$2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE Launched $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE Launched XPRIZE (www.xprize.org), the global leader in incentivized prize competitions, announced the launch of its next major competition: the $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE. The Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE aims to spur global innovators to develop accurate and affordable ocean pH sensors that will ultimately transform our understanding of ocean acidification. Read more
A more acidic Arctic? NOAA deploys first buoy in region to monitor levels of CO2 absorbed by ocean A more acidic Arctic? NOAA deploys first buoy in region to monitor levels of CO2 absorbed by ocean NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in partnership with the Marine Research Institute in Iceland deployed the first high-latitude ocean acidification monitoring buoy in the Atlantic Ocean in early August. The moored buoy is the first of its kind to be deployed north of the Arctic circle in a region where very little is known about how carbon dioxide (CO2) is entering the ocean environment. Read more
NOAA invests $1.3 million with university and federal researchers for hurricane forecasting advances NOAA invests $1.3 million with university and federal researchers for hurricane forecasting advances NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality has funded seven multi-year proposals totaling $1.3 million this year for university partners and federal scientists to more rapidly and smoothly transfer new technology, research results, and observational advances through NOAA’s Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT) to operational hurricane forecasting. Read more
Rainwatch remote monitoring program helps West African nations adapt to seasonal swings in weather Rainwatch remote monitoring program helps West African nations adapt to seasonal swings in weather NOAA-funded rainfall monitoring program and U.K.-funded organization combine to address need Knowing when, where and what to grow or graze animals can be the difference between a bumper harvest and facing starvation. Rainwatch provides monsoon rainfall data in real time from monitoring stations and tracks the key seasonal attributes important for food production. Read more
Earth is breathing deeper: Multi-agency study reveals widening seasonal swings in CO2 in the Northern Hemisphere Earth is breathing deeper: Multi-agency study reveals widening seasonal swings in CO2 in the Northern Hemisphere Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rise and fall annually as plants take up the gas in spring and summer and release it in fall and winter through photosynthesis and respiration. Now the range of that cycle is growing as more CO2 is emitted from the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities, according to a study published in Science by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, with CIRES and NOAA co-authors. Read more
CIRES, NOAA observe significant methane leaks in a Utah natural gas field CIRES, NOAA observe significant methane leaks in a Utah natural gas field On a perfect winter day in Utah’s Uintah County in 2012, CIRES scientists and NOAA colleagues tested out a new way to measure methane emissions from a natural gas production field. Their results, accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, constitute a proof-of-concept that could help both researchers and regulators better determine how much of the greenhouse gas and other air pollutants leak from oil and gas fields. 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
How will climate change change El Niño and La Niña? 9Nov2020 Read more A new book published by the American Geophysical Union provides first detailed examination of how climate change may influence El Niño and La Niña. Read more
Congress reauthorizes NOAA Sea Grant through 2025 21Dec2020 Read more The National Sea Grant College Act was reauthorized and amended by Congress and signed by President Donald J. Trump on December 18, 2020. The reauthorization, titled the “National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2020,” includes several updates to Sea Grant’s authorizing legislation. The Act serves as a guiding framework upon which Sea Grant operates and serves America’s coastal and Great Lakes communities. Read more
NOAA Research's top 5 stories from 2020 16Dec2020 Read more From predicting smoke movement from massive wildfires, to investigating how marine life is responding to a quieter ocean, 2020 was a big year for NOAA science. As this unprecedented year draws to a close, we’re looking back at some of our biggest research endeavors in 2020. Here are 5 of our most-read stories from the last year. Read more
After a busy summer, NOAA’s hurricane gliders are returning home 9Nov2020 Read more NOAA’s hurricane gliders are returning home after a successful journey during the 2020 hurricane season. These gliders were deployed off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern U.S. to collect data for scientists to use to improve the accuracy of hurricane forecast models. Read more