climate change

Atmospheric rivers slammed Southern California in February 2024 and caused widespread floods and mudslides.

Explore the role of these weather systems in transporting moisture from the tropics and spreading it worldwide.

About 11 percent of the Earth’s surface is perpetually frozen, though that will surely change as global warming continues.

Here are all the new jawns in the dictionary.

Non-Philadelphians can finally look up the meaning of ‘jawn’ in the dictionary.

Xiulin Ruan and a sample of his cooling paint.

The ultra-white paint can block up to 98 percent of the sun's rays. Applied on roofs, it could have a dramatic cooling effect on homes and buildings.

A sign on the Hoover Dam warns of dangerous heat levels on September 16, 2022, in Boulder City, Nevada.

Heat domes are masses of hot air trapped within the atmosphere by high pressure. And they're becoming more common, thanks to climate change.

If you’re in the red on AirNow’s air quality map, you should stay inside.

Canadian wildfires have covered New York City in a dull amber pall.

Canadian wildfires have caused air quality alerts to go into effect across the U.S. Here’s how to stay safe.

Your state has probably seen some unbelievable weather.

California once hit -45°F degrees.

Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) looks out for asteroids in the climate change satire 'Don't Look Up.'

Climate fiction (cli-fi) movies run the gamut from deliciously cheesy to heartbreaking. But are these films actually offering a glimpse of our future?

Charlton Heston (L) confronts Chuck Connors (R) in 'Soylent Green.'

The 1973 science fiction film was eerily prescient in predicting climate change, product shortages, and people-flavored meal replacements.

Few volcanoes had had such a dramatic and devastating impact on the world as Indonesia's Mount Tambora.

Is it really not the heat, but the humidity? With temperatures spiking around the world, it's a good time to answer some questions about the heat index.

Seattle residents use air conditioning at half the rate of the national average.

Even in the dead heat of summer, stoic Seattle residents beg off on AC. Here's why.

'American War' and 'Clade' are just two of the cli-fi books tackling global climate and environmental issues.

Set in a fictionalized future, these cli-fi novels explore how climate change is poised to forever impact our civilization.

The Svalbard Global Seed Bank in Norway contains 1.1 million seed samples from roughly 6000 plant species, and it just received a new batch of deposits.

A Currier & Ives lithograph depicts people fleeing across the Randolph Street Bridge during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

On October 8, 1871, Chicago was transformed into a hellish inferno by the Great Chicago Fire. By the time a sudden rain helped extinguish the flames, 300 people were dead, and 100,000 more were homeless. And no: It was not because of Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

From Hilo, Hawaii to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, these are the rainiest cities in every country around the world.

Calving is one way that glaciers lose ice.

If you want to behold some of the world's most majestic glaciers on six continents, you better act fast.

Planting trees means more shade, and white roofs emit less heat. Here’s how Australia’s Wilton area is fostering eco-friendly growth.

Lenticular clouds in Cape Town, South Africa.

The next time somebody points out a UFO-shaped cloud, you can whip out the word ‘lenticular.’ They’ll love it.

The brutal Pacific Northwest heatwave of summer 2021 has left Canada's beaches filled with cooked and rotting shellfish.

What's worse than a single mosquito? Mosquitoes that don't want to be single.

A mosquito bite eventually goes away. The image of a mosquito tornado, meanwhile, will live in your brain forever.

Redwood National Park is home to Hyperion, the world's tallest tree. But you won't find it marked on any maps—and that's for its own good.

What Is an Atmospheric River?

10 Chilling Facts About Permafrost

Jawns and Shower Oranges: See 30 of Dictionary.com’s Newly Added Terms

Scientists Have Created the Whitest Paint Ever—and It Might Help Cool the Planet

What Is a Heat Dome?

AirNow’s Interactive Map Shows You the Air Quality Index in Your Area

4 Ways to Stay Safe When Wildfire Smoke Causes Poor Air Quality

Hot and Cold: The All-Time Highest (and Lowest) Recorded Temperatures in Each State

8 Climate Movies That Get the Science (Mostly) Right—and 3 That Do Not

8 Things 'Soylent Green' Got Right (and Wrong) About the Future

15 Amazing Facts About "The Year Without a Summer"

Why Does Humidity Make Us Feel Hotter?

It's Summer, But Many Seattle Residents Are Opting Out of Air Conditioning—Here's Why

11 Gripping Cli-Fi Books to Put on Your TBR List

The ‘Doomsday Vault’ Has Opened Its Doors to Receive New Seed Deposits

8 Surprising Facts About the Great Chicago Fire of 1871—150 Years Later

The Rainiest City in Every Country

12 Disappearing Glaciers Around the World

A Sydney Suburb Is Combating Climate Change by Requiring Light-Colored Roofs and a Tree in Every Yard

8 Strange Cloud Types and What They Mean

Record Temperatures Are Frying Live Shellfish on Canada's Pacific Coast

Funnel of Love: Mosquitoes Looking for Mates Formed ‘Mosquito Tornadoes’ in Siberia

Lonely at the Top: Protecting Hyperion, the World's Tallest Tree

Lonely at the Top: Protecting Hyperion, the World's Tallest Tree