California Wildfires Unleash Climate-Warming Carbon
October 31, 2007California wildfires pumped nearly 8 million metric tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in just a week, about one-quarter as much as fossil fuels do in that state in a month, scientists said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Let California Burn, Say Experts
October 31, 2007There is accumulating evidence that rather than suppressing fire, we should allow it to return to the role it used to play in Californian ecosystems. (New Scientist)
Native Species Extinction More Likely Than Tsunamis
October 30, 2007Scientists discussing the risk posed by extreme natural events concluded that tsunamis are far more likely to affect neighboring countries than Australia, but climate change is threatening the extinction of Australian plants and animals. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Melting Glacier Reveals Ancient Tree Stumps
October 30, 2007Melting glaciers in Western Canada are revealing tree stumps up to 7,000 years old where the region's rivers of ice have retreated to a historic minimum, a geologist said. (Live Science)
How the 'Yellowstone Plume' Saves U.S. States
October 30, 2007The upwelling of hot rock lubricates the Pacific plate as it slides under Oregon and Washington, stopping earthquakes that would otherwise occur. (New Scientist)
Food and Climate: A Complicated but Optimistic View
October 30, 2007Some of the most advanced climate models show global warming hurting agricultural production in the world's poorest regions, but a NASA scientist who has studied this question for 20 years, has faith that solutions are within reach. (National Public Radio)
In New England, Concern Grows for Sugar Maple
October 29, 2007An exquisitely sensitive tree, shuddering at the slightest chill, the sugar maple has a wide variety of residents, ecologists and scientists worried about how it will fare should Northeast temperatures rise as projected during the next century of climate change. (National Public Radio)
Coral Spawn Early, Scientists Caught Off Guard
October 29, 2007Mass coral spawning around Magnetic Island in north Queensland has caught scientists unaware by spawning two days ahead of schedule - before researchers were ready to collect the eggs and sperm for experiments. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Poor Air Quality May Linger Long After Fire's Out
October 29, 2007The massive fires in Southern California have made for murky skies hundreds of miles away, and even though most of the fires will likely be under control this week, the air will be filled with smoke for much longer. (National Public Radio)
Warming Revives Flora and Fauna in Greenland
October 27, 2007As the climate warms, Greenlandic farmers are experimenting with vegetables that have previously never been grown in the country. (The New York Times)
Warmer Temperatures Tied to Wildfires
October 25, 2007Huge wildfires, such as the ones that have charred more than 460,000 acres this week in Southern California, are becoming more common in the Western United States, and scientists say warming trends and other climate factors may be responsible. (CNN)
Global Warming's Long-Term Effect Uncertain
October 25, 2007How much Earth's climate will change due to global warming is inherently unpredictable, a new study argues, because feedback processes that are fundamental to climate make it hard to predict how the climate will behave in the long run. (National Geographic News)
Ancient Cataclysm Rearranged Pacific Map
October 24, 2007The collapse of an underwater mountain range in the Pacific Ocean 50 million years ago changed the face of the planet, turning Australia into a warm and sunny continent instead of a snowbound wasteland and creating some of the islands that dot the South Pacific today. (National Geographic News)
Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Increasing
October 22, 2007Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing faster than expected, with emissions 35 percent higher in 2006 than in 1990 � a much faster growth rate than anticipated, researchers say. (Associated Press)
Drought Can Destroy Biodiversity
October 22, 2007When water returns to ponds previously dried by drought, the critters that return tend to be hardy species and share similar characteristics, causing a decline in biodiversity, a new study finds. (Live Science)
How El Ni�o Slows the Earth's Spin
October 21, 2007El Ni�o has an immense impact on the weather - so great in fact that the ocean warming phenomenon actually makes days a little longer, as the body of Earth slows to compensate for strong westerly thermal winds. (New Scientist)
Expert: Warming Climate Fuels Mega-Fires
October 21, 2007A leading fire ecologist says that more and hotter forest fires due to global warming could cause the loss of half the forests in the West. (CBS News)
Climate Change Blamed for Fading Foliage
October 20, 2007Forested New England hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, and some believe climate change could be the reason. (Associated Press)
Emissions Cut Needed to Save Reef
October 18, 2007Earth's corals reefs could become extinct because of increasing acid levels in the ocean, and carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 90 percent by 2050 to protect the reefs, a University of Queensland researcher says. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Scientists Collect Antarctic Climate Change Data
October 17, 2007On an expedition in Antarctica, scientists collected data using helicopters, ice coring, and a remote-controlled submerged vehicle that will help them develop techniques to monitor future changes in sea ice thickness. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Arctic Muds Reveal Sea Ice Record
October 15, 2007A new technique to track changes in the extent of Arctic sea ice over the past 1,000 years is being developed by a team of scientists who are studying sediments from the sea bed in the Northwest Passage. (BBC News)
Explorers' Quest for Key Ice Data
October 15, 2007A team of explorers will head to the Arctic this winter to measure the thickness of the ever shrinking sea ice by towing instruments including radar that can distinguish between the base ice-layer and any overlying snow layer. (BBC News)
Two Winners and Two Approaches to Spreading the Word on Climate
October 13, 2007The dual winners of the Nobel Peace Prize may be united in concern about global warming, but they differ starkly in style and, at times, in scientific substance. (The New York Times)
French Explorer to Measure Arctic Ice From Airship
October 12, 2007A French explorer unveiled plans to fly over the Arctic in an airship to measure the ice cap, saying the 6,214-mile journey will serve as a benchmark for monitoring the impact of global warming on the North Pole. (Reuters)
Rising Humidity Fuels Greenhouse Effect
October 11, 2007Not only is the planet warming, it is also getting more humid, which raises concern that the more moisture in the atmosphere, the stronger the greenhouse effect, and that could mean bigger, more intense and damaging storms. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Study Finds Global Warming Affecting Bird Migration
October 10, 2007Climate change may not be noticeable to all humans yet, but the behavior of birds suggests that the seasons have already changed, according to a researcher who has found that some spring migrating birds are arriving in Australia many days earlier than they used to. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Coral Study to Assist Understanding of Climate Change
October 10, 2007Western Australia's chief scientist, Lynne Beazley, says the study of the region's coral reefs will help the world understand, and prevent, global warming. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Mixed Atlantic Hurricane Season Puzzles Experts
October 10, 2007Judge the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season by the 13 storms so far, and it looks like a relatively busy year, but look at the number of days a hurricane has swirled in the Atlantic and 2007 has been surprisingly benign. (Reuters)
NOAA Predicts Warm Winter
October 9, 2007Warmer weather for most of the country is the outlook for the coming winter, according to a government forecaster, along with drier than normal conditions in the Southwest and Southeast, regions already struggling with drought conditions. (Associated Press)
Butterflies Used to Check Climate
October 8, 2007Moths and butterflies are to be used by the Scottish Government as an indicator of the state of the environment. (BBC News)
Australia Could Escape 'New Ice Age'
October 7, 2007Australia may be the place to be, in the event of another ice age in the Northern Hemisphere, as a comparison of ice samples revealed that the Greenland ice sheet froze 1,000 years before the Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
'Earthquake Rocks' See Daylight
October 5, 2007For the first time, rocks have been extracted from California's San Andreas Fault by scientists drilling some three kilometers below the surface, and the new material may answer a number of long-standing questions about the fault's composition and properties. (BBC News)
Metop Sees Antarctic Ozone 'Hole'
October 5, 2007Europe's new Metop satellite has revealed the extent of ozone thinning over Antarctica this year - at its worst in late September, the hole was twice as big as Europe. (BBC News)
Corals May Have Defense Against Global Warming
October 4, 2007Ancient corals may have been more adaptable to changing ocean chemistry than previously thought, a new study shows, offering hope that if the diversity of modern corals is preserved, they may be able to adapt as global warming causes seas to become more acidic. (National Geographic News)
Walruses Abandon Ice for Alaska Shore
October 4, 2007Thousands of walruses since late summer have congregated in haulouts on Alaska's northwest shore, a phenomenon likely connected to record low Arctic sea ice. (Associated Press)
Huge Stockpile of Oxygen Found Deep Inside Earth
October 1, 2007A mineral that acts like a sponge beneath Earth's surface stores more oxygen than expected, keeping our planet from becoming dry and inhospitable like Mars. (Live Science)
Arctic Ice Island Breaks in Half
October 1, 2007The giant Ayles Ice Island drifting off Canada's northern shores has broken in two - far earlier than expected. (BBC News)