With research cruises postponed, scientists are trying to get home safe, and others worry about the fate of their instruments left at sea.
Oceans
Satellite Sleuthing Detects Underwater Eruptions
Satellite data helped scientists locate the volcanic source of a pumice raft floating in the South Pacific Ocean, illustrating their promise in locating and monitoring undersea eruptions.
New Models Give Global Picture of Mercury Content in Oceans
Concentrations of methylated mercury in high latitudes show the importance of sunlight and biological activity for cycling the metal.
Leveraging Satellite Sensors for Oil Spill Detection
By using multiple remote sensors, scientists can quickly estimate the nature and thickness of oil spills—important factors for containment efforts.
Deepwater Horizon and the Rise of the Omics
Microbial genomics techniques came of age following the Deepwater Horizon spill, offering researchers unparalleled insights into how ecosystems respond to such environmental disasters.
Tracking Reverse Weathering
Using beryllium isotopes to track in situ formation of clays in the ocean, known as reverse weathering, will improve global models of atmospheric carbon dioxide and ocean alkalinity.
Microbes Discovered Hanging Out in the Ocean’s Crust
“The lower ocean crust is one of the last frontiers of the exploration for life on Earth.”
Snapping Shrimp Pump Up the Volume in Warmer Water
As the ocean warms because of climate change, the louder din could mask other marine animals’ calls used to navigate, forage, and find mates.
Beth N. Orcutt Receives 2019 Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize
Beth N. Orcutt was awarded the 2019 Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 11 December 2019 in San Francisco, Calif. The prize is given “for outstanding transdisciplinary research accomplishment in ocean drilling.”
The Ecological Costs of Removing California’s Offshore Oil Rigs
Offshore oil- and gas-drilling platforms are rich habitats for fish, and removing them completely would result in a loss of over 95% of fish biomass, new research has revealed.
