Climate

  1. Climate

    50 years ago, scientists warned of the ‘neglected dangers’ of heat islands

    In 1973, scientists knew temperatures in cities were higher than in rural areas. Now, some cities are attempting to cool down with engineering.

    By
  2. Life

    10 billion snow crabs have disappeared off the Alaskan coast. Here’s why

    In the eastern Bering Sea, the snow crab population plummeted after a marine heat wave in 2018. The crabs may have starved, a new study finds.

    By
  3. Climate

    Róisín Commane sleuths out greenhouse gas leaks to fight climate change

    From New York City to the Arctic, atmospheric chemist Róisín Commane tries to account for the greenhouse gases in the air.

    By
  4. Animals

    A global report finds amphibians are still in peril. But it’s not all bad news

    A survey of about 8,000 amphibian species provides the latest update on extinction risk trends stretching back to 1980.

    By
  5. Paleontology

    New computer analysis hints volcanism killed the dinosaurs, not an asteroid

    Scientists take a creative approach to investigating what caused the mass extinction 66 million years ago, but the debate is far from settled.

    By
  6. Climate

    ‘Our Fragile Moment’ finds modern lessons in Earth’s history of climate

    Michael Mann’s latest book, Our Fragile Moment, looks through Earth’s history to understand the current climate crisis.

    By
  7. Climate

    What’s driving an increasing number of hurricanes to rapidly intensify?

    Hurricane Lee is just the latest storm to explode in power in only hours. The phenomenon is linked to a warming world.

    By
  8. Earth

    How thunderstorms can spawn damaging ‘downbursts’

    Powerful winds called downbursts are not the same as a tornado, but the damage they cause can be similar — and can hit with little warning.

    By
  9. Climate

    Arctic sea ice may melt faster in coming years due to shifting winds

    A complex dance between Arctic wind patterns and the Atlantic has limited the flow of warmer water north in recent years. That may be about to change.

    By
  10. Climate

    Emperor penguins lost thousands of chicks to melting ice last year

    In 2022, groups of emperor penguins in western Antarctica lost almost all their chicks to receding sea ice, signaling the threat of climate change.

    By
  11. Climate

    How one device could help transform our power grid

    As coal-fired power plants are retired, grid-forming inverters may be key to a future that relies on solar and wind power.

    By
  12. Climate

    Some leaves in tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis

    Climate change may be forcing some tropical leaves to stop photosynthesis and die. It’s still unclear what effect this will have on entire forests.

    By