Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Moved Barrier Islands

Barrier islands pummeled by Hurricane Sandy shifted inland during the storm, a natural response to sea level rise, according to surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. Barrier islands are ribbons of sand running parallel to the coast, both in the Atlantic Ocean and around the world. In the United...

Nov 30, 2012

The 7 Hottest Climate Change Stories of 2012

Climate Change in 2012 Sea level rise is swamping coasts; Rodanthe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is pictured. (Image credit: Andrew Kemp, Yale University)This year saw many climate-related stories making headlines. Some were annual rites that have become familiar in recent years, such as the international climate talks,...

Nov 30, 2012

Tornado Alley Map, Stats (Infographic)

Tornadoes, nature’s most violent storms, are spawned from powerful thunderstorms. With whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate neighborhoods in seconds. The greatest number of tornadoes in one calendar month is 543, in May 2003. The highest recorded tornadic wind speed is...

Oct 31, 2012

Will Hurricane Sandy's Name Be Retired?

Even though Hurricane Sandy had transformed into a hybrid cyclone-nor'easter when it ravaged the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, weather experts believe the damage left behind will send the name Sandy into retirement. The number of lives lost from Hurricane Sandy has climbed above 110. The devastating storm, second only to Hurricane...

Oct 31, 2012

Images Show How Hurricane Sandy Rocked Jersey

Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey Shore especially hard and new images show how the superstorm dramatically altered the landscape up and down the coast. The photos from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) feature different points along New Jersey's coastline on May 21, 2009 in contrast with the same locations on...

Oct 31, 2012

Pandas' Bamboo Food May Be Lost to Climate Change

Though they are one of the most beloved animal species on Earth, pandas aren't safe from the devastating effects of climate change. According to a new study, projected temperature increases in China over the next century will likely seriously hinder bamboo, almost the sole source of food for endangered pandas....

Oct 31, 2012

Study Reveals Earthquake Dangers in Spain

At least six earthquakes registering above a seven on the Richter scale struck a little-known Spanish fault in the recent past, according to new research. The finding suggests that the fault, in Southeast Spain, is more active than previously thought and could pose a potential hazard to people living in...

Oct 31, 2012

Earth's Carbon Mostly in Its Core

A tiny fraction of carbon helps account for the oddly light density of Earth's iron core, a new computer simulation finds. Though the core is only 0.1 percent to 0.8 percent carbon, the iron ball is the largest reservoir of carbon on the planet, the study authors said. An impenetrable...

Oct 31, 2012

Best Earth Images of the Week - Nov. 16, 2012

Lost dunes (Image credit: U.S. Geological Survey)New before-and-after airborne laser scans of demolished dunes in Long Island, N.Y., reveal the extent of the destruction caused there by Hurricane Sandy. The images show that the storm dramatically reshaped Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern coast of Long Island. Within...

Oct 31, 2012

Google's Phantom Island May Have 19th-Century Roots

A Kiwi librarian may have discovered the origin of a nonexistent island that's been outfoxing cartographers for more than a century. Sandy Island, still visible as a Manhattan-size void in the Coral Sea on Google Earth, was officially undiscovered last week after a group of Australian scientists gingerly navigated their...

Sep 30, 2012

Why Is It Illegal To Ride a Manatee?

Anyone looking for cheap thrills and a quick brush with nature should reconsider thoughts of riding a manatee. As a Florida woman is learning, multiple federal and state laws can be swiftly wielded in defense of the vulnerable sea cow. Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez, 52, accused of riding a manatee...

Sep 30, 2012

Film Festival Highlights Plight of the Oceans

MONTEREY, Calif. — James Cameron, Richard Branson and the His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco were just a few of the stars who came here in support of the world's oceans at last week's biennial Blue Ocean Film Festival, which showed more than 100 films over the course...

Sep 30, 2012

Economic Decline Not Enough to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions

Nations hoping to curb global warming face a quandary: Economic growth means more planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions. On the flip side, economic decline means a drop in greenhouse gas emissions as consumers tighten their belts, factories slow down and less money is spent. A new analysis of data from 1960...

Sep 30, 2012

Deep-Sea Vehicle Alvin Gets Splashy Makeover

Humans have explored only a tiny fraction of the deep-sea floor, but the deep-diving submersible vehicle Alvin gets credit for a considerable share of what humanity has seen in the water's dark, alien depths. Alvin, which can ferry three people into the deep sea, has made 4,664 dives since its...

Sep 30, 2012

Rogue Dumping of Iron into Ocean Stirs Controversy

A controversial experiment in which more than 200,000 pounds of iron sulfate were dumped into the Pacific Ocean west of Canada has scientists calling for more transparency in geoengineering. Geoengineering is any deliberate and large-scale manipulation of environmental processes in order to impact Earth's climate. Some geoengineering projects, like the...