What's New Archive
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.
To see video and images of this volcano please visit the PMEL Vents program page.
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.
Please visit PMEL’s Arctic and ocean acidification web pages for more information on these topics and follow the COP15 online.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
For more information please visit the RUSALCA web site on the Arctic theme page.