New study: Dust, warming portend dry future for the Colorado River New study: Dust, warming portend dry future for the Colorado River Land management efforts could help protect snowpacks, water from a warmer future Reducing the amount of desert dust swept onto snowy Rocky Mountain peaks could help Western water managers deal with the challenges of a warmer future, according to a new study led by researchers at NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. Read more
New study: Rising temperatures challenge Salt Lake City’s water supply New study: Rising temperatures challenge Salt Lake City’s water supply Sensitivity study helps the city, others in the Intermountain West, plan for the future In an example of the challenges water-strapped Western cities will face in a warming world, new research shows that every degree Fahrenheit of warming in the Salt Lake City region could mean a 1.8 to 6.5 percent drop in the annual flow of streams that provide water to the city. Read more
NOAA Sea Grant awards $1.8 million to Sandy-hit states to better understand public response to coastal storm threats NOAA Sea Grant awards $1.8 million to Sandy-hit states to better understand public response to coastal storm threats NOAA Sea Grant this month announced $1.8 million in grant awards to Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey to enhance the American public’s ability to effectively plan, prepare and respond to natural disasters when they strike—particularly for major storms like Sandy, which resulted in 140 fatalities last year. Read more
Encouraging information from this year’s observations of the Antarctic ozone hole Encouraging information from this year’s observations of the Antarctic ozone hole For nearly 50 years, scientists with NOAA have launched high-altitude balloons from the South Pole, to understand why a hole was forming in the protective ozone layer high in the atmosphere. Now, organizations around the world track the infamous ozone hole through these ballon-sondes, satellite measurements and ground instruments. Read more
Water vapor in the upper atmosphere amplifies global warming, says new study Water vapor in the upper atmosphere amplifies global warming, says new study A new study shows that water vapor high in the sky and the temperature at the Earth’s surface are linked in a “feedback loop” that further warms our climate. Published today, this study gives the first estimate of the size of the feedback’s effect, which may help researchers improve modeling to better understand climate change. Read more
NOAA, Aquarium of the Pacific report on the future of American ocean exploration NOAA, Aquarium of the Pacific report on the future of American ocean exploration More than 100 explorers, scientists, government officials, academics, and industry leaders who attended the inaugural ‘Ocean Exploration 2020: A National Forum,’ in July, have proposed the future of American ocean exploration. NOAA and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., hosted the Forum, and released a report this week examining the future of ocean exploration through a coordinated federal effort involving multiple agencies in collaboration with the private sector. Read more
NOAA-Funded Expedition Captures Rare Footage of Giant Squid in the Gulf of Mexico 21Jun2019 Read more 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
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