April - June 2004

Changes in Ecosystems

Human Contributions and Responses

Climate Variability and Change

Paleoenvironment & Paleoclimate

NOAA's 
Image of the Day 

For documents from the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change, 
see our IPCC page.

NOAA Scientist Receives Prestigious Award for Work on Ozone Hole.  "Susan Solomon, a leading atmospheric scientist at the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., was awarded the 2004 Blue Planet Prize for her pioneering work in identifying the mechanism that produces the Antarctic ozone hole and contributions towards the protection of the ozone layer. "  Press release (dtd 23 June 2004) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  See also interview with Susan Solomon, posted by the National Academy of Sciences.  (links posted 24 June 2004)

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing Systems for Climate [dtd 14 May 2004]: Draft for Open Review.  Comments must be submitted to the GCOS Secretariat no later than 9 July 2004.(link posted 16 June 2004)

Initial Summary Report (for SBSTA-20): Analysis of Data Exchange Problems in Global Atmospheric and Hydrological Networks.  Summary Report [PDF] Document (dtd June 2004) from from the Global Climate Observing System Secretariat.  (link posted 16 June 2004)

Qs and AAAs About Global Climate Change.  Presentations from conference hosted on 15 June 2004 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (link posted 16 June 2004)

From Climate to Economics: Anticipating Impacts of Climate Change In California.  Presentations and Papers from Conference held 9-10 June 2004 in Sacramento, California. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Story Tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory [ORNL], June 2004.  Story Tips (dtd June 2004) from ORNL. (link posted 11 June 2004)

AGU journal highlights - 7 June 2004.  Press release (dtd 7 June 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

A Vision for the International Polar Year 2007-2008.  Report from the Polar Research Board, The National Academies.  Also available: 4-page summary [PDF].  Additional information is available from the US Committee to the International Polar Year, 2007-2008 and from the International Polar Year site.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

F. Sherwood Rowland elected to foreign membership in Royal Society.   Press release (dtd 28 May 2004) from University of California at Irvine.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NOAA Serves the Nation by Improving the Understanding of Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 28 May 2004) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

AGU Journal Highlights - 25 May 2004.  Press release (dtd 25 May 2004) from the American Geophysical Union.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

U.S., Brazil To Cooperate on Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 24 May 2004) from U.S. Department of State.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NSF invites media to join an arctic research cruise.  Press release (dtd 21 May 2004) from National Science Foundation.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

U.S., Australia Sign Statement on Environmental Cooperation.  Press release (dtd 19 May 2004) from U.S. Department of State.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

NOAA Strengthens Cooperative Agreement with Climate Studies Institute at University of Maryland.  Press release (dtd 12 May 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

New Funding Opportunities in Geosciences from the National Science Foundation:  (links posted 11 June 2004)

• Upper Atmospheric Facilities (UAF) (Program Description) (Posted: May 11 2004)
• Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF) (Program Description) (Posted: May 11 2004)
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) (Program Description) (Posted: May 11 2004)
• Large Scale Dynamic Meteorology  (Posted: May 11 2004)
• Water Cycle Research (Posted: Apr 22 2004)

Statement on the Occasion of the Opening of the Symposium on Global Change Research [MS Word file].  Statement (dtd 6 May 2004) by Mr M. Jarraud Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

U.S. Pledges Action As Well As Research on Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 5 May 2004) from U.S. Department of State.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Earth Observations & Second Earth Observation Summit (25 April 2004, Tokyo, Japan):

• Group on Earth Observations.  Web site of the Intergovernmental ad hoc Group launched by participants in the Earth Observation Summit held in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2003.  The group is charged with developing a 10-Year Implementation Plan.  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Plan for global Earth monitoring agreed at Tokyo summit.  Press release (dtd 28 April 2004) from the European Space Agency.  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Enter the Dragon: ESA and China's joint Earth watch begins.  Press release (dtd 27 April 2004)  from the European Space Agency (ESA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• 47 Countries, European Commissions Agree to take "Pulse of the Planet."  Press release (dtd 26 April 2004) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Speech for the Second Earth Observation Summit [MS Word].  Speech (dtd 25 April 2004) by Mr Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Observation Summit OKs Weather Data Swap.  Article (dtd 24 Apr 2004) from Voice of America.  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Integrated Earth Observation Systems Continue to Gain Momentum at both National and International Levels.  Article (dtd 5 April 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Discovering the Atmospheric Sciences.  A Guide for Prospective Students.  Online guide (dtd 2004) From the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

2004 Joint Assembly.  Press release (dtd 30 Apr 2004) from American Geophysical Union (AGU).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

AGU Journal Highlights - 29 April 2004.  Press release (dtd 29 April 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Global Warming Facts and our Future.  Exhibit of the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.  See also:  New Science Museum.  "A new science museum takes on climate change."  Segment from National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation, originally broadcast on 23 April 2004.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

A Blueprint for U.S. National Ocean Policy for the 21st Century: U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Releases Preliminary Report.  Press release (dtd 20 April 2004) from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.  See also:

• Preliminary Report  of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy  (report issued 20 April 2004).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

US Emissions Inventory 2004.  Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2002 (April 2004).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

AGO Releases Annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory.  Press release (13 April 2004) from Australian Greenhouse Office.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Calspace Distance Learning Home.  California Space Institute, Virtual Museum.  Includes the following "Distance Learning Courses":  (links posted 11 June 2004)

• Climate Change1: Earth's Climate System.  "How does the Earth's climate work? Topics include: the greenhouse effect; ocean circulation; El Niño; climate and weather; climate change; and the history of climatology. "
• Climate Change 2: Past and Future:  "What was the Earth's past climate like? How will it change in the new century? Topics include: ice ages; climate cycles; the politics of climate change; and the future of fossil fuels."

U.S., Canadian Industrial Emissions Decreased 18 Percent.  Press release (dtd 4 June 2004) from US Department of State.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Climate researchers study haze over the Arctic.  Press release (dtd 19 May 2004) from the Alfred-Wegener Institut.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA's Terra Satellite Tracks Global Pollution.  Press release (dtd 18 May 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA Plans to Put an Aura Around the Earth.  Press release (dtd 17 May 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Increasing Ozone over the Atlantic Ocean.  Press release (dtd 13 May 2004) from the Max Planck Society.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Two New Missions to Solve Mysteries of Volatile Upper Atmosphere.  Press release (dtd 6 May 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA Satellites and Balloons Catch the Fast Pollution Train.  Press release (dtd 3 May 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Arctic Ozone Loss More Sensitive to Climate Change than Thought.  Press release (dtd 23 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA and GLOBE Launch Earth Day Experiment.  Press release (dtd 20 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Scientists Find a New Way to Track Origins of `Greenhouse' Ozone.  Press release (dtd 12 April 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Nighttime Chemistry Affects Ozone Formation, Say NOAA Scientists and Colleagues.  Press release (dtd 12 April 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

From Forest to Field: How Fire is Transforming the Amazon.   Current estimates of Amazon deforestation may capture less than half of the area degraded by logging and accidental fire. If the current trends continue, the entire Amazon frontier could be transformed into grass or scrubland.  Feature from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Can Iron-Enriched Oceans Thwart Global Warming?  Article (dtd 9 June 2004) from National Geographic. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Concerns remain about UVB damage to amphibians.  Press release (dtd 1 June 2004) from Oregon State University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Tropical Plants Help Identify Lags Between Abrupt Climate and Vegetation Shifts in Different Parts of the World.  Press release (dtd 28 May 2004) from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Ecological science for a crowded planet.  Press release (dtd 27 May 2004) from the Ecological Society of America.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Discovery of tiny microbes in ancient Greenland glacier may define limits for life on Earth.  Press release (dtd 26 May 2004) from American Society for Microbiology.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Climate Change.  "Tom Bearden of the NewsHour Science Unit examines how climate change could affect large numbers of species."  Transcript, video and audio from Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Online NewsHour (originally broadcast on 20 May 2004).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Ecosystems Center Researcher and Science Teacher Visit Siberia to Study Climate, Excite Schoolchildren about Science.  Press release (18 May 2004) from Marine Biological Lab (Woods Hole).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.    (link posted 11 June 2004)

• Climate Change Extinctions.  "Climate change carries ecological risks -- from rising sea levels to violent weather patterns. What a rise in global temperature might mean to plants and animals..."  (originally broadcast 18 May 2004) 

Model shows long-held constant in ocean nutrient ratio may vary as ecological conditions change.  Press release (dtd 12 May 2004) from Georgia Institute of Technology.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Earth, Sky Tapped in Unique Global Climate Change Study.  Press release (dtd 11 May 2004) from Texas A & M University Agricultural Program.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Into the dead zone: Galveston researcher examines loss of marine life.  Press release (dtd 6 May 2004) from Texas A & M.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Scientists investigate Krill in the South-Polar Ocean.  Press release (dtd 6 May 2004) from the Alfred-Wegener Institut.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Climate variation in the tropical Pacific: coral provides proof.  Press release (dtd 6 May 2004) from Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Plankton may influence climate change says UCSB scientist.  Press release (dtd 5 May 2004) from University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change.  Information on book (published 2004) by Charles Wohlforth.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Biological oceanographers examine `regime shifts' in complex marine ecosystems.  Press release (dtd 30 April 2004) from University of Rhode Island.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Four New Research Centers to Explore Link Between Oceans and Human Health.    Press release (dtd 22 April 2004) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Moss Landing Researchers Reveal Iron as Key to Climate Change. Press release (dtd 15 April 2004) from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Phytoplankton may stimulate uptake of CO2.  Press release (dtd 15 April 2004) from Oregon State University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Feeling the Heat Dispatches from the Front Lines of Climate Change.  Information on book edited by Jim Motavalli and published (March 2004) by Routledge.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Can Iron-Enriched Oceans Thwart Global Warming?  Article (dtd 9 June 2004) from National Geographic. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Draft Science Implementation Strategy for the North American Carbon Program [PDF].  Document (dtd May 2004) prepared for the Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program's Interagency Working Group on Carbon.  See also

Announcement (dtd 28 May 2004).  The draft is open for comment through 26 June 2004.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Thick marine beds of siderite suggest early high carbon dioxide in atmosphere.  Press release (dtd 26 May 2004) from Penn State.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

K-State soil carbon sequestration research playing role in climate change efforts.  Press release (dtd 27 Apr 2004) from Kansas State University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

NCAR Aircraft, Ground Instruments to Track Carbon Dioxide Uptake along Colorado's Drought-Plagued Front Range.  Press release (dtd 26 April 2004) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).  (link posted 10 June 2004)

ORNL researchers focus on the CO2 big picture.  Press release (dtd 22 Apr 2004) from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Arctic Carbon a Potential Wild Card in Climate Change Scenarios.  Press release (dtd 20 April 2004) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Phytoplankton may stimulate uptake of CO2.  Press release (dtd 15 April 2004) from Oregon State University.  (link posted 11 June 2004) 

NASA - Land Cover Changes Affect U.S. Summer Climate.  Feature article (dtd 26 April 2004) from NASA.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

No-Till Farming Offers A Quick Fix To Help Ward Off Host Of Global Problems.  Press release (dtd 15 April 2004) from Ohio State.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Adapting to Global Climate Change.  New Report Discusses the Ability of the United States to Adapt. Press release (dtd 15 June 2004) from Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Announces release of Coping with Global Climate Change: The Role of Adaptation in the United States, by William Easterling of Pennsylvania State University, Brian Hurd of New Mexico State University, and Joel Smith of Stratus Consulting Inc. (links posted 16 June 2004)

From Climate to Economics: Anticipating Impacts of Climate Change In California.  Presentations and Papers from Conference held 9-10 June 2004 in Sacramento, California. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Act today to manage climate change in years to come say insurers.  Press release (dtd 8 June 2004) from Association of British Insurers.  Announces release of A Changing Climate for Insurance [PDF], a "Summary Report for Chief Executives and Policymakers" (dtd  June 2004).   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Climate Change & New York.  Three-part audio series from Living on Earth, weekly environmental news and information program distributed by National Public Radio (originally broadcast 28 May 2004).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

EPA and NOAA National Weather Service Adopt New Global Ultraviolet Index Guidelines.  Press release (dtd 28 May 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

History of vineyards maps Britain's changing climate.  Press release (dtd 27 May 2004) from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Educational Website About Health and Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 26 May 2004) from Johns Hopkins.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Joint Study to Assess Climate Change Impacts on Northern Transportation.  Press release (19 May 2004) from Natural Resources Canada.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Two Water Testing Methods Could Prove Useful In Predicting Effects Of Global Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 11 May 2004) from Ohio State.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change.  Information on book (published 2004) by Charles Wohlforth.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Experts: Childhood Asthma 'Epidemic' Among Inner-City Youths Seen in Absence of Steps to Curb Global Warming, Fossil Fuel Use.  Press release (dtd 29 April 2004) from the American Public Health Association.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Market and Non-Market Impacts From Climate Change.  Press Release (dtd 28 April 2004) from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.   Announces release of two reports:    (links posted 11 June 2004)

• A Synthesis of Potential Climate Change Impacts on the United States, by Joel Smith of Stratus Consulting Inc.
• U.S. Market Consequences of Global Climate Change, by a team of authors led by Dale Jorgenson of Harvard University and Richard Goettle of Northeastern University.

Four New Research Centers to Explore Link Between Oceans and Human Health.   Press release (dtd 22 April 2004) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA and GLOBE Launch Earth Day Experiment.  Press release (dtd 20 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

More storms and surges with warmer conditions.  "Sea-level rise and changes to cyclone intensity under enhanced greenhouse conditions would pose a considerable increase in risk to coastal property and infrastructure, according to a recent CSIRO study."  Press release (dtd 20 Apr 2004) from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Feeling the Heat Dispatches from the Front Lines of Climate Change.  Information on book edited by Jim Motavalli and published (March 2004) by Routledge.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Frozen time: Deepest ice core reveals hidden climate secrets.  Article (dtd 10 June 2004) from Nature's "Science Update".  See also:  New ice core record will help understanding of ice ages, global warming, CU prof says.  Press release (dtd 9 June 2004) from University of Colorado at Boulder. (links posted 10 June 2004)

Tracking climate change.  "In the Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX), three icebreakers will set off in the direction of the North Pole to extract cores from beneath the Arctic seafloor."  Press release (dtd 8 June 2004) from German Research Foundation (DFG).   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Climatologists brave bergs for core data: Icebreakers to protect drillers in Arctic Ocean.  Article (dtd 7 June 2004) from Nature's "Science Update."  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Continents played key role in collapse and regeneration of Earth's early greenhouse, geologists say.  Press release (dtd 2 Jun 2004) from Stanford University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Tree-Ring Laboratory receives $5.5 million to study climate dynamics.  Press release (dtd 1 Jun 2004) from National Science Foundation.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Paleo Perspective on Abrupt Climate Change.  From the Paleoclimatology Branch of the National Climatic Data Center.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Thick marine beds of siderite suggest early high carbon dioxide in atmosphere.  Press release (dtd 26 May 2004) from Penn State.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Discovery of tiny microbes in ancient Greenland glacier may define limits for life on Earth.  Press release (dtd 26 May 2004) from American Society for Microbiology.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Mountains have the scars to prove the conflict between tectonic plates and climate.  Press release (dtd 25 May 2004) from Virginia Tech.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Gradual shift led to modern climate mode with increased sensitivity to perturbations.  Press release (dtd 19 May 2004) from University of California at Santa Cruz.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Satellites see shadows of ancient glaciers.  Press release (dtd 13 May 2004) from Northwestern University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

New evidence supports three major glaciation events in the distant past.  Press release (dtd 21 Apr 2004) from Virginia Tech.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

For lots of other links especially useful to students and teachers, see our general page on Educational Resources

Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire Summaries

Researchers Seeing Double on African Monsoons.  Press release (dtd 10 June 2004) from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 11 June 2004)

Was 17th century solar funk a rarity?.  Press release (dtd 1 Jun 2004) from University of California, Berkeley.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises.  Report in Brief.  Summary (dtd May 2004) of report produced in 2002 by the National Research Council.  Also available as 4-page PDF file and as a paper document (available free from the Online Catalog of the Global Change Research Information Office).

Sudden Climate Change: Are we about to face a global superstorm?   Feature (dtd 28 May 2004) from NASA.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

A long-term target for the climate.  Article (dtd 27 May 2004) from Center for International Climate and Environmental Research - Oslo [Norway] (CICERO).   (link posted 11 June 2004)

New Climate Monitoring Network Now Operating in Death Valley, California.  Press release (dtd 24 May 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Look forward to a darker world: 'Global dimming' may stop the Earth overheating.  Article (dtd 19 May 2004) from Nature's "Science Update."  (link posted 11 June 2004)

New Findings on Climate Show Gradual Shift to Modern But Increased Sensitivity to Perturbations  Press release (dtd  19 May 2004) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.    (link posted 11 June 2004)

• Clouds and Climate Change.  "The computer models that try to predict how Earth's climate might change in the coming century have to account for the formation of clouds."  (originally broadcast 16 May 2004) 

Could Global Warming Mean Less Sunshine and Less Rainfall?  Press release (dtd 14 May 2004) from the Earth Institute at Columbia University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Three Views on Global Warming.  Three part series from National Public Radio's Morning Edition, originally broadcast 12 May 2004.  Part I: Richard Alley, Penn State University Glaciologist.  Part II: John Christy, University of Alabama Climatologist.  Part III: Wallace Broecker, Columbia University Oceanographer.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Satellite data confirms climate change: Global warming anomaly may succumb to microwave study.  Article (dtd 6 May 2004) from Nature's "Science Update."  See also:  (links posted 10 June 2004)

• New Study May Resolve Long-Standing Global Warming Debate.  Article (6 May 2004) from Scientific American.  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• New interpretation of satellite measurements confirms global warming.  Press release (dtd 5 May 2004) from University of Washington.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Global warming - will we freeze?   Press release (dtd 30 April 2004) from the UK Met Office.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA Arctic Sea Ice Study May Stir Up Climate Models.  Press release (dtd 22 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Rate of ocean circulation directly linked to abrupt climate change.  Press release (dtd 22 Apr 2004) from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Satellites Act as Thermometers in Space, Show Earth has a Fever. Press release (dtd 21 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Moody Pacific Unleashes Another Climate Mystery.  Feature article (dtd 15 April 2004) from NASA.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Satellites Record Weakening North Atlantic Current.  Press release (dtd April 15, 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

By looking back, scientists see a bright future for climate change.  Press release (dtd 14 Apr 2004) from The Earth Institute at Columbia University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Solar Storms Cause Significant Economic and Other Impacts on Earth.  Article (dtd 5 April 2004) from NOAA Magazine Online, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

How does the ocean control climate change?.  Press release (dtd 18 March 2004) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Recent Atmospheric Conditions & Impacts:

• Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire SummariesDrought Moves into U.S. Southeast.  Press release (dtd 22 April 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• NOAA Reports Third Warmest March on Record for Contiguous U.S.; Drought Continued to Affect Much of the West. Press release (dtd 15 March 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2003. [PDF, 6.1 Mb] Brochure (published 2004) from the World Meteorological Organization.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Hurricanes.  Links to background information on the connection between climate change and hurricanes.  Other useful links related to hurricanes also provided.

• "Nasty" Hurricane Season Seen for U.S. East and Gulf Coasts.  Article (dtd 8June 2004) from National Geographic. (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Extended Range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity.  "The recent upturn in Atlantic basin hurricane activity which began in 1995 is expected to continue in 2004. We anticipate an above-average number of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones and an above-average probability of U.S. hurricane landfall."  Report (dtd 28 May 2004) written by William M. Gray et al and published by Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• NASA Eyes Hurricane Season: Resources for Reporters.  Press release dtd 24 May 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)
• Above-Normal 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season Predicted.  Press release (dtd 17 May 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)
• NOAA Researcher Says Saharan Air Layer Connected to Atlantic Hurricane Suppression and Intensity Change.  Press release (dtd 12 April 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)

From NASA's Earth Observatory Newsroom... "Hurricane" Catarina hits Brazil (posted by NASA, circa late March 2004). See also: Catarina hits Brazil.  Posting (undated, circa late March or early April 2004) from the UK Met Office.  (links posted 11 June 2004)

Could Global Warming Mean Less Sunshine and Less Rainfall?  Press release (dtd 14 May 2004) from the Earth Institute at Columbia University.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Science in the Clouds.  Press release (dtd 29 April 2004) from the  University of Utah.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

NASA Arctic Sea Ice Study May Stir Up Climate Models.  Press release (dtd 22 April 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.   (link posted 11 June 2004)

Rate of ocean circulation directly linked to abrupt climate change.  Press release (dtd 22 Apr 2004) from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level?  Article (dtd 21 April 2004) from National Geographic.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Satellites Record Weakening North Atlantic Current.  Press release (dtd April 15, 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Proof of a warming world could be written on water.  Press release (dtd 14 April 2004) from European Space Agency.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

Melting Greenland ice threatens global rise in sea level.  Press release (dtd 7 April 2004) from UK Met Office.  (link posted 11 June 2004)

How does the ocean control climate change?.  Press release (dtd 18 March 2004) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).  (link posted 11 June 2004)