Climate Change

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

How will climate change affect glaciers and ice sheets

How will climate change affect glaciers and ice sheets?

Apr 24, 2013 - 9:45AMHow will changes in temperature affect glaciers and ice sheets? Dr. Sarah Das from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution explores this phenomenon first hand in Greenland, where she studies how the melted ice travels through...
Apr 19, 2013 - 10:05AM
What is blue carbon? It's a term used to describe the carbon that is...
Mar 19, 2013 - 9:00AM
This foraminifer was collected as it floated about 3 meters below...

SPOTLIGHT

Climate Change

Today, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in our atmosphere are the highest they've been in 15 million years. It's the cumulative...
Feb 7 2011 - 8:00pm
What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from Alaska are among dozens from the U.S. and Mexico who are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts at aquariums and...
World Oceans Day 2012 - Live Webcast
May 24 2012 - 3:55pm
On World Oceans Day - June 8th, 2012 - the Living Oceans Foundation hosted a live web-based conversation between Sylvia Earle at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and a team of scientists researching coral reefs and their communities around the Galapogos Islands.
Apr 18 2011 - 1:36pm
Last September, the Citizens of the Sea blog series brought you a story of doom and gloom from the reefs of Bocas del Toro, Panama. That is the time of year we typically study -- and celebrate -- the annual birth of baby corals in the area. We arrived to find very hot water (2010 turned out to...
Mar 22 2010 - 5:31pm
Earth as seen from a satellite. More about climate change can be found in our climate change featured story.
Climate Change and the Chesapeake Bay
Feb 14 2011 - 4:14pm
Students are working with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., to develop an informal education plan that will communicate information about Chesapeake Bay marsh restoration and explain the effects of climate change and sea-level rise on the bay's marshes. As part of the Third Student Summit...
Jun 1 2010 - 7:36pm
Keeping your car tires properly inflated can trim your carbon footprint, reduce wear and tear on your vehicle, and save yourself some cash at the same time. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that underinflated tires waste about 1.2 billion gallons of gas per year in the U.S. Cutting...
Mar 23 2010 - 1:36pm
The nation of the Maldives is made up of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean. Most of their land is barely above sea level and could literally disappear if sea level rises. The country’s cabinet is making the world notice – signing a declaration against climate change...
Mar 23 2010 - 10:28am
Will sea level rise affect your home? Your street? Your neighborhood? Your city? Find out in this interactive what would happen if sea level rises by 3 meters. More about climate change can be found in our climate change featured story.
Dec 3 2009 - 1:14pm
Tiny plant-like organisms called zooxanthella live in the tissues of many animals, including some corals, anemones, and jellyfish, sponges, flatworms, mollusks and foraminifera. These microscopic algae capture sunlight and convert it into energy, just like plants, to provide essential nutrients to...
Mar 23 2010 - 2:43pm
Scientists document a direct relationship between the extent of sea ice and polar bear survival. Future projected reductions in the extent of annual sea-ice due to global warming may result in the loss of nearly 40% of the Arctic ecosystem’s carrying capacity for polar bears. By mid-century polar...
Jul 24 2012 - 11:45am
Today, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in our atmosphere are the highest they've been in 15 million years. It's the cumulative impact of an ever-expanding population -- 7 billion people and rising -- and an ever-increasing thirst for energy, requiring 24/7 electricity, factories, cars, trucks, planes...
Feb 7 2011 - 8:01pm
What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from California are among dozens from the U.S. and Mexico who are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts at...
Dec 3 2012 - 10:08am
It’s confirmed: both Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice—around 350 billion tons each year—and, as a result, sea level has risen 11.1 millimeters worldwide since 1992. This photo shows a summertime channel created by the flow of melted ice, which ultimately carries the water away from the...
Oct 11 2012 - 1:34pm
A humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) -- also known as the jumbo squid -- releases a cloud of ink at night in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. These large, carnivorous squids can reach more than 5 feet in length and travel in shoals of 1,000 squids.
Apr 7 2010 - 2:49pm
Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, spews almost 7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Industries are looking for ways to offset their emissions by making trades with entities like foresters that absorb carbon. More about climate change can be...
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Compare the healthy coral on the left with the bleached coral on the right. Increased water temperatures caused the bleached coral to lose the microscopic algae that give the coral color and provide it with food. More about coral reef ecosystems can be found in the Coral Reefs section.