Press Release20
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Days on Earth Are Getting Longer. You Can Thank the Moon, Not the Seasons.
For anyone who has ever wished there were more hours in the day, geoscientists have some good news: Days on Earth are getting longer. Very slowly.
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Increasing Heat Is Driving Off Clouds That Dampen California Wildfires
Sunny California may be getting too sunny. Increasing summer temperatures brought on by a combination of intensifying urbanization and warming climate are driving off once-common morning cloud cover in southern coastal areas of the state, leading to increased risk of wildfires.
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Machine Listening for Earthquakes
In a new study, researchers show that machine learning algorithms can pick out different types of earthquakes from three years of data at Geysers in California. The repeating patterns of earthquakes appear to match the seasonal rise and fall of water-injection flows into the hot rocks below.
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In India, Dirty Air Kills as Easily in the Country as in the City
A forthcoming study of northern India suggests that people living in rural areas are as likely to die prematurely from the effects of poor air quality as those living in cities.
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In Ancient Rocks, Scientists See a Climate Cycle Working Across Deep Time
A gradual shift in Earth’s orbit that repeats every 405,000 years plays a role in natural climate swings.
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The 100th Meridian, Where the Great Plains Begin, May Be Shifting
Two new papers find that the line that divides the moist East and arid West is edging eastward due to climate change—and the implications for farming and other pursuits could be huge.
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Climate Migrants Will Soon Shift Populations of Many Countries, Says World Bank
If emissions of greenhouse gases remain high, as many as 143 million “internal migrants” might move within their own countries by 2050.
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Palm Trees Are Spreading Northward. How Far Will They Go?
A new study explores what it will take for the iconic tropical tree to expand into areas that have long been too cold for palm trees to survive.
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North Atlantic Is Getting Less Salty, But It’s Too Soon to Blame Climate Change
Researchers report a sharp drop in salinity in the North Atlantic Ocean over the last decade, providing the most detailed look yet at the region’s changing ocean conditions. A continued decline could impact fish stocks and the ocean’s ability to absorb CO2.

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.