After a 41-year career at the forefront of climate science, Tom Karl, Director of the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR), has retired from Federal service . Tom served his entire career with NOAA , taking the reins of NCEI (formerly the National Climatic Data Center...
Posted
Oct 9, 2015National Climate Assessment
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released two reports that provide detailed comparisons of phases 3 and 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5) for the United States. Understanding the strengths of these simulations and the differences among models is important for sustained assessment...
Posted
Jun 5, 2015Oceans
A NOAA-led study refutes the much-publicized idea that there has been a recent slowdown or “hiatus” in the rate of global warming. The study finds that global warming during the last 15 years has progressed as fast or faster than during the latter half of the 20th century.
Posted
May 1, 2015Physical Climate
A new white paper highlights outcomes from the first annual U.S. Climate Modeling Summit. The Summit brought together leadership from the country’s six premier climate modeling centers to strategize around priorities of national interest—from experimental efforts that move science forward to forecasts and projections that inform on-the-ground decisions.
Posted
Apr 24, 2015Water Resources
The Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced four collaborative landscape partnerships to make important lands and waters more resilient to climate change. Federal agencies will work with local, state, and tribal organizations in southwest Florida, Hawaiʻi, Washington, and the Great Lakes.
Posted
Apr 12, 2015Physical Climate
A new synthesis published in Nature suggests that thawing Arctic permafrost will release greenhouse gases gradually, rather than in a sudden "bomb". The gradual rate of these natural emissions may give society more time to adapt to their effects, but they remain a challenge for climate mitigation.
Posted
Jan 16, 2015Oceans
2014 ranks as Earth’s warmest since record keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by scientists at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Posted
Dec 17, 2014Modeling
NASA scientists used an ultra-high-resolution supercomputer model to simulate how carbon dioxide moves through Earth’s atmosphere. Watch an animation of the model's output to see carbon dioxide swirling across the globe in stunning detail.
Posted
Dec 4, 2014Education
A new Administration initiative aims to “lift America’s game” in climate education, literacy, and training. USGCRP agencies will play a central part in this effort to connect students and citizens with the best-available scientific information about climate change.
Posted
Nov 25, 2014International
In the Caribbean, the economic importance of agriculture and tourism—combined with rural poverty and vulnerability to extreme events like hurricanes and droughts—makes adapting to climate change an urgent necessity. The International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) aims to build resilience in the Caribbean through a better understanding of how climate information can enable regional risk management.