Environment: Understanding the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Unfortunately, incidents that cause marine debris are an unavoidable part of life. Events like severe storms, floods, tsunamis, or maritime disasters can all result in a large influx of debris. To improve preparedness for response to and recovery from such events, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is facilitating planning efforts in coastal states. These efforts work to outline existing response structures at the local, state, and federal levels, capturing all relevant responsibilities and existing procedures into one guidance document for easy reference. The process first includes the development of the guidance document, followed by drills to test response effectiveness, and finally, supporting the integration of this information into other existing response plans.

NOAA is investing $4.5 million over the next four years in four projects testing technology to enhance Tropical Pacific Ocean observing, which improves understanding of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), its prediction, and how it affects Earth’s weather.

(By Lauren Drakopulos, Washington Sea Grant) To paraphrase an old saying, “There’s no use crying over spilled oil.” But many people in Washington worry a lot about oil pollution in Puget Sound and other coastal waters around the state.

The Great Lakes are a vital shipping channel for the U.S., annually carrying billions of dollars of cargo to and from the Atlantic. They also contain 20 percent of the world's freshwater, have 10,000 miles of coast, and—much like the ocean—the waters of the Great Lakes heavily influence the climate in the region. Knowing what's happening and forecasting what's to come in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario keep us safer, healthier, and economically sound.

The Fourth of July is almost here and that means it’s time to celebrate! As you enjoy this holiday weekend, make sure that you’re thinking not only of our country, but of our environment, and keep your celebration debris-free! Take some of these tips into consideration when planning your festivities.

CPO’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections program will co-sponsor the Forecasting ENSO Impacts on Marine Ecosystems of the US West Coast workshop on August 10 and 11 in San Diego, California.

(By James Whetstone, Special Assistant to the NIST Director for Greenhouse Gas and Climate Science Measurements) Greenhouse gases, or GHGs as we call them, stream out of power plants, seep out of landfills, flow from vehicle traffic and rise from commercial buildings and homes. Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs are nearly ubiquitous, and this makes them difficult to measure. But countries around the world are working to reduce these emissions, and decision-makers need real-time feedback on how well their efforts are working. For this reason, accurately measuring emissions is more important than ever.

Have you ever looked under a microscope at what’s in a sample of ocean water? What do you think you would find?

These days, chances are you would spot tiny bits of plastic known as microplastics, which are less than 5 millimeters long (about the size of a sesame seed).

(By Michelle K. Lee, USPTO Director) Climate change is both a real and a growing threat. Federal agencies such as the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) demonstrate this threat regularly through powerful statistics. For example, 15 of the 16 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001, and last year officially marked the warmest year ever recorded.  Additionally, May 2016 was the 13th consecutive warmest month on record and the warmest May on record for the globe. And while global sea levels rose about 6.7 inches over the course of the 20th Century, that rate has nearly doubled in just the last decade.

Reporters are invited to a briefing at Ohio State University for NOAA’s 2016 harmful algal bloom forecast for Lake Erie on Thursday, July 7. The briefing, hosted by Ohio Sea Grant Program and Stone Laboratory, will also offer laboratory demonstrations and a boat trip to conduct water sampling on Lake Erie.

Part 2 looks into the causes of the scorching hot temperatures in the U.S. Southwest in mid-June 2016. The culprit? A large area of high pressure that let the air bake under cloudless skies.

NOAA today announced the appointment of 15 members to the new Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment . The committee will advise NOAA on sustained climate assessment activities and products, including engagement of stakeholders. NOAA will ensure the committee’s advice is provided to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for use by the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a confederation of the research arms of 13 federal departments and agencies, which carry out research and develop and maintain capabilities to support the Nation’s understanding and response to global change. OSTP requested NOAA lead the federal advisory committee.

The Climate Program Office's Barbara Eubanks received the Silver Sherman Award on June 22, 2016, for going above and beyond her normal responsibilities to help fulfill NOAA’s mission. 

The National Centers for Environmental Information released the latest update of the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (release 3.0).