In the News Archive

The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet did more than help win World War II: As its ships made their way through the Pacific Ocean during the war, naval personnel used daily logbooks to record vital weather and climate data at a time when such observations dwindled worldwide. This publication highlights work by done by Kevin Wood whose contributions to the recovery of historical marine weather observations were substantial and will continue to influence us and many others. 

The prospect of a possible El Niño summer, with the hot and dry conditions it’s known for in Australia, can be frightening.  The winter has already been dry in parts of the country. Record summer temperatures in Europe, although not related, have added to a sense of foreboding. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Keaton Beach, Fla., on Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center, and was later downgraded to a Category 1 storm as it moved across Georgia. The storm battered Florida’s northern Gulf Coast with high winds and a powerful storm surge that was predicted to reach up to 16 feet in some areas. More than 30 Florida counties were issued evacuation orders. Idalia’s center was expected to move across southeastern Georgia and near the coast of South Carolina before moving offshore southern North Carolina on Thursday. Mike McPhaden is referenced.

In Maine, lobsters are heading north and some lobstermen are moving into kelp farming. On the West Coast, fishermen are worried about a blob of warm water developing off the Oregon and Washington coastlines, fearing a repeat of an ocean heat wave that devastated salmon harvests from 2014 to 2016. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Ebb is working w/ national labs, federal research agencies & academia to further scientific understanding & demonstrate responsible deployment of marine carbon dioxide removal. Brendan Carter (UW CICOES/NOAA PMEL)  is quoted. 

Hot "hairdryer" winds that whip down mountainsides may have played a role in some of this year's devastating heatwaves and wildfires – and they may become more of a problem with climate change. Jim Overland is quoted. 

The planet’s average sea surface temperature spiked to a record high in April and the ocean has remained exceptionally warm ever since. In July, widespread marine heat waves drove temperatures back up to near-record highs, with some hot spots nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or nearly 38 Celsius. Greg Johnson is interviewed. 

A glimpse of a more tumultuous future seemed on full display throughout July, a month packed with weather anomalies that exceeded any definition of normal. Greg Johnson is interviewed. 

An expedition to find rare hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic uncovers new worlds—and some daredevil shrimp. Dave Butterfield is quoted.

Ocean surface temperatures vaulted to unprecedented levels this spring, alarming scientists and prompting predictions of increased extreme weather this year, including from hurricanes. Greg Johnson is quoted.

In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people’s attention. The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming — nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable data. Greg Johnson is quoted.

How warm water in the Pacific shapes storms, droughts, and record heat around the world. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

A new study found some of the most intense past El Niño events cost the global economy more than $4 trillion over the following years. Mike McPhaden, a senior scientist at NOAA and who was not involved in the research, said the study was “very insightful and provocative.”

 The natural burst of El Nino warming that changes weather worldwide is far costlier with longer-lasting expenses than experts had thought, averaging trillions of dollars in damage, a new study found. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Scientists say greenhouse gases have already affected climate patterns in the Pacific that could lead to more severe weather, floods and heatwaves. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

The planet is simmering, both on land and at sea, and that could signal more record temperatures for the remainder of 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mike McPhaden is quoted.