Climate & Radiation: Mission

We investigate atmospheric radiation, both as a driver for climate change and as a tool for the remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere and surface. Our Climate research program seeks to better understand how our planet reached its present state, and how it may respond to future drivers, both natural and anthropogenic.

Monthly Highlight

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Research Areas

•  Aerosol Remote Sensing and Modeling
•  Cloud Remote Sensing and Modeling
•  Water Cycle and Precipitation
•  Solar Radiation
•  Surface Properties
•  Climate Analysis
•  Radiative Transfer

News

Earth News

• NASA, NOAA Data Show 2016 Warmest Year on Record Globally
  Earth?s 2016 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern recordkeeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• NASA, NOAA to Announce 2016 Global Temperatures, Climate Conditions
  Climate experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will provide the annually-scheduled release of data on global temperatures and discuss the most important climate trends of 2016 during a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 18.
• NASA Plans Another Busy Year for Earth Science Fieldwork
  NASA scientists are crisscrossing the globe in 2017 ? from a Hawaiian volcano to Colorado mountain tops and west Pacific islands ? to investigate critical scientific questions about how our planet is changing and what impacts humans are having on it.
• Space Laser Reveals Boom-and-Bust Cycle of Polar Ocean Plants
  A new study using a NASA satellite instrument orbiting Earth has found that small, environmental changes in polar food webs significantly influence the boom-and-bust, or peak and decline, cycles of phytoplankton.
• New NASA Hurricane Tracking Mission on Track
  NASA confirmed Friday morning that all eight spacecraft of its latest Earth science mission are in good shape. The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) will provide scientists with advanced technology to see inside tropical storms and hurricanes like never before.
• NASA Highlights Ceres, Earth?s Flowing Ice, Mars at American Geophysical Union
  NASA researchers will present new findings on a wide range of Earth and space science topics at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Dec. 12-16 in San Francisco. NASA-related briefings will be carried live on the agency?s website.
• NASA Sets Coverage for Briefings, Launch of Small Satellite Constellation
  The launch of NASA?s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft is scheduled for 8:24 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 12. News briefings, live launch commentary, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency?s website.
• NASA?s ISS-RapidScat Earth Science Mission Ends
  NASA?s International Space Station Rapid Scatterometer (ISS-RapidScat) Earth science instrument has ended operations following a successful two-year mission aboard the space station. The mission launched Sept. 21, 2014, and had recently passed its original decommissioning date.
• NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Hurricane Microsatellites Launch
  Media accreditation now is open for the launch of NASA?s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, currently scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12.
• NASA Selects Launch Services for Global Surface Water Survey Mission
  NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the agency?s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. Launch is targeted for April 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

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