All articles tagged with #arctic ocean
Researchers discovered the deepest known methane seep in the Arctic at nearly 12,000 feet deep, revealing a dynamic and biologically rich ecosystem that challenges existing understanding of deep-sea life and carbon cycling, with significant implications for climate change and environmental stewardship.
Scientists have discovered that the Arctic Ocean was a major source of greenhouse gases during a past rapid warming event 56 million years ago, involving a switch from methane-consuming microbes that produce bicarbonate to those that produce CO2, potentially contributing to ocean acidification and warming. This historical methane cycle shift could recur today as Arctic warming and oxygen levels change, possibly accelerating climate change.
Researchers have found that during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum 56 million years ago, a switch in methane-consuming microbes in the Arctic Ocean led to increased methane release, which contributed to rapid global warming. This historical event provides insights into how similar microbial shifts today could accelerate climate change as Arctic conditions warm and oxygen levels decrease.
Scientists discovered active, modern permafrost formation beneath the Arctic seafloor, challenging previous beliefs that all underwater permafrost was ancient, revealing a dynamic and evolving Arctic environment with significant implications for infrastructure and environmental management.
Scientists from the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census have discovered a unique coral in the deep Arctic Ocean, likely a new species, living on the stalk of a crinoid. This discovery highlights the diversity of corals and the importance of deep-sea exploration, especially as these fragile ecosystems face threats from climate change and potential deep-sea mining.
Warming waters in the Arctic Ocean, particularly in the Beaufort Sea region, are causing the ocean to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, according to a study by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The culprit is the runoff from Canada's Mackenzie River, which carries carbon and sediment into the ocean, resulting in outgassing. The warmer temperatures in recent years have led to increased thawing and runoff, triggering a net release of carbon dioxide equivalent to the annual emissions of 28,000 gasoline-powered cars. This study highlights the significant impact of small changes in the ocean on the global carbon cycle.
Analysis of microfossil content in sediment cores suggests that the Arctic Ocean was seasonally ice-free during the Last Interglacial period, between 129,000 and 115,000 years ago. Researchers found evidence of a subpolar species expanding far into the Arctic Ocean, indicating the absence of summer sea ice. This finding is concerning as it suggests that even a small increase in global temperatures, comparable to the targets of the Paris Agreement, could lead to a significant rise in sea levels. Further research is needed to understand the conditions of the Last Interglacial and its implications for the current climate crisis.
The Arctic Ocean is undergoing Atlantification, a process that is reshaping its physical and chemical conditions, causing it to transform from colder, fresher, and ice-capped to warmer, saltier, and increasingly ice-free. The phenomenon is disrupting Arctic ecosystems, with Atlantic species moving in and taking over, pushing out Arctic species. The discovery of abundant capelin in the Fram Strait, 400 kilometers north of where they’d ever been seen before, is further proof of how quickly Atlantification is playing out.
A recent study has shown that the anti-cyclonic Beaufort Gyre, the largest store of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean, has stabilized, which could be a precursor to a significant freshwater release that could impact the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a key component of global climate. The gyre has increased its freshwater content by 40% compared to 1970s climatology, and the recent transition is associated with a southeastward shift in its location due to variation in the regional wind forcing. Continued thinning of the cold halocline layer could modulate the present stable state, allowing for a freshwater release that could freshen the subpolar North Atlantic, impacting the AMOC.