An artistic tribute to a climate science legacy An artistic tribute to a climate science legacy Renowned climate scientist, Dr. Syukuro Manabe, and his pioneering work at GFDL become the subject of an art installation at a Paris train station for COP21. Read more
Great Lakes water levels at or above average for next 6 months Great Lakes water levels at or above average for next 6 months NOAA and Army Corps issue forecast, consider El Niño potential impact Scientists from NOAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environment Canada have issued a six-month forecast for water levels to be at or above average on Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie into spring of 2016. Lake Ontario water levels are expected to remain close to monthly averages. However, the impacts of the anticipated strong El Niño and other atmospheric anomalies on the forecast are difficult to predict. Read more
HFC greenhouse gases: a tale of two (or more) futures HFC greenhouse gases: a tale of two (or more) futures New research projects greenhouse effect from substances that replaced ozone-depleting products A new paper appearing online in Atmospheric Environment coauthored by researchers at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory looked at the climate implications of various proposals for future HFC use that are being discussed this week under the United Nations Montreal Protocol, the global agreement that protects the ozone layer. Read more
Annual Antarctic ozone hole larger and formed later in 2015 Annual Antarctic ozone hole larger and formed later in 2015 The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole area was larger and formed later than in recent years, according to scientists from NOAA and NASA. On Oct. 2, 2015, the ozone hole expanded to its peak of 28.2 million square kilometers (10.9 million square miles), an area larger than the continent of North America. Throughout October, the hole remained large and set many area daily records. Read more
Warming waters a major factor in Gulf of Maine cod collapse Warming waters a major factor in Gulf of Maine cod collapse New study shows how warming complicates fisheries management For centuries, cod was the backbone of New England’s fisheries and a key species in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Today, cod stocks in the gulf are on the verge of collapse, hovering at 3-4 percent of sustainable levels. Even setting tighter limits on fishing has failed to slow this rapid decline. Now a new report in Science concludes that rapid warming of Gulf of Maine waters— warming in the last decade faster than in 99 percent of the global ocean —has reduced the capacity of cod to rebound from overfishing, leading to collapse. Read more
NOAA’s Ko Barrett elected vice chair of international climate science panel NOAA’s Ko Barrett elected vice chair of international climate science panel Ko Barrett (left) joins Youba Sokana of Mali and Thelma Krug as IPCC vice chairs The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) elected NOAA’s Ko Barrett to serve as one of three vice chairs for the international body. The IPCC was created to review and assess the most recent scientific, technical, and socio-economic information produced worldwide that is relevant to the understanding of climate change. Read more
RISING EMISSIONS DRIVE GREENHOUSE GAS INDEX INCREASE 21May2019 Read more Record levels of greenhouse gas pollution continued to increase humanity’s impact on the atmosphere’s heat-trapping capacity during 2018, according to a yearly analysis released by NOAA scientists today. 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
Great Lakes water levels predicted to reach record highs this year 8May2019 Read more Several Great Lakes are expected to reach record high water levels in the next six months, thanks to above average precipitation in the watershed and large amounts of runoff this year. Read more
This Earth Day, Explore the Ways NOAA Research is Tackling the Planet’s Biggest Questions 16Apr2019 Read more For scientists at NOAA, Earth Day — and every other day of the year — is about getting to the bottom of some of the most pressing questions about the planet we call home: how it works, how it’s changing, and how humans are affecting it. Read more
NOAA names University of Rhode Island to host new cooperative institute for ocean exploration 6May2019 Read more The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today announced it has selected the University of Rhode Island to host NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. Read more