Climate

Ecosystems

Invasive species, climate change threaten Great Lakes

In The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, a journalist chronicles the lakes’ downward spiral and slow revival.

Climate

Antarctic sea ice shrinks to record low

The Antarctic sea ice extent has reached a new low just two years after hitting a record high.

Climate

Desert songbirds increasingly at risk of dehydration

With no efforts to curb climate warming, hot spots in the U.S. Southwest could turn uninhabitable for some songbirds.

Climate

Hot nests, not vanishing males, are bigger sea turtle threat

Climate change overheating sea turtle nestlings may be a greater danger than temperature-induced shifts in their sex ratios.

Oceans

Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO₂

Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

Oceans

Cone snails wander in circles, lose focus with boosted CO₂

Deadly cone snails wander in circles and become less capable hunters when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.

Oceans

Climate change may boost toxic mercury levels in sea life

Increased runoff to the ocean due to climate change could raise neurotoxic mercury in coastal sea life by disrupting the base of the food web.

Climate

Earth’s last major warm period was as hot as today

Sea surface temperatures today are comparable to those around 125,000 years ago, a time when sea levels were 6 to 9 meters higher, new research suggests.

Climate

Monsoon deluges turned ancient Sahara green

The ancient Sahara Desert sprouted trees and lakes for thousands of years thanks to intense rainfall.

Climate

For three years in a row, Earth breaks heat record

Spurred by climate change and heat from a strong El Niño, 2016 was the hottest year on record.

Climate

Petrified tree rings tell ancient tale of sun’s behavior

The 11-year cycle of solar activity may have been around for at least 290 million years, ancient tree rings suggest.

Earth

Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf nears breaking point

A fast-growing crack in Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf could soon break off a 5,000-square-kilometer hunk of ice into the ocean.