NOAA scientists and several partners are taking a fresh look at persistent air pollution problems bedeviling the nation’s two largest Intermountain metro regions, Denver and Salt Lake City, from the ground, in the air, and from space, during new research projects launched this month.
Summer airborne research targets Rocky Mountain ozone pollution Read More >
A new research paper from NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society finds that dust storms – previously assumed to be rather rare and isolated to particular regions – are contributing to a larger number of U.S. traffic fatalities than are recorded. This research also proposes modifications to the current reporting classifications to more accurately capture dust storm impact.
How deadly are dust storms? Read More >
2022 was a busy year for volcanic eruptions with Hawaii's Mauna Loa and Kilaeau erupting simultaneously, along with Mount Semeru, Indonesia and the Hunga undersea volcano in Tonga. While the United States Geological Survey is the primary agency that monitors volcanic activity in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees safety systems for tsunamis and other volcano-related threats, as well as studies the impact of volcanic gasses on our global climate.
When volcanoes roar: protecting the public and tracking long-term climate impacts Read More >
A new NOAA-led study of precipitation high in the Colorado Rockies aims to give water managers better forecasts for runoff in the critically important Colorado
Researchers head to the mountains to improve weather and water forecasting tools 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.
2020’s Economic Slowdown Provides Opportunity to Investigate Ozone Pollution in the U.S. Read More >
Running on the newest version of NOAA’s Global Forecast System, or GFS, the FV3-Chem model forecasts the distribution of some primary air pollutants: smoke, soot, organic carbon, sulfate, and large and small particles of dust and sea salt – collectively known as aerosols. Because these aerosols affect the weather, the model also provides weather forecasts.
New NOAA research model improves dust, air quality forecasts 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.
NOAA teams with United Nations to create locust-tracking application 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.
NOAA exploring impact of COVID-19 response on the environment Read More >
