habitats, scientists said. (Christian Science Monitor)
Lake Disappears Suddenly in Chile
June 21, 2007Scientists in Chile are investigating the sudden disappearance of a five-acre glacial lake in the south of the country that left a 100-foot deep dry crater. (BBC News)
Rising Sea Level Forecasts Understated, Say Scientists
June 20, 2007A group of U.S. climate scientists says a United Nations panel of experts has underestimated a predicted rise in sea levels this century. (ABC News)
Freak Winter is Europe's Warmest for 700 Years
June 20, 2007The last autumn-winter season was Europe's warmest for more than 700 years, with the continent not witnessing such winter temperatures since 1289, said researchers. (New Scientist)
Arctic Spring Arriving Weeks Earlier
June 19, 2007Spring in the Arctic now arrives about two weeks earlier than a decade ago because the snow is melting earlier, and other signs of spring were happening earlier than in 1996, said researchers. (New Scientist)
Garden Sprinklers May Save Reef from Bleaching
June 15, 2007Solar-powered garden sprinklers could be mounted onto floats above reefs to reduce light penetration that leads coral to deteriorate, potentially protecting the Great Barrier Reef from coral bleaching, say University of Queensland marine scientists. (ABC News)
Arctic Ice No Barrier for Plants
June 15, 2007Though it has been speculated that habitats shifting farther north as the planet warms could endanger many Arctic plants, the seeds of those plants are able to migrate the distances needed to survive changes to the climate, scientists suggest. (BBC News)
Fertile Forests Absorb More CO2
June 15, 2007Temperate and boreal forests can trap carbon dioxide emitted by cars, factories, and power plants, but all other things being equal, these "sinks" won't be of much long-term help if other factors, like rainfall and available nutrients, don't keep pace, researchers have found. (Christian Science Monitor)
Scientists Examine Cause of Bee Die-Off
June 15, 2007Scientists investigating a mysterious ailment that killed many of the nation's honeybees are concentrating on pesticides and a new pathogen as possible culprits, and some beekeepers are already trying to keep their colonies away from pesticide-exposed fields. (Associated Press)
Intensive Farming of Tequila Plant Harming Biodiversity
June 15, 2007Drink too much tequila and you may lose your marbles, but a huge appetite for the drink is killing off more than just brain cells: intensive cultivation of its main ingredient, Agave tequilana, is harming the genetic diversity of other agave species, say researchers. (New Scientist)
Pollution, Ships Threaten Coral Reefs
June 15, 2007Pollution, warming waters from climate change, commercial fishing, development, and ship groundings are jeopardizing coral off the coast of Florida, which is home to 84 percent of the nation's coral reefs. (Associated Press)
Scorching Summers in Store for Mediterranean
June 14, 2007Scorching heat could spell more dangerous summers for the Mediterranean over the next 100 years, a new analysis finds. (LiveScience)
Hurricane 'Cone of Danger' Under Fire
June 13, 2007The ominous "cone of uncertainty," which shows where a hurricane is likely to strike, can help guide the public but also creates confusion, say Yale University researchers. (Discovery News)
Salvage Logging Harms Forests
June 12, 2007Logging dead trees after a wildfire and planting new ones can make future fires worse, at least for a decade or two while the young trees create a volatile source of fuel, scientists found in a study that contradicts conventional practices. (Discovery News)
Global Warming Is Speeding up Ocean Waves
June 12, 2007Gigantic ocean waves, spanning hundreds of kilometers from crest to crest, have been speeding up thanks to global warming, a new model suggests. (New Scientist)
Lava Microbes Lived on Early Earth
June 12, 2007Mineral-filled "microtubules" found in the glassy surfaces of ancient undersea lava may be some of the earliest evidence of microscopic life on Earth, and may be a clue to life on Mars as well, scientists report. (Discovery News)
Landslides, Storms Kill 73 in Bangladesh
June 11, 2007Floods, landslides and lightning strikes have left dozens dead in Bangladesh as torrential monsoon rains pounded the disaster-prone country, officials said. (Agence France-Presse)
Charred Farm Waste Gobbles Carbon
June 11, 2007Burning agricultural waste without oxygen could provide a way to lock up massive amounts of greenhouse gas, stimulate plant growth and produce renewable energy all at the same time, a new study suggests. (Discovery News)
Global Warming Not Behind Kilimanjaro Meltdown
June 11, 2007It's bad science to use Africa�s Mount Kilimanjaro as a poster child for global warming�s nefarious effects, two researchers say, pointing to other mechanisms causing the melt of the tropical glacier at the mountain�s summit. (LiveScience)
'Nuclear Winter' Could Bring Years of Failed Crops
June 11, 2007A regional nuclear conflict would lower global temperatures for a decade, according to researchers at Rutgers University. (New Scientist)
66 Die in China Flooding, Landslides
June 10, 2007Landslides and flooding unleashed by heavy rains have killed at least 66 people in China and left nearly 600,000 homeless, a state news agency reported. (Associated Press)
Hong Kong's 'Red Tide' Spreads
June 10, 2007The huge blooms of algae affecting the waters around Hong Kong have spread to a popular beach on the south of the island, authorities said. (Agence France-Presse)
At Least Six Dead in Australia Storms
June 9, 2007Six people were confirmed dead and another two were missing as wild storms continued to lash Australia's east coast, smashing boats, flooding roads and cutting power to 200,000 homes. (Agence France-Presse)
Hong Kong Winters May Vanish in 50 Years: Weather Expert
June 8, 2007Hong Kong's winters could vanish within 50 years, with the number of cold days declining virtually to zero due to global warming and urbanization, the head of the city's weather observatory warned. (Reuters)
Midwest Residents Clean-up Storm Damage
June 8, 2007Cleanup crews assembled to salvage remnants of a northern Wisconsin resort demolished by one of at least five tornadoes that swept across the state. (Associated Press)
Global Warming Threatens Antarctic Base
June 8, 2007The Antarctic base occupied by British explorer Robert Falcon Scott on his ill-fated expedition to the South Pole on foot early last century has been included on a list of the world's 100 most endangered sites. (Associated Press)
Caribbean's Reef-Building Coral at Risk
June 7, 2007Six species of reef-building coral could vanish from the Caribbean due to rising temperatures and toxic runoff from islands' development, according to a new study. (Associated Press)
Geysers Reappear After Landslide
June 7, 2007Several of the wondrous geysers feared obliterated by a massive landslide on Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula reappeared after a drop in the water level in a lake formed by the flow of rock and mud, the World Wildlife Fund said. (Associated Press)
Hurricane Simulator to Blow Real Houses Down
June 7, 2007Wind engineers have created the world's largest portable hurricane simulator, which they will use to blow over vacant buildings with Katrina-strength winds to test how they withstand the fierce forces of a hurricane. (LiveScience.com)
28 Dead in Mideast After Rare Cyclone
June 7, 2007A massive cleanup began in Oman's small seaside capital, after Cyclone Gonu ripped down trees and bridges and poured mud onto the city. (Associated Press)
Study: Hurricane Surge 'Normal'
June 6, 2007A new study suggests the greenhouse-gas effect cannot be blamed for a surge in hurricane activity since the mid-1990s, but what was thought to an alarming blip in the number of hurricanes since 1995 could well turn out to be a return to the norm. (Agence France-Presse)
El Nino, La Nina Cycle Needs Watching: Experts
June 6, 2007 "La Nina", the abnormal cooling of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, is as powerful as its brother "El Nino" and the effects of global warming on their cycle need to be monitored, UK scientists said. (Reuters)
Powerful Cyclone Slams Into Oman Coast
June 5, 2007Cyclone Gonu reached Oman's sparsely populated eastern coast producing strong winds and waves, Oman's Civil Defense said, but it was unclear if the eye of the storm had hit land. (Associated Press)
Melting Glaciers Flowing Faster
June 5, 2007Hundreds of glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster, adding to a rise in sea levels, British experts said, as they pointed the finger of blame at global warming. (Agence France-Presse)
World Warmer Than Average in Year to May: UK
June 5, 2007The world was slightly warmer than average in the first five months of this year, but 2007 may not turn out to be the hottest on record, Britain's official weather forecaster said. (Reuters)
UN Report Says Global Thaw Could Affect 40 Percent of World Population
June 4, 2007Melting glaciers, ice sheets and snow cover could speed the rate at which the planet heats up, causing rising sea levels, flooding and water shortages that impact as many as 40 percent of the world's population, a UN report said. (Associated Press)
Himalayan Glaciers Could Be Gone in 50 Years: Experts
June 4, 2007Himalayan glaciers are retreating fast and could disappear within the next 50 years, experts warned at a conference in Nepal's capital looking at the regional effects of global warming. (Agence France-Presse)
Study: Hundreds of Bird Species Endangered by 2050
June 4, 2007At least 400 species of birds could become endangered within the next 50 years as a result of global warming and changes in land use, a new study finds. (LiveScience.com)
Flood Warnings in British Columbia
June 4, 2007Scorching weather over the weekend in British Columbia smashed more than twodozen temperature records, melting the mountain snowpack and forcing water levels higher on provincial rivers. (Canadian Press)
Thousands Evacuated After Oman Cyclone Warning
June 4, 2007Oman has evacuated 7,000 people from coastal areas amid warnings that a cyclone packing winds of up to 176 kilometers per hour (109 miles per hour) is headed for the Gulf sultanate, officials said. (Agence France-Presse)
Delta Islands May Become First Casualties of Warming
June 4, 2007Geologists say the 5,000 residents in the vast freshwater delta that feeds San Francisco Bay could become the first climate change refugees in the United States. (Associated Press)
China Earthquake Injuries 300; 3 Dead
June 3, 2007An earthquake hit southwest China, bringing down houses and killing at least three people, one a 4-year-old, and injuring 300, Xinhua news agency said. (Reuters)
Landslide Buries Geyser Valley
June 3, 2007A powerful landslide devastated a spectacular geyser valley in Russia's far eastern peninsula of Kamchatka, with experts due to examine the site, news agencies reported. (Agence France-Presse)
Barry Weakens to a Tropical Depression
June 2, 2007Tropical Storm Barry weakened into a tropical depression as it moved through Tampa Bay, bringing nearly seven inches of rain to parts of the drought-parched region. (Associated Press)
Research Finds Tropical Cyclones Have Climate-Climate Role
June 1, 2007Purdue University researchers have found that tropical cyclones and hurricanes play an important role in the ocean circulation patterns that transport heat and maintain the climate of North America and Europe. (USA Today)