climate change

As the climate warms, some mountain trees are moving higher up, while others are spreading downhill. Scientists say something inside the trees may explain why. And that split could reshape watersheds and wildfire risk.

Scientists have a new name for a weather pattern reshaping how the West gets its water: so-called “snow-eater” heat waves.

Severe drought is shrinking the places many Western animals depend on for food, water and shelter, and the effects may be strongest for predators, according to new research.

Longer wildfire seasons can blanket communities in smoke. Summer heat records continue to rise. Drought remains a persistent concern for water supplies, agriculture and ecosystems.

Utilities across the West are launching a new regional energy market designed to help them buy and share power a full day before it’s needed — an effort supporters say could lower costs, improve reliability and make it easier to move renewable energy across state lines.

Airports across the Mountain West are dominating a new ranking of the most turbulent in the United States, underscoring how the region’s mountainous terrain shapes flight conditions.

A new report from the American Lung Association finds about half of U.S. children are living in areas with unhealthy air quality, and several Mountain West cities rank among the most polluted in the country.

Wind and solar power are rapidly expanding across the Mountain West, with some states now generating a significant share of their electricity from renewable sources, according to a new report from Climate Central, a nonpartisan research group.

In the arid Mountain West, rivers are under growing pressure — from climate change, drought and rising demand for water. But new research from New Mexico suggests some river ecosystems may be more resilient than they appear.

Stretches of calm weather in the mountains might seem harmless, but they can quietly increase avalanche danger over time. And traveling in groups doesn’t always make skiers and snowshoers safer. That’s one of the key takeaways from experts in the Sierra Nevada, where one of the deadliest avalanches in U.S. history recently struck near Lake Tahoe.