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Science / Our Planet

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Picture of the Week—Project Pebble

The University of Cambridge Department of Engineering hosted a photography contest earlier this year, and the winners have just been announced

In the '80s, the challenge was to limit acid rain from power plants; now, it's to cut carbon emissions.

The Political History of Cap and Trade

How an unlikely mix of environmentalists and free-market conservatives hammered out the strategy known as cap-and-trade

Meteor Crater in Arizona is 4,000 feet wide and almost 600 feet deep.

The Ten Most Spectacular Geologic Sites

Smithsonian picks the top natural wonders in the continental United States

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Weather vs. Climate

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Seas of Plastic

The ocean's boundless energy (von Jouanne near Oregon's Otter Rock Beach) could furnish up to 6.5 percent of U.S. electricity.

Catching a Wave, Powering an Electrical Grid?

Electrical engineer Annette von Jouanne is pioneering an ingenious way to generate clean, renewable electricity from the sea

The Kuroshio, or "Black Current," is the Pacific Ocean's answer to the Atlantic's Gulf Stream.

Borne on a Black Current

For thousands of years, the Pacific Ocean’s strong currents have swept shipwrecked Japanese sailors onto American shores

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