Global Warming

The Weddell Sea is covered in ice during the Antarctic winter. But in the winters of the mid-1970s, satellite imagery detected a large-ice free area the size of New Zealand.

Climate Change Felt in Deep Waters of Antarctica

A surge in freshwater at the surface may have shut down mixing of water layers in the Weddell Sea

2013 Continues 37-Year Warm Streak

Yep, global warming is still a thing. The last time it was cold, globally, was in 1976.

On a Warmer Planet, Fewer Clouds Form, And Temperatures Rise Further

Scientists use words such as "catastrophic," "impossible" and "profound" to describe what life on the planet would be like under 4-degree-warmer conditions

A black mangrove has taken root in this salt marsh in St. Augustine, Florida.

Fewer Freezes Let Florida’s Mangroves Move North

Climate change has extended the range in which mangroves can survive the winter, letting them take root farther north and invade salt marshes

Six Things We Learned About Our Changing Climate in 2013

Scientists are in agreement that human activities are altering our climate—and it's an illusion that the pace of changes seems to have slowed down

This Past November Was the Hottest November Ever Recorded

In the 134-year observational record, we've never had a hotter November

Santa could make his home on floating sea ice, but the Arctic may be ice free as early as 2016, according to the U.S. Navy.

Six Ways Climate Change Is Waging War on Christmas

If Santa really lived at the North Pole, he would have drowned long ago--his icy abode is slowly melting

Desert Tortoises May Be Starving, Dehydrating And Dying Because of Climate Change

Those that hadn't succumbed to death by drought appeared to have been predated on by starving coyotes, which usually eat mammals

The Northern Hemisphere's mid-latitudes have experienced many heat waves in recent years, such as one that fueled Rocky Mountain wildfires in summer 2012. Warmer-than-normal temperatures appear red in this NASA image of North America on June 28, 2012.

Summer Heat Waves May Be Linked To Sea Ice Loss

As ice melts, the jet stream gets stuck in the north, causing warm weather to linger in the south--but the reason why this occurs remains unknown

Countries will begin vying for new shipping routes and untapped natural resources as the North Pole continues to melt.

When an Iceberg Melts, Who Owns the Riches Beneath the Ocean?

The promise of oil has heated up a global argument over the Arctic’s true borders

With the help of spy planes and B-57 bombers, Jim Anderson discovered the link between climate change and ozone loss.

The Ozone Problem is Back – And Worse Than Ever

James Anderson, the winner of a Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, has discovered the alarming link between climate change and ozone loss

Astronomer Roger Angel is trying to harness the power of the sun with new technology developed for telescopes. The solar tracker pictured currently makes 2 kW of electric power.

An Astronomer’s Solution to Global Warming

The technology developed for telescopes, it turns out, can harness solar power

Novacem plans to test its experimental cement (above: sample blocks) first in structures like doghouses and patios.

Building a Better World With Green Cement

With an eye on climate change, a British startup creates a new form of the ancient building material

The opposing voices in America's first great debate about global warming was between Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster in 1799.

America’s First Great Global Warming Debate

Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster argue over conventional wisdom that lasted thousands of years

Brian Boutin, a Nature Conservancy biologist, stands protectively over a newly planted bald cypress sapling. Park managers hope to slow the submersion of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

Rising Seas Endanger Wetland Wildlife

For scientists in a remote corner of coastal North Carolina, ignoring global warming is not an option

Scientists have been descending on the Alaska city of Barrow since 1973. This monument made of whale bones is to lost sailors.

Barrow, Alaska: Ground Zero for Climate Change

Scientists converge on the northernmost city in the United States to study global warming's dramatic consequences

In the '80s, the challenge was to limit acid rain from power plants; now, it's to cut carbon emissions.

The Political History of Cap and Trade

How an unlikely mix of environmentalists and free-market conservatives hammered out the strategy known as cap-and-trade

Secretary of the Smithsonian, G. Wayne Clough, traveled to Worland, Wyo. to observe Scott Wing and his team mine the fossil lode they found.

Day 1: A Geological Trip Back in Time

Smithsonian Secretary Clough flies to Wyoming to learn about a period of intense global warming that occurred 55 million years ago

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Wallace Broecker Geochemist, Palisades, New York

How to stop global warming? CO2 "scrubbers," a new book says

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Mountain Messengers

Scientists scale peaks and study plants to understand the impact of warming

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