Category: Environment

Sudden Stratospheric Warming Could Mean Wild Winter Storms

1/11/2021 - By Jeff Berardelli. In the span of a week, from late December to early January, temperatures high in the atmosphere above the Arctic jumped by 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While this may sound alarming, it's a natural phenomenon that happens every couple of years, but experts say human-caused climate change may be… SEE MORE

Jellyfish Build Walls of Water to Swim Around the Ocean

1/8/2021 - By Kenneth Chang. Locomotion through the seas can be arduous. Water is more viscous than air, and so underwater creatures must overcome strong frictional resistance as they swim. To make things more difficult, liquid water provides nothing solid to push off against. But lowly jellyfish, which have swum in the… SEE MORE

Jellyfish

Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Mel Melcon

2020 Took Weather to New Extremes

1/4/2021 - By Matthew Cappucci and Jason Samenow. As most of us are breathing a sigh of relief that 2020 is over, many meteorologists are doing the same thing. The year featured devastating wildfires and hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos and flooding, and just about everything else the atmosphere has to offer. Wildfires and… SEE MORE

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/noaa-scientists-virtually-discover-new-species-comb-jelly-near-puerto-rico

NOAA Scientists Virtually Discover New Species Near Puerto Rico

1/4/2021 - A NOAA Fisheries research team discovered Duobrachium sparksae, a new species of ctenophore, or comb jelly. The discovery was made during an underwater expedition led by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. The new species and a new virtual method of describing and documenting the discovery are both explained in Plankton and Benthos… SEE MORE

A New Population of Blue Whales Was Discovered Hiding in the Indian Ocean

12/28/2020 - By Katherine J. Wu. Weighing up to 380,000 pounds and stretching some 100 feet long, the blue whale — the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth — might at first seem difficult for human eyes and ears to miss. But a previously unknown population of the leviathans has… SEE MORE

blue whales

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Best Kids Fishing Destinations in California

12/21/2020 - By Sean Ward of OnTrackFishing.com Headed to California for your next vacation? Whether you’re a native of the Golden State or you’re a first-time visitor to the area, what you need to know is that California offers some of the best fishing opportunities. You don’t have to be an expert… SEE MORE

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Archaeologists Could Help Bring Otters Back From the Dead

12/16/2020 - By Joshua Sokol. From 1969 to 1971, the United States was testing nuclear weapons beneath one of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, worryingly close to some of the world’s few surviving sea otters. The subterranean explosions prompted conservation managers to carry out a daring plan. First, they netted some Alaskan sea otters.… SEE MORE

Otters

King Tides May Bring Major Waves to Pacific Northwest this Weekend

12/11/2020 - By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff. This month’s King Tides session along the Oregon and Washington coast promises to be a biggie, maybe even larger than usual. In Washington and Oregon, the king tides happen December 13 to 15 along the coastlines, while Washington’s inland seas / Puget Sound see it on… SEE MORE

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/historical-probability-of-white-christmas

What are Your Chances for a White Christmas this Year?

12/11/2020 - For those of you dreaming of a white Christmas, this map depicts which places have the best chance of being a winter wonderland according to weather history. The “Historical Probability of a White Christmas” map shows the climatological probability of at least 1 inch of snow being on the ground… SEE MORE

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Rare ‘Christmas Star’ Will Appear in the Sky for 1st Time in 800 Years

12/11/2020 - By Scott Stump. Four days before Christmas, the sky will offer a sight that hasn't been seen since the Middle Ages and may have inspired one of the Bible's most famous stories. The two largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will be so close to one another… SEE MORE