NOAA

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They Were Just Testing Gear. Then Came the Surprise

Ocean researchers stumble upon a shipwreck off the coast of Florida

(Newser) - Shipwrecks are typically discovered after meticulous research and endless hours of searching the ocean floor. In this case, however, one was found entirely by accident. Ocean researchers testing equipment 160 miles off the coast of Florida came across a wreck of a ship they believe was constructed in the mid-1800s,...

Hurricane Michael: Even Worse Than We Thought

The NOAA says it was really a rare Category 5 hurricane

(Newser) - Hurricane Michael was "unimaginable." It crushed entire Gulf Coast communities and killed dozens when it struck Florida last October. Now we know it was also the worst hurricane to hit America in 26 years, the BBC reports. Initially designated Category Four, Michael was upgraded Friday to Category Five...

Think the Last 4 Years Were Hot? Brace Yourself

British meteorologists are predicting the next five years will be hotter

(Newser) - While 2018 was the fourth-warmest year on record, British meteorologists are predicting the next five years will be much hotter, maybe even record-breaking. Two US agencies, the United Kingdom Met Office, and the World Meteorological Organization analyzed global temperatures in slightly different ways, but each came to the same conclusion...

A Wiggly New Problem for Endangered Seals

Juvenile Hawaiian monk seals spotted with eels in their noses

(Newser) - Endangered Hawaiian monk seals have enough to contend with —sharks, habitat loss, limited prey, nets —without eels wiggling in their noses. Yet NOAA researchers are noting just how much trouble an eel in the nose can cause after sharing a photo of an afflicted seal looking rather uncomfortable...

Giant Antarctic Ice 'Cork' Is Deteriorating

Scientists prepping for $27.5M study of Thwaites Glacier, how sea level rise will be affected

(Newser) - An Antarctic glacier is losing so much ice that it contributed to about 4% of the planet's total sea level rise in recent years—and scientists are now concerned this rapid melting could remove one of the few "corks" keeping the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at bay. That'...

We Spent More Money Than Ever on Weather Disasters

Credit 3 hurricanes, wildfires, hail, flooding, tornadoes, and drought in 2017

(Newser) - With three strong hurricanes, wildfires, hail, flooding, tornadoes, and drought, the United States tallied a record high bill last year for weather disasters: $306 billion. The US had 16 disasters last year with damage exceeding a billion dollars, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday. That ties 2011 for...

Officials Fear Whale Facing Extinction

Rare right whales' numbers are dwindling after 17 died this year

(Newser) - Scientists are raising a red flag over the future of endangered right whales after a high number died in 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that there are only about 450 North Atlantic right whales left after 17 were reported dead this year, according to Phys.org...

Forecasters Say It'll Be a Warmer Winter for Most Americans

It'll be drier in the South and wetter in the northern part of the lower 48, center says

(Newser) - People in small parts of the Northwest, northern Plains, and parts of Alaska are going to have a colder winter than usual this year, while most other Americans can expect a milder-than-average winter, according to the NOAA's latest forecast. Mike Halpert of the Climate Prediction Center says there will...

These Whales Are Rarely Seen. Scientists Spotted 2

Pair of rare right whales photographed in Bering Sea

(Newser) - Federal researchers studying critically endangered North Pacific right whales sometimes go years without finding their subjects. Last weekend, they got lucky, per the AP . A research vessel in the Bering Sea photographed two of the animals Sunday and obtained a biopsy sample from one, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

NOAA: 2016's Weather Was Far From Normal

'Very extreme' year is concerning, scientists say

(Newser) - Last year's global weather was far more extreme or record-breaking than anything approaching normal, according to a new report. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual checkup of the Earth on Thursday, highlighting numerous records including hottest year, highest sea level, and lowest sea ice in...

NOAA: Get Ready for a Wild Hurricane Season

Weak or non-existent El Niño could mean an above average number of storms

(Newser) - US government forecasters expect warm ocean waters will fuel an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast calls for 11 to 17 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. Two to four hurricanes could be "major" with sustained winds of at least 111mph, reports the...

Rare Monk Seal Finds Way Into Fish Farm, Dies

Hawaii officials investigate incident at NOAA-funded facility

(Newser) - An endangered Hawaiian monk seal has died after wandering into a net pen and becoming trapped at a fish farm funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii. Officials with NOAA said the death of the 10-year-old monk seal happened at Blue Ocean Mariculture, the same fish farm...

Trump Administration Planning Big Budget Cuts for NOAA

Cuts could hamper country's ability to deal with effects of climate change

(Newser) - The Trump administration looks likely to do serious damage to the country's ability to research climate change and deal with its effects in favor of "rebuilding the military." The Washington Post got its hands on an administration memo detailing a 17% budget cut to the National Oceanic...

New Satellite Sends Back 'Jaw-Dropping' Images of Earth

GOES-16 lifted off from Cape Canaveral last November

(Newser) - GOES-16, the fancy new satellite developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is sending its first photos back to Earth since it lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 19, and the high-res results are causing astronomers and meteorologists to squeal with delight. One developer compared it to seeing...

Scientists Blame People for 3rd 'Hottest Year' in a Row

Human impact 'no longer subtle' on global warming that made 2016 hottest year ever

(Newser) - Everyone kind of knew this was coming , but many are still sweating at the news. Data for 2016 has been released, and it's official that last year was the hottest year on record, following 2014 and 2015 in holding this status, the Guardian reports. NASA and NOAA released their...

How This Satellite Could Save Lives
How This Satellite
Could Save Lives

How This Satellite Could Save Lives

New GOES-R spacecraft rocketed into space Saturday night

(Newser) - The most advanced weather satellite ever built rocketed into space Saturday night, part of an $11 billion effort to revolutionize forecasting and save lives. This new GOES-R spacecraft will track US weather as never before: hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, volcanic ash clouds, wildfires, lightning storms, even solar flares. Indeed, about 50...

Scientists Might've Accidentally Killed an Endangered Orca

Tracking dart possibly led to fungal infection

(Newser) - Scientists hoping to protect endangered orcas might have inadvertently killed one instead. A killer whale tagged by NOAA researchers in Washington state in February turned up dead in British Columbia five weeks later, reports the CBC . On Wednesday, US researchers released a report suggesting the 20-year-old whale, known as L95,...

Atlantic Could See More Hurricanes Than in Recent Years

NOAA expects four to eight hurricanes in 2016

(Newser) - Residents along the Eastern Seaboard might want to start preparing, mentally at least, for a more hurricane-heavy year than they've had recently. After three years of below-normal hurricane seasons in the Atlantic, 2016 is shaping up to be closer to normal, NOAA reports. There's a 70% chance this...

Ghostlike Octopus From the Deep Shocks Scientists

It's likely the deepest finless octopus ever seen and a brand new species

(Newser) - NOAA scientists exploring the ocean depths off the coast of Hawaii may have just discovered a new species of octopus, and boy is it adorable. Gizmodo describes the tiny creature as something out of Pixar or Pokemon, while a NOAA blog post calls it ghostlike. But a scientist overheard on...

2015 Was Hottest Year on Record— by a Longshot

The data is in, not looking good for climate change

(Newser) - Last year was not just the hottest year since reporting started in 1880—it was the hottest year by a long shot, based on NASA and NOAA data released Wednesday. The average global temperature in 2015 "shattered the previous mark set in 2014 by 0.23 degrees Fahrenheit,"...

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