Sang-Ki Lee - NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

The Growing Impact of ENSO on U.S. Extreme Drought and Flood Events

AOML Communications — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 13:47:21 +0000

Extreme hydroclimate events, such as droughts, floods, and heavy rainfall, account for a substantial portion of weather-related disasters in the United States, leading to significant socio-economic losses involving agriculture, water resources, and public health, among others. For instance, from 1980 to 2024, droughts were responsible for approximately $368 billion in economic losses for the United […]

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New study finds a potential predictor for long-range US tornado forecasts

AOML Communications — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:33:21 +0000

Tornadoes are among the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in the United States and are one of the hardest to predict. In December 2021, the most destructive winter tornado outbreak, known as the Quad-State Tornado Outbreak, caused 89 fatalities, 672 injuries, and at least $3.9 billion in property damages. Scientists at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) investigated this outbreak and found that it occurred under an exceptionally strong and prolonged negative Pacific-North American (PNA) pattern, which created favorable conditions for tornado outbreaks.

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Department of Commerce Honor Awards 2024

AOML Communications — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:21:18 +0000

Congratulations to AOML’s 2024 Department of Commerce Medal winners! AOML is proud to recognize the achievements of our outstanding scientists for their vital contributions to better understand the Earth systems and protecting our nation.

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Scientists at AOML Discover Atlantic Niño Fuels the Most Intense and Destructive Tropical Cyclones

AOML Communications — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:55:27 +0000

Scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) found that Atlantic Niño, the Atlantic counterpart of the Pacific El Niño, increases the formation of tropical cyclones off the coast of West Africa, also known as Cape (Cabo) Verde hurricanes. The study published in Nature Communications is the first to investigate the links between Atlantic Niño/Niña and seasonal Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and the associated physical mechanisms.

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NOAA Scientists Publish a New River Chemistry and Discharge Dataset for U.S. Rivers

AOML Communications — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 15:44:42 +0000

A new river chemistry and discharge dataset for U.S. coasts has been released. A recent publication by scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), Northern Gulf Institute (NGI), and NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) provides a river chemistry and discharge dataset for 140 U.S. rivers along the West, East, and Gulf of America coasts, based on historical records from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This dataset will be very useful for regional ocean biogeochemical modeling and carbon chemistry studies.

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NOAA Scientists Detect a Reshaping of the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the Southern Ocean

AOML Communications — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:56:10 +0000

Scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) have shown that the Global Meridional Overturning Circulation (GMOC), commonly known as the global ocean conveyor belt, has changed significantly in the Southern Ocean since the mid-1970s, with a broadening and strengthening of the upper overturning cell and a contraction and weakening of the lower cell. These changes are attributed to human induced ozone depletion in the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere and increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The study also shows that the changes in the Southern Ocean are slowly advancing into the South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans.

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NOAA AOML Scientists Project Future Changes in ENSO Variability

AOML Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:40:40 +0000

In a new study published in Nature Communications, scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) investigate the projected changes in the seasonal evolution of El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the 21st century under the influence of increasing greenhouse gases. The study found that global climate impacts on temperature and precipitation are projected to become more significant and persistent, due to the larger amplitude and extended persistence of El Niño in the second half of the 21st Century (2051-2100).

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River Runoff Creates a Buffer Zone for Ocean Acidification in the Gulf of America

AOML Communications — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 20:19:37 +0000

A new study by scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) has revealed the alkalinity of river runoff to be a crucial factor for slowing the pace of ocean acidification along the Gulf of America’s northern coast. This valuable, first-time finding may be indicative of ocean carbon chemistry patterns for other U.S. coastal areas significantly connected to rivers.

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An Experimental Outlook Model Shows a Useful Skill for Predicting Seasonal US Tornado Activity

Sang-Ki Lee — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 19:58:00 +0000

A new paper published in Monthly Weather Review shows some promise for predicting subseasonal to seasonal tornado activity based on how key atmospheric parameters over the US respond to various climate signals, including El Niño and La Niña activity in the Pacific. In this study, a team of researchers from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and Climate Prediction Center presented an experimental seasonal tornado outlook model, named SPOTter (Seasonal Probabilistic Outlook for Tornadoes), and evaluated its prediction skill.

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AOML and SEFSC Researchers Embark on a New Collaborative Effort to Understand the Impacts of Climate on Economically Important Fish Species

AOML Communications — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 18:24:45 +0000

NOAA’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) program is funding a new collaborative project between the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) to understand how a changing climate might be influencing commercially important fish stocks. This project will identify key climate and oceanic processes that affect the biology and chemistry of the ocean of relevance to the coastal open ocean species in the U.S. Gulf of America and South Atlantic Bight, managed by NOAA Fisheries and the regional Fishery Management Councils.

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