Oceanography News
Courtesy of Science Daily

Satellite tracking reveals sea turtle feeding hotspots Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding "hotspots" in the Gulf of Mexico that are providing important habitat for at least three separate populations of the turtles. Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:39:39 EST Global extinction: Gradual doom is just as bad as abrupt Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." Geologists have learned that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity. Publ.Date : Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:33:33 EST Google Earth ocean terrain receives major update: Data sharpen resolution of seafloor maps, correct 'discovery' of Atlantis Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by researchers from around the world. The newest version of Google Earth includes more accurate imagery in several key areas of ocean using data collected by research cruises over the past three years. Publ.Date : Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:48 EST Scientists coax shy microorganisms to stand out in a crowd Scientists have advanced a method that allowed them to single out a marine microorganism and map its genome even though the organism made up less than 10 percent of a water sample teeming with many millions of individuals from dozens of identifiable groups of microbes. Publ.Date : Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:48 EST Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold can also cause significant damage. Scientists have shown that cool temperatures can inflict more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive in the long run. Publ.Date : Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:46:46 EST Global experts question claims about jellyfish populations Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. Now, a new study questions claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide and suggests claims are not supported with any hard evidence or scientific analyses to date. Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:12:12 EST Southern Indian ocean humpback whales found singing different tunes Humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, unusual since humpbacks in the same ocean basin usually all sing very similar songs. Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:32:32 EST Are jellyfish increasing in world's oceans? A global study has questioned claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide. Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. Now, a new global and collaborative study questions claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide and suggests claims are not supported with any hard evidence or scientific analyses to date. Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:32:32 EST Less summer Arctic sea ice cover means colder, snowier winters in Central Europe Even if the current weather situation may seem to go against it, the probability of cold winters with a lot of snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:51 EST New study may answer questions about enigmatic Little Ice Age According to a new study, the Little Ice Age began abruptly between A.D. 1275 and 1300, triggered by repeated, explosive volcanism, and was sustained for centuries by a self- perpetuating sea ice-ocean feedback system in the North Atlantic Ocean. Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST Was the Little Ice Age triggered by massive volcanic eruptions? Scientists suggest that the Little Ice Age was triggered by an unusual, 50-year episode of four massive volcanic eruptions. This led to an expansion of sea ice and a related weakening of Atlantic currents that caused the cool period to persist for centuries. Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST Warming in the Tasman Sea, near Australia, a global warming hot spot Oceanographers have identified a series of ocean hotspots around the world generated by strengthening wind systems that have driven oceanic currents, including the East Australian Current, polewards beyond their known boundaries. Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:25:25 EST Long-term response plan for possible Cuban oil spill Researchers are working on long-term sustainability study to prepare for an oil spill that could catastrophically impact Florida. Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST What do killer whales eat in the Arctic? Killer whales are the top marine predator. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behavior and diet in the Arctic. Publ.Date : Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:28 EST NASA study solves case of Earth's 'missing energy' Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system. Where was it going? Or, they wondered, was something wrong with the way researchers tracked energy as it was absorbed from the sun and emitted back into space? An international team of atmospheric scientists and oceanographers set out to investigate the mystery. Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:32:32 EST What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'? The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests. Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:05 EST NASA infrared satellite instrument sees tropical storm Iggy growing in strength The AIRS infrared instrument that flies on NASA's Aqua satellite has been providing forecasters with the cloud top temperatures in the Southern Indian Ocean's ninth tropical cyclone, which has officially been renamed Iggy. AIRS data showed that the area of strong thunderstorms around Iggy's center has expanded in area over the last day. Publ.Date : Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:45:45 EST Ecologists capture first deep-sea fish noises Fish biologists conducted one of the first studies of deep-sea fish sounds in more than 50 years, 2,237 feet under the Atlantic. With recording technology more affordable, fish sounds can be studied to test the idea that fish communicate with sound, especially those in the dark of the deep ocean. Publ.Date : Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:29:29 EST Coastal storms have long-reaching effects, study says Coastal storms are known to cause serious damage along the shoreline, but they also cause significant disruption of the deep-sea ecosystem as well. Publ.Date : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:23:23 EST Injecting sulfate particles into stratosphere won't fully offset climate change New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. Publ.Date : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST Underwater river of mud and sand tells tale of climate change and ocean gateways, new oil and gas exploration possibilities Mediterranean bottom currents and the sediment deposits they leave behind offer new insights into global climate change, the opening and closing of ocean circulation gateways and locations where hydrocarbon deposits may lie buried under the sea. A team of 35 scientists from 14 countries recently returned from an expedition off the southwest coast of Iberia and the nearby Gulf of Cadiz. There the geologists collected core samples of sediments that contain a detailed record of the Mediterranean's history. The scientists retrieved the samples by drilling into the ocean floor during an eight-week scientific expedition onboard the ship JOIDES Resolution. Publ.Date : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:31:31 EST Life discovered on dead hydrothermal vents Microbiologists have found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves. Publ.Date : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:42:42 EST Marine mammals on the menu in many parts of world The fate of the world's great whale species commands global attention as a result of heated debate between pro and anti-whaling advocates, but the fate of smaller marine mammals is less understood, specifically because the deliberate and accidental catching and killing of dolphins, porpoises, manatees, and other warm-blooded aquatic species are rarely studied or monitored. Publ.Date : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:19:19 EST Major study of ocean acidification helps scientists evaluate effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on marine life Might a penguin's next meal be affected by the exhaust from your tailpipe? The answer may be yes, when you add your exhaust fumes to the total amount of carbon dioxide lofted into the atmosphere by humans since the industrial revolution. One-third of that carbon dioxide is absorbed by the world's oceans, making them more acidic and affecting marine life. Publ.Date : Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:33:33 EST