New NOAA-funded research in the Journal of Climate uncovers the processes behind the persistent atmospheric ridge of high pressure off the west coast of North America, associated with California’s damaging droughts.

A new study published in the Journal of Climate investigates the evolution and predictability of the abnormally warm water that emerged in October 2013 and persisted until June 2016 in the northeastern Pacific, colloquially known as “the Blob”.

NOAA’s Climate Program Office (CPO) has awarded $44.34 million for 73 new projects designed to help advance the understanding, modeling, and prediction of Earth’s climate system and to foster effective decision making.

NOAA’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) program—in partnership with the National Weather Service’s Office of Science and Technology—is funding 14 new three-year competitively funded projects involving $5.5 million in grants and $1.2 million in other awards.

NOAA’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) program—in partnership with the NWS STI Modeling Program Division; the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, Information, and Service, the Office of Naval Research; and NASA’s Modeling, Analysis, and Predictions Program—is funding 14 new two year projects. The competitively funded projects will receive $2.9 million in grants and $2.54 million in other awards (for a total of $5.44 million).