Climate and weather are related — but not the same. Climate describes patterns of weather in an area over long stretches of time. Weather refers to specific events, such as hot days or thunderstorms. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are all examples of extreme weather. When extreme weather occurs, people often want to know if climate […]
What is attribution science? Read More »
Around the world, rising seas pose a major threat to coastal communities. Flooding will likely become worse, damaging buildings where people live and work. People who reside near the ocean have to change the way they live and build, or get out altogether. Here are how a few coastal communities are facing climate change by
How three coastal communities are dealing with rising seas Read More »
As wildfires grow in number and intensity, scientists look for the fingerprints of global warming The biggest fire in California history ignited shortly after noon on July 27, 2018, and burned until mid-September. Called the Mendocino Complex Fire, its twin infernos started at the same time. They also burned close to one another and quickly
Is climate change fanning megafires? Read More »
In late 2013, something big and strange showed up in the Gulf of Alaska. Scientists called it “the Blob.” It wasn’t a monster. Instead, it was a monstrous amount of heat in the surface water of the northern Pacific. And it didn’t begin to dissipate until 2016. Scientists soon observed the same heat-up farther south.
The Blob: Fingerprint of climate change shows up in some extreme weather Read More »
Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area when it stalled over southeastern Texas in August 2017. In the weeks that followed, Hurricane Irma traveled up the mainland of Florida, and Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico. The year 2017 would become the most expensive hurricane season on record. For decades, climate researchers using computer models have predicted
How does climate change influence extreme weather? Read More »
Some problems have easy solutions. If we feel sweaty, we’ll head for the shade. If our soup’s too hot, we’ll blow on it. If a room’s too stuffy, we’ll open a window. But what are the options when the planet grows too warm? That is the problem — and an enormous one —
Hacking the Planet Read More »
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, reminding us once again of the deadly threat icebergs can pose to life. Still, the bad reputation icebergs sometimes have isn’t entirely deserved — even if the scientists who study these floating islands of ice are the first to admit just how risky th
Icy inns at Earth’s end Read More »
Climate scientists concerned about global warming keep a close eye on Antarctica. There, some of the ice shelves that extend from the continent into the ocean are melting, adding freshwater that boosts sea level. Like other scientists, Tore Hattermann of the Norwegian Polar Institute wants to understand how that watery environment is changing.
Keeping track of water makes for tricky science. It drains through soil, slips through cracks in rocks and refills underwater reserves. It bubbles up through springs and runs in rivers. Water evaporates and forms clouds; rain brings it back to earth, where it keeps plants alive and drains into the soil again. Scientists who study
Searching for underground water, from the sky Read More »
In 1996, when Ralph and Kimberlie Cole bought 100 acres on the scenic Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee, neither of them knew a thing about farming. At the time, they were drawing their paychecks in Oak Ridge, some 45 miles away, where Ralph oversaw a lab that studied soil contamination and Kimberlie worked to minimize
In praise of grazing Read More »
