PMEL in the News
For heart of hurricane season, drone boats sent from Jacksonville to face storms' fury
The key to making hurricane forecasts suddenly clearer and more accurate might have floated out to sea from Jacksonville last week on something looking like orange surfboards with wings. Saildrone 2021 Atlantic Hurricane research mission is featured.
Massive dead zone forming off Oregon and Washington coast
Scientists say a huge dead zone is forming off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. We've seen dead zones before, but researchers say this one will be bigger and much closer to shore than they had anticipated. Back in 2006, crabs littered the ocean floor off Oregon's coast. There were no fish to speak of. It was a dead zone. One of the first researchers had discovered off Oregon's coast. Richard Feely is quoted.
Two autonomous Saildrone Explorers will launch from Jacksonville
In partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Saildrone will go storm chasing in the Atlantic. The Saildrone 2021 Atlantic Hurricane research mission launch is featured.
As Arctic warms, scientists wrestle with its climate ‘tipping point’
For Arctic scientists, the summer of 2007 changed everything. That’s when, for the first time in history, record warmth melted the Northwest Passage, nearly opening it to shipping; turned a portion of the East Siberian Sea the size of Mexico into open ocean; and shrank the polar ice cap to a size never before reached so early in the March-to-September melt season, as documented by satellite since 1979. Jim Overland is interviewed.
'Most fundamental' climate metric takes a worrying turn
The miracle of life on Earth hinges on a delicate balance. The sun's rays enter the Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet. At the same time, some of that solar energy is reflected back out to space, ensuring the planet doesn't heat up too much.