Climate

Climate

Local glacier could be gone in a decade, young scientist finds

A teen calculated the volume of a glacier by drilling into it with jets of steam — then used that to estimate how long before all its ice will be gone.

Climate

Urchin takeover underlies California’s vanishing kelp forests

Some 95 percent of kelp forests along its northern coast are gone. Meanwhile, sea otters are helping slow the loss of surviving kelp farther south.

Climate

Surfing the winds would make future jet travel greener

Simple route changes could drastically cut fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions, a new study finds.

Climate

The world wastes roughly a sixth of the food produced each year

A new United Nations report shows where wastes can be reduced, which would decrease hunger and emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases.

Animals

Analyze This: Cows burp less methane after early-life treatment

Calves that receive the 14-week treatment belch less of the greenhouse gas, possibly due to shifts in their gut microbes.

Climate

Changing climate now threatens northern lakes year round

Lakes in northern climes are getting warmer, and that’s not good for people, plants or animals.

Climate

COVID-19 cut pollution in 2020, warming the atmosphere

Pandemic-related lockdowns briefly warmed the planet. The reason: The cleaner air carried fewer planet-cooling aerosols.

Tech

Training AI to be really smart poses risks to climate

As artificial intelligence models grow larger and consume more energy, experts have begun to worry about their impact on Earth’s climate.

Climate

Scientists Say: Weather

The state of the atmosphere in a specific place and time is weather. Over a long time, the weather conditions in an area will reveal its climate.

Climate

Can wildfires cool the climate?

Severe wildfires are becoming more common. Science is showing that the tiny particles they release into the air can alter Earth’s temperature — sometimes cooling it.

Climate

2020 was warmest year on record for Earth’s oceans

2020 continued the trend of record-breaking heat for the world’s oceans. The three previous warmest years on record were 2019, 2017 and 2018.

Climate

Let’s learn about snow

Snow is more than just frozen water vapor. Scientists are studying everything from its shape to other planets where snowflakes fall.