Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2: OCO-2 News

Read article: Excitement Grows as NASA Carbon Sleuth Begins Year Two

Oct. 29, 2015
Excitement Grows as NASA Carbon Sleuth Begins Year Two

Scientists busy poring over more than a year of data from NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission are seeing patterns emerge as they seek answers to the science questions that drive the mission. >

Sept. 15, 2015
As "good" as it gets

The common adage “good things will come to those who wait” cannot ring truer than for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission and team members. A little more than a year after launch, the team is proud to make their first milestone in demonst >

Read article: Great plains agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could be eliminated

Aug. 7, 2015
Great plains agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could be eliminated

Researchers from the Natural Resource Ecology Lab at Colorado State University and their partners have completed a historical analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. Great Plains that demonstrates the potential to completely eliminate agricultu >

Read article: U.S. carbon pollution from power plants hits 27-year low

Aug. 6, 2015
U.S. carbon pollution from power plants hits 27-year low

Heat-trapping pollution from U.S. power plants hit a 27-year low in April, the Department of Energy announced Wednesday. >

Read article: Feds: US heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from power plants drops to lowest since 1988

Aug. 5, 2015
Feds: US heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from power plants drops to lowest since 1988

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Energy Department says heat-trapping pollution from U.S. power plants hit a 27-year low in April. >

Read article: The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here

Aug. 5, 2015
The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here

The worst predicted impacts of climate change are starting to happen — and much faster than climate scientists expected >

Read article: River buries permafrost carbon at sea

Aug. 5, 2015
River buries permafrost carbon at sea

As temperatures rise, some of the organic carbon stored in Arctic permafrost meets an unexpected fate--burial at sea. >

Read article: Obama unveils rules to limit carbon dioxide emissions, curb climate change

Aug. 3, 2015
Obama unveils rules to limit carbon dioxide emissions, curb climate change

In a sweeping bid to curb heat-trapping pollution that is altering the planet's climate, President Barack Obama on Monday unveiled the first-ever limits on carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's power plants. >

Read article: Drought's lasting impact on forests

July 31, 2015
Drought's lasting impact on forests

In the virtual worlds of climate modeling, forests and other vegetation are assumed to bounce back quickly from extreme drought. >

Read article: New research will boost grasp of North American carbon cycle

July 29, 2015
New research will boost grasp of North American carbon cycle

For centuries, people have transformed and splintered landscapes and ecosystems in North America. >

Read article: "Carbon sink" detected underneath world's deserts

July 28, 2015
"Carbon sink" detected underneath world's deserts

The world's deserts may be storing some of the climate-changing carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, a new study suggests. Massive aquifers underneath deserts could hold more carbon than all the plants on land, according to the new research. >

Read article: Greenhouse gas emissions from African rivers

July 21, 2015
Greenhouse gas emissions from African rivers

Twelve scientists from the University of Liege, the KU Leuven and the Research Institute for Development (France), have just completed a large-scale research project conducted over a five-year period on the African continent. >

Read article: Ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton

July 20, 2015
Ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton

Oceans have absorbed up to 30 percent of human-made carbon dioxide around the world, storing dissolved carbon for hundreds of years. >

Read article: Tropical peatland carbon losses from oil palm plantations may be underestimated

July 9, 2015
Tropical peatland carbon losses from oil palm plantations may be underestimated

Draining tropical peatlands for oil palm plantations may result in nearly twice as much carbon loss as official estimates, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment and the Union of Concerned Sci >

Read article: Global Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Milestone

May 8, 2015
Global Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Milestone

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Pieter Tans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory about greenhouse gas emissions surpassing 400 parts per million. >

Read article: Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide limits soil storage

April 15, 2015
Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide limits soil storage

Soil carbon may not be as stable as previously thought, scientists report, adding that soil microbes exert more direct control on carbon buildup than global climate models represent. >

Read article: Amazon Absorbs Less Carbon Dioxide as Trees Die Off, Study Says

March 18, 2015
Amazon Absorbs Less Carbon Dioxide as Trees Die Off, Study Says

The Amazon rain forest has long absorbed more carbon than it releases and acted as a vital brake on climate change. An extensive study now suggests that it is losing its ability to suck up the excess carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere by hum >

Read article: Emissions by Makers of Energy Level Off

March 13, 2015
Emissions by Makers of Energy Level Off

Somebody tapped the brakes. Carbon dioxide emissions from the world’s energy producers stalled in 2014, the first time in 40 years of measurement that the level did not increase during a period of economic expansion, according to preliminary estimates... >

Read article: Hidden greenhouse emissions revealed in new report

March 10, 2015
Hidden greenhouse emissions revealed in new report

Restoration of wetlands can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown in a report that has been written in part by researchers from the University of Gothenburg. >

Read article: February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time

March 8, 2015
February carbon dioxide levels average 400ppm for first time

The US government’s greenhouse gas monitoring site at Mauna Loa in Hawaii has confirmed that its average recorded carbon dioxide levels for February topped 400 parts per million (ppm) - the first time that this has been seen in a northern winter month. >

OCO-2 News Articles