A modeling study shows how warm subtropical waters and cold Antarctic waters combine to form an Indo-Pacific water mass that plays a key role in Earth’s climate.
ocean circulation
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Greenland’s Glacial Troughs Influence Ocean Circulation
Glacial troughs in Antarctica promote mixing of warm and cold water, affecting global climate. A new study explores whether the same is true in troughs along Greenland’s coastline.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Water Density Shifts Can Drive Rapid Changes in AMOC Strength
High-latitude variations in density, which appear to be driven by changes in atmospheric pressure, can propagate to midlatitudes and affect the current’s strength within just a year.
Posted inNews
Avalanches of Microplastics Carry Pollution into the Deep Sea
Scientists observed a once-theorized process ferrying microplastics into the deep ocean.
Posted inNews
Satellite Measurements Make Major Seafloor Map Improvements
Though ship-based sounding has mapped some areas of the ocean floor in higher resolution, researchers have used SWOT data to create a detailed new map of the seafloor, including thousands of previously undetected small seamounts.
Posted inNews
The North Atlantic Is Getting Saltier
The Atlantic is already the saltiest of Earth’s oceans, and parts of it are getting saltier. Winds and warming may be to blame.
Posted inNews
Clipper Sets Sail for an Ocean Millions of Miles Away
Europa Clipper will assess whether Jupiter’s moon has the right ingredients to host life, and could illuminate the mysteries of icy worlds throughout the solar system.
Posted inNews
Model Suggests Undersea Mountains Help Mix the Global Ocean
Seamounts may play a significant role in ocean turbulence and the upwelling of deep waters.
Posted inEditors' Vox
An All-Community Push to “Close the Loops” on Southern Ocean Dynamics
A new study highlights the connected nature of the Southern Ocean dynamic system, the research priorities needed to understand its influence on climate change, the importance of cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Posted inNews
Scientists Are “Gobsmacked” by the Variability of Seafloor Currents
The speed and direction of deep currents off Mozambique’s coast are more subject to change than scientists expected.