Ecology articles

New century of thirst for world's mountains
By the century's end, the Andes in South America will have less than half their current winter snowpack, mountain ranges in Europe and the U.S. West will have lost nearly half of their snow-bound water and snow on New Zealand's picturesque snowcapped peaks will all but have vanished

Big bang in Antarctica- killer crater found under ice
Planetary scientists have found evidence of a meteor impact much larger and earlier than the one that killed the dinosaurs -- an impact that they believe caused the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history

Antartic Ocean found crucial to atmosphere's health
Circulation in the waters near the Antarctic coast may be one of the planet's critical means of regulating levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, according to researchers from MIT, Princeton and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA predicts very active 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced to America and its neighbors throughout the north Atlantic region that a very active hurricane season is looming, and encouraged individuals to make preparations to better protect their lives and livelihoods

Feedback loops in global climate change point to a very hoy 21st century
Studies have shown that global climate change can set-off positive feedback loops in nature which amplify warming and cooling trends

Antartic Ocean found crucial to atmosphere's health
Circulation in the waters near the Antarctic coast may be one of the planet's critical means of regulating levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, according to researchers from MIT, Princeton and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA predicts very active 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced to America and its neighbors throughout the north Atlantic region that a very active hurricane season is looming, and encouraged individuals to make preparations to better protect their lives and livelihoods

Feedback loops in global climate change point to a very hoy 21st century
Studies have shown that global climate change can set-off positive feedback loops in nature which amplify warming and cooling trends

How did continents split?
Like pieces in a giant jigsaw puzzle, continents have split, drifted and merged again many times throughout Earth's history, but geologists haven't understood the mechanism behind the moves

Study shows our ancestors survived 'snowball earth'
It has been 2.3 billion years since Earth's atmosphere became infused with enough oxygen to support life as we know it

Study shows earthquake shaking triggers aftershocks
A new analysis of earthquake data indicates that aftershocks are triggered by the shaking associated with the mainshock, rather than by the added stress on nearby faults resulting from rearrangement of the Earth's crust

Lobsters avoid virus by detecting illness in their own kind
Caribbean spiny lobsters are able to detect illness in others of their kind, and employ avoidance tactics to keep their population healthy, according to a paper in the journal Nature

Faster atmospheric warming in subtropics pushes jet treams toward poles
The atmosphere is warming faster in subtropical areas, around 30 degrees north and south latitude, than it is elsewhere, University of Washington-led research shows

Study shows our ancestors survived 'snowball earth'
It has been 2.3 billion years since Earth's atmosphere became infused with enough oxygen to support life as we know it

Study shows earthquake shaking triggers aftershocks
A new analysis of earthquake data indicates that aftershocks are triggered by the shaking associated with the mainshock, rather than by the added stress on nearby faults resulting from rearrangement of the Earth's crust

Lobsters avoid virus by detecting illness in their own kind
Caribbean spiny lobsters are able to detect illness in others of their kind, and employ avoidance tactics to keep their population healthy, according to a paper in the journal Nature

Faster atmospheric warming in subtropics pushes jet treams toward poles
The atmosphere is warming faster in subtropical areas, around 30 degrees north and south latitude, than it is elsewhere, University of Washington-led research shows

Higher carbon dioxide, lack of nitrogen limit plant growth
Earth's plant life will not be able to "store" excess carbon from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as well as scientists once thought because plants likely cannot get enough nutrients, such as nitrogen, when there are higher levels of carbon dioxide, according to scientists publishing in this week's issue of the journal Nature

Geologists create 5-million-year climate record
Using chemical clues mined from ocean mud, Brown University researchers have generated the longest continuous record of ocean temperatures on Earth

Silent earthquakes may foreshadow destructive temblors
A team of American geoscientists is urging colleagues around the world to search for evidence of tiny earthquakes in seismically active areas, such as the Pacific Northwest, that are periodically rocked by powerful temblors of magnitude 8 and higher