National Geographic News - Global Warming

Leaves "Magnetized" by Air Pollution, Study Finds

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Although they wouldn't be physically attracted to a magnet, "magnetic" tree leaves along heavy traffic routes may offer a quick, cheap way to test for air pollution, a new study says.

Arctic Largely Ice Free in Summer Within Ten Years?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Arctic Ocean could be largely ice free in summer within a decade, scientists announced today—the latest in a stream of wildly varying predictions. What does it all mean?

Stormier Arctic Predicted as Ice Melts

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

With summer ice apparently disappearing in the Arctic, the regions faces a stormy future, according to a recent atmospheric study—more rain, more snow, more whitecaps.

VIDEO: Arctic Ice Mostly Gone in Ten Years?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Data released this week by researchers who spent three months this spring measuring ice on the Arctic Ocean suggests that the North Pole could be largely open sea in summer within a decade—and ice free by 2029.

Giant, Mucus-Like Sea Blobs on the Rise, Pose Danger

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Miles-long sheets of mucus-like material are forming more often and in more places, a new Mediterranean Sea report says. More than just unpleasant, the blobs are an unexpected health hazard, the study found.

VIDEO: Sea "Mucus" Blobs Pose Threat

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Giant, jelly-like sheets of dead and living organic matter, known as marine mucilages, are spreading throughout the Mediterranean. The blobs may smother marine life and carry diseases dangerous to humans.

Plastic-Bottle Boat to Sail

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Plastiki, a 60-foot-long (18.3-meter-long) catamaran made of more than 12,000 plastic bottles, will soon ply the Pacific Ocean to increase awareness of environmental problems.Video

New Species: Fanged Frog, More Found in Mekong

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

New species discovered along Asia's Mekong River in 2008—including a leopard gecko and a fanged frog that eats birds—are already under serious threat because of climate change, WWF says. Video.

Alaska Coast Eroding Fast

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Beaufort Sea's coastline is disintegrating at alarming speed, thanks in part to warming Arctic temperatures, a new video of time-lapse photographs shows.

Supertyphoons to Strike Japan Due to Global Warming

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Increasingly powerful storms will devastate the country as rising temperatures add jolts of energy to typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean, scientists say.