After an earthquake and tsunami damaged the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, on March 11, 2011, an unknown quantity of radioactive material was released into the surrounding air and sea.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been increasing fairly steadily for decades, but methane has accumulated at a more erratic pace. The increase virtually stalled for much of the last decade before resuming after 2007.

A team that includes NCAR scientists Anne Boynard and Alex Guenther has found that the rate at which plant canopies emit isoprene, a volatile organic compound, is influenced by circadian rhythms.

The HIPPO field project is enabling researchers to generate the first detailed 3-D mapping of the global distribution of gases and particles that affect Earth’s climate.

Hazy skies and fiery sunsets were noted across much of the central United States after the huge Wallow Fire developed in Arizona. But there’s also a quantitative way to track fire’s impact on the surrounding air.