Weather, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 10, 2013

As West Warms, Wildfires Expected to Double by 2050

Yosemite National Park's Rim Fire dashed the plans of many campers over Labor Day weekend. The iconic views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley's sheer granite walls disappeared behind a sudden influx of thick smoke the night of Aug. 30, just before most visitors arrived for the holiday. The air...

Sep 12, 2013

Wildfire Burn Scars Worsen Colorado Flooding

Boulder, Colo., is getting absolutely drenched — since last night (Sept. 11), an incredible 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain have fallen in the city and its surrounding areas, and the deluge continues. The downpour has caused flash floods throughout the Boulderarea and killed two people,...

Sep 17, 2013

Experimental Forests Could Lessen Toll of Wildfires

Experimental forests that have been groomed to slow wildfires could reduce the frequency of catastrophic fires in the future, researchers say. The decade-long project to slow and contain forest fires could become a blueprint for fire management across California. The project, which was developed in an experimental forest at the...

Oct 17, 2013

'Catastrophic' Wildfires Hit Australia

About 100 bushfires raging in New South Wales, Australia's most populated state, forced thousands of people to flee their homes yesterday. Smoke and ash drifted into Syndey on Thursday, casting a yellow pall over the famed Syndey Opera House. Unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds fanned the flames, according to...

Oct 21, 2013

Australia's Wildfires: Are Eucalyptus Trees to Blame?

The wildfires that are now threatening Sydney and other parts of New South Wales, Australia, are burning out of control, despite intensive firefighting efforts. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by fires raging along a 190-mile (306 kilometers) front, and much of the region is blanketed by thick, choking smoke....

Oct 22, 2013

Why Australia's Wildfires Are So Bad

A dry, warm winter set the stage for dozens of wildfires currently threatening populated areas in New South Wales, Australia. The fires have destroyed hundreds of homes and sent smoke and ash into the air over Sydney. The region, which is now entering summer, also experienced hundreds of fires this...

Dec 11, 2013

Climate Change May Be Worsening Western Wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO — Wildfires in the western United States are getting worse, and human-caused climate change may be the main culprit in the hotter, more dangerous infernos, new research suggests. We're seeing an increase in fire activity across the western United States, and we're seeing it in many different facets...

Jan 17, 2014

California Colby Wildfire Seen from Space

New satellite images reveal the rapid growth of a wildfire that is burning in Glendora, Calif., near Los Angeles. Though the Colby fire started small yesterday (Jan. 16), ash and smoke hovered over much of the metropolitan area by the afternoon, and has led to air quality advisories for the...

Mar 24, 2014

Titanium Golf Clubs Spark Wildfire Concerns

There are a number of hazards in golf: sand traps, the rough, lakes and other water hazards, and two-for-one happy hour at the 19th hole. You can now add wildfires to that list. Experts are blaming two recent blazes in Orange County, Calif. — one of which burned 25 acres...

Apr 18, 2014

With Climate Change, Wildfires Getting Worse in the West

Across the western United States, wildfires grew bigger and more frequent in the past 30 years, according to a new study that blames climate change and drought for the worsening flames. It's not just something that is localized to forest or grasslands or deserts, said lead study author Phil Dennison,...

May 8, 2014

Aftermath of Chilean Wildfire Seen from Orbit

A fire that devastated neighborhoods in the port city of Valparaiso, Chile, in April has been extinguished. But the scars remain on the landscape. The fire broke out on April 12, and smoke from the flames was visible on satellite images by the next morning. It took several days to...

May 23, 2014

Brilliant Colors of Alaska Wildfire Seen from Space

Alaska's Funny River fire cuts across the landscape like a neon wound in a new satellite image of the state's Kenai Peninsula. The fire began on May 19, likely as a result of an improperly extinguished campfire, state officials have said. As of yesterday (May 22), the fire had spread...

Jul 24, 2014

Washington State's Sprawling Wildfire Captured By Drone Cam

The sky is thick with smoke in central Washington, as the state's largest wildfire in recorded history leaves a charred trail of burned homes and blackened trees. The Carlton Complex Fire began as four separate fires that were triggered by lightning on July 14. Hot and windy weather helped the...

Aug 6, 2014

Fighter Jet Captures Towering 'Fire Clouds' Over California (Photos)

Giant, towering fire clouds billowing up from the wildfires currently ravaging California have been captured in stunning images snapped from fighter jets. Almost 80 percent of California is deep in drought. Last year was the driest year in 119 years of record, and 2014 has brought little relief to the...

Aug 22, 2014

The Two Wildfires Everyone Should Be Talking About (Op-Ed)

Wally Covington is the director of the Ecological Restoration Institute, a Regents' professor of forest ecology at Northern Arizona University and one of the world's leading experts on forest restoration. Covington has been studying the ecology of southwestern forests since the 1970s, and his research has led to decades of...