News & Features

Providing more timely and accurate information over the western hemisphere, total lightning mapping, and higher resolution images streaming down from space more often, the new GOES satellite marks the first major redesign of the nation’s operational Earth-observing technology in more than 20 years. 

While the U.S. was observing Thanksgiving last week, Costa Rica was facing the first landfalling hurricane on record for the Central American country.

Are sea surface temperatures located north of the equator important for El Niño or La Niña development?  Yes!  Introducing the Pacific Meridional Mode.  

Drought has broken out across the southeast and southern plains this summer and fall. What got us to this situation, and how do we deal drought, which is unlike many of our weather hazards?

Multi-year drought in California has been joined this summer and fall by extreme and exceptional drought across the Southeast and moderate to severe drought in parts of New England.

Blocked for decades by an impassable dam, 11.2 miles of prime habitat are now open to endangered Caifornia coho salmon. Access to the upper stream elevations will make the salmon and steelhead trout that migrate into the Russian River watershed to spawn much more resilient to temperature and drought extremes.

This month, all signs are pointing to the presence of La Niña conditions.

Rick Potts of the Smithsonian Institution discusses the role of climate variation in the evolution of our ancestors.

A study funded in part by CPO's Sectoral Applications Research Program developed an improved reconstruction of the Columbia River streamflow using tree-ring records sensitive to climate forcings. ...

A broad expanse of 80+ degree water dominated the tropical Pacific last winter. This animation shows how these warm surface waters were eroded by waves of cool water that pulsed across the equator throughout spring and summer.