A rapidly changing Arctic

A new study found that freshwater runoff from rivers and continental shelf sediments are bringing significant quantities of carbon and trace elements into parts of the Arctic Ocean via the Transpolar Drift — a major surface current that moves water from Siberia across the North Pole to the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Mediterranean nearly dried up. A cataclysmic flood revived it.

The serene turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea hide a sharp-tasting secret: a layer of salt up to two miles thick, lurking deep underneath the basin. Even after decades of study, the details surrounding the sea’s vanishing act and the torrents of water that refilled the basin remain an enduring mystery.

Europe Is Shrinking

Across Europe, the sea is encroaching on nearly a fifth of the coastline. While coastal erosion is a global phenomenon, Europe is especially exposed, with the highest ratio of shoreline to total land area of any continent.