On 28 July, more than 170 researchers sent a letter to National Science Foundation leaders and Congress, urging them to reconsider the decision to terminate the lease of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the United States’ only Antarctic research vessel-icebreaker (RVIB) and a key part of science operations around the White Continent.
Oceans
Posted inNews
Southern Ocean Salinity May Be Triggering Sea Ice Loss
New satellite technology has revealed that the Southern Ocean is getting saltier, an unexpected turn of events that could spell big trouble for Antarctica.
Posted inFeatures
Phoebe Lam: Embracing the Ocean’s Complexities
A generalist at heart, this geochemist is unraveling the mysteries of the ocean’s chemical cycling.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Transatlantic Communications Cable Does Double Duty
A new device enables existing submarine cable networks to measure deep-sea movements. It could ultimately help improve tsunami warnings and climate monitoring.
Posted inNews
Whaling Records Can Help Improve Estimates of Sea Ice Extent
The locations of humpback whale catches in the early 20th century indicate that most climate models overestimate the historic extent of sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracing Black Carbon’s Journey to the Ocean
Scientists surveyed a trio of estuaries in pursuit of a missing source of oceanic dissolved black carbon.
Posted inNews
Anchoring Is Damaging the Fragile Antarctic Seabed
Scientists call for better protection of Antarctica’s vulnerable seafloor ecosystem as ship traffic increases around the continent.
Posted inNews
Mapping Mud Volcanoes in Shallow Seas
A team of scientists put together a global database of submarine mud volcanoes. Orders of magnitude more are still bubbling, undiscovered, in the deep ocean.
Posted inNews
Biomass and Biodiversity Were Coupled in Earth’s Past
Measuring shells and skeletons encased in thousands of limestone samples has revealed that the sheer amount of living stuff in Earth’s oceans changed alongside the diversity of organisms.