Our Daily Planet: Cold Weather and Birds of America

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe.

Cold Snap Continues: Lake effect snow continues to fall around the Great Lakes, and the arctic cold air invasion has reached the South, causing record low temperatures across parts of Florida. [Related: How does the lake effect work? ]

Landslide Update: The bodies of 31 victims have been recovered from the Colombia landslides in the neighborhood of Bello. As many as 90 others are presumed dead. [Related: More on the climate system driving the rains .]

Tropical Forest Pact: U.N. negotiators are paving a path toward saving tropical rain forests in an effort to curb climate change. Deforestation accounts for 15 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Glaciers Slipping: Glacier melt is speeding up, reported scientists at the U.N. climate talks in Cancun, Mexico. The melting glaciers in the Himalayas threaten to flood nearby farms and villages. [Related: In Images: Tracking a Retreating Glacier .]

Second-Longest Reef in Danger: The Mesoamerican reef in southeastern Mexico, is feeling the heat from global warming. Locals are releasing fish near the reef to try and counter the damage.

Birds of America: Bird watchers, take note. The world's most expensive book, John James Audubon's "Birds of America," was sold for $10 million on Tuesday by Sotheby's in London.

Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.