News

50th anniversary of CO2 measurements at NOAA’s Barrow Observatory

July 24, 2023 marked the 50^th anniversary of continuous measurements of CO₂ in the atmosphere at the Barrow, Alaska Atmospheric Baseline Observatory.

NOAA dedicates new Arctic observatory in Utqiaġvik

NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) held the grand opening ceremony for the Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (BRW) building in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, on Friday, August 5th, 2022.

Surface ozone depletion events are taking place in Utqiaġvik, Alaska

Springtime (March-May) in the arctic is the prime time for surface ozone depletion events. Since March, several depletion events have been captured by surface ozone measurements at NOAA Barrow Atmospheric Research Observatory near Utqiaġvik, Alaska.

The new GML Barrow Observatory facility is officially LEED Silver

The new building for the NOAA Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory was officially certified as LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory revitalization project is coming to an end

Demolition of the original laboratory building at GML’s Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory began on October 15, ending its almost 50 years of service since 1972. The demolition of the original laboratory building is the last part of the Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory revitalization project.

A Window on the World

For nearly 50 years, NOAA’s Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory has provided a window on the world, producing a record of changes at the U.S.'s northernmost tip that have a profound global reach.

An Early End to the 2021 Snow-Free Season in the Arctic

On September 19, 2021, the daily mean surface albedo at GML Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory reached an albedo value greater than 0.6, indicating the end of the snow-free season in Utqiaġvik, Alaska.

2021 snow-free season started on June 14 at GML Barrow Observatory

On June 14, 2021, the daily mean surface albedo at Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory dropped below 0.3, indicating the start of the snow-free season. The snowmelt day ranked 6th latest of the latest 24 years and 44th latest since 1926.

As Alaska's North Slope warms, greenhouse gases have nowhere to go but up

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being released from tundra in the northern region of Alaska during early winter has increased 70 percent since 1975, according to a new regional climate paper by scientists participating in a research project funded by NOAA and NASA.

Unprecedented Arctic weather has scientists on edge

As station chief at NOAA’s Point Barrow, Alaska, observatory, Bryan Thomas works close to the edge of the Arctic Ocean. What he saw from his office in early February, looking north toward the horizon, was troubling.

As Alaska warms, methane emissions appear stable

Analysis of nearly three decades of air samples from Alaska’s North Slope shows little change in long-term methane emissions despite significant Arctic warming over that time period, according to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Arctic set for record-breaking melt this summer

The record heat baking Alaska is poised to smash a host of climate records in 2016, including the earliest snowmelt date at NOAA’s Barrow Observatory, the northernmost point in the nation.

NBC News video on the warming arctic and Barrow, Alaska

NBC News aired a news story about the affect that the warming arctic has on the people of Barrow, Alaska. Included in the video is an interview with the Barrow NOAA observatory station chief Marty Martinsen. See the video here.

Recording climate change from the top of the world

Spring came early this year, breaking several records at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, according to a new report that combines observations from NOAA, the North Slope Borough and a scientist who has tracked an Arctic bird for the last four decades.

NOAA's Barrow, Alaska, Observatory marks 40 years of continuously monitoring carbon pollution in the Arctic

40 years ago, on July 24, 1973, NOAA’s atmospheric observatory in Barrow, Alaska—the U.S.’ northernmost city, located at the tip of the North Slope—began measurements of carbon dioxide pollution with a continuous analyzer, providing one of the world’s most important records of this potent heat-trapping gas.