Andrew Wulfeck

Significant activity associated with the Popocatépetl Volcano led to a cloud of ash extending into the Gulf of Mexico and Florida over the weekend. Pilots around Sarasota reported seeing volcanic ash in the air on Saturday.

WASHINGTON – The weather forecast for most of the country will be rather tranquil for Election Day, with large parts of the east and west coasts

Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey are investigating eerie landscapes known as ‘ghost forests,’ which emerge when the coastal landscapes become inundated with sea level rise or flooding. Scientists point to forests in eastern North Carolina that now have a ghoulish appearance. Studies have found organisms residing in dead trees can convert methane into carbon dioxide, which is less harmful to the environment.

Erik Pauze, head gardener for Rockefeller Center, found the 2024 tree during an excursion in 2020. The Norway Spruce is approximately 11 tons and stands at some 74 feet tall. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.

NASA has successfully reconnected with the Voyager 1 spacecraft after a brief interruption in communications. The spacecraft is now using a transmitter that has not been used for communications since 1981.

Hurricanes have a long and distinguished history of impacting U.S. elections. Special and primary elections held in the late summer and early fall are the most affected, with only a few November elections that were under an immediate threat of a tropical cyclone.

Residents Howard and Lisa Ray from western North Carolina say they are lucky to be alive after devastating flooding during Hurricane Helene. The couple says despite the catastrophic flooding, their dog was able to survive the flood waters.

Recent studies suggest that injecting solid particles into the atmosphere may significantly mitigate stratospheric warming. The study’s findings also underscore the uncertainties surrounding the feasibility of maintaining low concentrations of solid particles in the stratosphere without experiencing clumping.

During the fall of 2024, NOAA estimated the hole in the ozone layer above Earth’s South Pole was the seventh smallest since monitoring began in 1992. Scientists attributed some of the improvement to a decline in chlorofluorocarbons or what are commonly called CFCs.

The U.S. Geological Survey says it has detected an increase seismic activity around Kamaʻehuakanaloa. The underwater volcano is located about 30 miles southeast of the Big Island – far enough away that eruptions and earthquakes do not impact the island chain.