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Climate Change

A visual representation of global methane from January 26, 2018. Red areas indicate higher concentrations of methane swirling in the atmosphere.

New Research

World Methane Emissions Hit New High

Agriculture and fossil fuels drive a surge in global emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas

Fires burning in states of Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, and Mato Grosso in Brazil, captured via NASA satellite on August 11, 2019. Researchers are forecasting another active fire season in the region in 2020.

NASA Warns of ‘Active’ Atlantic Hurricane and Amazon Fire Seasons

Forecasts show high risk of fires and hurricanes, in part due to warmer than average sea surface temperatures

A fire in the Yakutia region of Siberia in early June seen from the air. A June heat wave saw temperatures in Verkhoyansk, a town in Yakutia, hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Earth Could Hit Critical Climate Threshold in Next Five Years

Report: 20 percent chance that one of the next five years will see annual global temperatures rise to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels

A heat dome over about 80 percent of the United States is causing days of above-average temperatures.

How the U.S. Got Caught Under a ‘Heat Dome’

The high-pressure system is causing days on end of unusually hot weather across most of the continental U.S.

A forest fire in central Yakutia (Sakha Republic).

The Far-Reaching Consequences of Siberia’s Climate-Change-Driven Wildfires

Smoke from the blazes is now reaching the West Coast of the United States

A North American beaver pictured in Denali National Park, Alaska. In recent years, beavers have been spotted further north in the Alaskan tundra than ever before.

Beavers Are Accelerating Climate Change in Alaska

As the Arctic warms, the furry animals are moving in—and redeveloping

In Australia, pyrocumulonimbus clouds sent somewhere between 300,000 and 900,000 metric tons of smoke into the stratosphere.

New Research

Australia’s Fires Sent Smoke 19 Miles High

The unprecedented plumes of were carried aloft by smoke-filled thunderclouds and exhibited unusual wind patterns

The Bighorn Fire burns through the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Oro Valley, Arizona on June 14.

Arizona Faces Wildfires and Evacuations as COVID-19 Cases Rise

Arizona has spread out firefighters’ camp sites and relied more on aircraft to fight fires amid the pandemic

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor's “Ocean Siren” changes color according to the average daily water temperatures measured at Davies Reef on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Recently, marine heatwaves have wreaked havoc on the Great Barrier Reef, causing the most widespread bleaching ever recorded.

This Sculpture Takes the Great Barrier Reef’s Temperature

‘Ocean Siren’ changes colors in real time to reflect ocean temperatures at Davies Reef, part of Australia’s ailing Great Barrier Reef

An aggregation of roughly 64,000 green sea turtles at Raine Island in Australia.

Drone Footage Shows Thousands of Nesting Sea Turtles

The roughly 64,000 green sea turtles were photographed off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia at Raine Island, the turtle’s largest breeding ground

As the ocean continues to warm, scientists look to the past for answers on how to manage today’s environmental problems.

Smithsonian Voices

This Climate Detective Reconstructs What the Ocean Was Like Millions of Years Ago

Yet, the biggest concern, says Smithsonian curator Brian Huber, is how rapidly the ocean has changed in the past few decades

A new study has mapped green algae blooms, like the one pictured here, on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Algae Blooms Turn Antarctica’s Ice Green

Scientists predict that the organisms’ presence will increase as global temperatures increase

A satellite photo of Tropical Storm Arthur in the Atlantic Ocean on July 2, 2014. Another tropical storm named Arthur threatened the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this week.

NOAA Predicts ‘Busy’ Atlantic Hurricane Season for Fifth Year in a Row

Disaster responses are also likely to be complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to FEMA and the Red Cross

The Fox tunnel is one of only two underground facilities dedicated exclusively to the scientific study of permafrost where a visitor can actually walk around inside the frozen earth.

In a Tunnel Beneath Alaska, Scientists Race to Understand Disappearing Permafrost

What lies inside the icy cavern seems more and more like a captive, rare animal, an Earth form that might soon be lost

The wreckage of a mid-19th century ship washed ashore north of Ludington, Michigan, on April 24.

Cool Finds

High Waters in the Great Lakes Reveal Two Centuries-Old Shipwrecks

In the month of April alone, the remnants of two historic vessels washed up on Lake Michigan’s shores

Stream live or watch repeated broadcast overnight.

Planet Positive

LIVE NOW: Watch the Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism Digital Summit

The two-day virtual event will bring scientists and many other experts to highlight success stories in conservation

The list covers findings in biology, justice and human rights, the environment, and more.

Planet Positive

Fifty Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since the First Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, Americans pledged environmental action for the planet. Here’s what scientists and we, the global community, have done since

As scientists stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, crucial weather and climate data aren't being collected.

How COVID-19 Interferes With Weather Forecasts and Climate Research

‘The break in the scientific record is probably unprecedented,’ one ecologist says

In the Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona, forests struggle to keep up with recent increases in drought and wildfire activity, which are expected to continue due to human-caused climate change.

The American West May Be Entering a ‘Megadrought’ Worse Than Any in Historical Record

A new study of ancient climate has a dire warning about today’s dry conditions

Green patches of Nana Estate Winery in the arid desert.

Why Wines From Israel’s Negev Desert May Represent the Future of Viticulture

Overcoming scorching heat and little rain, experimental vineyards teach winemakers to cope with climate change

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