NOAA Research presents news and feature stories covering current scientific research on weather and air quality, climate, oceans, coasts and our Great Lakes. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/ Science Weather Climate Oceans None http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/ en-us Tues, 22 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST Barry.Reichenbaugh@noaa.gov (Barry Reichenbaugh) Tues, 22 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST oar.web.group@noaa.gov (OAR Web Group) http://www.research.noaa.gov/images/noaa2.png http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/ NOAA emblem 130 53 NOAA scientists plumbed the deep ocean, probed the heights of the stratosphere, and surveyed some of the fiercest storm systems on Earth in meeting 2011's scientific challenges. Their discoveries are paying off in longer storm warning lead times, better understanding of our climate, and new knowledge about environmental disasters. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/2011topstories.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/2011topstories.aspx Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST The amount of air pollutants in the atmospheric plume generated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was similar to a large city according to a new NOAA-led study published today in a special issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/DWHairquality.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/DWHairquality.aspx Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST Great Lakes perch lovers will find good news in a new NOAA study that shows yellow perch efficiently eliminate a harmful algal toxin from their tissues. The findings suggest that unless the fish are caught during a toxic algae bloom, eating them will not likely expose people to unsafe levels of the toxin known as microcystin. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/arcticsurvey.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/arcticsurvey.aspx Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST Great Lakes perch lovers will find good news in a new NOAA study that shows yellow perch efficiently eliminate a harmful algal toxin from their tissues. The findings suggest that unless the fish are caught during a toxic algae bloom, eating them will not likely expose people to unsafe levels of the toxin known as microcystin. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Yellowperch.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Yellowperch.aspx Thu, 8 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST NOAA's commitment to science was further solidified today with the release of a scientific integrity policy by Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/sciintegrity2011.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/sciintegrity2011.aspx Wed, 7 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST Tim Arcano, an ocean engineer with extensive experience in naval submarine and submersible design and engineering was selected as director of NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER). Arcano is slated to begin Nov. 7. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/oerdirector.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/oerdirector.aspx Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST The Antarctic ozone hole, which yawns wide every Southern Hemisphere spring, reached its annual peak on September 12, stretching 10.05 million square miles, the ninth largest on record. Above the South Pole, the ozone hole reached its deepest point of the season on October 9 when total ozone readings dropped to 102 Dobson units, tied for the 10th lowest in the 26-year record. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/antarcticozone2011.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/antarcticozone2011.aspx Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST NOAA has selected Oregon State University (OSU) to continue a federal/academic research partnership that extends NOAA's ability to study marine resources in the Pacific Northwest. The award means that NOAA will continue funding the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resource Studies (CIMRS), which was established at Oregon State in 1982, for at least five and up to 10 more years http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/CIMRS2011.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/CIMRS2011.aspx Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST Studies of future climate change scenarios on the Great Lakes have pointed to falling water levels, but a new NOAA study gives a more optimistic outlook. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/GLlevels.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Slowingclimatechange.aspx Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST Carbon dioxide remains the undisputed king of recent climate change, but other greenhouse gases measurably contribute to the problem. A new study, conducted by NOAA scientists and published online today in Nature, shows that cutting emissions of those other gases could slow changes in climate that are expected in the future. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Slowingclimatechange.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Slowingclimatechange.aspx Wed, 3 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST Over the past 15 years, scientists have been documenting increases in acidity in waters of the global ocean. This summer, two groups of scientists will be researching the very local aspect of ocean acidification on coral reefs in the Florida Keys. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Aquarius.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Aquarius.aspx Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST If spring turns our thoughts to love, then summer turns them to water. And while millions of us flock to the coasts, NOAA Sea Grant's thoughts turn to cleanliness. Clean marinas, to be specific. Sea Grant programs, which are partnerships between NOAA's Office of Oceanic Atmospheric Research and universities in coastal and Great Lakes states, support sustainable use and conservation of coastal resources through research, education, and outreach. When it comes to marinas, Sea Grant education efforts have helped marina owners and operators adopt science-based management strategies so that peak summer crowds do not permanently harm sensitive marine environments. Sea Grant also encourages marinas to take steps to help boaters understand how to minimize their impact on the environment. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/cleanmarinas.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/cleanmarinas.aspx Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST Turn on the kitchen faucet on a hot August afternoon, and the last thing you want is a glass full of foul-smelling, discolored water. If you run a manufacturing plant, you'd be loath to lose business because a ship carrying the raw materials you need is grounded in shallow water. And if you're an angler, you expect that your state's natural resources department has all the information it needs to manage your favorite species so it's around for years to come. To meet these expectations, water commissions, shipping navigation managers, and natural resource managers rely on high-speed communications technology more than ever before. Using the Internet to stream data from satellites, buoys, and other instruments, NOAA and other federal agencies now provide some information instantly. Towns, counties, and states use this data to make decisions that affect millions of people and dollars -- soon more data will be available instantly. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/GLOS.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/GLOS.aspx Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST A recent increase in the abundance of particles high in the atmosphere has offset about a third of the current climate warming influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) change during the past decade, according to a new study led by NOAA and published today in the online edition of Science. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/particles.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/particles.aspx Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST This fall Arlene Fiore, Ph.D., will become the second NOAA scientist ever to receive the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) prestigious James. B. Macelwane Medal. Fiore, an atmospheric chemist with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., is being honored for her discoveries on ozone pollution and climate impacts. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/arlenefiore.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/arlenefiore.aspx Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST There has not always been a need to know precisely how hard the wind blows 350 feet above Earth's surface. Today, wind turbines occupy that zone of the atmosphere, generating electricity. So NOAA and several partners have launched a year-long effort to improve forecasts of the winds there, which ultimately will help to reach the nation's renewable energy goals. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/windenergy.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/windenergy.aspx Fri, 8 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST It's early July, and school is out for the summer – for most students. But for a dedicated group of teenagers, it's time to take on an academic challenge. A challenge like building a 12-ft floating wind turbine with remote control to shore. In a week. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/TeenagersSwapFreeTimeforScience.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/TeenagersSwapFreeTimeforScience.aspx Fri, 8 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST NOAA scientists are improving the accuracy of ocean temperature measurements, an essential step to inform the next generation of global climate studies. There are currently two methods used to collect the majority of long-term temperature data in the open ocean. The first is ARGO, a global network of drifting buoys that measure temperature and salinity at various depths as they are carried by ocean currents. While ARGO provides information throughout ocean basins, once deployed their location is entirely dependent on where the currents take them. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/ImprovingtheAccuracyofTemperatureProbes.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/ImprovingtheAccuracyofTemperatureProbes.aspx Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST Many college students spend the summer making coffee, flipping burgers, or lifeguarding, but a half dozen lucky undergrads have a very different summer job at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and NOAA-funded Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/SHAVE.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/SHAVE.aspx Sun, 12 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST June 9, 2011 -- The Bureau of Ocean Energy, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) today announced that a multi-agency team of ocean scientists has launched an expedition using sonar to map deepwater canyons, and to identify sensitive biological habitats, coral communities and archeological sites such as shipwrecks and other historically significant sites. This cooperative effort to gather information for science-based decision making is consistent with the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Oceans, Our Coasts and Great Lakes, adopted by President Obama in July 2010. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/exploremidatlantic.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/exploremidatlantic.aspx Thur, 9 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST June 2, 2011 -- In this record-breaking spring tornado season, emergency responders are saving precious hours when they count the most – in the immediate aftermath of a devastating storm strike. A tool developed by the NOAA National Severe Storm Lab (NSSL) has cut disaster assessment time dramatically for the organizations, state, and federal agencies that have adopted it. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/RedCross.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/RedCross.aspx Thur, 2 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST May 18, 2011 -- NOAA-sponsored explorers are searching a wild, largely unexplored and forgotten coastline for evidence and artifacts of one of the greatest seafaring traditions of the ancient New World, where Maya traders once paddled massive dugout canoes filled with trade goods from across Mexico and Central America. One exploration goal is to discover the remains of a Maya trading canoe, described in A.D. 1502 by Christopher Columbus' son Ferdinand, as holding 25 paddlers plus cargo and passengers. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/MayanMariners.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/MayanMariners.aspx Wed, 18 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 11, 2011 -- Representatives from NOAA and the Agulhas-Somali Currents Large Marine Ecosystem (ASCLME) recently formalized an agreement that will help African and Indian Ocean states better manage their ocean ecosystems and resources. The collaboration will support the collection of much-needed data and provide NOAA with shiptime from the region to improve weather forecasts and provide climate information. This agreement also fills the remaining gap of the Tropical Moored Buoy Array so that it spans the Pacific, Atlantic, and now Indian oceans. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/IndianOceanPartnership.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/IndianOceanPartnership.aspx Wed, 11 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 16, 2011 -- Cigarette smoking, forest fires and woodburning can release a chemical that may be at least partly responsible for human health problems related to smoke exposure, according to a new study by NOAA researchers and their colleagues. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Smoke-relatedchemicaldiscoveredintheatmosphere.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Smoke-relatedchemicaldiscoveredintheatmosphere.aspx Mon, 16 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 13, 2011 -- Elizabeth (Libby) Jewett, a NOAA scientist with diverse science and management experience in ocean acidification and coastal hypoxia (low oxygen) research programs, will be the first director of NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/OADirector.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/OADirector.aspx Fri, 13 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 12, 2011 -- More than anywhere on the planet, rain can mean the difference between life and death for those living in Niger, in West Africa. After a severe drought in 2009 caused many to face acute hunger, in 2010 the area experienced its wettest year since 1964. NOAA-funded researchers hope a new climate information system they developed will help West African farmers help themselves. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/RainwatchkeepseyeonrainfallforWestAfricanfarmers.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/RainwatchkeepseyeonrainfallforWestAfricanfarmers.aspx Thur, 12 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 11, 2011 -- A senior scientist, a partner in an environmental law firm, and an academic were selected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to lead the advisory committee that will produce the next National Climate Assessment. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/climategoverningpanel2011.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/climategoverningpanel2011.aspx Wed, 11 May 2011 08:00:00 EST May 5, 2011 -- An international research team, including scientists from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab in Seattle, completed a series of unmanned flights over the Arctic on April 30. A photo of the team and their aircraft in the Arctic is now available. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/AloftintheArctic.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/AloftintheArctic.aspx Thur, 5 May 2011 08:00:00 EST April 28, 2011 -- NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is offering a new collection of Gulf of Mexico education materials based on a decade of research. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewGulfofMexicoDeep-SeaEcosystemEducationMaterials%60.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewGulfofMexicoDeep-SeaEcosystemEducationMaterials%60.aspx Thur, 28 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST April 26, 2011 -- To improve energy production by wind farms, NOAA researchers and colleagues have launched a study this month to make visible the invisible "wakes" produced behind wind turbines. Ripples, waves and other disturbances form in the atmosphere downstream of turbines, similar to the watery wakes behind boats. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Inthewakeof.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Inthewakeof.aspx Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST Earthquakes are felt more often than heard, but scientists in the NOAA Vents Program say the sound of the March 11 Japan earthquake alone could help improve our ability to detect earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the deep ocean. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Listentoanearthquakeunderwater.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Listentoanearthquakeunderwater.aspx Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST Six nations are participating in a study that looks at the potential role of black carbon, or soot, on the rapidly changing Arctic climate. NOAA is using two small unmanned aircraft the size of a large suitcase outfitted with sensors to sniff and sample the air. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NOAAJoi.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NOAAJoi.aspx Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST Nearly 500 students from more than 35 classrooms "virtually" accompanied researchers from the University of Hawaii and NOAA's Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) on the 1,000th dive by one of the lab's twin Pisces manned-submersibles. Since 1981, HURL researchers have spent nearly 9,000 hours underwater around the Pacific. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/HawaiiUnderseaResearchLabCompletes1,000thDive.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/HawaiiUnderseaResearchLabCompletes1,000thDive.aspx Tue, 5 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST What is ocean acidification? Will it change how much seafood is available at the grocery store? Will my favorite beach be safe? Now you can watch, listen, and read about ocean acidification at the Carbon Program website. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewWebsitePutsOceanAcidificationatYourFingertips.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewWebsitePutsOceanAcidificationatYourFingertips.aspx Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST Unusually chilly temperatures in part of the Arctic atmosphere and iridescent ice clouds there are triggering significant depletion of the protective ozone layer, according to recent, ongoing observations by NOAA scientists and international colleagues. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/ArcticOzoneTHins.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/ArcticOzoneTHins.aspx Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:36:31 CST NOAA scientists and academic partners have found a way to use air chemistry measurements taken hundreds of feet above last year's BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to estimate how fast gases and oil were leaking from the reservoir thousands of feet underwater. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewStudyAirborneMeasurementsCanAssessOilFlowRate.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NewStudyAirborneMeasurementsCanAssessOilFlowRate.aspx Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:36:31 CST During a special airborne mission to study the air-quality impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill last June, NOAA researchers discovered an important new mechanism by which air pollution particles form. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/InsightsfromOilSpillAirPollutionStudyHaveApplicationsBeyondGulf.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/InsightsfromOilSpillAirPollutionStudyHaveApplicationsBeyondGulf.aspx Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:36:31 EST The deadly Russian heat wave of 2010 was due to a natural atmospheric phenomenon often associated with weather extremes, according to a new NOAA study. And while the scientists could not attribute the intensity of this particular heat wave to climate change, they found that extreme heat waves are likely to become increasingly frequent in the region in coming decades. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NaturalVariabilityMainCulpritofDeadlyRussianHeatWaveThatKilledThousands.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/NaturalVariabilityMainCulpritofDeadlyRussianHeatWaveThatKilledThousands.aspx Mon, 09 Mar 2011 16:36:31 CST Extremely cold winds have swept down through the Northern Hemisphere recently, reaching as far south as the state of Florida and causing record low temperatures in January. The unusually cold winter of 2009–2010 – which saw massive snowstorms dubbed "Snowpocalypse" and "Snowmageddon" — and the frigid start to 2011 in the eastern United States and Europe have scientists talking about what might be influencing the weather. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/WarmArctic,ColdContinents.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/WarmArctic,ColdContinents.aspx Mon, 02 Mar 2011 16:36:31 CST Freezing temperatures in early February caused approximately 1600 endangered green sea turtles to wash ashore on and around South Padre Island, Texas. The cold-blooded marine reptiles suffered from a condition called 'cold-stunning' which resembles a comatose state in response to the sudden drop in temperature. Cold-stunned turtles are unable to swim and are vulnerable to boat strikes, predators and stranding. http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Over1000SeaTurtlesRescuedbyTexasVolunteers.aspx http://researchmatters.noaa.gov/news/Pages/Over1000SeaTurtlesRescuedbyTexasVolunteers.aspx Mon, 01 Mar 2011 16:36:31 CST