Wave gliders, ocean drifters and drones to help international researchers solve key climate question Wave gliders, ocean drifters and drones to help international researchers solve key climate question 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
NOAA teams up with Viking to conduct and share science aboard new Great Lakes expedition voyages NOAA teams up with Viking to conduct and share science aboard new Great Lakes expedition voyages NOAA plans to expand its research in the Great Lakes region as the agency teams up with the travel company Viking to carry scientists aboard new expedition voyages planned to begin in 2022. Read more
ATOMIC mission week 1 recap: Deployments, deployments, deployments ATOMIC mission week 1 recap: Deployments, deployments, deployments Air & Sea Chronicles Read more
Scientists begin mission into the trade winds Scientists begin mission into the trade winds Air & Sea Chronicles Editor's note: Air & Sea Chronicles, NOAA's blog series documenting the ATOMIC mission in Barbados, kicks off today with the first blog from Janet Intrieri, a research scientist from NOAA's Earth System Research Lab Physical Sciences Division, who reports on the first days of the mission aboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. Read more
NOAA launches major field campaign to improve weather and climate prediction NOAA launches major field campaign to improve weather and climate prediction 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
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 exploring impact of COVID-19 response on the environment 6May2020 Read more NOAA has launched a wide-ranging research effort to investigate the impact of reduced vehicle traffic, air travel, shipping, manufacturing and other activities on Earth’s atmosphere and oceans due to the response to COVID-19. Read more
Dangerous humid heat extremes occurring decades before expected 8May2020 Read more Climate models project that combinations of heat and humidity could reach deadly thresholds for anyone spending several hours outdoors by the end of the 21st century. However, new NOAA-supported research says these extremes are already happening — decades before anticipated — due to global warming to date. 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
NOAA teams with United Nations to create locust-tracking application 7May2020 Read more NOAA’s powerful air quality model used to track pollution from wildfires, volcanoes and industrial accidents is now being used to help warn communities across Africa and Asia of what have been called the worst locust swarms in a quarter century. Read more