New research improves wind forecasts for the renewable energy industry New research improves wind forecasts for the renewable energy industry NOAA-DOE study examined the physics of wind in complex terrain New research on wind behavior in complex terrain, led by NOAA and the U.S. Department of Energy, will improve forecasts for wind energy firms by 15-25 percent, and improve wind forecasts for the entire country. Read more
Small unmanned aircraft flies into rapidly intensifying Hurricane Michael Small unmanned aircraft flies into rapidly intensifying Hurricane Michael NOAA scientists flew multiple missions into Hurricane Michael in the days before landfall, closely observing the rapid intensification of the storm. Their tools included a small unmanned aircraft, called the Coyote, which flew into the strongest winds of the eyewall as the storm intensified to a category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Read more
NOAA organizes first agency-wide event to advance its modeling enterprise NOAA organizes first agency-wide event to advance its modeling enterprise NOAA constantly strives to improve its models of our changing environment in order to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers, and other decision makers with reliable information they can act on. But improving models takes time, money, and labor—tight budget constraints make this a challenging feat. Read more
When noise becomes signal When noise becomes signal Unusual California precipitation over last two winters could have been predicted Last spring, Governor Jerry Brown declared an end to California’s historic drought that caused over $5 billion in damage to agriculture as well as substantial impacts to fisheries, infrastructure, human health, and vegetation. The drought was not only severe, but it also spanned the winters of 2015-16 and 2016-17, which had unusual and unexpected precipitation that affected the drought’s evolution. Read more
Studying wildfires by flying directly through the smoke Studying wildfires by flying directly through the smoke We already have the Hurricane Hunters, now make room for the Wildfire Hunters. Understanding how wildfires impact air pollution and the composition of Earth’s atmosphere is critical for communities near and far because smoke from wildfires can travel long distances and have adverse health impacts on citizens. Read more
NOAA research model brings severe weather into focus NOAA research model brings severe weather into focus Upgrade of the HRRR is one example of how research supports operations NOAA’s best severe-weather model just received an upgrade developed by NOAA researchers that will help the National Weather Service provide more accurate hazardous weather and aviation forecasts. Scientists are also using it to advance a wide array of future forecast tools. Read more
Dungeness crab larvae already showing effects of coastal acidification 23Jan2020 Read more Analysis of larval crab sampled from coastal waters identified examples of damage to the outer shell of numerous larval Dungeness crabs, as well as the loss of hair-like sensory structures crabs use to orient themselves to their surroundings. Read more
Indo-Pacific Ocean warming is changing global rainfall patterns 27Nov2019 Read more New research by NOAA and a visiting scientist from India shows that warming of the Indo-Pacific Ocean is altering rainfall patterns from the tropics to the United States, contributing to declines in rainfall on the United States west and east coasts. Read more
NOAA launches major field campaign to improve weather and climate prediction 7Jan2020 Read more Picture a calm, sunny day at a tropical beach. You look out at the ocean and in the distance a flotilla of small white clouds sails close to the waves. It’s ideal weather and typical of many days in the tropical Atlantic. However, scientists don’t fully understand how these ubiquitous clouds (a type of “shallow convective cloud”) form and impact the ocean, and it represents one of the largest uncertainties in predicting climate change. Read more
Wave gliders, ocean drifters and drones to help international researchers solve key climate question 23Jan2020 Read more American and European scientists are deploying dozens of autonomous and remotely-piloted instrument platforms to capture simultaneous observations of the lower atmosphere and the upper ocean offshore of Barbados with unprecedented detail. Read more