PMEL in the News
Storms this week expected to add needed depth to Washington snowpack
The first week of the new year is expected to bring a bounty of storms that will bolster the state’s snowpack, a vast and vital frozen reservoir that, as 2019 came to a close, was at about half its normal year-end depth. Nick Bond is quoted.
Sea-Tac Just Had Its Hottest Recorded Decade… Ever
We just finished the hottest decade ever recorded at Sea-Tac Airport—by a longshot. The average temperature at the Seattle area’s most watched weather station was 53.8 degrees Fahrenheit this decade, 1.5 degrees hotter than last decade’s average, and a startling 3.6 degrees hotter than the average temperature in the 1950s, when the airport's earliest weather data was collected. Nick Bond is quoted.
Warm 'blob' of hot water bigger than Texas heading towards South America
A warm "blob" of hot water reported to have formed in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand is making its way towards South America. Nick Bond is referenced.
Robotic gliders provide key tool to measure ocean sound levels
At a time when ocean noise is receiving increased global attention, researchers at Oregon State University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have developed an effective method to use an underwater robotic glider to measure sound levels over broad areas of the ocean. Joe Haxel is quoted.
Huge amounts of greenhouse gases lurk in the oceans, and could make warming far worse
Scientists are finding hidden climate time bombs—vast reservoirs of carbon dioxide and methane—scattered under the seafloor across the planet. And the fuses are burning. Dave Butterfield is quoted.