Earth

Earth

Not-So-Perma Frost

The world's warming climate, as well as ecological shifts in the timing and frequency of wildfires in boreal forests, pose an increasing threat to Arctic permafrost.

Earth

Traces of Trouble

Scientists and engineers are investigating how to stem the flow of naturally-occurring and synthetic estrogens that, when released from waste water treatment plants and livestock operations, can harm aquatic life.

Earth

Equal Opportunity Outcome: Different pollutants show same impact

At concentrations present in the environment, each of three dissimilar toxic agents can seize control of a signaling pathway that regulates developing cells in the central nervous system.

Earth

Subglacial lakes may influence ice flow

The flow of water into and out of massive, ice-covered lakes in Antarctica may influence the speed at which the overlying glaciers move toward the sea.

Earth

Ozone Depletion and Recovery

Answers to questions about ozone depletion and the recovery of the ozone hole are now easy to find by researchers, as well as the general public, through a new online index developed by NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory. The site uses simple graphs and charts to track progress in reducing the threat to Earth’s ozone […]

Earth

Stroke of Good Fortune: A wealth of data from petrified lightning

The lumps of glass created when lightning strikes sandy ground can preserve information about ancient climate.

Earth

Electronics Recycling

What do you do with your used, broken, or obsolete electronic devices? Where can you take your electronics, and what should you look for to protect both your identity and the environment? You can find the answers at the Electronics Industry Alliance’s recycling Web site, which provides an online guide to electronics recyclers and disposal […]

Earth

Why So Dry? Ocean temperatures alone don’t explain droughts

Evidence from ancient dunes points to three periods of prolonged drought in the U.S. Great Plains, but finding their causes may be more complex than previously supposed.

Earth

From Bad to Worse: Earth’s warming to accelerate

Global warming is real and will continue, and there's strong evidence that people are to blame, an international panel of scientists has concluded.

Earth

Corn, a new sensor of carbon dioxide

Scientists have developed a way to use corn plants to monitor and map human-generated emissions of carbon dioxide.

Agriculture

Ethanol Juggernaut Diverts Corn from Food to Fuel

Corn feeds the production of meat and dairy goods in the United States, so those products are likely to increase in price as ethanol fuel demands more of the country's corn supply.

Earth

Disaster’s Consequences: Hurricane’s legacy includes arsenic

Construction debris strewn across the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina contains a disturbing amount of arsenic that could contaminate groundwater if not properly managed.