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The 2011 Arctic sea ice extent maximum that marks the beginning of the melt season appears to be tied for the lowest ever measured by satellites, say scientists at the Â鶹ӰԺ's National Snow and Ice Data Center.

When a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Â鶹ӰԺ's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences raced to the scene of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to assess the disaster's impact on air quality last year, they found more than they expected.

The deadly Russian heat wave of 2010 was due to a natural atmospheric phenomenon often associated with weather extremes, according to a new study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Â鶹ӰԺ's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES

Up to two-thirds of Earth's permafrost likely will disappear by 2200 as a result of warming temperatures, unleashing vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, says a new study by the Â鶹ӰԺ's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

The temperatures of North Atlantic Ocean water flowing north into the Arctic Ocean adjacent to Greenland -- the warmest water in at least 2,000 years -- are likely related to the amplification of global warming in the Arctic, says a new international study involving the Â鶹ӰԺ.

WASHINGTON —Scientists have taken a major step toward accurately determining the amount of energy that the sun provides to Earth, and how variations in that energy may contribute to climate change.

Rising concentrations of zinc in a waterway on Colorado's Western Slope may be the result of climate change that is affecting the timing of annual snowmelt, says a new study led by the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ.

A novel project using cameras mounted on unmanned aircraft flying over the Arctic is serving double duty by assessing the characteristics of declining sea ice and using the same aerial photos to pinpoint seals that have hauled up on ice floes.

Melt water flowing through ice sheets via crevasses, fractures and large drains called moulins can carry warmth into ice sheet interiors, greatly accelerating the thermal response of an ice sheet to climate change, according to a new study involving the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ.

Three University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ programs receive special recognition in the recently released 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges, including a Top 10 ranking as "environmental studies schools that should be on your radar."