Climate
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Environment
Does lightning sculpt mountains?
A new study sparks debate about how much rubble on a mountainside has been blasted loose by powerful bolts from the sky.
By Sid Perkins -
Climate
Mapping our carbon footprints
Population density can determine how much of an impact modern communities have on the climate.
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Climate
The certainty of climate change
How sure are scientists that people are to blame for global warming? “Extremely likely,” says an international panel of climate change researchers in a new report.
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Climate
Climate change: The long reach
Scientists who study the environment to better gauge Earth’s future climate now argue that current changes may not reverse for a very long time.
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Earth
Nature’s coast guards
Barrier islands aren’t just for beach vacations — they protect coasts from storms and flooding.
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Climate
Tornado caught storm chasers
On May 31, 55-year-old Tim Samaras died chasing tornadoes.
By Janet Raloff -
Climate
Major twister hits Oklahoma
Its speed, which largely determines the damage it causes, is still unknown.
By Janet Raloff -
Climate
Explainer: Why a tornado forms
Tornadoes start with a thunderstorm. But they also require other ingredients, such as instability.
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Environment
Fungi as carbon keepers
A common type of fungus stores most of a forest floor’s carbon underground.
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Ecosystems
Predators as climate helpers
In lakes and streams, fish and insects can help protect aquatic plants that gobble up greenhouse gas.
By Janet Raloff -
Climate
Climate’s troublesome kids
The recurring climate events El Niño and La Niña trigger long-lived changes to weather around the world.