Record Rains for British Summer
August 31, 2007This summer appears to have been the wettest since rainfall records began in 1914, according to provisional data from the UK's Met Office. (BBC News)
Vast Ice Island Trapped in Arctic
August 31, 2007An island of ice the size of Manhattan has drifted into a remote channel and become jammed, an occurrence seen by many scientists as a key indicator of the rapid warming of the Arctic. (BBC News)
Global Warming Flood Threat Worse Than Predicted
August 30, 2007Global warming could increase the risk of flooding more than previously estimated, as current flood prediction models do not take into account the impact of rising levels of carbon dioxide on plants. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Experts Work on Volcano Warning
August 29, 2007Scientists in Scotland have been awarded a grant to create a life-saving volcano warning system that they plan to test at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory with around-the-clock coverage of volcanic activity. (BBC News)
Greek Wildfires, Visible From Space, Shatter Records
August 29, 2007According to data released by the European Space Agency, Greece experienced more wildfire activity in August than other European countries have over the last decade, and the month was the worst for fires in Greece in the past 10 years by a factor of four. (Agence France-Presse)
Rising CO2 Levels Fueling Shrub Invasion
August 28, 2007Rising carbon dioxide levels are almost certainly fueling the encroachment of shrubs on global grasslands, a trend that could eventually jeopardize the use of these lands for cattle grazing, according to a new study. (Agence France-Presse)
Greenhouse Gases Likely Drove Near-Record U.S. Warmth in 2006
August 28, 2007Greenhouse gases likely accounted for more than half of the widespread warmth across the continental United States last year, when the average temperature was the second highest since record-keeping began in 1895. (NOAA)
Antarctic Ozone Hole Early in 2007
August 28, 2007A hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has appeared earlier than usual in 2007, the United Nations weather agency said, although it will not be clear for several weeks whether the ozone hole, which is expected to continue growing until early October, would be larger than its record size in 2006. (Reuters)
Flatter Oceans May Have Caused 1920s Sea Rise
August 24, 2007The lowering of a huge "mounds" of water may have caused sea levels to begin rising more quickly along Pacific and Atlantic coasts. (NewScientist.com)
California: A Seismic Lull for Los Angeles
August 24, 2007Los Angeles appears to be in a centuries-long seismic lull between periods of powerful earthquake activity, while communities inland, around the Mojave Desert, could be at higher risk of big quakes, according to a new study that examined 12,000 years of geological records. (The New York Times)
Drizzle Radar: A Gain for Climate Research
August 24, 2007Delft University of Technology has taken a new weather radar system into use, the "Drizzle Radar," which can observe even the lightest of drizzles - an enormous gain for climate researchers that is attracting international attention. (Science Daily)
Earth�s Oldest Diamonds Found in Australia
August 23, 2007The oldest known diamonds, almost as old as Earth itself, have been found in Australia and could hold the key to unlocking how the planet's crust evolved. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Wolf Bones Beat Tree Rings as Climate Records
August 23, 2007The bones of wolves could provide a better record than tree rings of environmental changes in Earth's climate, thanks to the chemical fingerprint imparted by wolves' hefty and widely varied diets. (LiveScience)
Saltier North Atlantic Should Give Currents a Boost
August 23, 2007North Atlantic surface waters are getting saltier, and this might actually be good news for the effects of climate change on global ocean currents in the short-term, suggest authors of a new study spanning over 50 years. (NewScientist.com)
Study Casts Doubt on Earlier Ice Cap Research
August 22, 2007Pinhead-sized fossils buried deep under the ocean show that glaciers did not coat the poles 41 million years ago, a new study shows, disputing earlier research that suggested huge ice sheets covered the Earth's extremities. (Reuters)
Hidden Ocean Current a Climate Clue?
August 21, 2007Australian climate scientists have located a deep-ocean current in the Tasman Sea that may play a big role in connecting the world's oceans, and consequently in regulating Earth's climate. (Discovery News)
Dean Third Strongest Hurricane to Hit Land
August 21, 2007Hurricane Dean was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since record keeping began in the 1850s, based on its central atmospheric pressure, forecasters said. (Discovery News)
Deadliest Hurricane Threat: Inland Heavy Rain
August 21, 2007In the past, hurricanes were generally deadliest at the coast, but now, a higher proportion of hurricane fatalities are occurring inland as a result of unusually heavy rainfall, which led to almost two-thirds of deaths from tropical storms and hurricanes between 1970 and 1999. (LiveScience)
Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to New Low
August 17, 2007There was less sea ice in the Arctic on Friday than ever before on record, and the melting is continuing, the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported. (Associated Press)
"Volcano Cure" for Warming? Not So Fast, Study Says
August 17, 2007A controversial theory proposes mimicking volcanoes to fight global warming, but throwing sulfur particles into the sky may do more harm than good, a new study says. (National Geographic News)
Water Levels in 3 Great Lakes Dip Far Below Normal
August 17, 2007Water levels in the three upper Great Lakes are wavering far below normal, and experts expect Lake Superior, the northernmost lake, to reach a record low in the next two months, according to data from the international bodies that monitor the Great Lakes, the world�s largest freshwater reservoir. (New York Times)
Identifying Areas Vulnerable to Rising Sea Levels
August 16, 2007A team of scientists will spend the next several months creating a detailed map of Australia's coastline to identify areas most at risk to sea level rise. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Atlantic Yields Climate Secrets
August 16, 2007Using instruments strung out across the Atlantic, scientists have painted the first detailed picture of Atlantic Ocean currents, showing that its circulation varies significantly over the course of a year. (BBC News)
Lake Tahoe Warmer, Dirtier
August 16, 2007Lake Tahoe is warmer and soupier than ever before as a result of climate change and human activities, scientists said in a new report, including less snowfall and more rain, deteriorating lake clarity and increasing water temperature in the Lake Tahoe Basin - all of which could increase invasions of exotic fish and plant species. (San Francisco Chronicle)
New Speed Limit Found for Worst Earthquakes
August 16, 2007Earthquake faults may rupture faster than previously thought, seismologists say, possibly meaning more potential destruction in certain quake-prone zones. (LiveScience)
Irrigation Counteracts Global Warming
August 16, 2007Irrigation can counteract global warming on a local scale, a new study shows, but scientists predict increasing demand for water is likely to curb that influence in the future. (MSNBC)
Killer Quakes Kept in Check by Talc
August 15, 2007The same powdery mineral used to dust baby bottoms may be what keeps the capricious San Andreas fault in California from unleashing more major quakes, according to a study released Tuesday. (Agence France-Presse)
Maverick Climate Scheme Gets Reality Check
August 15, 2007Emulating the sun-dimming effects of large volcanic eruptions to slow the Earth's greenhouse effect, as some have proposed, may just make matters worse, say scientists studying the effects of nature's recent volcanics. (Discovery News)
Australian Airborne Pollution Heading to New Zealand
August 13, 2007Researchers say heavy metal pollution from Australia is blowing across the Tasman and landing on remote New Zealand glaciers. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Frequent Hurricanes Decimate Sea Turtle Beaches
August 13, 2007Increasingly frequent and ferocious hurricanes, fueled by warming oceans, could pose a threat to sea turtles by destroying their nests, a new study suggests. (New Scientist)
Scientists Try New Ways to Predict Climate Risks
August 12, 2007Scientists are trying to improve predictions about the impact of global warming this century by pooling estimates about the risk of floods or desertification. (Reuters)
Scientists Predict Surge in Global Warming After 2009
August 10, 2007A new computer model forecasts that global warming will set in with a vengeance after 2009, with at least half of the five following years expected to be hotter than 1998, the warmest year on record. (ABC News)
Soot 'Influences Arctic Climate'
August 10, 2007Measurements from ice cores suggest that soot released by industrial activities has influenced climate change in the Arctic. (BBC News)
Study: Cities Make Storms More Fierce
August 10, 2007Researchers consulted models and observations of an extreme thunderstorm that hit Baltimore in July 2004 and found that about 30 percent more rainfall occurred in the city than would have if there were no buildings where the city now sits. (Live Science)
A Clearer Picture of Global Warming
August 9, 2007Continuous GPS stations installed in Greenland will measure how much Earth�s crust rebounds as the ice sheet melts � such measurements could help scientists better predict how fast sea levels will rise. (ABC News)
Government Lowers 2007 Hurricane Forecast
August 9, 2007Government forecasters minimally reduced their prediction for the Atlantic hurricane season Thursday, saying up to nine hurricanes and up to 16 tropical storms are expected to form � the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintained its estimate that three to five of the hurricanes would be strong. (ABC News)
'Sunshade' for Global Warming Could Cause Drought
August 9, 2007Mimicking volcanoes, by pumping sulphur particles into the atmosphere to reproduce the cooling effect of a large eruption, has been proposed as a last-ditch solution to climate change, although it now seems the method could also cause catastrophic drought. (New Scientist)
Analysts See �Simply Incredible� Shrinking of Floating Ice in the Arctic
August 9, 2007The area of floating ice in the Arctic has shrunk more this summer than in any other summer since satellite tracking began in 1979, reaching that record point a month before the annual ice pullback typically peaks, experts said yesterday. (New York Times)
Scientists Examine African Dust Link to Hurricanes
August 9, 2007Storm scientists are taking a closer look at whether giant dust clouds from the Sahara could join the El Nino phenomenon as a leading indicator of the ferocity of Atlantic hurricane seasons. (Reuters)
Glaciers Wasting Away on Mexico's Legendary Peaks
August 9, 2007Glaciers that crown Mexico's tallest mountains and inspired Aztec legends of lost love and a snake god could disappear within a few decades, with scientists pointing to global warming as a cause of their demise. (Reuters)
Swifter Decline for Coral Reefs
August 8, 2007Coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian oceans are disappearing faster than had previously been thought, a scientific study has shown, vanishing at a rate of one percent per year - a decline that has begun decades earlier than expected. (BBC News)
Purple Snail May Be Climate Change Casualty
August 8, 2007A snail you've probably never heard of on the far side of the world was declared extinct this week � an atypical extinction as it may be the first tied directly to global warming. (National Public Radio)
Early 2007 Saw Record-Breaking Extreme Weather: U.N.
August 7, 2007The world experienced a series of record-breaking weather events in early 2007, from flooding in Asia to heatwaves in Europe and snowfall in South Africa, the United Nations weather agency said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Thailand to Launch Environment Satellite in November
August 6, 2007Thailand plans to launch its first environmental satellite in November to help officials survey natural resources, cope with disasters and even fight drug trafficking, an official said Monday. (Agence France-Presse)
European Heat Waves 'Have Doubled'
August 4, 2007The duration of heat waves in Western Europe has doubled since 1880, a study has shown, and the frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled in the past century. (BBC News)
Shrinking Lake Superior Also Heating Up
August 3, 2007Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake, has been shrinking for years - and now it appears to be getting hotter. (National Geographic News)
Forecaster Lowers 2007 Hurricane Outlook
August 3, 2007Hurricane researcher William Gray lowered his 2007 forecast slightly Friday, calling for 15 named storms, with eight becoming hurricanes and four becoming intense. (Associated Press)
'Sunshade' for Global Warming Could Cause Drought
August 2, 2007Pumping sulphur particles into the atmosphere to mimic the cooling effect of a large volcanic eruption has been proposed as a last-ditch solution to combat climate change � but doing so would cause problems of its own, including potentially catastrophic drought, say researchers. (New Scientist)
Alaskan Earthquake in 2002 Set Off Tremors on Vancouver Island
August 2, 2007Tremor episodes - long observed near volcanoes and more recently around subduction zones - rippled the landscape of Vancouver Island, the westernmost part of British Columbia, in 2002 during a major Alaskan earthquake and geoscientists have found clear evidence that the two events were related. (Science Daily)
Surface Warming and the Solar Cycle
August 2, 2007Researchers found that times of high solar activity are warmer than times of low solar activity, and that there is a polar amplification of the warming - the result is the first to document a statistically significant globally coherent temperature response to the solar cycle. (Science Daily)
Asia's Brown Clouds 'Warm Planet'
August 1, 2007Clouds of pollution over the Indian Ocean appear to cause as much warming as greenhouse gases released by human activity, a study has suggested. (BBC News)
Early Springs Show Siberia is Warming Fast
August 1, 2007Siberia is experiencing earlier springs, a study of satellite images has revealed, and the trend is likely triggering more forest fires and linked to global warming, say researchers. (New Scientist)