Environment

A new study finds that commercial satellite imagery data often outperforms public data sets when identifying surface water, but that public data sets may be better at detecting water hidden by forest cover. Satellite imagery is a powerful tool for mapping surface water, from the movement of rivers and streams... Read more

As bubbles rippled across the frigid Finnish lake, diver Daan Jacobs emerged from a hole carved out of the thick, crackling ice.... Read more

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle continues to amaze us with its long journey across northern Australia. This cyclone began life near the Solomon Islands on March 16, when moist air rose rapidly and created a low-pressure zone.... Read more

New research by MIT Sloan School of Management finds that global leaders who participate in facilitated engagements using an interactive climate policy simulator, En-ROADS, demonstrated a stronger understanding of climate solutions, felt more personally connected to the issue, and were more likely to take climate-related action or advocate for change... Read more

It seems like every day a new study finds tiny plastic particles called microplastics where they should not be: in our bodies and our food, water and air.... Read more

A new paper investigates how raptors, or birds of prey like hawks and eagles, act as a sentinel species that can reveal the level of forever chemicals in the local environment. The forever chemicals, or PFAS, are especially high in species that eat fish. The review titled, "Raptors as Sentinels:... Read more

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) could be contributing far more pollution to England's rivers than previously recognized, according to new research involving scientists from Imperial College London and Brunel University London. The study, published in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, was led by Professor Nick Voulvoulis from Imperial's Centre for... Read more

The structure of the plant communities that grow on the thawing permafrost in the Arctic is changing, with grasses displacing slower-growing shrubs. Although these grasses bind more carbon dioxide than previous plant communities, they lead to far more methane emissions over the course of the year. Methane is a greenhouse... Read more

For the second consecutive year, winter sea ice in the Arctic reached a level that matches the lowest peak observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979. On March 15, Arctic sea ice extent reached 5.52 million square miles (14.29 million square kilometers), very close to the 2025 peak of 5.53... Read more

Arctic sea ice reached its lowest level ever recorded, statistically tying last year's record, a leading US climate observatory for this geopolitically significant region said on Thursday.... Read more

As the war in the Middle East is currently reminding us once again, many countries around the world are heavily reliant on oil and gas. Lax climate policy and limited options for removing CO₂ from the atmosphere could cement this dependence for future generations. Scientists at the University of Graz... Read more

Around the world, in nearly every delta, people can adapt to rising sea levels using today's technological capabilities, materials, and space, according to researchers from Utrecht University and Deltares. In their new study—the first global assessment of the physical solution space of global deltas—they analyzed nearly 800 deltas, representing ~96%... Read more

Improving tsunami hazard assessments depends on understanding what happens at the moment an earthquake ruptures beneath the seafloor, especially near deep-ocean trenches where measurements are often scarce. When a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29, 2025, it generated a tsunami that traveled across the... Read more

Benzene, a compound linked with leukemia and other blood cancers, is leaking from gas stoves in Europe, a new study finds. According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level of exposure to benzene, a compound that occurs naturally in crude oil and natural gas, and can also... Read more

The analysis of a sediment core from an oasis lake in Chad provides new insights into the history of precipitation in the Sahara. The study, led by the University of Cologne, shows that a prolonged wet phase, which lasted from 14,800 to 5,500 years ago, was interrupted by short-term droughts.... Read more