https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/climate-change/RSS feed for Climate ChangeenMon, 21 Sep 2026 17:56:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-armadillo-found-in-ohio-is-the-latest-surprise-in-the-armored-animals-expansion-north-where-are-they-now-and-whats-driving-their-movement-180989530/Typically spotted in the South and Southeast, the creatures have been reaching increasingly distant states like North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois as winters become milderMon, 21 Sep 2026 17:56:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-armadillo-found-in-ohio-is-the-latest-surprise-in-the-armored-animals-expansion-north-where-are-they-now-and-whats-driving-their-movement-180989530/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-you-suffer-a-sweltering-august-you-werent-alone-it-tied-for-the-month-with-the-hottest-global-temperatures-on-record-180989482/Last month, the air temperature averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit, tying with July 2023 as the toastiest month ever documented by the European Union's climate serviceFri, 11 Sep 2026 16:57:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-you-suffer-a-sweltering-august-you-werent-alone-it-tied-for-the-month-with-the-hottest-global-temperatures-on-record-180989482/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-hospital-ship-sank-off-albania-coast-during-world-war-ii-now-its-teeming-with-marine-life-180989468/A new survey of the "Po" has revealed a thriving underwater ecosystem, including rare Mediterranean monk sealsWed, 09 Sep 2026 17:57:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-hospital-ship-sank-off-albania-coast-during-world-war-ii-now-its-teeming-with-marine-life-180989468/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/corals-reveal-el-nino-events-have-become-stronger-in-recent-decades-probably-because-humans-have-been-heating-up-the-planet-180989432/Researchers used elements trapped within Galápagos corals to understand natural swings in the climate over the past millennium. They hint that variability has gone up over the past 40 years compared to preindustrial timesWed, 02 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/corals-reveal-el-nino-events-have-become-stronger-in-recent-decades-probably-because-humans-have-been-heating-up-the-planet-180989432/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-triggered-the-devastating-floods-in-nepal-and-tibet-and-are-we-due-for-more-in-the-future-heres-what-scientists-know-so-far-180989426/Natural hazards researchers suspect that a landslide involving a glacier triggered the event, and they say more could happen because of human-caused climate changeMon, 31 Aug 2026 20:50:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-triggered-the-devastating-floods-in-nepal-and-tibet-and-are-we-due-for-more-in-the-future-heres-what-scientists-know-so-far-180989426/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forests-didnt-fare-well-during-an-ancient-global-warming-event-offering-a-cautionary-tale-about-todays-climate-change-180989353/An intense global warming event 56 million years ago caused a forest in modern-day Wyoming to lose around 60 percent of its canopy cover, and it took more than 100,000 years to bounce back, a study suggestsFri, 28 Aug 2026 18:43:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forests-didnt-fare-well-during-an-ancient-global-warming-event-offering-a-cautionary-tale-about-todays-climate-change-180989353/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-discover-a-new-species-of-ice-age-toad-at-the-la-brea-tar-pits-offering-clues-about-the-areas-ancient-climate-180989390/The fossilized remains, recovered in 1929, were part of La Brea's relatively understudied amphibian collection. Since toads are cold-blooded and sensitive to environmental changes, the discovery can help researchers piece together past climate conditionsThu, 27 Aug 2026 15:37:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-discover-a-new-species-of-ice-age-toad-at-the-la-brea-tar-pits-offering-clues-about-the-areas-ancient-climate-180989390/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/As drought exposes stretches of riverbed in central Europe, markers carved by past generations to record low water levels are emerging once againWed, 26 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cast-your-vote-for-the-chunkiest-alpine-rodent-during-colorados-first-ever-fat-marmot-week-180989395/The inaugural competition puts eight yellow-bellied marmots head-to-head while shining a light on the science behind their seasonal weight gain and survival at high elevationsTue, 25 Aug 2026 19:33:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cast-your-vote-for-the-chunkiest-alpine-rodent-during-colorados-first-ever-fat-marmot-week-180989395/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-france-brutal-summer-heat-waves-taking-toll-on-flowers-that-inspired-claude-monet-most-beloved-paintings-180989384/The colorful nasturtiums at the artist's house and gardens have been hit particularly hard this summer as France grapples with a record 52 heatwave daysMon, 24 Aug 2026 20:06:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-france-brutal-summer-heat-waves-taking-toll-on-flowers-that-inspired-claude-monet-most-beloved-paintings-180989384/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazils-first-urban-yellow-fever-outbreak-in-nearly-a-century-may-have-been-fueled-by-a-surprising-culprit-180989363/Extremely wet conditions are known to help spread mosquito-borne diseases like yellow fever. But based on computer simulations, researchers suspect that a severe drought may have contributed to the South American country’s recent deadly epidemicWed, 19 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazils-first-urban-yellow-fever-outbreak-in-nearly-a-century-may-have-been-fueled-by-a-surprising-culprit-180989363/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/butterflies-around-the-world-are-moving-to-new-habitats-largely-because-of-climate-change-a-study-suggests-180989279/Researchers examined data on 1,758 butterfly species—about ten percent of all those known—from 105 countries and estimated that about one in ten global species has shifted its distribution rangeFri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/butterflies-around-the-world-are-moving-to-new-habitats-largely-because-of-climate-change-a-study-suggests-180989279/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-danube-river-has-fallen-to-record-low-water-levels-revealing-nazi-warships-bombs-and-woolly-mammoth-bones-in-its-channel-180989255/Residents and researchers are finding historic and prehistoric relics as Europe's second-longest river driesTue, 04 Aug 2026 18:20:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-danube-river-has-fallen-to-record-low-water-levels-revealing-nazi-warships-bombs-and-woolly-mammoth-bones-in-its-channel-180989255/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/antarctic-interior-hits-119-4-degrees-fahrenheit-earths-lowest-recorded-temperature-in-more-than-a-decade-180989231/The record-setting cold at the Concordia research station comes just weeks after another part of the southernmost continent experienced the opposite extreme, with winter temperatures climbing to unprecedented highsFri, 31 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/antarctic-interior-hits-119-4-degrees-fahrenheit-earths-lowest-recorded-temperature-in-more-than-a-decade-180989231/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dangerous-fire-clouds-are-making-frances-wildfires-even-more-destructive-180989234/It's the first time the phenomenon, which is fairly common in North America, has been observed in FranceThu, 30 Jul 2026 18:14:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dangerous-fire-clouds-are-making-frances-wildfires-even-more-destructive-180989234/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-pacific-island-disappeared-under-rising-seas-a-new-sculpture-marking-the-spot-will-morph-into-a-home-for-seabirds-coral-and-marine-life-180989223/"The Solomon Siren" remembers Kale Island, submerged a decade ago in the Solomon IslandsWed, 29 Jul 2026 19:53:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-pacific-island-disappeared-under-rising-seas-a-new-sculpture-marking-the-spot-will-morph-into-a-home-for-seabirds-coral-and-marine-life-180989223/