NOAA releases draft proposal to expand Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA today released for public comment a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and proposed rule for expanding the boundaries of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron from its current 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles.

2012 ranks as 2nd costliest year with 11 billion-dollar disasters causing more than $110 billion in damages

Sandy caused approximately $65 billion and drought nearly $30 billion in damage, according to a final report by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center.

Contiguous United States cooler and slightly wetter than average during Spring 2013

According to NOAA scientists, the average temperature for the contiguous United States during the spring season (March-May) was 50.5°F, 0.5°F below the 20th-century average, making it the 38th coolest spring on record. The average May temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 61.0°F, 0.9°F above the 20th-century average and the 40th warmest May on record.

Scientists find ancient microbes in Antarctic lake

In one of the most remote lakes of Antarctica, nearly 65 feet (19.8 meters) beneath the icy surface, scientists have uncovered a community of bacteria.

Drygalski Ice Tongue, Antarctica

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Ice sheet loss at both poles increasing, study finds

An international team of experts has produced the most comprehensive and accurate assessment to date of ice sheet losses in Greenland and Antarctica and their contributions to sea level rise.

Predators affect the carbon cycle, study shows

A new study shows that the predator-prey relationship can affect the flow of carbon through an ecosystem. This previously unmeasured influence on the environment may offer a new way of looking at biodiversity management and carbon storage for climate change.

Underwater springs reveal how coral reefs respond to ocean acidification

Ocean acidification due to rising carbon dioxide levels will reduce the density of coral skeletons, making coral reefs more vulnerable to disruption and erosion, according to a new study of corals growing where submarine springs naturally lower the pH of seawater. The study is the first to show that corals are not able to fully acclimate to low pH conditions in nature.

NASA's 2013 HS3 hurricane mission to delve into Saharan dust

NASA's 2013 Hurricane and Severe Storms Sentinel or HS3 mission will investigate whether Saharan dust and its associated warm and dry air, known as the Saharan Air Layer or SAL, favors or suppresses the development of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. The effects of Saharan dust on tropical cyclones is a controversial area of science. During the 2012 campaign, NASA's Global Hawk unmanned aircraft gathered valuable data on the dust layer that swirled around Tropical Storm Nadine for several days.