NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

Sailing for science: Collaborative research aboard a NOAA ship

AOML Communications — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:00:47 +0000

NOAA and partner researchers successfully completed their eighteenth PIRATA Northeast Extension cruise in support of a key tropical Atlantic observing system. Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces, a new ship for this science mission, scientists spent nearly a month at sea traveling from the Canary Islands to Barbados conducting various research efforts along the way. Their journey was leg 2 of the broader PIRATA Northeast Extension cruise which took place in two separate legs over the span of two months.

The post Sailing for science: Collaborative research aboard a NOAA ship appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

A new study investigates oil-degrading microbes a year before Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Chris Malanuk — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:52:21 +0000

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) lasted three months and released 134 million gallons of oil across the Gulf of America – the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Greater than 108,000 square miles of fishing area were shut down for almost a year. Oil blanketed coastlines and an estimated 770 square miles of […]

The post A new study investigates oil-degrading microbes a year before Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926

AOML Communications — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:53:26 +0000

September 18, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, which saw significant loss of life and massive economic impact, especially across the Miami metro area. The limitations of forecasts and the warning process at the time combined with a widespread unfamiliarity with hurricanes greatly contributed to its impact, but today serve […]

The post The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

A New Collaboration to investigate the ocean’s natural accumulation of carbon

Chris Malanuk — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 20:23:13 +0000

Scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) have successfully installed an underway pCO2 system on the Research Vessel Falkor (too) as part of a new collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI), performing continuous surface measurements of the ocean’s accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide as the vessel sails across […]

The post A New Collaboration to investigate the ocean’s natural accumulation of carbon appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Models estimate potential shifts in thermal habitats for key fisheries

Chris Malanuk — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:57:47 +0000

The U.S. east coast has already seen shifts in the distribution of major fisheries, influencing catch limits and complications with permitting across states. As black sea bass, summer flounder and scup populations have shifted away from their habitat in the southeast, they have moved to northern regions where fisheries may have lower catch limits and […]

The post Models estimate potential shifts in thermal habitats for key fisheries appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Satellite data reveals Gulf Stream intensification

AOML Communications — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:05:55 +0000

The Gulf Stream plays a key role in shaping weather and climate patterns in regions surrounding the North Atlantic. A new NOAA study reveals the Gulf Stream underwent a rapid intensification from 2014 to 2023. Fast current speed can lead to enhanced heat transport to higher latitudes, warming the upper ocean and increasing heat released to the atmosphere.

The post Satellite data reveals Gulf Stream intensification appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

S0 drone demonstrates new dual-altitude capability in Hurricane Lala

AOML Communications — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:52:36 +0000

For the first time during an operational hurricane mission, NOAA and Black Swift Technologies demonstrated simultaneous dual-altitude drone flight capability, the latest advancement in the use of small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) to collect critical atmospheric data in severe storms. The novel feat, coined Mobile Ocean Towers, enables scientists to fly two Black Swift S0 sUAS […]

The post S0 drone demonstrates new dual-altitude capability in Hurricane Lala appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Advancing extreme weather forecast models through international collaborations

AOML Communications — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:20:27 +0000

NOAA–India Partnership Advances Next-Generation Coupled Forecasting System for the Indian Ocean Region A long-standing collaboration between NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has reached a major new milestone with advancements in the Interactive/Indian Ocean–Land–Atmosphere (IOLA) forecasting system. Scientists from NOAA/AOML, the Indian National Center for Ocean Information […]

The post Advancing extreme weather forecast models through international collaborations appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

AOML’s 2026 intern cohort gains first-hand research experience

AOML Communications — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:55:47 +0000

In celebration of National Intern Day, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is proud to recognize its FY-2026 class of interns. Ranging from high school to graduate students, these talented individuals are gaining hands-on experience across a wide array of research areas—including coral reefs, microbial ecology, hurricanes, ocean acidification, physical oceanography, science communication, and […]

The post AOML’s 2026 intern cohort gains first-hand research experience appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

To align or not align: decades of Hurricane Hunter radar data yield insights on rapid intensification

AOML Communications — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:34:29 +0000

Leveraging 27 years of radar scans from Hurricane Hunter aircraft, NOAA and partners reveal new insights into one of the most elusive phases of the tropical cyclone lifecycle – vertical alignment of the vortex, a critical precursor to rapid intensification. This study is the first to use decades of radar observations to identify the storm […]

The post To align or not align: decades of Hurricane Hunter radar data yield insights on rapid intensification appeared first on NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.