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 | Welcome to the Newsroom, your one-stop source for the latest news on Earth science research. NASA news announcements, summaries of headline news, listings of new published research, and more are here and are updated each week. |
NASA Launches Ocean Satellite to Keep a Weather, Climate Eye Open
June 20 — A new oceanography satellite launched on a globe-circling voyage to continue charting sea level, a vital indicator of global climate change. More
NASA, Air Resources Board to Examine California Air Quality
June 19 — NASA and scientists from the California Air Resources Board are conducting a series of research flights this month that are examining the atmosphere over the state to better understand the chemical dynamics of smog and greenhouse gases. More
NASA Mission Poised to Help Us Gauge Our Rising Seas
June 16 — The newest ocean-observing satellite takes flight this week to make precise measurements of rising global sea level. More
NASA Aircraft Examine Impact of Forest Fires on Arctic Climate
June 12 — NASA aircraft will follow the trails of smoke plumes from some of Earth's northernmost forest fires, examining their contribution to arctic pollution. More
NASA Data Helps Pinpoint Impacted Population in Disaster Aftermath
June 12 — After the cyclone in Burma and the earthquake in China, NASA data came to the aid of officials by tapping into a unique set of NASA data products describing the location of the exposed populations. More
For Hurricanes, Storms, Raindrop Size Makes All the Difference
June 9 — NASA has concluded that tropical cyclones produce rain differently than another class of storms called "extra-tropical" cyclones. More
Student Researchers and Educators Partner with NASA for Unparalleled Results
June 3 — A project with "unparalleled success" in obtaining data by students and educators can thank, in part, a team at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., who developed a protocol for taking surface ozone measurements. More
NASA Scientists' Model Reveals How Superstorm Plasma Affects Near-Earth Space
May 29 — NASA scientists have uncovered new details about how plasma from superstorms interacts with Earth's magnetosphere. More
Antarctic Sticks Out Huge Annual Ice 'Tongue'
June 24 — Changes to the Antarctic can normally be measured in months or years, but an enormous sea-ice "tongue" has been found to grow at an astonishing rate. (New Scientist)
Resonating With the Ocean
June 24 — Huge, underwater waves surge and ebb far outside the rims of continents, and, flowing much faster than the visible tides these "internal tides" can move around sediment collected below and play big roles in shaping the edges of continental shelves. (Science News)
First Antarctic Map Sent to National Archives
June 23 — The first Australian map of the entire Antarctic continent has become part of the National Archives collection. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
More Extreme Weather Expected for U.S.
June 23 — A new report on extreme weather warns that human-induced climate change is making heavy downpours more intense, with storms that used to occur every 20 years projected to occur every six by the end of the century. (ABC News)
Early Earth Marred by Acid Rain
June 23 — According to a new study, the climate of early Earth was no day at the beach, with stinging acid rains and an intensely warm surface, possibly explaining why geologists today have found no rocks more than 4 billion years old: They were all weathered away. (Live Science)
Global Warming to Spark Increase in U.S. Wildfires
June 21 — Today, much of the north-western U.S. wilderness is already a tinderbox, but thanks to global warming, wildfires will be scorching even more land every year by the end of the century, according to research that incorporated fire and temperature data into climate models. (New Scientist)
Ocean-Monitoring Satellite Blasts Off From California
June 20 — A rocket carrying a U.S.-French ocean-monitoring satellite called Jason 2 lifted off from the central California coast, and will study climate change and is expected to improve hurricane forecasting. (Associated Press)
Greenland Ice Offers Clues to Last Big Melt
June 20 — The most detailed Greenland ice-core analysis yet offers important clues about what caused the climate to change so rapidly at the end of the last ice age. (New Scientist)
Earth May Have Supported Life Earlier in History
June 19 — Analysis of elements in ancient mineral crystals suggests liquid water existed on Earth as long as 4.3 billion years ago, 100 million years earlier than previously thought, which may mean that Earth's conditions then could have supported life. (Discovery News)
Greenland Ice Shows Rapid Climate Flips
June 19 — Violent swings in weather patterns occurred after Earth's climate crossed "tipping points" thousands of years ago, a new study argues. (National Geographic News)
Arctic Sea Ice Melting Even Faster
June 18 — Though data from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center shows that the year began with ice covering a larger area than at the beginning of 2007, now it is down to levels seen last June, at the beginning of a summer that broke records for sea ice loss. (BBC News)
New Lookouts for Climate Change
June 18 — Scottish Natural Heritage is leading the Snowbed Project which will attempt to investigate the effects of less snow and warmer conditions on fauna and flora high in the Scottish mountains. (BBC News)
Oceans Warming Faster Than Realized
June 18 — The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last 40 years than previously thought due to climate change, Australian and U.S. climate researchers reported. (Agence France-Presse)
Space Cameras to Monitor Forests
June 17 — Plans to use a state-of-the-art camera onboard a satellite to monitor deforestation levels in Africa's Congo Basin have been unveiled. (BBC News)
Did Sea Level Flux Drive Mass Extinctions?
June 17 — Mass extinctions that wiped out up to 90 percent of Earth's flora and fauna were driven in large part by shifting ocean levels, according to a study. (Agence France-Presse)
Harsh Climate Scoured Early Earth
June 17 — Earth's early atmosphere may have been highly corrosive to rocks, gradually dissolving away all but the toughest of minerals, a new study suggests. (National Geographic News)
Retrieval of XCO2 From Simulated Orbiting Carbon Observatory Measurements Using the Fast Linearized R-2OS Radiative Transfer Model, Natraj, V., H. Boesch, R. J. D. Spurr, and Y. L. Yung, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 14, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11212, doi:10.1029/2007JD009017)
Estimation of Large-Scale Evaporation Fields Based on Sssimilation of Remotely Sensed Land Temperature, Sini, F., G. Boni, F. Caparrini, and D. Entekhabi, Water Resources Research, June 14, 2008 (Vol. 44, W06410, doi:10.1029/2006WR005574)
How Well Does the ERA40 Surface Water Budget Compare to Observations in the Amazon River Basin?, Fernandes, K., R. Fu, and A. K. Betts, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11117, doi:10.1029/2007JD009220)
Global Tropopause Height Trends Estimated from GPS Radio Occultation Data, Schmidt, T., J. Wickert, G. Beyerle, and S. Heise, Geophysical Research Letters, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11806, doi:10.1029/2008GL034012)
On the Information Content of the Thermal Infrared Cooling Rate Profile from Satellite Instrument Measurements, Feldman, D. R., K. N. Liou, R. L. Shia, and Y. L. Yung, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11118, doi:10.1029/2007JD009041)
Coupled Chemistry Climate Model Simulations of the Solar Cycle in Ozone and Temperature, Austin, J., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11306, doi:10.1029/2007JD009391)
The Impact of Stratospheric Ozone Recovery on the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Jet, S.-W. Son, L. M. Polvani, D. W. Waugh, H. Akiyoshi, R. Garcia, D. Kinnison, S. Pawson, E. Rozanov, T. G. Shepherd, and K. Shibata, Science, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 320, No. 5882, doi:10.1126/science.1155939)
Southern Ocean Mixed-Layer Depth from Argo Float Profiles, Dong, S., J. Sprintall, S. T. Gille, and L. Talley, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06013, doi:10.1029/2006JC004051)
Assessing the Globally Averaged Sea Level Budget on Seasonal to Interannual Timescales, Willis, J. K., D. P. Chambers, and R. S. Nerem, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06015, doi:10.1029/2007JC004517)
Validation and Intercomparison of Global Leaf Area Index Products Derived from Remote Sensing Data, Garrigues, S., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02028, doi:10.1029/2007JG000635)
Carbon-Based Primary Productivity Modeling with Vertically Resolved Photoacclimation, Westberry, T., M. J. Behrenfeld, D. A. Siegel, and E. Boss, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB2024, doi:10.1029/2007GB003078)
Evidence for Upwelling of Corrosive "Acidified" Water onto the Continental Shelf, Richard A. Feely, Christopher L. Sabine, J. Martin Hernandez-Ayon, Debby Ianson, and Burke Hales, Science, June 13, 2008 (Vol. 320, No. 5882, doi:10.1126/science.1155676)
The Evolution of the Stratopause During the 2006 Major Warming: Satellite Data and Assimilated Meteorological Analyses, Manney, G. L., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 12, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11115, doi:10.1029/2007JD009097)
A Regional Climate Model Study of How Biomass Burning Aerosol Impacts Land-Atmosphere Interactions Over the Amazon, Zhang, Y., R. Fu, H. Yu, R. E. Dickinson, R. N. Juarez, M. Chin, and H. Wang, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 12, 2008 (Vol. 113, D14S15, doi:10.1029/2007JD009449)
What Drove the Dramatic Retreat of Arctic Sea Ice During Summer 2007?, Zhang, J., R. Lindsay, M. Steele, and A. Schweiger, Geophysical Research Letters, June 11, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11505, doi:10.1029/2008GL034005)
Low Degree Gravity Changes from GRACE, Earth Rotation, Geophysical Models, and Satellite Laser Ranging, Chen, J. L., and C. R. Wilson, Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, June 11, 2008 (Vol. 113, B06402, doi:10.1029/2007JB005397)
Global Distribution of Solid and Aqueous Sulfate Aerosols: Effect of the Hysteresis of Particle Phase Transitions, Wang, J., A. A. Hoffmann, R. J. Park, D. J. Jacob, and S. T. Martin, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11206, doi:10.1029/2007JD009367)
Sensitivity of Sulfate Direct Climate Forcing to the Hysteresis of Particle Phase Transitions, Wang, J., D. J. Jacob, and S. T. Martin, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11207, doi:10.1029/2007JD009368)
Use of Antarctica for Validating Reflected Solar Radiation Measured by Satellite Sensors, Jaross, G., and J. Warner, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S34, doi:10.1029/2007JD008835)
Description and Validation of the OMI Very Fast Delivery Products, Hassinen, S., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S35, doi:10.1029/2007JD008784)
Initial Validation of Ozone Measurements from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder, Nardi, B., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S36, doi:10.1029/2007JD008837)
Implementation of Cloud Retrievals for TES Atmospheric Retrievals: 2. Characterization of Cloud Top Pressure and Effective Optical Depth Retrievals, Eldering, A., S. S. Kulawik, J. Worden, K. Bowman, and G. Osterman, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S37, doi:10.1029/2007JD008858)
Structure and Dynamics of the Solar Wind/Ionosphere Interface on Mars: MEX-ASPERA-3 and MEX-MARSIS Observations, Dubinin, E., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11103, doi:10.1029/2008GL033730)
Structure of Plasmaspheric Plumes and Their Participation in Magnetopause Reconnection: First Results from THEMIS, McFadden, J. P., C. W. Carlson, D. Larson, J. Bonnell, F. S. Mozer, V. Angelopoulos, K. Glassmeier, and U. Auster, Geophysical Research Letters, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S10, doi:10.1029/2008GL033677)
THEMIS Observations of Long-Lived Regions of Large-Amplitude Whistler Waves in the Inner Magnetosphere, Cully, C. M., J. W. Bonnell, and R. E. Ergun, Geophysical Research Letters, June 10, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S16, doi:10.1029/2008GL033643)
Comparative Study of Mixing and Biological Activity of the Benguela and Canary Upwelling Systems, Rossi, V., C. López, J. Sudre, E. Hernández-García, and V. Garçon, Geophysical Research Letters, June 7, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11602, doi:10.1029/2008GL033610)
Spatial and Temporal Variability in Aerosol Properties Over the Mediterranean Basin Based on 6-year (2000–2006) MODIS Data, Papadimas, C. D., N. Hatzianastassiou, N. Mihalopoulos, X. Querol, and I. Vardavas, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11205, doi:10.1029/2007JD009189)
An Aerosol Optical Depth Climatology for NOAA's National Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD), Augustine, J. A., G. B. Hodges, E. G. Dutton, J. J. Michalsky, and C. R. Cornwall, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11204, doi:10.1029/2007JD009504)
Development of the Online MM5 Tracer Model and its Applications to Air Pollution Episodes in Istanbul, Turkey and Sahara Dust Transport, Chen, S.-H., J. Dudhia, J. S. Kain, T. Kindap, and E. Tan, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11203, doi:10.1029/2007JD009244)
Multimodel Projections of Climate Change from Short-Lived Emissions Due to Human Activities, Shindell, D. T., H. Levy II, M. D. Schwarzkopf, L. W. Horowitz, J.-F. Lamarque, and G. Faluvegi, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11109, doi:10.1029/2007JD009152)
Correlation of Substorm Injections, Auroral Modulations, and Ground Pi2, Keiling, A., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S22, doi:10.1029/2008GL033969)
Variations of Surface Water Extent and Water Storage in Large River Basins: A Comparison of Different Global Data Sources, Papa, F., A. Güntner, F. Frappart, C. Prigent, and W. B. Rossow, Geophysical Research Letters, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11401, doi:10.1029/2008GL033857)
Interdependence of Magnetic Field and Plasma Pressures in Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities, Niehof, J. T., T. A. Fritz, R. H. W. Friedel, and J. Chen, Geophysical Research Letters, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11101, doi:10.1029/2008GL033589)
A Predictive Model for Satellite-Derived Phytoplankton Absorption Over the Louisiana Shelf Hypoxic Zone: Effects of Nutrients and Physical Forcing, Green, R. E., and R. W. Gould Jr., Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 6, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06005, doi:10.1029/2007JC004594)
Changes in Ice Front Position on Greenland's Outlet Glaciers from 1992 to 2007, Moon, T., and I. Joughin, Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface, June 7, 2008 (Vol. 113, F02022, doi:10.1029/2007JF000927)
Effective Cloud Fractions from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument: Theoretical Framework and Validation, Stammes, P., M. Sneep, J. F. de Haan, J. P. Veefkind, P. Wang, and P. F. Levelt, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 5, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S38, doi:10.1029/2007JD008820)
Adjoint Inversion Modeling of Asian Dust Emission Using Lidar Observations, Yumimoto, K., Uno, I., Sugimoto, N., Shimizu, A., Liu, Z., and Winker, D. M., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, June 5, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 11)
The Circulation in the Upper and Middle Layers of the Luzon Strait During Spring 2002, Yuan, Y., G.-h. Liao, W. Guan, H. Wang, R. Lou, and H. Chen, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 5, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06004, doi:10.1029/2007JC004546)
A QuikSCAT Climatology of Ocean Surface Winds in the Nordic Seas: Identification of Features and Comparison with the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, Kolstad, E. W., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 5, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11106, doi:10.1029/2007JD008918)
Atmosphere-Ocean Conditions Jointly Guide Convection of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation: Satellite Observations, Yang, B., X. Fu, and B. Wang, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 5, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11105, doi:10.1029/2007JD009276)
Observed Equatorial Rossby Waves and ENSO-related Warm Water Volume Changes in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean, Bosc, C., and T. Delcroix, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06003, doi:10.1029/2007JC004613)
Localized Analysis of Satellite Tracking Data for Studying Time-Variable Earth's Gravity Fields, Han, S.-C., D. D. Rowlands, S. B. Luthcke, and F. G. Lemoine, Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, B06401, doi:10.1029/2007JB005218)
Features of Aerosol Optical Depths Over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea During Premonsoon Season: Variabilities and Anthropogenic Influence, Kedia, S., and S. Ramachandran, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11201, doi:10.1029/2007JD009070)
Rainfall and Sampling Uncertainties: A Rain Gauge Perspective, Villarini, G., P. V. Mandapaka, W. F. Krajewski, and R. J. Moore, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11102, doi:10.1029/2007JD009214)
CO2 Retrievals From the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder: Methodology and Validation, Maddy, E. S., C. D. Barnet, M. Goldberg, C. Sweeney, and X. Liu, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11301, doi:10.1029/2007JD009402)
A Map Analysis of Patterned-Ground Along a North American Arctic Transect, Raynolds, M. K., D. A. Walker, C. A. Munger, C. M. Vonlanthen, and A. N. Kade, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, June 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, G03S03, doi:10.1029/2007JG000512)
Atlantic and Pacific SST Influences on Medieval Drought in North America Simulated by the Community Atmospheric Model, Feng, S., R. J. Oglesby, C. M. Rowe, D. B. Loope, and Q. Hu, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D11101, doi:10.1029/2007JD009347)
Age-Dependent Variation in the Biophysical Properties of Boreal Forests, McMillan, A. M. S., and M. L. Goulden, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, June 3, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB2019, doi:10.1029/2007GB003038)
Sunlight, Water, and Ice: Extreme Arctic Sea Ice Melt During the Summer of 2007, Perovich, D. K., J. A. Richter-Menge, K. F. Jones, and B. Light, Geophysical Research Letters, June 3, 2008 (Vol. 35, L11501, doi:10.1029/2008GL034007)
Simulated Reduction in Atlantic Hurricane Frequency Under Twenty-First-Century Warming Conditions, Thomas R. Knutson, Joseph J. Sirutis, Stephen T. Garner, Gabriel A. Vecchi & Isaac M. Held, Nature Geoscience, June 2008 (Vol. 1, No. 6, doi:10.1038/ngeo202)
An Online Coupled Meteorological and Air Quality Modeling Study of the Effect of Complex Terrain on the Regional Transport and Transformation of Air Pollutants Over the Western United States, Dongchul Kim, William R. Stockwell, Atmospheric Environment, June 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 17, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.04.002)
Spatial and Temporal Variations in Airborne Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) Across Spain 1999–2005, X. Querol, A. Alastuey, T. Moreno, M.M. Viana, S. Castillo, J. Pey, S. Rodríguez, B. Artiñano, P. Salvador, M. Sánchez, S. Garcia Dos Santos, M.D. Herce Garraleta, R. Fernandez-Patier, S. Moreno-Grau, L. Negral, M.C. Minguillón, E. Monfort, M.J. Sanz, R. Palomo-Marín, E. Pinilla-Gil, et al., Atmospheric Environment, June 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 17, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.10.071)
Optical Properties of a Vertically Inhomogeneous Mid-Latitude Mid-Level Mixed-Phase Altocumulus in the Infrared Region, Jianguo Niu, Lawrence D. Carey, Ping Yang, Thomas H. Vonder Haar, Atmospheric Research, June 2008 (Vol. 88, No. 3-4, doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.11.020)
Kinematics, Cloud Microphysics and Spatial Structures of Tropical Cloud Clusters: A Two-Dimensional Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study, Fan Ping, Zhexian Luo, Xiaofan Li, Atmospheric Research, June 2008 (Vol. 88, No. 3-4, doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.11.027)
Scaling of Tropical Rainfall as Observed by TRMM Precipitation Radar, Mekonnen Gebremichael, Witold F. Krajewski, Thomas M. Over, Yukari N. Takayabu, Phillip Arkin, M. Katayama, Atmospheric Research, June 2008 (Vol. 88, No. 3-4, doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.11.028)
Geomagnetic Dependence of Ionospheric Disturbances Induced by Tsunamigenic Internal Gravity Waves, Giovanni Occhipinti, E. Alam Kherani, Philippe Lognonné, Geophysical Journal International, June 2008 (Vol. 173, No. 3, doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03760.x)
A Gravity Gradient Method for Characterizing the Post-Seismic Deformation Field for a Finite Fault, T. J. Hayes, K. F. Tiampo, J. Fernández, J. B. Rundle, Geophysical Journal International, June 2008 (Vol. 173, No. 3, doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03795.x)
Sensitivity of a Large Ensemble of Tropical Convective Systems to Changes in the Thermodynamic and Dynamic Forcings, Zachary A. Eitzen and Kuan-Man Xu, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, June 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2446.1)
Abrupt Seasonal Migration of the ITCZ into the Summer Hemisphere, Peng Xian and Ron L. Miller, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, June 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2367.1)
Shortwave Radiative Impacts from Aerosol Effects on Marine Shallow Cumuli, Paquita Zuidema, Huiwen Xue, and Graham Feingold, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, June 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2447.1)
GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager Color Product Development, Donald W. Hillger, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, June 2008 (Vol. 25, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JTECHA911.1)
Ceilometer Retrieval of the Boundary Layer Vertical Aerosol Extinction Structure, K. M. Markowicz, P. J. Flatau, A. E. Kardas, J. Remiszewska, K. Stelmaszczyk, and L. Woeste, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, June 2008 (Vol. 25, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JTECHA1016.1)
Spectral UV Measurements of Global Irradiance, Solar Radiance, and Actinic Flux in New Zealand: Intercomparison Between Instruments and Model Calculations, Mario Blumthaler, Barbara Schallhart, Michael Schwarzmann, Richard McKenzie, Paul Johnston, Michael Kotkamp, and Hisako Shiona, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, June 2008 (Vol. 25, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JTECHA1035.1)
Intersatellite Temperature Bias: Elimination Through Statistical Calibration, Murry L. Salby, Patrick J. McBride, and Patrick F. Callaghan, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, June 2008 (Vol. 25, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JTECHA1071.1)
Experiments with Cloud Properties: Impact on Surface Radiative Fluxes, H. Wang, R. T. Pinker, P. Minnis, and M. M. Khaiyer, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, June 2008 (Vol. 25, No. 6, doi:10.1175/2007JTECHO546.1)
Estimating Seasonal Changes in Volumetric Soil Water Content at Landscape Scales in a Savanna Ecosystem Using Two-Dimensional Resistivity Profiling, Diana C. Garcia-Montiel, Michael T. Coe, Meyr P. Cruz, Joice N. Ferreira, Euzebio M. da Silva, and Eric A. Davidson, Earth Interactions, June 2008 (Vol. 12, No. 2, doi:10.1175/2007EI238.1)
Characterization of Chemical and Particulate Emissions from Aircraft Engines, Harshit Agrawal, Aniket A. Sawant, Karel Jansen, J. Wayne Miller, David R. Cocker III, Atmospheric Environment, June 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 18, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.01.069)
Dynamic Effects on the Tropical Cloud Radiative Forcing and Radiation Budget, Jian Yuan, Dennis L. Hartmann, and Robert Wood, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI1857.1)
Interannual Variability of Sea Surface Temperature off Java and Sumatra in a Global GCM, Yan Du, Tangdong Qu, and Gary Meyers, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI1753.1)
The Intraseasonal Variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon Using TMI Sea Surface Temperatures and ECMWF Reanalysis, Nicholas P. Klingaman, Hilary Weller, Julia M. Slingo, and Peter M. Inness, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI1850.1)
The Tropical Eastern Pacific Seasonal Cycle: Assessment of Errors and Mechanisms in IPCC AR4 Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere General Circulation Models, Simon P. de Szoeke and Shang-Ping Xie, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI1975.1)
The Spatiotemporal Structure of Twentieth-Century Climate Variations in Observations and Reanalyses. Part I: Long-Term Trend, Junye Chen, Anthony D. Del Genio, Barbara E. Carlson, and Michael G. Bosilovich, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI2011.1)
The Spatiotemporal Structure of Twentieth-Century Climate Variations in Observations and Reanalyses. Part II: Pacific Pan-Decadal Variability, Junye Chen, Anthony D. Del Genio, Barbara E. Carlson, and Michael G. Bosilovich, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI2012.1)
Diurnal Precipitation Regimes in the Global Tropics, Kazuyoshi Kikuchi and Bin Wang, Journal of Climate, June 2008 (Vol. 21, No. 11, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI2051.1)
Variations of Tropical Upper Tropospheric Clouds with Sea Surface Temperature and Implications for Radiative Effects, Su, H., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 31, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10211, doi:10.1029/2007JD009624)
A System for Operational Aerosol Optical Depth Data Assimilation Over Global Oceans, Zhang, J., J. S. Reid, D. L. Westphal, N. L. Baker, and E. J. Hyer, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 31, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10208, doi:10.1029/2007JD009065)
On the Roles of the Northeast Cold Surge, the Borneo Vortex, the Madden-Julian Oscillation, and the Indian Ocean Dipole During the Extreme 2006/2007 Flood in Southern Peninsular Malaysia, Tangang, F. T., L. Juneng, E. Salimun, P. N. Vinayachandran, Y. K. Seng, C. J. C. Reason, S. K. Behera, and T. Yasunari, Geophysical Research Letters, May 31, 2008 (Vol. 35, L14S07, doi:10.1029/2008GL033429)
Did Unusually Sunny Skies Help Drive the Record Sea Ice Minimum of 2007?, Schweiger, A. J., J. Zhang, R. W. Lindsay, and M. Steele, Geophysical Research Letters, May 30, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10503, doi:10.1029/2008GL033463)
Role of Precipitation Uncertainty in the Estimation of Hydrologic Soil Properties Using Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture in a Semiarid Environment, Peters-Lidard, C. D., D. M. Mocko, M. Garcia, J. A. Santanello Jr., M. A. Tischler, M. S. Moran, and Y. Wu, Water Resources Research, May 30, 2008 (Vol. 44, W05S18, doi:10.1029/2007WR005884)
The Sensitivity of Polar Ozone Depletion to Proposed Geoengineering Schemes, Simone Tilmes, Rolf Müller, Ross Salawitch, Science, May 30, 2008 (Vol. 320, No. 5880, doi:10.1126/science.1153966)
Noncoincident Validation of Aura MLS Observations Using the Langley Research Center Lagrangian Chemistry and Transport Model, Considine, D. B., M. Natarajan, T. D. Fairlie, G. S. Lingenfelser, R. B. Pierce, L. Froidevaux, and A. Lambert, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S33, doi:10.1029/2007JD008770)
An Assessment of the Tropical Humidity-Temperature Covariance Using AIRS, Gambacorta, A., C. Barnet, B. Soden, and L. Strow, Geophysical Research Letters, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10814, doi:10.1029/2008GL033805)
Assimilated Ozone from EOS-Aura: Evaluation of the Tropopause Region and Tropospheric Columns, Stajner, I., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S32, doi:10.1029/2007JD008863)
Comparison of Tropospheric NO2 from In Situ Aircraft Measurements with Near-real-time and Standard Product Data from OMI, Bucsela, E. J., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S31, doi:10.1029/2007JD008838)
Vertical Distribution of Mercury, CO, Ozone, and Aerosol Scattering Coefficient in the Pacific Northwest During the Spring 2006 INTEX-B Campaign, Swartzendruber, P. C., D. Chand, D. A. Jaffe, J. Smith, D. Reidmiller, L. Gratz, J. Keeler, S. Strode, L. Jaeglé, and R. Talbot, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10305, doi:10.1029/2007JD009579)
Using Observations of Deep Convective Systems to Constrain Atmospheric Column Absorption of Solar Radiation in the Optically Thick Limit, Dong, X., B. A. Wielicki, B. Xi, Y. Hu, G. G. Mace, S. Benson, F. Rose, S. Kato, T. Charlock, and P. Minnis, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10206, doi:10.1029/2007JD009769)
Updated Estimate of Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing from Satellite Observations and Comparison Against the Hadley Centre Climate Model, Bellouin, N., A. Jones, J. Haywood, and S. A. Christopher, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10205, doi:10.1029/2007JD009385)
Snowball Earth Termination by Destabilization of Equatorial Permafrost Methane Clathrate, Martin Kennedy, David Mrofka & Chris von der Borch, Nature, May 29, 2008 (Vol. 453, No. 7195, doi:10.1038/nature06961)
Evaluation of AMSR-E Soil Moisture Product Based on Ground Measurements Over Temperate and Semi-Arid Regions, Gruhier, C., P. de Rosnay, Y. Kerr, E. Mougin, E. Ceschia, J.-C. Calvet, and P. Richaume, Geophysical Research Letters, May 28, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10405, doi:10.1029/2008GL033330)
Sensitivity of Multiangle Imaging to the Optical and Microphysical Properties of Biomass Burning Aerosols, Chen, W.-T., R. A. Kahn, D. Nelson, K. Yau, and J. H. Seinfeld, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10203, doi:10.1029/2007JD009414)
Evaluating the Effects of Historical Land Cover Change on Summertime Weather and Climate in New Jersey: Land Cover and Surface Energy Budget Changes, Wichansky, P. S., L. T. Steyaert, R. L. Walko, and C. P. Weaver, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10107, doi:10.1029/2007JD008514)
Source Spectra Information Derived from U.S. High-Resolution Radiosonde Data, Gong, J., M. A. Geller, and L. Wang, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10106, doi:10.1029/2007JD009252)
Modeling Biogeophysical Interactions in Nonsorted Circles in the Low Arctic, Nicolsky, D. J., V. E. Romanovsky, G. S. Tipenko, and D. A. Walker, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, May 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, G03S05, doi:10.1029/2007JG000565)
Validation of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder OH and HO2 Measurements, Pickett, H. M., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 24, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S30, doi:10.1029/2007JD008775)
SAPS Measurements Around the Magnetic Equator by CRRES, Nishimura, Y., J. Wygant, T. Ono, M. Iizima, A. Kumamoto, D. Brautigam, and R. Friedel, Geophysical Research Letters, May 24, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10104, doi:10.1029/2008GL033970)
Unprecedented Evidence for Deep Convection Hydrating the Tropical Stratosphere, Corti, T., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, May 24, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10810, doi:10.1029/2008GL033641)
Estimation of Asian Dust Aerosol Effect on Cloud Radiation Forcing Using Fu-Liou Radiative Model and CERES Measurements, Jing Su, Jianping Huang, Qiang Fu, P. Minnis, Jinming Ge, and Jianrong Bi, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 10)
Formation of Box Canyon, Idaho, by Megaflood: Implications for Seepage Erosion on Earth and Mars, Michael P. Lamb, William E. Dietrich, Sarah M. Aciego, Donald J. DePaolo, and Michael Manga, Science, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 320, No. 5879, doi:10.1126/science.1156630)
Three-dimensional Equatorial Spread F Modeling, Huba, J. D., G. Joyce, and J. Krall, Geophysical Research Letters, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10102, doi:10.1029/2008GL033509)
Influence of Sea Ice on Primary Production in the Southern Ocean: A Satellite Perspective, Smith, W. O., Jr., and J. C. Comiso, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, C05S90, doi:10.1029/2007JC004251)
Evaluation of AMSR-E Snow Depth Product Over East Antarctic Sea Ice Using In Situ Measurements and Aerial Photography, Worby, A. P., T. Markus, A. D. Steer, V. I. Lytle, and R. A. Massom, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, C05S94, doi:10.1029/2007JC004181)
Arctic Ocean Gravity Field Derived from ICESat and ERS-2 Altimetry: Tectonic Implications, McAdoo, D. C., S. L. Farrell, S. W. Laxon, H. J. Zwally, D. Yi, and A. L. Ridout, Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, B05408, doi:10.1029/2007JB005217)
Comparing OMI-TOMS and OMI-DOAS Total Ozone Column Data, Kroon, M., J. P. Veefkind, M. Sneep, R. D. McPeters, P. K. Bhartia, and P. F. Levelt, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S28, doi:10.1029/2007JD008798)
Validation of Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer Ozone Profiles with Aircraft Observations During the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment–B, Richards, N. A. D., G. B. Osterman, E. V. Browell, J. W. Hair, M. Avery, and Q. Li, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S29, doi:10.1029/2007JD008815)
Triple Oxygen Isotope Evidence for Elevated CO2 Levels After a Neoproterozoic Glaciation, Huiming Bao, J. R. Lyons & Chuanming Zhou, Nature, May 22, 2008 (Vol. 453, No. 1794, doi:10.1038/nature06959)
Seasonal Variability and Po River Plume Influence on Biochemical Properties Along Western Adriatic Coast, Marini, M., B. H. Jones, A. Campanelli, F. Grilli, and C. M. Lee, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, May 21, 2008 (Vol. 113, C05S90, doi:10.1029/2007JC004370)
Seasonal Variation of Cloud Activity and Atmospheric Profiles Over the Eastern Part of the Tibetan Plateau, Taniguchi, K., and T. Koike, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 21, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10104, doi:10.1029/2007JD009321)
New Approach to Determine Aerosol Optical Depth from Combined CALIPSO and CloudSat Ocean Surface Echoes, Josset, D., J. Pelon, A. Protat, and C. Flamant, Geophysical Research Letters, May 21, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10805, doi:10.1029/2008GL033442)
A Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithm for Upscaled Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Transfer Modeling to Evaluate Satellite-based Soil Moisture Measurements, Das, N. N., B. P. Mohanty, and E. G. Njoku, Water Resources Research, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 44, W05416, doi:10.1029/2007WR006472)
A Remote Sensing Approach for Estimating Distributed Daily Net Carbon Dioxide Flux in Semiarid Grasslands, Holifield Collins, C. D., W. E. Emmerich, M. S. Moran, M. Hernandez, R. L. Scott, R. B. Bryant, D. M. King, and C. L. Verdugo, Water Resources Research, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 44, W05S17, doi:10.1029/2006WR005699)
Changes of Temperature and Bio-optical Properties in the South China Sea in Response to Typhoon Lingling 2001, Shang, S., L. Li, F. Sun, J. Wu, C. Hu, D. Chen, X. Ning, Y. Qiu, C. Zhang, and S. Shang, Geophysical Research Letters, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 35, L10602, doi:10.1029/2008GL033502)
Formaldehyde Over North America and the North Atlantic During the Summer 2004 INTEX Campaign: Methods, Observed Distributions, and Measurement-model Comparisons, Fried, A., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10302, doi:10.1029/2007JD009185)
Intercomparison of SCIAMACHY and OMI Tropospheric NO2 Columns: Observing the Diurnal Evolution of Chemistry and Emissions from Space, Boersma, K. F., D. J. Jacob, H. J. Eskes, R. W. Pinder, J. Wang, and R. J. van der A, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S26, doi:10.1029/2007JD008816)
Comparison of Ozone Monitoring Instrument UV Aerosol Products with Aqua/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer Observations in 2006, Ahn, C., O. Torres, and P. K. Bhartia, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 20, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S27, doi:10.1029/2007JD008832)
CLOUDSAT: Adding a New Dimension to a Classical View of Extratropical Cyclones, Derek J. Posselt, Graeme L. Stephens, and Martin Miller, Bulltin of the American Meteorological Society, May 2008 (Vol. 89, No. 5, doi:10.1175/BAMS-89-5-599)
The Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment, Peter T. May, James H. Mather, Geraint Vaughan, Christian Jakob, Greg M. McFarquhar, Keith N. Bower, and Gerald G. Mace, Bulltin of the American Meteorological Society, May 2008 (Vol. 89, No. 5, doi:10.1175/BAMS-89-5-629)
Comparison of Aerosol Extinction Coefficients, Surface Area Density, and Volume Density from SAGE II and In Situ Aircraft Measurements, Reeves, J. M., J. C. Wilson, C. A. Brock, and T. P. Bui, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, May 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D10202, doi:10.1029/2007JD009357)
Destruction of Greenhouse Gases Over Tropical AtlanticMedia Alerts are press releases from different institutions, that either address climate research, or are NASA-funded.
Geologists Discover Signs of Volcanoes Blowing Their Tops in the Deep Ocean
June 25 — Evidence of violent eruptions on Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic defies assumptions about seafloor pressure and volcanism. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution press release) More
Climate Change Could Severely Impact California's Unique Native Plants
June 24 — California's widespread native plants – those found nowhere else in the world – could disappear from their natural ranges as a result of global warming and associated changes in rainfall, according to a new study. (University of California - Berkeley press release) More
Greenland Ice Core Analysis Shows Drastic Climate Change Near End of Last Ice Age
June 19 — Information gleaned from a Greenland ice core by an international science team shows that two huge Northern Hemisphere temperature spikes prior to the close of the last ice age some 11,500 years ago were tied to fundamental shifts in atmospheric circulation. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release) More
Ocean Warming on the Rise
June 19 — Increased scientific confidence that ocean observations are accurately reflecting rising global temperatures is central to new Australian research. (CSIRO Australia press release) More
Nitrogen Discovery Should Help Climate Change Predictions
June 18 — A team of researchers has resolved a long-standing paradox in the plant world, which should lead to far more accurate predictions of global climate change. (University of California – Davis press release) More
Ocean Temperatures and Sea Level Increases 50 Percent Higher Than Previously Estimated
June 18 — New research suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961 and 2003 were 50 percent higher than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. (DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory press release) More
Ebb and Flow of the Sea Drives World's Big Extinction Events
June 15 — A new study suggests that it is the ebbs and flows of sea level and sediment over the course of geologic time that is the primary cause of the world's periodic mass extinctions. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release) More
These are resources to assist reporters in understanding NASA's missions and science.
Earth Science Expert Directory
A resource connecting reporters with NASA Earth science experts from across the agency.
Science Writers' Guide to CloudSat-CALIPSO-GRACE (Oct. 2005)
Highlights of the earth science research planned with NASA's CloudSat, CALIPSO and GRACE spacecraft. Includes mission overview and media contacts and background science information.
Science Writers' Guide to Aura (May 2004)
Highlights of the earth science research planned with NASA's Aura spacecraft, launched in June 2004. Includes mission overview and media contact information.
Science Writers' Guide to SORCE (Jan. 2003)
Highlights of the earth science research planned with NASA's SORCE spacecraft, to be launched in January 2003. Includes mission overview and media contact information.
Science Writers' Guide to Aqua (Apr. 2002)
Highlights of the earth science research planned with NASA's Aqua spacecraft, launched in May 2002. Includes mission overview and media contact information.
SAFARI 2000 Media Guide (May 2000) [PDF]
The Southern African Regional Science Initiative brings together U.S., African, and international scientists in a multidisciplinary effort to study the sustainability of the region's sensitive and pressured ecosystems. An intensive field campaign begins this August in South Africa.
NASA's Earth Observing System
An overview of the EOS program, the centerpiece of NASA's Office of Earth Science, which includes multiple spacecraft missions and interdisciplinary science investigations to provide a data set of key parameters needed to understand global climate change.
Science Writers' Guide to Terra (Nov. 1999)
Highlights of the earth science research planned with NASA's Terra spacecraft, launched in December 1999. Includes mission overview and media contact information.
Science Writers' Guide to Landsat 7
Landsat 7 will advance several areas of Earth science, including monitoring croplands and mapping Antarctic ice streams. This guide profiles several Landsat 7 research projects and provides extensive background and contact information.
Terra Science Fact Sheets (pdf)
Overviews of the major science questions that NASA's Terra spacecraft (formerly EOS AM-1) will address.
EOS Science Writer's Workshop, June 24, 1999
Topics at the workshop included global warming, the health of the oceans, and regional land and water impacts of climate change.
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In Data & Images:
Updated Datasets:
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Sea Surface Temperature (April 11)
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The Ocean's Carbon Balance (July 1, 2008)
William Smith (1769-1839) (May 8, 2008)
Cities at Night: The View from Space (April 22, 2008)
Disintegration: Antarctic Warming Claims Another Ice Shelf (March 26, 2008)
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