• WMO announces all-time deadliest extreme weather events

    On Thursday, May 18, 2017, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced "world records" for the highest reported historical death tolls from tropical cyclones, tornadoes, lightning and hailstorms. It marks the first time the official WMO…

  • Ocean oxygen levels declining since 1980s

    A new analysis of decades of data on oceans across the globe has revealed that the amount of dissolved oxygen contained in the water – an important measure of ocean health – has been declining for more than 20 years. Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology…

  • Tsunami study challenges long-held formation theory

    A new NASA study is challenging a long-held theory that tsunamis form and acquire their energy mostly from vertical movement of the seafloor. The study shows that horizontal seafloor movement also creates energy for tsunamis and further validates a GPS-based…

  • New model could help predict major earthquakes

    A Nagoya University-led team reveals the mechanisms behind different earthquakes at a plate boundary on the west coast of South America, shedding light on historical seismic events and potentially aiding prediction of the future risk from these natural disasters….

  • Telescope image shows star formation can be a violent and explosive process

    Stellar explosions are most often associated with supernovae, the spectacular deaths of stars. But new ALMA observations provide insights into explosions at the other end of the stellar life cycle, star birth. Astronomers captured these dramatic images as they…

  • California droughts and floods linked to distinctive atmospheric waves

    In a recent study, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that the persistent high-pressure ridge off the west coast of North America that blocked storms from coming onshore during the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 was associated…

  • Massive mudslides in Kaikōura Canyon destroyed all seabed life

    Huge mudslides from November’s earthquakes in New Zealand have wiped out all organisms living in the seabed of the Kaikōura Canyon, NIWA reports. New bathymetric data shows that the earthquake resulted in a huge slipping event. Almost every part of the upper…

  • Study finds 6 600 spills from fracking in just four US states

    Each year, 2 to 16 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill hydrocarbons, chemical-laden water, hydraulic fracturing fluids and other substances, according to a study published yesterday in Environmental Science & Technology. The analysis,…