New study: Pace of climate zone shifts quickens as climate warms New study: Pace of climate zone shifts quickens as climate warms As our planet is warming, not only have Earth’s climate zones begun to shift – the pace of change is expected to accelerate, according to a new study led by the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. Read more
Arctic nearly free of summer sea ice during first half of 21st century Arctic nearly free of summer sea ice during first half of 21st century For scientists studying summer sea ice in the Arctic, it’s not a question of “if” there will be nearly ice-free summers, but “when.” A new study says it could be before 2050. Read more
NOAA-led report: 2012 Central Great Plains 'flash drought' a result of natural variations in weather NOAA-led report: 2012 Central Great Plains 'flash drought' a result of natural variations in weather A new report by the NOAA Drought Task Force finds natural variations in weather patterns caused the 2012 Great Plains drought and rules out global ocean conditions, as well as human-induced climate change, as major culprits. Read more
New study gives first independent confirmation of global land warming New study gives first independent confirmation of global land warming A new observational study that did not use temperature recordings from land stations has confirmed global land warming. Read more
Thin, low Arctic clouds played an important role in the massive 2012 Greenland ice melt Thin, low Arctic clouds played an important role in the massive 2012 Greenland ice melt New study shows clouds will be important in region’s future Clouds over the central Greenland Ice Sheet last July were “just right” for driving surface temperatures there above the melting point. Read more
Introducing a new resource to help our nation's 'working waterfronts' flourish Introducing a new resource to help our nation's 'working waterfronts' flourish Experts in several NOAA Sea Grant programs helped develop the new Sustainable Working Waterfront Toolkit. Read more
Fragrant consumer products a key source of ozone-forming pollution in New York City 3Aug2021 Read more New research from NOAA finds that fragrant personal care products - the stuff that makes you smell good - are now responsible for a significant amount of the ozone pollution known as smog that plagues major urban areas. Read more
2020’s Economic Slowdown Provides Opportunity to Investigate Ozone Pollution in the U.S. 16Sep2021 Read more When COVID-19 pandemic began in the US, counties and cities across the nation imposed stay at home orders, closed schools or imposed travel restrictions. From March 2020 onward, many Americans hung up car keys and settled into their homes for work and school. Traffic patterns dramatically changed, and previously smog filled vistas became clearer. Read more
Human activities responsible for rapid increase in Earth's heat 28Jul2021 Read more A new study by Princeton University and NOAA researchers has found clear evidence of human influence on Earth’s climate in the past two decades of satellite measurements. “Human activity strongly influenced the positive trend in Earth's energy imbalance, causing a significant increase in the heat stored in the planet,” said Shiv Priyam Raghuraman, the lead researcher on the study. Read more
New research helps crack the mystery of clouds to improve climate prediction 25Aug2021 Read more NOAA and partner research on clouds and air-sea interactions will help improve a new generation of models that predict our weather and climate, according to a new summary article that is part of a special issue of the open access journal Earth System Science Data. Read more
NOAA’s new uncrewed glider poised to help vastly increase high-altitude research 7Oct2021 Read more NOAA scientists are testing a reliable, low-tech, uncrewed glider that can return a small payload of scientific instruments from the stratosperhere to a pre-determined landing spot, potentially opening up vast new reaches of the atmosphere to scientific investigation. Read more