Category: Science

Image Credits: MARCH 20, 2025: At NOAA's South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, a wave of snow frames Dark Sector telescopes, giving a final glimpse of sunlight before six months of darkness. (Image credit: Ian Crocker/NOAA)

Last Light at South Pole Brings 6 Months of Darkness

4/5/2025 - By noaa.gov. In the Northern Hemisphere, March 20 signals the start of spring. It's the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere, where researchers and staff at NOAA’s South Pole Observatory recently witnessed the fading light of the sun and the start of six months of darkness. “As the sun gets low on… SEE MORE

Imaage Credits: The TIROS-1 satellite. Credit: NASA

Celebrating 65 Years of the World’s First Weather Satellite

4/3/2025 - By nesdid.noaa.gov. On April 1, 1960, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched TIROS-1, the world’s first successful meteorological satellite. Nearly 68 years ago, on October 4, 1957, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to be successfully placed in orbit around Earth. This feat… SEE MORE

Image Credits: What the collision that spawned Earth's Moon may have looked like. Collisions between Earth and rocky debris in the early solar system would have kept the surface molten and surface temperatures blistering. Image courtesy NASA.

What’s the Hottest Earth’s Ever Been?

3/12/2025 - By Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey. Our 4.54-billion-year-old planet probably experienced its hottest temperatures in its earliest days, when it was still colliding with other rocky debris (planetesimals) careening around the solar system. The heat of these collisions would have kept Earth molten, with top-of-the-atmosphere temperatures upward of 3,600° Fahrenheit.… SEE MORE

Fish swimming around a colorful coral reef

Optics Technology: At the Heart of Marine Research

2/26/2025 - By NOAA Fisheries Videos and images from advanced underwater cameras are a critical component of collecting data. We use this information to make informed management decisions for marine species and habitat. At NOAA Fisheries, optics technology plays a major role in gathering data to better understand our marine and coastal… SEE MORE

Hurricane satellite image, taken Oct 9, 2024 Photo by NOAA

Essential Data for a Changing Coast: NOAA, National Weather Service, National Ocean Service

2/25/2025 - by US Harbors The National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Ocean Service (NOS), both offices of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), provide life-saving weather and tidal forecasting in the U.S.. Weather forecasting from the NWS is used daily to ensure that farmers’ crops are protected, safe travel plans… SEE MORE

Gray Whales on the Rebound: Signs of Hope Despite Challenges

2/24/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. North Pacific gray whale population increases after declines. California's gray whales are an iconic and beloved species, visible to spectators even from shore during their migrations. The whales feed up in the Arctic and sub-Arctic waters in the North Pacific, then migrate all the way down the coast of… SEE MORE

The Bowheads of Baffin Island

2/14/2025 - By Tyee Bridge. New tools—from drones to crossbows to suction-cup cameras—are helping researchers understand bowhead whales in the Canadian Arctic. Bowhead whales are fascinating creatures—even by whale standards. Named for their arched mouths, which happen to be the largest maws of any animal⁠, these whales are now also believed to… SEE MORE

Scientists Solve the Mystery of Sea Turtles’ ‘Lost Years’

2/9/2025 - By Christina Larson. Using satellite trackers, scientists have discovered the whereabouts of young sea turtles during a key part of their lives. “We’ve had massive data gaps about the early baby to toddler life stages of sea turtles,” said Kate Mansfield, a marine scientist at the University of Central Florida. “This part… SEE MORE

Arctic Tundra Becoming Source of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

1/31/2025 - By noaa.gov. 2024 Arctic Report Card tracks rapid, complex Arctic change. After storing carbon dioxide in frozen soil for millennia, the Arctic tundra is being transformed by frequent wildfires into an overall source of carbon to the atmosphere, which is already absorbing record levels of heat-trapping fossil fuel pollution. The… SEE MORE

New Data for Improved Navigation in the Upper Hudson River

1/30/2025 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov. Real-time data on coastal conditions will support improved maritime navigation in New York. Navigating New York waterways just got a bit easier. NOAA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced the establishment of the Hudson River Estuary Physical Oceanographic Real-time System (PORTS®). The system delivers real-time… SEE MORE