Climate

Climate

The snow forest of North America may be about to shrink

From 2000 to 2019, the boreal forest’s northern boundary didn’t move while southern tree cover thinned due to climate change, wildfires and logging.

Ecosystems

The Amazon might not have a ‘tipping point.’ But it’s still in trouble

Scientists race to foretell the fate of the vast forest facing deforestation and climate change.

Climate

Why is the North Atlantic breaking heat records?

Record-breaking sea-surface temperatures off the coast of Africa may affect the 2023 hurricane season. What’s fueling the unusual heat is unclear.

Climate

Wildfire smoke is blanketing the U.S. East Coast. It won’t be the last time

Climate change will continue to exacerbate fire risk across the world’s boreal forests, making events like the dangerous smoke over the U.S. East Coast more common.

Environment

Rising groundwater threatens to spread toxic pollution on U.S. coastlines

Sea level rise is pushing groundwater into shallower layers of earth, threatening to spread hazardous chemicals from contaminated soils.

Environment

Surviving a drought may help forests weather future dry spells

Climate change is making droughts more intense and frequent, but conifer forests have a trick up their sleeve, airplane and satellite data show.

Climate

Why the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is especially hard to predict

It’s hard to know how busy this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be, thanks to a rarely observed combination of ocean and climate conditions.

Environment

This house was built partly from recycled diapers

Disposable diapers can replace nearly a third of the materials used in load-bearing structures, offering a potential path to more affordable housing.

Plants

Soil microbes that survived tough climates can help young trees do the same

Trees grown in soil with microbes that have survived drought and high or low temperatures have a better shot at survival when facing the same conditions.

Environment

More than half of the world’s largest lakes are drying up

Satellite data from 1992 to 2020 reveal that 53 percent of the world’s largest freshwater bodies shrank during that period while only 24 percent grew.

Climate

There’s good and bad news with California’s electric vehicle program

The electric vehicle program is reducing carbon dioxide emissions but also shifting the pollution burden to the state’s most disadvantaged communities.

Climate

Thawing permafrost may unleash industrial pollution across the Arctic

As the frozen ground warms due to climate change, industrial pollutants could flow free from thousands of sites across the Arctic.