PMEL in the News
Summer 2014 winds gave the 2015-16 El Niño a head start
Following a large westerly wind burst in February 2014, buzz developed that a strong El Niño event would occur in the following winter. However, during June and July of 2014, anomalous easterly winds along the equator occurred, forestalling the developing El Niño.
Multiyear crab disaster brewing
State officials fear the historic 2015-2016 Dungeness crab collapse may go on for at least another year and probably longer.
Leftover warm water in Pacific Ocean fueled massive El Niño
A new study provides insight into how the current El Niño, one of the strongest on record, formed in the Pacific Ocean. The new research finds easterly winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean stalled a potential El Niño in 2014 and left a swath of warm water in the central Pacific. The presence of that warm water stacked the deck for a monster El Niño to occur in 2015, according to the study’s authors.
NOAA looks for answers in the mysterious Mariana Trench
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking a three-month investigation of one of the most mysterious places on Earth: the Mariana Trench.
Shellfish producers wary of growing ocean acidification as climate warms
Scientists are warning of the growing threat ocean acidification poses to marine ecosystems, industries and food security.