PMEL Scientist Receives 2013 Georg Wüst Prize
Week of April 29, 2013
NOAA/PMEL Oceanographer Gregory C. Johnson received the 2013 Georg Wüst Prize for outstanding achievement in marine science from the German Society for Marine Research in an 8 April ceremony at the European Geosciences Union's General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. This biennial prize is sponsored by Springer Verlag's Ocean Dynamics. Immediately prior to the award, Dr. Johnson gave a keynote science lecture entitled "Warming, Contraction, and Freshening of Antarctic Bottom Water since the 1990s, with a Potential Ice-Sheet Melt Feedback".
New Research Predicts a Nearly Ice Free Summer Arctic Before 2050
April 16, 2013
Dr. James Overland of PMEL and Dr. Muyin Wang of JISAO recently published a paper in Geophysical Research Letters looking at three methods of predicting when the Arctic will be nearly ice free in the summer. They predict a nearly ice free summer arctic before 2050, sooner than many previously thought.
Scientists From the PMEL EcoFOCI Project Cruise the Gulf of Alaska
Week of April 8, 2013
This April, PMEL and JISAO (University of Washington) scientists with EcoFOCI embark on a month-long research cruise in the Gulf of Alaska on the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson. Scientists will be studying hydrography, nutrients, chlorophyll, and primary production, as well as sampling zooplankton and larval fish abundance as part of the multi-year Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program.
You can follow along with scientists and technicians as they work in the Gulf of Alaska on the JISAO blog.
UW-PMEL Study Examines Freshening of Antarctic Bottom Water
Week of March 27, 2013
University of Washington Ph.D. student Sarah Purkey along with PMEL’s Dr. Gregory Johnson have analyzed full-depth, ship-based measurements taken along repeat oceanographic sections around the Southern Ocean from the 1980s-2000s. Their new study, which appears online in the Journal of Climate, quantifies freshening of Antarctic Bottom Water, strongest adjacent to where ice sheets have been melting in recent decades.
New Study Shows Some Coastlines Face Double Whammy From Tsunamis
Week of March 4, 2013
In a paper published February 27 at the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, scientists from PMEL and JISAO with others explain why, in some cases, tsunami inundation far exceeds what one expects. Lessons learned from tsunamis, such as the one observed in northern Japan in 2011 will help scientists better identify locations that are “tsunami magnets”, and thus help save lives in the future.
New Study Shows Strong El Niño Signal With Satellites
Week of February 7, 2013
PMEL’s Dr. Ed Harrison and JISAO’s Dr. Andy Chiodi co-authored a paper published online on February 7 in the Journal of Climate that finds a new way to identify which El Niño events will have the biggest impact on U.S. winter weather. They examined an indicator known as outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) and found that El Niño events with drops in OLR were most likely to be associated with winter weather.
PMEL Participates in Utah Air Quality Study
Week of January 23, 2013
PMEL’s Atmospheric Chemistry group will be in Utah from January 24 through February participating in the second year of the Utah Air Quality Study to determine what is causing high levels of ozone during winter in the oil and gas production fields in Utah. PMEL’s role is to measure properties of atmospheric particles and snow, including chemical composition, to assess their role in ozone production.
PIRATA Array Monitors Tropical Atlantic Ocean
Week of January 9, 2013
PMEL technicians departed the week of January 7 for a 7-week cruise on the NOAA Ship Ronald H.Brown in the Northeast Atlantic to service moorings in the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Atlantic (PIRATA). PMEL will be deploying 5 moorings at 4 PIRATA sites.
The PIRATA array was established in 1997 in partnership with France and Brazil and studies ocean-atmosphere interactions in the tropical Atlantic. Visit the PIRATA web page for more information.
Argo Float Makes One Millionth Profile
Week of December 11, 2012
The worldwide Argo float array of over 3,000 devices made its one-millionth profile in the beginning of December. Measuring temperature and salinity in the first 3,000 feet of the ocean, the Argo float array helps scientists better understand changes in ocean heat content and salinity.
PMEL currently has 476 active Argo floats mostly in the Pacific Ocean, making up 13% of the worldwide array. You can find out more about PMEL’s Argo floats and where they are located on their website.
2012 Arctic Report Card Breaks Records
Week of December 5, 2012
The Arctic region continued to break records in 2012 - among them, the loss of summer sea ice, late spring snow cover, and melting of the Greenland ice sheet - as the region settles into a new state. This was true even though air temperatures in the Arctic were unremarkable relative to the last decade.
Major findings include record lows in snow and Arctic sea ice extent, record setting glacier and Greenland ice sheet melt, and greening of the tundra, with varied impacts on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Publication Documents First Evidence of Ocean Acidification Affecting Marine Organisms
Week of November 26, 2012
In a study published November 25 online in Nature Geoscience, PMEL's Dr. Nina Bednarsek and co-authors describes the first evidence of anthropogenic carbon dioxide dissolving the shells of marine snails, known as pteropods, in the Southern Ocean. These findings, discovered during a 2008 science cruise, are some of the first documenting the impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms in their natural environment.
PMEL's Dr. Richard Feely is a co-author. For more information on ocean acidification please visit the PMEL Carbon website.
PMEL Tsunami Scientists Model Recent Tsunami Event
Week of November 14, 2012
Scientists at NOAA’s Center for Tsunami Research at PMEL modeled the most recent tsunami event at the end of October. On October 27 a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of British Columbia and sent measurable tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami wave size and arrival times were accurately predicted for many U.S. coastline communities thanks in part to PMEL’s tsunami forecast model and tsunami detection buoys (DART®). Scientists will use this data to help further refine their models to assist with future tsunami events.
Please visit the tsunami event page to see model comparisons with actual tide gage data.
PMEL Helps Reconstruct the Historical Climate of the Arctic
Week of October 24, 2012
JISAO scientist, Dr. Kevin Wood, along with NOAA and the U.S. National Archives are teaming with Old Weather and thousands of citizen volunteers to transcribe climate data from historical ship logbooks into modern digital formats that can be used to extend modern global climate data sets to earlier times in order to better understand the climate of today.
Visit the new Arctic Rediscovery website which includes a gallery of photos revealing fascinating details of life on historical ships in the Bering Sea/Arctic, related student projects, and other resources.
PMEL Led Study Describes Changing Arctic Winds
Week of October 10, 2012
A study led by PMEL's Dr James Overland, published in the October 10 issue of Geophysical Research Letters, shows how changes in summer Arctic wind patterns contribute not only to unprecedented loss of Arctic sea ice, but could also bring about shifts in North American and European weather.
Dr. Overland and others shows a change in the summer Arctic wind pattern over the past six years when compared to patterns for the previous 20 years. For more information see the NOAA press release.
PMEL Participates in Atlantic Ocean NASA Study
Week of September 24, 2012
PMEL engineers have successfully deployed two moorings in the Atlantic Ocean as part of NASA’s multi-year Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The moorings are the first to a PMEL invented device, called a prawler that crawls up and down the mooring line measuring temperature and salinity along the way. The prawler, about the size of a paint can, will measure the upper 1,600 feet of the ocean and uses wave energy to crawl back to the top to begin another profile.
Scientists Return to West Mata Underwater Volcano Range
Week of September 9, 2012
PMEL’s Dr. Bob Embley and JISAO’s Dr. Joe Resing will lead an expedition back to the NE Lau Basin near Fiji to map hydrothermal sites and re-visit the explosive West Mata volcano. Discovered in 2008, the West Mata volcano is the deepest active underwater volcano ever caught on film (watch how it was discovered in the YouTube video above).
You can follow along with the expedition on NOAA’s Ocean Explorer website from September 9-26, which includes daily logs and a live feed from the seafloor.
First Study to Estimate Total Tsunami Energy Published
Week of August 22, 2012
When using the new energy estimate in tsunami computer models, the model results matched actual tsunami flood levels along the coast of Japan with much higher accuracy than models run without the energy estimate. These results will help scientists to further improve the tsunami forecast system. Read more
PMEL Carbon Group Surveys U.S. West Coast
Week of July 27, 2012
The Carbon Group in partnership with PMEL engineers will be sailing, gliding and diving their way along the West Coast from July to September to continue time series measurements of carbon dioxide and ocean acidification conditions along the coast.
By using data from ships, buoys, surface and subsurface gliders, PMEL and partners hope to demonstrate how all these observation systems can work together to help paint a more accurate picture of ocean acidification off the U.S. West Coast. Explore more at the Carbon Group website.
NOAA Science Camp Celebrates 10 Years
Week of July 6, 2012
PMEL and University of Washington scientists will help campers turn into oceanographers at the 10th annual NOAA Science Camp in Seattle, Washington the weeks of July 9th and 16th. Middle school campers will get to experience what it is like to be an oceanographer by using instruments to measure physical properties of the water and atmosphere as well as getting the chance to see a working buoy in the water and learn how PMEL uses buoys to gather data around the world.
NOAA Vents Scientists Discover Precursors to Undersea Eruption
Week of June 19, 2012
Recently published papers on Axial Seamount in the journal Nature Geoscience present, for the first time, precursory signals recorded by seafloor instruments before an undersea volcanic eruption. NOAA and Oregon State University scientists Dr. Bill Chadwick and Dr. Bob Dziak suggest that such signals could be used to issue both long-term and short-term forecasts of future eruptions at the site.
PMEL Contributes to New Bering Sea Research
June 6, 2012
Bering Sea marine mammals, birds, and fish are shifting where they eat, bear their young, and make their homes in response to changes in sea ice extent and duration. These patterns of change are documented in a special issue of the journal of Deep Sea Research II now available online with many authors from PMEL’s Ecosystem & Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations program.
PMEL Deploys Adopt a Drifter Buoy for Local High School
Week of May 22, 2012
PMEL scientists with the Fisheries Oceanographyprogram helped deploy a drifter adopted by Ballard High School's Oceanography class as part of NOAA’s Adopt a Drifter program. The drifter was lowered off the side of the NOAA ship Oscar Dysonin the Bering Sea and will travel with the ocean currents while students track its path and predict where it might go next.
For more information, please visit NOAA’s Adopt a Drifter program website.
PMEL to Participate in Seattle NOAA Open House
Week of May 7, 2012
Come explore, celebrate, learn and discover all that NOAA does in Seattle at an Open House on Friday June 8 as part of the 2012 Science Festival with the Pacific Science Center. Join us for guided tours, lectures, and films plus meet with real NOAA scientists and engineers to ask them those hard questions about what is happening to our planet.
New Study Shows Direct Link Between Ocean Acidity Oyster Larvae Mortality
Week of April 12, 2012
PMEL’s Dr. Richard Feely is one of the authors on a recently released article in Limnology and Oceanography providing the first concrete evidence in North America that carbon dioxide being taken up by the oceans is killing oyster larvae. Scientists found that when oyster larvae were exposed to deep, more corrosive waters they did not survive to adulthood.
For more information on ocean acidification and the research being done at PMEL please visit the Carbon Group web page.
Scientists Quantify Large Decrease in Antarctic Bottom Water
Week of March 20, 2012
PMEL scientists have found a large reduction in the amount of the coldest deep ocean water, called Antarctic Bottom Water, all around the Southern Ocean over the past few decades. Sarah Purkey, a University of Washington graduate student, and PMEL’s Dr. Gregory Johnson present these findings in Journal of Climate article now available online.
Changes in this water mass contribute to sea level rise and Earth’s heat uptake. Read more in the NOAA press release.
Nature Article Features PMEL Tsunami Research
Week of March 7, 2012
Lessons learned from the March 11, 2011 Tohoku tsunami are highlighted in a recent Nature article nearly a year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed over 18,000 people. This tsunami highlighted the need for a more accurate warning system for those shorelines closest the earthquake. Scientists at PMEL are working with international colleagues to develop a system that will be able to predict the severity of coastal flooding faster in order to issue accurate and timely warnings.
Oceanography Special Issue Highlights Over 20 Years of Research
Week of February 24, 2012
The NOAA Vents Program is proud to be a large part of a recently published special issue of Oceanography and supplement that focuses on over 20 years of research on mid ocean spreading centers and underwater volcanic activity. The RIDGE and Ridge 2000 programs are summarized in the special issue and features articles from many PMEL scientists including our University of Washington and Oregon State University partners.
For more information on ongoing research in the NOAA Vents Program please visit their website.
PMEL Participates in Collaborative Utah Air Pollution Study
Week of February 7, 2012
PMEL’s Atmospheric Chemistry group is currently taking part study to try and understand why ozone levels occasionally soar above health-based standards in the winter in rural Utah. PMEL’s role is to measure properties of atmospheric particles and snow, including chemical composition, to assess their role in ozone production.
Other participants include NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Laboratory, the EPA, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Utah State University and others.
Argo Floats Provide Accurate Ocean Heating Baseline Data
Week of January 23, 2012
Using Argo float data, scientists including PMEL’s Dr. Greg Johnson and JIMAR’s Dr. John Lyman, published a paper in Nature Geoscience that concludes the Earth has been accumulating heat continuously, mostly in the ocean, between 2001 and 2010. The paper describes how the heat balance measured at the top of the atmosphere is consistent with observed ocean warming, implying that there is probably no ‘missing energy’ in the system as had been suspected.
The Discovery of the West Mata Volcano
Week of January 4, 2012
Ever wonder how scientists discover underwater eruptions in some of the deepest depths of our ocean? Watch the latest YouTube video above to learn how PMEL and University of Washington scientists discovered one of the most explosive underwater eruptions caught on camera.
The West Mata volcano is located in the South Pacific and scientists hope to return to the volcano this year to capture more activity on film. Follow the Vents program online for more information.
2011 Arctic Report Card Released
Week of December 15, 2011
Released in the beginning of December the 2011 Arctic Report Card concludes that there are now a sufficient number of years of observational data to indicate a shift in the Arctic Ocean system since 2006. Persistent warming and record-setting changes are occurring throughout the Arctic environment with resultant impacts on Arctic ecosystems.
PMEL’s Drs. James Overland and Sue Moore contributed to the report that was prepared by an international team of 121 scientists from 14 different countries.
PMEL Scientists Publish in Nature
Week of December 1, 2011
Published December 1 in Nature, PMEL scientists Drs. Trish Quinn and Tim Bates explain why it’s time to retire a 25-year-old hypothesis that suggested phytoplankton might play a large role in regulating climate change. They analyzed observations and computer simulations from the past two decades and concluded that the role of phytoplankton emissions is much smaller than originally thought.
PMEL Contributes to Carbon Cycle Science Plan
Week of November 17, 2011
PMEL’s Dr. Chris Sabine is one of four co-leads on a new Carbon Cycle Science Plan just released. Sabine and other U.S. Scientists have developed a new, integrated, ten-year science plan to better understand the details of the Earth’s carbon cycle and the people’s role in it. The plan extends the focus to new questions including the emphasis that humans are an integral part of the global carbon cycle.
NOAA Vents Paper on Cover of Nature Geoscience
Week of November 7, 2011
The November issue of Nature Geoscience features the erupting West Mata volcano on its cover, discovered by NOAA Vents and university partner scientists 2.5 years ago. The paper included is the first published about this recently discovered active underwater eruption and describes the never before seen active boninite lava that contains information about the early stages of subduction in the northeastern Lau Basin.
Dr. Chris Sabine Named New PMEL Director
Week of October 18, 2011
Oceanographer Dr. Chris Sabine has been chosen as the next director of PMEL and will start on November 20. Dr. Sabine has been at PMEL since 1999 concentrating his research on the global carbon cycle and ocean acidification. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University with a major in marine science and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He will be the lab's 3rd director since PMEL's creation in 1974.
Please join PMEL in congratulating Dr. Sabine and welcome him to his new position. You can read more about Dr. Sabine in the NOAA press release.
PMEL Wave Gliders Measure Carbon off U.S. West Coast
Week of September 14, 2011
Last month PMEL's carbon and engineering groups deployed two autonomous wave powered research vessels to study ocean acidification along the Washington and Oregon coasts. These seven foot long vessels automatically measure surface water and atmospheric carbon dioxide, pH, temperature and salinity along a path determined by PMEL scientists who guide the vessels from the laboratory via satellite. This maiden voyage for these vessels is coordinated with traditional sampling approaches to ensure that these new technologies make the same high-quality measurements that are PMEL’s hallmark.
Scientists Participate in International DYNAMO Project
Week of August 31, 2011
Scientists from PMEL's Atmospheric Chemistry group, led by Drs. Tim Bates and Trish Quinn, will participate in the shipboard portion of the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) project that will study the Indian Ocean to help understand global climate and weather systems from the end of August through December.
Shipboard observations of aerosol, physical, chemical, optical, and cloud-nucleating properties in the coupled cloud-aerosol-precipitation system will be made to improve the understanding of the effects of aerosol particles on clouds and radiation transfer over the equatorial Indian Ocean.
Scientists Find Eruption at Undersea Volcano
Week of August 17, 2011
NOAA Vents Program with PMEL, Oregon State University, and University of Washington helped discover a new lava flow at Axial Seamount, supporting a forecast made by the scientists that an eruption would occur before 2014. Measurements show that the eruption occurred on April 6, 2011.
This is the first successful eruption forecast for a submarine volcano, and confirms that Axial Seamount is an excellent location for state-of-the-art studies of active submarine volcanic processes and how they impact ocean physical, chemical, and biological environments. For more information on this event please read the OSU press release.
Carbon Group Embarks on Ocean Acidification Study
Week of August 2, 2011
In support of NOAA’s new Ocean Acidification Program, scientists from PMEL's carbon group will begin a 22-day cruise on August 11 along the Pacific west coast to survey ocean acidification (OA) conditions and study the relationship between OA and the seasonal development of hypoxic conditions on the continental shelf. Funded by the NOAA Ocean Acidification and Global Carbon Cycle Programs, the cruise will sample at approximately 96 stations offshore from Washington to California. In conjunction with the cruise, repeat glider transects will be conducted and testing of new wave gliders will also occur to provide a large-scale picture of OA along the U.S. west coast.
NOAA Science Camp in its 9th Year
Week of July 18, 2011
PMEL and University of Washington scientists will help campers turn into oceanographers at the 9th annual NOAA Science Camp in Seattle, Washington the weeks of July 18th and 25th. Middle school campers will get to experience what it is like to be an oceanographer by using instruments to measure physical properties of the water and atmosphere as well as getting the chance to see a working buoy in the water and learn how PMEL uses buoys to gather data around the world.
NOAA Science Camp is sponsored by Washington Sea Grant. Check out their web page for a video and more information.
Remotely Operated Aircraft Measure Arctic Soot
Week of June 21, 2011
Scientists and engineers at PMEL recently returned from an expedition in the Arctic where they launched two small, new, remotely-operated, unmanned aircraft to measure black soot. The soot is produced by burning diesel fuel, agricultural fires, forest fires, and wood-burning stoves, and is transported by winds to the Arctic, where it darkens the surface of snow and ice, enhancing melting and solar warming.
The establishment of one new site this month will mark the occupation of 30 sites, with a total of 46 sites planned for the entire array. For more information, please visit the RAMA web site.
NOAA Updates Arctic Future Website
Week of May 24, 2011
NOAA has updated the Arctic Future website to reflect recent observations and add results in the Arctic Council 2011 Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic assessment. Other topics include: satellites show the Arctic losing summer sea ice for the past 30 years, an increased linkage between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, and glacier melt contributing to sea level rise.
PMEL Scientists Set Sail to Gulf of Alaska
Week of May 9, 2011
Scientists from PMEL’s Ecosystems & Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (EcoFOCI) group set sail on April 30 for the first major cruise of Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (GOA-IERP). Led by PMEL's Dr. Nancy Kachel, EcoFOCI and GOA-IERP will look at oceanographic and climate influences, and relationships between trophic levels in a changing ecosystem and will include zooplankton sampling, hydrographic measurements, water and iron sampling.
PMEL Scientists Fly Over Arctic to Help Understand Black Carbon
Week of April 12, 2011
PMEL scientists, Dr. Tim Bates and Dr. Patricia Quinn, will lead the US component of the Coordinated Investigation of Climate-Cryosphere Interactions (CICCI) project based out of Svalbard, Norway during the month of April. PMEL will fly two Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with sensors to measure aerosol properties to help understand the processes controlling the distribution of black carbon in the Arctic atmosphere.
PMEL Scientists Hear Japan Earthquake
Week of April 4, 2011
Using data from two hydrophones, Dr. Bob Dziak and his acoustics team at PMEL and Oregon State University captured the sounds of the March 11 Mw 9.0 earthquake that shook Japan and sent a tsunami wave across the Pacific Ocean. The hydrophones recorded the seismic and acoustic arrivals of the earthquake, known as P- and T-waves respectively.
PMEL Scientists Model Japan Tsunami Week of March 16, 2011
Research models developed at PMEL’s NOAA Center for Tsunami Research and installed at NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers accurately predicted the wave arrival time within 15 minutes for Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. West Coast during the Honshu tsunami event on March 11. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake was detected by a Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART®) 3 minutes after the earthquake and the tsunami was measured 25 minutes later.
For more information on this tsunami event, including colorful maps, wave height information for U.S. beaches, and a YouTube animation please visit the Honshu Event Page.
PMEL Launches YouTube Channel
Week of February 28, 2011
PMEL recently launched its own YouTube channel where you will find our stories and research come to life with videos, photos, and animations often narrated by the scientists that do the research. On the PMEL YouTube channel you can learn how a tsunami forecast is generated, listen to the sounds of the Arctic, watch an animation on the latest buoy technology, plus much more.
Carbon Group Launches New Website
Week of February 14, 2011
PMEL’s carbon group has launched a completely revised and enhanced website. The new site describes the wealth of activities the carbon group performs from ocean acidification research to using wave gliders to conduct important field work. You can also access the Carbon Groups extensive data set using a Google Earth interactive tool.
Recent Press Highlights Changes in Arctic Atmosphere Circulation
Week of January 27, 2011
In recent press, notably the New York Times, Arctic atmosphere circulation has been a hot topic. PMEL's Dr. Jim Overland explains that the Polar Vortex, a ring of winds circling the North Pole and providing a fence keeping cold air north, has broken down for the second year in a row. This breakdown allows cold air to spill south, affecting the U.S. East Coast and other regions.
PMEL Director Retires after 40 Years of Service to NOAA
Week of December 30, 2010
After 40 years of service to NOAA, Dr. Eddie Bernard will retire at the end of 2010. His career began in 1970 in the NOAA Corps and in 1982, he became the director of PMEL. A noted expert on tsunamis, Dr. Bernard received his PhD in Oceanography from Texas A&M University. During his time as director of PMEL, Dr. Bernard has received numerous honors and awards including two Department of Commerce Gold Medals, three Presidential Meritorious Awards, and a Service to America Medal.
PMEL wishes Dr. Bernard well in his retirement and thanks him for his exceptional leadership. You can visit the About the Director page for more information on Dr. Bernard’s NOAA career.
New Ocean Climate Station Deployed Near South Africa
Week of December 14, 2010
To better understand the effects of the ocean on global climate and weather, scientists from PMEL deployed an Ocean Climate Station mooring on the edge of the warm Agulhas Return Current (ARC) southeast of South Africa. This mooring will provide critical data on how this powerful current warms the atmosphere and how it affects the local metrology and climate.
The ARC mooring is part the PMEL Ocean Climate Station program, a contribution to the global network of time series reference sites.
Dr. Feely Receives Heinz Environmental Award
Week of November 8, 2010
Dr. Richard Feely, a senior scientist at PMEL, will be honored with the Heinz Environmental Award at a ceremony in Washington D.C. on November 15. The 16th Heinz awards focused on Global Change, and Dr. Feely is credited with playing a leading role in examining the acidification of oceans and shifting public policy to address this growing issue.
Please join PMEL is congratulating Dr. Feely on this well deserved honor. You can find out more about the important work Dr. Feely and the carbon group are doing on the Ocean Acidification web site.
Return to Previous Arctic Conditions Unlikely
Week of October 21, 2010
Released October 21: The 2010 Arctic Report Card highlights record temperatures across Canadian Arctic and Greenland, a reduced summer sea ice cover; record snow cover decreases and links to some Northern Hemisphere weather to support the conclusion that a return to previous Arctic conditions is unlikely.
PMEL scientist Dr. James Overland, co-editor of the Arctic Report Card, describes how the Arctic climate is impacting mid-latitude weather, as seen in Winter 2009-2010, in the Atmosphere section of the report.
PMEL Scientists Help Celebrate 50 Years of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Week of October 14, 2010
In a special issue of Oceanography out now, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) celebrates 50 years of outstanding service to the community through international cooperation and coordination of ocean research. PMEL’s Dr. Michael McPhaden discusses the success of the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program and Dr. Chris Sabine discusses International Carbon Coordination and Roger Revelle’s legacy in the IOC.
Map of local rates of sea level rise due to ocean heating below 4000m (colors and black numbers) for deep ocean basins. Also included is the rate from 1000-4000m warming (magenta) for the Southern Ocean (south of magenta line).
Scientists Find 20 Years of Deep Water Warming Leading to Sea Level Rise
Week of September 20, 2010
Released September 20: Scientists at the University of Washington and PMEL analyzing measurements taken in the deep ocean around the globe published their results in the Journal of Climate. They find a warming trend that contributes to sea level rise, especially around Antarctica. Previous studies have shown that the upper ocean is warming, but this study determines how much additional heat the deep ocean is storing from warming observed all the way to the ocean floor.
The high-quality data used in this study were taken during PMEL Repeat Hydrography and other cruises occupied from 1980 through 2010.
Ice Profiler (front) and Zooplankton Profiler (back) mounted with floats prior to deployment in the Chukchi Sea. Credit: NOAA
PMEL Scientists to Monitor Ecosystem Changes in Chukchi Sea
Week of September 1, 2010
EcoFOCI is heading far north to the Chukchi Sea (August 16-September 20) to deploy moorings that will over-winter under the ice to monitor ecosystem changes for the first time in the region. At three different sites in the Chukchi Sea, EcoFOCI will deploy subsurface moorings that will measure ice thickness, currents, zooplankton, light, nitrate and other important indicators of ecosystem health.
EcoFOCI has an interest in obtaining ice-thickness measurements that will improve the understanding of ice cover, including its thickness, persistence and transport.
Sea surface temperature anomaly during the peak of the 2009-10 El Niño, the strongest Central Pacific El Niño observed to date. Image produced by Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Centre (PO.DAAC) of NASA JPL.
El Niño Intensity Increasing in the Central Equatorial Pacific
Week of August 25, 2010
In an article recently published in Geophysical Research Letters, Tong Lee of the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasedena and Mike McPhaden of PMEL analyzed 30 years of NOAA satellite sea surface temperature data and found that the intensity of El Niño events in the central equatorial Pacific has almost doubled in the past three decades, with the strongest warming in 2009-10.
These “central Pacific” (CP) El Niño’s exhibit maximum warming in the central equatorial Pacific in contrast to the classical El Niños, which have maximum warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
AGU President Dr. Mike McPhaden (left) with an attendee given a travel grant by AGU to attend the meeting.
PMEL Scientist Presides Over First Meeting as AGU President
Week of August 9, 2010
PMEL senior scientist, Dr. Mike McPhaden is presiding over his first American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting as AGU President. 2010 The Meeting of the Americas is being held in Iguassu Falls, Brazil during the week of August 9. Dr. McPhaden will lead a Town Hall meeting on "Communicating the Science of Climate Change".
Dr. McPhaden was elected President-elect of the AGU in 2008 and took over as President for a 2-year term beginning in 2010. He is the director of the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project at PMEL.
Stacy Maenner from PMEL's Carbon Group helps install a CO2 sensor on top of the Seattle Space Needle.
Carbon Dioxide Sensor Measures Emissions from the Seattle Space Needle
Week of July 13, 2010
In an effort to promote the public’s understanding of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in an urban setting, scientists from PMEL's Carbon Group partnered with the Pacific Science Center (PSC) and Seattle’s Space Needle to install an atmospheric CO2 sensor on top of the Space Needle. Measurements are made every 5 minutes and streams the information to PMEL where the data are processed in real time, posted to the web and sent to a monitoring station at the PSC.
The web site and PSC display allow the public to examine the latest data showing the patterns of CO2 variations in Seattle on time scales ranging from minutes to months.
Scientists view a live feed from the Okeanos Explorer and the seafloor in the Exploration Command Center in Seattle, WA
Scientists Explore the Deep Sea in Real-Time from Seattle
Week of June 29, 2010
Scientists from PMEL and NOAA’s Office of Exploration and Research are exploring the deep sea around Indonesia from an Exploration Command Center in Seattle, Washington. The NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer has satellite-enabled telepresence that allow scientists to stay on shore and be an integral part of the research as it happens across the Pacific Ocean in Indonesian waters.
You can follow the Okeanos Explorer on its first international operational mission and stay up to date with daily mission logs at the Ocean Explorer web site.
Credit:NOAA
Ocean Station Papa Being Deployed in Gulf of Alaska
Week of June 8, 2010
Two scientists from PMEL's Ocean Climate Station program are aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Tully to recover and redeploy a fresh mooring at Station Papa. The mooring's measurements of surface water pH; air-sea exchanges of CO2, heat, and moisture; wind stress; and the water's physical conditions provide in-situ reference data for evaluating model and remotely-sensed products. The mooring is anchored in 13,845 feet of water in the Gulf of Alaska.
To learn more about Ocean Station Papa and download its data visit the website.
Credit: University of Washington
PMEL Scientists Investigate the Icy Bering Sea
Week of May 26, 2010
Five scientists from PMEL's Fisheries Oceanography program are on board the University of Washington R/V Thompson from May 9 to June 14 as part of the fourth in a series of annual spring cruises through the NSF-BEST and NPRB-BSIERP programs. PMEL is handling hydrography, water sampling, nutrient and O2 analysis, and ice sampling.
To follow this expedition as it travels the Bering Sea please visit the EcoFOCI web site.
Credit: NOAA
PMEL Scientists Describe Warming in the Ocean
Week of May 19, 2010
In a study published May 19 in Nature, PMEL and University of Hawaii scientist Dr. John Lyman (pictured left above) describes how the upper layer of the world's ocean has warmed steadily since 1993. Data from Argo floats, deployed by PMEL's Dr. Greg Johnson (pictured right above) and others help greatly reduce the uncertainties in estimates of ocean heat content over the past several years.
Scientists "Glide" Over Underwater Volcano
Week of May 12, 2010
Scientists and engineers from PMEL's Vents Program successfully flew an ocean glider for exploring for underwater volcanic plumes and eruptions in the South Pacific on May 8. Over the two day mission, the glider travelled about 50km and was "flown" by engineers located 5000 miles away in Washington and Oregon.
You can read more about this glider mission, including an update on the active underwater volcano, West Mata, on the Lau Eruptions blog.
Oceanography Special Issue on Mountains in the Sea
Week of May 4, 2010
The March 2010 (Vol. 23, No. 1) special issue of Oceanography focuses on seamounts, submerged isolated mountains in the sea. Seamounts are of volcanic origin, with some presently forming. PMEL scientist Bill Lavelle is guest editor and the issue also features the Axial Seamount and Northwest Rota-1 Seamount, discovered by the PMEL Vents Program.
You can read the current issue featuring many PMEL authors along with our partners at Oregon State University and University of Washington on the Oceanography web site.
Spring Mooring Cruise Underway in the Bering Sea
Week of April 27, 2010
Scientists from PMEL's Fisheries Oceanography program are cruising the Bering Sea from April 23-May 3 for the first mooring cruise of the spring season. Aboard the NOAA research ship Oscar Dyson, they are in Alaskan waters to retrieve and redeploy moorings, collect CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) and other data.
Michael McPhaden Awarded 2010 Fridtjof Nansen Medal
Week of April 12, 2010
PMEL would like to congratulate Dr. Michael McPhaden for being awarded the European Geosciences Union 2010 Fridtjof Nansen Medal. This prestigious award in ocean sciences was given to Dr. McPhaden for his leadership in developing ocean observing systems for climate research and forecasting and for fundamental contributions to our understanding of the ocean’s role in climate.
Please visit the Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array web page for more information on Dr. McPhaden’s research for which he received this medal.
Underwater Volcano Still Active After 7 Years
Week of March 22, 2010
NOAA Vents scientists led by Dr. Bill Chadwick have confirmed that NW Rota in the Mariana Arc is still erupting and has been active on each visit since 2003. The team has documented major changes in the landscape of the volcano including a large landslide that occurred during the past year. During the expedition, scientists will be filming high definition footage of the eruption, collecting samples, and deploying and recovering instruments.
You can follow Dr. Chadwick and his team on this exciting cruise, which runs from March 16-30, on the NW Rota 2010 blog.
NOAA Launches Arctic Future Website
Week of March 16, 2010
On March 16, 2010 PMEL launched a new web site to help those interested in the Arctic learn more about the longer-reaching impacts of the loss of Arctic summer sea ice with a new website, http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/future. Changes in the Arctic are not only affecting sea ice but models show that they can impact weather in the mid-latitudes as well, where a large part of the population lives.
Magnitude 8.8 earthquake sends tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean
Week of March 1, 2010
On February 27, 2010 a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile sent tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami scientists at NOAA's Center for Tsunami Research (NCTR) modeled this event in real-time to help determine when the waves would arrive and the impact they may have on various coastal communities including Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.
Please visit NCTR's Chile tsunami page for a tsunami animation and more information on this event.
Study Reveals a Decadal Decline in Oceanic Dissolved Oxygen
Week of February 16, 2010
In an article to be published in the scientific journal Deep-Sea Research I, PMEL scientists Sunke Schmidtko and Gregory Johnson, together with international co-authors, describe ocean oxygen minima expansions and their biological impacts. Through their global analysis of recent and historical oceanographic data, the authors find that tropical oxygen-poor zones expanded significantly in area around the globe in the 1990s-2000s compared with the 1960s-1970s.
For more information on recent sustained oceanographic measurements visit PMEL's Repeat Hydrography web site.
PMEL Researches "Wind to Whales" in the Bering Sea
Week of February 1, 2010
In a study published January 30 in Geophysical Research Letters, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers that included PMEL’s Phyllis Stabeno and Dave Mellinger described integrated biophysical data “from wind to whales” in the Southeast Bering Sea. Distinct patterns in production, zooplankton biovolume and the occurrence of zooplankton predators such as fin and right whales were related to discrete features in the annual physical cycle.
For more information on the EcoFOCI Program, please visit their website.
Oceanography Magazine Focuses on Ocean Acidification
Week of January 14, 2010
A special issue of Oceanography, in print now, focuses on ocean acidification and the future of ocean biogeochemistry in a high carbon dioxide world. The issue combines the work from many experts in the field including PMEL scientists Drs. Richard Feely and Simone Alin.
For more information on PMEL’s ocean acidification program please see their web site.
5th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami Marks Significant Progress
Week of December 23, 2009
December 26th, 2009 marks five years since the worst tsunami in history killed over 230,000 people. PMEL and the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research's (NCTR) decades of tsunami research helped the United States accelerate the completion of the tsunami warning system which now includes a network of tsunami detection buoys and improved forecasting abilities.
Visit the NCTR web page for more information on the progress made since 2004.
Deep Sea Volcanic Eruption Caught on Video
Week of December 17, 2009
Discovered by PMEL and University of Washington scientists in May 2009, West Mata volcano is the deepest erupting submarine volcano ever witnessed at 4000 feet below sea level. High definition footage of the volcano was released on December 17 that includes violent eruptions spewing lava and rocks into the sea. This volcano also marks the first time scientists have witnessed pillow lava forming new Earth right before their eyes.
PMEL Scientists to Speak at International Climate Change Conference
Week of December 1, 2009
Drs. James Overland and Richard Feely will help represent the United States and NOAA at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark that begins on December 7. Dr. Overland will discuss global warming in the Arctic and Dr. Feely will talk about ocean acidification and its impacts on the marine ecosystem.
New Global Carbon Budget Published
Week of November 17, 2009
In a study published today in Nature Geoscience, PMEL scientist Dr. Richard Feely and a team of international scientists determined that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are outpacing the ability of the sinks to soak up the excess CO2. The team created a global CO2 budget from 1959 to 2008 and during that time, an average of 43% of each year's CO2 emissions remained in the atmosphere.
For more information on PMEL's carbon program please visit their web site.
El Niño to Influence Winter Weather
Week of November 3, 2009
An El Niño in the equatorial Pacific is expected to play a dominant role in the winter weather for the U.S. Temperatures are expected to be warmer than average across most of the western and central U.S. with cooler than average temperatures in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic states.
For more information on how PMEL helps detect El Niños please visit the NOAA El Niño web site.
2009 Arctic Report Card Released
Week of October 22, 2009
The NOAA supported Arctic Report Card for 2009 was released on October 22nd. PMEL scientist Dr. James Overland and University of Washington scientist Dr. Muyin Wang contributed to the report that states that warming of the Arctic continues to be widespread, and in some cases, dramatic.
To read more about the atmosphere, sea ice, biology and other topics in the Arctic please visit the 2009 Arctic Report Card web site.
Scientists Win Outstanding Paper Award
Week of October 14, 2009
PMEL scientists Drs. Richard Feely and Chris Sabine received a 2009 Outstanding Paper Award from NOAA Research. Published in the journal, Science, Feely and Sabine's study shows that the combined effect of ocean acidification with other natural processes can accelerate the impacts of reduced pH on marine resources in our coastal regions.
For more information on PMEL's ocean acidification program please visit their web site.
Tsunami Scientists Forecast Samoa Tsunami
Week of October 6, 2009
Scientists from the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research at PMEL saw their forecasting system work first hand while visiting the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii last week during the deadly tsunami that hit Samoa on September 29.
For more information on this event including links to media coverage please visit the 2009 Samoa Tsunami Event page.
NOAA Vents Program Celebrates 25 Years
Week of September 29, 2009
The NOAA Vents program at PMEL celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, marking a quarter century of research, discoveries, and technological innovations in some of the oceans most interesting depths.
To learn more about these discoveries and current research, please visit the Vents Program web site.
The People of Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Week of September 21, 2009
For the first time in PMEL's over 40 year history, a group wide photo was taken with employees from Seattle, Washington and Newport, Oregon. With over 200 scientists, engineers, and computer and administrative support personnel, PMEL conducts preeminent research and invents cutting edge technologies.
For more information about PMEL please see the About Us tab at the top of this page and discover our research programs on the Research tab.
PMEL Participates in Pacific Arctic Cruise
Week of September 7, 2009
PMEL is coordinating the NOAA effort on the Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) cruise. The 40 day cruise left on September 1 and is being conducted to observe physical and biological environmental changes in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas.
Scientists Forecast Indian Ocean Tsunami
Week of August 31, 2009
On August 10, 2009, PMEL tsunami scientists used a new forecast system and DART buoy data to determine that the tsunami from a 7.7 magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami would be non-destructive when it reached coastlines.
The new forecast system and DART buoy, both designed and invented at PMEL, were unavailable during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. These developments along with a tsunami warning system for Indian Ocean nations prevented unnecessary evacuations and panic. For more information on this tsunami please visit the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research Event Page.
