Articles tagged with Ocean Physics
Researchers analyzed images from NASA's Juno spacecraft to study the forces driving cyclones on Jupiter. Moist convection drives an upscale energy transfer at Jovian high latitudes.
A study by Stockholm University researchers found that PFAS from the ocean re-emitted into air with crashing waves significantly contribute to PFAS air pollution in coastal areas. The transportation of toxic substances from seawater to marine air via sea spray aerosols poses a significant threat to health and the environment.
A team of Chinese scholars used deep seismic reflection profiling to uncover the fine details of continental collision, solving a decades-long mystery. The study found four key points: northward subduction, a crustal-scale vertical collision, and southward subduction under the Qilian Mountains.
A team of Korean researchers has successfully extracted high-quality magnesium sulphate, without calcium impurities, from seawater desalination brine using a novel ethanol-based process. The process achieved up to 67% magnesium recovery efficiency and has potential applications in the pharmaceutical and food industry.
Marine plankton emit sulfur that can form clouds, but existing clouds absorb most of it, reducing cloud formation. The discovery challenges current understanding and may impact climate change predictions.
The NYU-led Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence and Physics (LEAP) center will combine artificial intelligence and climate modeling to better predict climate change impacts. The center aims to provide more accurate climate predictions by analyzing satellite images, large-scale observational data, and developing new algorithms.
Researchers from Tel Aviv and Berkeley Universities propose a model for seaweed farms to absorb nitrogen, reducing pollution in estuarine and marine environments. The study shows that these farms can produce a natural decontamination facility with significant ecological and economic value.
A new method by University of Rochester scientists documents the impact of wind on mesoscale eddies, revealing a continual loss of 50 gigawatts of kinetic energy. This discovery provides a more detailed spatial analysis than existing methods and has significant implications for understanding ocean currents and climate.
A new study suggests that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is losing stability and may be approaching a critical threshold. The AMOC plays a crucial role in regulating Europe's temperatures and weather patterns, and its collapse could have severe global implications.
A new study found that sinking organic matter influences the types of signals preserved in sediments, leading to altered geochemical signatures. This discovery can provide new insights into past local environmental conditions and modify our understanding of global biogeochemical cycling.
A new model developed by Newcastle University's researchers tracks the vertical movement of algae-covered microplastic particles, identifying processes that underpin their trajectories. The study shows that particle properties and algal population dynamics determine the movement of microplastics below the ocean surface.
A study by researchers at the University of Washington has confirmed the presence of endangered blue whales in Indian waters, specifically off the southwest coast of India. The findings suggest that these whales are likely resident to the northern Indian Ocean and visit Lakshadweep seasonally.
Researchers found that smaller marine snow particles, which are abundant and sink slowly, transport more nitrogen than larger flakes. This discovery is crucial for improving Earth system models and understanding the marine nitrogen cycle.
Researchers have found that small marine snow particles are crucial for the anammox process, which converts nitrate into nitrogen gas, releasing it to the atmosphere. These tiny particles, about the size of a hair, transport more nitrogen than larger clumps, making them essential for the nutrient balance in the oceans.
Scientists have discovered that weathering of continental rock began about 3.7 billion years ago, significantly earlier than previously estimated. This finding has crucial implications for plate tectonics and biological evolution, shedding new light on the early Earth's environment.
A new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that the biospheric carbon turnover within river basins is vulnerable to future temperature and precipitation perturbations from a changing climate. This suggests that soil organic carbon sensitivity to climate change may be more widespread than previously assumed.
Researchers developed a machine learning-powered platform, OC-SMART, to process ocean color in satellite images, solving a 30-year-old problem in retrieving data from coastal regions and open ocean areas. The tool provides useful data on chlorophyll concentrations and phytoplankton presence, helping to understand the ocean's state.
Tipping points in ocean physics, chemistry, and biology may cause high-probability, high-impact effects cumulatively leading to global consequences. The study suggests treating these events as seriously as catastrophic ones for effective management.
Researchers studied iodine oxoacid formation from ocean vapors, finding rapid conversion to aerosol particles that affect climate and human health. Iodic acid was identified as a key vapor, while iodous acid played a stabilizing role in neutral particle formation.
A team of researchers at Harvard University has developed a two-millimeter achromatic metalens that can focus RGB colors without aberrations, opening a path to new virtual reality platforms. The lens uses nanostructures to focus light and is the largest RGB-achromatic metalens to date.
Researchers have identified ultra-fast gas flows through atomic-scale apertures in 2D membranes, confirming a century-old equation of fluid dynamics. The study's findings hold promise for applications in water and gas purification, air quality monitoring, and energy harvesting.
Researchers have discovered that ocean anoxic zones, which lack dissolved oxygen, are teeming with life and play a crucial role in the Earth's carbon cycle. The study found that microbes can still eat organic carbon but respiring sulfate, known as cryptic sulfur cycling, leading to more organic carbon deposits in sediments.
Scientists at Southwest Research Institute modeled chemical processes in Enceladus' subsurface ocean, indicating the possibility of a diverse microbial community. The study found that oxidant production and oxidation chemistry could contribute to supporting possible life on Enceladus.
The GOSAT-2 satellite has revealed unprecedented global concentrations of CO2, CH4, and CO. The full physics method used for the retrieval results shows column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of these three gas species. The data show high CO concentrations in regions with fossil fuel use and forest fires.
Dr. Ed Fry, a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University, received the 2020 Nils Gunnar Jerlov Award for his contributions to understanding light scattering and optical absorption of water. The award recognizes his innovative research in ocean optics.
The P-ONE initiative seeks to build a large-scale neutrino observatory in the Pacific Ocean to study high-energy cosmic particles. The project aims to uncover the origins of extragalactic neutrinos and potentially reveal the nature of dark matter.
The Stanford-developed rotating microscope allows scientists to track and measure microscopic plankton's behaviors and molecular processes as they migrate between the ocean's depths and surface. This innovation provides a new window into the secret life of ocean organisms and ecosystems.
Researchers discovered that salamander eggs and algae compete to assimilate carbon from their surroundings, challenging previous assumptions about the benefits of symbiotic relationships. This finding has implications for understanding dark ocean carbon fixation and its impact on global food webs.
Xiaoji Xu named a 2020 Sloan Research Fellow, recognized for his innovative nanoscale imaging methods that empower researchers to study previously inaccessible objects. He plans to investigate the formation and transformation of aerosols and chemical properties of organic/inorganic photovoltaics.
Researchers found that 35% of organic particles sink to depths due to fragmentation, regulating the oceans' capacity to sequester CO2. The discovery helps explain what happens to half of the particle flux that sinks to depths, previously unknown.
Gelatinous zooplankton contributes significantly to marine carbon cycle, binding large amounts of carbon transported into deep ocean. This contribution is quantified for the first time globally using over 90,000 observations.
Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) discover that subsiding air parcels from the Atlantic Ocean, rather than hot air from the Sahara, are responsible for extreme hot spells in central Europe. This finding has significant implications for developing early warning systems and improving forecasts.
Researchers have identified a new pathway for ocean carbon storage, known as particle injection pumps (PIPs), which move just as much carbon as the biological gravitational pump. The study, published in Nature, provides a breakthrough solution to understanding how carbon reaches the deep ocean and its impact on the global climate.
Researchers from Leipzig's TROPOS Institute are part of a Spanish Antarctic expedition investigating the influence of sugar compounds on cloud formation above the ocean. The team aims to understand feedback mechanisms that influence climate change, with implications for ecosystems in polar regions.
Researchers are working to understand subseafloor microbial communities and their potential impact on Earth's biosphere. They've discovered that microbes living in deep ocean sediments may represent as much as one-third of Earth's total biomass, with the habitable part of the ocean crust potentially being 10 times greater.
Scientists at University of Illinois discovered that water molecules can be compressed by 3% under a high-gradient electric field, which may be useful for precise filtering of biomolecules. The compression occurs because the charges on water molecules align with the electric field, and the membrane's thinness focuses the force.
Montana State University's lidar technology can identify clusters of lake trout to a depth of 26 feet, allowing for more efficient removal. This tool could save time and money by detecting fish in shallow water, potentially reversing the decline of native cutthroat trout.
Researchers at TU Wien found that coupled atom clouds synchronize spontaneously and oscillate in perfect unison after just a few milliseconds. This effect cannot be explained by standard theories of Bose-Einstein-Condensates, which predict periods of synchronization alternating with de-synchronization.
A recent study by UMBC physicists found that the interaction between wildfire smoke and clouds results in a net cooling effect, contrary to previous understanding. The team discovered that the smoke increases cloud reflectivity, leading to an overall cooling effect.
Dr. James N. Moum selected as a Fellow of The Oceanography Society for his outstanding contributions to widely used observational techniques and understanding of ocean mixing over a broad range of processes and scales. His work has elucidated the impact of turbulence on various spatial and temporal scales.
A flexible technology for streaming high-quality underwater video images has been developed by improving bandwidth to achieve better video quality. This innovation has the potential to open up new exploration and monitoring opportunities in oceans, which cover over two-thirds of our planet.
Global warming is expected to impact subtropical anticyclones differently in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the North, the subtropical anticyclone over the South Atlantic will weaken, while those over the North Pacific and South Pacific will strengthen.
Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences used mathematical models to determine the best way to throw an object at a target. They found that underhand throws are best for close, high targets and overhand throws are more accurate for targets below the shoulder.
Researchers developed a cloud-screening scheme for the TANSAT satellite, utilizing radiance data from another satellite to improve performance. The new scheme shows improved results compared to existing methods and is more efficient for sensors with limited channels.
Scientists used a novel measurement technique to magnify time and study ultrafast intense pulses of light, confirming theoretical predictions. The technique has implications for understanding giant rogue waves on the ocean and extreme events in nature.
Scientists have identified the world's oldest oceanic crust, dating back to around 340 million years ago, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The study used magnetic data from a 4,300-mile-long marine profile to analyze the nature of the underlying igneous crust.
The use of virtual rocks can archive samples for destructive testing, aid peer-review, and provide access to geological materials for disabled students. Virtual explorers can also enhance learning and retention after field trips.
Mode-2 waves can carry beneficial and detrimental materials between ecosystems, trapping them inside layers of different densities. Researchers found that larger bulges result in more material carried by the wave, while small regions of turbulence can cause it to break down.
A University of Washington project, MICRE, is studying the properties and impacts of Southern Ocean clouds on the surface. The project will help ground-truth satellite measurements and provide new data for improved global climate models.
The article discusses a scientific plan developed by UCSB researchers to quantify present conditions in the ocean's carbon cycle and predict its future states. The plan, known as EXPORTS, combines modeling, satellite data, and field sampling to understand how carbon is processed by the world's oceans.
A study has uncovered a complex planktonic network influencing the ocean's biological carbon pump, which removes carbon from the atmosphere. The research found that certain bacterial and viral genes predict variations in carbon export, enabling better predictions of climate change effects.
Researchers at Utah State University have unraveled the science of skipping spheres by studying the deformation of elastic spheres on water. They found that the sphere's deformed shape creates a larger lifting force, allowing it to skip multiple times across the surface.
Tropical Storm In-fa was becoming an extra-tropical storm as it tracked toward the island of Iwo To, Japan. The storm battled wind shear and retained hurricane-force winds, moving east-northeast at 12 knots.
A team of scientists from the University of New Hampshire led the study, using IBEX to create high-fidelity maps of the solar system boundary. The research reveals a higher temperature than previously reported for the interstellar wind.
Research reveals that hydrothermal vent systems convert long-lived organic carbon into more readily available forms, balancing the continuous supply from surface oceans. This mechanism addresses the long-standing question of why deep ocean dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels remain constant.
Researchers have made significant progress in identifying growing localised patterns as early indicators of freak waves. By resolving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, they can extract pertinent information from localised disturbances' characteristics, shedding light on complex dynamics.
A CU-Boulder instrument, SUDA, has been selected for a NASA mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa to measure surface particles and study the moon's hidden ocean. The mission aims to understand the prerequisites of life in the solar system.
Extra-Tropical Storm Dolphin is moving northeast towards the Sea of Okhotsk, interacting with westerlies that pushed clouds and showers east of its center. The storm has weakened, but still retains hurricane-force winds and is expected to turn northwards, passing south of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
Researchers at Harvard University have discovered the secret to the velvet worm's rapid and perfectly aimed slime attack, which could inspire new microfluidic devices. The unique anatomy of the worm's papillae and elasticity of its slime allow for a wide-spraying jet that entraps prey with great speed.
A study published in Nature shows that a release of carbon dioxide from the deep Southern Ocean helped bring an end to the last Ice Age. The finding provides insight into how oceanic carbon storage affects climate change.