NOAA scientists set sail on Coast Guard icebreaker to measure change in the Arctic NOAA scientists set sail on Coast Guard icebreaker to measure change in the Arctic On Friday, August 25, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy will sail from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, with a team of NOAA scientists and collaborators on a 22-day cruise to study environmental change in the western Arctic Ocean. Read more
New model reveals how ocean acidification challenges tiny sea snails off U.S. West Coast New model reveals how ocean acidification challenges tiny sea snails off U.S. West Coast A tiny sea snail, sometimes called a sea butterfly because of how it flutters about traveling the ocean currents, is part of the diet for such valuable fish as salmon and cod off the U.S West Coast. A new study models the journey of this delicate plankton from offshore to nearshore waters, describing how changing ocean chemistry along this journey affects their condition. Read more
Summer of sailing drones Summer of sailing drones Unmanned ocean vehicles are collecting data from the Arctic to the tropics Over the next four months, NOAA scientists will launch unmanned ocean vehicles, called Saildrones, from the Arctic to the tropical Pacific Ocean to help better understand how changes in the ocean are affecting weather, climate, fisheries and marine mammals. The wind and solar-powered research vehicles that resemble a sailboat will travel thousands of miles across the ocean, reaching some areas never before surveyed with such specialized technology. Read more
Cracking the code of a long-distance swimmer Cracking the code of a long-distance swimmer Research sheds light on eel migration from subtropics to European rivers Born in the Sargasso Sea, that Atlantic Ocean gyre east of Bermuda, baby European eels will travel 4,000 miles to the freshwater rivers of Europe. Now scientists might have answered a century-old question of how these young eels accomplish such vast oceanic migrations. Read more
Research shows ocean acidification is spreading rapidly in the Arctic Research shows ocean acidification is spreading rapidly in the Arctic Communities dependent on shellfish, other marine resources could be at risk Ocean acidification is spreading rapidly in the western Arctic Ocean in both area and depth, potentially affecting shellfish, other marine species in the food web, and communities that depend on these resources, according to new research published in Nature Climate Change by NOAA, Chinese marine scientists and other partners. Read more
New tool helps oyster growers prepare for changing ocean chemistry New tool helps oyster growers prepare for changing ocean chemistry For Bill Mook, coastal acidification is one thing his oyster hatchery cannot afford to ignore. He teamed up with fisherman-turned-oceanographer Joe Salisbury of the University of New Hampshire to adapt and install a new tool to help shellfish growers better prepare for ocean acidification. Read more
Rise of carbon dioxide unabated 4Jun2020 Read more Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory reached a seasonal peak of 417.1 parts per million for 2020 in May, the highest monthly reading ever recorded. Monthly CO2 values at Mauna Loa first breached the 400 ppm threshold in 2014, and are now at levels not experienced by the atmosphere in several million years. Read more
NOAA unveils 10-year roadmap for tackling ocean, Great Lakes acidification 29Jul2020 Read more Read more
Warming influence of greenhouse gases continues to rise, NOAA finds 28May2020 Read more NOAA’s Annual Greenhouse Gas Index tracks the concentrations of greenhouse gases being added to the atmosphere principally from human-caused emissions. The AGGI then calculates the heat being added to Earth's atmosphere and oceans as a result. Read more
Ocean gliders head to sea to improve hurricane forecasts 15Jul2020 Read more NOAA’s hurricane gliders are heading to sea this week off the coasts of Puerto Rico, the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern U.S. to collect data that scientists will use to improve the accuracy of hurricane forecast models. Read more
Institute for climate, ocean and ecosystem research announced 20May2020 Read more The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today announced it has selected the University of Washington to host NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES). Read more