Quantitative predictions about tropical storms require an understanding of even their smallest physical processes. A new study observes unusual microphysics in 2014's Typhoon Matmo.
Pacific Ocean
Posted inResearch Spotlights
East of Japan, Upper Ocean Waves Follow a Seasonal Cycle
The seasonality of fine-scale, near-surface ocean dynamics raises important considerations for an upcoming satellite mission to measure global sea surface height.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Earth's Carbon-Climate Feedbacks Varied in Past Warming Episodes
Records from drill holes in the eastern equatorial Pacific indicate that Earth's orbital eccentricity played an important role in controlling climate as the planet warmed.
Posted inNews
Online Tracking of Ships Fights Illegal Fishing Worldwide
The system currently follows and records the movements of more than 35,000 large fishing vessels globally to bring transparency to commercial fishing activities.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Why 2015 Was a Big Hurricane Year for the Eastern North Pacific
Record-breaking oceanic and atmospheric conditions led to a remarkable season in a key Pacific hurricane development region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Gravity of Volcanic Eruptions
New research suggests that continually monitoring gravity changes near active volcanoes could provide insights into volcanic activity.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
An Ancient Sea Once Separated the Pacific and Indian Oceans
Seafloor under the hypothesized East Asian Sea vanished 10 million years ago as surrounding plates swallowed it up, according to new reconstructions of plate tectonics in the Philippine Sea region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the "Blob" Overshadows El Niño
Underwater gliders and ocean modeling reveal unexpectedly weak El Niño effects on a major West Coast current.
Posted inScience Updates
Closing the Pacific Rainfall Data Void
A new climatology tool uses satellite data to map precipitation in a data-sparse region of the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Shift in Pacific Sea Level Trends Will Affect the West Coast
The first study on the shift toward higher sea levels in the eastern Pacific Ocean over the past 5 years indicates it will continue, leading to much higher seas on the western coasts of the Americas.