Climatology | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/climatology/RSS feed for ClimatologyenThu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Againhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sahara-desert-hasnt-always-been-dry-desolate-landscape-some-scientists-see-signs-greening-again-180988098/Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s water largely receded 6,000 years ago. Could it return?Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sahara-desert-hasnt-always-been-dry-desolate-landscape-some-scientists-see-signs-greening-again-180988098/Snow Drought Hits the Western United States, Worrying Experts About the Region's Water Supplyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/snow-drought-hits-the-western-united-states-worrying-experts-about-the-regions-water-supply-180988121/Snow melt from the mountains provides up to 75 percent of the West's yearly waterMon, 02 Feb 2026 20:51:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/snow-drought-hits-the-western-united-states-worrying-experts-about-the-regions-water-supply-180988121/Rockhopper Penguins' Athleticism Makes Them the Daredevils of the Animal World. Will a Warming Climate Slow Them Down?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rockhopper-penguins-athleticism-makes-them-daredevils-animal-world-will-warming-climate-slow-them-down-180987846/A visit to the Falkland Islands, where the fearless seabirds navigate the rugged topography with tenacious spunk, shows the new challenges they faceMon, 05 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rockhopper-penguins-athleticism-makes-them-daredevils-animal-world-will-warming-climate-slow-them-down-180987846/The New Science of Aeroecology Reveals So Much About the Amazing Creatures That Populate the Skies and How Humans Can Ensure Their Survivalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-science-aeroecology-tells-more-about-amazing-creatures-humans-can-ensure-survival-180987151/The sky above us is a complex ecosystem, just like the land and sea. A new field of research is bringing a fresh understanding of the birds, bugs and other species that live thereTue, 02 Sep 2025 17:29:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-science-aeroecology-tells-more-about-amazing-creatures-humans-can-ensure-survival-180987151/Scientists Shed Light on the Mysterious 'Cold Blob' in the North Atlantic Amid a Search for Its Causehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-shed-light-on-the-mysterious-cold-blob-in-the-north-atlantic-amid-a-search-for-its-cause-180986923/In two recent studies, researchers suggest a weakening ocean current system is to blame for a persistent cold spot in the Atlantic Ocean, though other factors may also be at playThu, 03 Jul 2025 16:58:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-shed-light-on-the-mysterious-cold-blob-in-the-north-atlantic-amid-a-search-for-its-cause-180986923/This Simple but Ingenious Instrument Helped the World Measure Carbon Dioxide Levels in the Atmospherehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/simple-ingenious-instrument-helped-the-world-measure-carbon-dioxide-levels-atmosphere-180986566/Scientist Charles Keeling's invention had a profound effect on scientists' understanding of the severity of the climate change crisisMon, 19 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/simple-ingenious-instrument-helped-the-world-measure-carbon-dioxide-levels-atmosphere-180986566/A New Satellite Will Map the Carbon Content of Rainforests From Space, and It's Set to Launch This Monthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-satellite-will-map-the-carbon-content-of-rainforests-from-space-and-its-set-to-launch-this-month-180986379/The European Space Agency’s new probe, Biomass, will spend five years orbiting the planet and gathering radar imagery of forests across multiple continentsFri, 11 Apr 2025 16:03:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-satellite-will-map-the-carbon-content-of-rainforests-from-space-and-its-set-to-launch-this-month-180986379/Inside One Scientist’s Quest to Understand Why Climate Change Is Making Europe’s Highest Peak More Dangeroushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-one-scientists-quest-to-understand-why-climate-change-is-making-europes-highest-peak-more-dangerous-180985686/Geomorphologist and veteran climber Ludovic Ravanel is learning how Mont Blanc is shifting—and sharing his discoveries with the Alpine communityThu, 09 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-one-scientists-quest-to-understand-why-climate-change-is-making-europes-highest-peak-more-dangerous-180985686/The Arctic Could Have Its First 'Ice-Free' Day by as Early as 2027https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-could-have-its-first-ice-free-day-by-as-early-as-2027-180985582/In a new study, scientists used climate models to predict the alarming milestoneWed, 04 Dec 2024 19:55:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-could-have-its-first-ice-free-day-by-as-early-as-2027-180985582/This World War I Prisoner of War Solved the Mystery of the Ice Ageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-world-war-i-prisoner-of-war-solved-the-mystery-of-the-ice-ages-180984927/Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković changed our understanding of Earth’s climate—and did a key part of his work while detained by Austro-Hungarian forcesMon, 26 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-world-war-i-prisoner-of-war-solved-the-mystery-of-the-ice-ages-180984927/