Image of the Day: China’s Poor Air Quality From Above
NASA satellite image shows the bad air quality in China occurring in mid-January. Residents of many cities in China were told it was recommended that they stay indoors, as the air quality was the worst in recent history. … Read More
Community Rallies Against Proposed Trash Incinerator
The farm town of Gonzales, in the center of the Salinas Valley, has been known throughout its 140-year history as "Little Switzerland," the "heart of the salad bowl," and, today, the "wine capital" of Monterey County. Now a proposal from a Canadian energy company could change Gonzales' moniker yet again: It hopes to build a commercial-scale plant… Read More
Looking for Love as the Climate Heats Up
The interbreeding has several consequences, none well understood: It could increase genetic diversity, helping species weather rapid ecosystem changes. It also could dilute the genetics of at-risk animals such as polar bears – perhaps even diluting them beyond recognition. And the changes threaten to wreak havoc with conservation efforts. Not all e… Read More
Good News, Bad News Continues for Drought Across U.S.
Thursday’s release of the latest U.S. Drought Monitor brought slivers of good news for some parts of the continental U.S., while more bad news for other regions. Storms that swept across the Southeast over the past week made a significant dent in drought conditions, eradicating the areas of “exceptional” drought — the worst category. Those rains … Read More
Thinning Ice Is Turning Arctic into an Algae Hotspot
Shrinking, thinning Arctic sea ice appears to be accelerating the growth of algae in polar waters, a new study finds, a development that could alter the region’s ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Scientists cruising central Arctic waters last summer aboard the research ship Polarstern were stunned to discover dense, shaggy deposits of… Read More
NOAA: February 2012 to January 2013 Warmest on Record
January was warmer and wetter than average in the contiguous United States, despite the persistent drought in the central U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. The average temperature in the lower 48 states reached 32.0 degrees Fahrenheit last month. At 1.6 degrees above the 20th century average, January 2013 ties… Read More
East Coast Faces Rising Seas From Slowing Gulf Stream
Experts on the sea level rise triggered by climate change have long known that it will proceed faster in some places than others. The mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S. is one of them, and the reason — in theory, anyway — is that global warming should slow the flow of the Gulf Stream as it moves north and then west toward northern Europe.… Read More
Canadian Doctors Urged to Fight Climate Change
Scientists began talking seriously about some dangers of climate change more than 30 years ago — rising seas, changing weather patterns, more rain in rainy places and more drought in dry places, and more. But the risks that lie outside their areas of expertise have taken longer to draw attention — especially in the area of human health. That has… Read More
