Earth

More Stories in Earth

  1. photo of Antarctic sea ice
    Climate

    Antarctic sea ice has been hitting record lows for most of this year

    Since hitting a record low minimum back in February, the amount of Antarctic sea ice has stayed well below normal all year.

    By
  2. photo of the Salt Lake City downtown skyline with the Wasatch Mountains in the background
    Environment

    Dust from a shrinking Great Salt Lake may be accelerating Utah’s snowmelt

    About a quarter of the record-breaking, snow-melting dust on the Wasatch Mountains in 2022 may have come from exposed lakebed at Great Salt Lake.

    By
  3. A drone photo of a southern stretch of the North American boreal forest burnt by wildfires.
    Climate

    The snow forest of North America may be about to shrink

    From 2000 to 2019, the boreal forest’s northern boundary didn’t move while southern tree cover thinned due to climate change, wildfires and logging.

    By
  4. A photo of sprinklers watering crops.
    Earth

    Irrigation may be shifting Earth’s rotational axis

    Computer simulations suggest that from 1993 to 2010 irrigation alone could have nudged the North Pole by about 78 centimeters.

    By
  5. A photo of a dusty barren ground with the tree line seen in the middle distance.
    Ecosystems

    The Amazon might not have a ‘tipping point.’ But it’s still in trouble

    Scientists race to foretell the fate of the vast forest facing deforestation and climate change.

    By
  6. A radar map of the North Atlantic ocean showing large areas of unusually high temperatures in orange and red, with some blue spots near the east coast of North America
    Climate

    Why is the North Atlantic breaking heat records?

    Record-breaking sea-surface temperatures off the coast of Africa may affect the 2023 hurricane season. What’s fueling the unusual heat is unclear.

    By
  7. A close up photo of a tiny brown mouse eating from a small pile of grain with burlap sacks in the background.
    Animals

    Camouflaging wheat with a wheat smell could be a new approach to pest control

    Wheat fields coated in wheat germ oil confuse the noses of mice, reducing seed loss by more than 60 percent, a new study finds.

    By
  8. A photo of a person standing in front of the New York City skyline which is barely visible through an orange haze.
    Climate

    Wildfire smoke is blanketing the U.S. East Coast. It won’t be the last time

    Climate change will continue to exacerbate fire risk across the world’s boreal forests, making events like the dangerous smoke over the U.S. East Coast more common.

    By
  9. an aerial image of the Halaco Engineering Company site
    Environment

    Rising groundwater threatens to spread toxic pollution on U.S. coastlines

    Sea level rise is pushing groundwater into shallower layers of earth, threatening to spread hazardous chemicals from contaminated soils.

    By