NOAA | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/noaa/RSS feed for NOAAenFri, 26 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000Speed Limits for Ships Protect Endangered Right Whales From Vessel Strikes. Could the Animals Survive Without Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/speed-limits-for-ships-protect-endangered-right-whales-from-vessel-strikes-could-the-animals-survive-without-them-180989013/Since 2008, rules requiring ships to slow down to avoid collisions with North Atlantic right whales have reduced fatalities of the critically endangered animals. Now, NOAA is calling the regulations into question, raising concerns for the mammals’ futureFri, 26 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/speed-limits-for-ships-protect-endangered-right-whales-from-vessel-strikes-could-the-animals-survive-without-them-180989013/The 'Super' El Niño Has Arrived. Here's How It Might Affect the World's Weather and Economyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-super-el-nino-has-arrived-heres-how-it-might-affect-the-worlds-weather-and-economy-180988951/The naturally occurring climate pattern, characterized by warm surface water in the Pacific Ocean, that has just started could be one of the strongest ever recorded, according to expertsMon, 15 Jun 2026 17:36:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-super-el-nino-has-arrived-heres-how-it-might-affect-the-worlds-weather-and-economy-180988951/A Bright Meteor Lit Up the New England Sky Before Exploding With a Loud Boom—and Its Pieces May Have Landed in Cape Cod Bayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-bright-meteor-lit-up-the-new-england-sky-before-exploding-with-a-loud-boom-and-its-pieces-may-have-landed-in-cape-cod-bay-180988869/People reported seeing the glowing space rock or hearing or feeling its breakup from Delaware to Montreal. Experts estimate that it was about three feet wide and traveling at 75,000 miles per hour when it broke apartMon, 01 Jun 2026 18:44:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-bright-meteor-lit-up-the-new-england-sky-before-exploding-with-a-loud-boom-and-its-pieces-may-have-landed-in-cape-cod-bay-180988869/When Human Activity Dropped During Covid-19, Methane Levels Surprisingly Spiked. Now, a Study Points to Two Reasons Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-human-activity-dropped-during-covid-19-methane-emissions-surprisingly-spiked-now-a-study-points-to-two-reasons-why-180988166/In a paradox of air pollution, a decrease in man-made pollutants led to more methane in our atmosphere. And natural wetlands released more of the planet-warming gas at the same timeTue, 10 Feb 2026 18:47:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-human-activity-dropped-during-covid-19-methane-emissions-surprisingly-spiked-now-a-study-points-to-two-reasons-why-180988166/The Sun Erupted With the Year's Largest Solar Flare This Week, and Space Weather-Fueled Aurora Activity Could Continuehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-sun-erupted-with-the-years-largest-solar-flare-this-week-and-space-weather-fueled-aurora-activity-could-continue-180987679/The last in a series of three coronal mass ejections hit Earth on Wednesday, so experts are keeping an eye on geomagnetic storm potentialWed, 12 Nov 2025 21:04:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-sun-erupted-with-the-years-largest-solar-flare-this-week-and-space-weather-fueled-aurora-activity-could-continue-180987679/U.S. Whale Entanglements Are on the Rise, New Data Showshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-whale-entanglements-are-on-the-rise-new-data-shows-180987423/The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed 95 large whale entanglement cases last year, a 48 percent increase from 2023Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:44:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-whale-entanglements-are-on-the-rise-new-data-shows-180987423/'Ultimate Cosmic Carpool' Sends Three New Missions to Monitor Space Weather and the Protective Bubble Around Our Solar Systemhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ultimate-cosmic-carpool-sends-three-new-missions-to-monitor-space-weather-and-the-protective-bubble-around-our-solar-system-180987395/The spacecraft will map the boundaries of the heliosphere, study how Earth’s outer atmosphere reacts to solar activity and provide continuous monitoring of space weatherThu, 25 Sep 2025 12:25:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ultimate-cosmic-carpool-sends-three-new-missions-to-monitor-space-weather-and-the-protective-bubble-around-our-solar-system-180987395/The U.S. Ran Its First Space Weather Preparedness Drill—Here's How It Wenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-ran-its-first-space-weather-preparedness-drill-heres-how-it-went-180986659/Ironically, the exercise last May was interrupted by a real scenario, when Earth was hit by the strongest solar storm in two decadesWed, 21 May 2025 16:58:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-ran-its-first-space-weather-preparedness-drill-heres-how-it-went-180986659/The Worst Bleaching Event on Record Is Hitting Most of the World's Coral Reefshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-80-percent-of-the-worlds-coral-reefs-were-hit-by-the-worst-bleaching-event-on-record-180986503/Scientists are alarmed by the ongoing crisis, with deteriorating conditions harming marine life in the tropics and beyondThu, 24 Apr 2025 19:54:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-80-percent-of-the-worlds-coral-reefs-were-hit-by-the-worst-bleaching-event-on-record-180986503/Parts of California Are Sinking, and It Could Worsen the Effects of Sea-Level Rise, NASA Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/parts-of-california-are-sinking-and-it-could-worsen-the-effects-of-sea-level-rise-nasa-study-finds-180986071/The ground in many parts of the state—including Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Central Valley—is subsiding due to groundwater withdrawal, landslides and compacting of sedimentThu, 06 Mar 2025 16:38:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/parts-of-california-are-sinking-and-it-could-worsen-the-effects-of-sea-level-rise-nasa-study-finds-180986071/