Earth's Systems
- Environment
Australian fires have imperiled up to 100 species
As massive wildfires consume huge swaths of Australia’s bush, untold species — many of them found nowhere else — are now threatened with extinction.
- Climate
5 things to know about the climate-saving benefits of tree planting
A recent analysis of the benefits of massive efforts to plant more trees triggered a firestorm of controversy.
- Climate
Hotspots found for lightning’s superbolts
A nine-year survey reveals where and when the most energetic lightning strikes — and it’s not what scientists expected.
- Earth
Explainer: Earth — layer by layer
Explore the sizzling heat, unimaginable pressures — and some surprise diamonds — that sit beneath our feet. This is the side of Earth that you can’t see.
- Climate
Explainer: Why some clouds glow in the dark
A surprise space rock lit up the night sky over California — and left behind a rare type of cloud. Such glowing beauties may become more common with climate change.
- Climate
Explainer: What is attribution science?
A relatively new, developing field of science investigates possible links between climate change and extreme weather events.
- Earth
Explainer: Understanding geologic time
Geologic time is unimaginably long. Geologists puzzle it out using a calendar called the Geologic Time Scale.
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- Climate
Supercell: It’s the king of thunderstorms
Not every thunderstorm has the potential to give birth to a tornado. It usually takes this special type.
- Earth
Explainer: Why sea levels aren’t rising at the same rate globally
The ocean is rising all over the world. The rise seems speedier in some places. What gives? Many factors, it turns out, affect where — and why — the tide gets high.
- Climate
Explainer: Earth’s water is all connected in one vast cycle
Water on Earth is connected in an endless loop called the water cycle.
- Earth
Explainer: How is water cleaned up for drinking
Unless you’re drinking well water, city folks typically get drinking water that has been treated in a water-treatment plant. Here’s what that means.
