Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Tsunami too close for warning
An international study has revealed that the recent Samoan tsunami occurred too close to shore for the warning systems to have saved lives.
Tackling new Arctic challenges from space
International scientists, researchers and decision makers met at the 'Space and the Arctic workshop' to identify the needs and challenges of working and living in the rapidly changing Arctic and...
Researchers hail innovative plan to save rainforest, reduce greenhouse gas emissions
An innovative proposal by the Ecuadorian government to protect an untouched, oil rich region of Amazon rainforest is a precedent-setting and potentially economically viable approach, says a team of environmental...
Are the Alps growing or shrinking?
The Alps are growing just as quickly in height, as they are shrinking. This paradoxical result could be proven by a group of German and Swiss geoscientists. Due to glaciers...
Earthquakes Actually Aftershocks Of 19th Century Quakes; Repercussions Of 1811 And 1812 New Madrid Quakes Continue To Be Felt
When small earthquakes shake the central US, citizens often fear the rumbles are signs a big earthquake is coming. Fortunately, a new study instead shows that most of these earthquakes...
Coral reefs inspire rare consensus -- just save them
One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human...
Germany, Mexico, US top smart energy list
Germany, Mexico and the United States have crafted some of the world's smartest policies for improving energy use, according to a study released on Thursday on the sidelines of the...
Unmanned planes converted to climate scouts
In a modern-day rendition of beating swords into plowshares, a pair of unmanned military aircraft have been turned over to NASA for research on Earth's environment.
Don't let the reckless City trade carbon | Andy Atkins
As the City recovers from one disaster, the next is on its way – but carbon trading will damage the planet, not just the economyYou couldn't make it up: in the middle...
Climate change's tech transfer challenge
Getting the right technology into poor countries is crucial for fighting climate change but how should we go about it? T. V. Padma investigates.
Study uses satellite imagery to identify active magma systems in East Africa's Rift Valley
A team from the University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester have employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic...
Feature: Addressing our groundwater crisis
As surface water reserves dry up, many Australians are relying on groundwater. But how do we know we're managing this limited resource properly? Rachel Sullivan finds out.
Cost builds up for wasted food
A recent study found that Aussies waste a lot of food each year – especially in households that have high income or few people.
USC study finds big air pollution impacts on local communities
Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship...
No simple solution to livestock and climate change
Simply reducing livestock farming in developing countries will neither cut emissions nor benefit the poor, says livestock expert Carlos Seré.
The hunt for a carbon-neutral cement
Cement is responsible for 5% of the world's carbon emissions, and the race is on to find an alternativeWhat do you do with a problem like cement? Around 2bn tonnes are used...
Hybrid bluegrasses analysed for use in transition zone
The transition zone can be one of the most challenging places to maintain high-quality turfgrass; changeable growing conditions in these regions often prove too hot for some grasses and too...
Drill team probes sea changes
A team of scientists are making a sea voyage to drill in deep water – and hopefully find out what influences sea level changes.
3 Questions: Sergey Paltsev on the costs of climate-change legislation
Sergey Paltsev, a principal research scientist in MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, was the lead author of a recent report that analyzed the costs of climate legislation...
Feature: 'Working trees' key to urban resilience?
Trees bring many benefits to the urban environment, and yet their population is currently under threat.
Amazon's Low Salt Content Keeps Carbon Emissions at Bay
All it takes is a sprinkle of salt to jump-start animal life on the Amazon forest floor—which, for better or worse, speeds up the carbon cycle, a new study says.
Scientists prepare for large-scale glacial floods (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Surging floods as powerful as the Amazon could hit parts of Europe within decades, according to new research.
Reducing Agriculture's Climate Change Footprint
(PhysOrg.com) -- Curbing greenhouse gas emissions from cultivated fields may require going beyond cutting back on nitrogen fertilizer and changing crop rotation cycles, according to research by Agricultural Research Service...
Common plants can eliminate indoor air pollutants
Air quality in homes, offices, and other indoor spaces is becoming a major health concern, particularly in developed countries where people often spend more than 90% of their time indoors....
SKorea to plant trees in China to reduce 'yellow dust'
The Seoul city government will help fund a tree-planting project in a Chinese desert to reduce the amount of harmful "yellow dust" blowing over South Korea, officials said Wednesday.
Forests in the desert: the answer to climate change?
Climate change could be cancelled out in a staggeringly ambitious plan to plant the Sahara desert and Australian outback with treesSome talk of hoisting mirrors into space to reflect sunlight, while others want...
Conservation biology: Reflecting the past
Unsatisfied with merely halting environmental destruction, some conservationists are trying to reconstruct ecosystems of the past. Emma Marris travels back in time with the rewilders.
Carbon trading: How to save a forest
Projects in Madagascar could provide a model for stemming deforestation. But first these efforts must deal with the poverty and political upheaval that threaten forests, reports Anjali Nayar.