Climate

Earth

Here’s how climate change may make Australia’s wildfires more common

An El Niño–like ocean-atmosphere weather pattern called the Indian Ocean dipole helped fuel extremely dry conditions in Australia.

Climate

Climate models agree things will get bad. Capturing just how bad is tricky

Climate models are better than ever at simulating complex interactions between ocean, air, ice and land. But scientists still aren’t really sure what the worst-case scenario might be for Earth’s future climate.

Earth

Climate change is bringing earlier springs, which may trigger drier summers

An earlier than normal start to spring foliage is associated with drier soils come summer across much, but not all, of the Northern Hemisphere.

Earth

Climate change may be why birds are migrating earlier across the United States

Birds are migrating earlier in recent decades in the United States, which could disrupt feeding or nesting cycles.

Animals

A year of big numbers startled the world into talking about nature

One million species are at risk. Three billion birds have been lost. Plus surges in Amazon burning.

Climate

Record-breaking heat amplified waves of student climate protests in 2019

While the world experienced record-breaking heat, Greta Thunberg and other activists pushed decision makers to take climate change seriously.

Earth

Flooding Earth’s atmosphere with oxygen may not have needed a triggering event

Building an oxygen-rich world doesn’t require volcanism, supercontinent breakups or the rise of land plants — just nutrient cycling, a study finds.

Climate

How the Arctic’s poor health affects everyday life

A new NOAA report features testimony from indigenous communities in Alaska who are weathering the impacts of Arctic warming.

Earth

Fingerprints of climate change are increasingly appearing in extreme weather

A new report finds evidence that some of 2018’s extreme weather events were linked to human-caused climate change.

Climate

See how an Alaskan glacier has shrunk over time

Scientists have created a time-lapse series of images of the retreat of an Alaskan glacier using NASA and U.S. Geological Survey Landsat data.

Earth

Climate-warming CO₂ emissions will hit a record high in 2019

Despite countries adopting renewable power sources and coal use falling slightly, oil and gas use are pushing global carbon dioxide emissions to record heights.

Climate

Countries urgently need to ramp up emissions cuts to meet climate targets

A new U.N. report finds that pledged emissions cuts aren’t nearly enough to limit warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius by 2100.