Science Directorate News & Features
- 2024.10.01: Why is sea ice melting in the Arctic? NASA researchers aim to find out.
The research, called Arctic Radiation-Cloud-Aerosol-Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX), measures how aerosols interact with sea ice. One of the mission leaders spoke to WBZ-TV about why this experiment is so important. NASA has been flying in and out of clouds high over the skies of Greenland, gathering valuable data along the way. + View the WBZ-CBS Story - 2024.09.16: Going Back-to-School with NASA Data.
As students head back to school, teachers have a new tool that brings NASA satellite data down to their earthly classrooms. For over 50 years of observing Earth, NASA’s satellites have collected petabytes of global science data – with terabytes more coming in by the day. Since 2004, the My NASA Data website has been developing ways for students and teachers of grades 3-12 to understand, and visualize NASA data, and to help incorporate those measurements into practical science lessons. + Read More - 2024.08.29: SAGE III Mission Interns Code Their Way to Success.
NASA’s internship programs offer opportunities year-round for students to undertake meaningful and challenging projects that truly make an impact on humanity. With over 100 applicants to the mission’s internship program, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III on the International Space Station (ISS) team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA selected three undergraduate student interns to work on a team science and engineering project during the 10-week summer session. Matilda Damon, Linnea Johansson, and Riley Runyon worked together on developing the SAGE III limb scattering science processing code. + Read More - 2024.08.26: NASA Earth Observatory Image of The Day - ARCSIX Analyzes Arctic Sea Ice Loss.
In summer 2024, NASA scientists went to northern Greenland to study how clouds and atmospheric particles may be contributing to the ongoing loss of multiyear sea ice. For decades, experts have tracked the state of the ice from spring to fall as the melt season unfolds, using satellite data to measure sea ice extent and concentration. They did so as usual in 2024, but a team of NASA-sponsored researchers also had a rare opportunity that year to travel to northern Greenland to study little-understood aspects of the melt season up close. + Read More - 2024.08.14: Langley Researchers Elected to International Ozone Commission.
NASA Langley’s Richard Eckman and Robert Damadeo were elected to the prestigious International Ozone Commission (IO3C) at this year’s Quadrennial Ozone Symposium, held in Boulder, Colorado, from July 15-19, 2024. Membership in the IO3C is highly selective, limited to about 30 leading scientists globally, and is determined through a peer election process. Members serve four-year terms with the possibility of renewal, contributing to the global study and analysis of atmospheric processes related to ozone. + Read More - 2024.08.13: New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story Makes Air Quality Data Publicly Available.
On May 30th, 2024, NASA and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian announced the public release of "high-quality, near real-time air quality data" from NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission. The NASA Science Activation program's Cosmic Data Stories team, led by Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, has since released a new "Data Story" – an interactive, digital showcase of new science imagery... + Read More - 2024.07.26 : NASA Returns to Arctic Studying Summer Sea Ice Melt
What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic, and a new NASA mission is helping improve data modeling and increasing our understanding of Earth’s rapidly changing climate. Changing ice, ocean, and atmospheric conditions in the northernmost part of Earth have a large impact on the entire planet. That’s because the Arctic region acts like Earth’s air conditioner. The NASA-sponsored Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX) mission is flying three aircraft over the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland to study these processes. + Read More - 2024.06.13 : NASA Langley scientists are studying melting sea ice north of the Arctic Circle
A team from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton is currently stationed 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The group of 15 scientists and crew members are running research flights over sea ice out in Greenland’s Baffin Bay to study how and where it’s melting. WHRO caught up with one of the team’s climate scientists who’s stationed at Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland.
+ Access the WHRO Feature - 2024.06.05: Announcing POWER DAVe's Official Release from Beta.
The NASA Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project is pleased to announce the release of the new POWER Data Access Viewer enhanced (DAVe) effective June 5th, 2024. This new application will replace POWER’s previous Data Access Viewer. As a reminder, you can find an interactive tutorial within the DAVe homepage, a quick walkthrough text and video tutorial demonstration on POWER’s website, and a more detailed demonstration on YouTube. - 2024.05.31 : NASA Mission Flies Over Arctic to Study Sea Ice Melt Causes
It’s not just rising air and water temperatures influencing the decades-long decline of Arctic sea ice. Clouds, aerosols, even the bumps and dips on the ice itself can play a role. To explore how these factors interact and impact sea ice melting, NASA is flying two aircraft equipped with scientific instruments over the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland this summer. +Read More - 2024.05.30 : NASA Releases New High-Quality, Near Real-Time Air Quality Data
NASA has made new data available that can provide air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions – down to the scale of individual neighborhoods. The near real-time data comes from the agency’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, which launched last year to improve life on Earth by revolutionizing the way scientists observe air quality from space. This new data is available from the Atmospheric Science Data Center at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. +Read More - 2024.05.30 : NASA needs your help identifying clouds
With just a few taps on your phone screen or tablet as you peer up at the sky, you could contribute to a useful scientific database and even help predict weather patterns. And all you need to do is share what sorts of clouds you see above your head. The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) citizen science program only requires an app download and a few minutes of your time. +View the full Popular Science feature by Alisha McDarris - 2024.05.17 : Boeing 777 Media Day.
On Thursday May 17, 2024 NASA Langley Research Center hosted a media day featuring the new Boeing 777 Science Lab.
Access the local stories featuring our Science Directorate Scientists Laura Judd and Amin Nehrir meeting with the press and talking about NASA's newest airborne lab.
Next generation of airborne research developed at NASA Langley (wavy.com)
Boeing 777 passenger jet refurbished into NASA's new airborne science lab (13newsnow.com)
NASA Langley Research Center converts Boeing 777 into flying research lab (wtkr.com) Image Credit: 13newsnow.com - 2024.03.29 : Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: The Langley ASIA-AQ Team
In honor of Women’s History Month, we caught up with the ASIA-AQ team on the other side of the Earth and asked the women from Langley about their inspirations and challenges as scientists. The ASIA-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality) mission is an international cooperative field study designed to address local air quality challenges. +Read More - 2024.03.29 : Langley Celebrates Women’s History Month: Anum Ashraf
Anum Ashraf is a Climate Scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Originally set on pursuing a medical career, Anum found her calling in engineering and research. Now a “doctor for the planet” with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, she uses her skills to study Earth’s radiation budget and develop instrumentation that can inform the future of our planet. +Read More - 2024.02.23: SAGE III/ISS Level 2 Aerosol Auxiliary Product Release Announcement.
Stratospheric aerosol plays an important role in chemistry and climate. Space-based observations of their optical properties have been key elements of the study of the effects of major volcanic and extreme fire events. To aid users of SAGE III/ISS Level 2 aerosol data, the mission is releasing a Level 2 aerosol auxiliary product that identifies cloud-free observations using the method of Kovilakam et al. 2023. + Learn More - 2024.02.16 : Osan hosts ASIA-AQ, educating locals on air quality
Jim Crawford, principal investigator for the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, or ASIA-AQ, mission with NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, speaks during the ASIA-AQ open house at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Feb. 16, 2024. Osan AB hosted an open house where ASIA-AQ subject matter experts shared recent findings about local air quality challenges and new initiatives to 100 mission partners, 50 local and foreign media members and other event attendees.
(Photo & Caption Credit: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Aubree Owens) +Read More - 2024.01.30: 2023 Winter POWER DAVe Reminder.
To kick off the new year, the NASA Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project is pleased to announce its user community’s feedback and recommendations have now been implemented into the new Data Access Viewer enhanced (DAVe). The DAVe offers several new and enhanced features to its community while preserving the functionalities users are familiar with in the old DAV version. POWER invites you to review the DAVe’s latest enhancements and bookmark the tool while the team works towards decommissioning the old DAV in the a few months' time. + Access the DAVe
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