Earth

Climate

Cold, dry snaps accompanied three plagues that struck the Roman Empire

New climate data for ancient Italy point to temperature and rainfall influences on past infectious disease outbreaks.

Earth

Many but not all of the world’s aquifers are losing water

Many aquifers are quickly disappearing due to climate change and overuse, but some are rising because of improved resource management.

Climate

Numbats are built to hold heat, making climate change extra risky for the marsupials

New thermal imaging shows how fast numbats’ surface temperature rises even at relatively reasonable temperatures.

Earth

STEVE and other aurora-like glows perplex scientists with their complex physics

New views of STEVE from citizen scientists keep raising questions about the atmospheric light show — but computer models may offer some answers.

Earth

Speed bumps under Thwaites Glacier could help slow its flow to the sea

A seismic survey of Thwaites’ icy underbelly shows the Antarctica glacier may be snagging on tall rises in land. That could help slow global sea level rise.

Physics

Invisible comet tails of mucus slow sinking flakes of ‘marine snow’

New measurements reveal the gunk that surrounds the particles, an important factor in understanding how the ocean sequesters carbon.

Climate

3 Antarctic glaciers show rapidly accelerated ice loss from ocean warming

Destabilized by ocean waves and vanishing sea ice, Antarctica’s Hektoria glacier lost 25 kilometers of ice in 16 months — a possible hint of what’s to come.

Climate

COP28 nations agreed to ‘transition’ from fossil fuels. That’s too slow, experts say

COP28 ended with a historic climate agreement to begin moving away from fossil fuels, but stopped short of mandating phasing them out.

Earth

Here are some big-if-true scientific claims that made headlines in 2023

Hominid cannibalism, “dark stars,” the secrets of Earth’s core and more tantalizing findings will require more evidence before scientists can confirm them as fact.

Oceans

Ocean heat waves often lurk out of sight

About 1 in 3 marine heat waves occur below the surface, a new study reports, suggesting these harmful events are more common than previously thought.

Climate

COP28 is making headlines. Here’s why the focus on methane matters

Here’s one takeaway from COP28: Deep cuts to methane are essential to meet the Paris Agreement goals. That’s still possible.

Climate

Here’s how 2023 became the hottest year on record

The effects of climate change were on clear display in 2023 as records not only broke, but did so by surprising amounts.