Sea level rise may proceed faster than expected in the coming decades, as a gargantuan flow of ice slithering out of Greenland’s remote interior both picks up speed and shrinks.…
Category: Earth
‘Fen, Bog & Swamp’ reminds readers why peatlands matter
Fen, Bog & Swamp Annie Proulx Simon & Schuster, $26.99 A recent TV ad features three guys lost in the woods, debating whether they should’ve taken a turn at a…
A Caribbean island gets everyone involved in protecting beloved species
The coral reef, once bustling with more than 5,000 long-spined sea urchins, became a ghost town in a matter of days. White skeletons with dangling spines dotted the reef near…
Mangrove forests expand and contract with a lunar cycle
The glossy leaves and branching roots of mangroves are downright eye-catching, and now a study finds that the moon plays a special role in the vigor of these trees. Long-term…
Wind turbines could help capture carbon dioxide while providing power
Wind turbines could offer a double whammy in the fight against climate change. Besides harnessing wind to generate clean energy, turbines may help to funnel carbon dioxide to systems that…
Here’s what happened to the Delaware-sized iceberg that broke off Antarctica
It was the rift watched ‘round the world. In July 2017, after weeks of anticipation, a massive iceberg about the size of Delaware split from the Antarctic Peninsula (SN: 7/12/17).…
How fungi make potent toxins that can contaminate food
Food contaminated with fungi can be an inconvenience at best and life-threatening at worst. But new research shows that removing just one protein can leave some fungal toxins high and…
Heat waves in U.S. rivers are on the rise. Here’s why that’s a problem
U.S. rivers are getting into hot water. The frequency of river and stream heat waves is on the rise, a new analysis shows. Like marine heat waves, riverine heat waves…
Climate change could turn some blue lakes to green or brown
Some picturesque blue lakes may not be so blue in the future, thanks to climate change. In the first global tally of lake color, researchers estimate that roughly one-third of…
Gas flares are leaking five times as much methane than previously thought
In many oil and gas producing regions, flames light the sky. The flares burn off 98 percent of the escaping natural gas, oil and gas companies claim. But observations of…
