Atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, chemical models, radiation balancing, and energy transfer processes in the atmosphere (as well as how these tie in to other systems such as the oceans). In order to model weather systems, atmospheric physicists employ elements of scattering theory, wave propagation models, cloud physics, statistical mechanics and spatial statistics which are highly mathematical and related to physics.

It has close links to meteorology and climatology and also covers the design and construction of instruments for studying the atmosphere and the interpretation of the data they provide, including remote sensing instruments.

In the UK, atmospheric studies are underpinned by the Meteorological Office. Divisions of the U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversee research projects and weather modeling involving atmospheric physics.

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USGS Newsroom

July Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds and Story Seeds
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Do you want the most current climate change projections and recommendations for future actions? If so, then check out USGS Science Picks! You can also gain insight on the Arctic’s energy assets, how a tribal canoe journey is helping improve water resources in the Salish Sea, efforts to weed out alien invaders, and the need to save declining coral ecosystems. As you enjoy the July 4 fireworks, you may wonder how those beautiful colors are created. Well, wonder no more with this edition of Science Picks! If you would like to receive Science Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail jrobertson@usgs.gov. July Highlights New Climate Change Forecasts for the Nation Energy in the Arctic: Quantities, Ownership and New Insight Paddling for a Purpose: Tribal Journey in the Salish Sea What Makes Fireworks Colorful? Weeding Out Alien Invaders Corals in Decline — USGS to the Rescue Pinpointing Drought Coast to Coast How a Major Piece of the Rockies Took Shape Pesticides Found in Florida Lakes What Can You Make With 80 Tons of Copper? Want Information About Protected U.S. Lands? Protecting Tortoises by Understanding Their Habitat Climate Change in the Rocky Mountains USGS in NEON: Illuminating Environmental Trends Nationwide
Pinpointing Drought Coast to Coast
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:04:12 -0500
Take vast quantities of satellite remote sensing data. Season with time. Mix generously with information about climate, soils, and recent rainfall. These are the ingredients for the Vegetation Drought Response Index. Known to specialists as VegDRI, this computer modeling and monitoring method provides continuous drought information over large regions and supplies finer spatial detail than other commonly used drought indicators. The index is now available at two-week intervals across the conterminous 48 States. “For anyone monitoring agricultural conditions, particularly ranching, or with interests in natural resource management, VegDRI is invaluable,” said Dr. Brian Wardlow, Remote Sensing Specialist at the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “It gives us a regional overview with enough definition to know how specific rangelands and crops are doing.” VegDRI integrates time-series observations of vegetation with climate, land cover-land use type, ecological setting, and soil characteristics to show drought’s effect on vegetation at a 1-kilometer resolution. The massive remote sensing archives at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (USGS-EROS) supply historical satellite data from the last 20 years that are critical in establishing a sound comparison of normal conditions over a longer historical period. Research on VegDRI began in 2002 when scientists from the USGS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began developing a drought monitoring tool with initial funding from the USGS. Wardlow and Dr. Tsegaye Tadesse, NDMC climatologist, work closely with Jesslyn Brown and staff at USGS-EROS, with further sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency. “The partnership between the USGS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National Drought Mitigation Center has been a great success,” Brown observed. “We have come a long way in operational drought monitoring by utilizing satellite remote sensing in combination with climate and other environmental data.” In 2006, the team began to convert VegDRI from a research activity to regular map production. After starting with a seven state region in the Great Plains, they reached a VegDRI milestone on May 4, 2009, with coverage of the entire conterminous 48 States at two-week intervals. Two Web-based viewing options for VegDRI are available online: the USGS Drought Monitoring viewer and the NDMC VegDRI Web site. [Access images for this release at: <a href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18" mce_href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18">http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18</a>]
Beach Health: Safe to Swim?
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:47:17 -0500
When a local beach closes for health reasons, people start wondering, “Is it safe to swim?” U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science can help local beach managers understand the sources of contamination and the kinds of contaminants that may affect human health. In the Great Lakes region, the USGS has already developed state-of-the-art methods and predictive models to rapidly evaluate whether unsafe conditions are present. What: The public and media are invited to attend a congressional briefing to learn how the USGS and its partners are working to provide the science needed to ensure that our beaches are healthy places for people to enjoy. Who: Dr. Shannon Briggs, Sr. Toxicologist/State Beach Coordinator, Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality Heather Morehead, Beaches Coordinator, Maryland Department of the Environment Dr. Richard Whitman, Station Chief/Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Deanna Archuletta, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water & Science, Dept. of the Interior When: Friday, June 1910:00 a.m Where: 1324 Longworth House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. Congressional Sponsors: Great Lakes Task ForceRepresentative Jim Moran (VA)
Nutrient Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico Among Highest Measured
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:33:31 -0500
Spring nutrient delivery to the northern Gulf of Mexico is among the highest measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in thirty years. Too many nutrients, which are essential for plant growth, are not necessarily a good thing. Excessive nutrients can be harmful by decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water, also known as hypoxia. This can result in an area experiencing stress or death of near or bottom dwelling organisms called a hypoxic zone, or “dead zone.” Hypoxia, along with overfishing, habitat loss and toxic contamination, can significantly impact the Gulf of Mexico coastal region, an important resource for the Nation providing about 1.2 billion pounds of fresh seafood every year. The amount of nutrients transported from the Mississippi River Basin to the Gulf during the spring is a major factor controlling the size of the hypoxic zone. The northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is the second largest in the world, and threatens the economic and ecological health of one of the nation's largest and most productive fisheries. Nutrients can come from many sources, such as fertilizers applied to agricultural fields, golf courses, and suburban lawns; atmospheric contributions; erosion of soils containing nutrients; and sewage treatment plant discharges. USGS releases estimates of nutrients from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico in early June each year. The estimates are used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and other researchers to predict the areal extent of the hypoxic zone. Predictions of the size of the 2009 hypoxic zone, to be released this week, reflect USGS estimates of about 295,000 metric tons of nitrogen (in the form of nitrate) delivered in April and May 2009 to the northern Gulf. In 2008, the hypoxic zone exceeded 20,000 square kilometers, an area similar in size to the state of New Jersey. Spring delivery of nitrogen in 2009 was about 23 percent lower than what was measured in 2008, but still about 11 percent above the average from 1979 to 2009. The amount of nutrients delivered to the Gulf each spring depends, in large part, on precipitation and the resulting amounts of nutrient runoff and streamflow in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. Streamflows in spring 2009 were about 17 percent above average over the last 30 years. Last year’s elevated levels were most likely due to the flooding during the spring. States and Federal partners serving on the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Taskforce are trying to reduce nutrients transported to the Gulf to reduce the size of hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 square kilometers by 2015. Tracking nutrient levels every year is important to determine if partners are on target with that goal. USGS has monitored streamflow and water quality in the Mississippi River Basin for decades, to access more information visit the USGS nutrient flux webpage. For more than 125 years, the USGS has served as the Nation’s water monitoring agency, including flow and (or) quality in selected streams and rivers across the U.S. Access data from more than 7,400 streamgages, many of which provide real-time data in 15 minute increments at the USGS WaterWatch site. For an even larger variety of USGS data, such as for ground water and water quality, access the National Water Information System Web Interface, which contains over 1.5 million sites, and averages over 25 million hits per month.
June Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds and Story Seeds
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Hurricane season is storming down on us, and in this edition of USGS Science Picks, you can learn how science is helping to weather these storms and protect our environment. You can also learn about significant gas resources in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the link between fires and global warming, and how climate change is threatening honeycreepers.   June also hosts National Pollinator Week, and this document sheds light on USGS bee and butterfly science. If you would like to receive Science Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail jrobertson@usgs.gov. June Highlights: HURRICANE SEASON Tracking Down Storm Surge Streamflow Info that Weathers the Storm Gearing Up for Future Hurricanes Hurricane Science Goes Global Health Risks from Storms: Swirling Soils and Debris Significant Gas Resource in U.S. Gulf of Mexico Where There’s Fire, There’s … Global Warming? Jeepers Creepers! Climate Change Threatening Honeycreepers Spring Floods: Insight to Arctic Carbon and Climate Change Alaska Coping after an Ice Jam and Flooding A River Runs Backwards … Or is it Forwards? What’s the Buzz on Bees? Planning a Father’s Day Fishing Trip on the Mississippi River? Data in a Flutter of Butterfly's Wings Invasive Damselfish Removed in Only 7 Minutes
USGS: Your Resource During Hurricane Season
OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:09:56 -0500
Science that Weathers the Storm… When hurricanes strike, you can find critical information to help protect lives and property at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hurricane Web site. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast — and coastal populations are increasing. Many of these areas, especially the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, will be in the direct path of hurricanes. “Throughout hurricane season, reliable scientific information is essential in order for emergency managers to keep the American public safe,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The USGS provides this science, which helps prevent hazards from becoming disasters.” The USGS hurricane Web site highlights important storm information, such as flood levels near your home; pictures of the coastline before and after the storm; information on the timing, extent and magnitude of storm tide; and much more. USGS research and analysis supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for monitoring and issuing warnings for hurricanes and tropical storms in the United States and its territories. Science to forecast hurricane impacts is a collaborative effort among the USGS, NOAA, NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others. The USGS strives to reduce the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. By working with people from all sectors of society, the USGS and its partners are taking action to prepare for this year’s hurricane season. The USGS anticipates that these actions will provide many benefits, including improved monitoring of ground conditions affected by flooding and storm surge, enhanced ability to navigate in a disaster zone, more effective search and rescue operations, and better assessments of the effects on coastlines and ecology. The USGS provides information, products and knowledge to help build more resilient communities and strives to keep America safe from natural hazards. For direct access to USGS hurricane-related efforts, visit the USGS Science: Before, During and After the Storm Web site.

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