Shifts in coastal weather systems could make the West’s species less resilient.
Scientific research
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Should scientists speak up for climate action?
How to balance professional objectivity and the existential threat of climate change.
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House Democrats challenge Interior on altered report
Secretary Zinke said he hadn’t seen drafts omitting humans’ role in climate change.
Posted inApril 16, 2018: Cashing in on Standing Rock
What we have forgotten about the vilified gray wolf
The saga of O-Six lays bare the intricacies of a familiar, parallel society in wolves.
Posted inApril 16, 2018: Cashing in on Standing Rock
Washington state bans salmon farms
An escape of non-native salmon prompted the state to shut down aquaculture.
Posted inApril 16, 2018: Cashing in on Standing Rock
Along the border, 500 miles of desert species
As Trump’s wall lurches forward, ‘BioBlitz’ records the Borderlands’ biodiversity.
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Scuba flies
In California’s Mono Lake — whose alkaline waters are deadly to most insects — these diving flies don’t just survive; they thrive.
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Coastal cities battle industry over climate change
Fossil fuel companies face mounting lawsuits for their contributions to the looming climate catastrophe.
Posted inApril 16, 2018: Cashing in on Standing Rock
A flurry of research illuminates snow’s foes
New studies detail how hotter temperatures, humid air and wind-blown dust can pummel the Western snowpack.
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Judge: Agency cherrypicked science for bison management
Amid protests, Fish & Wildlife has been ordered to reexamine protections for the iconic Yellowstone beast.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
A look into a climate-altered Alaska
Experiments in the permafrost zone near Denali simulate a warmer North.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
An unfrozen North
The world’s permafrost holds vast stores of carbon. What happens when it thaws?
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A Montana bill takes aim at wilderness study areas
Sen. Steve Daines wants to slash protections for some of the state’s wildest land.
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
From bears to condors, the West’s wildlife is finding ways to survive
Five ways science is finding unexpected resilience in animals.
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Why aren’t marbled murrelets recovering?
The enigmatic bird’s populations have not increased despite conservation efforts.
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Monument reductions threaten future dinosaur discoveries
Digs are imperiled by Trump’s move to slash protections for public land.
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
‘Atmospheric rivers’ aid the West — and imperil it
Improved storm forecasts could help reservoir managers store more water while avoiding floods.
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2017 in natural disasters
From massive wildfires to melting ice, the calamities that affected the West this year.
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Why hatchery fish may fail in the wild
New research gives insight into how to better help struggling Northwest salmon populations.
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A new report finds ‘we have created a new climate’
Extreme events are closely linked to human-caused climate change.