Energy Use in Cities Has Global Climate Effects Energy Use in Cities Has Global Climate Effects Researchers find that heat given off by metropolitan areas can lead to continental scale winter warming in high latitudes The heat that is generated by everyday energy consumption in metropolitan areas is significant enough to influence the character of major atmospheric circulation systems, according to a new NOAA-funded study. Read more
NOAA gives $3.5 million to help two states address effects of climate change NOAA gives $3.5 million to help two states address effects of climate change Smaller grants given to encourage federal, state, local collaboration Arizona and New Mexico will receive $3.5 million in grants from NOAA over five years to help them prepare for and adapt to climate variability and change. Read more
Black carbon larger cause of climate change than previously assessed Black carbon larger cause of climate change than previously assessed Soot, known as black carbon to scientists, is the second largest man-made contributor to global warming, and its influence on climate has been greatly underestimated. Read more
Oil and Gas Wells Contribute Fuel for Ozone Pollution Oil and Gas Wells Contribute Fuel for Ozone Pollution NOAA and University of Colorado scientists confirm that oil and gas well emissions add to ozone pollution Emissions from oil and natural gas operations north of Denver are releasing gases into the air that could add to ozone pollution in the region. Read more
Fragrant consumer products a key source of ozone-forming pollution in New York City 3Aug2021 Read more New research from NOAA finds that fragrant personal care products - the stuff that makes you smell good - are now responsible for a significant amount of the ozone pollution known as smog that plagues major urban areas. Read more
2020’s Economic Slowdown Provides Opportunity to Investigate Ozone Pollution in the U.S. 16Sep2021 Read more When COVID-19 pandemic began in the US, counties and cities across the nation imposed stay at home orders, closed schools or imposed travel restrictions. From March 2020 onward, many Americans hung up car keys and settled into their homes for work and school. Traffic patterns dramatically changed, and previously smog filled vistas became clearer. Read more
Human activities responsible for rapid increase in Earth's heat 28Jul2021 Read more A new study by Princeton University and NOAA researchers has found clear evidence of human influence on Earth’s climate in the past two decades of satellite measurements. “Human activity strongly influenced the positive trend in Earth's energy imbalance, causing a significant increase in the heat stored in the planet,” said Shiv Priyam Raghuraman, the lead researcher on the study. Read more
New research helps crack the mystery of clouds to improve climate prediction 25Aug2021 Read more NOAA and partner research on clouds and air-sea interactions will help improve a new generation of models that predict our weather and climate, according to a new summary article that is part of a special issue of the open access journal Earth System Science Data. Read more
NOAA’s new uncrewed glider poised to help vastly increase high-altitude research 7Oct2021 Read more NOAA scientists are testing a reliable, low-tech, uncrewed glider that can return a small payload of scientific instruments from the stratosperhere to a pre-determined landing spot, potentially opening up vast new reaches of the atmosphere to scientific investigation. Read more