EurekAlert! - Oceanography

Will earlier springs throw nature out of step?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) The recent trend towards earlier UK springs and summers has been accelerating, according to a study published today in the scientific journal Global Change Biology. The collaborative study, involving scientists from 12 UK research institutions, universities and conservation organisations, is the most comprehensive and rigorous assessment so far of long-term changes in the seasonal timing of biological events across marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments in the UK.

Understanding past and future climate

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) The notion that scientists understand how changes in Earth's orbit affect climate well enough for estimating long-term natural climate trends that underlie any anthropogenic climate change is challenged by findings published this week. The new research was conducted by a team led by Professor Eelco Rohling of the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science hosted at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

Carbonate veins reveal chemistry of ancient seawater

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) The chemical composition of our oceans is not constant but has varied significantly over geological time. In a study published this week in Science, researchers describe a novel method for reconstructing past ocean chemistry using calcium carbonate veins that precipitate from seawater-derived fluids in rocks beneath the seafloor. The research was led by scientists from the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science hosted at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

Oceans reveal further impacts of climate change, says UAB expert

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Alabama at Birmingham) The increasing acidity of the world's oceans -- and that acidity's growing threat to marine species -- are definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively affecting the marine environment, says world-renowned Antarctic marine biologist Jim McClintock, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biology.

NOCS welcomes new marine science strategy

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, has welcomed the 15-year UK strategy to deliver world-class marine science, jointly published on Feb. 3, 2010, by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Caldeira, Fei and Shirey elected AGU Fellows

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Carnegie Institution) Carnegie scientists Kenneth Caldeira of the department of global ecology, Yingwei Fei of the Geophysical Laboratory, and Steven Shirey of the department of terrestrial magnetism have been elected 2010 Fellows of the American Geophysical Union. AGU is an international organization of more than 50,000 scientists from over 135 countries. Only one in a thousand members is elected a fellow each year.

New research rejects 80-year theory of 'primordial soup' as the origin of life

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Wiley-Blackwell) For 80 years it has been accepted that early life began in a "primordial soup" of organic molecules before evolving out of the oceans millions of years later. Today the "soup" theory has been over turned in a pioneering paper in BioEssays which claims it was the Earth's chemical energy, from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, which kick-started early life.

Meeting tomorrow's challenges: Start with science

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(United States Geological Survey) In a fiscally responsible budget that emphasizes cost containment, management efficiencies and program savings, the President's proposed $1.1 billion budget for the US Geological Survey in fiscal year 2011 reflects his commitment to use science as the basis for natural resource management decisions.

AGU Journal highlights - Jan. 29, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Geophysical Union) Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Heat from Pacific stoked Arctic melting"; "Satellite radar can gauge hurricane wind speed"; "Nitrogen constraints may accelerate climate change"; "Mysterious seafloor magnetic anomaly explained"; "Cloud processes improve climate simulations"; and "Icy spokes in Saturn's ring analyzed."

Seabed biodiversity of the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) A study of animals visible to the naked eye and living in and on the seabed -- the "macrobenthos" -- of the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage will help scientists understand the biodiversity, biogeography and ecology of the Magellanic region.

NOAA and fishermen cooperate on research into monkfish migration

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Researchers are working with commercial fishermen to put electronic tags on hundreds of monkfish (Lophius americanus) in the waters of southern New England and the Gulf of Maine to track where the commercially important fish goes during its lifetime, and to answer other questions about its biology.

A forensic analysis of Hurricane Katrina's impact: methods and findings

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Elsevier) A recent special edition of the Elsevier journal Ocean Engineering provides an analysis of the impact of Hurricane Katrina and an overview of the lessons learned in the aftermath of the disaster.

The sea level has been rising and falling over the last 2,500 years

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Haifa) The sea level in Israel has been rising and falling over the past 2,500 years, with a one-meter difference between the highest and lowest levels. This has been shown in a new study supervised by Dr. Dorit Sivan, head of the department of maritime civilizations at the University of Haifa. "Rises and falls in sea level over relatively short periods do not testify to a long-term trend," Dr. Sivan explains.

Device simulates deep-sea floor conditions in lab

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Illinois at Chicago) Two UIC geoscientists have built a device for laboratory simulations of deep-sea pressure and temperature conditions that allows X-ray sample analysis. They've received an $85,000 National Science Foundation grant to improve the device, which may be used for a range of scientific tests.

Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Oregon State University) A major increase in maximum ocean wave heights off the Pacific Northwest in recent decades has forced scientists to re-evaluate how high a "100-year event" might be, and the new findings raise special concerns for flooding, coastal erosion and structural damage.

Bubble physicist counts bubbles in the ocean to answer questions about climate, sound, light

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Rhode Island) A URI bubble scientist is studying how to detect and count ocean bubbles of different sizes to help scientists in other disciplines create more accurate models. Ocean bubbles play a role in cloud formation and climate change, and they are important when studying ocean acoustics.

Study: Animals populated Madagascar by rafting there

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Purdue University) How did the lemurs, flying foxes and narrow-striped mongooses get to the large, isolated island of Madagascar sometime after 65 million years ago?A pair of scientists say their research confirms the longstanding idea that the animals hitched rides on natural rafts blown out to sea.

New study reveals red grouper to be 'Frank Lloyd Wrights of the sea'

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Florida State University) To the casual observer in the Gulf of Mexico, the seemingly sluggish red grouper is more of a couch potato than a busy beaver. But a new study led by researchers at the Florida State University reveals the fish to be both architect and ecosystem engineer.

Measuring carbon dioxide over the ocean

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) Reliable measurements of the air-sea flux of carbon dioxide -- an important greenhouse gas -- are needed for a better understanding of the impact of ocean-atmosphere interactions on climate. A new method developed by researchers at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton working in collaboration with colleagues at the Bjerknes Center for Climate Research promises to make this task considerably easier.

Jurassic 'burn-down' events and organic matter richness in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK)) The sediments of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation were deposited during the Late Jurassic between around 160 and 145 million years ago, the age of the reptiles. They are the main oil source rock in the North Sea. However, within this unit beds rich in organic matter are interspersed with organic-poor sediments. New evidence demonstrates that organic-poor sediments were probably caused by post-depositional loss of organic matter during so-called "burn-down" events.

Alaska Marine Science Symposium to bring ocean experts together

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Alaska Fairbanks) Hundreds of marine scientists, fisheries experts and oceanographers from around the world will converge in Anchorage Jan. 18-21 for the 2010 Alaska Marine Science Symposium.

Genetic analysis disputes increase in Antarctic minke whales

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Oregon State University) A new genetic analysis of Antarctic minke whales concludes that population of these smaller baleen whales have not increased as a result of the intensive hunting of other larger whales -- countering arguments by advocates of commercial whaling who want to "cull" minke whales.

WHOI expert: Haiti quake occurred in complex, active seismic region

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that triggered disastrous destruction and mounting death tolls in Haiti this week occurred in a highly complex tangle of tectonic faults near the intersection of the Caribbean and North American crustal plates, according to a quake expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who has studied faults in the region and throughout the world.

New study suggests minke whales are not preventing recovery of larger whales

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Pew Environment Group) Genetic analyses refute the hypothesis that an overly abundant population of minke whales is creating too much competition over food for populations of other whale species to rebound, according to a new study supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program and published this week in the journal Molecular Ecology. The study's findings indicate that the Southern Ocean minke whale population around Antarctica has not grown unnaturally large in the wake of industrial whaling.

WHOI receives $8.1 million grant to construct new laboratory

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will receive $8.1 million from the US Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology to construct the Laboratory for Ocean Sensors and Observing Systems. The WHOI award is one of only 12 proposals of 167 submissions that were funded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to support the construction of new scientific research facilities.