EnvironmentOctober 8, 2014
Antarctic Sea Ice Officially Hits New Record Maximum
The record follows a trend over the past three years of anomalously high winter ice extents, providing a stark contrast to the inexorable decline of Arctic sea ice
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson is senior desk editor for life science at Scientific American, covering the environment, energy and earth sciences. She has been covering these issues for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Scientific American, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered earth science and the environment. She has moderated panels, including as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Media Zone, and appeared in radio and television interviews on major networks. She holds a graduate degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a B.S. and an M.S. in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Follow Thompson on Bluesky @andreatweather.bsky.social
EnvironmentSeptember 24, 2014
Tornado Season Peak Now Occurs Earlier in Spring
The peak of the season in Tornado Alley in the U.S. has shifted seven days earlier in the past six decades
EnvironmentSeptember 23, 2014
2014 on Track to Be Hottest Year on Record
NOAA data suggests that 2014 is on a trend to edge out 2010 as the warmest year on record globally
EnvironmentSeptember 2, 2014
Burning Trash Bad for Humans and Global Warming
Smoldering garbage turns out to be a significant source of the greenhouse gases causing climate change
EnvironmentAugust 11, 2014
How Do Dust Devils Form?
These small, rotating columns of air can result from a mini-weather system that occurs when one piece of ground heats up faster than the ground surrounding it on a hot, calm, dry day
The SciencesAugust 8, 2014
Why Hurricanes Are So Rare in Hawaii
It's been more than two decades since the last hurricane hit the 50th state
EnvironmentAugust 7, 2014
Odds of El Niño Weather Pattern Drop, but Still Expected to Form
El Niño conditions are still trying to form in the Pacific Ocean
EnvironmentAugust 1, 2014
Record-Setting Drought Intensifies in Parched California
Roughly two-thirds of the Golden State is now in exceptional drought
EnvironmentJuly 16, 2014
California Sets Sizzling Record for 2014 So Far
The statewide average temperature for the first six months of 2014 was 1.1 degree F warmer than it has been for the past 120 years of records
EnvironmentJuly 2, 2014
CO2 Levels above 400 PPM Threshold for Third Month in a Row
Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas, which helps drive global warming, haven’t been this high in somewhere between 800,000 and 15 million years
EnvironmentJune 18, 2014
Weird Layer-Cake Warps Found in Greenland's Ice
Refrozen meltwater causes sinuous layers of ice to build up beneath the flat expanse of the Greenland Ice Sheet
EnvironmentJune 6, 2014
Global Warming Plays a Role in Australia's Record Heat
The past 12 months have been the warmest in Australia's recorded history, where average temperature has warmed by 1.6-degrees F since 1910
EnvironmentMay 31, 2014
Bigger Storm Waves of Climate Change Bust Up and Melt Sea Ice
Bigger ocean waves might be more common nowadays as climate change alters wind patterns
EnvironmentMay 21, 2014
"Unprecedented" Flooding in Balkans Caused by Low Pressure Parked over SE Europe
In just a few days last week, some areas in Bosnia and Serbia received an amount of rain equivalent to one third of their annual total
EnvironmentMay 18, 2014
100 Percent of California Now in Highest Stages of Drought
The state got no rain relief during the December–March wet season, according to a new national drought report
EnvironmentMay 15, 2014
How Low Will the Arctic's Summer Sea Ice Go?
Seasonal sea ice projections for this summer could be improved by including measurements of pools of water that collect on top of sea ice as it melts
EnvironmentMay 12, 2014
Melt of Key Antarctic Glaciers "Unstoppable"
Radar observations of glaciers along West Antarctica's Amundsen Sea suggest a runaway meltdown
EnvironmentMay 9, 2014
El Niño Looks More Likely for Summer, and with It Drought Relief for West
The El Niño climate pattern building in the Pacific Ocean is also characterized by warmer average global temperatures and fewer hurricanes
December 13, 2012
New Forecasts Could Help Transoceanic Flights Avoid Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are well-monitored over land areas, but there is no similar radar system over the ocean. A new system can provide up to eight-hour forecasts that are updated hourly based on satellite data and weather models
EnvironmentDecember 7, 2012
Arctic Wildfire Soot Darkening Greenland Ice Sheet
Black carbon particles from smoke plumes in the Arctic have covered glaciers, a circumstance that increases heat absorption and contributes to melting