Earth Sciences Oceanography

Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.

Illuminating the molecular ballet in living cells, Charting the voyage of marine plastics, A glimpse into the origins of life & Earliest human journeys to Asia. Plus Submissions open for Asia Research News 2024. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Researchers from Newcastle University, led by Dr Kheng Lim Goh, have developed a cost-effective Cellular Automata (CA) model for predicting marine plastic movement. Findings from model predictions align well with traditional particle-tracking models, suggesting its potential as a valuable tool for assessing marine plastic pollution and mitigation strategies.

Water from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean via the Indonesia Archipelago thanks to a vast network of currents that act as a conveyor belt, transporting warmth and nutrients. Currents can sometimes form circular motions and these are known as eddies. An international group of researchers has modeled the impacts of eddies on the currents that carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

Ice is melting at a surprisingly fast rate underneath Shirase Glacier Tongue in East Antarctica due to the continuing influx of warm seawater into the Lützow-Holm Bay.

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in continuous monitoring of a subglacial discharge plume, providing a deeper understanding of the glacier-fjord environment.

Computational models suggest that melting water originating in the deep interior of Greenland could flow the entire length of a subglacial valley and exit at Petermann Fjord, along the northern coast of the island. Updating ice sheet models with this open valley could provide additional insight for future climate change predictions.

Ice is melting at a surprisingly fast rate underneath Shirase Glacier Tongue in East Antarctica due to the continuing influx of warm seawater into the Lützow-Holm Bay.

Water layering is intensifying significantly in about 40% of the world's oceans, which could have an impact on the marine food chain. The finding, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, could be linked to global warming.

Researchers in Japan have identified the potential genes responsible for coral bleaching caused by temperature elevation.

Ocean colour could serve as a reliable proxy for salinity, opening the door for more frequent and detailed measurements.

A carbon source stemming from daily fish migrations is implicated in the global carbon cycle.

Climate change and other external forces are causing rapid marine community shifts in Japan’s coastal ecosystems. Better understanding of species distribution dynamics, as driven by these factors, can improve conservation efforts and climate change management.

A molecular process that signals distress could also help corals adapt to climate change.

Low rises on the ocean floor at a depth of 5,500 meters in the western North Pacific regulate surface flows and create sharp sea surface temperature (SST) fronts, which have tremendous effects on the climate and marine resources.

Unveiling new strategies to improve future wireless underwater sensing networks for marine research and communication.

Researchers led by Nagoya University discover penetrative trace fossils from the late Ediacaran of western Mongolia, revealing earlier onset of the “agronomic revolution”.

Corals living in highly saline waters may be more tolerant to rising water temperatures.

Researchers have identified the first spontaneous mutant coral symbiont alga to not maintain a symbiotic relationship with its host.

Quantitative analysis has evidenced the acceleration system of melting ice: dark water surfaces absorb more heat than white ice surfaces, thus melting ice and making more water surfaces in the Arctic Ocean.

The higher the seawater temperature in the tropical Pacific, the more likely ice breakup will occur in East Antarctica, according to a Hokkaido University researcher.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) co-hosted a United Nations-supported international conference recently on the challenges and opportunities of ocean and coastal sustainable development under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) Agenda.