Atmospheric Science
Me, Myself, and I: The Solitude of Bacteria above the Southern Ocean
Picture this: shrink yourself down to the 1/1000th the size of the period at the end of this sentence. You are now the size of a bacteria. Due to your dimensions, you are so incredibly light (around 0.0000000000000000007 pounds) that the slightest wind could pick you up and move you around. Around most of the […]
How do greenhouse gases move?: An updated study on nitrous oxide exchange from the ocean to the atmosphere
Our atmosphere is composed of different gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. These gases can absorb energy, sent from the sun, reflecting off of the Earth’s surface. While scientists can measure and estimate their amounts in the air, gases have the ability to move between the ocean and the atmosphere. This behavior, while interesting, […]
A High-Flying Aquatic Robot
Inspired by the flying squid, researchers have built a robot that can launch itself from the water surface using water-reactive fuel. Emily ChuaI am a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University where I am developing an underwater instrument to study the coastal ocean. I have a multi-disciplinary background in physics and oceanography (and some engineering), and […]
Why is Antarctic Sea Ice Growing?
Despite increases in global ocean temperatures, long-term trends actually show an increase in Antarctic sea ice extent. There are a number of reasons for this apparent paradox: geography, ocean properties, and atmospheric circulation to name a few. This paper examines the role of atmospheric variability in driving Southern Hemisphere sea ice trends. Channing PrendI’m a […]
The Many Modes of Antarctic Ice Loss
The Western Antarctic Ice Shelf has been melting rapidly in recent decades, largely due to upwelling of deep ocean water that has been gradually warming. Atmospheric systems can influence the ice-sheet height anomalies on interannual time scales. Paolo and other researchers used satellite altimetry to study which processes have the greatest effect in one region […]
Throwing Babies out with the Sea Ice: Ringed Seals Response to Ice Decline
As the Earth warms, sea ice declines. What happens to those animals who rely on the ice? Today’s oceanbites looks at one animal, the ringed seal, and how it may be affected by climate change! Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island (M.S.). I […]
MARPOL-ling in the Right Direction
Posted by Steven Koch Research article: Zetterdahl, M., Jana Moldanov, J., Xiangyu Pei, X., Pathak, R. K., Demirdjian, B. (2016). Impact of the 0.1% fuel sulfur content limit in SECA on particle and gaseous emissions from marine vessels. Elseveir, Atmospheric Environment, 145 (2016) 338-345. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.09.022 Background Air pollution is an important issue that adversely […]
New Year, new innovations: energy and climate science
Research in marine renewable energy and climate systems will grow ever more important in the future. The research for these areas are not just done on the coast, however – I ventured into the mountains to learn more. Zoe GentesZoe has an M.S. in Oceanography and a B.S. in Geologic Oceanography from URI, with a […]
The Polar Linkage Express: complicated interactions between the Arctic and mid-latitudes
Climb aboard the Polar Linkage Express to learn about the main challenges facing scientists as they try to decipher just what is going on with winter weather these days! Is it really linked to the state of the Arctic? Andrea SchlunkI am a former PhD student from the University of Rhode Island, having discovered my […]
Measuring Wind is for the Birds!
There are a lot of things animals are better at than humans. What if we could get our animal colleagues to help us out with our science? This study uses birds with small GPS backpacks to measure wind speed in a way that humans just can’t! Austen BlairAusten Blair is a MS candidate at the […]
Not all freshwater is created equal
Glacial runoff, precipitation, and sea ice melt all contribute to the freshwater content of the upper ocean along the west Antarctic Peninsula. Using oxygen isotope samples from water found in different areas of the continental shelf, researchers were able map the areas where different sources of freshwater are more important. Nicole CoutoI’m interested in how […]
Storm Troopers! Robots collect ocean data during hurricanes
Hurricane prediction models are constantly improving as we create more innovative ways to study the growth and development of storms. In 2011, a team from Rutgers University sent an autonomous underwater vehicle into the projected path of Hurricane Irene to measure ocean conditions before, during, and after it passed. Nicole CoutoI’m interested in how physical […]
Mercury at elevated levels observed in only some elephant seals, but why?
Mercury: we know it from old-school thermometers and we know if from sushi; and now we know that the distribution in the ocean is reflected in the blood of northern elephant seals. N.B. No elephant seals were harmed during this research. Anne M. HartwellHello, welcome to Oceanbites! My name is Annie, I’m a marine research […]
Get ready for some “extremely” wet and warm days! (Maybe)
Recently, a lot of research has been focused on predicting average winter temperature and rainfall in the U.S. during El Niño years, but it’s the extreme events that are the biggest risks to our society and economy. This work presents the first look at how the geographic center of an El Niño influences the likelihood […]
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