Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Record-setting Dead Zones Predicted For Gulf Of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay
Record-setting "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay appear likely this summer, according to new forecasts. Scientists make the annual forecasts using models driven by nutrient load...
Icelandic Volcanoes Help Researchers Understand Potential Effects Of Eruptions
For the first time, researchers have taken a detailed look at what lies beneath all of Iceland's volcanoes -- and found a world far more complex than they ever imagined....
Invasive Species Get Expensive
Foreign species that slipped into the Great Lakes in ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships cost the regional economy at least $200 million a year.
Outlook For Air Quality In Beijing For Olympics Is Borderline
The outlook for air quality in Beijing during the Olympics is borderline, and there's little that the Chinese government can do to improve it. That's the conclusion drawn by atmospheric...
British Showers Most Wasteful And Inconsiderate In Western Europe, Survey Suggests
Water-wasting and uncaring about gels, shampoos and soap going down the plughole: that's how the British emerge from a survey on showering habits of western Europeans. The Royal Society of...
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Volcano Spews Ash 50,000 Feet High
A violent volcanic eruption in Alaska's Aleutian Islands that continues to spew ash and sulfur dioxide gas and is expected to stay active for weeks, observers say.
California Wildfires As Seen From Remotely Piloted Aircraft
A remotely piloted aircraft carrying a NASA sensor flew over much of California earlier this week, gathering information that will be used to help fight more than 300 wildfires burning...
China gets ivory imports go-ahead
The UN has given China the green light to bid in a one-off sale of a 108 tonnes stockpile of African elephant ivory.
Ecology, Economics and Soil Societies Brief Congress on Post-Wildfire Resource Management
On Wednesday, 9 July, three prominent scientific societies sponsored briefings on Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers about how to manage natural areas after they have been impacted by wildfire.
Projected California Warming Promises Cycle Of More Heat Waves, Energy Use For Next Century
As the 21st century progresses, major cities in heavily air-conditioned California can expect more frequent extreme-heat events because of climate change. This could mean increased electricity demand for the densely...
Marine bill 'can strike balance'
Energy investment in Scotland's seas can be balanced with protecting marine wildlife and seabirds, the Scottish Government claims.
Solar shades can't reverse warming
According to a recent study, putting mirrors in orbit to block sunlight might work to mitigate global warming, but would not bring back the old climate conditions.
Record Land Grab Predicted As Demand Soars For New Sources Of Food, Energy And Wood Fiber
Escalating global demand for fuel, food and wood fiber will destroy the world's forests, if efforts to address climate change and poverty fail to empower the billion-plus forest-dependent poor, according...
Governors Look Beyond Corn-Based Ethanol
Governors from the coal fields of West Virginia to the corn fields of Iowa talked at their summer meeting about moving beyond ethanol produced just from food sources.
MPs blast government over CO2
The government has made "very poor progress" on reaching its own carbon emissions-cutting targets, MPs say.
Net Gain For Endangered Dolphins
The rarest marine dolphin in the world -- down to 111 individuals following decades of entanglement in fishing nets -- is now to receive protection over more of its range...
Biodiversity Defensing Against Climate Change
Climate change is happening, and we must develop ways for all life to be able to cope. WWF Vietnam Programme is looking at this through the development of resilient multifunctional...
Cruise-liner Sewage Adds To Baltic Decline
Most international cruise ship companies operating in the Baltic Sea have refused to co-operate with a plea from WWF to stop dumping their sewage straight into the water. The Baltic,...
Giant Clams 'Secure For Another Generation' After Philippine Re-seeding
Re-seeding programs on over 50 reefs are securing the survival of the giant clam for at least another generation. The clams, the world's largest bivalve mollusks and the star of...
Connecticut lobster harvests declining
HARTFORD, Conn., July 13 (UPI) -- Lobstermen in Connecticut say they fear for their financial future because of declining lobster harvests brought on by warming water trends.
Pope expresses worry about climate change
(AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday he wants to wake up consciences on climate change during his pilgrimage in Australia.
As 300 fires rage, California to get foreign help
Fire-ravaged California is awaiting the arrival of foreign firefighters from as far away as Australia to help battle more than 300 blazes still raging across the western US state, officials...
Algae spreading along China's Yellow Sea coast
The algae plaguing China's Olympic sailing venue is spreading to other ports and beaches along the coast, state media has reported, despite official claims that the battle is being won.
Food Stuff: Yet a New Way to Say ‘To Your Health’
Açaí, pronounced ah-sigh-EE, is the basis of VeeV, a new 60-proof liqueur that is an infusion of the berries and some other tropical fruits.
Modeling Erosion Damage From Ephemeral Gullies
Ephemeral gullies are common features on agricultural landscapes. Concentrated water flows can erode cropland soils and carve out these small drainage ditches, which then transport field runoff laden with eroded...
US judge blocks gas drilling in Michigan forest
(AP) -- A federal judge has overturned a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to allow oil and gas drilling near a forest and a river in Michigan's northern...
Yellow submarine: Unmanned sub studies ocean
(AP) -- Far out in the Atlantic, a little yellow submarine is trying to slip from current to current, gliding across the ocean beneath the waves. The unmanned sub...
Mount St. Helens goes back to sleep
VANCOUVER, Wash., July 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said Mount St. Helens appears to have returned to slumber after more than three years of activity.