Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Earth's Plant Growth Fell Because of Climate Change, Study Finds
Drought linked to climate change has reversed a decades-long trend of increased global plant growth, according to a new analysis of NASA satellite data.
Extent of lingering Gulf oil plume revealed
Extensive chemical analysis confirms that undegraded oil remains at ocean depths.
Study tracks ocean plastic spread
US researchers measure the amount of plastic accumulating in a region of the Atlantic Ocean over a 22-year period.
Study urges less urban sprawl, more forest
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Less urban sprawl and more forests are keys to decreasing water runoff and disastrous flooding, U.S. scientists said. ...
The Science Of The Root Beer Float
A few days ago, while talking about mundane business issues, I learned that today, August 19th, was the birthday of that famous childhood delight, the 'black cow', what would later...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Set to Intensify
An expert on tropical storms sees trouble brewing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Geologists revisit the Great Oxygenation Event
In "The Sign of the Four" Sherlock Holmes tells Watson he has written a monograph on 140 forms of cigar-, cigarette-, and pipe-tobacco, "with colored plates illustrating the difference in...
Great Barrier Reef had predecessor
BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Scientists studying Australia's Great Barrier Reef say they've discovered a less spectacular but more ancient fossilized reef just a half mile away. ...
Oil firm upbeat despite Falklands setback
STANLEY, Falkland Islands, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Rockhopper Exploration remains upbeat about prospects for a commercially feasible hydrocarbons find in the Falkland Islands waters despite poor results from a...
Fidel Castro's Conspiracy Theories
The CIA is known to have tried to kill Castro many times, including with exploding cigars.
Geologists revisit Earth's Great Oxygenation Event: More like the 'Great Redox Evolution'
Recent work with geochemical proxies for oxygen levels suggests that oxygen levels continued to fluctuate long after the Great Oxygenation Event 2.7 billion years ago, and that the oceans were...
Listening to Earth breathe through 500 towers
It takes a global village to monitor and analyze trends in Earth's "breathing" -- or the exchange of carbon dioxide, water vapor and energy between vegetation on the ground and...
Earth's green carbon sink on the wane
Satellite data indicate that carbon storage by plants is decreasing despite climate warming.
5 Years After Katrina, Ruins—And a Natural Wonder—Remain
On Hurricane Katrina's fifth anniversary, many Gulf Coast buildings remain damaged, but an iconic natural wonder still stands strong. Video. ...
Study reveals UK upland waters are recovering from acid rain
(PhysOrg.com) -- Upland waters damaged by acid rain are beginning to recover according to UCL research published today.
Seabirds Spew Useful Contaminant Data
Persistent Pollutants: Stomach oils from northern fulmars provide an easy measure of organochlorines.
UT, ORNL Crunching Numbers to Make Sense of Climate Change
Buried in mountains of meteorological and hydrological data are likely clues that could help in predicting floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events.
Oil Spill Panel Summons Witnesses
S. Elizabeth Birnbaum, who led the Minerals Management Service for a year before her abrupt resignation on May 27, will testify on her tenure at the troubled agency.
Ecologist Studies Air-Polluting Kudzu Vines
Jonathan Hickman uses his creative approach to science to study ecology.
The Case of the Missing Climate Pledge
Obama's pledge to invest in energy research seems to have vanished from White House Web sites.
BP role in release of Lockerbie bomber?
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Questions remain about oil giant BP's possible role in the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi one year after his release. ...
BioVectra gets $14.8M provincial loan
BioVectra Inc. of Charlottetown has received a $14.8-million loan from the Prince Edward Island government to expand its manufacturing facility near the city's airport.
Rwanda harnesses energy from exploding lake
Beneath the beautiful surface of Lake Kivu lie huge reservoirs of methane and carbon dioxide that could power Rwanda for 100 years. But if released onto the surface, these gasses...
Lowering Daisy's emissions: Battle against agricultural climate offenders
Agriculture accounts for approximately nine per cent of Norway's total emissions of greenhouse gases. Now, researchers are acquiring actual gas measurements and new knowledge about what causes the emissions --...
International math prize awarded in India
HYDERABAD, India, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- India's president awarded the prestigious Fields Medal to young mathematicians from Israel, France and Switzerland at a ceremony in Hyderabad. ...
Climate change brings wasps to Baffin Island
Researchers collecting bugs in the Canadian Arctic this summer have confirmed wasps are breeding on Baffin Island, which they say is further evidence of climate change.
Climate sceptics mislead the public over hacked emails inquiry | Bob Ward
The Global Warming Policy Foundation's investigation omits awkward truths that would get in the way of a conspiracySelf-proclaimed climate change sceptics are preparing to reignite the controversy over the emails hacked from the...
Climate protest camp targets RBS
Dozens of climate change protesters set up camp close to the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh.