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 science report highlights 2018 research accomplishments 7Mar2019 Read more Forecasting hurricane track and intensity, providing decision support for wildfires, issuing warnings for harmful algal blooms: these are just a snapshot of how NOAA’s research over the past year has provided vital services to Americans every day. A newly released NOAA Science Report celebrates NOAA’s research and development, highlighting how NOAA’s research products impact the lives of all Americans. Read more
Deep diving robots find warming accelerating in ocean off Antarctica 6Mar2019 Read more New research from NOAA and partners analyzing data from deep-diving ocean robots and research cruises shows that the coldest, near-bottom South Pacific waters originating from Antarctica are warming three times faster than they were in the 1990s. Read more
NOAA seeking public input for research and development plan 1Feb2019 Read more The public is invited to help set the course for NOAA research and development for the coming years. Public comments will be welcomed until Friday, February 8, 2019. You can submit your comments by email to noaa.rdplan@noaa.gov. Please include the subject line “NOAA R&D Plan Public Comment.” Read more
XPRIZE finalists test new technologies for $1M NOAA Bonus Prize 13Feb2019 Read more Editor's note: We are sharing a news release that XPRIZE issued this week on the competition for the $1 million Bonus Prize sponsored by NOAA. As the world’s leader in designing and managing incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges, XPRIZE announced this week that the three finalist teams competing for the $1 million Bonus Prize sponsored by NOAA, in its Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, have tested their technologies in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Read more
Global ocean is absorbing more carbon from emissions 14Mar2019 Read more New research by NOAA and partners based on extensive sampling of the global ocean finds that the ocean absorbed 34 billion metric tons of carbon from the burning of fossil fuels from 1994 to 2007 — a four-fold increase to 2.6 billion metric tons per year when compared to the period starting from the Industrial Revolution in 1800 to 1994. Read more