Climate Change

A large band of warmer than average sea surface temperatures, an indicator of El Niño, stretches across the Pacific

Gear Up for a Scorcher of a Year: El Niño Has Officially Arrived

It’s later than usual and weak, but definitely here

A dog sitting in a field of wildflowers in California's Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

Best Places to See Wildflowers Around the United States

Snow and cold got you down? Remember, spring is around the corner, and that means wildflowers

A closeup of the Ledi jaw taken just steps from where it was found in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

Oldest Human Fossil Unearthed in Ethiopia

At about 2.8 million years old, the Ledi jaw may belong to "the stem for the Homo genus," according to its discoverers

Dog sled racing is a classic bit of fun in Alaska. But as that state warms, organizers are having to move or cancel races.

While the U.S. East Shivers, Unusual Heat Stirs Trouble Across the Globe

Cancelled dog-sled races and restless grizzly bears serve as reminders that global warming is still at work

A general view shows damaged buildings in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus in Syria on February 24, 2015.

Are Climate Change And the Conflict in Syria Connected?

A new study shows a link between the nation’s recent unrest and a major drought spurred on by global warming

According to a statement released last year, the Smithsonian believes that humans are a cause of climate change.

Climate Change Researcher Received Funds From Fossil Fuel Industry

A Smithsonian-connected scientist is accused of failing to properly disclose his backers

Meltwater from the Brady Glacier (shown in the foreground) is seen in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The water in the foreground in the southwest (bottom left) corner of the image is the Gulf of Alaska.

Alaska’s Freshwater Is Draining Into the Sea at an Astounding Rate

Satellite data shows that snow and glacial melt are partially to blame for an annual freshwater output 1.5 times that of Mississippi River

The Black Death is immortalized by the plague masks of Venice, like this stylized version used in a Carnival costume.

Plague Pandemic May Have Been Driven by Climate, Not Rats

The bacteria responsible for the Black Death were reintroduced to Europe multiple times, possibly due to the changing climate

Russian ice breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov breaks through pack ice in the Southern Ocean

Antarctic Sea Ice Sets A New Record, But the Climate is Still Changing

Climate change deniers, sit back down

Climbers in the Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest.

Everest Climbers Now Prohibited From Taking One Deadly Route

Nepal announces that the Khumbu Icefall, where 16 sherpa were killed last year, is now off-limits

Grizzlies in Yellowstone Are Already Waking Up

Warm weather has drawn at least one bear out of hibernation and in search of food

Robert Sorlie and his team during the 2005 Iditarod race

Lack of Snow Forced the Iditarod to Move Its Track

Instead of starting in Willow, Alaska, this year, the race will start 300 miles north in Fairbanks

The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado was abandoned hundreds of years ago, probably because of a severe drought. Scientists now predict that the region could experience an even worse megadrought in the latter half of the 21st century.

The Western U.S. Could Soon Face the Worst Megadrought in a Millennium

Climate models predict that the region will be drier than the droughts that likely caused ancient Native Americans to abandon their pueblo cities

Creating Drought-Tolerant Plants By Hacking Their Natural Responses

Which new technique will help plants survive with less water?

North America’s Trees Create Some of the World's Hottest Forest Fires

What makes certain forest fires especially destructive?

There's a Big Rift in Opinion Between Americans And Scientists

New study shows that citizens and scientists only agree some of the time

A satellite image shows the huge snowstorm that blanketed the northeastern United States this week. The blizzard was an example of how storms are getting less common but more intense.

Climate Change Is Altering the Global Heat Engine

Thermodynamics help explain why storms will become fewer in number but stronger in intensity as the planet warms

Pollutants Are Making Polar Bears' Penis Bones More Likely to Break

An industrial chemical contaminating the Arctic is further threatening a species already facing dire challenges

Teens from the Njarainjari Aboriginal Community walk in the shallows of Lake Albert in Southern Australia

Australian Stories Capture 10,000-Year-Old Climate History

Aboriginal groups from coast to coast describe walking to places that are now islands

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Use This Map to Track the Snowfall and Social Media Buzz Around the Northeast Blizzard

Weather alerts and media streams can keep you up to date on the full extent of the nor'easter

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