New research reveals that blooms of the widespread gelatinous zooplankton—along with their feces, daily vertical migrations, and carcasses—increase marine carbon export.
research at sea
Deep-Sea Pressure Crushes Carbon Cycling
The extreme pressure in the deep sea stifles microbes’ appetite for organic carbon. This finding could have important implications for carbon budgets and geoengineering.
In the Deepest Ocean Reaches, a Potent Pollutant Comes to Rest
Surprising amounts of mercury settling into deep-sea trenches may provide a fuller picture of the metal’s path through the environment, but pulling it to the surface is no easy feat.
Exploring a Warm Water Inflow Below an Antarctic Ice Shelf
Researchers guided an autonomous underwater submarine to capture the first direct observations of a warm water current flowing in below the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
New Mechanism for “Giant” Greigite Growth in Deep-Sea Sediments
Understanding greigite formation pathways in sediments is a prerequisite for assessing the marine iron-sulfur-carbon cycle and yield reliable near-syn-sedimentary paleomagnetic records.
The Bottom of the Arctic Is Blooming
Researchers found phytoplankton hidden on the Arctic seafloor, hinting at a cascade of effects on the local ecology and carbon cycle.
When Winds and Currents Align, Ocean Mixing Goes Deep
Slantwise convection in the Irminger Sea off Greenland appears to mix ocean water to deeper depths than previously thought, representing an important contribution to Atlantic overturning.
An Inclusive Approach to Oceangoing Research
The bread and butter of oceanography, sea voyages rarely include minoritized communities and nonscientists. The Inclusion Mission wants to change that.
Arctic Glaciers, a Peruvian Volcano, and a Russian Famine
A team studying Russian glaciers found evidence that a volcanic eruption in southern Peru changed the planet’s climate at the beginning of the 17th century.
Capturing Ocean Turbulence at the Underbelly of Sea Ice
A specially designed instrument enabled researchers in the Arctic to measure turbulence within 1 meter of the interface where ice meets ocean.