Carolyn Gramling

Carolyn Gramling

Earth & Climate Writer

Carolyn is the Earth & Climate writer at Science News. Previously she worked at Science magazine for six years, both as a reporter covering paleontology and polar science and as the editor of the news in brief section. Before that she was a reporter and editor at EARTH magazine. She has bachelor’s degrees in Geology and European History and a Ph.D. in marine geochemistry from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She’s also a former Science News intern.

All Stories by Carolyn Gramling

  1. photo of Antarctic sea ice
    Climate

    Antarctic sea ice has been hitting record lows for most of this year

    Since hitting a record low minimum back in February, the amount of Antarctic sea ice has stayed well below normal all year.

  2. An illustration of a megalodon about to eat a brown seal while a great white shark swims in the top left of the frame.
    Paleontology

    Megalodon sharks may have become megapredators by running hot

    O. megalodon sharks were warm-blooded megapredators. But colder-blooded great white sharks may have had an evolutionary edge when food sources dwindled.

  3. A photo of a person standing in front of the New York City skyline which is barely visible through an orange haze.
    Climate

    Wildfire smoke is blanketing the U.S. East Coast. It won’t be the last time

    Climate change will continue to exacerbate fire risk across the world’s boreal forests, making events like the dangerous smoke over the U.S. East Coast more common.

  4. A satellite image of Hurricane Ian with its eye just west of Florida
    Climate

    Why the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is especially hard to predict

    It’s hard to know how busy this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be, thanks to a rarely observed combination of ocean and climate conditions.

  5. A house in Indonesia
    Environment

    This house was built partly from recycled diapers

    Disposable diapers can replace nearly a third of the materials used in load-bearing structures, offering a potential path to more affordable housing.

  6. A photo of a man at an electric vehicle charging station with a black car parked next to him.
    Climate

    There’s good and bad news with California’s electric vehicle program

    The electric vehicle program is reducing carbon dioxide emissions but also shifting the pollution burden to the state’s most disadvantaged communities.

  7. A photo of white opaque balloon with a wire and small contraption just below rising into a blue sky.
    Tech

    50 years ago, a balloon circumnavigated the world for science

    A 1973 high-altitude flight kicked off an era of useful stratospheric balloon science. Some scientists worry that heightened concerns over alleged spy balloons might hamper that.

  8. A flooded street with stormy skies overhead
    Climate

    By flying over atmospheric rivers, scientists aim to improve forecasts

    Drenching atmospheric rivers are slamming the U.S. West Coast, bringing needed water but dangerous flooding. Here’s how scientists study these storms.

  9. An illustration of Earth's center with lines running through it from on overlay map of North America.
    Earth

    Earth’s inner core may be more complex than researchers thought

    Seismic waves suggest that Earth has a hidden heart, a distinct region within the solid part of the planet’s core.

  10. a huge column of smoke reaching into the stratosphere over Australia
    Climate

    How wildfires deplete the Earth’s ozone layer

    Scientists detail the chain of chemical reactions that occur when wildfire smoke enters the stratosphere.

  11. A fossilized leaf of the extinct plant Gigantonoclea guizhouensis, with holes in pairs along the center
    Paleontology

    Insect bites in plant fossils reveal leaves could fold shut millions of years ago

    The 252-million-year-old fossil leaves have symmetrical holes, which suggest an insect bit through the leaves when they were folded.

  12. A photo of a green backhoe parked next to a pile of rubble while search and rescue workers stand nearby.
    Earth

    What to know about Turkey’s recent devastating earthquake

    Science News spoke with U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough about the fatal February 6 earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border