NASA Finds Wide Annual Fluctuations in Arctic Ozone Loss
March 28 — Ozone depletion over Earth's Arctic region varies widely from year to year in its amount, timing and pattern of loss. That's the conclusion of a research team using data from the Microwave Limb Sounder on NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. More

Fire Frequency Determines Forest Carbon Storage
March 21 — Scientists studying trees ranging from saplings to 130 years old in Canada's northern forests have discovered that the period since a fire last swept through an area determines how much carbon the forest can store. Twenty to forty year old stands absorb more carbon than those 70 years old and older, despite being smaller and having less biomass or plant material. More

NASA Study Finds Increasing Solar Trend That Can Change Climate
March 20 — Since the late 1970s, the amount of solar radiation the sun emits, during times of quiet sunspot activity, has increased by nearly 1/20 of a percent per decade, according to a NASA funded study. More

Students Join Scientists in the Snowy Rockies via Live Webcasts
March 20 — Students in classrooms around the world are invited to explore the frozen landscapes of the Colorado Mountains in two live webcasts on March 25 and 27 with scientists from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), other federal agencies and universities investigating the role of snow cover on the Earth's weather and climate. The team is studying the snowpack of the Colorado Rockies from the ground, air and space this winter and spring to improve forecasts of springtime water supply and snowmelt floods. More

Surprise! Lightning has Big Effect on Atmospheric Chemistry
March 19 — Scientists were surprised to learn summer lightning over the US significantly increases regional ozone and other gases that affect air chemistry 3 to 8 miles above Earth's surface. More

Welcome the Sun With Understanding
March 14 — After a harsh winter, many welcome the light and warmth of the Sun, and NASA invites you to learn the many ways our Sun affects the Earth, from beautiful Northern Lights displays to catastrophic power outages. More

The 1991 Mt. Pinatubo Eruption Provides a Natural Test for the Influence of Arctic Circulation on Climate
March 12 — A recent NASA-funded study has linked the 1991 eruption of the Mount Pinatubo to a strengthening of a climate pattern called the Arctic Oscillation. For two years following the volcanic eruption, the Arctic Oscillation caused winter warming over land areas in the high and middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, despite a cooling effect from volcanic particles that blocked sunlight. More

NASA's Newest Maps Reveal a Continent's Grandeur and a Secret
March 6 — From Canada to Central America, the many grandeurs of North America's diverse topography star in a just-released high-resolution map from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). But a relatively obscure feature, all but hidden in the flat limestone plateau of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, is what emerges as the initial showstopper from the mission's first released continental data set. More

Climate Changes May Increase Extreme Rain / Snow Events in California
March 6 — Increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere may lead to a rise in the number of annual extreme precipitation events in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which in turn could increase the frequency of flooding in California, a NASA-funded study finds. More

Educator Astronaut Report Card: Science Teachers Express Support
March 6 — Science teachers across the Nation overwhelmingly believe educators belong on future NASA Space Shuttle missions, according to an email-based survey conducted by the world's largest science teacher's organization following the Columbia tragedy. More

NASA-Funded Research Looking at El Niño Events to Forecast Western Snowfall
March 5 — A NASA-funded study uses a computer model to understand an observed link between winter and spring snowfall in the Western US and El Niño Southern Oscillation. Almost 75 to 85 percent of water resources in the Western US comes from snow that accumulates in the winter and early spring and melts as runoff in spring and summer. Understanding this connection and using it to predict future snowfall rates would greatly help both citizens and policy makers. More

NASA Partners with USDA on Variety of Projects
March 5 — NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Ann M Veneman announced the two agencies will join forces on a series of programs drawing on NASA’s capabilities in monitoring, mapping, modeling and systems engineering to help protect the environment and enhance American agriculture’s ability to compete in the world market. More

Changes in the Earth's Rotation are in the Wind
March 4 — Because of Earth's dynamic climate, winds and atmospheric pressure systems experience constant change. These fluctuations may affect how our planet rotates on its axis, according to NASA-funded research that used wind and satellite data. More

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