Latest science news in Earth & Climate
NASA Releases New Image of Massive Greenland Iceberg
On Aug. 5, 2010, an enormous chunk of ice, about 251 square kilometers (97 square miles) in size, or roughly four times the size of Manhattan, broke off the Petermann...
Ground shaken by Mexico quake still moving
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked the American Southwest and Mexico's Baja California in April is continuing to deform the ground there, new NASA radar images show. ...
First satellite measurement of water volume in Amazon floodplain
For the first time, scientists have been able to measure the amount of water that rises and falls annually in the Amazon River floodplain. The result -- 285 billion metric...
Study: Rainforest ecosystems at risk
PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Up to 80 percent of the world's rainforests could be destroyed by climate change by the next century, a study of ecosystems...
U.S. backs carbon-neutral Ruby pipeline
HOUSTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Regulatory Commission approved construction for the first-ever carbon-neutral natural gas pipeline in the U.S. northwest, a company said. ...
Wildlife advocates hail Rocky Mountain wolf ruling
(AP) -- Wildlife advocates say a ruling to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains buys time to create a better plan than...
Global tropical forests threatened by 2100
By 2100 only 18% to 45% of the plants and animals making up ecosystems in global, humid tropical forests may remain as we know them today, according to a new...
Scientists find the first evidence of genetically modified plants in the wild
Research is continually emerging on the impacts of invasive species, pollution and environmental disasters on ecosystems and communities. Ecological scientists will discuss widespread environmental...
Cutting Japanese carbon dioxide emissions
Last year, heat-pump technology cut Japan’s CO2 emissions by 1.1 million tons. The savings are about the same as we would gain by permanently parking around half a million modern...
Mediterranean under species 'invasion'
ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea is at risk from an invasion of hundreds of foreign marine species arriving in the last 140 years,...
Scientists develop sustainable, environmentally friendly potting medium
A new type of sustainable and environmentally friendly potting medium made from thinned pine trees has been created by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their university cooperators.
White House Nominates Chief Scientist for NOAA
In a move that would bring more climate know-how into the inner circle of...
Much Gulf Oil Remains, Deeply Hidden and Under Beaches
The "vast majority" of spilled oil is gone, officials say. But some experts doubt the estimates and say much crude remains, out of sight. ...
AP Enterprise: Scientists think Gulf can recover
By SETH BORENSTEIN and CAIN BURDEAU 2010-08-05T19:18:26Z BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) -- Want to know the future of...
High levels of carbon dioxide threaten oyster survival
It has been widely reported that the build up of carbon dioxide in the air, which is caused by human behavior, will likely lead to climate change and have major...
New information about how Himalayas were formed
Evidence of the mineral majorite in Himalayan rocks have overturned scientific theory about the birth of the tallest mountains on Earth.
Resource tax would shift mining overseas
SYDNEY, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Australia's proposed resource tax would force its miners overseas, industry leaders say. MIN -...
In Comments on Oil's Fate, an Air of Mistrust
"This is the same NOAA after all that insisted for weeks that 5,000 barrels a day was the actual release rate," a scientist said.
Sizing Up Our Food's Nitrogen Footprint
Agriculture: Researchers compare how the pollution behind a meal affects coastal ecosystems versus the climate.
Nitrogenase found to be a two-trick pony
A nitrogen-fixing enzyme has shocked scientists by being able to use carbon monoxide as a substrate to make a range of carbon-based products
Coastal Creatures May Have Reduced Ability to Fight Off Infections in Acidified Oceans
Human impact is causing lower oxygen and higher carbon dioxide levels in coastal water bodies. Increased levels of carbon dioxide cause the water to become more acidic, having dramatic effects...
Chinese soil experts warn of massive threat to food security
A survey indicates critical soil loss across China, and warns that food production will decrease by 40 per cent if current rates continue.
Landscape trees victims of heat, drought
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Landscape trees in the southern United States are falling victim to a prolonged spell of summers with hot weather and little rain,...
Location, infrastructure and middle classes were keys to development of chemical industry in Bizkaia
Researchers studied the founding of 13 Bizkaian chemical enterprises and their technological evolution in 20th century.
Rocking Geochemistry
Jeremy Boyce studies mineral apatite to learn more about the magmatic processes of volcanoes.
UN panel: New taxes needed for a climate fund
(AP) -- British economist Nicholas Stern says a U.N. economic panel is discussing carbon taxes, add-ons to international air fares and a levy on cross-border money transfers as ways...
Forget Your Lawn, Water the Trees, Say Horticulture Experts
Intense heat and less-than-half of normal rainfall this past July in the Northeast have left landscapes dry this summer. Two Cornell experts provide advice: Water trees and shrubs, but not...
EPA eyes Alaska's drinking water
JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- More than 6,800 residents in Alaska may be unknowingly drinking water that contains harmful levels of chlorine disinfectants, the EPA announced. ...