By working more closely together, these major space players could better monitor weather and natural hazards, improve communications and satellite security, and extend international cooperation.
News
Autonomous Undersea Technologies to Vie for New XPRIZE
The competition aims at improved health and understanding of Earth's oceans by spurring teams to devise better robotic technologies for seafloor mapping and exploration.
Greenhouse Gas Patterns Offer Promise, Puzzlement
Emissions growth of carbon dioxide has suddenly slowed, but atmospheric methane concentrations continue to soar after a long hiatus. Both trends have a bearing on climate pacts sought this week.
Ted Cruz Chairs Heated Senate Hearing on Climate Change
Republican-invited witnesses reject consensus view of climate change, charge bias in federal funding. Democratic senators decry attempt to stir controversy about well-established climate findings.
Despite Stalled Regulations, U.S. Mercury Emissions Decline
Newly published measurements made downwind of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio coal-burning plants reveal steep, unexpected drops in atmospheric mercury concentrations since 2006.
Ships Bring More Than Cargo to Arctic Waters
A probe of ballast water in ships at an Arctic port finds hitchhiking organisms that polar warming could allow to invade the region's ecosystems in less than 40 years.
Laser Beams Brighten Prospects for Cave Science
Armed with laser technology, scientists now plot and study vivid maps of underground spaces with stunning accuracy. But the equipment is costly, fragile, and hard to maneuver through tight passages.
Michael R. Raupach (1950–2015)
A pioneer in fields ranging from plant-atmosphere interactions to the carbon cycle, this Australian climate scientist transformed modern micrometeorology and cofounded the Global Carbon Project.
Paris Climate Talks Could Spur Energy Sector Action
A robust climate pact from the United Nations meeting in Paris could urge nations and energy investors toward lower-emissions energy generation, the head of a global energy agency suggests.
