Earth

Earth

Is there a vent in the global greenhouse?

Satellite observations of ocean temperatures in tropical regions of the western Pacific suggest that when ocean temperatures there warm up, the amount of heat-trapping cirrus clouds decreases, possibly providing a heat-venting effect that could help reduce global warming.

Earth

A Nation Aflame

In the wake of one of the worst fire seasons in the past 50 years, scientists are assessing risk as more people move into fire-prone areas and developing ways to better predict the behavior of--and the potential for--wildfires.

Earth

Siberian snow has long-range effects

The strength of the winter weather feature called the Siberian high is linked to the amount of early-season snow cover in its namesake region.

Earth

Lack of oxygen locks up peat’s carbon

The inactivity of a single enzyme in peat due to the lack of oxygen may be the only thing preventing massive releases of carbon dioxide from the peatlands.

Earth

Antarctic glacier thins and speeds up

One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is growing thinner and retreating inland, spurring concerns that changes occurring along the coastline may be causing the ice stream to drain more material from the interior of the continent and send it out to sea, thus aggravating rising sea levels.

Earth

Seismic shivers tell of tornado touchdown

Researchers say they can now use earthquake-detecting seismometers to detect and possibly track all but the weakest tornadoes.

Earth

Electricity-leaking office equipment

Nearly 2 percent of U.S. electricity each year goes to power office equipment that had ostensibly been turned off.

Earth

Contaminants still lace some meats

Tainted ingredients of livestock feed can contribute to worrisome residues of organochlorines, such as PCBs, ending up in meat.

Earth

Plastic debris picks up ocean toxics

Some plastics can accumulate toxic pollutants from water, increasing the risk that they might poison wildlife mistaking these plastics for food.

Earth

Resuscitating the Gulf’s dead zone

State, federal, and Indian agencies have joined forces to develop policies aimed at stemming a huge, seasonal zone in the Gulf of Mexico where oxygen levels are too low to sustain most aquatic life.

Earth

Eye above the Timberline

The Tundra-Cam, operated by the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, sits at an elevation of 11,600 feet near the U.S. Continental Divide. Visitors to the Web site can operate the remotely controlled webcam, panning across the mountainous landscape and zooming in on particular features of interest. Go to: http://tundracam.colorado.edu

Earth

Pinning Down the Sun-Climate Connection

Many scientists propose that changes in the sun's magnetic field and radiation output during its 11-year sunspot cycle also affect the atmosphere, changing Earth's climate by steering weather systems and influencing the amount of cloud cover.