NOAA research links human-caused CO2 emissions to dissolving sea snail shells off U.S. West Coast NOAA research links human-caused CO2 emissions to dissolving sea snail shells off U.S. West Coast For the first time, NOAA and partner scientists have connected the concentration of human-caused carbon dioxide in waters off the U.S. Pacific coast to the dissolving of shells of microscopic marine sea snails called pteropods. Read more
Scientists test a new tool to improve local precipitation forecasts Scientists test a new tool to improve local precipitation forecasts A new weather forecasting tool could soon find itself part of the day-to-day operations of NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS). The instrument, called Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer, or AERI, measures temperature, water vapor and trace gases (like ozone, carbon monoxide and methane) in the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, the troposphere. Now, an AERI project led by Tim Wagner, a scientist with NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has received funding through NOAA’s Joint Technology Transfer Program. Read more
Study shows ocean acidification is two-front assault on coral reefs Study shows ocean acidification is two-front assault on coral reefs Scientists studying coral reefs in volcanically acidified water of the southwestern Pacific Ocean measured a net loss of coral reef skeletons due to increased bio-erosion, according to new research by NOAA, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and Australian scientists. Read more
NOAA Research grants support continued tornado research in the Southeast NOAA Research grants support continued tornado research in the Southeast A study of tornadoes in the southeastern United States begins its second year this month as NOAA Research announces awards of $2.5 million in grants presented to partner institutions. Read more
Q&A: Is Arctic warming fueling severe winter weather in the mid-latitudes? Q&A: Is Arctic warming fueling severe winter weather in the mid-latitudes? We caught up with James Overland, oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, to hear about his latest research on whether Arctic warming is fueling more severe winter weather in the mid-latitudes, the temperate zone of the Earth between the tropics and the Arctic, and the part of the United States where most Americans live. Read more
Antarctic ozone hole about average in 2016 Antarctic ozone hole about average in 2016 Results are consistent with expectations, scientists say The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer that forms over Antarctica each September grew to about 8.9 million square miles in 2016 before starting to recover, according to scientists from NOAA and NASA who monitor the annual phenomenon. Read more
NOAA-Funded Expedition Captures Rare Footage of Giant Squid in the Gulf of Mexico 21Jun2019 Read more Read more
New NOAA app brings earth and space animations to your phone 2Aug2019 Read more NOAA's SOS Explorer Mobile, an app for personal mobile devices, tells earth science stories by playing visually stunning movies on a virtual globe. Read more
New engine is driving NOAA’s flagship weather forecast model 12Jun2019 Read more As NOAA launches a major upgrade of its flagship weather forecast model today, an important part is the Global Forecast System’s new dynamical core. The story of how scientists developed the dynamical core or engine for the model is a view into how scientific invention works. Read more
Carbon dioxide levels hit record peak in May 4Jun2019 Read more Carbon dioxide levels reached the highest seasonal peak recorded in 61 years of observations at NOAA's Mauna Loa observatory. This the seventh consecutive year of steep global increases in concentrations of this important greenhouse gas pollutant. Read more
Airborne research shows East Coast cities emitting twice as much methane as estimated 22Jul2019 Read more A new NOAA and University of Michigan study using an instrumented airplane has found unexpectedly large emissions over five major cities along the East Coast - twice the total amount of methane and almost 10 times the amount estimated from natural gas. Read more