Low ice on the Great Lakes this winter Low ice on the Great Lakes this winter Ice coverage has reached a record low in the Great Lakes for this time of year. Read more
Simple-to-use eDNA test will help track marine species Simple-to-use eDNA test will help track marine species New method is fast, cost-effective and designed for non-experts A scientist with NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory led development of a guide to help marine resource managers use environmental DNA to collect detailed information about the biodiversity of their study areas. Read more
Severe storm research campaign kicks off second year of data gathering Severe storm research campaign kicks off second year of data gathering This winter has brought multiple rounds of devastating severe weather to the southeastern U.S., with more than 200 reported tornadoes and 14 fatalities. To better understand the deadly storms in this region, scientists will conduct research as they travel through seven states in the second year of one of the largest and most comprehensive severe storm field projects to date. Read more
NOAA cruise supports vital climate and weather data flow NOAA cruise supports vital climate and weather data flow Researchers with NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, and partners set sail from Bridgetown, Barbados aboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown on November 1st, 2022. Over the next 40 days, the crew and scientists recovered and redeployed key moorings in the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA), deployed an additional mooring, and serviced two equatorial PIRATA buoys in support of the PIRATA Northeast Extension project and broader PIRATA objectives. They also conducted a number of research projects on the ocean and atmosphere that advance our understanding of carbon absorption in the ocean and atmospheric pollution. Read more
NOAA partnership creates seaweed dream team NOAA partnership creates seaweed dream team When Diane Boratyn first decided to grow macroalgae – more commonly known as seaweed – on land to support her plant-based skincare company, she knew about the health benefits of seaweed but lacked the know-how to cultivate it consistently on a commercial scale. She quickly learned that it would take large-scale production of seaweed in order to be competitive in expanded markets. Read more
Having dodged lava flows, NOAA's Mauna Loa research facility to get upgrades Having dodged lava flows, NOAA's Mauna Loa research facility to get upgrades NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, the benchmark sampling site for monitoring global climate change, is slated to undergo a major renovation and facility upgrade once road access is restored over lava flows produced by the recent eruption of Mauna Loa volcano, NOAA announced today. Read more
NOAA Science Report features new data-gathering drones, advances in wind, weather and water forecasts 29Mar2023 Read more Discovering a 207-year-old whaling ship, advancing air-quality forecasts, improving storm surge and wind forecasts, and deploying the first-ever drone-based tagging of endangered whales. These are a few of the more than 60 stories about NOAA’s many notable scientific accomplishments from the past year that are featured in the 2022 NOAA Science Report, which emphasizes a wide range of impacts that NOAA science advancements have on the lives of Americans. Read more
Scientists discover hydrothermal vent activity along the Puy de Folles vent field 17Apr2023 Read more NOAA, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and partners recently embarked on the In Search of Hydrothermal Lost Cities expedition on the Schmidt’s Research Vessel Falkor (too) to locate and observe hydrothermal vent activity along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The team successfully located never-before-seen black smoker vents near the Puy de Folles vent field and the impressive ecosystems they support. Read more
Heat waves happen at the bottom of the ocean too 13Mar2023 Read more A team led by NOAA researchers used a combination of observations and computer models to generate the first broad assessment of bottom marine heat waves in the productive continental shelf waters surrounding North America. Read more
How deadly are dust storms? 5Apr2023 Read more A new research paper from NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society finds that dust storms – previously assumed to be rather rare and isolated to particular regions – are contributing to a larger number of U.S. traffic fatalities than are recorded. This research also proposes modifications to the current reporting classifications to more accurately capture dust storm impact. Read more
NOAA research in the stratosphere is taking off 2Mar2023 Read more Flying out of Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, a NASA WB-57 research jet carrying a payload of sampling instruments into the stratosphere will gather measurements of trace gases and aerosols in an undersampled region of the atmosphere. Read more