Besides meteoric “space dust,” the atmosphere more than seven miles above Earth’s surface is peppered with particles containing metals from satellites and spent rocket boosters vaporized by the intense heat of reentry.

September 2023 wasn't just the warmest September of the historical record, the global temperature was farther above average than any month since records began in 1850.

September was the sixth consecutive month of record-high global ocean surface temperature.

NOAA teamed up with industry aircraft professionals to test the use of uncrewed aircraft to gather observations. Science payloads can help NOAA address air quality, the role of aerosols in Earth’s energy budget, and atmospheric interactions.

Amid rising temperatures in the Western and Eastern United States, a cooling trend has dominated summer daytime temperatures over the central United States since the mid-twentieth century. A new study examines the role of natural variability.

Formic and acetic acid, which contribute to acid rain and aerosols, are too abundant for scientists to identify all their sources. A new study explains why models tend to underestimate their extent.

This index tracks the atmospheric part of the El Niño and La Niña climate patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ...

This index tracks changes in the relative strength of semi-permanent high and low pressure patterns that influence weather in the North Pacific and North America. ...

This index tracks one of the signs of El Niño and La Niña: warming or cooling of surface waters in a key location of the tropical Pacific Ocean. ...

This index tracks changes in the relative strength of semi-permanent high and low pressure patterns that influence weather in the eastern U. S. and Europe. ...