Monitoring Change in the Arctic Monitoring Change in the Arctic Expedition to the U.S. Arctic keeps in place some vital research While NOAA has had to cancel many of its planned research surveys in Alaska, it has been able to conduct a number of scaled-back research surveys in 2020. One such survey that will be finishing up this week is in the Arctic and was conducted on board NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson to collect critical data supporting a long time series involving many scientific partners. Read more
2020 Arctic sea ice minimum second lowest on record 2020 Arctic sea ice minimum second lowest on record Read more
NOAA Science Report highlights 2019 research accomplishments NOAA Science Report highlights 2019 research accomplishments Read more
A Year Locked in Ice A Year Locked in Ice Unprecedented international expedition to explore the central Arctic gets underway An expedition to the central Arctic will give scientists the first opportunity to study the dramatic changes sweeping across the top of the world for an entire year. Read more
Bird die-offs provide window into a changing Arctic Bird die-offs provide window into a changing Arctic A tiny seabird's struggle is emblematic of a changing Arctic. Read more
Unprecedented 2018 Bering Sea ice loss repeated in 2019 Unprecedented 2018 Bering Sea ice loss repeated in 2019 During winter 2018 the sea ice in the Bering Sea reached record-low levels thanks to persistent warm southerly winds. These conditions caused the ice to retreat to the northern reaches of the 800,000 square mile body of water. Read more
When smoke is in the air, all eyes turn to this NOAA weather model 26Aug2020 Read more NOAA's HRRR-Smoke model may still be designated as experimental, but when wildfires are burning, many count on it for smoke forecasts. Read more
Aviation is responsible for 3.5 percent of climate change, study finds 3Sep2020 Read more The study evaluated all of the aviation industry’s contributing factors to climate change, including emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, and the effect of contrails and contrail cirrus – short-lived clouds created in jet engine exhaust plumes at aircraft cruise altitudes that reflect sunlight during the day and trap heat trying to escape at night. Read more
Arctic melt season puts focus on sea ice forecasts 21Aug2020 Read more Improving Arctic sea ice forecasts is a high priority for NOAA, as indigenous communities, fisheries, ecotourism, oil and gas industries, shipping concerns, wildlife managers and scientists need better information in a region that is rapidly shifting from a reliable frozen ice cap to an open-water ocean. Check out an animation of this summer's Arctic snow and ice melt. Read more
Mapping, listening at the bottom of the sea 26Aug2020 Read more Barely had the ink dried on the partnership agreement signed by NOAA and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo, owner of Caladan Oceanic LLC, when his team headed out to the Pacific Ocean to dive and map the Mariana Trench, and answer the questions -- how deep and where exactly is the bottom of the ocean. Read more
NOAA teaming up with Arizona firm to advance study of stratosphere 19Aug2020 Read more World View Enterprises has offered to carry a miniaturized NOAA instrument on its high-altitude balloon to capture measurements of atmospheric particles on a series of flights in 2021 that will last weeks and cover thousands of miles at altitudes above 55,000 feet. Read more