April was cool, wet and had more snow on the ground for the contiguous U.S.; April temperatures were coolest since 1997

According to NOAA scientists, the average temperature for the contiguous United States during April was 49.7°F, 1.4°F below the 20th-century average. It was the 23rd coolest April on record. Below-average temperatures dominated the central United States.

First GOES-R instrument ready to be installed onto spacecraft

The first of six instruments that will fly on GOES-R, NOAA’s next-generation of geostationary operational environmental satellites, has been completed seven months before its scheduled installation onto the spacecraft.

NOAA releases final report of Sandy service assessment

After a thoughtful and deliberate review, today NOAA released a report on the National Weather Service’s performance during hurricane/post tropical cyclone Sandy. The report, Hurricane/Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy Service Assessment, reaffirms that the National Weather Service provided accurate forecasts for Sandy, giving people early awareness of the significant storm churning toward the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

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

Take a peek at our latest Earth image of the week. If you like it, download it!

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.

Frogs, salamanders and climate change

Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns can lead to declines in southeastern frog and salamander populations, but protecting ponds can improve their plight.

Reading rock to understand how climate change unfolds

Geologists reads rock, looking for the natural rules that govern the Earth’s climate in the absence of human activity. New work is challenging many assumptions about the ways drastic climate change unfolds – and what to expect next.

Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards: Study contradicts predictions of widespread extinction

Climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.