NOAA report highlights 2020 climate, weather, ocean research NOAA report highlights 2020 climate, weather, ocean research Launching uncrewed systems to monitor climate and ecosystem changes in the U.S. Arctic, sequencing the genome for endangered marine species, and improving weather forecasts with advances in regional models — these are just a few of NOAA’s scientific achievements in 2020. The newly released 2020 NOAA Science Report highlights the ways these accomplishments — and many more — provide the foundation for vital services that Americans use every day. Read more
New study shows promise of forecasting meteotsunamis New study shows promise of forecasting meteotsunamis Photographer's images aid research on rare Great Lakes wave On the afternoon of April 13, 2018, a large wave of water surged across Lake Michigan and flooded the shores of the picturesque beach town of Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks, and flooding intake pipes. Thanks to a local citizen’s photos and other data, NOAA scientists reconstructed the event in models and determined this was the first ever documented meteotsunami in the Great Lakes caused by an atmospheric inertia-gravity wave. Read more
Short-range weather modeling application released to forecasting community Short-range weather modeling application released to forecasting community Data sharing will enable new innovations in numerical weather prediction science NOAA and partners have released the source code for its next-generation short-range forecast application to the weather research community to accelerate development of the model, which predicts atmospheric behavior on a timescale from less than an hour to several days, including critical life-saving weather and water forecasts during extreme events. Read more
New rating system charts a path to improved tornado forecasts New rating system charts a path to improved tornado forecasts All tornadoes -- whether large or small -- originate from thunderstorms, but not all thunderstorms are the same. Nighttime twisters, summer tornadoes and smaller events can be tougher to forecast. New research in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society presents a method for rating the skill of tornado warnings based on environmental challenges. Read more
Researchers make small but important step in seasonal tornado forecasting Researchers make small but important step in seasonal tornado forecasting A new model named SPOTer (Seasonal Probabilistic Outlook for Tornadoes) shows promise in predicting active seasons 1-2 months in advance. Read more
Frigid Arctic air outbreaks may be predictable, new research suggests Frigid Arctic air outbreaks may be predictable, new research suggests Known for precipitating outbreaks of Arctic air, stratospheric events in polar regions often cause other kinds of extreme weather. Since the stratosphere takes a long time to recover after these events, scientists may be able to improve predictability of extreme weather weeks ahead of time. Read more
Study: Reducing human-caused air pollution in North America & Europe brings surprise result: more hurricanes 11May2022 Read more A new NOAA study published today in the journal Science Advances about four decades of tropical cyclones reveals the surprising result that reducing particulate air pollution in Europe and North America has contributed to an increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin and a decrease in the number of these storms in the Southern Hemisphere. The study also found that the growth of particulate pollution in Asia has contributed to fewer tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific basin. Read more
NOAA report highlights 2021 climate, weather, ocean research 28Mar2022 Read more The newly released 2021 NOAA Science Report includes more than 60 stories that represent a selection of NOAA’s 2021 research and development accomplishments across the range of NOAA’s mission. Read more
Study previews how climate change may alter rain-making atmospheric rivers by 2100 24Mar2022 Read more A new NOAA modeling study suggests climate change is likely to disrupt Pacific atmospheric rivers, which are important sources of snow and rain for west coast states. Read more
NOAA’s observations help EPA track emissions of a family of greenhouse gases 22Apr2022 Read more NOAA atmospheric measurements are helping to support a national inventory of emissions from an important family of greenhouse gases. Read more
Background ozone burdens Las Vegas’ air quality in spring 23Feb2022 Read more High background levels of ozone pollution make it hard for Las Vegas and other southwestern cities to meet US air quality standards in spring, two NOAA studies find. But local pollution sources drive summer's high ozone days. Read more