In the News Archive

An extended episode of the global climate pattern known as La Niña is over, and scientists suspect a “rapid evolution” to El Niño — known for accelerating planetary warming and inducing extreme weather — could occur this summer. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

A group of international experts, including representatives from NOAA, simulated a mega tsunami that is thought to have caused a global mass extinction event that also wiped out the dinosaurs. Experts believe that the asteroid strike on Earth 66 million years ago caused a mega tsunami. Modeling work by Vasily Titov is referenced. 

From tsunamis to vibrational waves to lightning storms, the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai explosion is still surprising researchers with superlative discoveries. Sharon Walker is quoted. 

One year later, researchers are marveling at the power of the Hunga Tonga explosion—and wondering how to monitor hundreds of other undersea volcanoes. Sharon Walker is quoted. 

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga undersea volcano in the Pacific Ocean early this year was so powerful that it sent a massive plume of water vapor into space, according to research released Monday. A volcano launching water beyond the atmosphere had never before been observed by scientists. The research underscores the unusually violent nature of the eruption — and highlights the broader risks from undersea volcanoes. Sharon Walker is quoted from the AGU Press Conference held on Monday, December 12. 

Extreme weather and ocean events are on the rise around the world, due largely to human-caused climate change. But to fully understand these changes—and, ideally, to predict when and where they may occur in the future—researchers and policymakers must also take into account naturally occurring climate variability, suggests new research published in Nature Communications and led by the University of Colorado Boulder. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

There is danger lurking on the floor of the Bering and Chukchi seas for mussels, snails, clams, worms and other cold-water invertebrates, according to a new study led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists. Muyin Wang is part of the study. 

COOS BAY, Ore. — When the earth shakes off the Oregon coast, geologists say it's a reminder to be prepared. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, last week dozens of earthquakes rumbled near the Blanco Fracture Zone in a matter of days. Bob Dziak is quoted. 

...Not too far down the coast, piles of dead Dungeness crab washed ashore on Kalaloch Beach this summer. Meanwhile, fishers have shared stories about hoisting up dead or suffocating crabs in their pots, said Jenny Waddell, research ecologist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Now, scientists are working to understand how climate change is affecting Dungeness crab, which is both culturally significant and a pillar of Washington’s seafood industry. PMEL's Richard Feely is quoted. 

Gliders, saildrones, Argo floats, and self-driving submarines: meet the new generation of robots that are testing technical boundaries and changing the face of oceanography. Greg Johnson is quoted in the "Argo Innovations" side bar in Chapter 3. 

Right now, a broad plume of cool water has pooled in the Pacific Ocean, west of South America. It's the signature of La Niña.  While Australia waits to see whether La Niña will be declared, the United States has already called it, using slightly less stringent criteria. Mike McPhaden is featured. 

SEA-KIT International’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer has returned from an initial survey mission inside the caldera of the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HT–HH) volcano carrying a plethora of data and imagery to fill important gaps in current understanding and knowledge of the seamount and water above it. Sharon Walker is quoted. 

Australia’s east coast could be hit by a rare “triple La Niña” that brings flooding rains and cooler weather for the third summer in a row, a senior US government scientist says. Experts say the prospect of a triple La Niña is real, but there is disagreement between different computer models and Australia could yet avoid a return of summer floods. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

In the cold, choppy waters of Alaska’s Resurrection Bay, all eyes were on the gray water, looking for one thing only. It wasn’t a spout from humpback whales that power through this scenic fjord, or a sea otter lazing on its back, munching a king crab. Instead, everyone aboard the Nanuq, a University of Alaska Fairbanks research vessel, was looking where a 5-foot-long, bright pink underwater sea glider surfaced. Richard Feely is quoted.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is developing new research technology to better understand the changing ecosystems of the Arctic. It plans to debut one such piece of technology, the Oculus Coastal Glider, summer 2022 to study the Bering Sea. Phyllis Stabeno is quoted from the Strait Science seminar.

In the second episode of this two-part series, the search continues for signs of what happened on the day the dinosaurs died. Vasily Titov is featured discussing tsunami at around 10:33