Earth

Earth

New type of hydrothermal vent looms large

The discovery of a new type of hydrothermal vent system on an undersea mountain in the Atlantic Ocean suggests that submarine hydrothermal activity may be much more widespread than previously thought.

Earth

The Silence of the Bams

If a nuclear explosion were set off in a cavity of the right size and shape, even a moderate-sized nuclear bomb might appear at long distances to be no bigger than a routine explosion used in mining.

Earth

Atlanta leaves big chemical footprint

A new analysis of water quality downstream of Atlanta shows that some pollutants from the city are still detectable in the river more than 500 kilometers away.

Earth

Amazon forest could disappear, soon

A new model that includes a forest's effect on regional climate shows that the Amazon rainforest could disappear in the next three decades, much more rapidly than previously expected.

Earth

Is Nessie merely a bad case of the shakes?

An Italian scientist makes the controversial suggestion that the original source of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, as well as blame for many of the modern encounters with the supposed beast, may be seismic activity beneath the lake.

Earth

Landfills Make Mercury More Toxic

Landfill disposal of mercury-containing products can chemically transform the pollutant not only to make it more potent but also to foster its release into air.

Earth

A foamy threat to ozone

Shredding the foam insulation in discarded refrigerators can release significant quantities of chlorofluorocarbons, which pose a threat to Earth's protective ozone layer.

Earth

Blood points to pollution’s heart risks

As airborne concentrations of fine dust particles climb, so do three blood factors that increase an individual's heart attack risk.

Earth

Ozone flares with fireworks festivities

Holiday fireworks and sparklers trigger ozone-generating chemical reactions in the lower atmosphere.

Earth

Alaska’s coastal permafrost is eroding

Aerial photographs taken over the past 50 years show that Alaska's coastlines of permafrost aren't that permanent after all.

Earth

More acid rain in East Asia’s future

Large increases in Asian industrial emissions of nitrogen oxides in the next 30 years could lead to a tripling of the acid rain there due to those pollutants.

Earth

Midlatitude bogs store carbon best

Sediments in lakes and bogs along the eastern coast of the United States show that midlatitude bodies of water have sequestered higher amounts of carbon than others since the last ice age.