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.

Ocean Surface a Boon for Extreme Event Forecasts, Warnings
July 16 — For humans in the path of destructive hurricanes and tsunamis, an accurate warning of the pending event is critical for damage control and survival. More

For Toy-Like NASA Robots in Arctic, Ice Research is Child's Play
July 15 — SnoMotes are the first prototype network of their kind envisioned to rove treacherous areas of the Arctic and Antarctic. More

NASA Responds to California Wildfire Emergency Imaging Request
July 11 — A remotely piloted aircraft carrying a NASA sensor flew over much of California earlier this week, gathering information that will be used to help fight more than 300 wildfires burning within the state. More

NASA Imagery of Fire and Smoke
July 11 — Numerous wildfires continue to burn out of control throughout California. More

Summer Storms Could Mean More Dead Zones
July 11 — When summer storms arrive, it's not only beach-goers who are affected; the rains can also have an impact on living creatures far below the ocean surface. More

Ocean Wind Power Maps Reveal Possible Wind Energy Sources
July 9 — Efforts to harness the energy potential of Earth's ocean winds could soon gain an important new tool: global satellite maps from NASA. More

NASA Mission to be Crystal Ball into Oceans' Future, Mirror to the Past
July 8 — Imagine the lives that could be saved from flash floods if only scientists could more accurately predict the dynamics of Earth's often unpredictable oceans. More

New Mission Helps Offshore Industries Dodge Swirling Waters
July 1 — Hurricanes aren't the only hazards spinning up in the Gulf of Mexico – they have a liquid counterpart in the waters below called ocean eddies. More

NASA News Archive

More Icebergs Scouring Antarctic Seabed
July 18 — Shrinking sea ice is significantly increasing the rate at which icebergs scour the Antarctic seabed, new research suggests, crushing animals and plants living up to 1,640 feet beneath the surface. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Sea Die-Out Blamed on Volcanoes
July 16 — Undersea volcanic activity has been blamed for a mass extinction in the seas 93 million years ago, when the ocean depths became starved of oxygen, wiping out swathes of marine organisms. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Middle Earth Mountains: Steep and Strong
July 16 — It's the composition of the rocks that makes New Zealand's mountains some of the steepest on Earth, without being particularly prone to landslides, according to a new survey of the mountain ranges. (Discovery News)

U.S. Floods to Create Record Dead Zone
July 15 — Researchers say that the floods which devastated the Midwest in June could play a part in boosting a "dead zone" which annually emerges in the Gulf of Mexico. (New Scientist)

Little Yellow Sub Studies Ocean
July 12 — The unmanned sub is nearing the halfway mark in its effort to travel from New Jersey to Spain, collecting scientific data along the way in an effort to show that an undersea glider can take its place in a global ocean-observing system. (Associated Press)

Glaciers on California's Mt. Shasta Keep Growing
July 8 — With global warming causing the retreat of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere in the Cascades, glaciers on Mt. Shasta are actually benefiting from changing weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean. (Associated Press)

December —

In the Headlines Archive

Aerosol Radiative Forcing During Dust Events Over New Delhi, India, Pandithurai, G., S. Dipu, K. K. Dani, S. Tiwari, D. S. Bisht, P. C. S. Devara, and R. T. Pinker, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 12, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13209, doi:10.1029/2008JD009804)

Aboveground Biomass and Leaf Area Index (LAI) Mapping for Niassa Reserve, Northern Mozambique, Ribeiro, N. S., S. S. Saatchi, H. H. Shugart, and R. A. Washington-Allen, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, July 12, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02S02, doi:10.1029/2007JG000550)

Seasonal Drought Stress in the Amazon: Reconciling Models and Observations, Baker, I. T., L. Prihodko, A. S. Denning, M. Goulden, S. Miller, and H. R. da Rocha, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, July 12, 2008 (Vol. 113, G00B01, doi:10.1029/2007JG000644)

Stratospheric Winter Climate Response to ENSO in Three Chemistry-Climate Models, Fischer, A. M., D. T. Shindell, B. Winter, M. S. Bourqui, G. Faluvegi, E. Rozanov, M. Schraner, and S. Brönnimann, Geophysical Research Letters, July 11, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13819, doi:10.1029/2008GL034289)

Aerosol Impact and Correction on Temperature Profile Retrieval from MODIS, Zhang, J., and Q. Zhang, Geophysical Research Letters, July 11, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13818, doi:10.1029/2008GL034419)

Basin-Scale Wind-Forced Dynamics of the Seasonal Southern South China Sea Gyre, Bayler, E. J., and Z. Liu, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 11, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07014, doi:10.1029/2007JC004519

Assessment of Uncertainty in the Ocean Reflectance Determined by Three Satellite Ocean Color Sensors (MERIS, SeaWiFS and MODIS-A) at an Offshore Site in the Mediterranean Sea (BOUSSOLE Project), Antoine, D., F. d'Ortenzio, S. B. Hooker, G. Bécu, B. Gentili, D. Tailliez, and A. J. Scott, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 11, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07013, doi:10.1029/2007JC004472)

Validation of Aerosol and Cloud Layer Structures from the Space-Borne Lidar CALIOP Using a Ground-Based Lidar in Seoul, Korea, S.-W. Kim, S. Berthier, J.-C. Raut, P. Chazette, F. Dulac, and S.-C. Yoon, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 11, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Cloud Field Segmentation Via Multiscale Convexity Analysis, Lim, S. L., and B. S. Daya Sagar, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 10, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13208, doi:10.1029/2007JD009369)

Oceanic Alkyl Nitrates as a Natural Source of Tropospheric Ozone, Neu, J. L., M. J. Lawler, M. J. Prather, and E. S. Saltzman, Geophysical Research Letters, July 10, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13814, doi:10.1029/2008GL034189)

The Role of Iron and Black Carbon in Aerosol Light Absorption, Derimian, Y., Karnieli, A., Kaufman, Y. J., Andreae, M. O., Andreae, T. W., Dubovik, O., Maenhaut, W., and Koren, I., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 10, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Measurement of the Mixing State, Mass, and Optical Size of Individual Black Carbon Particles in Urban and Biomass Burning Emissions, Schwarz, J. P., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, July 9, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13810, doi:10.1029/2008GL033968)

Simultaneous Measurements of Particulate and Gas-Phase Water-Soluble Organic Carbon Concentrations at Remote and Urban-Influenced Locations, Anderson, C., J. E. Dibb, R. J. Griffin, and M. H. Bergin, Geophysical Research Letters, July 9, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13706, doi:10.1029/2008GL033966)

Validation of OMI Tropospheric NO2 Column Densities Using Direct-Sun Mode Brewer Measurements at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wenig, M. O., A. M. Cede, E. J. Bucsela, E. A. Celarier, K. F. Boersma, J. P. Veefkind, E. J. Brinksma, J. F. Gleason, and J. R. Herman, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 9, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S45, doi:10.1029/2007JD008988)

A Model Tool for Assessing Real-Time Mixing of Mineral and Anthropogenic Pollutants in East Asia: A Case Study of April 2005, Lasserre, F., Cautenet, G., Bouet, C., Dong, X., Kim, Y. J., Sugimoto, N., Matsui, I., and Shimizu, A., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 9, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Decreases in Atomic Hydrogen Over the Summer Pole: Evidence for Dehydration from Polar Mesospheric Clouds?, Siskind, D. E., D. R. Marsh, M. G. Mlynczak, F. J. Martin-Torres, and J. M. Russell III, Geophysical Research Letters, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13809, doi:10.1029/2008GL033742)

Wind Power Distribution Over the Ocean, Liu, W. T., W. Tang, and X. Xie, Geophysical Research Letters, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13808, doi:10.1029/2008GL034172)

Lack of Correlation Between Chlorophyll A and Cloud Droplet Effective Radius in Shallow Marine Clouds, Miller, M. A., and S. E. Yuter, Geophysical Research Letters, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13807, doi:10.1029/2008GL034354)

In-flight Comparison of Brewer-Mast and Electrochemical Concentration Cell Ozonesondes, Stübi, R., G. Levrat, B. Hoegger, P. Viatte, J. Staehelin, and F. J. Schmidlin, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13302, doi:10.1029/2007JD009091)

Warming of SST in the Cool Wake of a Moving Hurricane, Price, J. F., J. Morzel, and P. P. Niiler, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07010, doi:10.1029/2007JC004393)

Oceanic Kelvin Waves and Tropical Atlantic Intraseasonal Variability: 1. Kelvin Wave Characterization, Polo, I., A. Lazar, B. Rodriguez-Fonseca, and S. Arnault, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07009, doi:10.1029/2007JC004495)

Sea Surface Wind Speed Estimation from Space-Based Lidar Measurements, Hu, Y., Stamnes, K., Vaughan, M., Pelon, J., Weimer, C., Wu, D., Cisewski, M., Sun, W., Yang, P., Lin, B., Omar, A., Flittner, D., Hostetler, C., Trepte, C., Winker, D., Gibson, G., and Santa-Maria, M., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 8, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Validation of HNO3, ClONO2, and N2O5 from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), Wolff, M. A. and Kerzenmacher, T. et. al, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 7, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Interannual Memory Effects for Spring NDVI in Semi-Arid South Africa, Richard, Y., N. Martiny, N. Fauchereau, C. Reason, M. Rouault, N. Vigaud, and Y. Tracol, Geophysical Research Letters, July 4, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13704, doi:10.1029/2008GL034119)

Association of Antarctic Polar Stratospheric Cloud Formation on Tropospheric Cloud Systems, Wang, Z., G. Stephens, T. Deshler, C. Trepte, T. Parish, D. Vane, D. Winker, D. Liu, and L. Adhikari, Geophysical Research Letters, July 4, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13806, doi:10.1029/2008GL034209)

Characterization and Validation of Methane Products from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Xiong, X., C. Barnet, E. Maddy, C. Sweeney, X. Liu, L. Zhou, and M. Goldberg, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, July 4, 2008 (Vol. 113, G00A01, doi:10.1029/2007JG000500)

Phanerozoic Trends in the Global Diversity of Marine Invertebrates, John Alroy and Martin Aberhan et. al, Science, July 4, 2008 (Vol. 321, No. 5885, doi: 10.1126/science.1156963)

Modeling Air Temperature Through a Combination of Remote Sensing and GIS Data, Cristóbal, J., M. Ninyerola, and X. Pons, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13106, doi:10.1029/2007JD009318)

Diurnal Cycle of Surface Winds Over the Subtropical Southeast Pacific, Muñoz, R. C., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13107, doi:10.1029/2008JD009957)

Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC), Zaveri, R. A., R. C. Easter, J. D. Fast, and L. K. Peters, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13204, doi:10.1029/2007JD008782)

Quantifying Above-Cloud Aerosol Using Spaceborne Lidar for Improved Understanding of Cloudy-Sky Direct Climate Forcing, Chand, D., T. L. Anderson, R. Wood, R. J. Charlson, Y. Hu, Z. Liu, and M. Vaughan, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13206, doi:10.1029/2007JD009433)

Estimation of Transboundary Transport of Pollution Aerosols by Remote Sensing in the Eastern Mediterranean, Rudich, Y., Y. J. Kaufman, U. Dayan, H. Yu, and R. G. Kleidman,Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D14S13, doi:10.1029/2007JD009601)

Global Observations of HNO3 from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS): First Results, Kinnison, D. E., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S44, doi:10.1029/2007JD008814)

A Three-Dimensional Coupled Model of the Western Black Sea Plankton Dynamics: Seasonal Variability and Comparison to SeaWiFS Data, Tsiaras, K. P., V. H. Kourafalou, A. Davidov, and J. Staneva, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07007, doi:10.1029/2006JC003959)

Growing Temperate Shrubs Over Arid and Semiarid Regions in the Community Land Model–Dynamic Global Vegetation Model, Zeng, X. D., X. Zeng, and M. Barlage, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB3003, doi:10.1029/2007GB003014)

Sea Level Anomaly Signals in the Agulhas Current Region, Byrne, D. A., and J. L. McClean, Geophysical Research Letters, July 3, 2008 (Vol. 35, L13601, doi:10.1029/2008GL034087)

Seasonal Distribution and Succession of Dominant Phytoplankton Groups in the Global Ocean: A Satellite View, Alvain, S., C. Moulin, Y. Dandonneau, and H. Loisel, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, July 2, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB3001, doi:10.1029/2007GB003154)

Determination of Cloud Liquid Water Distribution Using 3D Cloud Tomography, Huang, D., Y. Liu, and W. Wiscombe, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 2, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13201, doi:10.1029/2007JD009133)

A Study of Ozone Depletion in the 2004/2005 Arctic Winter Based on Data from Odin/SMR and Aura/MLS, Rösevall, J. D., D. P. Murtagh, J. Urban, W. Feng, P. Eriksson, and S. Brohede, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, July 2, 2008 (Vol. 113, D13301, doi:10.1029/2007JD009560)

Arctic Sea Ice Variability and Trends, 1979–2006, Parkinson, C. L., and D. J. Cavalieri, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 1, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07003, doi:10.1029/2007JC004558)

Antarctic sea ice variability and trends, 1979–2006, Cavalieri, D. J., and C. L. Parkinson, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, July 1, 2008 (Vol. 113, C07004, doi:10.1029/2007JC004564)

Mesoscale Inversion: First Results from the CERES Campaign with Synthetic Data, T. Lauvaux, M. Uliasz, C. Sarrat, F. Chevallier, P. Bousquet, C. Lac, K. J. Davis, P. Ciais, A. S. Denning, and P. J. Rayner, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, July 2, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 13)

Seasonal and Spatial Patterns of Mercury Wet Deposition in the United States: Constraints on the Contribution from North American Anthropogenic Sources, Noelle E. Selin, Daniel J. Jacob, Atmospheric Environment, July 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 21, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.02.069)

Retrieving Earthquake Signature in Grace Gravity Solutions, O. de Viron, I. Panet, V. Mikhailov, M. Van Camp, M. Diament, Geophysical Journal International, July 2008 (Vol. 174, No.1, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03807.x)

Constraints on Surface Deformation in the Seattle, WA, Urban Corridor from Satellite Radar Interferometry Time-Series Analysis, Noah J. Finnegan, Mathew E. Pritchard, Rowena B. Lohman, Paul R. Lundgren, Geophysical Journal International, July 2008 (Vol. 174, No.1, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03822.x)

Land Subsidence Pattern Controlled by Old Alpine Basement Faults in the Kashmar Valley, Northeast Iran: Results from InSAR and Levelling, Jan Anderssohn, Hans-Ulrich Wetzel, Thomas R. Walter, Mahdi Motagh, Yahya Djamour, Hermann Kaufmann, Geophysical Journal International, July 2008 (Vol. 174, No.1, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03805.x)

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, July 2008 (Vol. 12, No.2, doi: 10.1175/2007EI238.1)

Diurnal to Annual Precipitation Sensitivity to Convective and Land Surface Schemes, Alex C. Ruane and John O. Roads, Earth Interactions, July 2008 (Vol. 12, No.2, doi: 10.1175/2008EI256.1)

Estimating the Surface Area of Small Rivers in the Southwestern Amazon and Their Role in CO2 Outgassing, Maria de Fátima F. L. Rasera, Maria Victoria R. Ballester, Alex V. Krusche, Cleber Salimon, Letícia A. Montebelo, Simone R. Alin, Reynaldo L. Victoria, and Jeffrey E. Richey, Earth Interactions, July 2008 (Vol. 12, No.2, doi: 10.1175/2008EI257.1)

Terrestrial Vegetation Dynamics and Global Climate Controls in North America: 2001–05, Christopher Potter, Shyam Boriah, Michael Steinbach, Vipin Kumar, and Steven Klooster, Earth Interactions, July 2008 (Vol. 12, No.2, doi: 10.1175/2008EI249.1)

Characterizing Subpixel Variability of Low Resolution Radiometer Derived Soil Moisture Using High Resolution Radar Data, Narayan, U., and V. Lakshmi, Water Resources Research, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 44, W06425, doi:10.1029/2006WR005817)

A Near Uniform Basin-Wide Sea Level Fluctuation Over the Japan/East Sea: A Semienclosed Sea with Multiple Straits, Kim, S.-B., and I. Fukumori, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, C06031, doi:10.1029/2007JC004409)

Fault Growth and Propagation During Incipient Continental Rifting: Insights from a Combined Aeromagnetic and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model Investigation of the Okavango Rift Zone, Northwest Botswana, Kinabo, B. D., J. P. Hogan, E. A. Atekwana, M. G. Abdelsalam, and M. P. Modisi, Tectonics, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 27, TC3013, doi:10.1029/2007TC002154)

Does the Madden-Julian Oscillation Influence Aerosol Variability?, Tian, B., D. E. Waliser, R. A. Kahn, Q. Li, Y. L. Yung, T. Tyranowski, I. V. Geogdzhayev, M. I. Mishchenko, O. Torres, and A. Smirnov, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, D12215, doi:10.1029/2007JD009372)

Seasonal Variations of the Physical and Optical Characteristics of Saharan Dust: Results from the Dust Outflow and Deposition to the Ocean (DODO) Experiment, McConnell, C. L., E. J. Highwood, H. Coe, P. Formenti, B. Anderson, S. Osborne, S. Nava, K. Desboeufs, G. Chen, and M. A. J. Harrison, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 113, D14S05, doi:10.1029/2007JD009606)

Methane, Manganese, and Helium in Hydrothermal Plumes Following Volcanic Eruptions on the East Pacific Rise Near 9°50′N, Love, B. A., J. A. Resing, J. P. Cowen, J. E. Lupton, D. J. Fornari, T. M. Shank, and D. Biller, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 9, Q06T01, doi:10.1029/2008GC002104)

Changes in West Antarctic Ice Stream Dynamics Observed with ALOS PALSAR Data, Rignot, E., Geophysical Research Letters, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 35, L12505, doi:10.1029/2008GL033365)

A Bayesian Calibration of a Simple Carbon Cycle Model: The Role of Observations in Estimating and Reducing Uncertainty, Ricciuto, D. M., K. J. Davis, and K. Keller, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, June 28, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB2030, doi:10.1029/2006GB002908)

Globally Significant Oceanic Source of Organic Carbon Aerosol, Spracklen, D. V., S. R. Arnold, J. Sciare, K. S. Carslaw, and C. Pio, Geophysical Research Letters, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 35, L12811, doi:10.1029/2008GL033359)

High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder: Experiment Overview, Recovery, and Validation of Initial Temperature Data, Gille, J., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 113, D16S43, doi:10.1029/2007JD008824)

A Multisensor Satellite-Based Assessment of Biomass Burning Aerosol Radiative Impact Over Amazonia, Patadia, F., P. Gupta, S. A. Christopher, and J. S. Reid, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 113, D12214, doi:10.1029/2007JD009486)

Seven Year Particulate Matter Air Quality Assessment from Surface and Satellite Measurements, Gupta, P. and Christopher, S. A., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 12)

Can We Reconcile Differences in Estimates of Carbon Fluxes from Land-Use Change and Forestry for the 1990s?, A. Ito, J. E. Penner, M. J. Prather, C. P. de Campos, R. A. Houghton, T. Kato, A. K. Jain, X. Yang, G. C. Hurtt, S. Frolking, M. G. Fearon, L. P. Chini, A. Wang, and D. T. Price, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 12)

Comparison of Total Ozone and Erythemal UV Data from OMI with Ground-Based Measurements at Rome Station, I. Ialongo, G. R. Casale, and A. M. Siani, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 12)

Near-Surface Soil Moisture Assimilation for Quantifying Effective Soil Hydraulic Properties Using Genetic Algorithm: 1. Conceptual Modeling, Ines, A. V. M., and B. P. Mohanty, Water Resources Research, June 27, 2008 (Vol. 44, W06422, doi:10.1029/2007WR005990)

Isotope Ratios of Precipitation and Water Vapor Observed in Typhoon Shanshan, Fudeyasu, H., K. Ichiyanagi, A. Sugimoto, K. Yoshimura, A. Ueta, M. D. Yamanaka, and K. Ozawa, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 26, 2008 (Vol. 113, D12113, doi:10.1029/2007JD009313)

Low Cloud Errors Over the Southeastern Atlantic in the NCEP CFS and their Association with Lower-Tropospheric Stability and Air-Sea Interaction, Hu, Z.-Z., B. Huang, and K. Pegion, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, June 26, 2008 (Vol. 113, D12114, doi:10.1029/2007JD009514)

InSAR Slip Rate Determination on the Altyn Tagh Fault, Northern Tibet, in the Presence of Topographically Correlated Atmospheric Delays, Elliott, J. R., J. Biggs, B. Parsons, and T. J. Wright, Geophysical Research Letters, June 26, 2008 (Vol. 35, L12309, doi:10.1029/2008GL033659)

The Impact of Variational Assimilation of SSM/I and QuikSCAT Satellite Observations on the Numerical Simulation of Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones, Randhir Singh, P. K. Pal, C. M. Kishtawal, and P. C. Joshi, Weather and Forecasting, June 2008 (Vol. 23, No. 3, doi: 10.1175/2007WAF2007014.1)

The Impact of Variational Assimilation of SSM/I and QuikSCAT Satellite Observations on the Numerical Simulation of Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones, Randhir Singh, P. K. Pal, C. M. Kishtawal, and P. C. Joshi, Weather and Forecasting, June 2008 (Vol. 23, No. 3, doi: 10.1175/2007WAF2007014.1)

Research Highlights Archive

Media Alerts are press releases from different institutions, that either address climate research, or are NASA-funded.

Scientists Offer New Explanation for Monsoon Development
July 21 — Geoscientists have come up with a new explanation for the formation of monsoons, proposing an overhaul of a theory about the cause of the seasonal pattern of heavy winds and rainfall that essentially had held firm for more than 300 years. (California Institute of Technology press release) More

Chinese Earthquake Provides Lessons for Future
July 21 — The May 12 Sichuan earthquake in China was unexpectedly large, but topographic analysis can help evaluate other, similar fault areas for seismic risk, according to geologists. (Pennsylvania State University press release) More

Saharan Dust Storms Sustain Life in Atlantic Ocean
July 18 — Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. (University of Liverpool press release) More

Iceberg Scour Affects Biodiversity
July 17 — Antarctic worms, sea spiders, urchins and other marine creatures living in near-shore shallow habitats are regularly pounded by icebergs, and new data suggests this environment along the Antarctic Peninsula is going to get hit more frequently. (British Antarctic Survey press release) More

Scientists Demonstrate the Sharpest Measurement of Ice Crystals in Clouds
July 17 — Scientists have created an instrument designed to help determine the shapes and sizes of tiny ice crystals typical of those found in high-altitude clouds, down to the micron level, and data produced using this instrument will likely help improve computer models used to predict climate change. (Optical Society of America press release) More

Undersea Volcanoes Triggered Marine Extinction
July 16 — The answer to mass extinction of animals and plants 93 million years ago has been found at the bottom of the sea floor where lava fountains erupted, altering the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere, new research suggests. (University of Alberta press release) More

Scientists Close in on Source of X-rays in Lightning
July 15 — University of Florida and Florida Institute of Technology engineering researchers have narrowed the search for the source of X-rays emitted by lightning, a feat that could one day help predict where lightning will strike. (University of Florida press release) More

Future Snowmelt in West Twice as Early as Expected
July 15 — Global warming could lead to larger changes in snowmelt in the western United States than was previously thought, possibly increasing wildfire risk and creating new water management challenges for agriculture, ecosystems and urban populations. (Purdue University press release) More

Media Alerts Archive

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.

• Overview of EOS Program
• NASA's Earth Science Enterprise
• EOS Project Scientists

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.

• Aerosols
• Changing Global Cloudiness
• Changing Global Land Surface
• Earth's Energy Balance
• The Roles of the Ocean in Climate Changes

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.

Follow NASA earth scientists as they take to the field — and the oceans and the air — to better understand our complex planet. (Updated: March 8, 2002)

March 2006
Cloud Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC)—The Cloud Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) will study cumulus convection and associated thunderstorm formation. Both processes are strongly controlled by land surface conditions but also influence the land surface itself through rain-induced changes in soil moisture and photosynthesis. Project Summary

2005-2007
Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC-4)— The Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC-4) experiment will take scientists to the extreme environment of the upper troposphere to measure the movement of gases and tiny particles called aerosols. By closely examining the chemical and physical processes that occur in this region, researchers will gain valuable insight on issues involving global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global tropospheric chemistry. Project Summary

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In Data & Images:

Updated Datasets:
Chlorophyll (April 11)
Biosphere (April 11)
Rainfall (April 11)
Sea Surface Temperature (April 11)

Latest Features:
Siberia Blog 2008 (July 10, 2008)
American Carbon: Vulcan Project Maps Nation's Fossil Fuel Emissions in Detail (July 9, 2008)
The Ocean's Carbon Balance (July 1, 2008)
William Smith (1769-1839) (May 8, 2008)

New References:
Global Warming (May 7)