Why House Sparrows Lay Both Big and Small Eggs

Why does the egg size of house sparrows vary so much? Isn’t it always an advantage to be big?

Perhaps not surprisingly, baby sparrows that hatch from large eggs are consistently bigger their small egg counterparts. They can store up more reserves if food becomes scarce. So you would think that it’s always a good idea to lay big eggs because your offspring would seem to have a greater chance of survival.

Rain-on-snow flood risk to increase in many U.S. mountain regions

Flooding caused by rain falling on snowpack could more than double by the end of this century in some areas of the western U.S. and Canada due to climate change, according to new research from CU Boulder and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Rooting for Clean Water

One by one, Dr. Chris Opio and Chandehl Morgan carefully remove trees from one-gallon buckets.

Sea stars critical to kelp forest resilience

A study by Simon Fraser University resource and environmental management researcher Jenn Burt reveals that sunflower sea stars play a critical role in the resilience of B.C.'s kelp forests, which are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth.

Extreme rainfall, why it happens and how we predict it

When it rains, it pours, the saying goes. When it pours to excess, that’s when life gets messy. And possibly dangerous.

Below-average ‘dead zone’ measured in Gulf of Mexico

NOAA-supported scientists have determined that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone”— an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 2,720 square miles.

Scientists complete mission to map fast-moving fault off Alaska

Researchers from NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey and their partners have completed the first high-resolution, comprehensive mapping of one of the fastest moving underwater tectonic faults in the world, located in southeastern Alaska.

NASA Sees Major Hurricane Hector Moving South of Hawaii

Hurricane Hector maintained its major hurricane status on Aug. 8 as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead. Infrared data from NASA's Aqua satellite provided forecasters with cloud top temperatures in Hector so they could pinpoint the strongest part of the storm.

Blocking Sunlight to Cool Earth Won’t Reduce Crop Damage from Global Warming

Injecting particles into the atmosphere to cool the planet and counter the warming effects of climate change would do nothing to offset the crop damage from rising global temperatures, according to a new analysis by University of California, Berkeley, researchers.

Hotter Temperatures Extend Growing Season for Peatland Plants

A futuristic experiment simulating warmer environmental conditions has shown that peatland vegetation responds to higher temperatures with an earlier and longer growth period. A study published in Nature revealed that turning up the heat accelerates spring greening in mature trees, shrubs and mosses and delays fall color change.