Every summer, a low-oxygen pool settles off Canada’s western coast. A new study uses robust modeling to track the origins of the dense water.
oxygen
Posted inNews
Without Deep Emissions Cuts, Marine Species Face Mass Extinction
On the basis of how much oxygen marine species need and how much is available, researchers predict extinctions comparable to those at the end of the Permian under a business-as-usual emissions scenario.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Climate and Currents Shaped Japan’s Hunter-Gatherer Cultures
New climate records from a peat bog show how two neighboring cultures responded differently to shifts in climate and ocean currents.
Posted inScience Updates
Clues from the Sea Paint a Picture of Earth’s Water Cycle
New instrumentation and growing modeling needs in the Earth sciences are driving a renewed effort to compile and curate seawater oxygen isotope data in a centralized, accessible database.
Posted inFeatures
Is Earth’s Core Rusting?
If subduction carries hydrous minerals deep into Earth’s mantle, they may “rust” the iron outer core, forming vast sinks of oxygen that can later be returned to the atmosphere.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What Caused the Open Habitat Transition in the West-Central U.S.?
Between 26-15 My ago, forests covering west-central North America gave way to open, grassy habitats. Now, oxygen isotope records suggest this shift is owed to drier winters and increased aridity.
Posted inNews
Oxygen Levels Measured in a Lung of the Deep Ocean
The Labrador Sea “inhales” oxygen and supplies it to deep-sea life across the world. But its breath could be threatened by climate change.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measuring Carbon Ion Loss from the Martian Atmosphere
The flux, observed with NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, is in line with models and 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that of oxygen ions.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Is Atmospheric Oxygen a Planetary Signature for Life?
While some Earth-like worlds can generate significant O2 only by biology, “waterworlds” and “desert worlds” can build up O2 even without life because of chemical changes from atmosphere loss to space.