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Global Warming

How does a bear catch a break around here?

New Research

Decades-Old Chemicals May Be Threatening Polar Bear Fertility, As If They Didn’t Have Enough to Worry About

A new study sheds light on how today’s pollutants could become tomorrow’s threats to wildlife and humans

The puffin is one of the many species of birds that contribute to the massive amount of poop covering the arctic every year.

New Research

How Bird Poop Could Help Keep the Arctic Cool

Researchers have discovered that ammonia produced from tons of seabird guano helps form low lying clouds that can partially block sunlight

Emissions from cars and other forms of transportation is one of the many sources of greenhouse gasses.

New Research

Global Emissions Plateaued for Three Consecutive Years. That Doesn’t Mean We Can Relax.

Several recent studies provided a glimmer of hope, but these developments alone won’t halt climate change

What secrets do those lonely ice sheets hold?

Age of Humans

A Radioactive Cold War Military Base Will Soon Emerge From Greenland’s Melting Ice

They thought the frozen earth would keep it safely hidden. They were wrong

Rising drought. Surging seas. Spiking temperatures. 2015 was just another year in a long pattern of Earth's changing climate.

Age of Humans

World’s Climate Hit Extremes, Shattered Multiple Records in 2015

From rising temperatures and ocean levels to record greenhouse gas levels, 2015 was a rough year for planet Earth

Boulder brain coral is usually common in Florida's coral reefs.

New Research

Between Bleaching and Boats, Florida’s Coral Reefs Are Struggling to Survive

The reefs are crumbling in acidifying waters and buried from dredging, according to new reports

A toast to global warming! Kind of.

New Research

Climate Change Makes For Tastier Wine

Global warming + wine grapes = true love…for now

Can humans stop a catastrophic rise in sea levels?

New Research

Sea Levels Are Rising More Quickly Than in the Last Two Millennia

Here are five things to know about the rising tide

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Is the Earthworm Native to the United States and More Questions From Readers

You asked, we answered

“We’ve been raising CO2 in this marsh for 30 years, but [elevated] CO2 comes with warming,” says Pat Megonigal, lead researcher of the new study in the Global Change Research Wetland at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC).

Age of Humans

For the World’s Wetlands, It May Be Sink or Swim. Here’s Why It Matters

One of the world’s most long-studied marshes has revealed a wealth of information, but it continues to perplex and intrigue the scientists who analyze it

Does Altitude Affect Animals the Same Way it Affects Humans and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Everybody Loves Lists

Our Top Ten Stories of 2015

From treasures buried in glaciers to the racial history of a vanished city in Oregon, here are the most-read stories on Smithsonian.com this year

New Research

Is Global Warming Changing How Fast the Earth Spins?

New research suggests that as glaciers melt, the planet’s axis is shifting

On the last day of the climate conference in Paris, thousands of people gathered to demonstrate for global climate justice and against climate change.

Trending Today

Four Things to Know About the Paris Climate Deal

The strengths and limitations of the roadmap for fighting climate change

With the recent opening of the Northwest Passage in the Arctic due to melting sea ice barriers, Smithsonian research biologist Seabird McKeon and his team report increasing numbers of animals making the journey into new territories.

Age of Humans

If Atlantic and Pacific Sea Worlds Collide, Does That Spell Catastrophe?

While the Arctic ice melt is opening up east to west shipping lanes, some 75 animals species might also make the journey

Cool Finds

This Visualization of the World’s Carbon Emissions Is Chillingly Beautiful

A NASA simulation shows how carbon dioxide moves

Iceberg, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

New Research

What is Happening to Antarctica’s Ice Sheets

While parts of Antarctica get icier, others are on the verge of collapse

Ask Smithsonian

Why Do Astronauts on the International Space Station Float and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

New Research

Climate Change Is Turning 500-Year Floods Into 24-Year Ones

Rising sea levels and an increase in large storms will continue to threaten the Atlantic coast

New Research

King Crabs Are About to Take Over Antarctica

As oceans warm, Antarctica braces for an invasion of shell-cracking crabs

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