How Melting Glaciers Move: Cracking the Mystery
July 30, 2004Researchers are trying to better understand how glaciers impact and are affected by climate by creating more precise mathematical models. (National Geographic News)
Scientists' Showdown with Soil Moisture at the O.K. Corral
July 30, 2004Scientists from NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other institutions will study soil moisture in Tombstone, Arizona and Mexico during 2004-08-to improve weather forecasts and the ability to interpret satellite data. (Science Daily)
City Heat Warms Plants Miles Away
July 29, 2004Using NASA satellite data, Boston University researchers say "urban heat islands" create warmth that extends as much as six miles from the cities, lengthening the growing season by as much as 15 percent. (Associated Press)
Scientists Spot Rare Blue Whales in Alaska
July 29, 2004Scientists have sighted a rare mammal in Alaska waters endangered blue whales, the largest animal known to live on Earth. (Associated Press)
Minister Unveils Flooding Plans
July 29, 2004Plans to tackle the growing problems of flooding and coastal erosion in England due to global warming have been published by the government. (BBC)
Data Show Amazon Still 'Lungs of the World'
July 28, 2004The Amazon deserves to be called the "lungs of the world," as new projections show it is a net producer of oxygen despite widespread burning of the jungle, according to scientists with the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), partly funded by NASA. (Associated Press, Reuters)
Alaska Volcano Stirs from 12-Year Slumber
July 28, 2004The Alaska Volcano Observatory says Mount Spurr is showing some signs of life and may erupt within the next few weeks. (Associated Press)
Greenland Ice Melt Speeding Up
July 28, 2004Dutch scientists say automated monitoring stations in Greenland show that the edges of ice sheets are melting up to 10 times more rapidly than previous research indicated. (BBC)
Carbon Store 'Could Free UK Coal'
July 27, 2004The UK could secure its energy supply for many decades if it could use its huge reserves of coal, say scientists. (BBC)
Study Finds Decline in Snow-to-Precipitation Ratio
July 27, 2004Snowfall in New England has decreased significantly in favor of rain during the last half of the 20th century, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey. (Newsday)
Malaria Experts Abuzz on Global Warming Fears
July 27, 2004With malaria's history of surviving in the cold, experts are at odds about how far modern global warming may spread one of the planet's most deadly diseases. (Reuters, Associated Press)
Global Voyage Begins to Study Air Quality
July 27, 2004The second phases of a massive air quality study, partially funded by NASA, has begun with the launch of a boat that will map and analyze air pollution as it travels over the globe. (Associated Press)
African Plants Grow as Dutch Environment Warms
July 25, 2004Changes in the Dutch climate in recent years because of global warming have meant dozens of plant types normally found in warmer areas are now growing wild in the country, according to a new study. (Reuters)
Ship-sinking Monster Waves Are Widespread
July 24, 2004Rogue waves as high as 10-story buildings that can sink large ships are far more common than previously thought, says the European Space Agency. (Reuters)
Digging for Answers to Climate Change
July 23, 2004European scientists are working to dig deep into the Earth below the Mediterranean Sea in the hope that pre-historic sediment cores will offer clues into climate change. (Deutsche Welle News)
Get Used to Forest Fires, Climate Scientist Warns
July 23, 2004A forest fire researcher says the Yukon is likely to continue to burn in years to come, as the effects of climate change turn up the heat in the woods. (CBC)
Report Highlights Global Warming Trend
July 23, 2004A government reports says more fires, floods, and diseases could occur in Australia as temperatures increase by as much as five degrees by 2070. (The Border Mail, Australia)
Peru's Snowy Peaks May Vanish as Planet Heats Up
July 22, 2004The snow in the Andes could disappear along with many of Peru's glaciers in the next several years because of global warming, say experts. (Reuters)
Rock Falls a Higher Risk as Climate Warns
July 22, 2004As well as changing shape and appearance, mountains may also disappear as temperatures warm and destabilize the rocks by thawing the permafrost. (The Scotsman, UK)
Climate Change Affects Deep Sea Life
July 22, 2004New research indicates that climate change impinges on the rhythm of life � even on the sea floor. (Nature)
Rivers Worked Overtime to Cut Grand Gorges
July 22, 2004The Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers worked double-time to create gorges that remain scenic wanders today, carving through bedrock at twice the usual rate. (Associated Press)
NASA Goes to the 'SORCE' of Earth Sun-Blockers
July 22, 2004Scientists using measurements from NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite have discovered that Venus and sunspots have something in common: they both block some of the sun's energy going to Earth. (Science Daily)
Study: Land in Coastal Areas Breathing
July 20, 2004New research shows that as tides come ashore, the water causes changes in underground air pressure, forcing air and moisture in and out of the ground along the shoreline. (Associated Press)
Report: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Overstated
July 19, 2004Estimates of pollution reduction in the Chesapeake Bay have been based on a computer model that was distorted by overly generous assumptions, a new study says. (Associated Press)
Brazil's Savanna Set to Disappear by 2030
July 19, 2004A new report suggests Brazil's vast tropical savanna will disappear by 2030 if an area nearly the size of New Jersey continues to be cleared each year to transform it into the world's biggest grain growing area. (Reuters)
Amazon Fires Raise Carbon Dioxide Threat
July 16, 2004Deforestation in the vast Amazon region has turned Brazil into one of the world�s biggest carbon dioxide polluters, scientists say. (BBC)
Monster Raindrops Delight Experts
July 16, 2004Scientists have observed the biggest raindrops recorded on Earth, up to one centimeter in size. (BBC)
500 Scientists to Participate in Smog Study
July 16, 2004Five hundred scientists from Canada, the United States and Europe took to eleven aircraft this week to study the air quality in the northern hemisphere. (CBC, Nature)
EU Sees Drop in Global Warming Gases
July 16, 2004The European Union recorded its first dip in greenhouse-gas emissions in three years in 2002, largely because of the continent's warmer winter and stagnant economy, a new report says. (Associated Press)
EU Sees Drop in Global Warming Gases
July 16, 2004The European Union recorded its first dip in greenhouse-gas emissions in three years in 2002, largely because of the continent's warmer winter and stagnant economy, a new report says. (Associated Press)
NASA to Decommission Successful Satellite
July 16, 2004Citing a lack of funding, NASA will decommission the highly successful Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite later this year. (Science)
Flawed Research in Climate Forecasts
July 16, 2004A former head of Australia's National Climate Centre says projections of dramatically higher temperatures in the future are incorrect due to forecast model inaccuracies. (The Australian)
Montana, Idaho Forests Getting Healthier
July 15, 2004National Forests in Montana and northern Idaho have completed 94 percent of thinning, burning and other healthy forest projects this fiscal year, but more work is needed, says a regional forester. (Associated Press)
Aura Launched to Study Earth's Atmosphere
July 15, 2004NASA successfully launches the Aura satellite, a six-year mission intended to determine the composition of Earth's atmosphere in unprecedented detail. (Associated Press, Reuters)
Everglades Mercury Levels Fall Sharply, Study Shows
July 15, 2004Mercury levels in the Florida Everglades have fallen sharply since authorities curtailed waste incinerators and battery manufacturers reduced their use of heavy metal, university researchers say. (Reuters)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Harm Ocean Life
July 15, 2004The world's oceans have absorbed nearly half of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans during the last 200 years, creating potential long-term challenges for corals and algae. (Associated Press, Reuters)
Freak Weather Fells Italian Mountains
July 15, 2004Freak weather has caused the collapse of the most famous peaks in the Italian Dolomites in what some scientists say is an effect of global warming. (Reuters)
Climate Expert Fears for London
July 14, 2004A UK climate expert says London could be among the first cities to flood if global warming causes the planet's ice to melt. (BBC)
Will Compasses Point South?
July 13, 2004The weakening of the Earth's magnetic field is accelerating debate over whether it portends a reversal of the lines of magnetic force that normally envelop the Earth. (New York Times)
Forecasters Spot Unusual Climate Swing
July 13, 2004Weather forecasters say a massive swing in a key climate indicator, the Southern Oscillation Index, is unusual, but there is no obvious link to the greenhouse effect. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Historic Hurricanes Tracked on Web Site
July 9, 2004A new web site, created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), allows visitors to search through 150 years of Atlantic hurricanes and 50 years of their Pacific cousins by storm name, zip code, place name, latitude and longitude. (Associated Press)
Experts Find Mexico Bird Thought Extinct
July 9, 2004A bird thought by some to be extinct has been discovered on the island of Cozumel off Mexico's Caribbean coast, conservationists say. (Associated Press)
India Predicts Suffering from Climate Change
July 8, 2004Global climate change is likely to result in severe droughts and floods in India, and have major impacts on human health and food supplies, according to a new report. (SciDev.net)
Lake Under Antarctic Ice May be Divided
July 7, 2004Lake Vostok, deep beneath the Antarctic ice, appears to be divided into two deep basins, according to researchers who profiled the lake with an array of complex instruments. (Associated Press)
New Study Tracks New Mexico Mountain Moisture
July 6, 2004Research shows the drought of the 1950s could be partly to blame for current lower water levels in the Rio Grande and the surrounding shallow valley aquifer, say Penn State University scientists. (Associated Press)
Worst Floods in 25 Years Hit Taiwan
July 6, 2004Record flooding in Taiwan, caused by typhoon Mindulle, could mark the beginning of a worse than normal storm season in the region, say experts. (New Scientist)
NASA's Eye on Sky to Watch Earth's Ozone
July 6, 2004NASA is about to launch a satellite, Aura, that will monitor the health of the Earth's atmosphere in unprecedented detail, keeping track of everything from the upper ozone layer, which guards against solar radiation, to the air near the ground that humans breathe. (New York Times)
Scientists Ring Alarm on Climate
July 6, 2004Immediate action must be taken to stop the effects of climate change, starting with a timetable for a 60 percent fall in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, says a coalition of scientists. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Wave, Surf Warnings Aim to Save Lives
July 3, 2004Forecasters hope to prevent deaths and injuries caused by intense ocean waves and tides by issuing severe-wave and tide warnings under a new prediction system called Wavewatch III. (Associated Press)
Global Warming Impacting Nebraska
July 3, 2004Research being conducted on the effect of global warming on rice yields also has implications on major crops grown in Nebraska, according to a university scientist. (The Grand Island Independent, Nebraska)
Early Snowmelt Worries Researchers
July 3, 2004Snowmelt in Yosemite National Park began in mid-March this year, in what appears to be one of the earliest onsets of the melt in nearly 90 years, and some scientists suspect it is another sign that climate change is eroding the Sierra Nevada snowpack. (LA Times)
Alaska Natives Say Warming Trend Imperils Villages
July 2, 2004A warming climate is bringing expensive and potentially dangerous erosion and floods to Native Alaskan villages, say representatives of those communities. (Associated Press)
Bald Eagles Thrive in Maryland
July 2, 2004Bald eagles, long on the rise in Maryland, are multiplying so successfully that the population of nesting couples rose 10 percent over the past year, according to Department of Natural Resources reports. (Associated Press)
Virginia Eagles Weather Storm, Multiply
July 2, 2004Hurricane Isabel destroyed 72 eagle nests, about one-fourth of Virginia's total, but the big birds dusted themselves off, rebuilt most of the nests and produced 612 chicks this spring, a modern record. (Associated Press)
Europe Feeling Effects of Climate Change
July 1, 2004Scientists with the European Environment Agency say the continent must begin dealing systematically with the devastating effects of climate change. (Big News Network)
Australia Creates World's Largest Reef Sanctuary
July 1, 2004Australia's Great Barrier Reef is now the world's biggest protected marine network, and many environmental groups are urging countries in Asia and Central America to take similar action to protect other coral reefs. (Reuters)