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Headlines: April 2003

  1. March 2003
  2. May 2003
  1. NASA Ties El Niño Induced Drought to Record Air Pollution
    April 30, 2003

    Scientists using NASA satellite data have found the most intense global pollution from fires occurred during droughts caused by El Niño. (SpaceDaily)

  2. Vegetation Essential to Balancing Climate Models
    April 30, 2003

    Just as vegetables are essential to balancing the human diet, the inclusion of vegetation may be equally essential to balancing Earth's climate models. (SpaceDaily)

  3. Rare Earthquake Wakes up the South
    April 29, 2003

    A rare earthquake shook parts of the South early Tuesday, rattling windows and awakening nervous residents but causing no reports of serious damage. (USA Today)

  4. Study: Clouds Over U.S. Were Full of plankton
    April 25, 2003

    Filmy ice clouds high in the sky over the center of the United States contained minute sea creatures lofted into the air by a Pacific Ocean hurricane, a new analysis concludes. (AP, CNN, USA Today)

  5. What's Shakin'? Tiny Satellite to Try and Predict Earthquakes
    April 23, 2003

    A California company is planning to launch a satellite that will monitor, and hopefully one day predict, the state's shakiest feature - earthquakes. (Space.com)

  6. Study: Big Quake Likely to Rock Bay Area by 2033
    April 23, 2003

    A federal study slightly reduced the chance that the San Francisco Bay area will be hit by a major earthquake in the next 30 years, but still put the probability at better than 50 percent. (AP, CNN)

  7. Andes Mountains: Climate Change Far From Glacial
    April 22, 2003

    Glaciologists from France's Institute of Research and Development returned to Ecuador and noted that 80 percent of South America's small glaciers will disappear in 15 years. (Grist Magazine)

  8. Black Water Turns the Tide on Florida Coral
    April 22, 2003

    In early 2002, a patch of "black water" spanning over 60 miles in diameter formed off southwestern Florida and contributed to severe coral reef stress and death in the Florida Keys, according to results published from research funded by NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (Tampa Tribune, SpaceDaily, Spaceflight Now)

  9. Weather, Slow Growth Lower Canada Greenhouse Gases
    April 22, 2003

    Canada cut its emissions of greenhouse gases in 2001 for the first time since 1991, partly as a result of warm weather and slower economic growth, the federal government said on Tuesday. (Reuters)

  10. Rainforest Might Speed Up Global Warming
    April 21, 2003

    Global warming could force tropical rainforests to release abnormally large amounts of carbon dioxide has, which could accelerate temperature rises worldwide, scientists reported Monday. (United Press International)

  11. Saving Deep-sea Coral
    April 21, 2003

    Scientists worried about declining global fish populations are turning their attention increasingly to coral beds below the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic. (Washington Times)

  12. Red Tide Caused Mysterious Black Water
    April 17, 2003

    The black water event of early 2002 contributed to severe coral reef stress and death in the Florida Keys. (WBBH-TV (NBC), Spacedaily, UPI)

  13. NASA and Naval Research Lab Study Coastal Eddies
    April 17, 2003

    Coastal eddies transport nutrients from deep to surface waters, where they stimulate ocean plant growth, but NASA and the Navy are studying how they also transport pollutants. (Spacedaily)

  14. Study: 5 Percent Drop in North American Pollution
    April 17, 2003

    Environmental pollution in North America dropped 5 percent between 1995 and 2000, according to a new study by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement. (CNN, AP)

  15. Light Pollution Taking Toll on Wildlife, Eco-Groups Say
    April 17, 2003

    Light pollution?the luminous orange glow that haloes cities and suburbs?threatens wildlife by disrupting biological rhythms and otherwise interfering with the behavior of nocturnal animals, new research shows. (National Geographic News)

  16. Climate Change Threatens Fruit Industry
    April 14, 2003

    The British government is funding a study on the impact of climate change on crops, because milder winters in Britain are already affecting some fruits that require sustained cold to flower. (London Times)

  17. 50 Arctic Lakes Show Dramatic Warming Effects
    April 14, 2003

    Paleolimnologists from Queen's University have noted significant regional changes in ecology such as reduced ice cover in northernmost North American lakes over the past two centuries. (Spacedaily)

  18. Methane Theory Gets Frosty Response
    April 11, 2003

    A climatologist says the idea that bursts of methane from deep-sea reservoirs jolted the planet out of its chilly state does not match the geologic record. (BBC)

  19. World Warming in 2002 ?Near Record?
    April 10, 2003

    Scientists meeting in France say 2002 was the second hottest year on record. (BBC)

  20. Mass- Extinction Controversy Flares Again
    April 10, 2003

    A microbiologist from Princeton University said plankton survived for 300,000 years after the asteroid that struck Mexico 65 million years ago, so there was not a widespread die-out. (Nature news)

  21. Great Lakes Region to Get Hotter
    April 9, 2003

    The Great Lakes region, which collectively holds the world?s largest source of fresh water, could face baking summer heat, droughts, floods, and other catastrophes as global warming lifts temperatures over the next century, a group of scientists reported Tuesday. (Reuters, Environment News Service)

  22. 20th Century Not Hottest on Record
    April 8, 2003

    A study of more than 240 climate studies covering the last thousand years has found that the 20th century may be just another bump in the climate road. (Discovery, Spaceflight Now, National Post)

  23. Sun Fuels Global Warming Debate
    April 8, 2003

    A US scientist has cast doubt on the controversial idea that the Sun has been the main contributor to climate change over the past 20 years. (BBC, SpaceDaily)

  24. Major Earthquake Lurks Under L.A.
    April 3, 2003

    A recently mapped, still-active fault line that snakes beneath downtown Los Angeles is capable of generating major earthquakes, but only about once every 2,000 years, according to a new study. (AP, CBS, Environmental News Network)

  25. Arctic Ozone Loss 'Fluctuates Widely'
    April 3, 2003

    Using data collected by NASA, US scientists say the amount, timing and pattern of ozone loss all fluctuate from year to year. (BBC, SpaceDaily)

  26. NASA Ties El Niño Induced Drought to Record Air Pollution from Fires
    April 3, 2003

    Scientists using NASA satellite data have found the most intense global pollution from fires occurred during droughts caused by El Niño. (SpaceDaily, Environment News Service)

  27. Global Warming to Reduce Glaciers, Frozen Soil, Snow in China
    April 3, 2003

    Global warming will lead to the significant deterioration of glaciers, frozen soil and snow in China, which will have a serious negative impact on the local ecological environment. (Xinhua News Service, China)