Climate

Climate

There’s something cool about Arctic bird poop

Ammonia from seabird poop helps brighten clouds in the Arctic, slightly cooling the region’s climate.

Climate

CO₂ emissions stay steady for third consecutive year

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from human activities will probably see almost no increase in 2016 despite economic growth.

Climate

Say hola to La Niña

La Niña, El Niño’s meteorological sister, has officially taken over and could alter weather patterns throughout the world this winter.

Climate

If you thought 2015 was hot, just wait

The record-setting global temperatures seen in 2015 could be the “new normal” as soon as the 2020s.

Climate

CO₂-loving plants can counter human emissions

Plants temporarily halted the acceleration of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, new research suggests.

Climate

Human CO₂ emissions put Arctic on track to be ice-free by 2050

Sea ice is shrinking by about three square meters for each metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted, new research suggests.

Climate

Climate change shifts how long ants hang on to coveted real estate

Simulated climate warming reveals a new pattern in turnover of ant nests.

Climate

Wanted: New ways to chill air conditioners, fridges

A new amendment to the Montreal Protocol will phase out potent greenhouse gases currently used in air conditioners and refrigerators, prompting a hunt for eco-friendly alternatives.

Climate

Warmer waters bring earlier plankton blooms

As oceans warm, phytoplankton grow quickly.

Climate

Extreme lightning events set records

A lightning flash stretching 321 kilometers across and one that lasted 7.74 seconds have been named the most extreme events on record, thanks to a new rule change.

Earth

Glass bits, charcoal hint at 56-million-year-old space rock impact

Glassy debris and the burnt remains of wildfires suggest that a large space rock hit Earth near the start of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum warming event around 56 million years ago.

Climate

Methane didn’t warm ancient Earth, new simulations suggest

Scarce oxygen and abundant sulfate prevented methane from accumulating enough to keep Earth warm hundreds of millions of years ago, reviving the faint young sun paradox.