NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

The remains of a cornfield after grasshoppers had completed the destruction begun by the Drought of 1931-1932 in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Washington. (Credit: NOAA)

NOAA Scientists Study Historic ‘Dust Bowl’ and Plains Droughts for Triggers -- After analyzing historical records and climate model data for two major U.S. droughts in the 1930s and 1950s, NOAA scientists found two very different causes, shedding new light on our understanding of what triggers drought. Studies such as this one that expand our insights into drought are essential for improving forecasts and can aid in the creation of an early warning system to help communities take precautions and prepare.

A magnificent view of wetlands and tidal streams in the Ashe Island area. (Credit: NOAA)

Unusual Arctic Warmth, Tropical Wetness Likely Cause for Methane Increase -- Unusually high temperatures in the Arctic and heavy rains in the tropics likely drove a global increase in atmospheric methane in 2007 and 2008 after a decade of near-zero growth, according to a new study. Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, albeit a distant second.

NOAA has named a new director for its Great Lakes research laboratory -- Dr. Marie Colton of Virginia is the new Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, MI. GLERL focuses on many issues affecting the Great Lakes, such as climate impacts, water resource management, and invasive species .

Climate Effects of Atmospheric Haze a Little Less... Hazy -- Scientists have used a new approach to sharpen the understanding of one of the most uncertain of mankind’s influences on climate—the effects of atmospheric “haze,” the tiny airborne particles from pollution, biomass burning, and other sources.

The new observations-based study led by NOAA confirms that the particles (“aerosols”) have the net effect of cooling the planet—in agreement with previous understanding—but arrives at the answer in a completely new way that is more straightforward, and has narrowed the uncertainties of the estimate. The findings appear in this week’s Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres.

Layers of Earth's atmosphere. (Credit: NOAA)

NOAA Study Shows Nitrous Oxide Now Top Ozone-Depleting Emission -- Nitrous oxide has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century, NOAA scientists say in a new study.

For the first time, this study has evaluated nitrous oxide emissions from human activities in terms of their potential impact on Earth’s ozone layer. As chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have been phased out by international agreement, ebb in the atmosphere, nitrous oxide will remain a significant ozone-destroyer, the study found. Today, nitrous oxide emissions from human activities are more than twice as high as the next leading ozone-depleting gas.

The Coast Guard personnel at Kodiak, Alaska, make ready a C-130 aircraft for a Coast Guard flight carrying NOAA instruments north to the Arctic Circle. (Credit: NOAA)

NOAA, Coast Guard Hunt for Alaska Methane, Carbon Dioxide Sources -- Recent observations have suggested that the air above Alaska may already hold the first signs of a regional increase in greenhouse gas emissions that could contribute to climate change around the globe.

To learn more about the region’s emissions, NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., has teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard at Kodiak Island. The two partners are flying NOAA air-sampling devices aboard a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft conducting flights over the state through November.

Gas plume off Cape Mendocino, Calif. (Credit: NOAA)

Two OAR Scientists are Presidential Early Career Awardees for 2008 -- Dr. Michael C. Coniglio and Dr. Pamela L. Heinselman of OAR’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) are recipients of the 2008 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This White House honor is bestowed on exceptional young federal scientists and engineers whose work advances the science and mission of their agencies.

Tsunami Symposium Sees NOAA Research Forecast in Action -- During a session on tsunami forecasting during an international meeting in Russia on July 15, scientists saw NOAA’s internet-based tsunami research forecast system in action.

A tsunami was generated by a large earthquake off the southwest coast of New Zealand. Vasily Titov, of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Wash. and session chair, immediately accessed the web-based NOAA tsunami forecast system and demonstrated, before a live audience of 60 international tsunami scientists, a real-time tsunami forecast.

The ground track of the Jason-1 satellite is shown here as it crossed the Sumatra-Andaman tsunami at hourly intervals after the earthquake occurred. White stars show the location of the tsunami wave sources.

NOAA Scientists Find Tsunami “Shadow” Visible from Space -- For the first time, NOAA scientists have demonstrated that tsunamis in the open ocean can change sea surface texture in a way that can be measured by satellite-borne radars. The finding could one day help save lives through improved detection and forecasting of tsunami intensity and direction at the ocean surface.

Susan Solomon Awarded Volvo Environmental Prize -- The 2009 Volvo Environmental Prize Foundation has named NOAA Senior Scientist Susan Solomon as the recipient of its 2009 environmental prize.

The Volvo Environment Prize is awarded for "Outstanding innovations or scientific discoveries which in broad terms fall within the environmental field."

Under current regulations, the demand for HFCs is expected to increase globally. By 2050 total HFC usage in developing countries is projected to be as much as 800 percent greater than in developed countries and warm the climate as effectively as 5-9 billion tons of carbon dioxide..

Beyond CO₂: Study Reveals Growing Importance of HFCs in Climate Warming -- Some of the substances that are helping to avert the destruction of the ozone layer could increasingly contribute to climate warming, according to scientists from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory and their colleagues in a new study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Monitoring Station..

NOAA Scientists, Students to Study Gulf Coast Meteorology -- This month as beachgoers and coastal residents enjoy gentle sea breezes, a group of NOAA scientists and students from Jackson State University will take a deeper look at what happens when the wind blows.

"Sea breezes can be refreshing, but they can also tell us a lot about how the wind moves and what’s moving along with it,” said Will Pendergrass, a NOAA physical scientist and project manager. “During this field study, we’ll concentrate on how sea breezes develop and evolve, as well as what they carry as they move on to land."

NOAA Selects New Cooperative Institute to Study Climate and North Atlantic Ecosystems -- NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Marine Fisheries Service, have selected a consortium of five universities for the new Cooperative Institute for North Atlantic Region (CINAR). The institutions will join NOAA to conduct ocean and climate research to better understand the correlation between climate change and variability, fishing practices and fish populations, and to develop an integrated capability to research emerging issues from an ecosystem perspective.

This mother and calf are part of the western population of North Atlantic right whales.

NOAA Expedition Hears Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales off Greenland -- A team of scientists funded by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research recorded the distinctive calls of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an area where it was believed that the historic resident population was hunted to extinction in the early 20th century. Besides providing a better understanding of the whales, the discovery has implications for future shipping in the region.

Vice President Biden Speaks on the Campus of University of Delaware.

NOAA: Mild Solar Storm Season Predicted -- Although its peak is still four years away, a new active period of Earth-threatening solar storms will be the weakest since 1928, predicts an international panel of experts led by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and funded by NASA. Despite the prediction, Earth is still vulnerable to a severe solar storm.

Solar powered autonomous underwater vehicle..

Harbor Branch Consortium Becomes NOAA’s Newest Cooperative Institute -- NOAA announced the award of a new cooperative institute to focus on ocean exploration, research, and technology development for the U.S. East Coast. The institute is a consortium to be led by and headquartered at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Fla. The University of North Carolina Wilmington will be the co-managing partner and limited partners are SRI International, St. Petersburg, Fla., and the University of Miami.

Network of Research Buoys in Indian Ocean to Improve Monsoon Prediction -- A new array of moored buoys in the Indian Ocean will provide critical climate and ocean data to help scientists predict the dramatic variations between seasonal monsoon rains and droughts.

“The data from these buoys will provide us with much-needed information to advance our understanding of the oceanic and atmospheric processes that govern the monsoons,” said Michael McPhaden, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. “We want to improve computer models for seasonal forecasting to benefit farming communities and other weather-sensitive sectors of society.”

NOAA Brings Great Lakes to Google Ocean -- NOAA is helping Americans peer beneath the surfaces of the five Great Lakes by providing Google Earth with data that now includes detailed three-dimensional mapping of Lakes Huron, Ontario, Erie, Superior and Michigan.

Greenhouse Gases Continue to Climb Despite Economic Slump
Carbon Dioxide, Methane Increased in 2008 -- Two of the most important climate change gases increased last year, according to a preliminary analysis for NOAA’s annual greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world.

National Tornado Experiment to Begin in May -- A collaborative nationwide project exploring the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes will occur from May 10 through June 13 in the central United States. The project, Verification of Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment2 (VORTEX2 or V2), is the largest and most ambitious attempt to study tornadoes in history and will involve more than 50 scientists and 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

Russian Academy of Sciences Vice President Visits OAR Headquarters; Discusses Joint Climate Research -- Dr. Richard Spinrad, assistant administrator, NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and Dr. Nikolai Laverov, vice president, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), held an early spring meeting at NOAA’s Silver Spring headquarters to reaffirm research issues highlighted in the 2003 memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Data visualization: Arctic sea ice.

Ice-Free Arctic Summers Likely Sooner Than Expected -- Summers in the Arctic may be ice-free in as few as 30 years, not at the end of the century as previously expected. The updated forecast is the result of a new analysis of computer models coupled with the most recent summer ice measurements.

New Guide Aims to Improve Public Climate Literacy -- A guide is now available to help individuals of all ages understand how climate influences them -- and how they influence climate. A product of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, it was compiled by an interagency group led by NOAA.

Atmospheric ‘Sunshade’ Could Reduce Solar Power Generation -- The concept of delaying global warming by adding particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the climate could unintentionally reduce peak electricity generated by large solar power plants by as much as one-fifth, according to a new NOAA study. The findings appear in this week’s issue of Environmental Science and Technology.

New Deep-Sea Coral Discovered on NOAA-Supported Mission -- Scientists identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered on a NOAA-funded mission in the deep waters of the Papahãnaumokuãkea Marine National Monument. Six of these species may represent entirely new genera, a remarkable feat given the broad classification a genus represents. A genus is a major category in the classification of organisms, ranking above a species and below a family. Scientists expect to identify more new species as analysis of samples continues.

Maritime Shipping Makes Hefty Contribution to Harmful Air Pollution -- Globally, commercial ships emit almost half as much particulate matter pollutants into the air as the total amount released by the world’s cars, according to a new study led by NOAA and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ship pollutants affect local air quality and the health of people living along coastlines. The findings appear online this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Lake Michigan Fish Populations Threatened by Decline of Tiny Creature -- The quick decline of a tiny shrimp-like species, known scientifically as Diporeia, is related to the aggressive population growth of non-native quagga mussels in the Great Lakes, say NOAA scientists. As invasive mussel numbers increase, food sources for Diporeia and many aquatic species have steadily and unilaterally declined.

Indonesian Delegation Visit NOAA Silver Spring Headquarters -- Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, assistant administrator, NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and Dr. Widi Agoes Pratikto, secretary general, Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs & Fisheries, participated in a high-level bilateral discussion between NOAA and MMAF since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Marine and Fisheries Science, Technology and Applications in September of 2007.

NOAA Dives into Ocean in Google Earth -- Visitors to a new element of a popular online Earth exploration tool will discover an abundance of NOAA information and images during their journey. Google Earth today unveiled Ocean in Google Earth, a new way for online explorers to dive into the ocean’s depths. The launch of Ocean in Google Earth took place in San Francisco.
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New NOAA Great Lakes Laboratory Opens, New Acting Director Named -- A larger facility to focus on Great Lakes issues opened today following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Pittsfield Township, Mich.

Research Meteorologist Wins First NOAA Science Communicator Award -- Keith Dixon, a NOAA scientist who demonstrates both skill and enthusiasm for communicating to the public about climate research and climate change, is the recipient of the first Dr. Daniel L. Albritton Outstanding Science Communicator Award.

NOAA Scientist to Receive Grande Medaille from French Academy -- For her scientific achievements, including pioneering research that helped explain the cause of the ozone hole, and her leadership as co-chair of Working Group 1 for the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report, NOAA Senior Scientist Susan Solomon will receive the Grande Medaille from the Institute of France’s Academy of Sciences.

New Study Details Ocean Acidification in the Caribbean -- A new study, which confirms significant ocean acidification across much of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, reports strong natural variations in ocean chemistry in some parts of the Caribbean that could affect the way reefs respond to future ocean acidification. Such short-term variability has often been underappreciated and may prove an important consideration when predicting the long-term impacts of ocean acidification to coral reefs.

Scientific Assessment Finds Expanding Use of Climate Forecasts Could Mean Better Water Management -- Expanding the use of seasonal to interannual climate forecasts, especially in drought-prone and semi-arid parts of the United States, can assist decision makers in the management of water resources, according to a new NOAA-led scientific assessment. The assessment is one in a series of synthesis and assessment reports coordinated by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

2008 Sees Fifth Largest Ozone Hole. -- The ozone hole over Antarctica, which fluctuates in response to temperature and sunlight, grew to the size of North America in a one-day maximum in September that was the fifth largest on record, since NOAA satellite records began in 1979.

Annual Arctic Report Card Shows Stronger Effects of Warming -- Temperature increases, a near-record loss of summer sea ice, and a melting of surface ice in Greenland are among some of the evidence of continued warming in the Arctic, according to an annual review of conditions in the Arctic issued today by NOAA and its university, agency, and international partners.

Russian Ship Under Indian Charter Rescues Errant NOAA Mooring -- The Russian research vessel Akademic Boris Petrov, under charter with the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), recovered a drifting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate mooring in an emergency operation on September 12.

Award-Winning Technology Improves Air-Drop Targeting -- Wind-forecast software from NOAA, now being used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, has won a federal technology transfer award for four scientists at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder. The software improves the target accuracy of an aircraft drop system up to 70 percent.

The Ocean Comes to the Mall -- The Sant Ocean Hall — opening September 27 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History — combines marine specimens and models, high-definition video experiences, one-of-a kind exhibits, and the newest technology, enabling visitors to explore the ocean’s past, present, and future.

PMEL Director Dr. Eddie Bernard Earns Service to America Medal -- Dr. Eddie Bernard, Director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle has become the first NOAA scientist to be awarded a Service to America Medal (SAM) for his work in establishing an international tsunami detection and forecast system.

NOAA NSSL’s new mobile radar captures dual-pol data on Hurricane Ike -- The first dual-polarized Doppler radar data of a landfalling hurricane eyewall was collected as Hurricane Ike came ashore in Texas last weekend. The data was collected by a new mobile dual-polarized X-band radar (called NO-XP) built and operated by NOAA NSSL and the University of Oklahoma.

Department of Energy to Provide Supercomputing Time to Run NOAA’s Climate Change Models -- The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science will make available more than 10 million hours of computing time for the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to explore advanced climate change models at three of DOE’s national laboratories as part of a three-year memorandum of understanding on collaborative climate research signed today by the two agencies.