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This article presents information about the status of tropical forests around the world and the effects of global warming and greenhouse gases on their future. It has been thought that tropical forests were soaking up excess carbon that was altering the climate and was helping the forests to grow more quickly. Some studies of trees in Panama, Malaysia, and Costa Rica indicate that tree growth in tropical forests has slowed rather than sped up and that carbon storage has decreased. Scientists suggest that financial incentives may be necessary to prevent the further destruction of tropical forests.

This article describes a study of the effects of global warming on wildflowers by the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Crested Butte, Colorado. During a period of several years, the scientists monitored soil temperatures and plant populations in meadows which had infrared lamps set up to mimic the effect of global climate change by raising average temperatures. This warmed the soil, drying it out, and turning a meadow in an area famous for wildflowers into a dry landscape populated by sagebrush. Although wildflowers continued to thrive in the control plots, which RMBL left unmodified, the soil in those plots is already beginning to dry out because of actual global warming, an effect similar to the experimental result. INSETS: EXTINCTIONS ERODE BENEFITS TO HUMANITY;FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING.

The article discusses the effects of global warming on Alaska's Porcupine caribou population. Warmer temperatures in the arctic region have resulted in a change in the lichen which caribou eat in the winter months. The caribou's summer food supply is greening fast, but turning brown earlier leaving the caribou with a poor food supply to put on fat with for the winter. The article discusses the habitats for various caribou herds including the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Herd size is linked to habitat variations. INSETS: WHAT'S IN A NAME?;THE ARCTIC REFUGE AND GLOBAL WARMING.

The article looks at how scientists are discovering that global climate change may soon produce plagues of poison ivy, heightened hay fever, large numbers of disease-carrying insects, and other challenges. According to William Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University, shorter, warmer winters resulting from global warming could lead to more insects, including disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks. The article discusses studies which show that faster plant growth produces a decline in plant nutritional value, the effect of global warming on crops and gardens, the bean leaf beetle, and the corn earworm. INSETS: PREVENTING POLLEN IMPACT;THE GOOD NEWS.

Emphasizes the abundance of scientific evidence on the reality of global warming. Data gathered by scientists which confirm global warming; Observable climactic and environmental changes which confirm global warming; Predictions of scientists on the impact of global warming on the environment and animals; Changes in the Arctic regions brought about by global warming; Thawing of glaciers and ice sheets in Antarctica; Weather changes observed by scientists from different countries.

Reveals that the Iñupiaq people of northern Alaska are among the first to experience the devastating effects of rising global temperature. Description on the way of life of the Iñupiaq; Environmental changes taking place in the region where the Iñupiaq people live; Information on the whale hunting tradition of the Iñupiaq; Impact of the climate change in the Arctic region on the wildlife and plants.

Reveals that wildlife is at risk as global warming changes the timing of seasonal behaviors such as breeding and migration. Observation by biologist John Weishampel that sea turtles along the stretch of Florida coast are coming ashore to lay eggs about 10 days earlier than they did in 1989; Increase in the water temperature of the ocean along the Florida coast; Change in the timing of flowering of plants in Washington, D.C. and other parts of the U.S.; Implications of the change in seasonal behavior of plants and animals.

The article reports the effects of global warming on caribou in Greenland. The discovery that caribou are experiencing a trophic mismatch in their feeding patterns is discussed, noting that they are arriving at feeding grounds after willows and sedges have begun to decline in nutritional value. The early peak in new plant growth is attributed to increases in the region's temperature, which causes caribou to arrive late due to the fact that they seek food at the same time every year. Their following of cues relating to the change in daylight hours during springtime is also discussed.

The article looks at a NWF report stating that the American West is feeling the heat from global warming, which could mean more widespread wildfires, prolonged drought, and extensive loss of wildlife habitat in the years to come. According to Patty Glick, an NWF global warming specialist, America's addiction to fossil fuels is coming at an enormous price, one that threatens people, fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. The report, entitled "Fueling the Fire: Global Warming, Fossil Fuels and the Fish and Wildlife of the American West," provides a detailed summary of scientific evidence regarding present and future impacts from climate change in various states. The article discusses global warming's impact on sagebrush habitats, trout and salmon, and snowpack.

The article looks at how several plant species may soon be on the move to beat the heat from global warming. Canadian researchers found that in as few as 35 years, suitable habitat for several species of Ontario's native trees will move northward at a rate of 2.2 miles per year. That means that trees that fail to keep up with that rate--either through natural seed dispersal or through human intervention could die out. A Purdue University study predicted that California's top wine grape growing regions, including the Napa Valley, could become too hot and dry to grow premium grapes by the end of the century. The article also discusses Rocky Mountain wild flowers.