News & Features

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Dr. Alexander E. “Sandy” MacDonald, of NOAA, used Science on a Sphere® to illustrate how climate change will transform the planet if humans do not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

In the summer of 2007, as oyster growers and hatchery managers in Washington state were experiencing yet another failed oyster harvest, Dr. Richard Feely set off on a research cruise to find out if the seawater itself was the culprit…

In NOAA's version of CSI, Marty Hoerling leads a group of climate and weather researchers who investigate killer climate patterns—heat waves, tornadoes, and floods—to figure out what may have triggered them.

For years, people have been pointing to El Niño as the culprit behind floods, droughts, famines, economic failures, and record-breaking global heat. Can a single climate phenomenon really cause all these events? Is the world just a step away from disaster when El Niño conditions develop?

In May and June each year, speculation about the coming of the monsoon fills newspapers and conversations across India. Everyone is concerned about if, when, and how much rain will arrive. But none have more at stake than India’s over 100 million farming households.

Global land and sea surface temperatures in August 2009 broke several records. The world’s ocean surface temperature was the warmest for any August on record.

Coral reefs are important and productive ocean ecosystems, providing shelter and protection for diverse sea life. NOAA's latest seasonal outlook for coral bleaching shows potential for bleaching along the Pacific coast of Mexico and islands in the equatorial central Pacific Ocean.

On September 12, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic reached the third lowest level ever recorded since satellite records began in 1979. Only 2007 and 2008 have had smaller ice extents than 2009.

As the ocean absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide, the pH of the water drops. The more acidic water harms corals and other shell-building sea life.

Improved computer models help scientists understand Earth’s ocean.