Research physicist named director of Earth System Research Lab Chemical Sciences Division Research physicist named director of Earth System Research Lab Chemical Sciences Division Craig McLean, the acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, announced Wednesday, December 24, that David Fahey, Ph.D., has been selected as the new director of the Earth System Research Laboratory Chemical Sciences Division (CSD), in Boulder, Colorado, effective December 28, 2014. Read more
New study finds Alaskans familiar with ocean acidification, not aware of risks to fisheries New study finds Alaskans familiar with ocean acidification, not aware of risks to fisheries New research published in Marine Policy from the first Alaska-focused study on public understanding and awareness of ocean acidification risk shows that Alaskans are three times more aware of ocean acidification than Americans in general. However, Alaskans have difficulty seeing ocean acidification as an immediate risk, and the direct risks to Alaska’s fisheries are still not well understood. The research, “Gauging perceptions of ocean acidification in Alaska,” can be read online. Read more
Shock of Indian Ocean tsunami fuels decade of research progress Shock of Indian Ocean tsunami fuels decade of research progress New generation of warning products increase tsunami preparedness Nearly 10 years ago, the world woke the day after Christmas to news of the most deadly tsunami in recorded history. Triggered by an underwater earthquake, the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, took the lives of nearly 240,000 unwarned people in four hours and displaced 1.7 million people in over 14 countries. Over the last 10 years, NOAA scientists have worked to dramatically improve tsunami warning and forecasts that can and have helped the nation and the world. Read more
NOAA and partners document surge in Great Lakes water levels NOAA and partners document surge in Great Lakes water levels Levels expected to stay above-average through winter and spring of 2015 Scientists at the Army Corps of Engineers, Environment Canada, and NOAA recently documented a record-setting surge in water levels on Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron that began in January 2013, and has continued through November 2014. The United States and Canadian federal agencies expect water levels to stay near or above average on all of the Great Lakes over the next six months. Read more
Researchers offer new insights into predicting future droughts in California Researchers offer new insights into predicting future droughts in California Natural cycles, sea surface temperatures found to be main drivers in ongoing event According to a new NOAA-sponsored study, natural oceanic and atmospheric patterns are the primary drivers behind California's ongoing drought. A high pressure ridge off the West Coast (typical of historic droughts) prevailed for three winters, blocking important wet season storms, with ocean surface temperature patterns making such a ridge much more likely. Typically, the winter season in California provides the state with a majority of its annual snow and rainfall that replenish water supplies for communities and ecosystems. Read more
NOAA scientists to share research and resiliency tools at international climate meeting NOAA scientists to share research and resiliency tools at international climate meeting Presentations by Amanda McCarty and Libby Jewett to be web-streamed live from Lima, Peru Several NOAA scientists will present information on climate research and new tools to build greater resiliency to climate change at a meeting on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima, Peru, that will run from December 1-12. Read more
When noise becomes signal 27Jul2018 Read more Last spring, Governor Jerry Brown declared an end to California’s historic drought that caused over $5 billion in damage to agriculture as well as substantial impacts to fisheries, infrastructure, human health, and vegetation. The drought was not only severe, but it also spanned the winters of 2015-16 and 2016-17, which had unusual and unexpected precipitation that affected the drought’s evolution. Read more
NOAA Arctic explorers sail North 8Aug2018 Read more This is the first in a series Dispatches from the Arctic on the August science cruise by NOAA and partner scientists aboard the Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. Today's post is from Emily Osborne, Arctic Program Manager at NOAA Research, Janet Hsiao, NOAA John Knauss Sea Grant fellow, and Meredith LaValley of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee. Read more
NOAA organizes first agency-wide event to advance its modeling enterprise 27Aug2018 Read more NOAA constantly strives to improve its models of our changing environment in order to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers, and other decision makers with reliable information they can act on. But improving models takes time, money, and labor—tight budget constraints make this a challenging feat. Documents to download General Modeling Meeting and Fair Flyer(.pdf, 1.33 MB) - 403 download(s) Read more
Searching for the seeds of Arctic clouds 23Aug2018 Read more Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series Dispatches from the Arctic on the August science cruise by NOAA and partner scientists aboard the Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. Today's post is from Dr. Jessie Cremean of NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory. Read more
NOAA and partners test unmanned vehicle to detect harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie 23Aug2018 Read more Scientists from NOAA, the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute will launch and test an unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with technology capable of collecting and processing water samples that can be used to track harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Read more