Antarctica may not be as isolated as we thought, and that's a worry
May 27, 2016 06:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
For a long time, we have thought of Antarctica as isolated from the rest of the world. The continent is entirely surrounded by the Southern Ocean, which heaves with giant waves whipped up by intense winds, and is home to...
El Niño is over, but has left its mark across the world
May 25, 2016 23:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
The 2015-16 El Niño has likely reached its end. Tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures, trade winds, cloud and pressure patterns have all dropped back to near normal, although clearly the events impacts around the...
Why we need better ways to cut greenhouse gases from agriculture
May 24, 2016 05:08 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Although 177 countries signed the Paris Agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in April 2016, the reductions they have pledged so far are not enough. To stand a chance of limiting warming to 2 degrees...
A guide to using drones to study wildlife: first, do no harm
May 24, 2016 00:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Nature
Technological advances have provided many benefits for environmental research. Sensors on southern elephant seals have been used to map the Southern Ocean, while tracking devices have given us a new view of mass animal...
Here's how smart power could help the UK reach 100% renewable energy
May 24, 2016 00:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Both Portugal and Germany have recently succeeded in meeting almost all of their power needs using renewable energy. But at the moment, the UK falls far short of this feat. In 2015, less than a quarter of the countrys...
The paradox of peak-based ozone air pollution standards
May 20, 2016 10:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
And when she was good, she was very, very good, But when she was bad she was horrid. Henry Wadsworth Longfellows poem may have befit Houstons air around 1999, when the city briefly ranked as the New U.S. Smog...
Want to know if the Paris climate deal is working? University divestment is the litmus test
May 20, 2016 05:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature Business
The Paris climate agreement has been praised for sending a strong signal to the world that we are now serious about cutting greenhouse emissions. Yet despite the diplomatic acclaim, the Paris deal doesnt offer much in...
Gabon: post-coup dialogue has mapped out path to democracy – now military leaders must act
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects