Climate

Climate

Zapping clouds with lasers could alter Earth’s climate

Scientists zapped ice crystals in a lab. They were exploring whether this approach might be used to break those crystals in clouds — potentially as a way to cool Earth’s fever.

Climate

This planet’s lightning storms are like nothing on Earth

Radio waves from a faraway exoplanet could signal intense lightning storms there.

Health & Medicine

Heat sickness

Scientists worry that increasing temperatures could combine with air pollution to up rates of illness and premature death — perhaps dramatically.

Animals

Pollen can become bee ‘junk food’ as CO₂ rises

Increasing levels of the greenhouse gas are changing diminishing the food value of pollen, bees’ only source of protein.

Chemistry

Particles in air help fatten clouds’ water droplets

Making their own clouds has shown scientists how the fattest water droplets form. Understanding this could lead to better forecasts of climate change.

Environment

Enormous natural-gas leak polluted L.A. air

A massive methane release from a single leaky underground well spewed as much of the greenhouse gas into the air as a mid-sized European country does in an entire year.

Tech

Cool Jobs: The power of wind

Science and engineering careers explore all aspects of wind, from terrible tornadoes to aeronautics and clean energy.

Climate

Sea level rising fastest in 2,800 years

The oceans rose faster during the 20th century than any time in the past 2,800 years. More than half of the rise came from global warming.

Earth

Cool Jobs: Careers on ice

From Greenland to Utah to Jupiter, scientists unlock mysteries frozen in ice.

Agriculture

A shock to the food system

Droughts and other weather extremes caused by climate change are dramatically increasing the risk of short-term interruptions in the supplies of food.

Climate

2015 was really hot

Spurred by global warming and a “super” strong El Niño, 2015 went into the books as the warmest year since record-keeping began — and that was 1880.

Oceans

Arctic ice travels fast, carrying pollution

Climate change is melting old sea ice in the Arctic. Now, younger, thinner ice is migrating far and fast, taking pollutants with it.