NOAA -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)

News & Articles Archive

  1. Home
  2. News & Articles Archive
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. 
NOAA Satellite Images Show Major Flooding Along Rivers in the Southeast U.S.
The severe storms that brought tornadoes, damaging winds, rain, and hail to the Southeast over the weekend, leaving tens of thousands without power, were the result of a “meteorological battle zone” between warm and cold air, said Walt Zaleski, warning coordination meteorologist for NOAA’s National Weather Service Regional Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. A low-pressure system over the Southern Plains pushed warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico over the southeastern United States, while cold, drier air dropped from Canada into the Northern and Central Plains and the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.  
Goes 17 Photo
GOES-17 Is Now Operational. Here’s What It Means for Weather Forecasts in the Western U.S.
It’s official: GOES-17 is now operational as NOAA’s GOES West satellite. 
NESDIS Reflects on 2018
Although we've already started another trip around the sun, we’d like to take a moment to look back on 2018. Last year, the NOAA Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS) came together to work through challenges with our newest geostationary satellite, GOES-17, provided data on a series of natural disasters, and improved the nation’s access to secure and timely global environmental data.
Five Things You Didn't Know About the North Pole
Around this time of year, we hear a lot about Santa and his elves working hard at the North Pole to make sure all the toys are ready for Christmas. However, we don’t always hear a lot about the place where all the magic happens. Here are just a few fun, scientific facts you should know about the North Pole: 
12 Datasets of Christmas
The 12 Datasets of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas the scientists gave to me...the World Magnetic Model? OK, fair warning, this isn’t your typical “12 Days of Christmas” song. We’ve compiled this list of NOAA's most interesting datasets so you can nerd out before the holidays.