Gray waves surged over miles and miles of open water, breaking against the bluffs underlying Kaktovik. The tiny village sits precariously on the Beaufort Sea, a frigid body of water bordering Alaska’s northeastern Arctic coast. As the choppy waters inundated vulnerable stretches of shoreline, the surf carved deep chasms into the tall bluffs. Torre Jorgenson, a geomorphologist working near Kaktovik, watched the storm boil up, shaking homes and boats for nearly two days in July 2008. Dramatic erosion followed soon after. Blocks of graphite-colored earth, as much as 10 meters wide and several ... (p. 18)

Rising temperatures have decreased global grain production and may be partly responsible for food price increases. (p. 15)

Scientists anticipate big ecosystem changes as erosion spills nutrients into the sea (p. 13)

Odd, persistent winds prevent river inputs from mixing with the sea.

As oceans warm, reefs off Japan shift to higher latitudes.

El Niño heated things up even as global temperatures continue to rise in the hottest decade on record. (p. 17)