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Physics for climate and other complex phenomena Three Laureates share this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies of chaotic and apparently random phenomena. Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann laid the foundation of our knowledge of the Earth’s climate and how humanity influences it. Giorgio Parisi is rewarded for his revolutionary contributions to theContinue reading “Nobel Prize!”

October 3, 2021 The steamboat Abner O’Neal struck a rock and sank in 1892 on the Missouri River while traveling between Washburn and Mandan, north of Bismark, North Dakota.

On Nov. 19, 2016, an Atlas V rocket launched the first next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R) satellite. NOAA This close-up view from a full Earth image by GOES-16 weather satellite shows the powerful nor’easter bringing snow to the northeastern U.S. on March 7, 2018 at 10:26 a.m. EST (1526 GMT). NOAA A full-diskContinue reading “The View From Above”

Using nearly a decade of satellite data, researchers at Colorado State University have uncovered “milky seas” in a way they’ve never been seen before – a rare and fascinating oceanic bioluminescent phenomenon detected by a highly sensitive spaceborne low-light sensor. The watershed study appears in the world’s largest scientific journal, Scientific Reports, published by NatureContinue reading “CSU Spots “Milky Seas””

Weather forecasting stays down here in the troposphere where we all live. Space forecasting goes way beyond that. NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has transitioned a new computer model into operations to increase its understanding of space weather events and improve space weather forecasting capabilities. These advances will help forecasters provide better information to usContinue reading “To Infinity and Beyond”

In a study recently published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists from the University of Washington and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory use remotely-piloted sailboats to gather data on cold air pools, or pockets of cooler air that form below tropical storm clouds. “Atmospheric cold pools are cold air masses that flow outward beneath intense thunderstormsContinue reading “Sailing for Science”

In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week Dr. Kaboth-Bahr and an international group of multidisciplinary collaborators identified ancient El Niño-like weather patterns as the drivers of major climate changes in Africa. This allowed the group to re-evaluate the existing thought regarding climate impacts on human evolution. Dr.Continue reading “Humans Have Always Dealt With Climate Change”

“Brood X” cicadas hatching in such massive numbers the swarms are being picked up by weather RADAR. Just this past weekend the National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington Office paid special attention to huge areas of “Biological” returns showing on the Sterling, VA RADAR.

Having the quality and quantity of weather data now at our disposal is awesome for forecasting. Sometimes though, it’s just plain cool. The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, aka Eumetsat, combined its own satellite images with contributions from the China Meteorological Administration, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the National Oceanic and AtmosphericContinue reading “2020, We Remember You Well”

Air temperature is measured about 6 feet above the ground in a ventilated shelter that is painted white. This method allows the temperature “in the shade” of air passing through the shelter. Using this process Death Valley, CA is known as the hottest place on Earth due to the Furnace Creek, CA temperature of 134.1°FContinue reading “The Hottest Place on Earth”