Tag Archives: oceans

Early warning system for coral reef collapse found

Global warming, overfishing and ocean acidification form a major threat to ocean ecosystems, possibly even leading to an oceanic Holocene mass extinction. We might even have to say goodbye to the planet’s last coral reef by 2050 if we’re not … Continue reading →

Missing heat 2000-2009 indeed deeper in ocean, says NCAR model

As a regular of Bitsofscience.org you may recall a publication on ocean warming [between 2003-2010] in Geophysical Research Letters from last July. That one was little-noticed by the world’s media, but now its findings may receive more attention, as an … Continue reading →

Inter-ocean transport before the age of globalisation

What happens on a daily basis now, used to occur just twice in millions of years – for this one horn snail at least. Snail’s airlift chance before age of globalisation: mistaking heron’s leg for reed?

Ancient clams disprove permanent El Niño theory

The prevailing theory and fear that rising global temperatures could result in permanent El Niño conditions have been called into question by an international research team on the basis of growth rings of prehistoric clams. A transition to a permanent … Continue reading →

Newly discovered North Icelandic Jet more important than East Greenland Current for AMOC – good news?

Icelandic scientists say they have discovered a new overturning site, where cold, dense, deep water is formed and transported through a separate route towards the Denmark Strait and further south into the Atlantic Ocean.

Lull in upper ocean warming explained through ENSO – warming trend continues

Shortly after an El Niño event there is elevated heat exchange from the upper ocean layers to the cosmos over the tropical Pacific Ocean. In the North Atlantic Ocean, variations in the ocean circulation affect the heat exchange to the … Continue reading →

First proof ocean CO2 uptake has started to slow down

From raw measurements we know that in recent years the oceans seem to take up a smaller percentage of the CO2 we emit. Analysing available data a group of three researchers finds in part of the North Atlantic this is … Continue reading →

Iron fertilisation geoengineering affects deep sea ecology too

Ocean iron fertilisation, one of the most discussed CDR geoengineering proposals, deliberately tries to stimulate biological activity in the upper ocean. New research shows this in turn affects ecology at the ocean floor too. Let’s just hope sea cucumbers don’t … Continue reading →