NOAA teams with Paul G. Allen Philanthropies to expand deep ocean observations

In a groundbreaking public-private partnership, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory will deploy a large array of new deep ocean floats to expand ocean observations in a key area of the western South Atlantic Ocean.

These instruments, called Deep Argo floats, can collect data down to nearly four miles deep, and promise to lead scientists to a better understanding of how the bottom half of the ocean may influence long term weather, climate, and sea level rise.

Small-scale fisheries have big impact on oceans

A new UBC study has found that small-scale fisheries may have a much larger impact on ocean ecosystems than previously thought, due to a lack of data on their development over time.

“We found that the influence from small-scale fisheries is far from small,” said Jennifer Selgrath, lead author who completed the research as a PhD student with UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and Project Seahorse. “In our case study in the Philippines, we found that the fisheries have become unsustainable because there are so many people trying to catch a limited number of fish and invertebrates.”

NASA-NOAA's Satellite Night-time Nod to Norma

Infrared imagery provides a look at tropical cyclones at night and NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite got a look at Tropical Storm Norma in the Eastern Pacific using infrared light.

Stanford researchers team up to reduce pollution and improve health

Stephen Luby’s epiphany came to him 30,000 feet up in the air. The Stanford epidemiologist was flying over India when he realized the view from his window seat was adequate to identify brick kilns on the ground below. The insight was startling for its potential to shed light on an environmental nightmare that kills thousands of people every year.

Study shows electronic health information exchanges could cut billions in Medicare spending

Spending on entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid consumes some two-thirds of all federal spending, but new research from the University of Notre Dame shows that information technology investments in health care lead to significant spending reductions — potentially in the billions of dollars.

Secret life may thrive in warm caves under Antarctica's glaciers

A new study led by ANU has found that animals and plants may live in warm caves under Antarctica's glaciers.

Clouds Like Honeycomb

NOAA-led team uses an innovative network approach to explain polygonal patterns in clouds.

New Method for Identifying Carbon Compounds Derived from Fossil Fuels

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laboratory instrument that can measure how much of the carbon in many carbon-containing materials was derived from fossil fuels. This will open the way for new methods in the biofuels and bioplastics industries, in scientific research, and environmental monitoring. Among other things, it will allow scientists to measure how much of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere came from burning fossil fuels, and to estimate fossil fuel emissions in an area as small as a city or as large as a continent.

Satellite Eyeing Tropical Storm Jose Churning Coastal Waters

Although Tropical Storm Jose was located off the coast of southeastern U.S. it is stirring up the waters along the U.S. East coast, causing dangerous conditions. NOAA’s GOES East satellite saw Jose centered about 360 miles northeast of the southwestern Bahamas on Sept. 15.

Satellite View Reveals Tropical Depression 15E Still Struggling

Satellite imagery showed that Tropical Depression 15E continued to struggle to organize while still being affected by vertical wind shear.