Latest science news in Earth & Climate
Urbanization and agriculture are land uses that most affect Brazil's rivers
Brazil has more freshwater than any other country, but this resource is dwindling because of climate change, rising consumption and inadequate treatment, among other factors. Worse, Brazil's rivers are increasingly...
Consequences of the 2018 summer drought
The drought that hit central and northern Europe in summer 2018 had serious effects on crops, forests and grasslands. Researchers from the European Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS),...
'Devastation': Wildfires ravage western United States
"Unprecedented" wildfires fueled by strong winds and searing temperatures were raging cross a wide swathe of California, Oregon and Washington on Wednesday, destroying scores of homes and businesses in the...
U.S. deploys Cobra Ball surveillance plane near northeast China
A U.S. spy plane flew near northeast China and the Korean Peninsula the same day North Korea observed its founding anniversary.
Climate engineering: Modelling projections oversimplify risks
Climate change is gaining prominence as a political and public priority. But many ambitious climate action plans foresee the use of climate engineering technologies whose risks are insufficiently understood. Researchers...
New insight on the impacts of Earth's biosphere on air quality
A new study led by a team of University of Minnesota researchers provides the first global satellite measurements of one of the most important chemicals affecting Earth's atmosphere.
Slow, meandering hurricanes are often more dangerous—and they’re getting more common
Hurricane Harvey, which stalled dangerously over Texas, on August 24, 2017 (NOAA/NASA GOES Project/)Hurricanes are often described as “barreling” through a region, yet some of the most dangerous storms in recent years have...
Climate engineering: Modelling projections oversimplify risks
Climate change is gaining prominence as a political and public priority. But many ambitious climate action plans foresee the use of climate engineering technologies whose risks are insufficiently understood. In...
Climate change: Former minister O’Neill blasts government "inaction"
Claire O'Neill condemns what she calls broken promises and backsliding on climate commitments.
Bacteria fill key role for successful recirculating aquaculture farming
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors globally. Due to continuous growth, ecologically, economically and socially sustainable sites for aquaculture are already in use, which has caused...
New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly
New seafloor maps reveal the first clear view of a system of channels that may be helping to hasten the demise of West Antarctica’s vulnerable Thwaites Glacier. The channels are deeper and more...
New corals discovered in deep-sea study of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
For the first time, scientists have viewed the deepest regions of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, discovered five undescribed species consisting of black corals and sponges, and recorded Australia's...
Increased warming closing in on Paris climate agreement temperature limit, UN report finds
The world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a...
Earthquake strikes New Jersey, shaking reported across state
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck in East Freehold, New Jersey, early Wednesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Water warning as climate risks intensify: report
Record temperatures are accelerating the rise of sea levels, melting glaciers and snow coverage and threatening the water supplies for billions, according to a major UN report Wednesday charting the...
Report: Seoul preps for joint Olympic bid with North Korea
The city of Seoul is preparing to submit an application to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics with Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
Watch: Jane Fonda promotes civil disobedience on 'Late Night'
Jane Fonda urged people to take action against climate change and discussed her arrests on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
Earth may temporarily pass dangerous 1.5 C warming limit by 2024, major new report says
The Paris climate agreement seeks to limit global warming to 1.5℃ this century. A new report by the World Meteorological Organization warns this limit may be exceeded by 2024—and the...
Nobel prize-winning economics of climate change is misleading and dangerous—here's why
While climate scientists warn that climate change could be catastrophic, economists such as 2018 Nobel prize winner William Nordhaus assert that it will be nowhere near as damaging. In a...
New paper reveals how lessons learned during COVID-19 could prepare us for nuclear attack
The current COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to serving as a reminder of the very personal nature of global catastrophic risk, could also shine a light on the ongoing nuclear challenge...
Record-breaking California wildfires scorch 8,000 sq. km, prompting closure of state forests
Wildfires have burned a record 8,000 square kilometres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all...
How Australia's environmental scientists are being silenced
Ecologists and conservation experts in government, industry and universities are routinely constrained in communicating scientific evidence on threatened species, mining, logging and other threats to the environment, our new research...
A new study of ocean salinity finds substantial amplification of the global water cycle
Water and its movements within or between atmosphere, land and ocean defines the global water cycle and is central to the climate system. Almost all weather and climate phenomena are...
'Ellen DeGeneres Show' to kick off Season 18 on Sept. 21
Season 18 of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is slated to begin on Sept. 21.
Experts: Lebanon blast brings foreign insistence on reform
Weeks after the blast that devastated Beirut, foreign aid may have helped prevent Lebanon's collapse and avert a civil war, experts told UPI. But further efforts to help resolve its...
Peacock orders two seasons of 'Fresh Prince' drama 'Bel-Air'
Actor and producer Will Smith has announced on Facebook that the Peacock streaming service ordered two seasons of "Bel-Air," a drama based on his 1990s sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of...
New process boosts lignin bio-oil as a next-generation fuel
A new low-temperature multi-phase process for upgrading lignin bio-oil to hydrocarbons could help expand use of the lignin, which is now largely a waste product left over from the productions...
How biotic and abiotic factors regulate the sediment denitrification rate among wetland types
Wetlands play a vital role in removing nitrogen (N) from aquatic environments via the denitrification process, which is regulated by multiple environmental and biological factors. Until now, it has been...