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.

Earth Impacts Linked to Human-Caused Climate Change
May 14 — A new NASA-led study shows that human-caused climate change has impacted a wide range of Earth's natural systems. More

Striking a Balance with Climate Change
May 7 — The sun has powered almost everything on Earth since life began, including its climate. More

NASA Satellite Captures Image of Cyclone Nargis Flooding in Burma (Myanmar)
May 6 — NASA's Terra satellite captured images of Burma (Myanmar) showing the devastation of flooding from Cyclone Nargis. More

'Broken Heart' Image the Last for NASA's Long-Lived Polar Mission
April 28 — NASA's Polar satellite concludes its successful mission at the end of April with a breathtaking visible light image of the colorful dancing lights of the aurora. More

NASA Web Tool Enhances Airborne Earth Science Mission
April 24 — NASA is taking flight over the Arctic to uncover how pollution and wildfires may affect its atmosphere and sea ice. More

NASA Satellites Aid in Chesapeake Bay Recovery
April 22 — The nation's largest estuary just happens to be in the backyard of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. More

Larger Pacific Climate Event Helps Current La Niña Linger
April 21 — Boosted by the influence of a larger climate event in the Pacific, one of the strongest La Niñas in many years is slowly weakening but continues to blanket the Pacific Ocean near the equator. More

Researchers Warm Up to Melt's Role in Greenland Ice Loss
April 17 — Satellite and ground-based observations confirm that summertime melt contributes to the speed up of ice loss in Greenland, but that the seasonal melt is not as critical a factor as other causes. More

NASA News Archive

Major Arctic Sea Ice Melt is Expected This Summer
May 2 — Scientists say that this summer the Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic too, which to date has responded differently to similar amounts of solar radiation and greenhouse gases. (Associated Press)

Inner Earth Filled With 'Peanut Butter'?
May 2 — New data reveal that Earth's mantle consists of more varied material than was previously thought, leading to different ideas about how convection – heated material bubbling up – is thought to work. (Live Science)

In a New Climate Model, Short-Term Cooling in a Warmer World
May 1 — One of the first attempts to look ahead a decade, using computer simulations and measurements of ocean temperatures, predicts a slight cooling of Europe and North America, probably related to shifting currents and patterns in the oceans. (The New York Times)

Ocean Dead Zones Growing; May Be Linked to Warming
May 1 — The world's hypoxic zones – swaths of ocean too oxygen-deprived to support fish and other marine organisms – are rapidly expanding as sea temperatures rise, a new study suggests. (National Geographic News)

In the Headlines Archive

North Pacific Gyre Oscillation Links Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Change, Di Lorenzo, E., et al., Geophysical Research Letters, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08607, doi:10.1029/2007GL032838)

Possible Linkages Between Saharan Dust and Tropical Cyclone Rain Band Invigoration in the Eastern Atlantic During NAMMA-06, Jenkins, G. S., A. S. Pratt, and A. Heymsfield, Geophysical Research Letters, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08815, doi:10.1029/2008GL034072)

Ground-based Validation of EOS-Aura OMI NO2 Vertical Column Data in the Midlatitude Mountain Ranges of Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan) and Alps (France), Ionov, D. V., Y. M. Timofeyev, V. P. Sinyakov, V. K. Semenov, F. Goutail, J.-P. Pommereau, E. J. Bucsela, E. A. Celarier, and M. Kroon, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S08, doi:10.1029/2007JD008659)

Enhancing the Estimation of Continental-scale Snow Water Equivalent by Assimilating MODIS Snow Cover with the Ensemble Kalman Filter, Su, H., Z.-L. Yang, G.-Y. Niu, and R. E. Dickinson, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08120, doi:10.1029/2007JD009232)

Downscale Linkage of Global Model Output for Regional Chemical Transport Modeling: Method and General Performance, Song, C. -K., D. W. Byun, R. B. Pierce, J. A. Alsaadi, T. K. Schaack, and F. Vukovich, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08308, doi:10.1029/2007JD008951)

Comparison of Ozone Profiles by the Umkehr Measurements Taken at Belsk (52°N, 21°E) with the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Overpasses: 2004–2006, Krzyścin, J. W., J. Jarosławski, B. Rajewska-Więch, P. S. Sobolewski, and L. Froidevaux, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S09, doi:10.1029/2007JD008586)

Validation of the Aura MLS Cloud Ice Water Content Measurements, Wu, D. L., J. H. Jiang, W. G. Read, R. T. Austin, C. P. Davis, A. Lambert, G. L. Stephens, D. G. Vane, and J. W. Waters, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 30, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S10, doi:10.1029/2007JD008931)

Controls on Temporal Patterns in Phytoplankton Community Structure in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, Anderson, C. R., D. A. Siegel, M. A. Brzezinski, and N. Guillocheau, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 29, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04038, doi:10.1029/2007JC004321)

Annual Cycle of the South Indian Ocean (Seychelles-Chagos) Thermocline Ridge in a Regional Ocean Model, Hermes, J. C., and C. J. C. Reason, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 26, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04035, doi:10.1029/2007JC004363)

Impact of Stratospheric Ozone Hole Recovery on Antarctic Climate, Perlwitz, J., S. Pawson, R. L. Fogt, J. E. Nielsen, and W. D. Neff, Geophysical Research Letters, April 26, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08714, doi:10.1029/2008GL033317)

Characterization of MJO-related Upper Tropospheric Hydrological Processes Using MLS, Schwartz, M. J., D. E. Waliser, B. Tian, D. L. Wu, J. H. Jiang, and W. G. Read, Geophysical Research Letters, April 26, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08812, doi:10.1029/2008GL033675)

Effects of Radiative Cooling on the Tropical Convective Response to Sea Surface Temperature: 2-D Large Domain Cumulus Ensemble Simulations, Sui, C.-H., X. Li, C.-H. Ho, and K.-M. Lau, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08116, doi:10.1029/2007JD008557)

Validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument Level 1b Data Products, Dobber, M., Q. Kleipool, R. Dirksen, P. Levelt, G. Jaross, S. Taylor, T. Kelly, L. Flynn, G. Leppelmeier, and N. Rozemeijer, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S06, doi:10.1029/2007JD008665)

Four-dimensional Variational Assimilation of Ozone Profiles From the Microwave Limb Sounder on the Aura Satellite, Feng, L., R. Brugge, E. V. Hólm, R. S. Harwood, A. O'Neill, M. J. Filipiak, L. Froidevaux, and N. Livesey, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S07, doi:10.1029/2007JD009121)

Analyzing Signatures of Aerosol-cloud Interactions From Satellite Retrievals and the GISS GCM to Constrain the Aerosol Indirect Effect, Menon, S., A. D. Del Genio, Y. Kaufman, R. Bennartz, D. Koch, N. Loeb, and D. Orlikowski, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, D14S22, doi:10.1029/2007JD009442)

Implications of the Carbon Cycle Steady State Assumption for Biogeochemical Modeling Performance and Inverse Parameter Retrieval, Carvalhais, N., et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB2007, doi:10.1029/2007GB003033)

The Influence of European Pollution on Ozone in the Near East and Northern Africa, Duncan, B. N., West, J. J., Yoshida, Y., Fiore, A. M., and Ziemke, J. R., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 8, No. 8)

Improving Forecast Skill by Assimilation of Quality-controlled AIRS Temperature Retrievals Under Partially Cloudy Conditions, Reale, O., J. Susskind, R. Rosenberg, E. Brin, E. Liu, L. P. Riishojgaard, J. Terry, and J. C. Jusem, Geophysical Research Letters, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08809, doi:10.1029/2007GL033002)

Mechanisms for Recent Warming of the North Atlantic: Insights Gained with an Eddy-permitting Model, Marsh, R., S. A. Josey, B. A. de Cuevas, L. J. Redbourn, and G. D. Quartly, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04031, doi:10.1029/2007JC004096)

Low Frequency Variability in Fall Precipitation Across the United States, Small, D., and S. Islam, Water Resources Research, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 44, W04426, doi:10.1029/2006WR005623)

Sub-mesoscale Ocean Vortex Trains in the Luzon Strait, Zheng, Q., H. Lin, J. Meng, X. Hu, Y. T. Song, Y. Zhang, and C. Li, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 25, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04032, doi:10.1029/2007JC004362)

Circulation in the Ona Basin, Southern Drake Passage, Barré, N., C. Provost, N. Sennechael, and J. H. Lee, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 26, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04033, doi:10.1029/2007JC004549)

Biophysical Responses of the Upper Ocean to Major Gulf of Mexico Hurricanes in 2005, Gierach, M. M., and B. Subrahmanyam, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 24, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04029, doi:10.1029/2007JC004419)

Stationary Mesoscale Jet-like Features in the Ocean, Maximenko, N. A., O. V. Melnichenko, P. P. Niiler, and H. Sasaki, Geophysical Research Letters, April 24, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08603, doi:10.1029/2008GL033267)

Development of Precipitation Retrievals at Millimeter and Sub-millimeter Wavelengths for Geostationary Satellites, Defer, E., C. Prigent, F. Aires, J. R. Pardo, C. J. Walden, O.-Z. Zanifé, J.-P. Chaboureau, and J.-P. Pinty, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08111, doi:10.1029/2007JD008673)

Radiative Fluxes From Satellites: Focus on Aerosols, Liu, H., and R. T. Pinker, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08208, doi:10.1029/2007JD008736)

Effects of Aerosol Optical Properties on Deep Convective Clouds and Radiative Forcing, Fan, J., R. Zhang, W.-K. Tao, and K. I. Mohr, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08209, doi:10.1029/2007JD009257)

Global Identification of Warm Cloud Microphysical Processes with Combined Use of A-Train Observations, Suzuki, K., and G. L. Stephens, Geophysical Research Letters, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08805, doi:10.1029/2008GL033590)

Characterization of ICESat/GLAS Waveforms Over Terrestrial Ecosystems: Implications for Vegetation Mapping, Neuenschwander, A. L., T. J. Urban, R. Gutierrez, and B. E. Schutz, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02S03, doi:10.1029/2007JG000557)

Changes in the Soil C Cycle at the Arid-hyperarid Transition in the Atacama Desert, Ewing, S. A., J. L. Macalady, K. Warren-Rhodes, C. P. McKay, and R. Amundson, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, April 23, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02S90, doi:10.1029/2007JG000495)

Ensemble 1-Year Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice for the Spring and Summer of 2008, Zhang, J., M. Steele, R. Lindsay, A. Schweiger, and J. Morison, Geophysical Research Letters, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08502, doi: 10.1029/2008GL033244)

The Contribution of Cloud and Radiation Anomalies to the 2007 Arctic Sea Ice Extent Minimum, Kay, J. E., T. L'Ecuyer, A. Gettelman, G. Stephens, and C. O'Dell, Geophysical Research Letters, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08503, doi:10.1029/2008GL033451)

Dust and Sea Surface Temperature Forcing of the 1930s “Dust Bowl” Drought, Cook, B. I., R. L. Miller, and R. Seager, Geophysical Research Letters, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08710, doi:10.1029/2008GL033486)

Revisiting Atmospheric Dust Export to the Southern Hemisphere Ocean: Biogeochemical Implications, Wagener, T., C. Guieu, R. Losno, S. Bonnet, and N. Mahowald, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 22, GB2006, doi:10.1029/2007GB002984)

Characterization of Atmospheric Aerosols Using MFRSR Measurements, Alexandrov, M. D., A. A. Lacis, B. E. Carlson, and B. Cairns, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08204, doi:10.1029/2007JD009388)

Aerosol Hygroscopicity and Cloud Droplet Activation of Extracts of Filters from Biomass Burning Experiments, Carrico, C. M., M. D. Petters, S. M. Kreidenweis, J. L. Collett Jr., G. Engling, and W. C. Malm, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08206, doi:10.1029/2007JD009274)

Regional and Seasonal Variations in Aerosol Optical Characteristics and Their Frequency Distributions Over India During 2001–2005, Ramachandran, S., and R. Cherian, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08207, doi:10.1029/2007JD008560)

Sources of Particulate Matter in the Northeastern United States in Summer: 2. Evolution of Chemical and Microphysical Properties, Brock, C. A., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08302, doi:10.1029/2007JD009241)

A Satellite-based Assessment of Transpacific Transport of Pollution Aerosol, Yu, H., L. A. Remer, M. Chin, H. Bian, R. G. Kleidman, and T. Diehl, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D14S12, doi:10.1029/2007JD009349)

Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer Nadir Spectral Radiance Comparisons, Shephard, M. W., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 22, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S05, doi:10.1029/2007JD008856)

A Statistical Filtering Approach for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Gravity Data, Davis, J. L., M. E. Tamisiea, P. Elósegui, J. X. Mitrovica, and E. M. Hill, Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, April 18, 2008 (Vol. 113, B04410, doi:10.1029/2007JB005043)

Space-based Measurements of HCl: Intercomparison and Historical Context, Lary, D. J., and O. Aulov, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 18, 2008 (Vol. 113, D15S04, doi:10.1029/2007JD008715)

Remote Sensing of Hydrologic Recharge in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada, Pavelsky, T. M., and L. C. Smith, Geophysical Research Letters, April 18, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08403, doi:10.1029/2008GL033268)

THEMIS Observations of Modified Hall Fields in Asymmetric Magnetic Field Reconnection, Mozer, F. S., V. Angelopoulos, J. Bonnell, K. H. Glassmeier, and J. P. McFadden, Geophysical Research Letters, April 18, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S04, doi:10.1029/2007GL033033)

THEMIS Observations of Penetration of the Plasma Sheet Into the Ring Current Region During a Magnetic Storm, Wang, C.-P., L. R. Lyons, V. Angelopoulos, D. Larson, J. P. McFadden, S. Frey, H.-U. Auster, and W. Magnes, Geophysical Research Letters, April 18, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S14, doi:10.1029/2008GL033375)

Ground-based Observational Signature of a Downward Current Channel in an Active Auroral Arc, Michell, R. G., K. A. Lynch, and H. C. Stenbaek-Nielsen, Geophysical Research Letters, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08101, doi:10.1029/2008GL033596)

Quantification of the Effect of Urbanization on Solar Dimming, Alpert, P., and P. Kishcha, Geophysical Research Letters, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 35, L08801, doi:10.1029/2007GL033012)

The 1998 Mw 5.7 Zhangbei-Shangyi (China) Earthquake Revisited: A Buried Thrust Fault Revealed with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, Li, Z., W. Feng, Z. Xu, P. Cross, and J. Zhang, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 9, Q04026, doi:10.1029/2007GC001910)

Tropospheric Transport Climate Partitioned by Surface Origin and Transit Time, Holzer, M., and T. M. Hall, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08104, doi:10.1029/2007JD009115)

Stratospheric Impact of the Chisholm Pyrocumulonimbus Eruption: 1. Earth-Viewing Satellite Perspective, Fromm, M., O. Torres, D. Diner, D. Lindsey, B. Vant Hull, R. Servranckx, E. P. Shettle, and Z. Li, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08202, doi:10.1029/2007JD009153)

Stratospheric Impact of the Chisholm Pyrocumulonimbus Eruption: 2. Vertical Profile Perspective, Fromm, M., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08203, doi:10.1029/2007JD009147)

The Seasonal pCO2 Cycle at 49°N/16.5°W in the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean and What it Tells us About Biological Productivity, Körtzinger, A., U. Send, R. S. Lampitt, S. Hartman, D. W. R. Wallace, J. Karstensen, M. G. Villagarcia, O. Llinás, and M. D. DeGrandpre, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04020, doi:10.1029/2007JC004347)

Arctic Waters and Marginal Ice Zones: A Composite Arctic Sea Surface Temperature Algorithm Using Satellite Thermal Data, Vincent, R. F., R. F. Marsden, P. J. Minnett, K. A. M. Creber, and J. R. Buckley, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, April 17, 2008 (Vol. 113, C04021, doi:10.1029/2007JC004353)

Dynamics of the Middle Atmosphere as Simulated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, Version 3 (WACCM3), Richter, J. H., F. Sassi, R. R. Garcia, K. Matthes, and C. A. Fischer, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 16, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08101, doi:10.1029/2007JD009269)

The Impact of Local Sources and Long-range Transport on Aerosol Properties Over the Northeast U.S. Region During INTEX-NA, Thornhill, K. L., et al., Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 16, 2008 (Vol. 113, D08201, doi:10.1029/2007JD008666)

Reconstruction of a Magnetic Flux Rope from THEMIS Observations, Lui, A. T. Y., D. G. Sibeck, T. Phan, V. Angelopoulos, J. McFadden, C. Carlson, D. Larson, J. Bonnell, K. Glassmeier, and S. Frey, Geophysical Research Letters, April 16, 2008 (Vol. 35, L17S05, doi:10.1029/2007GL032933)

Monitoring Root-zone Soil Moisture Through the Assimilation of a Thermal Remote Sensing-based Soil Moisture Proxy Into a Water Balance Model, Wade T. Crow, William P. Kustas, John H. Prueger, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2006.11.033)

Estimation of Regional Terrestrial Water Cycle Using Multi-sensor Remote Sensing Observations and Data Assimilation, Ming Pan, Eric F. Wood, Rafał Wójcik, Matthew F. McCabe, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.02.039)

Multi-sensor Model-data Fusion for Estimation of Hydrologic and Energy Flux Parameters, Luigi J. Renzullo, Damian J. Barrett, Alan S. Marks, Michael J. Hill, Juan P. Guerschman, Qiaozhen Mu, Steve W. Running, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.06.022)

Retrieving Soil Temperature Profile by Assimilating MODIS LST Products with Ensemble Kalman Filter, Chunlin Huang, Xin Li, Ling Lu, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.03.028)

Assimilating Canopy Reflectance Data Into an Ecosystem Model with an Ensemble Kalman Filter, Tristan Quaife, Philip Lewis, Martin De Kauwe, Mathew Williams, Beverly E. Law, Mathias Disney, Paul Bowyer, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.05.020)

Assimilation of Meteorological and Remote Sensing Data for Snowmelt Runoff Forecasting, Thomas Nagler, Helmut Rott, Petra Malcher, Florian Müller, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.07.006)

Sensitivity of the Indian Ocean Circulation to Phytoplankton Forcing Using an Ocean Model, Bulusu Subrahmanyam, Kyozo Ueyoshi, John M. Morrison, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.05.021)

Evaluation of MODIS Snow Cover and Cloud Mask and its Application in Northern Xinjiang, China, Xianwei Wang, Hongjie Xie, Tiangang Liang, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.05.016)

An Application of MODIS Data to Snow Cover Monitoring in a Pastoral Area: A Case Study in Northern Xinjiang, China, Tian Gang Liang, Xiao Dong Huang, Cai Xia Wu, Xing Yuan Liu, Wen Long Li, Zheng Gang Guo, Ji Zhou Ren, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.06.001)

Evaluation of Hyperspectral Data for Pasture Estimate in the Brazilian Amazon Using Field and Imaging Spectrometers, Izaya Numata, Dar A. Roberts, Oliver A. Chadwick, Joshua P. Schimel, Lênio S. Galvão, João V. Soares, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.014)

A New Model of Gross Primary Productivity for North American Ecosystems Based Solely on the Enhanced Vegetation Index and Land Surface Temperature from MODIS, Daniel A. Sims, Abdullah F. Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, Bassil Z. El-Masri, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Paul V. Bolstad, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Allen H. Goldstein, David Y. Hollinger, Laurent Misson, Russell K. Monson, Walter C. Oechel, Hans P. Schmid, Steven C. Wofsy, Liukang Xu, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.004)

Mapping U.S. Forest Biomass Using Nationwide Forest Inventory Data and Moderate Resolution Information, J.A. Blackard, M.V. Finco, E.H. Helmer, G.R. Holden, M.L. Hoppus, D.M. Jacobs, A.J. Lister, G.G. Moisen, M.D. Nelson, R. Riemann, B. Ruefenacht, D. Salajanu, D.L Weyermann, K.C. Winterberger, T.J. Brandeis, R.L. Czaplewski, R.E. McRoberts, P.L. Patterson, R.P. Tymcio, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.021)

Sub-pixel Water Temperature Estimation from Thermal-infrared Imagery Using Vectorized Lake Features, Gabriel I. Sentlinger, Simon J. Hook, Bernard Laval, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.019)

Detecting Land Cover Change at the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico with ASTER Emissivities, A.N. French, T.J. Schmugge, J.C. Ritchie, A. Hsu, F. Jacob, K. Ogawa, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.020)

North American Vegetation Dynamics Observed with Multi-resolution Satellite Data, Christopher S.R. Neigh, Compton J. Tucker, John R.G. Townshend, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.08.018)

Haze Reduction from the Visible Bands of LANDSAT TM and ETM+ Images Over a Shallow Water Reef Environment, C.Y. Ji, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.006)

Polarization of Visible Light by Desert Pavements, Charles A. Hibbitts, Alan R. Gillespie, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.004)

The Impact of Soil Reflectance on the Quantification of the Green Vegetation Fraction from NDVI, L.M. Montandon, E.E. Small, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.007)

Spacebased Estimation of Moisture Transport in Marine Atmosphere Using Support Vector Regression, Xiaosu Xie, W. Timothy Liu, Benyang Tang, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.003)

Integrating Waveform Lidar with Hyperspectral Imagery for Inventory of a Northern Temperate Forest, Jeanne E. Anderson, Lucie C. Plourde, Mary E. Martin, Bobby H. Braswell, Marie-Louise Smith, Ralph O. Dubayah, Michelle A. Hofton, J. Bryan Blair, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.009)

Uncertainty Estimates for the FAPAR Operational Products Derived from MERIS — Impact of Top-of-Atmosphere Radiance Uncertainties and Validation with Field Data, Nadine Gobron, Bernard Pinty, Ophélie Aussedat, Malcolm Taberner, Olga Faber, Frédéric Mélin, Thomas Lavergne, Monica Robustelli, Paul Snoeij, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.011)

Relationship Between Satellite-Derived Land Surface Temperatures, Arctic Vegetation Types, and NDVI, Martha K. Raynolds, Josefino C. Comiso, Donald A. Walker, David Verbyla, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.008)

Quantification of Impervious Surface in the Snohomish Water Resources Inventory Area of Western Washington from 1972–2006, Scott L. Powell, Warren B. Cohen, Zhiqiang Yang, John D. Pierce, Marina Alberti, Remote Sensing of the Environment, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 112, No. 4, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.09.010)

Spatial Patterns of Soil Nutrients in Two Southern African Savannas, Okin, G. S., N. Mladenov, L. Wang, D. Cassel, K. K. Caylor, S. Ringrose, and S. A. Macko, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02011, doi:10.1029/2007JG000584)

Changes in Surface Albedo After Fire in Boreal Forest Ecosystems of Interior Alaska Assessed Using MODIS Satellite Observations, Lyons, E. A., Y. Jin, and J. T. Randerson, Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, G02012, doi:10.1029/2007JG000606)

A New Satellite-based Census of Precipitating and Nonprecipitating Clouds Over the Tropics and Subtropics, Liu, Q., Y. Fu, R. Yu, L. Sun, and N. Lu, Geophysical Research Letters, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 35, L07816, doi:10.1029/2008GL033208)

CALIPSO Lidar Observations of the Optical Properties of Saharan Dust: A Case Study of Long-range Transport, Liu, Z., A. Omar, M. Vaughan, J. Hair, C. Kittaka, Y. Hu, K. Powell, C. Trepte, D. Winker, C. Hostetler, R. Ferrare, and R. Pierce, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, D07207, doi:10.1029/2007JD008878)

Modeling the Transport and Optical Properties of Smoke Plumes from South American Biomass Burning, Matichuk, R. I., P. R. Colarco, J. A. Smith, and O. B. Toon, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, D07208, doi:10.1029/2007JD009005)

Analysis of Ice Crystal Habits Derived from MISR and MODIS Observations Over the ARM Southern Great Plains Site, McFarlane, S. A., and R. T. Marchand, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, D07209, doi:10.1029/2007JD009191)

Saharan Mineral Dust Transport Into the Caribbean: Observed Atmospheric Controls and Trends, Doherty, O. M., N. Riemer, and S. Hameed, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, April 15, 2008 (Vol. 113, D07211, doi:10.1029/2007JD009171)

Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds Simulated by a Cloud-Resolving Model: Comparison with ARM Observations and Sensitivity to Microphysics Parameterizations, Yali Luo, Kuan-Man Xu, Hugh Morrison, and Greg McFarquhar, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, April 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2467.1)

Fragmentation of Freezing Drops in Shallow Maritime Frontal Clouds, Arthur L. Rangno, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, April 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2295.1)

Using Singular Value Decomposition to Parameterize State-Dependent Model Errors, Christopher M. Danforth and Eugenia Kalnay, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, April 2008 (Vol. 65, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2419.1)

Bred Vectors and Tropical Pacific Forecast Errors in the NASA Coupled General Circulation Model, Shu-Chih Yang, Eugenia Kalnay, Ming Cai, and Michele M. Rienecker, Monthly Weather Review, April 2008 (Vol. 136, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007MWR2118.1)

Comparing the Vertical Structures of Weighting Functions and Adjoint Sensitivity of Radiance and Verifying Mesoscale Forecasts Using AIRS Radiance Observations, Matthew J. Carrier, Xiaolei Zou, and William M. Lapenta, Monthly Weather Review, April 2008 (Vol. 136, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007MWR2057.1)

The Impact of High-Resolution Sea Surface Temperatures on the Simulated Nocturnal Florida Marine Boundary Layer, Katherine M. LaCasse, Michael E. Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, and William M. Lapenta, Monthly Weather Review, April 2008 (Vol. 136, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007MWR2167.1)

Turbulent Mixing Processes in Atmospheric Bores and Solitary Waves Deduced from Profiling Systems and Numerical Simulation, Steven E. Koch, Wayne Feltz, Frédéric Fabry, Mariusz Pagowski, Bart Geerts, Kristopher M. Bedka, David O. Miller, and James W. Wilson, Monthly Weather Review, April 2008 (Vol. 136, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007MWR2252.1)

The Use of Structure Functions and Spectra from Numerical Model Output to Determine Effective Model Resolution, Rod Frehlich and Robert Sharman, Monthly Weather Review, April 2008 (Vol. 136, No. 4, doi:10.1175/2007MWR2250.1)

Surface Ozone Measured at GLOBE Schools in the Czech Republic: A Demonstration of the Importance of Student Contribution to the Larger Science Picture, John K. Creilson, Margaret R. Pippin, Bryana L. Henderson, Irene H. Ladd, Jack Fishman, Dana Votápková, and Ilona Krpcová, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, April 2008 (Vol. 89, No. 4, doi:10.1175/BAMS-89-4-505)

Short Range Forecast Verification of Convective Rain for a Night-time Event Over the Area of Cyprus, Nazario Tartaglione, Marco Gabella, Silas Chr. Michaelides, Atmospheric Research, April 2008 (Vol. 88, No. 1, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.09.003 )

Research Highlights Archive

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

Researchers Forecast 59 Percent Chance of Record Low Arctic Sea Ice in 2008
April 30 — New calculations indicate the record low minimum extent of sea ice across the Arctic last September has a three-in-five chance of being shattered again in 2008 because of continued warming temperatures and a preponderance of younger, thinner ice. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release) More

Scientists Discover New Ocean Current
April 30 — Scientists have discovered a new climate pattern, the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation which explains changes in the water important in helping commercial fishermen understand fluctuations in the fish stock. (Georgia Institute of Technology press release) More

Before Fossil Fuels, Earth's Minerals Kept CO2 in Check
April 28 — Over millions of years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been moderated by a finely-tuned natural feedback system – a system that human emissions have recently overwhelmed. (Carnegie Institution press release) More

Northern Lights Glimmer with Unexpected Trait
April 25 — Some light in Earth's aurora glow is polarized – a state not thought possible for the aurora, according to new observations that may improve understanding of Earth's upper atmosphere, its magnetic field, and the energies of particles from the sun. (American Geophysical Union press release) More

Stratospheric Injections to Counter Global Warming Could Damage Ozone Layer
April 24 — A much-discussed idea to offset global warming by injecting sulfates into the stratosphere would drastically affect the ozone layer. (NCAR/UCAR press release) More

Better Regional Monitoring of CO2 Needed as Global Levels Continue Rising
April 24 — Monitoring Earth's rising greenhouse gas levels will require a global data collection network 10 times larger than the one currently in place in order to quantify regional progress in emission reductions, scientists say. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release) More

Ozone Hole Recovery May Reshape Southern Hemisphere Climate Change
April 24 — A full recovery of the stratospheric ozone hole could modify climate change in the southern hemisphere and even amplify Antarctic warming, according to scientists. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release) More

Sierra Nevada Rose to Current Height Earlier Than Thought
April 23 — Scientists have found that the central Sierra Nevada largely attained its present elevation 12 million years ago, roughly 8 or 9 million years earlier than commonly thought. (Stanford 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

To keep up-to-date with what is new in the Earth Observatory, subscribe to the weekly EO Announcements listserv!

In Data & Images:

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

Latest Features:
William Smith (1769-1839) (May 8, 2008)
Cities at Night: The View from Space (April 22, 2008)
Disintegration: Antarctic Warming Claims Another Ice Shelf (March 26, 2008)
Amazon Fires on the Rise (March 7, 2008)

New References:
Global Warming (May 7)