Articles tagged with Oceanography
Researchers found a strong inverse correlation between Arctic sea ice extent and Indian summer monsoon rainfall on interannual timescales. Decreased Arctic sea ice variability during June to July leads to increased rainfall over western and northwestern India, indicating a westward shift in the monsoon season.
New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that volcanic eruptions during the Ice Age may have disrupted the AMOC, threatening Denmark's climate. The study shows that extreme volcanic eruptions can throw the climate system out of balance and push the AMOC into a weakened or collapsed state.
The all-virtual Cal Poly Climate Solutions Now conference will address a wide range of climate topics, including energy, water, waste, business sustainability, agriculture, education, and more. Presenters from various industries will share strategies, tools, and information to help mitigate climate change.
SeaCast consistently outperforms the Copernicus operational model over a 10-day forecast horizon and extends predictions to 15 days, generating forecasts in just 20 seconds using a single GPU. This advancement enables rapid 'what-if' scenario testing and probabilistic ensemble forecasts.
Researchers propose a new explanation for wrinkly textures in rocks, suggesting that microbes lived in deepwater environments and used chemosynthetic energy. This finding could lead to a reevaluation of fossil records and the classification of ancient formations.
A juvenile great white shark was incidentally caught in Spanish waters, raising questions about the species' biology and ecology. The study confirms continued, though sporadic, presence of white sharks in Mediterranean waters.
A field-deployable CRISPR-based biosensing platform has been developed for rapid, on-site monitoring of marine species and ecosystems, offering a sustainable solution for tracking ocean health. The technology has the potential to detect critical species, predict outbreaks, and support early warning systems for ecosystem disruptions.
An international team has successfully documented and sampled freshened water within a zone nearly 200 metres thick beneath the ocean floor. This discovery sheds light on offshore freshened groundwater systems and their relevance to coastal communities relying on groundwater for freshwater supply.
Researchers found a surprising correlation between West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat and marine algae growth over the past 500,000 years. The study suggests that global warming may lead to reduced CO2 uptake if the ice sheet continues to shrink.
A new study characterizes the sounds produced by flying gurnards, revealing two distinct types of grunt-like sounds that differ in duration, frequency, and rhythm. The researchers also found that juveniles under 10 cm in length produce sounds from an early developmental stage.
A team of scientists discovered the King's Trough Complex, a colossal submarine canyon off Portugal's coast, formed by tectonic processes and hot mantle material. The structure extends over 500 kilometers, with Peake Deep as one of the deepest points in the Atlantic Ocean.
A third of fish off Pacific Islands' coasts contain microplastics, with Fiji showing a high rate of contamination. Research highlights the pervasiveness of microplastic pollution and its impact on ecosystems and human health.
A new study in Geology suggests that massive undersea volcanism triggered at least four Triassic extinctions. Marine large igneous provinces were found to be a key driver of these events, accounting for half of the extinctions with an identifiable geological trigger.
Research investigates vortex-induced motion in semi-submersible FOWTs under varying incidence angles, revealing the influence of structural components on wake dynamics. The study's findings suggest optimizing platform design to reduce fatigue and enhance operational stability.
A statistically significant spike in shark bites occurs every October in Hawaiian waters, primarily driven by tiger sharks. The research found a strong link between the October spike and the tiger shark's reproductive cycle, specifically parturition, which occurs during September-October.
A recent study published in Geology found that new single-celled marine species evolved rapidly, occurring in some places in under two thousand years. This rapid evolution helps scientists understand how ocean ecosystems respond to environmental changes and could provide insights into future mass extinctions.
Researchers discovered that a significant drop in calcium levels in the ocean led to a massive decrease in carbon dioxide, driving global cooling and ending the planet's greenhouse era. The study suggests that changes in seawater chemistry played a key role in shaping climate history.
Research reveals that ancient tropical oceans had the highest oxygen concentrations during the Proterozoic Eon, driven by photosynthetic organisms producing oxygen. The study suggests that a critical threshold of atmospheric oxygen led to a shift in ocean biogeochemistry, fundamentally reorganizing oxygen distribution.
A £3.7 million project aims to provide unprecedented analysis of mesophotic coral reefs' vulnerability to climate change and identify ways to protect them. The study will use state-of-the-art technologies to collect comprehensive data on biodiversity, health, and environmental parameters.
A USF-led study using AI shows a significant increase in macroalgae growth globally, with blooms expanding across the tropical Atlantic and western Pacific. The study attributes this shift to climate variability and human activities such as nutrient runoff.
A new study using fossil coccoliths suggests the North Atlantic was 9 degrees Celsius cooler than previously thought during the Miocene epoch. This finding challenges the extreme high-latitude warmth paradigm and aligns with existing climate models for this period.
Dr. Elva Escobar Briones receives the TOS Mentoring Award for her decades-long dedication to mentoring students, early career professionals, and colleagues in biological oceanography. She promotes equity, inclusion, and access to oceanographic training, particularly for underrepresented regions.
The High Seas Treaty, underpinned by Oregon State University science, aims to safeguard and sustainably use the high seas. The treaty has been adopted by 60 nations, including the U.S., and will go into effect on Jan. 17.
The Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP) has been awarded the Ocean Observing Team Award for its groundbreaking contributions to ocean observing. The program's repeat hydrography measurements have documented decadal changes in ocean circulation, heat, carbon, oxygen, and nutrients.
A six-year acoustic tracking study reveals a predictable seasonal convergence of mature male and female tiger sharks off Olowalu, Maui, coinciding with the humpback whale calving season. The findings suggest an annual mating aggregation site for tiger sharks, contrary to their conventional understanding as solitary wanderers.
Hu's work spans harmful algal blooms, oil spills, coastal water quality, and floating macroalgae with impacts at local, regional, national, and global scales. His discovery of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has profound ecological, economic, and public health implications.
Oliver Zielinski's contributions to oceanography have significantly advanced understanding and stewardship of the ocean through innovative research and leadership. He has led applications of artificial intelligence for environmental monitoring and mentored early-career scientists.
Lisa Rom has been selected as a Fellow of The Oceanography Society for her profound impact on ocean science education, particularly through the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) network. Her efforts have strengthened connections between research and society, broadened participation in the ocean sciences, and suppo...
A recent study found that nearly every major river delta is experiencing subsidence, with at least some portion sinking faster than the sea level in 18 of the 40 deltas examined. This phenomenon poses a significant threat to the lives of over 236 million people, particularly in regions such as the Mekong and Nile river systems.
Dr. Corday Selden has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of how marine microbial interactions structure the chemistry of the ocean. Her pioneering research has reshaped the understanding of nitrogen cycling, microbial metabolism, and biosphere–geosphere interactions.
Dr. Seth Zippel has made significant contributions to the understanding of air-sea interaction, surface gravity waves, and boundary-layer turbulence through innovative field experiments and novel observational techniques. He is recognized for his impact on ocean mixing, weather and climate prediction, and offshore wind energy assessments.
Zhongping Lee received the 2026 Nils Gunnar Jerlov Medal for his transformative contributions to understanding light interaction with the ocean. His work reshaped ocean color science, enabling robust global observations of ocean transparency and productivity from satellites.
Marine darkwaves are short-term episodes of underwater darkness that can severely impact kelp forests, seagrass beds, and other light-dependent marine life. The researchers developed a framework to compare these events across the globe, finding between 25-80 marine darkwaves along the East Cape since 2002.
Dr. Kelley's discovery of the Lost City Hydrothermal Field revolutionized scientific understanding of fluid–rock interactions and chemosynthetic ecosystems. Her work has also transformed ocean observation through the NSF's Ocean Observatories Initiative Regional Cabled Array.
Scientists discovered that authigenic clays played a crucial role in preserving the Ediacara Biota fossils. The unusual chemistry of the Ediacaran seawater helped to form these clays, which acted as cement, holding together sand particles and replicating the organisms' soft-bodied forms.
A new sea surface height prediction model, GTU-Net, combines deep learning and physics-informed constraints to improve accuracy. The model outperforms existing mainstream models across multiple metrics and demonstrates higher accuracy up to 60 days.
A UK study found that over 40% of consumers are willing to try new fish species, including sardines and anchovies. The research highlights the potential for improving national health and local economies by embracing home-caught seafood. It also reveals a generational divide in seafood consumption habits.
Researchers used clumped-isotope palaeothermometry to reconstruct large temperature fluctuations at depths of up to 4,000 meters in the Southern Ocean. These fluctuations occurred simultaneously with changes in oxygen isotopes and Earth's orbital eccentricity, suggesting a climatic forcing.
The study found that organic materials in sediments decompose under supercritical conditions, releasing hydrogen molecules. This process is a more significant source of dissolved hydrogen in the ocean than previously believed.
Researchers developed a comprehensive review on magnetic coupling technologies for efficient and robust underwater wireless power transfer. Optimized electromagnetic structures and control schemes improve power transfer efficiency and operational reliability for autonomous underwater vehicles.
Researchers propose a comprehensive framework for marine digital twin systems to overcome challenges in data interoperability, prediction accuracy, and decision-making. The framework enables real-time monitoring, simulation, and optimization in marine engineering processes.
The American Meteorological Society has elected Rick Spinrad as its 2026 president-elect. A renowned oceanographer, Spinrad will serve a one-year term before becoming the AMS president in 2027. The five newly elected council members are Marilyn Averill, Julie Demuth, Jordan Gerth, Maureen McCann, and Aaron Piña.
A new study reveals that giant clam populations in American Sāmoa are stable and abundant due to traditional community-based resource management. Village-managed closures outperform federally protected no-take areas, highlighting the effectiveness of cultural stewardship.
An international scientific team led by UiT The Arctic University of Norway has discovered the deepest known gas hydrate cold seep on Earth at a staggering depth of 3,640 meters. This groundbreaking finding reveals a previously unknown ecosystem thriving in the Greenland Sea and expands the known depth limit for gas hydrate outcrops.
A new study reveals that seasonal seabird nesting concentrates tiger sharks in specific areas, forcing other species to shift their habitat use to avoid predation. The presence of fledgling seabirds influences the behavior of apex predators, including gray reef and Galapagos sharks.
A team of scientists, led by UC Santa Barbara's David Siegel, embarked on a research expedition to the North Atlantic to study the ocean's carbon cycle. They found that tiny organic particles, known as marine snow, transport carbon from the surface to depths, and this process is critical for understanding Earth's climate.
A new global ocean data assimilation system has been developed to improve the accuracy of sea-surface temperature and sea-level anomaly forecasts. The YHGO platform integrates a fully nonlinear and non-Gaussian data assimilation method with a mass-conserving ocean model, leading to improved performance compared to existing systems.
Scientists at the University of East Anglia used an autonomous underwater vehicle to survey beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, finding that the shape of the seabed is more important than current speed in influencing warm water circulation. This leads to melting at the underside of the ice shelf, contributing to sea level rise.
Ocean is an international, peer-reviewed open-access journal dedicated to advancing research in ocean science, technology, and engineering. The journal aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and solve pressing challenges in ocean science and technology.
Researchers analyzed dolphin vocalizations during enrichment activities at Oltremare Marine Park in Italy. The study found that dolphins 'speak' more during structured moments like training, feeding, or play, revealing their social and emotional engagement.
The 106th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society will focus on the intersection of technology and human decision-making in weather, water, and climate sciences. The meeting will feature keynote presentations, Presidential Sessions, and named symposia highlighting key Earth science topics.
A global survey found that nearly 66% of shark descriptors were neutral, suggesting a shift away from the menacing predator narrative. Researchers used automated statistical packages and manual approaches to analyze short descriptions of sharks, revealing positive words like 'majestic' and 'fascinating'.
Research shows that flooding in delta cities like Shanghai can expand by up to 80% and be much deeper by 2100 due to extreme climate events, sea-level rise and land subsidence. A major adaptation effort is required to raise defences and construct mobile flood barriers.
A new study published in Nature Geoscience shows the key role of Antarctic Bottom Water in the transition from the last Ice Age. The expansion of AABW played a central role in releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which helped reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
Researchers from UCSB have challenged the prevailing view of how carbon is fixed in the ocean's sunless depths. They found that microbes beyond autotrophic archaea and heterotrophs could be responsible for fixing carbon dioxide, providing a new understanding of deep-ocean food web dynamics.
Researchers found three major vent areas aligned with active fault zones, controlled by the island's tectonic fabric. The discovery establishes Milos as a natural laboratory for studying hydrothermal activity, volcanism, and tectonics.
Studies in the Tropical Eastern Pacific indicate that sharks thrive in oceanic islands' MPAs, unlike coastal areas where predatory fish are depleted. The research highlights the importance of these refuges for shark conservation.
Over half of global coastal settlements have retreated from the coast over the past 30 years in response to intensifying climate hazards. Coastal regions in Africa and Oceania lead the retreat, while poorer regions often expand shoreline settlements due to economic needs.
A new resource has been developed to help kelp farmers in Maine reduce their production costs. The tool provides detailed economic analyses and identifies strategies for sustainable business plans. By using this tool, kelp farmers can achieve economic sustainability and improve their bottom line.
Sixty-million-year-old rock samples have revealed how massive amounts of carbon dioxide are stored in piles of lava rubble on the seafloor. This discovery sheds light on the importance of breccia, a geological sponge for carbon in the long-term carbon cycle.