Tropical Storm Celia formed on Saturday in the Pacific off southern Mexico and could soon become a hurricane as it moves away from the coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Celia, the third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, was 340 miles south of the tourist resort of Acapulco, the Miami-based hurricane center…

BP Plc’s costs for the worst spill in U.S. history appeared set to rise as a partner in the out-of-control well laid the blame at BP’s feet and the new federal czar overseeing damage claims said BP would pay more if $20 billion was not enough. The British oil company said it would not be…

Greening America’s Capitals is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help state capitals develop an implementable vision of distinctive, environmentally friendly neighborhoods that incorporate innovative green building and green infrastructure strategies. This program will…

It’s been a hot topic for a few years now. And certainly the potential for incorporating algae as a key feedstock for future biofuel production is massive. But the sobering fact is that we’re at least a good eight to ten years from seeing any kind of real, commercially-ready product… At least at the volumes…

While Arctic sea ice continues to shrink as the world warms, the ice around Antarctica is actually growing, thanks to the influence of the ozone hole over the southernmost continent, scientists have reported. But the south polar growth won’t be permanent, they warn.

Clearing forests in the Amazon helps mosquitoes thrive and can send malaria rates soaring, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. They found a 48 percent increase in malaria cases in one county in Brazil after 4.2 percent of its tree cover was cleared. Their findings, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, shows links between cutting…

Water is vital for life and how it freezes is very important. For years water (ice) has been known to exist in 15 phases. Subjected to higher pressures and varying temperatures, ice can form in fifteen separate known phases. With care all these types can be recovered at ambient pressure. The types are differentiated by…

Though unseen the ocean floor is a volcanic hot bed where the tectonic plates collide and spread apart. New research reveals that when two parts of the Earth’s crust break apart, this does not always cause massive volcanic eruptions. The study, published today in the journal Nature, explains why some parts of the world saw…

The area of the Gulf of Mexico closed to fishing has been expanded again by NOAA to capture portions of the oil slick moving beyond the area’s current northern boundary, off the Florida panhandle’s federal-state waterline. This boundary was moved to Panama City Beach. The federal closure does not apply to any state waters. Closing…

Under intense pressure from President Barack Obama, BP Plc agreed on Wednesday to set up a $20 billion fund for damage claims from its huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill and suspended dividend payments to its shareholders. The deal gave Obama his most tangible success since the crisis began 58 days ago and came after…