Tagged: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

If you love to talk about the weather — or want to help collect information about it — a new smartphone app may be for you.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has named Louis W. Uccellini the 16th director of the National Weather Service.

As The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reports, the NWS is "reeling from recent controversies over its budget and an exodus in senior leadership."

Refrigerators, foam buoys and even ketchup bottles are piling up on Alaska's beaches. Almost two years after the devastating Japanese tsunami, its debris and rubbish are fouling the coastlines of many states — especially in Alaska.

At the state's Montague Island beach, the nearly 80 miles of rugged wilderness looks pristine from a helicopter a few thousand feet up. But when you descend, globs of foam come into view.