North Atlantic

Glaciologists say that between 1995 and 2010 Iceland’s glaciers lost about a meter of vertical thickness per year. The the “Blue Blob” appeared, halving that loss.

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe

About 10% of Iceland is still covered by glaciers — what Icelanders call their “white diamonds.” Now, a mysterious patch of cold water in the North Atlantic Ocean, known as the “Blue Blob,” is helping slow down the rate at which these glaciers are melting. But scientists are concerned about how long this will last.

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe
A female North Atlantic Right whale entangled in fishing gear

North Atlantic right whales are shrinking in size as they struggle to survive environmental havoc

North Atlantic right whales are shrinking in size as they struggle to survive environmental havoc
North Atlantic right whale with calf in blue-green waters

Little time left to save the North Atlantic right whale

Little time left to save the North Atlantic right whale
Northern right whales

Endangered right whales have moved because of climate change — into dangerous waters

Endangered right whales have moved because of climate change — into dangerous waters
Northern right whale with calf

The Northern right whale, already an endangered species, is in deep trouble

The Northern right whale, already an endangered species, is in deep trouble
Nantucket erosion aerial

Nantucket's bluffs and beaches are crumbling in the face of storms and rising seas

On Nantucket, homeowners are funding an extensive engineering project to save their houses from sliding into the sea. But no one knows how long the homes and the entire island can resist the forces of the sea and climate change.

Nantucket's bluffs and beaches are crumbling in the face of storms and rising seas
A man walks in the snow next to the Houses of Parliament in London on March 1. Brtain and much of the rest of Europe have been hit with a late winter blast linked to extreme warming in the Arctic.

Europe's cold blast, Arctic's heat wave are 'two sides of the same coin'

While it's been unusually cold and snowy in much of Europe, the Arctic has been seeing record warm temperatures and a huge loss of ice. Here's how the two are linked, and what they might have to do with climate change.

Europe's cold blast, Arctic's heat wave are 'two sides of the same coin'
The carcass of a right whale is prepared to be towed out to sea near Norway, Prince Edward Island.

Experts say 'extinction is around the corner' for Atlantic right whales

There have been a record 18 deaths and zero births of the species over the past year.

Experts say 'extinction is around the corner' for Atlantic right whales
A satellite image of Arctic sea ice fractures caused by the force of the Beaufort Gyre

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the Beaufort Gyre

The Beaufort Gyre, a key Arctic Ocean current that traps huge amounts of ice and cold freshwater, is behaving strangely. When it eventually discharges its contents, the event could begin a period of sharply lower temperatures in northern Europe.

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the Beaufort Gyre
Dark rock above the Helheim glacier in southeastern Greenland marks its former level, before a sudden and dramatic retreat of hit many Greenland glaciers a decade ago. Scientists working on the Helheim and the fjord it drains into are looking for clues to

In Greenland, a climate change mystery with clues written in water and stone

About a decade ago, several of Greenland's biggest glaciers suddenly began melting. A decade later, two groups of scientists are trying to unlock the secrets behind a scientific mystery story with potentially big consequences for the future of the island's rapidly-melting ice sheet.

In Greenland, a climate change mystery with clues written in water and stone
Icebergs in Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland, viewed from a helicopter.

Here's what climate change looks like from the edge of the Greenland icecap

Greenland is melting fast, and that's bad news for sea level rise and other impacts of climate change. But The World's Ari Daniel, on assignment with scientists studying a rapidly melting Greenland glacier, says all that bad news doesn't make the world's biggest island any less of a wondrous place.

Here's what climate change looks like from the edge of the Greenland icecap
Great White Shark Lydia being tagged off the coast of Florida on March 2, 2013.

Why this Great White Shark has fans and followers around the world

It's her ocean — we're just swimming in it. A Great White Shark named Lydia had a tracking device attached to her dorsal fin last year. Since then, she's logged over 27,000 miles and now she even has her own Twitter account.

Why this Great White Shark has fans and followers around the world
Sea ice melt

Melting Arctic sea ice doubles the chances of harsh winters in other parts of the world

When most people hear the term "global warming," they naturally think of air temperature. In reality, more than 90 percent of the warming caused by greenhouse gases happens in the oceans. Much of this warming takes place in the waters in and around the Arctic Ocean, leading to increasingly rapid melting of sea ice. A new study links this melting to cold, harsh winters that are becoming more common in parts of the world.

Melting Arctic sea ice doubles the chances of harsh winters in other parts of the world

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
The World

Whales at Home in the Caribbean

In the spring, humpback whales begin their annual migration north to various parts the cold and food-rich waters of the North Atlantic. But the entire population cozies up during winter in the warm waters of the Dominican Republic.

Whales at Home in the Caribbean