EurekAlert! - Oceanography

Tiny microenvironments in the ocean hold clues to global nitrogen cycle

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Rochester) A new University of Rochester study shows that nitrogen-feeding organisms exist all over the deep ocean, and not just in large oxygen-depleted 'dead zones,' changing the way we think about the delicate nitrogen cycle.

Great Barrier Reef corals can survive global warming for another century

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas at Austin) Corals in the Great Barrier Reef have enough genetic variation to adapt to and survive rising ocean temperatures for at least another century, or more than 50 years longer than previous estimates have suggested.

Stemming the tide of ocean plastics

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(American Chemical Society) As people in the developing countries become more affluent, they end up buying more plastics. But these areas often don't have good waste management procedures in place, so a lot of that plastic eventually ends up in the ocean, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

Study reveals new Antarctic process contributing to sea level rise and climate change

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Tasmania) A new study has revealed a previously undocumented process where melting glacial ice sheets change the ocean in a way that further accelerates the rate of ice melt and sea level rise.Led by IMAS PhD student Alessandro Silvano and published in the journal Science Advances, the research found that glacial meltwater makes the ocean's surface layer less salty and more buoyant, preventing deep mixing in winter and allowing warm water at depth to retain its heat and further melt glaciers from below.

The 'radical' ways sunlight builds bigger molecules in the atmosphere

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(American Chemical Society) With summer approaching, 'sea and sun' might conjure up images of a beach trip. But for scientists, the interactions of the two have big implications for the climate and for the formation of tiny droplets, or aerosols, that lead to clouds. In ACS Central Science, researchers demonstrate that sunlight can cause certain molecules at the ocean's surface to activate others, resulting in larger molecules that could affect the atmosphere.

New ancestor of modern sea turtles found in Alabama

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(PLOS) A sea turtle discovered in Alabama is a new species from the Late Cretaceous epoch, according to a study published April 18, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Drew Gentry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala., USA, and colleagues.

Collaborative scientific research is needed to inform the future of seabed mining

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - San Diego) Several companies and national governments around the world believe extracting valuable minerals such as cobalt, copper, and nickel from the ocean has lower associated costs than land-based mining. Two researchers who led a recent field study investigating potential impacts of deep-sea mining activities advocate that there is an important opportunity to establish informed guidelines for the extraction of minerals from the ocean, as activities are poised to commence in coming years.

NASA's GPM catches line of strong storms responsible for tornadoes in eastern US

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) On Sunday, April 15, a line of strong storms at one point stretched from the Florida Straits below the Florida Keys all the way up the East Coast and into Ohio. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed the severe storms as it passed overhead. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

More than 12,000 marine creatures uncovered during West Java deep-sea exploration

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(National University of Singapore) Scientists who participated in the South Java Deep Sea Biodiversity Expedition 2018 had collected more than 12,000 creatures during their 14-day voyage to survey the unexplored deep seas off the southern coast of West Java, Indonesia.

Giant group of octopus moms discovered in the deep sea

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Field Museum) At the bottom of the ocean, scientists discovered hundreds of small pink octopuses and their eggs. The colonies were in warmer water than is healthy for octopuses, which means that they probably won't survive. That makes the scientists think there are probably even bigger colonies thriving in the cool rock crevices nearby.

Are the media all 'doom and gloom'? Not when it comes to coverage of our oceans

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(New York University) The news media are often accused by adopting a 'doom and gloom' tone, especially when it comes to coverage of the environment. However, a new study on how journalists report on the state of our oceans shows that view may be misguided.

Virtual contact lenses for radar satellites

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Technical University of Munich (TUM)) Radar satellites supply the data used to map sea level and ocean currents. However, up until now the radar's 'eyes' have been blind where the oceans are covered by ice. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a new analysis method to solve this problem.

NASA still eyeing ex-Tropical Cyclone Iris' remnants

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The remnant low pressure area that was once Tropical Cyclone Iris continues to linger in the South Pacific Ocean. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the system and captured a visible image of it.

NASA finds Tropical Cyclone Keni dropped heavy rain on Fiji, direct hit to Kadavu

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) As expected, Tropical Cyclone Keni followed a track similar to Tropical Cyclone Josie and passed to the southwest of Fiji's main island of Viti Levu on April 10, 2018 (UTC).

Mountain erosion may add CO2 to the atmosphere

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Scientists have long known that steep mountain ranges can draw carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere -- as erosion exposes new rock, it also starts a chemical reaction between minerals on hill slopes and CO2 in the air, 'weathering' the rock and using CO2 to produce carbonate minerals like calcite.

One-fifth of carbon entering coastal waters of eastern North America is buried

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Penn State) Coastal waters play an important role in the carbon cycle by transferring carbon to the open ocean or burying it in wetland soils and ocean sediments, a new study shows.

WHOI among first funding recipients of The Audacious Project

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) What if we explored the ocean's vast twilight zone, teeming with undiscovered life? Today, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was awarded $35 million -- the largest philanthropic gift in the Institution's history -- to do just that. The award comes from The Audacious Project, a bold new philanthropic collaboration housed at TED to fund critical ideas that have potential to create massive, global change.

Reconstruction of major North Atlantic circulation system shows weakening

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have affected one of the global ocean's major circulation systems, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), slowing the redistribution of heat in the North Atlantic Ocean. The resulting changes have been felt along the Northeast US Shelf and in the Gulf of Maine, which has warmed 99 percent faster than the global ocean over the past ten years, impacting distributions of fish and other species and their prey.

NASA finds wind shear slamming Tropical Cyclone Keni

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA satellite imagery showed that Tropical Cyclone Keni was being battered by vertical wind shear. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite revealed that wind shear was pushing the clouds and storms associated with Keni to the southeast of the center.

NASA sees ex-Tropical Cyclone Iris now better organized

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Satellite imagery showed that the former tropical cyclone known as Iris appeared better organized and more circular.

Study proposes link between formation of supercontinents, strength of ocean tides

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(American Geophysical Union) The cyclic strengthening and weakening of ocean tides over tens of millions of years is likely linked to another, longer cycle: the formation of Earth's supercontinents every 400 to 600 million years, according a new study.

Stronger evidence for a weaker Atlantic overturning

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) The Atlantic overturning circulation is weaker today than any time before in more than 1000 years. Sea surface temperature data analysis provides new evidence that this major ocean circulation has slowed down by roughly 15 percent since the middle of the 20th century, according to a study published in the highly renowned journal Nature. Human-made climate change is a prime suspect for these worrying observations.

Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest point in more than 1,500 years

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) New research led by University College London (UCL) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) provides evidence that a key cog in the global ocean circulation system hasn't been running at peak strength since the mid-1800s and is currently at its weakest point in the past 1,600 years. If the system continues to weaken, it could disrupt weather patterns from the United States and Europe to the African Sahel, and cause more rapid increase in sea level on the US East Coast.

NASA's GPM sees Keni following Tropical Cyclone Josie's track

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Another tropical cyclone called Keni has formed in the South Pacific Ocean between Vanuatu and Fiji and the data from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM found heavy rainfall occurring in the new storm.

NASA watching stubborn remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Iris

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 EDT

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Former Tropical Cyclone Iris continues to linger in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Queensland, Australia. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the remnants of Iris on April 10.

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