Climate Change

Thoreau Waited Longer for Spring to Arrive

Scientists have compared their own recent observations of when Massachusetts plants start flowering in spring with the records Henry David Thoreau made 150 years ago.

Arctic Ice Dynamics Destabilizing

Global warming has broken down the relationship between Arctic climate patterns and fluctuations in the volume of Arctic ice.

Warmer Climate Sends Birds North

Some birds nesting in the central and eastern United States have moved their range over a hundred miles farther north in less than three decades.

Wildlife

Roads Take a Toll on Wildlife

Wildlife carcasses litter the sides of rural roads.

Sockeye Salmon Can't Handle the Heat

As rivers along the Pacific coast get warmer, the survival rate of migrating sockeye salmon will plummet.

Fewer Shorebirds Migrating Along Atlantic Coast

Bird surveys have recorded declines in shorebirds passing through eastern North America during fall migration.

Forest Clearing Widely Transforms Wildlife Habitat

Agriculture, forestry and especially oil and gas development have recently flourished across the forested landscape of northeastern British Columbia. In their wake, wildlife habitat has been restructured at an exponential rate.

Endangered Species

North America's Losing Its Bumblebees

One bumblebee species that was once common throughout its range from Georgia State to Ontario, Canada has all but disappeared.

Amphibians at Greatest Risk Have Common Traits

The largest analysis ever undertaken of what makes the existence of amphibians most precarious finds a single characteristic predominates.

Ivory Gulls Mysteriously Disappear

Colonies of ivory gulls nesting on gravel plateaus of northwestern Baffin Island used to be so thick that local Inuit mistook the birds from a distance for patches of snow.

Lost Ladybug Rediscovered

The puzzling demise of nine-spotted lady beetles took a new twist in 2006 when one of the insects was collected in an Arlington, Virginia home.

Oceans

Sharks, Seabass Rebound After Fishing Banned

Big fish have returned to California's southern coast following a 15-year ban on gill net fishing.

Tuna Fishery Traps Dolphins, Birds and Sharks

Fishing for tuna in the eastern North Atlantic took a heavy toll on marine animals during the 1990s.

Oceans Gaining Ground at Unusually Rapid Rate

Global warming has recently accelerated the pace of rising sea water.

Natural Hazards

What Are the Odds You'll Get Struck By Lightning?

The chances of getting killed by lightning in Canada are generally less than one in a million. But some people's odds of encountering a deadly strike are much higher than average.

Scientists Assess Tsunami Damage

Studies of environmental damage left behind by the massive December 2004 tsunami find widespread destruction in India, both above and below ground.

No Changes in US Hurricane Landings

The parade of hurricanes hitting the United States has not grown faster and more furious over the last century.

Forests

Rocky Mountains Losing Whitebark Pine

A fungus introduced from Europe is well on its way to rendering whitebark pine trees extinct in some North American national parks, scientists warn.

Culverts Disconnect Fish Streams

Half the culverts placed in creeks of Alberta's boreal forest hang in mid-air, preventing fish from travelling upstream.

Climate Change Decimates Yellow Cedar

Warming winter weather in southeast Alaska has created a combination of conditions that's eliminating yellow cedar from low-elevation rainforests.

Pine Beetles Respond to Cooler Climate

New research finds evidence that bark beetles have a long history of responding vigourously to climate change.

Invasive Species

Ships and Aquaculture Blamed For Spreading Species

Invasive marine organisms now inhabit nearly all coastal areas.

Deer Rapidly Spread Invasive Plants

A surprisingly large quantity and variety of plant seeds are getting carried substantial distances by white-tailed deer.

Abrupt Change in Mix of Ladybug Species

The assortment of ladybug species living in North America has shifted dramatically in the last 20 years.

The Same Plants Are Showing Up Everywhere

North America's plant life is becoming increasingly uniform throughout the continent.

Features

Greatest Losses of Range by Mammals

Large mammals have disappeared from millions of square miles in North America, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Number of Species on Earth

The total number of known species in the world for each major category of animals, plants and algae.

Sunniest Places in United States

Sunshine records for places in United States that get the most sun.