Tag

Oceanography

All articles tagged with #oceanography

science1 day ago•5 min saved

Geometric Yellow Brick Road Discovered on the Deep Pacific Seafloor

An Ocean Exploration Trust Nautilus dive at 3,000 meters depth near Nootka Seamount revealed a sharply geometric hyaloclastite formation dubbed a 'yellow brick road' due to 90-degree fractures likely from cooling during multiple eruptions. The find is part of the first visual survey of the Liliʻuokalani Seamounts within Papahānaumokuākea, with rock and microbial samples collected to date the formations and study deep-sea ecosystems, informing future monument management.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#deep-sea-exploration #geology #oceanography

science18 days ago•5 min saved

500-KM Oceanic Canyon Traced to a Tectonic Zipper, Not Erosion

Scientists mapped the King’s Trough, a 500+ km underwater canyon in the North Atlantic, and determined it formed over millions of years by the slow separation of the European and African plates via a tectonic 'zipper,' aided by unusually thick, hot crust from the Azores mantle plume. The finding, reported after METEOR expedition data and high‑resolution sonar, links deep mantle processes to surface tectonics and reshapes how we think about underwater canyon formation.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#geology #kings-trough #mantle-plume

science20 days ago•6 min saved

Antarctic Submersible Vanishes After Revealing Hidden Ice Structures

A robotic submersible named Ran, part of an international effort to study West Antarctic ice shelves, disappeared under the Dotson Ice Shelf in January 2024 after completing a detailed ~140 sq km survey that uncovered previously undocumented subglacial features, including teardrop-shaped melt formations; no beacon or debris has been found, the incident halts follow-up data collection in the Amundsen Sea, and investigators are weighing equipment failure or collision as possible causes, while the 2022 dataset continues to inform revised models of basal melting driven by warm Circumpolar Deep Water.

via Indian Defence Review|

#antarctica #dotson #ice-shelf

science20 days ago•6 min saved

Satellites Map Pacific Wave Field, Clarifying 35-Meter Wave Claims

New satellite-altimetry analyses show SWOT captured large-scale, two-dimensional ocean-height patterns during the 2025 Kamchatka tsunami and concurrent storm waves, helping refine rupture models and post-event understanding; however, the reported 35-meter waves were a misinterpretation of significant wave height, and real-time hazard alerts still rely on in-situ systems like DART buoys and meteorological models.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#dart #oceanography #satellite-altimetry

environment21 days ago•17 min saved

NASA opens 33-year weekly sea-level data to public, revealing faster rise and regional shifts

NASA has published 33 years of weekly sea-surface height maps from NASA-SSH, showing where the ocean surface sits above or below the long-term average to aid coastal risk monitoring. The data—derived from radar-altimeter measurements and gridded for comparability—reveal El Niño-driven swings and rapid local changes, but are anomalies with a two-week processing lag and coarse resolution (roughly 200 miles per cell). Long-term trends show accelerating sea-level rise, from about 0.2 cm/year in 1993 to about 0.46 cm/year in 2023, with 2024’s rise largely due to thermal expansion (~0.58 cm/year). The dataset supports research and planning but must be used with tide gauges, as local flooding depends on land motion and tides; NASA plans to extend the record and develop tools to translate anomalies into practical risk checks.

via Earth.com|

#climate-change #environment #nasa

science1 month ago•5 min saved

A Decade of Seafloor Silence: Deoxygenation Disrupts Deep-Sea Recycling

Scientists using the NEPTUNE observatory monitored Barkley Canyon for nearly 10 years and found an unexpected absence of decay activity around whale bones and wood, lacking typical scavengers and bone-eating organisms. The results suggest ocean deoxygenation and expanding oxygen minimum zones are suppressing the deep-sea recyclers (Osedax, Xylophaga), potentially slowing organic decomposition and nutrient cycling with ripple effects on the broader food web.

via Indian Defence Review|

#carbon-cycle #deep-sea #deoxygenation

science1 month ago•11 min saved

UK deep-sea landers to crack the mystery of dark oxygen

Two world‑first deep‑sea landers—Alisa and Kaia—will be deployed in the Pacific’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone to investigate how oxygen forms in complete darkness, testing whether manganese nodules interact with saltwater to produce electricity or if another electrochemical/biochemical process is at work, with an accompanying lander to measure oxygen flux; the three‑year project, backed by UNESCO as a UN Ocean Decade initiative, seeks to uncover the origins of dark oxygen and its implications for life in the deep ocean.

via Interesting Engineering|

#dark-oxygen #deep-ocean #landers

science1 month ago•4 min saved

NASA Spots a Ring of Blooms Around the Chatham Islands

NASA's VIIRS satellite captured a ring-shaped phytoplankton bloom around the Chatham Islands, where nutrient-rich upwelling from the Chatham Rise and the clash of cold Antarctic and warmer subtropical waters fuel rapid algae growth. The vivid greens and blues reveal a seasonal, highly productive marine ecosystem that supports fisheries and marine mammals, though the area is also known for mass strandings tied to its complex oceanography.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#chatham-islands #nasa #oceanography

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Mysterious Disappearances and Discoveries Beneath Antarctic Ice

Scientists used autonomous underwater vehicles to map the underside of Antarctica's Dotson Ice Shelf, revealing complex terrain and uneven melting patterns driven by warm ocean currents. During a follow-up mission in 2024, the vehicle disappeared, raising concerns about the stability of ice shelves and their role in sea level rise, as melting accelerates in specific areas.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#antarctica #climate-change #ice-shelf

science1 month ago•3 min saved

NASA Satellite Reveals Unexpected Tsunami Behavior After Russian Quake

A massive earthquake in Russia triggered a tsunami that was captured in unprecedented detail by the SWOT satellite, revealing complex wave interactions that challenge traditional models and refining the understanding of the quake's rupture length, highlighting the importance of integrating diverse data sources for accurate tsunami prediction.

via Gizmodo|

#oceanography #russian-earthquake #satellite-data

science1 month ago•4 min saved

NASA Satellite Reveals Surprising Tsunami Behavior After Kamchatka Quake

A NASA satellite, SWOT, captured high-resolution data of a complex tsunami triggered by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, revealing intricate wave interactions that challenge traditional models and could improve future tsunami predictions.

via ScienceDaily|

#earthquake #nasa #oceanography

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Oregon Underwater Volcano Delays Eruption to 2026

The Axial Seamount off Oregon, a well-instrumented submarine volcano, was initially predicted to erupt in 2025, but recent data suggests it may not erupt until 2026 due to slower inflation rates and low seismic activity, highlighting the challenges in accurately forecasting volcanic eruptions.

via IFLScience|

#axial-seamount #geophysics #oceanography

science2 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Discover Missing Link in Deep Ocean

Scientists at WHOI used satellite tracking to discover that bigscale pomfret, a mid-sized fish, spend significant time in the ocean's twilight zone, acting as a crucial link between surface and deep ecosystems, and their behavior is influenced by environmental factors like water clarity, highlighting the importance of mid-sized predators in marine food webs.

via ScienceDaily|

#bigscale-pomfret #deep-sea-fish #marine-ecology

science2 months ago•4 min saved

NASA satellite captures detailed images of Pacific tsunami

NASA and French satellite SWOT captured high-resolution images of a Pacific tsunami caused by a 2025 earthquake, revealing complex wave patterns and challenging traditional models that treat large tsunamis as non-dispersive. The data suggest that dispersion plays a significant role in tsunami behavior, which could improve future forecasting and hazard assessment by integrating satellite, buoy, seismic, and geodetic data. This breakthrough highlights the need to update tsunami models to account for wave dispersion and internal structure.

via Earth.com|

#dispersive-waves #oceanography #satellite

science-and-environment2 months ago•2 min saved

Top Wildlife and Nature Photos of 2025

The article showcases the best nature photography of 2025, highlighting stunning images of animal behaviors and unique plant features, including a male gobbleguts fish incubating eggs in its mouth, a caterpillar with a 'mad hatter' headgear, an orb weaver spider illuminated by city lights, and a fluorescing pitcher plant, all recognized in prestigious photography competitions.

via BBC|

#animal-behavior #nature-photography #oceanography