Gulf Coast

Satellite mapping image of Hurricane Michael making landfall in Florida

Warming ocean waters turned Hurricane Michael into a superstorm

Hurricane Michael intensified from Category 1 to Category 4 in just 24 hours. Furious winds and an 8- to 12-foot storm surge were fueled by warming sea surface temperatures.

Warming ocean waters turned Hurricane Michael into a superstorm
Under a new carbon offset program that is gaining popularity in Congress, oil and gas companies — and other manufacturers of products involving — fossil fuel would have to pay $40 for every ton of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill
Growing high tides have turned this photo — taken from Pompano Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — into a regular occurrence along the U.S. coastlines.

New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts

New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts
Atchafalaya bayou

Federal judge halts Louisiana pipeline

Federal judge halts Louisiana pipeline
Louisiana's Isle de Jean Charles.

Rising seas are washing away two US towns. How they're responding is a matter of faith, belief and money.

Rising seas are washing away two US towns. How they're responding is a matter of faith, belief and money.
Opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline rally in front of the White House on February 24, 2015, the day President Barack Obama vetoed a bill circumventing administration review of the project and mandating its construction.

President Obama's veto isn't the end of the Keystone XL story

President Obama vetoed a bill that would approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, but that still doesn't mean the project is officially dead. But with collapsed oil prices and a world moving away from fossil fuels, would Keystone's builders eventually regret it if they do win approval?

President Obama's veto isn't the end of the Keystone XL story
The Houston Ship Channel stretches 52 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the city of Houston. Sea levels have risen 2.2 feet over the last century at Galveston, the main barrier island protecting the Ship Channel from a big storm.

The 'Texas miracle' is fueling huge economic growth — and the climate change that may end it

Texas is the biggest climate polluter in the U.S. It’s also is also extremely vulnerable to some of the impacts of climate change. But the state’s most prominent politicians say they don't believe that climate change is real. It all adds up to a big problem for Texas and the rest of us.

The 'Texas miracle' is fueling huge economic growth — and the climate change that may end it
Dutch ecologist and dike designer Mindert de Vries stands on top of one of the new "soft" dikes being built near the Rhine River delta city of Dordrecht. Dutch innovations in flood control are helping reduce the adverse effects of older dike technologies.

With the waters rising, the Dutch find eco-friendly ways to keep them at bay

With hundreds of years of experience behind them, the Netherlands are still pioneering ways to protect its communities from flooding. And as climate change makes flooding more of a global concern, other countries are paying attention to Dutch innovations.

With the waters rising, the Dutch find eco-friendly ways to keep them at bay

For more accurate weather forecasts, follow the fish

A pair of researchers in Florida developed a startling hypothesis over a round of golf: Tracking fish could tell us more about meteorological patterns around the world. Two years later, that hypothesis is bearing out, with great impacts for science.

For more accurate weather forecasts, follow the fish

Red crayfish invades Pacific Northwest waterways

The popular crayfish, perhaps better known in some corners as the crawfish, is on the move. The red swamp crayfish is invading, with some outside assistance, Washington State lakes and pushing out native species.

Red crayfish invades Pacific Northwest waterways

Some Detroit advocates question why feds won't bailout bankrupt city

Detroit residents and officials are struggling with the Congress' steadfast refusal to offer the recently bankrupt city any bailout money, especially while most have memories of the 2008 federal bailout of the auto industry including Michigan-based General Motors and Chrysler.

Some Detroit advocates question why feds won't bailout bankrupt city

Pipelines and oil trains provide different risks, rewards

The drive to build the Keystone XL pipeline and the deadly oil train wreck in Canada earlier this month have launched a lengthy discussion about how crude oil is moved around in this country. One critic says it should prompt a broad re-think of our use of fossil fuels.

Pipelines and oil trains provide different risks, rewards

Ancient Underwater Forest in the Gulf of Mexico

Sixty feet beneath the water off the coast of Alabama is a forest of cypress trees that is more than 50,000 years old.

Ancient Underwater Forest in the Gulf of Mexico

Canadian oil company seeks to expand pipelines other than Keystone XL

WIth progress on the ambitious Keystone XL pipeline halted, Canadian oil company Enbridge is attempting to convert some of its existing lines to carry dilbit, the petroleum produced by the country's abundant oil sands.

Canadian oil company seeks to expand pipelines other than Keystone XL

Collaboration could be the answer in U.S. energy debate

In his inaugural address on Monday, President Barack Obama spoke of America's need for renewable energy. But with Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's recent approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, Obama is faced with a new front in the ongoing energy debate.

Collaboration could be the answer in U.S. energy debate