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A polynya in Antarctica's Weddell Sea.

Mystery Sea Opened Up During the Antarctic Winter. Now, Scientists Know Why.

By Stephanie Pappas

In 2017, the open sea grew nearly 100 times its size in just a month.

excelsior glacier

Alaska's Excelsior Glacier Is Being Replaced by a Lake 5 Times the Size of Central Park

By Brandon Specktor

A glacier is on its deathbed, and this newly formed lake is the proof.

Emperor penguin chicks in Antarctica.

Why Do All the Babies in This Massive Penguin Colony Keep Drowning?

By Rafi Letzter

The second-largest emperor penguin colony in the world appears to be collapsing, after rough seas drowned all of its babies three winters in a row.

The Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn as Hurricane Sandy approached on Oct. 29, 2012.

The Ocean’s Biggest Waves Are Getting Even Bigger

By Rafi Letzter

The tallest ocean waves on Earth will only get bigger in the coming years, researchers expect.

Tropical islands and atolls in Maldives from aerial view.

Scientists on a Sailboat Just Found Nearly 200,000 Viruses Hiding in Earth's Oceans

By Rafi Letzter

The boat, named the Tara, has given scientists an unprecedented, detailed map of viruses in the marine ecosystem.

Deforestation, among other human activities, is threatening species' habitats.

Up to 1 Million Species Are at Risk of Extinction, and It's All Our Fault

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

More than 1 million species could go extinct, UN report finds.

At the beginning of the Quaternary period, glaciers crept down from Greenland to coveThis photo shows a glacier in North Greenland.

Greenland's Ice Sheet Was Growing. Now It's in a Terrifying Decline

By Rafi Letzter

Greenland's ice sheet has undergone a stunning reversal in the last 46 years, as a meticulous new study documents.

endangered rivers gila river

Gallery: America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2019

By Stephanie Pappas

The nonprofit American Rivers lists these 10 waterways as the most at-risk in the country.

Greenland ice sheet.

The World's Glaciers Are Sponging Up Loads of Nuclear Fallout, But You Shouldn't Worry — Yet

By Brandon Specktor

There's more nuclear fallout trapped in the world's glaciers than anywhere besides disaster sites like Chernobyl, new research finds.

A Pacific walrus rests at the top of steep cliffs in Russia.

Is Climate Change Really Causing Walruses to Jump Off Cliffs?

By Rafi Letzter

Here's what that shocking, brutal scene from the Netflix nature documentary "Our Planet" really means.

Gorner glacier in the European Alps.

In Photos: The Vanishing Glaciers of Europe's Alps

By Megan Gannon

Half of the ice stored in the Alps will be gone by 2050. Here's a look at what's vanishing.

New climate models have shown that if little is done to curb carbon emissions and slow global warming, about 95 percent of the ice volume of the glaciers in the European Alps will be lost by the end of the century.

Glaciers in European Alps Could Disappear by 2100

By Megan Gannon

Even if humans manage to prevent further global warming, the glaciers will still lose half their volume by 2050.

An image on the left shows the iced-over Bering Sea this time of year in 2014. On the right is the Bering Sea melted as of Sunday, March 31.

The Bering Sea Should Be Frozen Right Now. It Isn't.

By Rafi Letzter

We're witnessing a catastrophic shift in our planet's sea ice. Here's what the latest chapter means for you.

At the beginning of the Quaternary period, glaciers crept down from Greenland to cover much of North America and northern Europe.

Humans Have Caused the Most Dramatic Climate Change in 3 Million Years

By Stephanie Pappas

The Quaternary period has seen a lot of temperature changes, but none as quick as man-made climate change.

Climate Change Drove Some Neanderthals to Cannibalism

By Mindy Weisberger

Some Neanderthals resorted to desperate (and gruesome) measures to survive.

Ice and open water in the Arctic

In Photos: A Conveyor Belt for Arctic Sea Ice

By Stephanie Pappas

New research finds that new Arctic sea ice now usually melts near the coast instead of traveling through the open Arctic Ocean.

New Arctic ice typically forms off the coast of Russia in the Laptev Sea.

Most of the Arctic's 'Baby Sea Ice' Melts Before It Leaves the Nursery. And That's a Problem.

By Stephanie Pappas

As the Arctic warms, sea ice born near Russia is failing to reach the open ocean.

Atmospheric river over Los Angeles.

What Is an Atmospheric River?

By Greg Uyeno

Atmospheric rivers are named as the cause of lots of extreme weather, especially in the western United States. Where do these rivers in the sky come from?

Jakobshavn Glacier

Fastest-Thinning Greenland Glacier Threw NASA Scientists for a Loop. It's Actually Growing.

By Laura Geggel

Instead of shrinking, this giant glacier is growing, NASA scientists found.

byzantine-trash-heaps

Ancient Garbage Heaps Show Fading Byzantine Empire Was 'Plagued' By Disease and Climate Change

By Mindy Weisberger

The decline of an empire was recorded in mounds of trash.