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Climate Change

The ice stupa project in Chile was inspired by the original one founded in India, where communities in the Ladakh Valley are using the mini glaciers to get them through the dry months.

As Natural Glaciers Recede, Some Communities Are Building Their Own

Each ice stupa holds thousands of gallons of water, providing communities with a freshwater source during dry seasons

Unique trills, calls, chirps, gurgling, and whistles are crucial components in nature's soundscapes. (Pictured: Male Indigo Bunting)  

Spring Soundscapes Are Changing as Bird Populations Continue to Decline

More than 200,000 sites across North America and Europe have become quieter in the past two decades as biodiversity and population numbers dwindle

Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels fell more than 5 percent last year but jumped back up in 2021.

Global CO2 Emissions Have Returned to Near Pre-Pandemic Levels

A new report shows carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels jumped by more this year than they fell during 2020

Artists paint a mural near the Scottish Events Centre, which will be hosting the Climate Summit starting October 31 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Five Important Questions About COP26 Answered

Representatives from nearly 200 nations are expected to meet and report on climate change promises made in the Paris Agreement

Africa could lose rare glaciers like Mount Kilimanjaro's Southern Ice Field within 20 years.

Africa’s Last Rare Glaciers May Soon Disappear

The continent is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite its population contributing little to the problem

Smithsonian scientist Genevieve Noyce conducts a plant census in a wetland at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland.  

How the Smithsonian Grapples With Climate Change

As a hub for research and education, the Institution is poised to help the world find solutions to the global challenge

Melting sea ice because of climate change forces walruses to congregate on land instead of ice.

Researchers Need Volunteer ‘Walrus Detectives’ to Help Count the Animals in Satellite Images

The project aims to quantify the impact of climate change on the species

This year's overall winner Laurent Ballesta spent more than 3,000 hours trying to capture his stunning undersea image of mating groupers.

Ten Breathtaking Images From the 2021 Nature Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards

The annual awards tell the story of our planet’s creatures and the threats they face

NOAA and Saildrone deployed the fleet of five hurricane-class vessels in the Atlantic’s “hurricane belt” in the summer months leading up to this year’s tropical storm season.   

Innovation for Good

‘Saildrone’ Captures First-Ever Video From Inside a Category 4 Hurricane

This uncrewed, remote-controlled vessel gathered valuable scientific data that could help researchers better understand and predict these violent storms

American bumblebees are a vital pollinator for wildflowers and crops, and their decline could have severe consequences for the environment.  

The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States

In two decades, the insect’s population has declined by nearly 90 percent due to a combination of threats, including habitat loss, pesticides and diseases

The second ski was better preserved than the first, perhaps because it was buried more deeply in the ice.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Extract 1,300-Year-Old Wooden Ski From Norwegian Ice

Seven years after finding the first half of the pair, researchers have finally reunited the ski with its mate

The Nobel Committee in Physics was awarded to Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi earlier today.

Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to Scientists Who Warned the World of Climate Change

Their groundbreaking research answered fundamental questions about our universe and Earth’s complex climate

Some conservationists have held out hope for species like the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was last spotted in 1944.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and 22 Other Species Declared Extinct

Many organisms included in the latest declaration were feared to be lost long before the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was first passed

A green turtle surrounded by glassfish in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Green sea turtles, which are classified as endangered, migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched.

See Stunning Undersea Images That Showcase Our Blue Planet

From reef sharks to bioluminescent squid, the Ocean Photography Award highlights the wonders and perils of life in the sea

A cluster of western monarch butterflies clings to a branch as it overwinters in California.

The Best Place to Watch Monarch Butterflies Migrate Might Be This Little California Beach Town

Thousands of western monarchs migrate to Pismo Beach each fall to escape winter cold, but climate change threatens the species’ survival

Severe drought has contributed to the state’s historic wildfire season and threatened some of its most famous trees.

California Firefighters Race to Protect Giant Sequoia Trees

Officials say the historically significant trees were thankfully unscathed by recent blazes

Coffee leaves cultured in laboratory conditions produced a brewed batch that smelled and tasted like the real deal.

Lab-Grown Coffee Passes Taste Test

Finnish researchers brew batch using a bioreactor for a more sustainable, climate-conserving java crop

A diver swims over a bleached section of the Great Barrier Reef near Heron Island.

The Planet Has Lost Half of Its Coral Reefs Since 1950

A new study finds dramatic declines in coral reef cover, biodiversity and fish abundance

New research suggests that clouds affected by wildfire smoke hold more water droplets but are tiny and less likely drop as rain.

Smoky Clouds That Form Over Wildfires Produce Less Rain

Particles from the smoke create tiny droplets too small to fall to Earth

Some prehistoric stone spheres found in Scotland feature carved ridges and spirals. This one's surface is polished smooth.

Cool Finds

Polished, 5,500-Year-Old Stone Balls Found in Neolithic Scottish Tomb

The rare artifacts were probably used as both weapons and symbols of power

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