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Photo of a man and a arctic fox
Argos Used to Track Fox’s 2,700-mile Journey from Norway to Canada
When researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) trapped a young female Arctic fox near her den in Krossfjorden, Svalbard, on July 29, 2017, they were hoping she could offer a bit of insight into the spatial ecology of Arctic foxes. Researchers wanted to know how the animals use their environment in terms of hunting and protecting their territory during different seasons, so they outfitted the coastal or blue fox with a satellite collar and released her back into the wild. Little did the scientists know, less than a year later this fox would traverse barren polar environments, traveling more than 2,700 miles to a remote part of Canada. 
Photo of scientists
Inflatable Decelerator Will Hitch a Ride on the JPSS-2 Satellite
An inflatable decelerator technology that could one day help humans land on Mars will fly on the same Atlas V rocket as the JPSS-2 satellite.
Photo of the United States
Mapping May’s Tornado Outbreak: Ingredients for the Perfect Storm
If you thought the two-week tornado outbreak that kicked off on May 17, 2019, seemed out of the ordinary, you certainly weren’t alone. While the weather pattern wasn’t exactly “normal,” Patrick Marsh, a meteorologist with NOAA’s National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center explained that it wasn’t unprecedented or rare either. 
Antarctic Expedition
Breaking Through the Ice to Resupply Antarctica's McMurdo Station
Navigating the icy waters of Antarctica is no easy feat, but each year the U.S. military conducts a mission called Operation Deep Freeze to resupply the research center on the south tip of Ross Island. This year, a physical scientist for the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) was tasked with briefing the Polar Star’s crew on the location of sea ice, as well as how close the ship was to different sea ice features like ridges and cracks.
NOAA Names the University of Maryland to Host Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it has selected the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, to host NOAA’s cooperative institute focused on improving our understanding of how the atmosphere, ocean, land, and biosphere of Earth interact with each other and with human activity as an integrated system. 
Artist's rendering of the Nimbus-3 spacecraft
How atmospheric sounding transformed weather prediction
In the late 1950s, a scientist named Lewis Kaplan divined a new and groundbreaking way to calculate temperature in the atmosphere for weather forecasting: by measuring the vibration of molecules at different altitudes. The hope was to do this using a brand-new technology, an Earth-observing satellite.
Coral Reefs, Earth Day
Here’s How Satellites Play a Pivotal Role in Monitoring the Health of Coral Reefs
Rain forests may contain more than half the Earth’s plant and animal species, but in terms of diversity, coral reefs are certainly one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Coral reefs cover an estimated 110,000 square miles of the ocean floor and are home to more than 25 percent of marine species for at least some part of their lives, according to the Coral Reef Alliance. 
Scientists Say Calving Event on the Brunt Ice Shelf is Imminent
While it’s difficult to predict exactly when the two growing cracks on Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf will intersect and cause an iceberg to break off, scientists say a calving event is imminent.
Here’s One Way Satellite Observations Can Alert Farmers and Ranchers to Impending Flash Droughts
Farmers and ranchers rely on the land to make a living, and while there are many ways to prepare for natural disasters, a newly-defined type of drought can certainly throw a wrench in their best-laid plans.