A new method could translate satellite information about sea surface heights into insights on current, heat flow, and—ultimately—climate change.
currents
Meltwater from Antarctic Glaciers Is Slowing Deep-Ocean Currents
Antarctic ice drives crucial deep-ocean currents that help regulate Earth’s climate. But the system is slowing down.
Rotation of Europa’s Icy Shell Driven by Deep Ocean Currents
A model using currents in the deep ocean to drive rotation of Europa’s ice shell from below can explain why its surface may drift despite being tidally locked.
Do Ocean Currents Mix Water Vertically or Stir Laterally?
Observations of temperature and salinity distributions across the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence reveal the importance of small-scale mixing processes for water mass modification.
Gulf Stream Closes the Valve of the Labrador Current
Virtual particles released in the Labrador Current revealed that the westward penetration of the current into the shelf seas is inhibited by warm core rings emanating from the Gulf Stream.
Weakened Kuroshio Slows Down the Ryukyu Current
A combination of the weakened Kuroshio in the Tokara Strait and an increase in anticyclonic eddies led to the slowdown of the Ryukyu Current from 1993 to 2018.
Exploring a Warm Water Inflow Below an Antarctic Ice Shelf
Researchers guided an autonomous underwater submarine to capture the first direct observations of a warm water current flowing in below the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
Disentangling River Water Turbidity and its Flow
A new study shows why fine sediments in rivers are not simply proportional to the water flow across the United States.
Fluid Dynamics of Tiny, Ancient Marine Animals
Water flow simulations using 3D models of fossils yield new clues to the evolution of organisms known as medusozoans.
When Winds and Currents Align, Ocean Mixing Goes Deep
Slantwise convection in the Irminger Sea off Greenland appears to mix ocean water to deeper depths than previously thought, representing an important contribution to Atlantic overturning.