NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

New study directly quantifies air-sea momentum exchange in hurricane force winds for the first time

AOML Communications — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:22:09 +0000

In recent years, uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) have become vital tools used to collect observations to improve hurricane forecasts. To fully understand how storms intensify, scientists need data at the air-sea interface where energy is transferred from the ocean to tropical cyclones. This data is most effectively collected by USVs because of their unique ability to operate in dangerous environments and extreme conditions. In a new study, scientists are able to directly quantify the air-sea momentum exchange (termed ‘wind stress’) and related frictional drag effect that acts to slow a hurricane’s rotating winds. These direct measurements of this process are the first to be collected over the ocean in hurricane-force winds.

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Traversing the South Atlantic to assess long-term changes across an entire ocean basin

Chris Malanuk — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:59:46 +0000

In early May, the 273-foot research vessel Roger Revelle docked in Cabo Verde with an international team of scientists after 53 days at sea, crossing the open Atlantic along a cruise path known as A16S. With scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) […]

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How does El Niño Impact Atlantic Hurricane Season

AOML Communications — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:10:17 +0000

NOAA has released their seasonal outlook for the 2026 hurricane season – spanning from June 1st to November 30th – reporting a 55% probability of a below average season. This prediction is primarily driven by several factors including a strong El Niño event expected to emerge in the Pacific basin. This phenomenon will disrupt typical […]

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New drone data improves hurricane intensity forecasts

AOML Communications — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:38:13 +0000

For the first time, data from a small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) – Black Swift Technologies’ S0 – will be integrated into NOAA’s hurricane forecast model during the 2026 hurricane season. Scientists from the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) determined that incorporating sUAS data […]

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NOAA Ocean Exploration and AOML collaborate to release first eDNA data from Okeanos Explorer

Chris Malanuk — Tue, 05 May 2026 17:29:53 +0000

This story is adapted from NOAA Ocean Exploration. See the full story here. In April, NOAA Ocean Exploration, in partnership with NOAA’s National Systematics Laboratory at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Northern Gulf Institute, and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, released its first deep-sea environmental DNA (eDNA) datasets. These biological data […]

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Scientists at AOML monitor the impacts of ocean acidification on reefs with new series of buoys

AOML Communications — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:07:17 +0000

Divers drop over the gunnel. Tanks, weights, divers, and a mesh bag full of tools all descend in emerald waters beneath grey skies. Off the vessel’s bow, a yellow beacon blinks with a red flashing light and a thin data cable stretching to the seafloor, all connected to a suite of sensors twenty feet below […]

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Alongshore winds drive variability of key biogeochemical processes

AOML Communications — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:23:20 +0000

There’s a unique interplay between surface winds, the Gulf Stream current, and the continental shelf in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB), that has long been overlooked. Researchers have often speculated that the strength of the Gulf Stream and proximity to the coast impacts primary production and other processes driving essential ecosystems. However, to what degree […]

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From sample to source: tracking pollution pathways in AOML’s Molecular and Environmental Microbiology Lab

AOML Communications — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:59:51 +0000

With sterile sample bottles at the ready, scientists in the Molecular and Environmental Microbiology Lab at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) prepare to capture water samples for analysis in the lab. Invisible to the naked eye, nutrients, pollutants, and entire communities of bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms drift through these waters leaving clues […]

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Scientists at AOML lead workshop for international Surface Ocean CO2 Reference Observing Network (SOCONET)

Chris Malanuk — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:37:50 +0000

Last week, scientists with AOML’s Ocean Carbon Cycle team led a workshop under the international Surface Ocean CO2 Reference Observing Network (SOCONET) on best practices for maintaining an underway pCO2 system and quality-controlling data to standardize crucial measurements of the surface ocean’s uptake of carbon. The global ocean takes up carbon from the atmosphere on […]

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New study suggests electrochemically-induced Alkalinity Enhancement can enhance coral growth rates

Chris Malanuk — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 21:34:33 +0000

In a new study led by scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), a novel form of alkalinity enhancement (AE) was demonstrated to significantly enhance the growth rates of corals, a finding that could promote the scaling of coral reef restoration. Coral reef […]

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