The same NOAA satellites that helped forecasters predict severe weather, such as the Moore, Okla., tornado last May and November’s deadly Midwest tornado outbreak, also played a key role in rescuing 253 people from potentially life-threatening scenarios throughout the United States and its surrounding waters last year. A combination of NOAA polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites […]
Vortex Explained – Wobbly polar vortex triggers extreme cold air outbreak
‘Polar vortex’ is the new buzzword of 2014 for the millions of Americans learning about its role in producing record cold temperatures across the country. Meteorologists have known for years that the pattern of the polar vortex determines how much cold air escapes from the Arctic and makes its way to the U.S. during the […]
NOAA’s stunning Science On a Sphere now in 100 locations worldwide
3-D educational tool has inspired museum-goers and lab visitors for nearly a decade
A Cold Look at Planet Earth: Learning from the World’s Frozen Places
Water, the key to life, is also a key to understanding the way the natural world works. Water in the form of ice is especially instructive. Water moves through the hydrologic cycle, one of the most basic and vital processes of Earth’s systems, in three forms — as a liquid in seas and streams; as […]
Airborne scientists get a close look at the changing Arctic
As the Arctic Ocean begins to freeze for the winter, NOAA and University of Washington scientists gain insight from the air
Remote-Controlled Aircraft Work Hard for Science
Remote sensing technologies on airborne scientific missions have added new depth and dimension to scientific observation.
Wanted: Citizen scientists for hurricane project Volunteers needed to assess archived images online
Today, NCDC announced the launch of a new website that could help climate scientists estimate the historical intensities of hurricanes around the world faster than before—and the public is invited to help. The website, CycloneCenter.org, allows volunteers to examine color-enhanced images from 30 years of tropical cyclones taken from the archives of NCDC’s Hurricane Satellite […]
La Niña fading, likely gone by end of April
Sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean swing back and forth every few years (sometimes more) like an irregular pendulum. The warm phase is known as El Niño; the cool phase—which it has been in for the past two winters—is called La Niña. According to NOAA’s April 2012 ENSO Diagnostics Discussion, La […]
International Space Station (ISS) Keeps Watch on World’s Sea Traffic
As the International Space Station circles Earth, it has been tracking individual ships crossing the seas beneath. An investigation hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA) in its Columbus module has been testing the viability of monitoring global maritime traffic from the station’s orbit hundreds of miles (kilometers) above since June 2010.
Using Landsat data can help us track trends in key resources
7 Billion People: How will we Sustain a More Populated Planet?