Sea turtles, such as extremely endangered Kemp’s ridley, travel up along the eastern seaboard every spring and summer in search of the crabs that they feed on. Leaving the warmer waters of the south, they venture as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. By fall, if they do not return to the southern waters quick […]
Water is essential for life. We drink it, we bathe in it, and we play in it. Communities, cities, businesses, and even countries have been built around water. Whether it is the surge of ocean tides, or the flow from our faucets, life would be impossible without water. And, water is just not a local […]
The weather outside is about to become frightful. An Arctic blast is expected to deliver blizzards, snow, and super cold to much of the north and eastern United States. The nor’easter that visited Massachusetts and New York last week and this week’s expected storm both will bring more than a shovelful of snow. Snow and […]
It was a cold Christmas for the 50 passengers and 20 crew members aboard the Russian passenger ship MV Akadamik Shokalskiy. Led by Australian climate scientist, Chris Turney, of the University of New South Wales, the crew began a research journey to Antarctic on November 28. On Christmas Eve, the frigid sea winds pushed ice […]
The winter climate is upon us, and much of the nation has already experienced some degree of winter weather. Winter weather creates an ideal teachable moment… From Nor’easters impacting the Eastern seaboard from the Carolinas to Maine (and the Canadian Maritime provinces) to blizzards sweeping across the Great Plains and Midwest, our nation experiences more […]
It has been a stormy week. Apparently, Huracan, the weather god is not happy. Last week, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda to locals) rocked the island chain of the Philippines. It is being called the most powerful storm ever. In its wake, an estimated 2,300 people died, and thousands more are now homeless. 200,000 pregnant Filipinos […]
This time of year, it is hard to ignore the fact that our days have been getting shorter, while our nights have lengthened. The brevity of our days serves to remind us that the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, is just around the corner. The exact moment of the winter solstice will […]
It has long been suspected that human activity is heating our planet and causing environmental changes that are changing Earth’s ecosystems around the globe and in our backyard. Global warming detractors question this, claiming Earth is dynamic and environmental change is natural. That may be true; however, the issue is not whether Earth is dynamic. […]
As a kid you learned that Earth has continents. American students are taught there are seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Students in other countries are taught there are five or six continents. (Which do you think they consider one continent?) One thing we can agree upon: long, long […]
Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated each year on April 22. Â Founded by United States Senator Gaylor Nelson, what began as a teach-in focused on environmental issues has become an international celebration of the beauty and fragility of Earth, a call to protect Earth’s diverse microcosms, an examination of our individual and collective impact […]