Oceanography News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Climate Change Threatens Key Ocean Plankton Groups

Nov. 13, 2024 — Planktonic foraminifera are tiny marine organisms, which are essential to the ocean's carbon cycle. A recent study reveals that these populations are shrinking at an alarming rate due to ocean warming and acidification. Elevated CO2 levels and thus ...

Spectacular Chimneys Discovered in the Dead Sea

Nov. 14, 2024 — Researchers have discovered meter-high chimneys on the floor of the Dead Sea. These are formed by the spontaneous crystallization of minerals from groundwater with an extremely high salt content flowing up out of the lake floor, they report. The ...

The Blue-Green Sustainable Proteins of Seaweed May Soon Be on Your Plate

Nov. 13, 2024 — The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilized or ...

Pioneering Research Shows Sea Life Will Struggle to Survive Future Global Warming

Nov. 13, 2024 — A new study highlights how some marine life could face extinction over the next century, if human-induced global warming ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:21pm EST

'Drowning' Mangrove Forests in Maldives Signal Global Coastal Threat

Nov. 12, 2024 — Researchers have found evidence that mangrove forests -- which protect tropical and subtropical coastlines -- are drowning in the Maldives. Their finding indicate that rising sea level and a climate ...

Novel Machine Learning Techniques Measure Ocean Oxygen Loss More Accurately

Nov. 12, 2024 — Using data from historic ship measurements and Argo floats, researchers introduced a machine learning technique that improves assessment and analysis of the ocean's declining oxygen ...

First Amber Find on the Antarctic Continent

Nov. 12, 2024 — Roughly 90 million years ago, climatic conditions in Antarctica were suitable for resin-producing trees. Researchers have now made the southernmost discovery of amber in the ...

Measurements from 'Lost' Seaglider Offer New Insights Into Antarctic Ice Melting

Nov. 8, 2024 — New research reveals for the first time how a major Antarctic ice shelf has been subjected to increased melting by warming ocean waters over the last ...

Deep Ocean Clues to a Million-Year-Old Ice Age Puzzle Revealed in New Study

Nov. 8, 2024 — A new study challenges theories regarding the origins of a significant transition through the Earth's ice ages. The research provides fresh insights into the ocean's role in climate during the ...

Geologists Rewrite Textbooks With New Insights from the Bottom of the Grand Canyon

Nov. 8, 2024 — Geoscientists employed current-day stratigraphic, depositional and paleontological models, along with modern technological muscle to provide updated ...

Groundbreaking Study Provides New Evidence of When Earth Was Slushy

Nov. 5, 2024 — At the end of the last global ice age, the deep-frozen Earth reached a built-in limit of climate change and thawed into a slushy planet. Results provide the first direct geochemical evidence of the ...

Microplastics Increasing in Freshwater, Directly Related to Plastic Production

Nov. 1, 2024 — Microplastics have been steadily increasing in freshwater environments for decades and are directly tied to rising global plastic production since ...

Remote Control Eddies: Upwelled Nutrients Boost Productivity Around Hawaiian Islands

Oct. 31, 2024 — Oceanographers showed that eddies on the leeward side of the Hawaiian Islands can supply nutrients, not only locally, but also to the opposite side ...

Global Ocean Oscillations and Climate Change Affect Weather Patterns in the Serengeti

Oct. 31, 2024 — The interactions between global climate change and ocean oscillations -- fluctuating cycles in wind and ocean temperatures -- are impacting weather ...

Study Reveals Acceleration in Pacific Upper-Ocean Circulation Over Past 30 Years, Impacting Global Weather Patterns

Oct. 31, 2024 — A new study has revealed significant acceleration in the upper-ocean circulation of the equatorial Pacific over the past 30 years. This acceleration is primarily driven by intensified atmospheric ...

Large Meltwater Accumulation Revealed Inside Greenland Ice Sheet

Oct. 30, 2024 — A new study unveils a surprising discovery: a substantial amount of meltwater is temporarily stored within the Greenland Ice Sheet during summer months. For the first time, an international group of ...

Oceanographers Record the Largest Predation Event Ever Observed in the Ocean

Oct. 29, 2024 — In the largest predation event ever recorded, researchers observed capelin shoaling off the coast of Norway, where a swarm of cod overtook them, consuming over 10 million fish in a few hours. The ...

Melting Arctic Sea-Ice Could Affect Global Ocean Circulation

Oct. 27, 2024 — The warming climate in polar regions may significantly disrupt ocean circulation patterns, a new study indicates. Scientists discovered that in the distant past, growing inflows of freshwater from ...

Slowing Ocean Current Could Ease Arctic Warming -- A Little

Oct. 25, 2024 — The Arctic is warming at three to four times the global average. However, new research suggests the slowing of a key ocean current could reduce projected Arctic warming by up to 2 degrees Celsius by ...

Sliver of Cool Surface Water Helps the Ocean Absorb More Carbon

Oct. 25, 2024 — Subtle temperature differences at the ocean surface allow more carbon dioxide (CO2) to be absorbed, new research ...

Paws of Polar Bears Sustaining Ice-Related Injuries in a Warming Arctic

Oct. 22, 2024 — Polar bears in some parts of the high Arctic are developing ice buildup and related injuries to their feet. The changes appear to be an unexpected consequence of climate change, related to changing ...

'Drowning Continent': Western Australian Coastline's Complex History

Oct. 22, 2024 — A study investigating the complex evolution of two iconic Western Australian landmarks, has traced their transformation over thousands of years and offers a glimpse into their future. Researchers ...

New Ice Core Data Provides Insight Into Climate 'Tipping Points' During the Last Ice Age

Oct. 21, 2024 — New research from multiple ice cores collected across Greenland with data spanning up to 120,000 years provides new understanding of abrupt Dansgaard-Oeschger events, how they unfold and what that ...

What Happened When a Meteorite the Size of Four Mount Everests Hit Earth?

Oct. 21, 2024 — Scientists paint a compelling picture of what happened the day the S2 meteorite crashed into Earth 3.26 billion years ...

Weather-Changing El Nino Oscillation Is at Least 250 Million Years Old

Oct. 21, 2024 — A new modeling study shows that the El Nino event, a huge blob of warm ocean water in the tropical Pacific Ocean that can change rainfall patterns around the globe, was present at least 250 million ...

Creating a Spatial Map of the Sea: New Research Visualizes How Fishing Communities Can Change Fishing Habits to Adapt to Climate Change

Oct. 21, 2024 — In a massive research project spanning five years and stretching the length of the Northeast seaboard, scientists have created a spatial map of the sea that shows how individual fishing communities ...

American Lobster Population, Habitat Preferences Shifting, Study Finds

Oct. 18, 2024 — Scientists found that from 1995-2021, occupancy of boulder habitats by lobsters dropped 60%. Meanwhile, the number of lobsters residing in sediment or featureless ledge habitats increased 633% and ...

Better Ocean Connectivity Boosts Reef Fish Populations

Oct. 18, 2024 — A new study has found that oceanographic connectivity (the movement and exchange of water between different parts of the ocean) is a key influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean ...

Research Improves Hurricane Intensity Forecasting

Oct. 17, 2024 — A collaboration between is improving hurricane forecasting by incorporating the effects of sea spray into the models that predict hurricane ...

Plastic Pollution Sounds Just Like Food to Deep-Diving Whales

Oct. 17, 2024 — To whales that hunt with soundwaves in lightless ocean depths, a torn plastic party balloon and a delicious squid may appear remarkably similar, according to a study. Underwater acoustic testing with ...

One in Three Plants Call Islands Home: Many at Risk

Oct. 16, 2024 — From Tasmania to Madagascar to New Guinea, islands make up just over five per cent of Earth's land yet are home to 31 per cent of the world's plant species. A new study shows that of all ...

Marine Heatwaves Are Underreported in the Deep Ocean

Oct. 16, 2024 — Marine heatwaves and cold spells are occurring both on the ocean surface and below, with ocean currents influencing their ...

Hidden Biological Processes Can Affect How the Ocean Stores Carbon

Oct. 10, 2024 — Microscopic organisms in the ocean play a key role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A new study unveils a hidden biological factor that could change our understanding of how this ...

Heavy Metals in the Ocean Become More Toxic

Oct. 9, 2024 — Toxic trace elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium naturally occur in small quantities in coastal seas. However, human activities, such as industry and agriculture, contribute ...