NOAA researcher earns international honor for discoveries on the role of atmospheric water vapor in climate change NOAA researcher earns international honor for discoveries on the role of atmospheric water vapor in climate change Isaac Held, Ph.D., a senior research scientist with the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., will receive the prestigious BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for his contributions to improved understanding of climate change and atmospheric circulation systems. Read more
Dr. Robert Detrick named new assistant administrator of NOAA research office Dr. Robert Detrick named new assistant administrator of NOAA research office Robert Detrick, Ph.D, a marine geophysicist, was named the new head of NOAA’s research office today. Detrick will start as the assistant administrator of the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research on Feb. 13. Read more
Chemical measurements confirm official estimate of Gulf oil spill rate Chemical measurements confirm official estimate of Gulf oil spill rate New NOAA-led analysis shows gases and oil in three chemically different mixtures deep underwater, in the surface slick, in the air By combining detailed chemical measurements in the deep ocean, in the oil slick, and in the air, NOAA scientists and academic colleagues have independently estimated how fast gases and oil were leaking during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Read more
Colorado mountain hail may disappear in a warmer future Colorado mountain hail may disappear in a warmer future NOAA-led study shows less hail, more rain in region’s future, with possible increase in flood risk Summertime hail could all but disappear from the eastern flank of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains by 2070, according to a new modeling study by scientists from NOAA and several other institutions. Read more
Air pollution levels from Deepwater Horizon spill similar to large urban area Air pollution levels from Deepwater Horizon spill similar to large urban area The amount of air pollutants in the atmospheric plume generated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was similar to a large city according to a new NOAA-led study published today in a special issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more
U.S.-Canada Arctic Ocean survey partnership saved costs, increased data U.S.-Canada Arctic Ocean survey partnership saved costs, increased data 2011 mission concludes joint seafloor survey operations A recent mission marked the completion of a five-year collaboration between the United States and Canada to survey the Arctic Ocean. The bilateral project collected scientific data to delineate the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline, also known as the extended continental shelf (ECS). Read more
Despite pandemic shutdowns, carbon dioxide and methane surged in 2020 7Apr2021 Read more The global average carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere surged at the fifth-highest rate in NOAA's 63-year record during 2020. Preliminary estimates of the increase in methane levels indicate it may have been the largest annual jump on record. Read more
Climate-driven shifts in deep Lake Michigan water temperatures signal the loss of winter 16Mar2021 Read more Climate change is causing significant impacts on the Great Lakes and the surrounding region. As the largest surface freshwater system in the world, the Great Lakes have an enormous impact, seen and unseen, on the more than 34 million people who live within their collective basin. Because of their unique response to environmental conditions, Earth’s large lakes are considered by scientists as key sentinels of climate change. A long-term study published in Nature Communications today from NOAA reveals a warming trend in deepwater temperatures that foreshadows profound ecological change on the horizon. While less visible than the loss in ice cover and increasing lake surface temperatures, this latest index of climate change adds to the growing evidence of climate change impacts in the region. Read more
NOAA projects 30-percent maximum Great Lakes ice cover for 2021 winter 21Jan2021 Read more NOAA scientists project the maximum Great Lakes ice cover for 2021 will be 30 percent, higher than last year’s maximum of 19.5 percent, but part of a long-term pattern of declining ice cover likely driven by climate change. Read more
New study shows promise of forecasting meteotsunamis 31Mar2021 Read more On the afternoon of April 13, 2018, a large wave of water surged across Lake Michigan and flooded the shores of the picturesque beach town of Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks, and flooding intake pipes. Thanks to a local citizen’s photos and other data, NOAA scientists reconstructed the event in models and determined this was the first ever documented meteotsunami in the Great Lakes caused by an atmospheric inertia-gravity wave. Read more
Emissions of a banned ozone-depleting gas are back on the decline 10Feb2021 Read more New analyses of global air measurements show that five years after an unexpected spike in emissions of the banned ozone-depleting chemical chlorofluorocarbon CFC-11, they dropped sharply between 2018 and 2019. Read more