PMEL in the News
The return of ‘The Blob’ ready to play havoc with Northwest weather
It’s almost as if the Earth knows that it is almost Halloween. A scary oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon, christened “The Blob” by Washington climatologist Nick Bond some five years ago, has returned. Nick Bond is quoted.
The Pacific Northwest Might Experience a Warmer Than Average Winter, New Forecast Says
Portland experienced record-breaking heat this summer, and it looks like winter could be unusually warm as well. A new winter weather forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that an El Niño—or a warming of sea-surface temperatures—is likely to develop on the Pacific Ocean in the coming months. An El Niño, Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported, could make for a warmer, drier Pacific Northwest winter. Nick Bond is interviewed.
Climate change could impact barley, making your beer more expensive
You might have to pay more for a pint of beer because of climate change. Scientists say warming temperatures will take a toll on global barley supplies. That would hike up beer prices and drop how much people drink. Nick Bond is featured.
The Deepest Volcanic Eruption Ever Documented Left a Gnarly Sight on the Ocean Floor
Sometimes science is all about being in the right place at the right time. Such was the case with the “fortuitous” discovery of a wild lava garden nearly three miles underwater, which scientists are pointing to as evidence of the deepest recent undersea eruption ever documented. Bill Chadwick is quoted.
Deepest-Known Undersea Volcano Creates Nightmare Garden Of Glass
In December 2015, deep-sea researchers found a garden of glass on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Like a nightmarish Dale Chihuly exhibit, dark rings of rapidly cooled magma spilled out of an undersea volcano and hung frozen in the dark gallery of the Pacific, unfit to completely crystallize in the cold water. The pillowy magma formations extended for 4.5 miles (7.3 kilometers), covering the floor of a trench about 3 miles (4.5 km) beneath the water’s surface. Bill Chadwick is quoted from OSU press release.