What's in a Half a Degree? 2 Very Different Future Climates
A new IPCC report shows the impacts in the near future that can be avoided by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees C
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Why Did Hurricane Michael Rev Up to Category 4 So Quickly?
Scientists have made major strides in recent years in understanding why storms rapidly intensify
Indonesian Tsunami Was Powered by a Deadly Combo of Tectonics and Geography
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that touched off the tsunami occurred amid a complex puzzle of tectonic plates
Mosquitoes Could Carry Plastic Particles into the Food Chain
Microplastics stay in the insects’ bodies from larva to adulthood
Extreme Flooding from Florence Likely, Due to a Convergence of Threats
Compound flooding can exacerbate the impacts from storm surge and rain
From Fish to Humans, A Microplastic Invasion May Be Taking a Toll
Tiny bits of plastic have seeped into soil, fish and air, posing a threat to animal and human health
This Scientist Chases Wildfires to Better Predict Fire Behavior
To know what a wildfire might do next, researchers need to know how an inferno interacts with the atmosphere
Plants Dominate the Planet's Biomass
About 80 percent of Earth's biomass is plant life, with humans about equal to krill way down the heft chart.
Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem—Scientists Are Hunting It Down
Trillions of tiny particles generated by our plastic-reliant society are polluting environments worldwide
Plants Are the World's Dominant Life-Form
Flora make up the majority of Earth’s biomass, followed by bacteria
L.A.'s Not Just Sizzling, It's Sultry: Why California's July Heat Wave Is So Weird
An unusually early—and humid—heat wave has set all-time records
Antarctic Quest Seeks to Predict the Fate of a Linchpin Glacier
Adventurer scientists swarm the melting Thwaites Glacier for clues to how fast sea level will rise
Shock and Thaw--Alaskan Sea Ice Just Took a Steep, Unprecedented Dive
Weather conditions and a boost from global warming led to the stunning record low ice cover in winter 2018
Slow-Motion Ocean: Atlantic's Circulation Is Weakest in 1,600 Years
If hemisphere-spanning currents are slowing, greater flooding and extreme weather could be at hand
Wave of Climate Migration Looms, but It "Doesn’t Have to Be a Crisis"
Slow-onset climate impacts could displace 140 million in their own countries by 2050
Where Plastic Goes, Coral Disease Follows
An onslaught of bottles, bags and other litter makes reefs 20 times more likely to get sick. Scientists are scrambling to learn why
Alaska's Northernmost Town Warms So Fast, It Fools NOAA Computers
As sea ice grows shockingly low and late, Utqiaġvik’s record warmth stymies algorithms
Why the Ventura Wildfire Is So Explosive
Dry weather and strong winds this year have left southern California primed for blazes
Alaska's Coast Is Vanishing, 1 Storm at a Time
Ordinary storms are chipping away at coastal communities as protective sea ice disappears
How Did This Weird, Super-Salty Pond Form in Antarctica?
Studying the pond could help scientists better understand similar features on Mars