"El Niño Observed from Start to Finish," Environmental News Network (Jan. 6). Antonio Busalacchi (NASA GSFC) and Ants Leetmaa (NOAA) discuss how the 1997-98 El Niño event was the "event of the century." This event was the best monitored, the first El Niño observed globally from start to finish, and the first one ever predicted. Busalacchi’s and Leetmaa’s discussion was also featured in Christian Science Monitor (Jan. 8).
"Global Warming is for Real, NASA Says," Environmental News Network (Jan. 7). James Hansen (NASA GISS) explains there is no longer a question about whether global warming is occurring. The real questions now are determining the rate, significance, and identifying possible solutions of global warming.
"1998 Was Hottest Year on Record; ‘90’s Hottest Decade,"Knight Ridder Newspapers (Jan. 12) by Seth Borenstein. James Hansen (NASA GISS) and Kevin Trenberth (NCAR) report that 1998’s 0.34° Fahrenheit reading departure from long-term annual averages makes 1998 the warmest year on record. This information has sparked concern and debate over the Kyoto, Japan agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Hansen and Trenberth were also featured in Associated Press (Jan. 12), Reuters (Jan. 11) and Science News (Jan. 2).
"Warming Affects Ocean Algae," Reuters (Jan. 14). Kevin Arrigo (NASA GSFC) led a study on the ocean surrounding Antarctica. These oceans make up 10% of the world’s oceans and soak up carbon dioxide.
"Lessons from El Niño," Dallas Morning News (Jan. 18) by Alexandra Witze. Antonio Busalacchi (NASA GSFC), Mark Cane (Columbia Univ.), and Kevin Trenberth (NCAR) are sifting through the flood of information from the 1997-1998 El Niño in the hopes of predicting the effects of future El Niño events.
"NASA Animates 20,000 Years of Antarctic Ice History," CNN (Feb. 3). Robert Bindschadler (NASA GSFC) explains the 3-D computer animation showing the shrinking of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The image emphasizes that over the last 20,000 years that the ice sheet has lost two-thirds of its mass and raised sea level 10 meters.
"Ancient Egypt Helps Modern Science," Associated Press (Feb. 5) by Randolph E. Schmid. Elfatih Eltahir (MIT) examines Nile flood records dating back to A.D. 650 to estimate El Niño events. Eltahir found two periods of frequent El Niño events but could not find a link between the two periods. Eltahir’s research was also featured in ABC News (Feb. 5), Los Angeles Times (Feb. 5), and Seattle Times (Feb. 5).
"Climate-observing Systems Inadequate," USA Today (Feb. 12). Kevin Trenberth (NCAR) comments on the National Research Council’s study that raises questions about the confidence of climate research data. He says that the subtle trends in climate are difficult to detect with existing data. Trenberth proposes the idea that a climate-observing system should be established. Trenberth’s discussion was also featured in Associated Press (Feb. 4) and Los Angeles Times (Feb. 4).
"Bacteria Under Ice: Some Don’t Like It Hot," Science News (Feb. 13) by Richard Monastersky. Richard B. Alley (Penn State) discusses the discovery of bacteria living underneath glaciers in Switzerland that are growing at a temperature of zero degrees Celsius. This finding is causing scientists to question assumptions made about life in cold environments on Earth and other planets.
"Sea Change in the Arctic," Science News (Feb. 13) by Richard Monastersky. Michael Steele (Univ. of Washington) and John M.Wallace (Univ. of Washington) have returned from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) project and have found that they need to question preconceived ideas about the Arctic. Increases in greenhouse warming, changes of the ice pack, and strong winds above the atmosphere, are predicted to have a dramatic effect on climate.
"Icy Clues to Earth’s Future," The Washington Post (Feb. 21) by Curt Suplee. Robert Bindschadler (NASA GSFC) reveals that Antarctica is actually three different parts in terms of climate response: the East Antarctic Mass, the Antarctic Peninsula, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Bindschadler has done extensive work observing the shrinking of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the effects it will have on world sea levels. Bindschadler admits he is uncertain if the ice sheet will continue to shrink.
"Study Shows No Long-Term Growth of Sahara Desert," Space News (Feb. 22) by Leonard David. Compton Tucker (NASA GSFC) reports on his Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data collected from 1980-1998 over the Sahara desert and reveals that the Saharan-Sahelian boundary moves south in dry years and north in wet years.
"Early Warning," Discover (March). Luke Flynn (Univ. of Hawaii) explains his use of satellite data in predicting volcanic eruptions and says that a system of six to eight satellites is needed to accurately observe volcanoes around the world
"El Niño, La Niña: Nature’s Vicious Cycle," National Geographic (March).Ants Leetmaa (NOAA) and Kevin Trenberth (NCAR) discuss how climate models for the first time accurately predicted the 1997-98 El Niño event better than statistical models. These climate models also predicted the event a year in advance.Fritz Hasler> (NASA GSFC) did the image processing for the article and for the front cover.
EOS researchers please send notices of recent media coverage in which you have been involved to:
Steve Cole, EOS Project Science Office, Code 900
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Tel. (301) 286-5347; fax: (301) 286-0329
Email: scole@pop900.gsfc.nasa.gov