Natural DisastersAugust 16, 2018
This Scientist Chases Wildfires to Better Predict Fire Behavior
To know what a wildfire might do next, researchers need to know how an inferno interacts with the atmosphere
Stories by Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson is senior desk editor for life science at Scientific American, covering the environment, energy and earth sciences. She has been covering these issues for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Scientific American, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered earth science and the environment. She has moderated panels, including as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Media Zone, and appeared in radio and television interviews on major networks. She holds a graduate degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a B.S. and an M.S. in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Follow Thompson on Bluesky @andreatweather.bsky.social
EarthAugust 15, 2018
Plants Dominate the Planet's Biomass
About 80 percent of Earth's biomass is plant life, with humans about equal to krill way down the heft chart.
PollutionAugust 13, 2018
Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem—Scientists Are Hunting It Down
Trillions of tiny particles generated by our plastic-reliant society are polluting environments worldwide
BiologyAugust 1, 2018
Plants Are the World's Dominant Life-Form
Flora make up the majority of Earth’s biomass, followed by bacteria
Climate ChangeJuly 13, 2018
L.A.’s Not Just Sizzling, It’s Sultry: Why California’s July Heat Wave Is So Weird
An unusually early—and humid—heat wave has set all-time records
Climate ChangeMay 14, 2018
Antarctic Quest Seeks to Predict the Fate of a Linchpin Glacier
Adventurer scientists swarm the melting Thwaites Glacier for clues to how fast sea level will rise
Climate ChangeMay 2, 2018
Shock and Thaw—Alaskan Sea Ice Just Took a Steep, Unprecedented Dive
Weather conditions and a boost from global warming led to the stunning record low ice cover in winter 2018
EnvironmentApril 11, 2018
Slow-Motion Ocean: Atlantic’s Circulation Is Weakest in 1,600 Years
If hemisphere-spanning currents are slowing, greater flooding and extreme weather could be at hand
EnvironmentMarch 23, 2018
Wave of Climate Migration Looms, but It “Doesn't Have to Be a Crisis”
Slow-onset climate impacts could displace 140 million in their own countries by 2050
EnvironmentJanuary 30, 2018
Where Plastic Goes, Coral Disease Follows
An onslaught of bottles, bags and other litter makes reefs 20 times more likely to get sick. Scientists are scrambling to learn why
Climate ChangeDecember 20, 2017
Alaska’s Northernmost Town Warms So Fast, It Fools NOAA Computers
As sea ice grows shockingly low and late, Utqiaġvik’s record warmth stymies algorithms
Natural DisastersDecember 6, 2017
Why the Ventura Wildfire Is So Explosive
Dry weather and strong winds this year have left southern California primed for blazes
WeatherNovember 30, 2017
Alaska's Coast Is Vanishing, 1 Storm at a Time
Ordinary storms are chipping away at coastal communities as protective sea ice disappears
EnvironmentNovember 26, 2017
How Did This Weird, Super-Salty Pond Form in Antarctica?
Studying the pond could help scientists better understand similar features on Mars
WeatherNovember 7, 2017
“Slightly Crazy” 19th-Century Weathermen Who Braved Formidable Conditions Could Aid Climate Predictions
A new effort aims to recover meteorology data collected by a group of hardy Victorian Scottish scientists
EnvironmentOctober 13, 2017
NASA Satellite Reveals Source of El Niño–Fueled Carbon Dioxide Spike
The OCO 2 mission serendipitously coincided with one of the strongest El Niños on record
WeatherSeptember 8, 2017
What Old-Fashioned Weather Balloons Foretell about Irma’s Track
Forecasters depend on satellites and flights to track hurricanes—but balloons add crucial precision
Climate ChangeAugust 11, 2017
Climate Change Has Influenced the Timing of Europe’s Floods
Floods are arriving earlier or later due to the interplay with other factors like the timing of snowmelt
WeatherMay 31, 2017
Global Warming Could Push Earth's Rains Northward
As the Northern Hemisphere warms faster than the Southern, Earth's rain belts may shift to the North
WeatherMay 25, 2017
NOAA Forecasts Busy Hurricane Season for Atlantic
The forecast is currently for 11 to 17 storms to form, of which five to nine are expected to become hurricanes, and two to four major hurricanes
Climate ChangeMay 23, 2017
Long Budget Process Could Impact Climate Science
Trump’s cuts are part of an effort to pump up military spending and finance a Mexico border wall
Climate ChangeMay 18, 2017
El Niño Again? It's Hard to Tell
Scientists are trying to pin down an answer as soon as possible
Climate ChangeApril 1, 2017
Trump Budget Cuts “Critical” NASA Climate Missions
Four Earth-observing satellites are targeted for elimination in the president's budget proposal
Climate ChangeMarch 23, 2017
Arctic Sea Ice Sets Record-Low Peak for Third Year
Sea ice was also thinner this winter than in the past four years