A URI-led expedition to the Puerto Rico Trench took what researchers believe to be the deepest water core samples ever taken in the Atlantic. They’re also the deepest water cores taken anywhere in the oceans since 1962.
Tag: OCEANOGRAPHY
URI launches ‘Plastics: Land to Sea’ web platform
A new University of Rhode Island web platform, “Plastics: Land to Sea,” has been launched as part of an ongoing collaborative initiative to provide the science community with a burgeoning array of data resources and tools designed to inform and support dialogue concerning research focused efforts to start addressing plastics pollution.
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences joins ASU’s Global Futures Lab
In a major development in the bid to deepen the understanding of the role that the ocean plays in climate science, Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow announced today that ASU, a leading research university, has established a partnership with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), one of the longest-serving research institutes dedicated to studying ocean processes in the Western Hemisphere.
Major ocean current could warm greatly, new study reveals
A new study led by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York found that the Kuroshio Current Extension is sensitive to global climate change and has the potential to warm greatly with increased carbon dioxide levels.
How do higher waves cause more ice clouds? Research expedition into arctic sea explains
Some of the most well-known and feared aspects of climate change are its potential effects on weather patterns and how this could accelerate the melting of natural ice.
Wave wash-over poses threat to endangered sea turtle nests and hatchlings
Waves breaking and hitting the shore are a familiar sight to any beachgoer, but these powerful acts of nature play a big role in whether sea turtle nests thrive in their coastal surroundings. Researchers from the Florida State University Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science have found that powerful ocean waves pose a significant threat to sea turtle nests, with wave exposure potentially affecting egg incubation and hatchling productivity.
UC San Diego receives $35 million in state funding for new coastal research vessel
First-of-its-kind hydrogen-hybrid vessel will be vital to education and research
New study reports strong indications of freshened groundwater offshore the Maltese Islands
Study is a product of the MARCAN project, led by the University of Malta
Archaeology: Roman road discovered in the Venice lagoon
The discovery of a Roman road submerged in the Venice Lagoon is reported in Scientific Reports this week. The findings suggest that extensive settlements may have been present in the Venice Lagoon centuries before the founding of Venice began in…
Deep-sea research bolstered with $2 million grant
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has been awarded $2 million by the National Science Foundation to lead an international effort to accelerate scientific understanding of the environmental impacts of emerging industries in the deep sea – one of the most…
Tiny organisms shed big light on ocean nutrients
As the world warms, sweeping changes in marine nutrients seem like an expected consequence of increased ocean temperatures. However, the reality is more complicated. New research suggests that processes below the ocean surface may be controlling what is happening above.…
Crime scene tape set to revolutionize microplastics research
Forensic scientists have developed a new method to help monitor plastic pollution across the world.
A new model of coral reef health
Using data collected on the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition, scientists identify which natural and anthropogenic factors are most likely to lead to healthy reefs
Biodiversity, climate change and the fate of coral reefs
Actions in coming decade will determine whether reefs survive, scientists say
Save Our Seas Foundation announces a record 61 grants for 2021
The Save our Seas Foundation is celebrating an overwhelming number of applications and awards. This heralds a hopeful new cohort of ocean conservationists, young scientists and local initiatives being supported to make a positive change for our planet.
Ocean microbes team up brilliantly to gather food when it’s scarce
WOODS HOLE, Mass. – What’s a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron – to survive, yet in vast expanses of the ocean, nutrients are extremely scarce. And…
Arrival of land plants changed Earth’s climate control system
The arrival of plants on land about 400 million years ago may have changed the way the Earth naturally regulates its own climate, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Yale.
Politecnico di Torino and Ithaca together for the production of maps for the European Agency Frontex
TURIN, 14 July 2021 – Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, since 2004 engaged in migration control, border management and whose responsibilities, extended in 2016 to the fight against cross-border crime and search and rescue services in the…
Solar radio signals could be used to monitor melting ice sheets
The sun provides a daunting source of electromagnetic disarray – chaotic, random energy emitted by the massive ball of gas arrives to Earth in a wide spectrum of radio frequencies. But in that randomness, Stanford researchers have discovered the makings…
Mathematical model predicts the movement of microplastics in the ocean
A new model tracking the vertical movement of algae-covered microplastic particles offers hope in the fight against plastic waste in our oceans
Scientists explore seamounts in Phoenix Islands Archipelago, gain insights into deep water diversity
Marine scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor have identified likely new marine species and deep sea organisms on nine seamounts that were explored for the first time in the remote Phoenix Islands Archipelago. In a 34-day expedition that…
Remotely-piloted sailboats monitor ‘cold pools’ in tropical environments
Conditions in the tropical ocean affect weather patterns worldwide. The most well-known examples are El Niño or La Niña events, but scientists believe other key elements of the tropical climate remain undiscovered. In a study recently published in Geophysical Research…
To predict underwater volcano eruptions, scientist looks at images from space
A new study monitored satellite images to obtain sea discoloration data as a novel indicator in detecting if an underwater volcano’s eruption is imminent.
Icequakes likely rumble along geyser-spitting fractures in Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus
Seismic activity could give scientists a read on the thickness of the ice encasing the moon and the oceans believed to lie beneath
Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness
Discovery illuminates a 120-million-year record of ancient Earth
New model accurately predicts how coasts will be impacted by storms and sea-level rise
Coastal communities across the world are increasingly facing up to the huge threats posed by a combination of extreme storms and predicted rises in sea levels as a result of global climate change. However, scientists at the University of Plymouth…
Like a molten pancake
New model for shield volcano eruption
Study: Oil spill impact on Canadian arctic, the environment and indigenous peoples
As melting sea ice brings more ships through the Northwest Passage, new research shows that Canada must prepare for the costs and consequences of an Arctic oil spill
Changes in Earth’s orbit enabled the emergence of complex life
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that changes in Earth’s orbit may have allowed complex life to emerge and thrive during the most hostile climate episode the planet has ever experienced. The researchers – working with colleagues in…
New study helps explain ‘silent earthquakes’ along New Zealand’s North Island
Seamounts offer clue to solving a tectonic puzzle
Atmospheric acidity impacts oceanic ecology
Increased acidity in the atmosphere is disrupting the ecological balance of the oceans, according to new research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). The first study to look at acidity’s impact on nutrient transport to the ocean demonstrates…
Predicting the future of cod
Hereon scientists develop new fisheries management planning tool — fewer stocks expected
Studies add to concern about climate tipping
Tipping found in models of the Gulf Stream and North American mid-latitude wind systems add to the growing concern that anthropogenic climate change might be abrupt and irreversible
How ethane-consuming archaea pick up their favorite dish
Scientists of Bremen sucessfully decoded the structure of the enzyme responsible for ethane fixation
The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers
The mysterious ocean plastic sink
Guadalupe fur seals continue to recover as new colony discovered
Guadalupe fur seals ( Arctocephalus townsendi ) have established a large resting colony in the Gulf of California–bringing the total number of sites where this endangered species now occurs to just four. This new haul-out was discovered on El Farallón…
Unusual currents explain mysterious red crab strandings
New findings suggest that abnormal ocean currents cause the occasional appearance of pelagic red crabs outside their native range

Underwater seismometer can hear how fast a glacier moves
Scientists show that an ocean-bottom seismometer deployed close to the calving front of a glacier in Greenland can detect continuous seismic radiation from a glacier sliding, reminiscent of a slow earthquake.
Last ice-covered parts of summertime Arctic Ocean vulnerable to climate change
In a rapidly changing Arctic, one area might serve as a refuge – a place that could continue to harbor ice-dependent species when conditions in nearby areas become inhospitable. This region north of Greenland and the islands of the Canadian…
Underwater seismometer can hear how fast a glacier moves
Scientists show that an ocean-bottom seismometer deployed close to the calving front of a glacier in Greenland can detect continuous seismic radiation from a glacier sliding, reminiscent of a slow earthquake. Basal slip of marine-terminating glaciers controls how fast they…
Earth’s cryosphere shrinking by 87,000 square kilometers per year
First global assessment of the extent of snow and ice cover on Earth’s surface–a critical factor cooling the planet through reflected sunlight–and its response to warming temperatures
Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows more rapidly in warm phases
In future the intensity of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current could increase, accelerating climate change
Coral offspring physiology impacted by parental exposure to intense environmental stresses
Environmental disturbances, such as bleaching events, can have lasting consequences across generations of corals
Numerical Study First to Reveal Origin of ‘Motion of the Ocean’ in the Straits of Florida
Scientists Identify Mechanisms of Instability Responsible for the Formation of Sub-mesoscale Eddies
Ocean circulation is key to understanding uncertainties in climate change predictions
The accuracy of climate predictions depends crucially on how the ocean circulation of the North Atlantic is incorporated into climate models, study shows
EU provides 15 million euros of funding for Arctic project
The European Union will provide 15 million euros from the Horizon 2020 Programme to fund the Arctic PASSION project for the period 2021 to 2025. Under the leadership of the Alfred Wegener Institute, a consortium of 35 partners will promote…
Underwater robot offers new insight into mid-ocean “twilight zone”
An innovative underwater robot known as Mesobot is providing researchers with deeper insight into the vast mid-ocean region known as the “twilight zone.” Capable of tracking and recording high-resolution images of slow-moving and fragile zooplankton, gelatinous animals, and particles, Mesobot…
Human-driven climate change only half the picture for krill
In the heart of their Antarctic habitat, krill populations are projected to decline about 30% this century due to widespread negative effects from human-driven climate change. However, these effects on this small but significant species will be largely indistinguishable from…
Heat from below: How the ocean is wearing down the Arctic sea ice
The influx of warmer water masses from the North Atlantic into the European marginal seas plays a significant role in the marked decrease in sea-ice growth, especially in winter. Sea-ice physicists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar…
Microbes in ocean play important role in moderating Earth’s temperature
Methane-eating microbes help regulate Earth’s temperatures with remarkably high metabolic rates within seafloor carbonate rocks