Finding Ocean Temperatures in the Ice
May 21 — Scientists confirm that during the past five years the Arctic Ocean has warmed by one degree Fahrenheit at the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station in Barrow, Alaska. Peter Mikhalevsky is measuring the Arctic Ocean's temperature by analyzing the undersea travel time of sound. The scientists believe that the Arctic oscillation is continuing to warm the Arctic Ocean and melt the ice, but there is a possibility that a shift in the oscillation could easily cool the Arctic region. ( Peter N. Spotts, The Christian Science Monitor )

Coral Bleaching Hits Record Level
May 19 — Global warming has been linked to an unprecedented episode of coral bleaching in 1998, says the U.S. Department of State and the International Society for Reef Studies. Scientists have found that coral bleaching has become more frequent and severe with climate change. (CNN Interactive)

New Focus of Climate Fears: Altered Air Currents
May 18 — New circulation patterns in the Earth’s atmosphere will encourage El Niño events to occur more often. Kevin Trenberth, a researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., says that global warming enables storms like El Niño to recharge their batteries more frequently, which will lead to an increase in El Niño events. One of the new circulation patterns is caused by high-altitude winds that circle the North Pole near the Arctic Circle. (William K. Stevens, New York Times).

Trees Thrive on Increased CO2
May 17 — Experimental forest plots pumped with levels of carbon dioxide expected in 2050 experienced a 25 percent growth increase. Scientists at Duke University report that the results suggest that vegetation will respond to higher CO2 levels and act as a carbon sink. (Paul Recer, Associated Press).

Oklahoma Tornado Sets Wind Record
May 15 — Winds speeds of 318 miles per hour ripped through Oklahoma last week setting a record for the highest speeds documented on Earth. Scientists at the University of Oklahoma hope that the high-resolution images captured by Doppler radar will reveal clues about these deadly whirlwinds. (Richard Monastersky, Science News).

Ocean-Monitoring System Proposed
May 15 — A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has asked Congress to fund an integrated ocean observing system. The system would be similar to those used in weather forecasting and the ocean observing systems already in the Pacific Ocean. D. James Baker, Commerce undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere, challenges Congress to take the next step to expand the operational systems to the global ocean. (CNN Interactive)

Study Reveals Clues To Life on Ocean Floor
May 14 — A seven-year study in 13,000 feet deep waters off the Southern California coast found that the food supply for creatures living on or near the ocean floor is decreasing. Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography report that this finding could have an impact on the fishing industry and government assessment of deep-ocean disposal sites. (Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union-Tribune).

How a Killer Tornado Is Born
May 11 — Scientists scrambled to southern Oklahoma on May 3 to learn when and how a whirling wind becomes a tornado . Meteorologists from the University of Oklahoma captured the tornado’s birth on radar at a distance of about three—quarters of a mile from the tornado’s center. (New York Times )

Scientists Seek To Understand Underwater Forests
May 10 — Underwater kelp forest communities are helping scientists better understand El Niño and La Niña. Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been investigating the Point Loma kelp forest to determine the impact of El Niño and La Niña on the size, density, and distribution of kelp in the ocean. (CNN Interactive)

Ocean Studied for Carbon Dioxide Storage
May 10 — Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Stanford University are studying the possibility of storing excess liquid carbon dioxide in the ocean. The study published in the journal Science,reports that this is a safe but expensive solution. (CNN Interactive)

New Technology to Monitor Global Warming
May 7 — New computer models, called Global Information Systems, is a computerized mapping tool used to store and analyze data, detect deforestation, rising levels of greenhouse gases, and polluting factories down to the city block. At the Global Warming International Conference and Expo in Tokyo, Japan, scientists showcased their new tools to understand global arming and its impacts. (Associated Press)

La Niña—Tornado Link Eyed
May 7 — La Niña is being blamed for the tornadoes that swept across Oklahoma earlier this month. Steve Byrd with the National Weather Service says that there is a link to the fact that there are more tornadoes in the area during La Niña events. But the opposite occurs in other regions . For example California sees less storms than usual during La Niña events. (Associated Press)

Ozone Optimism
May 4 — Ozone depleting compounds in the atmosphere fell by 3 percent, report scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the study published in Nature, Michael Prather, from University of California at Irvine, says that the reduction of methyl chloroform has a noticeable influence on ozone levels. The next step, says Prather, is to decrease CFC-12 levels. (Chrisitian Science Monitor)

Weather Patterns, Warming Linked
May 2 — Scientists at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts suggest that the Earth's weather circulation contains clues to global warming. In a study published in the journal of Nature, researchers reveal that human-induced global warming causes not only a rise in global temperatures but also the predictable occurrence of established weather patterns. (Associated Press)

Tracking Killer Waves
May 1 — On July 17, 1998, a tsunami sent 15 meter high waves over the northern coast of Papua New Guinea killing over 2,200 villagers. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are developing a network of six deep-ocean reporting stations that can track tsunamis and report them in real time. Scientists have completed testing of prototype systems and expect the network to be operating reliably in two years. (Scientific American)

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