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Looking toward the front windows of an aircraft.

NOAA predicts a ‘busy’ 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

Posted by in Earth | 7 hours ago

Multiple climate factors indicate above-normal activity is most likely, according to NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook.

A hurricane off the U.S. Eastern seaboard.

How do hurricanes get their names?

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 8 hours ago

The World Meteorological Organization manages the formal system by which hurricanes receive their names. Find hurricane names for 2020 here.

AIM spots season’s 1st Arctic noctilucent clouds

Posted by in Earth | Today's Image | 2 days ago

NASA’s AIM spacecraft spotted wisps of the 2020 season’s 1st noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds over the Arctic on May 17.
bumblebee's face.

Bees stab plants to make them flower

Posted by in Earth | 5 days ago

When pollen is scarce, bumblebees pierce the leaves of plants in order to force them to produce flowers more quickly, according to new research.
Dark gray clouds in smooth downward bulges.

What are mammatus clouds? Stunning photos here

Posted by in Earth | 1 week ago

Mammatus clouds may seem ominous. But they have a magnificent beauty of their own.

Study finds microplastics in Florida birds of prey for 1st time

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 week ago

A new study has confirmed the presence of microplastics in birds of prey, including hawks, ospreys and owls. The accumulation of microplastics in birds’ digestive systems could lead to poisoning, starvation and death.
Big brown spider

Wolf spiders may turn to cannibalism in a warming Arctic

Posted by in Earth | 2 weeks ago

Arctic wolf spiders’ tastes in prey might be changing. The changes could initiate a new cascade of food web interactions that could potentially alleviate some impacts of global warming.
Animation showing Hurricane Dorian along the U.S. East Coast.

Global warming is making hurricanes stronger

Posted by in Earth | 2 weeks ago

As Earth gets warmer, hurricanes are expected to get stronger. A study of 40 years of satellite data suggests it’s already happening.

Global warming is influencing where tropical cyclones rage

Posted by in Earth | 2 weeks ago

While the global average number of tropical cyclones each year hasn’t budged from 86 over the last 4 decades, climate change has been influencing the locations of these deadly storms.

Why is Earth’s magnetic north pole drifting so rapidly?

Posted by in Earth | 2 weeks ago

The location of Earth’s north magnetic pole appears to be controlled from deep within Earth by 2 competing blobs in the magnetic field. One is under Canada, and the other is under Siberia. “The Siberian blob is winning,” according to scientists.

Seen from space: Covid-19 and the environment

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 2 weeks ago

Satellites see environmental changes during the coronavirus lockdown, including reduced pollution.
A squirrel on the grass.

Learn to recognize the wildlife out your window

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 2 weeks ago

With careful observation, you can start to recognize a particular squirrel, or that certain cardinal pair that hangs out on your feeder.

This isn’t a triple rainbow

Posted by in Earth | Today's Image | 2 weeks ago

It’s what’s called a reflection rainbow, which can be caused by sunlight beaming upward after reflecting from wet sand or calm water, in this case the water of Puget Sound.
Two large striped insects

Murder hornets? 5 questions answered about Asian giant hornets in North America

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 2 weeks ago

Are ‘murder hornets’ from Asia invading North America? An entomologist who lived among them in Japan explains what’s true about the predatory insects.

As the climate shifts, a border moves

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 3 weeks ago

Italy’s northern border with Switzerland depends on the natural, morphological boundaries of glaciers’ frontiers. But in recent years, glaciers have been melting at increased rates due to climate change. This has caused the border to shift noticeably.

Earth’s biggest iceberg breaks off smaller berg

Posted by in Earth | Today's Image | 4 weeks ago

The colossal iceberg from Antarctica’s Larsen-C Ice Shelf finally fractured in April, generating a new 51-square-nautical-mile iceberg.

These new maps show 16 years of ice sheet loss

Posted by in Earth | 4 weeks ago

Using satellite data, scientists have made precise, detailed maps of how the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have changed over 16 years. How the maps were made, and what they tell us.

Insects have declined worldwide since 1925

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

A new study has offered the clearest indication yet of how insects all over the world are faring. The researchers studied data on the numbers and total weight of insects and arachnids (spiders and mites) sampled in 41 countries on five continents.

What is a fogbow?

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago

Fogbows are rainbows’ cousins – made by much the same process – but with the small water droplets inside a fog instead of larger raindrops.

Satellite images: Air pollution in India plummets

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 1 month ago

It’s nature with a much-decreased human influence. We’ve been hearing stories like this from all around the globe. People in India’s northern state of Punjab have reported seeing the Himalayas for the first time in decades. These satellite images over northern India show strikingly how aerosol levels have dropped since the Covid-19 lockdown began.