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The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoes

Researchers at Aarhus University found a correlation between Atlantic Ocean temperature fluctuations and external forces like the Sun's energy cycle and volcanic eruptions since the Little Ice Age. This challenges previous theories of internal variability in ocean circulation, suggesting a complex interaction between mechanisms.

SourceAarhus University·JournalNature Communications·DateMar 30, 2014

Underwater 'tree rings'

Researchers have found a dramatic decrease in sea ice cover over the last 150 years, with annual growth increments doubling since the Little Ice Age. This discovery provides new insights into climate reconstruction and extends knowledge back to the mid-1800s.

SourceUniversity of Toronto·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 18, 2013

Reading ancient climate from plankton shells

Researchers have discovered that plankton shells contain growth bands that record daily variations in magnesium chemistry, providing a proxy for past ocean temperature. This breakthrough allows scientists to study short timescale changes in ocean temperatures hundreds of millions of years ago.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalEarth and Planetary Science Letters·DateOct 25, 2013

Size matters for creatures of cold polar waters

Research challenges conventional wisdom on giant sea creatures in polar seas, suggesting that large body sizes have an advantage in cold conditions by regulating oxygen uptake. This allows them to survive in environments with limited oxygen availability, contrary to the long-held idea that a superabundance of oxygen drives gigantism.

SourceUniversity of Liverpool·JournalFunctional Ecology·DateJul 10, 2013

Past tropical climate change linked to ocean circulation, says Texas A&M team

Researchers have discovered that subsurface temperatures in the western tropical Atlantic rapidly warmed during cold periods in Earth's past. This finding suggests that when the global conveyor belt slowed down, warm subsurface waters flowed southward and rapidly warmed the deep tropics, altering climate patterns globally.

SourceTexas A&M University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateAug 23, 2012