Ocean Dead Zone off Oregon Dissipating

An ocean dead zone off Oregon that killed fish, crabs and sea worms in an area bigger than Rhode Island last summer lasted nearly three times longer than any of its predecessors, scientists said. (Associated Press)

Scientists Say Large Coral Disappearing

Large species of coral that form underwater reefs and create rich marine habitat are disappearing from around the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean, a leading researcher said. (Associated Press)

U.N.: Global Warming Gases on Rise Again

The industrialized world's emissions of greenhouse gases are growing again, despite efforts under the Kyoto Protocol to cap them and stave off global warming, the United Nations reported. (Associated Press)

Typhoon Cimaron Thunders Out of Philippines

Typhoon Cimaron, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines in eight years, churned out to the South China Sea after bringing the rural north of the archipelago to a near standstill. (Reuters)

Satellites Seek Global Hot Spots

A recent study shows how satellites that survey the Earth's surface provide a continuous overview of global climate and help identify where extreme land surface temperatures are occurring more frequently. (Christian Science Monitor)

Warming 'May Cause Economic Chaos'

Climate change could devastate the global economy on a scale of the two world wars and the depression of the 1930s if left unchecked, a top economist formerly with the World Bank has warned. (CNN)

Britain Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change

Britain issued a call for urgent action on climate change after a hard-hitting report painted an apocalyptic picture of the economic and environmental fallout from further global warming. (Reuters)

Belize Barrier Reef Suffers, Global Warming Blamed

Much of the 200 miles of Belize's coral reef has been "bleached" in the last decade and some scientists warn it is likely to die, a victim of global warming. (Reuters)

Plane Sensors Offering Better Forecasts

New sensors may soon be installed on airliners to measure weather conditions every few seconds as early tests with NASA and the National Weather Service detected tornadic conditions earlier and helped predict heavy storms, temperatures and fog more accurately. (Associated Press)

Ancient Tahoe Landslide Made Tsunami?

A massive underwater landslide in Lake Tahoe thousands of years ago caused a tsunami and left ripple-like stony ridges on the lake bottom, according to a new study. (Associated Press)

The World's Worst Thunderstorms

A new global survey of thunderstorm activity using NASA satellite data has helped meteorologists pinpoint exactly where Earth�s hotspots for intense thunderstorms are: the American Midwest, Argentina, and some semi-arid regions like the edges of the Sahara desert. (LiveScience.com)

Why Coastal Florida May Have Northern Africa to Thank

A new study suggests that large amounts of hot, dry, dust-laden air coming off West Africa may squelch Atlantic hurricanes, and is likely at least partly responsible for this season's relative lack of activity. (Christian Science Monitor)

Global Cooling Chilled Super-Hot Oceans of Early Earth

The world's oceans were once steamier than a hot tub, scientists say as hot as 158 degrees Fahrenheit, until a period of global cooling made advanced life on Earth possible. (Associated Press)

Ocean Array Acts as Climate Alert

Measurements from a network of monitors stretching across the Atlantic Ocean could offer an early warning of "sudden climate change," United Kingdom scientists report. (BBC)

Tropical Storm Paul Floods Mexico

The remnants of Tropical Storm Paul made landfall on Mexico's mainland, triggering floods that caused mostly superficial damage to 5,000 houses, officials said. (Associated Press)

Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest has declined to its lowest level since 1991 due to strict enforcement of environmental regulations, the Brazilian government said. (Associated Press)

Arctic Haze Pollution Thickens Despite Russia Cuts

Haze polluting the Arctic has thickened in the past decade despite lower emissions by Russian factories, perhaps because of more forest fires or pollution from Asia, an international report said. (Reuters)

Amazon Deforestation Lowest Since 1991

Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest has declined to its lowest level since 1991 due to strict enforcement of environmental regulations, the Brazilian government said. (Associated Press)

Appalachians Triggered Ancient Ice Age

The rise of the Appalachian Mountains seems to have triggered an ice age 450 million years ago by sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, researchers report. (New Scientist)

Scientists: World's Coral Reefs in Danger

Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other government and private agencies fear more than half the world's coral reefs could die in less than 25 years and that global warming may at least partly to blame. (Associated Press)

Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten New York City

Global warming could substantially raise sea levels around New York City over the next century and put the Big Apple at greater risk of being flooded by hurricanes, a new NASA computer model predicts. (LiveScience.com)

Pair of Satellites Will Document Sun in 3-D

Carrying 16 instruments each, two NASA satellites have been launched to help scientists predict the billion-ton eruptions of electrified gas and deadly particles known as coronal mass ejections that cause the Northern Lights and can disrupt power grids on Earth. (The New York Times)

Small Quakes Reported Near Old Faithful

A swarm of more than 70 small earthquakes shook the ground near Old Faithful geyser earlier this month, lasting several hours on Oct. 14, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. (Associated Press)

Paul Weakens to Tropical Storm

Hurricane Paul weakened to a tropical storm, easing the threat to rain-sodden resorts at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. (Associated Press)

Amazon River Switched Direction

The world's largest river, the Amazon, once flowed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, the opposite of its present direction, a study shows. (BBC)

Vermont Island Features Oldest Coral Reef

The flat rock slabs at Isle La Motte, Vermont, at the northern end of Lake Champlain offer a history of the last half billion years of this area, which was washed by a warm equatorial sea and saw long-extinct plants and animals congregate in what is believed to be the earliest ancestor of modern coral reefs. (Associated Press)

Hurricane Paul Becomes Category 2 Storm

Hurricane Paul strengthened to a Category 2 storm off Mexico's western coast and churned toward the southern tip of Baja, California, forecasters said. (Associated Press)

Storms, Floods Hit Greece

Torrential rains caused flooding in parts of southern Greece, just three days after storms triggered a state of emergency elsewhere in the region, authorities said. (AFP)

U.N.: Ocean Dead Zones Growing

Scientists (from what organization?) have found 200 "dead zones" in the world's oceans � places where pollution threatens fish, other marine life and the people who depend on them. (Associated Press)

Ozone Hole Size Sets Record

This year's Antarctic ozone hole is the biggest ever, government scientists said, caused by human-produced gases such as bromine and chlorine that damage the ozone layer. (Associated Press)

NASA: Greenland Ice Sheet Shrinking

The vast sheet of ice that covers Greenland is shrinking fast, but still not as fast as previous research indicated, NASA scientists said. (Reuters)

MetOp Weather Satellite Lifts Off

MetOp, Europe's most sophisticated weather and climate satellite, was launched successfully from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. (BBC)

Pacific Northwest to Become Even More Dismal

A climate researcher at the University of Washington says Pacific Northwest winters will be getting grayer and rainier over the next 50 to 100 years. (Associated Press)

The 100-Year Forecast: More Extreme Weather

Droughts and storms will become more intense in the coming century if levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere keep rising, according to scientists using several new computer models. (Associated Press)

Seabed Microbes Munch Methane: Curb Warming

Exotic microbes living around mud volcanoes on the seabed are helping to offset global warming by munching heat-trapping methane seeping from the depths, scientists said. (Reuters)

Himalayan Glaciers Resist Melting

Glaciers in the Himalayas have not drastically shrunk despite global warming and are unlikely to melt away in coming decades, a Chinese scientist said. (Reuters)

Antarctic Ice Collapse Tied to Greenhouse Gases

Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey say they have found the first direct evidence linking the collapse of an ice shelf in Antarctica to global warming widely blamed on human activities. (Reuters)

Hawaii Remains Vulnerable to Quakes

Another massive earthquake could strike the Hawaiian isles at any time, but the recent 6.7 magnitude tremor does not signal an increase in ground-shaking activity, researchers said. (Associated Press)

Madagascar Reefs Hold Key to Rebirth

Though blighted, coral reefs discovered off Madagascar may provide the seeds of recovery for marine life devastated by rising sea temperatures, researchers say. (National Geographic News)

Warming May Be Drying Up Alaska's Lakes

Thousands of Alaska's lakes have shrunk and many others have dried up over the past 50 years, scientists have discovered, and during this period the state has experienced a steady warming trend. (National Geographic News)

Haze Hits Unhealthy Levels in Singapore

Singapore has maintained a health advisory as the pollution index soared above the unhealthy range due to smoke from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. (AFP)

Sea Creatures Affect Global Climate

They are the very lowest rung of the marine food chain, but microscopic plants in the world's oceans generate five times more power than is consumed by all the humans in the world, according to a new study by researchers at Florida State University. (Associated Press)

Strong Quake Hits Hawaii

A powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake and repeated aftershocks rattled Hawaii, knocking out power but causing no injuries or extensive structural damage, agencies reported. (Reuters)

Alaska Volcano's Activity Propels Researchers

A long-dormant volcano about 200 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska, began spewing gases last month, and scientists have quickly installed new seismic monitors to gather more information. (National Public Radio)

Bering Strait Appeared Earlier than Believed

A land bridge between Alaska and Siberia flooded to make the Bering Strait 11,000 years ago, more than 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers reported. (Reuters)

Record Snowfall Leaves Thousands without Power

An early snow storm caused havoc in western New York state, including the Buffalo area, with up to two feet of snowfall leaving roads blocked and power lines down, officials said. (AFP)

Expert: U.S. West Becoming Warmer Faster

A University of Arizona scientist reported that data from some 30 computer-modeling studies shows that by mid-century annual average temperatures in the West will be up 4 or 5 degrees. (Associated Press)

Warning: Snows of Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya Vanishing

Within the next 50 years, ice and snow will disappear from Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, and Mount Kenya, the second-highest, if deforestation and industrial pollution is not stopped, environmentalists report. (Associated Press)

Alaskan Lakes Dry Up

More than 10,000 Alaskan lakes have dried up or shrunk in size in a span of 52 years, scientists reported, as the state experiences longer growing seasons, increased thawing of permafrost, and greater water loss from evaporation. (LiveScience.com)

Big Bogs Spurred Ancient Global Warming

Massive peat bogs in Siberia and elsewhere may have helped spur global warming at the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago, scientists reported. (Reuters)

Madagascar Coral Reefs Damaged

A new survey of coral reefs along Madagascar's southwestern coast found massive damage from coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, researchers said. (Associated Press)

NASA's Tropical Sea Surface Temperature Website Gives Climate Clues

Sea surface temperatures give scientists information about ocean currents, climate, and how a hurricane may evolve, and now NASA has a web page that provides frequent updates on ocean temperatures. (Technology News Daily)

Scientists Improve Storm Surge Forecasts

Scientists have discovered a way to improve storm surge forecasting for the Gulf Coast after studying the topography of Florida and flooding from last year's Hurricane Dennis. (Associated Press)

Earth's Wobbles Linked to Extinctions

Wobbles or variations in the Earth's orbit and tilt are associated with extinctions of rodent and mammalian species, Dutch scientists said. (Reuters)

El Nino's Wrath Seen Muted in Asia, Sparing Crops

The much-feared El Nino, now forming in equatorial waters of the Pacific, is unlikely to be as severe as the one in 1997-98, which would be a relief to coffee, cocoa, and grain farmers in Southeast Asia. (Reuters)

Mild Winter Expected for Much of Nation

A weak El Nino under way in the Pacific Ocean should contribute to a mild winter for much of the United States, the National Weather Service reported. (Associated Press)

Dust Affects Hurricane Activity

Researchers have discovered a link between Atlantic hurricane activity and thick clouds of dust that periodically rise up from the Sahara Desert. (BBC)

Central American Fires Impact U.S. Air Quality and Climate

Scientists using NASA satellites and computer models have shown that pollutants from Central American biomass burning can influence air quality and climate in the United States. (United Press International)

Minor Quake Strikes near Mount Rainier

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattled homes east of Washington's Mount Rainier, but officials say they don't think it is related to volcanic activity. (Associated Press)

Tropical Storm Forms off Mexico Coast

Tropical storm Norman formed far off Mexico's Baja California coast, but was expected to lose strength as it headed toward land. (Associated Press)

Rising Seas Could Leave Millions Homeless in Asia

Millions of people could become homeless in the Asia-Pacific region by 2070 due to rising sea levels, with Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, China and Pacific islands most at risk, says Australia's top scientific body. (Reuters)

Air Quality in Singapore Plunges

Smoke from Indonesian brush fires darkened skies across Southeast Asia, sending air pollution levels soaring in at least two other nations. (Associated Press)

Volcano Erupts on Papua New Guinea Island

A volcanic eruption on the Papua New Guinea island of New Britain caused panicked residents to flee homes and sent ash plumes 11 miles into the air. (Reuters)

Tropics both Create and Protect Diversity

About three-quarters of today's marine creatures originated in the tropics and spread outward toward the poles, while only one-quarter originated at higher latitudes, says research published in the journal Science. (Associated Press)

Air Pollution's Global Trail

The World Health Organization called on governments to improve air quality in their cities, saying air pollution prematurely kills two million people a year, with more than half the deaths in developing countries. (Associated Press)

NASA Data Captures El Nino's Return in the Pacific

NASA satellite data indicates El Nino has returned to the tropical Pacific Ocean, although in a relatively weak condition that may not persist. (NASA.gov)

Typhoon Xangsane Death Toll Rises

Flooding killed dozens of people in the days after Typhoon Xangsane raked the Philippines and Vietnam, officials said, as the combined death toll rose to at least 169. (Reuters)

Arctic Sees Near Record Melt in 2006

Summers in the Arctic Circle could be ice-free in about 50 years if current melting trends continue, according to new projections by scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (ABC)

Report: Sewage, Coastal Destruction Threaten Ocean

Sewage is a growing threat to oceans and seas putting marine life and habitats at greater risk as the pollution problem worsens, the United Nations Environment Program said in a report. (Reuters)

Alaskan Storm Cracks Iceberg in Antarctica, Study Says

A bad storm in Alaska last October generated an ocean swell that broke apart a giant iceberg near Antarctica six days later, U.S. researchers reported. (Reuters)

Global Warming on the Forest Floor

Using forest plots and precipitation projections that match anticipated future levels, researchers find that drought conditions significantly enhance leaf decomposition in forests. (New York Times)

NASA Satellite Data Helps Assess the Health of Florida's Coral Reef

NASA satellite data was used to help monitor the health of Florida's coral reef as part of a field research effort completed this August and September. (PhysOrg.com)

Philippines Braces for Another Storm

A new tropical storm is heading for the Philippines, threatening to disrupt relief efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Xangsane, which killed 76. (AFP)

Ozone Hole Matches Record Size

The "ozone hole" over Antarctica this year has matched the record size of 11.4 million square miles, the U.N. weather agency said, equaling the record set in 2000. (Associated Press)

Small Earthquake Jolts Maine

A small earthquake sent rocks tumbling onto a road in Acadia National Park and burst water pipes, but no injuries were reported, officials said. (Associated Press)

Global Lightning Study Promises Fresh Insight into Severe-Storm Behavior

Lightning information gleaned by space instruments may help NASA scientists and weather forecasters better understand dangerous weather patterns and help minimize danger to lives and property. (NASA.gov)

Typhoon Pounds Vietnam

Typhoon Xangsane was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved inland from the central Vietnam coast, where it killed two people, injured at least 80 others and damaged hundreds of homes. (Associated Press)

Newfoundland Gets Tropical Storm Warning

Hurricane Isaac raced over the north Atlantic toward Newfoundland, where the Canadian Meteorological Service upgraded a tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning. (Associated Press)