Science Updates Archive

A true-color satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico on 17 July 2019

21 November 2019

Filling the Gaps in Ocean Maps

A new software application merges ocean color data from instruments aboard two satellites to provide gap-free, near-real-time monitoring of the global ocean environment.

Biogeosciences

Seagrass and mangrove habitats at Bocas del Toro in Panama typify these vital, but endangered, coastal ecosystems.

20 November 2019

Integrating Global Seagrass and Mangrove Ecosystem Observations

Coordinating the Implementation of Mangrove and Seagrass Essential Observations: A joint GOOS/MBON community outreach workshop to implement EOV/EBVs (Sea Plants Workshop), Consortium for Ocean Leadership; Washington, D.C., 10–11 June 2019

Climate Change

Practitioners participate in a group exercise around a table during a training session on using climate projections.

14 November 2019

Making Sense of Local Climate Projections

Hands-on training, collaboration with scientists, and practice using real-world challenges give planners and decision-makers confidence to work with climate model information.

Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

Marine biogeochemists at a workshop last summer huddle over a biogeochemical instrument they are learning to use.

6 November 2019

Training the Next Generation of Marine Biogeochemists

Early-career scientists came together recently to learn to use a suite of ocean biogeochemical sensors, with the goal of closing the knowledge gap between ocean technology and potential end users.

Biogeosciences

False-color composite image of the landscape near Noatak, Alaska, showing 3 of 425 spectral bands of NASA’s AVRIS-NG

31 October 2019

Watching Earth’s Interconnected Systems at Work

Surface Biology and Geology, a new NASA Earth observation effort, is developing a path forward for monitoring the Earth system from space.

Geology & Geophysics

High population density, a potential for large earthquakes, and basins that amplify seismic waves put downtown Los Angeles at risk

10 October 2019

Exposing Los Angeles’s Shaky Geologic Underbelly

Current calculations might underestimate the susceptibility of Los Angeles to earthquake shaking, so researchers and volunteers are deploying seismic networks near the city to remedy a data shortage.

Geology & Geophysics

A synthetic seep generator for calibrating gas bubble echo sounding data is deployed into New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty.

26 September 2019

Gas Bubble Forensics Team Surveils the New Zealand Ocean

An international research group recorded the acoustic signatures of gas bubbles rising from a hydrothermal vent field to gather clues about greenhouse gases escaping into the atmosphere.

Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

Three glaciers empty into a fjord in Greenland in this September 2016 photo.

20 September 2019

New Earth Orbiter Provides a Sharper Look at a Changing Planet

A first look at data from NASA’s laser altimeter mission ICESat-2 reveals very high resolution 3-D profiles of ice on land and sea, forests, and shallow bodies of water.

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Climate Change

Torrential rains flooded streets in Denmark in 2017, stranding and damaging vehicles

17 September 2019

Local Climate Projections: A Little Money Goes a Long Way

Three Nordic countries collaborate to build a suite of eScience tools to support long-term planning and decision-making in the face of a changing climate.

Biogeosciences

A flux monitoring site in Adventdalen on Svalbard monitors carbon dioxide emissions from the surrounding permafrost area.

10 September 2019

Is the Northern Permafrost Zone a Source or a Sink for Carbon?

Thawing permafrost could release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, but finding out how much requires better collection and curation of data.

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