John Metcalfe, The Atlantic Cities

There's a vast accumulation of bottles, plastic bags, and other human-generated rubbish – perhaps the world's largest hidden waste dump, drifting on the currents for a virtual eternity.

It's not often that weather rolls in carrying a distinct "mouthfeel." Yet that's been the case the last few days in China, where a massive windstorm coated buildings, cars, and tongues with gritty desert dust.

Thanks to the hard work of innumerable researchers and the U.S. Geological Survey, we can see all the hot spots for seismic activity in Chile and elsewhere since 1900. 

Breaking all expectations from his previous stunts – like hanging from insanely high places with only two fingers – the mad urban climber "Mustang Wanted" remains alive. 

 Severe drought persists across the American West and, looking ahead, the arid conditions will likely remain or grow even worse.

China has some gall. Take a look at this cartoon that ran recently in the Global Times, a paper that Shanghaiist dubs "[e]veryone's favorite vitriolic nationalist rag."

It may be a quarter century since the Exxon Valdez disaster, yet blobs of oil along Alaska's coastline look as fresh as if they'd been spilled less than two weeks ago.

First-time visitors to Michigan, Maine, and other northern states might've woken up Wednesday morning preparing for an alien abduction.

This year, Canada opened the fridge door on America and forgot to shut it. This was not the case at this time in 2013, however.

Damn it, Florida: We almost had a magical thing going on here, then you had to ruin it by remaining so warm, sunny and, well, mulishly Floridalike.