In the News Archive

In Maine, lobsters are heading north and some lobstermen are moving into kelp farming. On the West Coast, fishermen are worried about a blob of warm water developing off the Oregon and Washington coastlines, fearing a repeat of an ocean heat wave that devastated salmon harvests from 2014 to 2016. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Ebb is working w/ national labs, federal research agencies & academia to further scientific understanding & demonstrate responsible deployment of marine carbon dioxide removal. Brendan Carter (UW CICOES/NOAA PMEL)  is quoted. 

Hot "hairdryer" winds that whip down mountainsides may have played a role in some of this year's devastating heatwaves and wildfires – and they may become more of a problem with climate change. Jim Overland is quoted. 

The planet’s average sea surface temperature spiked to a record high in April and the ocean has remained exceptionally warm ever since. In July, widespread marine heat waves drove temperatures back up to near-record highs, with some hot spots nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or nearly 38 Celsius. Greg Johnson is interviewed. 

A glimpse of a more tumultuous future seemed on full display throughout July, a month packed with weather anomalies that exceeded any definition of normal. Greg Johnson is interviewed. 

An expedition to find rare hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic uncovers new worlds—and some daredevil shrimp. Dave Butterfield is quoted.

Ocean surface temperatures vaulted to unprecedented levels this spring, alarming scientists and prompting predictions of increased extreme weather this year, including from hurricanes. Greg Johnson is quoted.

In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people’s attention. The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming — nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable data. Greg Johnson is quoted.

How warm water in the Pacific shapes storms, droughts, and record heat around the world. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Scientists say greenhouse gases have already affected climate patterns in the Pacific that could lead to more severe weather, floods and heatwaves. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

The planet is simmering, both on land and at sea, and that could signal more record temperatures for the remainder of 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

A new study found some of the most intense past El Niño events cost the global economy more than $4 trillion over the following years. Mike McPhaden, a senior scientist at NOAA and who was not involved in the research, said the study was “very insightful and provocative.”

 The natural burst of El Nino warming that changes weather worldwide is far costlier with longer-lasting expenses than experts had thought, averaging trillions of dollars in damage, a new study found. Mike McPhaden is quoted. 

Gregory Johnson, Oceanographer with NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, joined FOX Weather to weigh in on the alarming trend.

On March 12, a team of scientists gathered in the control room of the RV Falkor (too), an oceanographic research vessel operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. They watched the monitor of a camera-wielding underwater drone, or ROV, as it explored the deep sea 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) below the ship. When the screen showed a plume of black smoke, the scientists cheered. David Butterfield is quoted. 

Ocean surface heat is at record-breaking levels. Temperatures began climbing in mid-March and skyrocketed over the course of several weeks, leaving scientists scrambling to figure out exactly why.