geophysics

The event of the decade is set to occur next week—a total solar eclipse is ready to travel across America from Texas to Maine. In order to view this special event, climate conditions all need to be in alignment. In honor of Earth Month,…

NOAA and its partners have released the latest Regional Climate Impacts and Outlooks, which recap winter conditions and provide insight into what might be expected this spring. Winter Temperature Recap The meteorological winter…

When educational lessons teach continental drift (that all of the continents were once connected), it is Alfred Wegener who is associated with the theory. Few hear of Marie Tharp, the pioneering mapmaker who discovered the Mid-Atlantic…

NCEI is proud to be entering their 10th year of partnership with the NASA DEVELOP Program! This unique internship opportunity allows early and transitioning-career scientists to get hands-on field experience using NASA Earth science…

Highlights: Temperatures were above average over much of the globe, but eastern Asia, much of Greenland, and parts of Antarctica were cooler than average.  There is a 45% chance that 2024 will be the warmest year in NOAA’s 175-year…

Key Points: The 2023–24 winter season ranked warmest on record for the contiguous U.S. with eight states across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast each observing their warmest winter on record.  The Smokehouse Creek wildfire…

  There are a lot of superstitions that surround Leap Day...but how does February 29 affect science? Every four years we herald the arrival of an extra day in February. However, it’s a day that is both celebrated and loathed in the lives…

Dr. George Washington Carver has been largely known as “The Peanut Man” due to his involvement in seminal research of 325 uses for peanuts. However, he was also a prolific agricultural scientist and inventor who thrived in the fields of…

The NCEI’s Ocean Climate Laboratory (OCL) has released the full World Ocean Atlas 2023 (WOA23) Global Climatologies of Temperature, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, and Inorganic Nutrients. This is a five year update to enhance the previous…

How do we measure the temperature of the Earth? There are actually two different kinds of measurements needed because Earth is made up of land and water. Temperature on land is recorded by weather stations all over the world. Ocean…

Highlights: Temperatures were above average over much of the globe, but the eastern United States, most of Europe and a few other areas were cooler than average.  There is a 22% chance that 2024 will be the warmest year in NOAA’s…

Last month saw the publication of the 2023 State of the Geomagnetic Field Report. The report details the current state of Earth’s main magnetic field, and provides a performance analysis of the most recent version of the World Magnetic…

Key Points: The arctic air mass from January 14–18 broke nearly 2,500 daily minimum temperatures county records from the Northwest to the Lower Mississippi Valley. On January 22–25, heavy rainfall brought more than a month’s worth of…

An Albanian mine where hydrogen naturally seeps up through the rockF-V. Donzé The largest flow of natural hydrogen gas ever recorded has been measured deep in an Albanian mine. The find could help us work out where…

Spring is on its way and “springing into action” means more than just the seasonal cleaning spree. You can also use your time to see one of the best outdoor events of the year—the total solar eclipse! We know, we know, the lyrics from…

Today, the Department of Commerce (DOC) and NOAA announced an $85 million investment in the new Industry Proving Grounds (IPG) program to promote the development and use of actionable climate information. This initiative, which is funded…

Speaker Haraldur Sigurdsson, Emeritus Professor, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island Iceland Rifting Today Abstract As an exposed segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a valuable and…

The world’s largest yearly conference for the weather, water, and climate science community takes place this month to further meteorological sciences. Our scientists and staff are participating in the virtual and in-person American…

Highlights: NOAA ranks 2023 as the warmest year in its global temperature record, which dates back to 1850. There is a one-in-three chance that 2024 will be warmer than 2023 and a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the five warmest…

  In the past few years, there has been an increase in awareness and interest in microplastic research, as well as the impact these plastics have on the environment and human health. Recently, the NCEI Microplastics team published a…

Drought monitoring and early detection have improved greatly in recent decades through the development and refinement of numerous indices and indicators. However, there is a lack of user-informed guidance as to which drought monitoring…

Key Points: There were 28 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events identified during 2023—the highest annual disaster count in the 44-year record.  The average annual temperature of the contiguous U.S. was 54.4°F,…

From December 11–15, 2023, the National Centers for Environmental Information’s (NCEI) scientists and educators will be hosting sessions and town halls as well as presenting talks and posters that explore “Wide. Open. Science.” at the…

NOAA and its partners have released the latest Regional Climate Impacts and Outlooks, which recap fall conditions and provide insight into what might be expected this winter. Fall Temperature Recap The meteorological autumn…

Key Points: Record- warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic basin brought 20 named tropical systems during 2023, ranking fourth for the most named storms in a year since 1950. Three of these storms made landfall—Hurricane Idalia…

A recently-released chapter in the book Climatic and Ecological Change in the Americas, completed with contributions from NCEI and partner scientists, explored the “fire resilience” of dry conifer forests, specifically Southwest U.S.…

November and Seasonal Highlights: November marked the sixth record-warm month in a row. The September–November 2023 global surface temperature ranked as the warmest such period on record, a substantial leap (+0.70°F or +0.39°C) above the…

Key Points: Record- warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic basin brought 20 named tropical systems during 2023, ranking fourth for the most named storms in a year since 1950. Three of these storms made landfall—Hurricane Idalia…

Key Points: Record- warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic basin brought 20 named tropical systems during 2023, ranking fourth for the most named storms in a year since 1950. Three of these storms made landfall—Hurricane Idalia…

Here at NCEI, we aren’t just data—we are people. In our Humans of NCEI series, meet the awesome minds that manage one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world. Get to know Chris…

October Highlights:January–October 2023 ranked as the warmest such period on record, and there is a greater than 99% chance that 2023 will be the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year record.For the seventh consecutive month, global ocean…

Key Points:For the second year in a row, the Mississippi River dropped to record lows, causing barges and ships to run aground during one of the busiest times of the year to ship grain. The first major cold snap of the season occurred on…

Here at NCEI, we aren’t just data—we are people. In our Humans of NCEI series, meet the awesome minds that manage one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world. Get to know Alessandra…

Halloween is coming up and the fall season is fully underway. Fall brings cool, temperate weather that is anticipated after a hot summer. However, fall also means that winter is right around the corner. The first day of astronomical…

September Highlights:Last month, the January–September 2023 period surpassed January–September 2016 as the warmest such year-to-date period on record.Record-warm temperatures covered 20% of the world's surface this September, which was…

The iron-rich core at the centre of the Earth is squishy like rubberMaksym Yemelyanov/Alamy Earth’s inner core is surprisingly soft, and wiggling iron atoms may help explain why. The innermost part of our planet is a…

Key Points:Hurricane Lee, Tropical Storm Ophelia and a slow-moving coastal low brought record-breaking precipitation and widespread flooding across parts of the East Coast.Near-record to record-warm temperatures were observed across much…

In just a few days time the annular solar eclipse is set to cross parts of the contiguous United States during the spookiest month of the year. Goblins, ghouls, and witches aside, watching the sun display this spine-tingling phenomena…

NOAA and its partners have released the latest Regional Climate Impacts and Outlooks, which recap summer conditions and provide insight into what might be expected this fall.Summer Temperature RecapThe meteorological summer (June-August)…

From September 25–28, 2023, global marine scientists, technologists, engineers, students, government officials, lawyers, and advocates are gathering in Biloxi, MS to focus on the world’s largest natural resource—our oceans. Sponsored by…

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Regional Climate Center (RCC) Program, we have produced a series of articles highlighting its history and success. In this fourth, and final, installment, we provide examples of how climate…

Have you ever wondered how scientists are able to determine past weather, water, and climate conditions? In the time before weather satellites (pre-1960) and standardized large-scale observation networks, monitoring was relatively…

Have you ever wondered how scientists are able to determine past weather, water, and climate conditions? In the time before weather satellites (pre-1960) and standardized large-scale observation networks, monitoring was relatively…

August and Seasonal Highlights: Asia, Africa, North America and South America each had their warmest August on record.Record-warm temperatures covered nearly 13% of the world's surface this August, which was the highest August percentage…

Key Points:A total of 23 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters have been confirmed this year—the most events on record during a calendar year. Much of the eastern U.S. has been consistently warmer than average during 2023…

In the late 19th century, explorations of the Arctic captivated Western society. At the time, the North Pole was unknown territory and many nations wanted to be the first to reach the region to confirm what it was like–was it frozen land…

Just as birders have field guides for identification when birding, there are guides on corals for observers as well. With over 6,000 known species, coral reefs are the largest biological origin structures on earth and are complex…

Your autumn days can include a free and spectacular show in the contiguous United States. Watch the sun temporarily cast a ringlike shadow upon the fall leaves as the annular eclipse path crosses from Oregon through Texas. Weather can be…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office, the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), and CAPA are conducting an international heat mapping campaign in 2023 that spans 18…

Key Points:Heat waves impacted much of the U.S. in July and brought record temperatures to parts of the Southwest. The region as a whole tied with 2003 as the warmest July on record.Much of the eastern U.S. has been consistently warmer…