Environment
Could this new soybean keep the air cleaner and beat drought?
September 26, 2026, 6:20 am EDT
Scientists at the Salk Institute are testing a soybean bred to grow deeper roots that could help it survive drought and store carbon underground. More than 270,000 U.S. farmers grow soybeans each year, so even a small breakthrough here could ripple across American agriculture. See what researchers are hoping to prove this fall.
New soybean may help keep the air cleaner and beat drought
September 26, 2026, 6:14 am EDT
Scientists are testing deep-rooted soybeans that could survive drought and store more carbon underground.
When To Expect Peak Fall Foliage Colors Across US
September 18, 2026, 9:44 am EDT
For all you fall lovers out there, the question that is always top of mind is: When can I see the peak fall foliage colors? Although Mother Nature sometimes changes the game, we have a playbook of where and when you can typically see the leaves at their best. Whether you want to plan the ultimate leaf-peeping vacation or you just want to know when to expect the most vibrant hues at home, we’ve got you covered here.
Journey to the center of El Niño: Inside NOAA's Pacific watch team
September 16, 2026, 1:37 pm EDT
Wind-powered craft launched from Hawaii are sailing into the heart of a monumental El Niño, part of a NOAA network of buoys, floats and satellites watching the Pacific. This directly helps to improve El Niño forecasting and can help refine the El Niño impacts, including storms, drought and temperatures.
Journey to the center of El Niño: inside NOAA's Pacific watch team
September 16, 2026, 1:18 pm EDT
To understand how this monumental El Niño will shape our winter, NOAA has a network of instruments in the Pacific.
Nigerian village vanishing into sea — why coastal America should take note
September 11, 2026, 7:29 am EDT
As rising seas swallow a fishing town in southern Nigeria, the same forces are already reshaping coastlines from North Carolina to Louisiana.
Rising seas are erasing this Nigerian village: Why US coasts are next
September 10, 2026, 2:20 pm EDT
Rising seas have destroyed 80% of the buildings in a southern Nigerian fishing village, and U.S. coastlines face the same erosion threat. NOAA projects U.S. sea levels could rise up to a foot in the next 30 years — as much as the entire last century. From Buxton, North Carolina, to Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, the same slow-motion loss is already underway.
Wool tested to save glaciers
September 9, 2026, 7:02 am EDT
Wool tested to save glaciers
Could sheep's wool help save Switzerland's melting glaciers?
September 9, 2026, 5:55 am EDT
Researchers at Glacier 3000 in western Switzerland are testing whether sheep's wool can replace plastic-based geotextiles used to slow glacier melt. Since 2000, Swiss glaciers have lost almost 40% of their mass, while nearly 70% of the country's wool goes unused each year. The “Keep it Wool” project aims to create a biodegradable alternative that doesn't shed plastic fibers into melting ice.
America's biggest wind farm is now online in New Mexico
September 7, 2026, 12:04 pm EDT
New Mexico's SunZia wind farm is now fully online, making it the largest in the U.S. Its 916 turbines are sending power 550 miles to Arizona and California. This farm is bringing power to around 3 million Americans and has created about 2,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs.
