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The U.S. Climate Modeling Summit brought together representatives from the Nation’s major research and operational climate modeling programs

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.

Thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

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.

A new report investigates the causes of extreme weather and climate events that occurred around the world in 2013, finding evidence for both human and natural influences.

NASA image of the ozone hole over Antarctica

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.

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.

A NOAA-led study finds that over the past 30 years, the location where tropical cyclones reach maximum intensity has been shifting toward the poles in both the northern and southern hemispheres at a rate of about 35 miles, or one-half degree of latitude, per decade.

The United States will be a much hotter place, precipitation patterns will shift, and climate extremes will increase by the end of the 21st century, according to reports released in January 2013 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in support of the National Climate Assessment (NCA).

On May 9, 2013, the daily mean concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time since measurements began in 1958 at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

NOAA issued the three-month U.S. Spring Outlook today, stating that odds favor above-average temperatures across much of the continental United States, including drought-stricken areas of Texas, the Southwest and the Great Plains.

The latest State of the Climate National Overview report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NOAA's National Climatic Data Center reveals that 2012 was the United States’ warmest year on record by a wide margin.

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Latest News

Modeling Summit Bridges Weather & Climate, Research & Operations

From Thawing Permafrost, Slow but Steady Emissions Likely

Extreme Weather Events of 2013: Human-Caused or Natural Variability?

Ozone-Depleting Chemical Persists in Atmosphere, Source Unknown

Last Month Was Earth's Hottest May on Record

Tropical Cyclone “Maximum Intensity” Moving Poleward

New Reports Explore How A Shifting Climate May Impact Eight U.S. Regions

Carbon Dioxide at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory reaches new milestone: Tops 400 ppm

NOAA Predicts Mixed Bag of Drought, Flooding and Warm Weather for Spring

2012 State of the Climate National Overview