Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Here’s where Earth stores its carbon
Most of Earth’s carbon is stored inside the planet. But giant lava outflows and now humans have released huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
- Earth
Hurricane Lorenzo hit Category 5 farther east than any other storm
Lorenzo reached category 5 status on September 28, making it the northern-most and eastern-most category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.
- Climate
IPCC report warns of a bleak future for oceans and frozen regions under climate change
A new IPCC report offers dire warnings about how climate change is altering oceans, the polar regions and the high snowy mountains.
- Climate
How climate change is already altering oceans and ice, and what’s to come
A new IPCC report gives the lowdown on how climate change is already wreaking havoc on Earth’s oceans and frozen regions, and how much worse things could get.
- Climate
Expanding ice slabs are increasing Greenland’s contribution to sea level rise
Since 2001, melting and refreezing have created vast ice layers near the surface that could drastically amp up meltwater runoff and sea level rise.
- Life
Climate change may be throwing coral sex out of sync
Several widespread corals in the Red Sea are flubbing cues to spawn en masse.
- Agriculture
Birds fed a common pesticide lost weight rapidly and had migration delays
Scientists have previously implicated neonicotinoid pesticides in declining bee populations. Now a study suggests that songbirds are affected, too.
- Earth
Ancient crystal growths in caves reveal seas rose 16 meters in a warmer world
The Pliocene era cave formations on the Spanish coast of Mallorca offer hints about how oceans could respond to human-driven climate change.
- Earth
How Kilauea’s lava fed a massive phytoplankton bloom
Kilauea’s heavy flow of lava into the ocean in 2018 added both food and heat to fuel a sudden bloom of ocean algae.
- Earth
Hurricane Dorian’s slow pace makes it dangerous and hard to predict
Hurricane Dorian is one of several recent hurricanes that moved extremely slowly. Whether that's due to climate change isn't yet clear.
- Earth
How ancient oceans of magma may have boosted Earth’s oxygen levels
Chemical reactions involving iron could have increased the amount of oxygen-rich compounds in the early Earth’s mantle, lab experiments suggest.
- Earth
Ocean acidification could weaken diatoms’ glass houses
Ocean acidification may lead to smaller, lighter diatoms in seawater, which could also shrink how much carbon the tiny ocean algae can help sequester.
