Climatologists at Florida State University are creating new models of the behavior of walls of sea water created by hurricanes in efforts to better predict where they'll come ashore and how big they'll be. (Associated Press)
Meteorologists used up so many Atlantic storm names during the 2005 hurricane season that they may have to create a new back-up list in case supplies are exhausted in future busy years, U.S. forecasters said. (Reuters)
The busiest and costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record finally ended, but meteorologists cautioned that it may be years before the tropical Atlantic settles down. (Reuters)
Changes to ocean currents in the Atlantic may cool European weather within a few decades, scientists say. (BBC)
Villages along the northwestern Alaskan coast are facing widespread erosion and flooding that not only threatens homes, but also artifacts and archaeological treasures clustered near the beach. (National Public Radio)
Water supplies to more than 100,000 people in the Indian Ocean Comoros Islands have been contaminated by the eruption of one of the world's largest active volcanoes, the United Nations said. (Reuters)
Crews gradually reopened major highways that had been closed by the Plains' first blizzard of the season, stranding post-Thanksgiving travelers and leaving thousands without electricity. (Associated Press)
Two new studies predict that climate change will make dry regions of Africa drier still in the near future. (BBC)
The gradual warming of the Upper Midwest could cut the duck population in half as early as 2050, according to a new study. (Associated Press)
Scientists say that each second about a cubic yard of new mountain - roughly a pickup truck's worth - is pushed to the surface of Mount St. Helens, adding to a dome growing inside the crater. (The New York Times)
Tropical Storm Delta gained strength in the central Atlantic but was expected to weaken before reaching the Canary Islands, forecasters said. (Associated Press)
Worried officials monitored Italy's swelling rivers as severe winter weather sweeping across Europe brought more heavy rain and snow, and authorities in Austria warned of a "substantial" risk of avalanches. (Associated Press)
The Yellowstone cutthroat trout population in the nation's oldest national park "appears to be in peril," according to a new scientific journal article by National Park Service scientists. (Associated Press)
The world's second largest shark, a bird found in the Garden of Eden, and Central Asia's only true deer were among 11 new species given the title of "endangered" by countries around the world. (Reuters)
Scientists monitoring Earth movements in Antarctica believe they have found a singing iceberg as sound waves from an iceberg had a frequency of around 0.5 Hertz, but by playing them at higher speed, the iceberg sounded like a swarm of bees or an orchestra warming up, scientists said. (Reuters)
There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point during the last 650,000 years, says a major new study that let scientists peer back in time at "greenhouse gases" that can help fuel global warming. (Associated Press)
Scientists and birders will resume their search this winter for the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker to prove, once and for all, that the bird really lives in the vast eastern Arkansas wetlands. (Associated Press)
A mysterious underwater "boing" heard for 50 years by marine scientists and naval mariners in the North Pacific Ocean has finally been traced to breeding minke whales. (Discovery.com)
A coral bleaching expert says there are signs that some coral reefs are adapting to climate change and that many coral clusters in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef have struggled to survive in the rising sea temperatures of the past decade. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Rockfall at Mount St. Helens kicked up a plume that rose above the rim of the volcano's crater, but geologists say it was just dust. (Associated Press)
Increasing levels of ocean noise generated by military sonar, shipping, and oil and gas exploration are threatening dolphins and whales that rely on sound for mating, finding food and avoiding predators, according to a new report. (Associated Press)
Life is harsh on the freezing tundra of the Arctic Circle, but it can be much harder without adequate snowfall, and in recent years snows have failed to fall as normal across large parts of the barren land dotted with low birch and pines. (Reuters)
A close look at what's happening inside the eye walls of hurricanes has uncovered a signal that can warn forecasters when an approaching monster storm is about to get even uglier. (Discovery.com)
Britain has put forward a plan for international action to protect such rare birds of prey as eagles, vultures and owls from extinction. (Reuters)
The latest surveys of large glaciers in Greenland have exposed an alarming step-up in melting that threatens to raise global sea levels far faster than the best climate models have predicted. (Discovery.com)
Almost a year after the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami, scientists are busy installing buoys off the coast of Sumatra to help with future warning systems, while experts meet to discuss how the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean might be similarly protected. (Nature.com)
A group of engineers and geology experts said they are considering injecting sea water under Venice to raise the waterlogged Italian city 12 inches and rescue it from the tides and floods that bedevil it. (Associated Press)
Wyoming wildlife biologists and federal researchers say usinc acid, a substance found in a food elk eat, is responsible for the deaths of perhaps as many as 600 elk since February 2004. (Associated Press)
Fifty-foot-tall pines in the Deep South are subjects in an experiment by scientists at Duke University involving an engineered micro-climate to determine how these trees are likely to react as carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere and temperatures climb. (The Washington Post)
Eight Midwest states most at risk from a devastating earthquake have done little to prepare for such an emergency over the past 20 years says a new report. (Associated Press)
A team of University of Kansas researchers and students will be leaving soon to study conditions in Antarctica, in an effort to better understand the Earth's change in sea levels. (Associated Press)
The United Kingdom is unlikely to meet its 2010 target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent, the government's chief scientific advisor has admitted. (BBC)
Tropical Storm Gamma weakened into a tropical depression and drifted off Honduras after torrential downpours lashed the Central American coast, killing 12 people, including a young family of four. (Associated Press)
A severe earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale has struck Indonesia's Sumatra Island, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency said. (AFP)
Dozens of scientists from Hawaii and the mainland are launching a cooperative research project at Palmyra Atoll to study the remote area's pristine coral ecosystem. (Associated Press)
After four years of talks, negotiators have reached a deal aimed at preventing outsiders from raiding Great Lakes water and encouraging more efficient use of the coveted resource within the region. (Associated Press)
With more than 1,000 years of experience building dikes, the Dutch have flood defenses few can match, but after Katrina the government is reassessing what a worst-case scenario would mean for a nation where 10 million people live below sea level. (Associated Press)
Tropical Storm Gamma formed off the coast of Honduras, the 24th named storm of an already record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season. (Associated Press)
A strong earthquake rocked northern Chile and parts of Bolivia, sending residents fleeing out of buildings and temporarily knocking out telephones and electricity, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. (Associated Press)
After the rumbles of an earthquake, the winds of a hurricane, or the waves of a flood, first responders lay claim to the most dramatic jobs - but quick on their heels are those who leave the ivory tower of academia and head to the scene, hoping their analyses can improve people's lives the next time calamity strikes. (The Christian Science Monitor)
A new report commissioned by the Worldwide Fund for Nature says fish are increasingly threatened by climate change as rising temperatures in rivers, lakes and oceans means less food and oxygen for marine and freshwater fish populations. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Rich nations' emissions of greenhouse gases are likely to rise in coming years after a fall linked to the collapse of smokestack industries in the former Soviet Union, United Nations data showed. (Reuters)
Tiny zircon crystals dug up from ancient Australian deposits appear to have been formed right after the birth of the planet -- a finding that suggests that early on Earth had a cool crust much like today's that could have harbored life, scientists said. (Reuters)
A new study reveals one of the largest glaciers in Greenland is shrinking and speeding to the sea faster than scientists expected, and if it continues, Greenland itself could become much smaller during this century and global seas could rise as much as three feet. (LiveScience.com)
Rising seas caused by global warming and other factors will have dire consequences for New Jersey, submerging sections of the state's highly developed coastline by the end of the century, according to a report released by Princeton University. (Associated Press)
An experimental project in Canada to inject carbon dioxide into oil fields has proven successful, removing five million tons of the heat-trapping "greenhouse" gas, while enhancing oil recovery, the Energy Department said. (Associated Press)
As the climate warms, more water will fall in the form of rain rather than snow, and new modeling details show reservoirs will fill earlier than normal, altering the timing of runoff that water officials count on in many major reservoir systems. (LiveScience.com)
As the weather gets wackier in response to global warming, parasitism against caterpillars will decrease, biologists warn in a new study, freeing the creatures to devour agricultural fields and strip leafy forests bare. (National Geographic News)
Drainage from land disturbed by mining and road construction has caused acid levels to rise beyond acceptable levels in portions of at least 35 streams across the state, killing fish and insects. (Associated Press)
A study showing that smog reached unhealthy levels in the Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas 19 days this year demonstrates the continuing problem of air pollution and highlights the need for vehicle emission tests, the American Lung Association said. (Associated Press)
The United States could face gaps in forecasting and tracking hurricanes and other severe weather because of $3 billion in cost overruns and a three-year delay in a new satellite program, officials said. (Associated Press)
The first stage in the installation of a tsunami early-warning system is under way off the coast of Indonesia. (BBC)
Hunters eventually could be allowed to kill grizzly bears in three states if the government is successful in removing federal protections. (Associated Press)
Bison hunting, once commonplace in the American West until the species was nearly wiped out, resumed amid controversy in Montana after a 15-year ban. (Reuters)
More than 800 animal species in California are imperiled by development, pollution and recreational activities, according to a two-year government study. (Associated Press)
In a victory for environmentalists, the federal government listed Puget Sound's killer whales as an endangered species, giving the animals the highest protection available under the law. (Associated Press)
Wide spread tree planting in China has slowed the rate at which the Earth's forested area is dwindling, but the clearing of tropical forests, much of it in areas never previously cut, continues to grow, according to a new United Nations report. (The New York Times)
France plans to boost the use of solar power with cash incentives and to hit motorists with higher taxes on the worst polluting cars as it beefs up the fight against global warming. (Reuters)
Many government flood maps are outdated and need revision, but some critics worry that revisions may only encourage construction in risky areas and that federal flood insurance eligibility may ease the risk for lenders and speculators. (The Christian Science Monitor)
The federal coordinator for Gulf Coast recovery efforts said he will focus on ensuring the region's levees are stronger than they were before Hurricane Katrina -- but can't offer assurances that they could withstand another storm of that size. (Associated Press)
A strong earthquake shook northern Japan, triggering a small tsunami that struck coastal areas about 200 miles from the epicenter, but there were no immediate reports of damage. (Associated Press)
Warmer, wetter weather brought on by global warming could increase outbreaks of the plague, which has killed millions down the ages and wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, academics said. (Reuters)
Some of the United Kingdom's most environmentally sensitive upland lakes and streams are recovering from the impact of acid rain, the government has said. (BBC)
Dam projects around the world continue to cause social and environmental damage, campaigners said, despite guidelines for better practice having been in place for five years. (AFP)
This week, 16 buffalo will be released from a holding pen onto a portion of the nearly 32,000 acres of land in Montana that has been purchased or leased as the start of a wildlife reserve. (Associated Press)
Traffic is so bad along the eastern rim of Los Angeles' suburban ring that regional planners are considering the once unthinkable: an 11-mile tunnel through a mountain range in earthquake country. (Associated Press)
More than 100 scientists from around the world have converged on Darwin for a series of experiments on a tropical storm system in hope of helping forecasters better predict storms. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Since Katrina inundated 80 percent of New Orleans, moisture's assault has hit an all-time high, and a busy army of "mold remediation" crews have come from around the country to dry homes, businesses, schools and churches. (Associated Press)
Engineers may not have time to rebuild all 350 miles of battered levees in the New Orleans area before the next hurricane season, but they plan to shore up the structures enough to withstand another storm. (Associated Press)
Twisters swept across two counties north of Des Moines, ripping up farms and dozens of homes in the towns of Stratford and Woodward. (Associated Press)
Biologists from Vermont and Quebec have discovered an invasive fish species living in Lake Champlain that threatens to change the lake's ecosystem. (Associated Press)
An infestation of very hungry caterpillars is holding back the re-vegetation of land destroyed by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state 25 years ago. (New Scientist)
An energy analyst has claimed that the UK government's plan to derive one-fifth of the nation's energy from renewables by 2020 is not feasible. (New Scientist)
Water vapor rather than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main reason why Europe's climate is warming, according to a new study. (BBC)
A rare 1,400-pound meteorite was discovered seven feet underground by a collector in an area long known for producing prized space rocks. (Associated Press)
Grizzly bears in areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park would be removed from the endangered species list under a proposal to be announced next week, officials said. (Associated Press)
An increase in the planet's temperature 55 million years ago prompted major shifts in plant distribution, researchers reported. (Associated Press)
A group of countries which fringe the Arctic waters of the Barents Sea gathered in Norway and heard that they must go beyond UN plans to reduce greenhouse emissions. (AFP)
Coasts and marine life around Britain are under pressure from pollution, coastal erosion, over-fishing and climate change, experts have warned. (BBC)
The World Wildlife Fund said that quotas restricting industrial carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union between 2008 and 2012 should be tightened to bring more effective climate protection. (Reuters)
Scientists have found a way to estimate an earthquake's ultimate strength by analyzing the initial seconds of a rupture, a step that could one day provide early earthquake warning. (Associated Press)
The Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Louisiana lack an overall plan for restoring coastal wetlands, a National Academy of Sciences panel announced. (Associated Press)
British conservationists launched a campaign to save the country's native red squirrels against their disease-carrying, food-stealing and bigger grey cousins from North America. (Associated Press)
The mystery of the ivory-billed woodpecker takes center stage in Arkansas, where search teams will comb the swamps again for the birds, now known to have survived the past six decades despite their dwindling habitat. (USA Today)
The federal government is no longer considering whether it should declare Eastern oysters endangered, which would have affected people who make their living off the shellfish, but it still plans to finish a study on the species' health. (Associated Press)
As many as 200 million Monarch butterflies may migrate to Mexico this year -- a nearly tenfold increase over 2004, when unfavorable weather, pollution and deforestation caused a drastic decline in the population, environmental officials said. (Associated Press)
Huge tracts of grooved seafloor off the Antarctic Peninsula are telling researchers about a larger role Antarctica's ice has played in climate-driven sea-level rise, and hinting at how quickly glaciers can contribute to drowning coastlines worldwide. (Discovery.com)
The break-up of giant icebergs may have forced minor evolutionary changes in penguins over the past 6,000 years, a new study suggests. (LiveScience.com)
Residents on Grand Bahama Island say Wilma brought storm surges more than 12 feet high that swept away more than a hundred homes and killed at least one villager. (National Geographic News)
From tsunamis and earthquakes to hurricanes and bird flu, the natural disasters of the past year have underlined the urgency of a global project to pool knowledge that could limit the damage. (Reuters)
A world-first study into the effects of carbon dioxide on the Great Barrier Reef has been announced to investigate the impact of ocean acidification. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
A tornado tore across western Kentucky and Indiana, killing at least 22 people as it cut through a mobile home park and obliterated trailers and houses as residents slept. (Associated Press)
Fireballs and bright streaks of light seen in the sky around Anchorage were part of the Taurid meteor shower, the annual spray of comet dust over the Earth's upper atmosphere, according to a University of Alaska scientist. (Associated Press)
Goats are voracious - they eat leaves, branches, thistles, and even the poison oak that can spark forest fires - so a local community is unleashing the creatures to clear up the land. (ABC)
Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations, plans to launch a seismic alert system next year to capture early quake movements and issue warnings of more damaging tremors, officials said. (Reuters)
A shortcut for shipping into New Orleans acted as a "storm surge superhighway", funneling water into the city when Hurricane Katrina struck, a new report says. (New Scientist)
A fragile coral reef off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula could take more than a century to recover from a thrashing by Hurricane Wilma last month, the government said. (Reuters)
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore up about 100 square miles of environmentally significant marsh in southeastern Louisiana, federal geologists said. (Associated Press)
Capping a 5-year-long saga of destruction, an iceberg about the size of the Hawaiian island of Maui has split into three pieces in the frigid Antarctic, scientists said. (LiveScience.com)
Global warming may benefit salmon in Norwegian rivers by causing more rainfall that dilutes industrial acids blown from other parts of Europe, scientists said. (Reuters)
Climate change may promote the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and asthma in both rich and poor countries by increasing the range of parasitic insects and whipping up dust from storms, a new report says. (Reuters)
Canadians can expect to be living in a much different environment in the near future as the Earth's temperature continues to rise and climate change becomes more linked to wild weather, says a senior climatologist. (Canadian Press)
Some animals are responding to climate change in ways which could threaten their survival, a new study finds. (BBC)
Large parts of Sichuan, a southwest Chinese province known as the country's breadbasket, may be covered in sand in a few years' time because of the rapidly expanding desert. (AFP)
Volcanic eruptions can mask some of the effects of climate change by lowering sea levels, new research says. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Pakistan raised its death toll from last month's catastrophic earthquake to more than 73,000, making it one of the deadliest tremors in recent history. (AFP)
At least 15 people died in Vietnam as a typhoon nearing the coast dumped heavy rains and triggered floods in a region where bad weather has killed nearly 30 people in the past two weeks. (Reuters)
Repairs to New Orleans' levees may be insufficient to protect residents moving back to the devastated city if another hurricane comes before the tropical storm season ends this month, engineers said. (Associated Press)
Government meteorologists say 32 tornadoes were reported in California in the last year (from October to October), and 26 have been reported so far in the 2005 calendar year, topping the previous record of 24 set in 1988. (San Diego Union Tribune)
A bleaching phenomenon caused by unusually warm waters is whitening coral reefs throughout the Caribbean, raising fears of a large-scale die-off of the organisms, scientists said. (Associated Press)
If humans don't curb use of fossil fuels, the planet will warm 14.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2300 and the polar ice caps will disappear and oceans will rise 23 feet, says a new report by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (LiveScience.com)
A major Northern California earthquake could severely damage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee system and jeopardize the water supply for two-thirds of Californians for more than a year, a top state water official warned. (Associated Press)