The last remaining piece of Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf will likely disintegrate by the end of this decade, according to a new NASA-led study. The ice shelf, which partially collapsed in 2002, has existed for at least 10,000 years.
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Mar 16, 2015Observations, International, Extreme Events, Adaptation
Bangladeshi officials have announced plans to expand the SERVIR satellite-based flood forecasting system for nationwide use. The system uses Jason-2 satellite data to predict flooding as far as eight days in advance, a significant advancement in disaster preparedness for the flood-prone country. SERVIR is a joint initiative between USAID and NASA.
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Jan 31, 2015Physical Climate, Observations, Water Resources, Carbon Cycle, Agriculture & Food, Extreme Events, Adaptation
Although the amount of moisture stored in soil is just a small fraction of Earth’s water, it plays a big role in the Earth system. NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, launched into orbit this morning, will collect unprecedented measurements of soil moisture around the globe.
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Jan 16, 2015Oceans, Physical Climate, Observations, International
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).
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Aug 21, 2014Physical Climate, Observations, Modeling, Mitigation, Carbon Cycle
New NASA research shows that Earth's atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of carbon tetrachloride (CC14), an ozone -depleting chemical that was banned worldwide decades ago. According to the study, global emissions of CCl4 average 39 kilotons per year—approximately 30 percent of peak emissions prior to its banning.
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Jul 2, 2014Physical Climate, Observations, Carbon Cycle
Early this morning, NASA launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), a new science satellite that will measure Earth's output and uptake of carbon dioxide—the leading greenhouse gas responsible for climate change .
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Jun 25, 2014Physical Climate, Observations, Human Health, Extreme Events
Both NASA and NOAA have ranked May 2014 as the planet’s hottest May since records began in 1880. UPDATE: Since this article was published, June 2014, August 2014, September 2014, and October 2014 have also set records for monthly average temperatures.
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May 29, 2014Oceans, Physical Climate, Observations, Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Education, Indicators, Human Health
A new EPA report presents a set of 30 indicators that track the causes and effects of climate change . Written for general audiences, the report aims to help readers understand long-term climate-related trends observed across the atmosphere, oceans, snow and ice, ecosystems, and public health.
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Feb 6, 2013Physical Climate, Observations
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis today that compares temperatures around the globe in 2012 to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century.
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Jul 25, 2012Observations, International, Arctic
For several days this month, Greenland's surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations.