Pictures of the year: Environment

Residents view the first iceberg of the season as it passes the South Shore, also known as "Iceberg Alley", nemore

Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano, spews lava as it erupts on the southern island omore

Forest burns during "Operation Green Wave" conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment more

The sky turns red over buildings in Canary Wharf as dust from the Sahara carried by Storm Ophelia filters sunlmore

Men feed seagulls along the Yamuna river on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India, November 17. REUTERS/Saumymore

Polluted water in the river Ganges is seen in Kanpur, India, April 4. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

A dead whale is seen on the shore of Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 15. REUTERS/Pilar Olimore

A man sifts through rubbish in the Yamuna river in Delhi, India, October 31. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) lights up the sky near the village of Pallas (Muonio region) of Lapland,more

A girl walks amidst a dust storm on the banks of the Ganges river in Allahabad, India, February 24. REUTERSmore

A British Airways airplane flies near a rainbow on its way to Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, July 23. more

Cypresses are seen in a field in the world famous "Crete Senesi" (Siennese clays) in Val D' Orcia, south Tuscamore

A wild horse is herded into corrals by a helicopter during a Bureau of Land Management round-up outside Milformore

Snow-covered trees are seen at Lake Koenigssee, Germany October 7. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Smog is seen over the city during hazy weather in Tianjin, China, January 3. REUTERS/Stringer

A machine works its way through the snow, clearing the road crossing the mountain Sognefjellet, in Krossbu, Nomore

Natan Cabral, 5, stands on the cracked ground of the Boqueirao reservoir in the Metropolitan Region of Campinamore

A long exposure shows molten lava flowing from the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world's most active volcamore

Steam rises from chimneys of a heating power plant near a monument of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the firstmore

A villager is seen following an eruption of Mount Sinabung volcano, in Beganding Village, Karo, North Sumatra,more

The first snowfall of the season covers a chapel in the western Austrian village of Tulfes, Austria, November more

A worker, known as a "Tecchiaiolo", examines marble at the Cervaiole quarry on Monte Altissimo in the Apuan Almore

People wearing masks dance at a square among heavy smog during a polluted day in Fuyang, Anhui province, Chinamore

Cattle killed by wildfires lie in burned pastures near Higgins, Texas, March 12. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano, spews lava as it erupts on the southern island omore

Emissions from a power plant chimney rise over Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 13. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj

Gale force winds blow back the waves at Church Rock on Broad Haven Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Britain, Febmore

Waves hit a train during heavy seas and high winds in Dawlish in southwest Britain, February 2. REUTERS/Tobmore

A general view of the dried up Theewaterskloof dam near Cape Town, South Africa, June 2. The dam supplies mostmore

Julia Lu, 5, (L) and Amy Liu, 5, walk through a massive spring wildflower bloom caused by a wet winter in Lakemore

A boat sails during the sunset in the sea of Fortaleza, Brazil, April 23. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

A worker of the cavern of Poco Azul (Blue Well) dives to search for belongings dropped by tourists, ahead of Wmore

A plume of smoke above Mount Agung volcano is illuminated at sunset as seen from Amed, Karangasem Regency, Balmore

Residents and tourists enjoy the sea at Barra da Tijuca beach during a summer day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jmore

A bottle is seen on a parched ground at Guadalteba reservoir during a strong drought in Ardales, near Malaga, more

Smoke rises during drought, high temperatures and low humidity in Brasilia, Brazil, August 30. REUTERS/Ueslmore

A woman pushes a pram as she walks over a frozen lake during sundown at the Pajulahti sports center near Lahtimore

A man climbs a wall of ice in the city of Liberec, Czech Republic, January 12. REUTERS/David W Cerny

Residents clear their cars and street of snow in Weehawken, New Jersey, as the One World Trade Center and lowemore

Lava, inside the crater of Mount Agung volcano, reflects off ash and clouds, while it erupts, as seen from Amemore