EnvironmentJanuary 26, 2015
What a Warming World Means for Snowstorms
A warmer world could mean fewer storms but bigger snowfalls
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson is senior editor for Earth and environment at Scientific American, covering the environment, energy and Earth sciences. She has been covering these topics 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
EnvironmentJanuary 23, 2015
Surprise Lake Sheds Light on Underbelly of Greenland's Ice
Scientists have been surprised to find water pooling beneath the ice
EnvironmentJanuary 16, 2015
Broken Record: 2014 Proves Hottest Year
It's official, 2014 is the hottest year in the modern record per U.S. government agencies
EnvironmentJanuary 12, 2015
2015 Begins with CO2 above 400 PPM Mark
The leading greenhouse gas continues to accumulate in the atmosphere
EnvironmentDecember 10, 2014
Hotter Ocean Waters Give Typhoons a Boost
The Pacific Ocean has experienced warm water all year, strengthening tropical cyclones
EnvironmentNovember 13, 2014
Lightning May Increase with Global Warming
New findings suggest lightning strikes may increase by 12 percent for every degree of warming
EnvironmentNovember 12, 2014
Seven Images That Tell the Story of Frigid Weather in the U.S.
Unseasonably cold temperatures can be traced back to a typhoon that eventually struck Alaska
EnvironmentOctober 29, 2014
Hurricane Sandy Spawns Storm of Climate Research
Two years later scientists are still learning from the superstorm that struck New York and New Jersey
EnvironmentOctober 16, 2014
U.S. Tornadoes Form in Swarms
The total number of days in the U.S. with a tornado is decreasing but the number per day is rising
EnvironmentOctober 16, 2014
Frigid Polar Vortex Unlikely to Repeat This Winter
NOAA's winter climate outlook suggests this winter will not be as unusual as last one
EnvironmentOctober 15, 2014
What's Behind Recent Flurry of Hurricane Activity?
So many storms in October is rare but not unprecedented
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
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