Atmospheric River Storms Can Reduce Sierra Snow

Atmospheric River Storms Can Reduce Sierra Snow

A new study by NASA and several partners found that in California's Sierra Nevada, atmospheric river storms are two-and-a-half times more likely than other types of winter storms to result in destructive rain-on-snow events, where rain falls on existing snowpack, causing it to melt.

Despite Ban, Ozone-Eating Chemical Remains Prevalent

Despite Ban, Ozone-Eating Chemical Remains Prevalent

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), once commonly used as a cleaning agent, is a known air toxin that eats away at the ozone layer. Its production has been banned for many years, but a new CIRES and NOAA study reports those rates are still 30-100 times higher than amounts reported to emission inventories.

Landsat Satellite Spots Sunken Ships

Landsat Satellite Spots Sunken Ships

Using data from the NASA/USGS Landsat 8 satellite, researchers have detected sediment plumes extending as far as four kilometers downstream from shallow shipwreck sites, demonstrating how satellites may be used to locate the watery graves of coastal shipwrecks.

Mediterranean Drought Worst in 900 Years

Mediterranean Drought Worst in 900 Years

A new NASA study used remote-sensing and tree-ring data to conclude that the recent drought that began in 1998 in the eastern Mediterranean Levant region (Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey) is likely the worst drought of the last nine centuries.

Satellites Help Monitor Pakistani Groundwater

Satellites Help Monitor Pakistani Groundwater

After decades of unchecked pumping from underground water reservoirs, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources in January 2016 began using satellite data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission to create monthly updates on groundwater storage changes in the Indus River basin.