Physical oceanography

Antarctic phytoplankton blooms linked to seafloor topography

A recent study uses observations from robotic floats to examine phytoplankton blooms in the Southern Ocean. The data show that…

What caused a massive hole in Antarctic sea ice?

In 2016 and 2017, a massive hole developed in the Antarctic sea ice. Scientists investigated the processes that led to…

Biological oceanography Physical oceanography Remote Sensing

Rugged Southern Ocean phytoplankton weather the storms

Phytoplankton from the "wild west" of the world's oceans have learned to regrow after storms... over and over and over…

Physical oceanography

Reevaluating the Ocean Conveyer Belt

A recent study suggests that surface processes in the Indian and Pacific Oceans may be more important to global ocean…

Biological oceanography Climate Change Physical oceanography Remote Sensing Sea Ice

Phytoplankton Expanding Northward as Arctic Sea Ice Retreats

A recent study uses satellite data to show that Arctic sea ice retreat is causing changes in the timing and…

Biogeochemistry Biological oceanography Physical oceanography

Mixing Up Microalgae

A recent study shows that within the mixed layer—the region of the upper ocean where temperature and salinity are homogeneous—biological…

Biological oceanography Book Review Physical oceanography

Productivity Comes In Waves

How do waves in the ocean affect phytoplankton? Check out this post to learn more!

Biochemistry Climate Change Physical oceanography Remote Sensing

Antarctic Eddies Suck Carbon from the Atmosphere

A recent study from researchers at the University of Tasmania investigates the relationship between ocean eddies and phytoplankton growth in…

Physical oceanography technology

Walking on a Fine Line

What is a WireWalker? You might initially picture someone walking along a tightrope across some crazy abyss. From an observational…

Biogeochemistry Physical oceanography technology

Seasonal Ice Melt Shows Signs of Blooms

Floats collected data underneath the ice during the winter and when the ice melted there were signs of phytoplankton blooms!…

Biogeochemistry Climate Change Physical oceanography Sea Ice

Sea Ice Modifies Biological Processes

A recent study investigates the relationship between sea ice variability and phytoplankton growth in climate models. Phytoplankton are responsible for…

Climate Change Physical oceanography Remote Sensing Sea Ice

When life gives you global warming, make pancake ice in ocean wave models

Sea ice is retreating, the Arctic is opening up, and wave activity is increasing. What does this mean for the…

Climate Change Physical oceanography Sea Ice

Sea Ice Drives Global Circulation

A recent study uses observational data from the Antarctic to show that sea ice processes help drive the global current…

Biological oceanography Climate Change Physical oceanography

Turn Up The Heat, Turn Down the Productivity

What happens if we do not curb carbon emissions? In a recent study, Moore and co-authors (2018) predict the implications of…

Biogeochemistry Climate Change Physical oceanography

Predicted Change to the Southern Ocean Silicate Front

The Southern Ocean Silicate Front (SF) is an important boundary separating waters that are silicate-rich and waters that are silicate-poor.…

Physical oceanography

Circulation running amok? Scientists think it could be happening in the North Atlantic

Check out this oceanbites take on two recent articles that suggest Atlantic circulation is slower now than it has been…

Atmospheric Science Climate Change Physical oceanography Sea Ice

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…

Physical oceanography

Around the Antarctic in 17 Years

The transport of water from the deep ocean to the surface has many important impacts on global climate. By releasing…

Climate Change Glaciers Physical oceanography Sea Ice Sea-level Rise

Iceberg Impacts

Accurately predicting ice sheet melt location and timing is crucial to understanding and modeling global climate. In order to do…

Biogeochemistry Climate Change Physical oceanography Sea Ice

Fate of Dissolved Carbon in the Antarctic

The ocean surrounding Antarctica, called the Southern Ocean, accounts for about 40% of the total global ocean carbon uptake. This…