high altitude

Increasing temperatures at high altitudes are fueling the post-1950 growth spurt seen in bristlecone pines, the world's oldest trees, according to new research.

The pines near treeline have wider annual growth rings for the period from 1951 to 2000 than for the previous 3,700 years.

Regional temperatures, particularly at high elevations, have increased during the same 50-year time period. The finding is another example of changes in high-elevation ecosystems that are linked to warming temperatures.

The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space will be launched on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1:48 p.m.

EDT, during a launch window that extends from 1:44 p.m. to 1:52 p.m. Called the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, the spacecraft will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the farthest reaches of the solar system.