EurekAlert! - Oceanography

Paleontologists find extinction rates higher in open-ocean settings during mass extinctions

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Cincinnati) Arnie Miller, University of Cincinnati professor of paleontology in the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, and co-author Michael Foote of the University of Chicago publish their research in the Nov. 20 issue of Science with their paper, "Epicontinental Seas Versus Open-Ocean Settings: The Kinetics of Mass Extinction and Origination."

WHOI'S Bruce A. Warren is awarded Sverdrup Gold Medal

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Bruce A. Warren -- one of the world's pre-eminent researchers of deep ocean currents and scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution -- is the 2010 winner of the prestigious Sverdrup Gold Medal, awarded by the American Meteorological Society.

SMOS satellite instrument comes alive

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(European Space Agency) The MIRAS instrument on ESA's SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the role these two key variables play in regulating Earth's water cycle.

Scientists unravel evolution of highly toxic box jellyfish

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center) With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life. In a paper published today, researchers have unraveled the evolutionary relationships among the various species of box jellyfish, thereby providing insight into the evolution of their toxicity.

Oceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(The Earth Institute at Columbia University) The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. Now, the first year-by-year accounting of this mechanism during the industrial era suggests the oceans are struggling to keep up with rising emissions -- a finding with potentially wide implications for future climate. The study appears in this week's issue of the journal Nature.

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions up by 29 percent since 2000

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of East Anglia) The strongest evidence yet that the rise in atmospheric CO2 emissions continues to outstrip the ability of the world's natural "sinks" to absorb carbon is published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Optical properties of the Antarctic system and new radiation information

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Helsinki) The Antarctic system comprises of the continent itself, Antarctica, and the ocean surrounding it, the Southern Ocean. In a study for a doctoral degree by geophysicist Kai Rasmus, University of Helsinki, Finland, measurements were made during three Austral summers to study the optical properties of the Antarctic system and to produce radiation information for additional modeling studies.

Warmer means windier on world's biggest lake

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Wisconsin-Madison) Rising water temperatures are kicking up more powerful winds on Lake Superior, with consequences for currents, biological cycles, pollution and more on the world's largest lake and its smaller brethren.

SEA to conduct expedition dedicated to measuring plastic marine debris in the North Atlantic Ocean

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The Sea Education Association is preparing to conduct the first-ever research expedition dedicated solely to examining the accumulation of plastic marine debris in the North Atlantic Ocean.

How much water does the ocean have?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Short-term fluctuations in the spatial distribution of the ocean water masses

A glimpse at the Earth's crust deep below the Atlantic

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) Long-term variations in volcanism help explain the birth, evolution and death of striking geological features called oceanic core complexes on the ocean floor, says geologist Dr. Bram Murton of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

Early life on Earth may have developed more quickly than thought

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Texas A&M University) The Earth's climate was far cooler -- perhaps more than 50 degrees -- billions of years ago, which could mean conditions for life all over the planet were more conducive than previously believed, according to a research team that includes a Texas A&M University expert who specializes in geobiology.

NOAA deploys new 'smart buoy' off Annapolis

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NOAA Headquarters) NOAA deployed the seventh in a series of "smart buoys" to monitor weather conditions and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay today. The buoy, located at the mouth of Severn River near Annapolis, Md., will be used by commercial and recreational boaters to navigate safely and provide data for educators and scientists to monitor the Bay's changing conditions.

Earth's early ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier than thought: Stanford study

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Stanford University) The global ocean covering the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet.

House Ocean Caucus sponsors briefing on chemicals of concern in coastal waters, Nov. 17

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NOAA Headquarters) This panel brings together leading NOAA scientists and community leaders to discuss research and monitoring of chemicals of concern that enter our coastal waters through run-off, discharge, and other means. With roughly 85,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States, scientists face major challenges in trying to identify how pervasive these chemicals are in our waters or the potential health impacts they pose to marine wildlife and people.

Swarms of ocean robots will drift in synch, monitor oil spills, thanks to advanced controls systems

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - San Diego) To develop control systems for "swarms" of miniature robotic ocean explorers that could one day help predict where ocean currents will carry oil spills, engineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering recently won a nearly $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Scripps scientists to develop 'swarms' of miniature robotic ocean explorers

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - San Diego) In an effort to plug gaps of knowledge about key ocean processes, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have been awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to develop a new breed of ocean-probing instruments.

Iowa State scientist develops lab machine to study glacial sliding related to rising sea levels

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Iowa State University) Neal Iverson has created a glacier in a freezer that could help scientists understand how glaciers slide across their beds. That could help researchers predict how climate change accelerates glacier sliding and contributes to rising sea levels.

Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(British Antarctic Survey) Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonization is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years.

Newly discovered fat molecule: An undersea killer with an upside

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) A chemical culprit responsible for the rapid, mysterious death of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean has been found by collaborating scientists at Rutgers University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This same chemical may hold unexpected promise in cancer research.

Past climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are unprecedented.

AGU journal highlights -- Nov. 5, 2009

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Geophysical Union) Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Antarctica warming a regional, not local, trend"; "New model factors storms into shoreline loss"; "Study agrees reservoir contributed to Wenchuan earthquake"; "Much Arctic warming linked to sea-ice, cloud-cover changes"; "Sorting out natural from human influences in ocean warming"; and "Meteoritic impacts may have cooked up life's components."

Coral reefs inspire rare consensus -- just save them

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Oregon State University) One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation -- their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity.

Massive Antarctic project takes Montana State University to one of Earth's final frontiers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Montana State University) An "unparalleled opportunity" to drill through the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica and explore the world underneath it will involve Montana State University faculty and current and former students over the next five years.

Tackling new Arctic challenges from space

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(European Space Agency) International scientists, researchers and decision makers met at the Space and the Arctic workshop to identify the needs and challenges of working and living in the rapidly changing Arctic and to explore how space-based services can help to meet those needs.