Hello OAR colleagues:

Are you excited for spring? I am! After being cooped up in the house with the kids this winter 24/7, I am looking forward to the warmer and longer days. I plan on participating in the NOAA Fitness Challenge March 15-April 15. My goal is to walk every day as part of the walking challenge and there are also fitness, running and cycling challenges. Getting outside or exercising helps with creativity so I encourage everyone to pick your favorite activity and go for it! Who is with me?

March is also the month at NOAA where we recognize the contributions of women in NOAA (more on that below). I’d like to give a shout out to a special woman who has played such an important role in my life - my mom. Besides being a great role model and friend, her 36 years spent as a high school teacher instilled in me the importance of public service and a passion for education. She also took the time to nurture my love of the outdoors. No surprise then that I ended up pursuing a public service career in communicating how science can make our lives better. Thank you mom and thank you to all the #WomenofNOAA who work every day to make our lives better!

Best, Murph

March is Women's History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the vital role women have played in American history - and in NOAA's history!

This year, OAR is continuing our tradition of highlighting the groundbreaking work of our female scientists and staff members through our #womenofNOAA campaign on social media and on research.noaa.gov. Please look out for our campaign beginning March 8 (which is International Women's Day) by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In the meantime, check out our other scientist profiles to see Women's History Month highlights from previous years (including our interview with NOAA Great Lakes scientist Reagan Errera, shown in the photo above!)

Increased ocean acidity hampers the growth and survival of oysters and other shellfish by eating away at their shells - the same way carbonated sodas corrode the enamel of our teeth. Now, scientists, oyster growers and restoration specialists are working together to study just how vulnerable oysters in the Chesapeake Bay are to ocean acidification.

The image to the right is the last flight out from the South Pole research station until the end of the year. With the takeoff of this World War II-era DC-3 transport on February 16, South Pole scientists are on their own for the next 9 months. See how the challenges of 2020 impacted South Pole scientists in our Instagram post, and learn more about NOAA's South Pole Observatory.

Researchers at NOAA's 's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab have made a small but important step in seasonal tornado forecasting. It's a model named SPOTer (Seasonal Probabilistic Outlook for Tornadoes) that shows promise in predicting active seasons 1-2 months in advance. Learn more about the model, which was highlighted in a recent study.

Oceanographer Evan B. Forde has had a remarkable career at NOAA.⁣ Forde started working at NOAA AOML in 1973, and in 1979 became the first African American scientist to conduct research dives aboard a deep-sea submersible, and has been active in the lab and the community since then. Learn more about Forde's long career from AOML, and check out his spotlight from the Department of Commerce.

Welcome Dr. Fiona Horsfall to OAR as the new Director of the Office of Research, Transition and Application! Fiona joins OAR from the National Weather Service, where she served as Chief of the Climate Services Branch and oversaw the NWS Climate Services Program for field offices nationwide for delivery of climate services to the American public. Fiona received her BS in Ocean Engineering from Florida Atlantic University and her Ph.D. from the Division of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, University of Miami.

Antarctica’s northern George VI Ice Shelf experienced record melting during the 2019-2020 summer season, a Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)-led study found. The extreme melt coincided with record-setting stretches when local air temperatures were at or above the freezing point.

A recent study led by scientists at NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) found that nutrients released from lake-bottom sediment worsen the annual "dead zone" (a region of low to no oxygen) in Lake Erie and could intensify as climate warms. Learn more about the study from this University of Michigan press release (with quotes from CIGLR authors).

The New York Times covered the NOAA study that found China’s emissions of an ozone-depleting gas are back on the decline

Speaking of the New York Times, NOAA made the crossword puzzle in February!

The Scientific American commemorated the remarkable career of atmospheric chemist and meteorologist Paul Crutzen, who spent part of his career at NOAA.