NASA: National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationEarth Observatory

Media Alerts: October 2006

  1. September 2006
  2. November 2006
  1. Researchers to Study Why Dead Zone Returned to Lake Erie October 31, 2006

    A 5-year study will examine why dead zones have returned to Lake Erie, and researchers hope the findings will allow them to detect the cause and stop the spread.

  2. Deadly Hypoxic Event Finally Concludes October 30, 2006

    The longest, largest and most devastating hypoxic event ever observed in marine waters off the Oregon Coast has finally ended, researchers say. (Oregon State University press release)

  3. Insect Population Growth Likely Accelerated By Warmer Climate October 30, 2006

    Research suggests insects' ability to adapt to warmer temperatures carries an unexpected consequence: more insects. (University of Washington press release)

  4. Scientists Discover Bacterial 'Switch Gene' That Regulates Oceans' Sulfur Emissions October 26, 2006

    A team of researchers has discovered a bacterial "switch gene" in two groups of plankton that helps determine whether marine bacterioplankton convert a sulfur compound to one that rises into the atmosphere. (University of Georgia press release)

  5. Appalachian Mountains, Carbon Dioxide Caused Long-Ago Global Cooling October 25, 2006

    The rise of the Appalachian Mountains may have caused a major ice age approximately 450 million years ago, a study has found. (Ohio State University press release)

  6. Global Warming and Your Health October 23, 2006

    Global warming could do more to hurt your health than simply threaten summertime heat stroke, says a public health physician. (Geological Society of America press release)

  7. Gulf Bay Double Whammy: Rising Seas, Dammed Rivers October 23, 2006

    New research finds that every U.S Gulf Coast bay in Texas and Louisiana is vulnerable to significant flooding and expansion within the coming century due to a combination of rising seas and reduced silt flowing from dammed up rivers. (Rice University press release)

  8. New Experiment to Investigate the Effect of Galactic Cosmic Rays on Clouds and Climate October 23, 2006

    A novel experiment begins taking its first data to investigate the possible influence of galactic cosmic rays on Earth's clouds and climate. (CERN press release)

  9. Expect a Warmer, Wetter World this Century, Computer Models Agree October 19, 2006

    Recent heat waves, long dry spells and heavy bursts of rain and snow hint at longer-term changes to come, according to a new study based on several advanced climate models. (National Center for Atmospheric Research press release)

  10. Methane Devourer Discovered in the Arctic October 19, 2006

    Novel methane consuming microorganisms have been discovered at the Haakon Mosby Mud Volcano in the Arctic deep sea. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft press release)

  11. Intelligent Sensors Gear Up for Real-Time Flood Monitoring October 18, 2006

    An intelligent flood monitoring system that uses grid computing is being tested in the United Kingdom. (Research Councils-UK press release)

  12. Marine Life Stirs Ocean Enough to Affect Climate October 13, 2006

    Phytoplankton in the world's oceans that form the foundation of the marine food chain, generate a staggering amount of power. (Florida State University press release)

  13. Northern Bogs May Have Helped Kick-Start Past Global Warming October 12, 2006

    Methane gas released by peat bogs in the northern-most third of the globe probably helped fuel the last major round of global warming, scientists have concluded. (University of California-Los Angeles press release)

  14. Shrinking Ponds Signal Warmer, Drier Alaska October 12, 2006

    Scientists find that landscape-level changes in arctic ponds are associated with recent climate warming in Alaska and may have profound effects on climate and wildlife. (University of Alaska-Fairbanks press release)

  15. Dust May Dampen Hurricane Fury October 10, 2006

    Scientists find a surprising link between hurricane frequency in the Atlantic and thick clouds of dust that periodically blow off Africa's western coast. (University of Wisconsin-Madison press release)

  16. 'Trapped Wave' Caused Unexpected Storm Surge October 9, 2006

    The storm surge of Hurricane Dennis in Apalachee Bay, Florida, in 2005 was amplified by a "trapped wave" that originated off the southwest Florida coast, a discovery that has changed storm surge forecast models. (Florida State University press release)

  17. Alaska Study Offers Strategies to Mitigate Climate Warming October 5, 2006

    Using Alaska's boreal forests as a case study, a team of scientists recently offered strategies for sustaining people and the environment as both face a dramatically warming climate. (University of Alaska-Fairbanks press release)

  18. Harvard University to Study Landscape Change October 4, 2006

    A six-year grant awarded to Harvard University will support research on forest responses to natural and human disturbances across the northeastern United States. (Harvard University press release)

  19. Researchers Link Ice Age Climate Change Records to Ocean Salinity October 4, 2006

    Sudden decreases in temperature over Greenland and tropical rainfall patterns during the last Ice Age have been linked for the first time to rapid changes in the salinity of the North Atlantic Ocean. (National Science Foundation press release)

  20. Arctic Sea Ice Declines Again in 2006 October 3, 2006

    This summer continued a pattern of sharp annual decreases in Arctic sea ice due to rising temperatures probably caused by greenhouse warming, say researchers. (University of Colorado at Boulder press release)