Biology
Plants Are the World's Dominant Life-Form
Flora make up the majority of Earth’s biomass, followed by bacteria
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Climate Change
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
Climate Change
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
Climate Change
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
Environment
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
Environment
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
Environment
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
Climate Change
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
Natural Disasters
Why the Ventura Wildfire Is So Explosive
Dry weather and strong winds this year have left southern California primed for blazes
Weather
Alaska's Coast Is Vanishing, 1 Storm at a Time
Ordinary storms are chipping away at coastal communities as protective sea ice disappears
Environment
How Did This Weird, Super-Salty Pond Form in Antarctica?
Studying the pond could help scientists better understand similar features on Mars
Weather
“Slightly Crazy” 19th-Century Weathermen Who Braved Formidable Conditions Could Aid Climate Predictions
A new effort aims to recover meteorology data collected by a group of hardy Victorian Scottish scientists
Environment
NASA Satellite Reveals Source of El Niño–Fueled Carbon Dioxide Spike
The OCO 2 mission serendipitously coincided with one of the strongest El Niños on record
Weather
What Old-Fashioned Weather Balloons Foretell about Irma’s Track
Forecasters depend on satellites and flights to track hurricanes—but balloons add crucial precision
Climate Change
Climate Change Has Influenced the Timing of Europe’s Floods
Floods are arriving earlier or later due to the interplay with other factors like the timing of snowmelt
Weather
Global Warming Could Push Earth's Rains Northward
As the Northern Hemisphere warms faster than the Southern, Earth's rain belts may shift to the North
Weather
NOAA Forecasts Busy Hurricane Season for Atlantic
The forecast is currently for 11 to 17 storms to form, of which five to nine are expected to become hurricanes, and two to four major hurricanes
Climate Change
Long Budget Process Could Impact Climate Science
Trump’s cuts are part of an effort to pump up military spending and finance a Mexico border wall
Climate Change
El Niño Again? It's Hard to Tell
Scientists are trying to pin down an answer as soon as possible
Climate Change
Trump Budget Cuts “Critical” NASA Climate Missions
Four Earth-observing satellites are targeted for elimination in the president's budget proposal
