NOAA Scientists Provide Expertise for the $2 Million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE NOAA Scientists Provide Expertise for the $2 Million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE We caught up recently with Remy Okazaki at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. Remy is a chemist with the University of Washington Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) working with PMEL’s carbon team on the $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE, a global competition to advance ocean pH sensing technology to better understand, measure and address ocean acidification. On May 14, XPRIZE will begin the final phase of testing in deep water off the northern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, aboard the R/V Kilo Moana research vessel. Read more
NOAA to explore depths of Caribbean Sea NOAA to explore depths of Caribbean Sea Public can watch seafloor discoveries live online from April 10 to 30 Beginning April 10, scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will begin a series of 20 dives to investigate previously unseen depths of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean – and the public can follow along online. During dives that are expected to go as deep as 3.7 miles, a sophisticated unmanned submarine, called a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, will broadcast live video from the seafloor, allowing anyone with Internet access to watch the expedition as it unfolds. Read more
Sea Grant agent works with Arctic communities to study bowhead whales Sea Grant agent works with Arctic communities to study bowhead whales Integrating science and cultural practices to tackle emerging issues In Alaska’s Bering Strait and Arctic regions, there are dozens of Alaskan Native tribes, many of whom depend on the marine environment for food, as they have in some cases for thousands of years. In this world more foreign to most Americans than many other countries (and bigger than many too) works exactly one NOAA Oceanic & Atmospheric Research Sea Grant extension agent: Gay Sheffield. Read more
Research identifies hot spots for addressing ocean acidification risks to US shellfisheries Research identifies hot spots for addressing ocean acidification risks to US shellfisheries NOAA scientist explains value of first nationwide shellfish risk assessment for adaptation and resilience planning We caught up with Dwight Gledhill, deputy director of NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, and one of the 17 authors of a perspective published today in Nature Climate Change on vulnerability of U.S. shellfisheries to ocean acidification. Read more
New study finds Alaskans familiar with ocean acidification, not aware of risks to fisheries New study finds Alaskans familiar with ocean acidification, not aware of risks to fisheries New research published in Marine Policy from the first Alaska-focused study on public understanding and awareness of ocean acidification risk shows that Alaskans are three times more aware of ocean acidification than Americans in general. However, Alaskans have difficulty seeing ocean acidification as an immediate risk, and the direct risks to Alaska’s fisheries are still not well understood. The research, “Gauging perceptions of ocean acidification in Alaska,” can be read online. Read more
NOAA scientists to share research and resiliency tools at international climate meeting NOAA scientists to share research and resiliency tools at international climate meeting Presentations by Amanda McCarty and Libby Jewett to be web-streamed live from Lima, Peru Several NOAA scientists will present information on climate research and new tools to build greater resiliency to climate change at a meeting on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima, Peru, that will run from December 1-12. 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