Climate Change

Rapidly melting sea ice will open up shipping lanes across the Arctic, potentially making the Northwest Passage (left) and North Pole (center) navigable during the summer.

Climate Change Could Allow Ships to Cross the North Pole by 2040

Melting sea ice will open up shipping lanes across the Arctic, potentially making the Northwest Passage and North Pole navigable during summer

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Trapped as Climate Changes, Giant Gusts of Hot Air Trigger Weather Extremes

Thanks to global warming, hot air piles up at mid-latitudes and causes storms and heat waves to linger for long stretches of time, new research shows.

Wild bees, such as this Andrena bee visiting highbush blueberry flowers, provide crucial pollination services to crops across the globe.

Could Disappearing Wild Insects Trigger a Global Crop Crisis?

Three-quarters of the world’s crops—including fruits, grains and nuts—depend on pollination, and the insects responsible are disappearing

Carbon capture and storage equipment in Germany.

Canadian Government Winds Down Research That Could Help Stop Climate Change

If carbon dioxide emissions don't start dropping in the next few decades, we're looking at hundreds of years of high temperatures

High temperatures and high levels of humidity reduce the human body’s ability to do work.

Climate Change is Reducing Our Ability to Get Work Done

Increased temperature and humidity have already limited humankind's overall capacity for physical work—and it will only get worse in the future

Brace Yourselves, the Drought’s Not Close to Over Yet

Unless we get a lot of rain, soon, the U.S. is heading for another summer of drought

In China, most electricity comes from coal power plants. A turn to natural gas could help limit carbon dioxide emissions.

Natural Gas Fracking May Be the Only Industry in China That’s Developing Slowly

It has the largest shale gas reserves in the world, but China is slow to push for fracking

Ice melt in Greenland will significantly affect water levels throughout the world, most of all the equatorial Pacific and South Africa.

Melting Polar Ice Will Spike Sea Levels at the Equator

Expect higher sea levels in the equatorial Pacific and lower ones near the poles by 2100, according to new research

The 50th parallel

Europe Is Warmer Than Canada Because of the Gulf Stream, Right? Not So Fast

A long-accepted explanation for a warm Europe is up for debate

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Saving Top Predators Could Have a Climate Change Benefit, Too

Through their effect on the food web, shifting predator populations can change greenhouse gas levels

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Parched Middle East Faces Severe Water Crisis

Drought and over-pumping has led to groundwater losses in the Middle East that equal almost the entire volume of the Dead Sea, a new study shows.

A new project examines how a warming climate will effect Canada’s tradition of backyard skating rinks.

Climate Change’s Latest Victim: Canada’s Outdoor Ice Rinks

A new project asks citizens to monitor their backyard rinks, helping to track how a warming climate is affecting Canada's skating tradition

The Indian Peafowl may need help adapting to climate change.

Can Birds Survive Climate Change?

Predicted increases in torrential rain and severe drought will force birds in Asia to relocate in search of food and viable habitat, a new study finds

A moose in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve.

Minnesota’s Moose Are Missing, And No One Really Knows Why

Disease? Warm summers? No one knows for sure what is leading to the moose's decline in this state

How to Sleep Like Salvador Dali

Dali felt as though sleep was a waste of time (so did Edison, and many other influential people) but science suggests that sleep is pretty important

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The Iditarod Is Being Threatened by Warm Temperatures

A lack of snow is affecting the annual Iditarod sled dog race

Earthworms Could Make Climate Change Worse

While earthworms benefit soils, they do play a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide - though not nearly as great as humans, of course

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Scientists See Insect Outbreaks From Space

A new tool uses satellite imagery to help researchers track small disturbances such as bug infestations, which may increase in scope as climate changes

Methane gas has impacted our atmosphere since the Romans.

Air Pollution Has Been a Problem Since the Days of Ancient Rome

By testing ice cores in Greenland, scientists can look back at environmental data from millennia past

Melting sea ice is a threat to many Arctic species, including polar bears.

How Climate Change Affects the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough looks at how our scientists are studying our changing climate

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