Research News & Features

Following are news releases, features and updates about research at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies written by NASA news services, GISS personnel, and affiliated offices.

NASA Finds Summer 2024 Hottest to Date

This visualization of GISTEMP monthly temperatures with the seasonal cycle derived from the MERRA-2 model compares 2023 and 2024.

August 2024 set a new monthly temperature record, capping Earth’s hottest summer since global records began in 1880, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
(2024-09-11)

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Earth Scientists Take Flight, Set Sail to Verify PACE Satellite Data

Phot of the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft preparing for flight in January 2023.

More than 100 scientists will participate in a field campaign involving a research vessel and two aircraft this month to verify the accuracy of data collected by NASA’s new PACE satellite: the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission.
(2024-09-04)

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NASA Data Shows July 22 Was Earth's Hottest Day on Record

Line plots showing daily global average temperature values from MERRA-2 for the years 1980-2022.

July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record, set in July 2023.
(2024-07-29)

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El Niño Fades

Side-by-side plots showing sea surface height anomalies in the Pacific ocean on Dec 4, 2023 and July 1, 204. The large anomaly along the equator associated with El Niño visible in Dec has by July disappeared.

The natural climate phenomenon contributed to upheavals in temperature and rainfall patterns across the globe.
(2024-07-15)

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In the Grip of Global Heat

A single graphic an animation showing the heat weave struck the Eastern Hemisphere from June 15 to June 25

Heat waves rolled through parts of Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.
(2024-06-28)

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NASA Analysis Confirms a Year of Monthly Temperature Records

Line plots of the monthly global temperature anomaly showing that the past 12 months are at the top of the charts.

May 2024 was the warmest May on the books, marking a full year of record-high monthly temperatures, NASA scientists found.
(2024-06-11)

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GISS Scientists Select Best Institute Paper of 2023

Image of journal paper first page

Scientists at NASA/GISS have voted the journal article “Atmospheric Response to a Collapse of the North Atlantic Circulation Under a Mid-Range Future Climate Scenario” by Clara Orbe et al. as the top work among the research publications by institute staff published in 2023.
(2024-05-06)

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Jennifer Krottinger: Designing Ways to Serve

Photo of Jennifer Krottinger

At NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, Jennifer Krottinger pairs her artistic vision with a passion for public service.
(2024-03-05)

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Can Volcanic Super Eruptions Lead to Major Cooling? Study Suggests No

Satellite photo of Mount Etna erupting in 2002

New research suggests that sunlight-blocking particles from an extreme eruption would not cool surface temperatures on Earth as severely as previously estimated.
(2024-03-01)

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NASA Launches New Climate Mission to Study Ocean, Atmosphere

Photo of the rocket carrying PACE lifting off the launch pad

NASA’s PACE satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity launched successfully into orbit at 1:33 a.m. EST, Thursday, February 8.
(2024-02-08)

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NASA Analysis Confirms 2023 as Warmest Year on Record

Line plot of global temperature anomalies showing the curve for months of 2023 overlying curves of previous years

Earth's average surface temperature in 2023 was the warmest on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Global temperatures last year were around 1.2°C above the 1951-1980 baseline.
(2024-01-12)

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Five Factors to Explain the Record Heat in 2023

Screen capture from an animation showing the rise of CO2 in Earth;s atmosphere over the past century and how the gas circulates around the globe

NASA announced that 2023 was the hottest year on record. What caused the year to be so hot? Here is a breakdown of the primary factors that scientists considered.
(2024-01-13)

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