Climate Change

The two Hudson Bay polar bear groups are often considered indicators of how the 17 other polar bear subpopulations will fare in the future.

Time Is Running Out for the Hudson Bay Polar Bears

The southern and western subpopulations are on track to disappear as sea ice becomes too thin amid rising global temperatures

Wombats are stocky marsupials that can weigh up to 85 pounds.

Don't Call Wombats Heroes, but Their Burrows Do Provide Food, Water and Shelter for Other Animals

During Australia’s devastating bushfires in 2019 and 2020, misinformation spread about wombats welcoming animals into their underground homes—but a new study finds a kernel of truth in the viral story

Children play in a spray pool in Rio de Los Angeles State Park in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, June 6. A heat wave led to record-setting temperatures across the western U.S. last week.

The Western U.S. Is Sweltering Under a 'Heat Dome.' What Does That Mean?

A stagnant high-pressure system over the region is trapping heat, exacerbating high temperatures and setting records

Poppy Field, Claude Monet, 1873

Climate Activist Vandalizes a Monet With an Apocalyptic Image

A protester was arrested on Saturday after plastering a poster over "Poppy Field" at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris

A partially dried bed of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, Mexico. Rising temperatures and decreased rainfall are contributing to droughts in the area.

Mexico City's Reservoirs Are at Risk of Running Out of Water

Amid climate change, drought and aging infrastructure, the largest metropolitan area in North America is struggling to conserve water in a major reservoir system

A couple of atypically colorful logbook pages from the Bengal of Salem, Massachusetts, housed at the Providence Public Library. The ship sailed around the Pacific Ocean from 1832 to 1835.

How a Trove of Whaling Logbooks Will Help Scientists Understand Our Changing Climate

Researchers are examining more than 4,200 New England documents to turn descriptions of the wind into data

From 1979 to 2020, severe turbulence in some locations increased by as much as 55 percent, according to a 2023 study.

Climate Change Is Making Airplane Turbulence More Common and Severe, Scientists Say

Following turbulence on a flight last week that led to one death and dozens of injuries, researchers, flight attendants and transportation officials alike are warning about links between warmer air and turbulence

An orange tributary of the Kugororuk River.

Alaska's Rivers Are Turning Orange as Thawing Permafrost Releases Metals Into Waterways

A new study identifies at least 75 Arctic streams where minerals, especially iron, are staining water with a rusty hue

Baobab trees can reach 100 feet tall, and they support entire ecosystems and communities with their large structures and natural resources.

Scientists Uncover the Ancient Origins of Baobab Trees in Genetic Study

The trees originated in Madagascar 21 million years ago but later traveled long distances by way of ocean currents, according to new research

A tuna crab on the sand in San Diego in 2002, a year when large numbers of the creatures washed up on shore.

Why Are Tuna Crabs Swarming Off the Coast of San Diego?

Scientists are perplexed by the massive group of crustaceans, but they suspect the animals were pushed north by strong ocean currents originating near Mexico

Tourists cool off in front of a fan in Rome, Italy on July 18, 2023. Temperatures in the area at the time surpassed 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Last Year, the Northern Hemisphere Had Its Hottest Summer in 2,000 Years

Researchers used tree ring data to compare temperatures from as far back as 1 C.E. to 2023 temperatures

A male western snowy plover stands guard over his nest. During breeding season, males tend to the chicks while females seek a new mate. 

How Scientists Are Protecting Plovers’ Beachfront Lifestyle

Camouflaged by the sand, these threatened shorebirds aim to hide from predators. Now conservationists are trying to give their breeding efforts a boost

Human-caused biodiversity loss is a major factor that could contribute to more frequent and severe disease outbreaks, according to a new study.

Biodiversity Loss Increases the Risk of Disease Outbreaks, Analysis Suggests

Researchers found that human-caused environmental changes are driving the severity and prevalence of disease, putting people, animals and plants at risk

Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, cracked the glass protecting the Magna Carta on the morning of May 10.

Climate Activists Chip the Case Protecting the Magna Carta

The two protesters, who are both in their 80s, held up a sign that read, "The government is breaking the law"

Bumblebees, on the whole, are better adapted for cooler temperatures than for heat—one species, Bombus polaris, even lives in the Arctic.

Bumblebee Nests May Be Overheating With Rising Global Temperatures, Study Finds

Across various species and regions, bumblebee nests thrive between 82 and 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit—and climate change could make it harder to find habitats in that range

A coal-fired power plant in Germany, which derives about 27 percent of its national electricity from coal.

Seven Major Nations Agree to Phase Out Coal by 2035, Though Vague Language Leaves Wiggle Room

The wealthy, industrialized countries set a flexible schedule to cut one of the dirtiest fossil fuels from their economies

While penguins have feathers that shield their skin from radiation, their eyes remain unprotected. Increased ultraviolet radiation exposure could also have harmful effects for Antarctic organisms like seals, krill and plankton, per a new paper.

Antarctica's Ozone Hole Is Persisting Later Into the Year, Raising Concerns for Wildlife

As a result of the longer-lasting hole, harmful ultraviolet radiation is reaching Earth during a time when young penguins and seals are more vulnerable, scientists say

Ruben Soto (right), a migrant from Venezuela, sits with Rosa Bello, a Honduran migrant, on top of a freight train known as “The Beast.” Ruben and Rosa met in Mexico and fell in love on their way to the United States.

See 25 Astonishing Images From the World Press Photo Contest

The winning photographs capture moving moments in the midst of tumultuous global events

Piles of coal sit in front of a power plant in Utah. Such coal-fired power plants emit greenhouse gases that drive climate change.

What Myths About the Anthropocene Get Wrong

These ten misconceptions underplay how much we have altered the global environment and undermine the new perspective we need to deal with a drastically changed world

Bleached corals in the Great Barrier Reef during a previous mass bleaching event.

The World's Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Is Underway—and It Could Become the Worst One Yet

The impacted reefs represent 54 percent of the planet's total, and that figure is currently increasing by 1 percent each week, NOAA scientists say

Page 1 of 87