NOAA selects University of Colorado-Boulder to lead Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences NOAA selects University of Colorado-Boulder to lead Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences NOAA has selected the University of Colorado-Boulder to continue a federal/academic partnership that extends NOAA’s ability to study climate change, improve weather models, and better predict how solar storms can disrupt communication and navigation technologies. Read more
New NOAA awards to fund studies of weather warnings, social media, Internet tools and public response New NOAA awards to fund studies of weather warnings, social media, Internet tools and public response How do people sift important weather information out of the incessant buzz of 24/7 social media, text messages, smart phone alerts, and overflowing email inboxes? Four new research awards funded by NOAA seek to answer this question. Read more
Magnifying Smoke Magnifying Smoke NOAA instrument uncovers first direct evidence of “lensing,” other heat-trapping effects of wildfire smoke particles A new study directly measures the heat-trapping effect of wildfires during an actual wildfire that burned near Boulder, Colo., in 2010. Read more
NOAA researchers studying how cities influence approaching thunderstorms NOAA researchers studying how cities influence approaching thunderstorms Do urban areas have an influence on incoming storm systems? NOAA's National Severe Storms Lab is trying to find out. Read more
Joint BOEM, NOAA, USGS mission discovers record depth for Lophelia coral on Gulf of Mexico energy platforms Joint BOEM, NOAA, USGS mission discovers record depth for Lophelia coral on Gulf of Mexico energy platforms A team of federal and university scientists on a 10-day expedition in the Gulf of Mexico has discovered Lophelia coral growing deeper than previously seen anywhere in the Gulf. Read more
NOAA, partners find increase in airborne ethanol NOAA, partners find increase in airborne ethanol Changes in the composition of transportation fuels are showing up in the atmosphere Ethanol, now used commonly in U.S. transportation fuels, is turning up in urban air at more than six times the levels measured a decade ago, according to a new study by a team of NOAA researchers and colleagues. Read more
Aviation is responsible for 3.5 percent of climate change, study finds 3Sep2020 Read more The study evaluated all of the aviation industry’s contributing factors to climate change, including emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, and the effect of contrails and contrail cirrus – short-lived clouds created in jet engine exhaust plumes at aircraft cruise altitudes that reflect sunlight during the day and trap heat trying to escape at night. Read more
Lawns provide surprising contribution to L.A. Basin’s carbon emissions 12Oct2020 Read more Understanding the biologic contribution of CO2 to megacities' overall carbon emissions will be important for designing and evaluating mitigation strategies. Read more
NOAA's miniature aerosol instrument delivered to space 8Oct2020 Read more A miniaturized aerosol spectrometer developed by scientists in NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Labotatory will be one of several insttuments making sure air in the living spaces of the International Space Station stays safe. Read more
Natural disaster plans may aid businesses’ pandemic response 19Oct2020 Read more The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have battered small- and medium-sized enterprises, putting millions of jobs in the U.S. at risk. And a year rife with natural disasters has not done the many already struggling businesses any favors. Read more
Monitoring Change in the Arctic 25Sep2020 Read more While NOAA has had to cancel many of its planned research surveys in Alaska, it has been able to conduct a number of scaled-back research surveys in 2020. One such survey that will be finishing up this week is in the Arctic and was conducted on board NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson to collect critical data supporting a long time series involving many scientific partners. Read more