Remote Sensing
The Need for Speed: The velocities of tides in the Mid-Atlantic
Every 12 hours and 25 minutes, a rush of water move into the coast to create a high tide. How fast does this water move? Currently, global sea levels are rising and it is becoming significantly important to understand how these coastal tides move as millions of Americans live along the eastern seaboard. Two scientists […]
SURFO Special: From outer space to the microscope: How NASA’s satellites are helping us understand the ocean’s smallest life
Every summer, the URI Graduate School of Oceanography hosts undergraduate research interns called SURFOs. In this post learn about how ocean satellites can be used to understand microscopic organisms and Julia Lober’s 2020 SURFO research in the Mouw Lab. Samantha SettaI’m a PhD student in the Rynearson Lab at the University of Rhode Island (URI) […]
Fluid Lensing: Seeing through the Ocean’s Surface
What would the ocean look like without any water? With NASA’s up and coming FluidCam, we are able to see what’s going on underwater without even dipping below the surface. Chirayath, V., Alan, L. (2019) Next-generation optical sensing technologies for exploring ocean worlds—NASA FluidCam, MiDAR, and NeMO-Net. Frontiers in Marine Science. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00521 One of […]
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 again. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. I use a small-scale computer model to study how physical features like surface waves at the air-sea interface produce […]
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 location of spring phytoplankton blooms, which play a large role in the regional ecosystem and carbon cycle. Channing PrendI’m a physical oceanography PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. I use […]
Monitoring the benthos by listening to photosynthesis
Even though the benthos is a largely unseen energy base for marine food webs, scientists are listening to benthic habitats as a novel way to monitor ecosystem health. Read on to learn about how acoustics can capture sounds produced by benthic algae. Katherine BarrettKate is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Biological Sciences Department […]
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 the Southern Ocean using satellite data. The results can help us understand and predict how the ocean’s ability to regulate climate might change in the future. Channing PrendI’m a physical oceanography PhD student at Scripps […]
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 ocean and atmosphere? The refreezing season of autumn may have some answers. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. I use a small-scale computer model to study […]
Cyanobacteria invasions… from space?
They may not come from space, but they can be seen from up there! Learn how microscopic plants called cyanobacteria accumulate in the Baltic Sea, how they’re measured with satellites, and what it all means. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. I use a small-scale computer […]
Bergy Bits Are a Bit Burdensome
Icebergs and ‘bergy bits’ have been long studied as carriers of freshwater into the global ocean climate system on global, regional, and local scales. But in previous models, some potentially major factors have been overlooked. There may be more going on under the surface than researchers once suspected. Zoe GentesZoe has an M.S. in Oceanography […]
Growing a Scientist: Undergraduate Research 2017
Each summer, the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) hosts undergraduate students from all over the country to participate in oceanographic research. These Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURFOs) have not only been working with GSO scientists, but they have spent part of their time learning how to communicate this science to the […]
Dawn of the age of Aquarius…total alkalinity measurements
While not as exciting as the new era of peace predicted by 5th Dimension, it is pretty cool that scientists can measure ocean chemistry from space. The marvels of modern technology, amiright? Eric OrensteinEric is a PhD student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His research in the Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging focuses on […]
Studying plankton from an atmospheric satellite
Scientists found a way to repurpose data from an atmospheric satellite to study the tiny creatures at the base of most ocean food webs. The instrument, originally designed to study aerosols, allowed researchers to build the most complete record of polar plankton activity ever assembled. Eric OrensteinEric is a PhD student at the Scripps Institution […]
Ocean mapping on a budget
The seafloor is complex and mapping it is difficult because direct observations are hindered because it is underwater. Scientists have developed field methods and remote sensing methods to model the geomorphology of the seafloor but they are either limited spatially or by resolution. A newer method being applied to seafloor mapping is called Structure from […]
Listening for Symptoms: A new use for hydrophones in the face of harmful algal blooms
Whales aren’t the only animals hydrophones can detect out in the ocean. In fact, in the near future it might be possible to listen in on animals like scallops and determine if they’re healthy or not. Intrigued? Click here for more! Andrea SchlunkI am a former PhD student from the University of Rhode Island, having […]
To I.D. Debris: LIDAR as a tool to identify trash on the beach
Scientists may have a new option for figuring out how much debris litters our beaches and what it all is! Find out more in today’s World Oceans Day post on marine debris! Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island (M.S.). I now work in […]
Miles-deep currents seen from miles high
The system of currents that moves water and heat around the globe and regulates global climate may be slowing down. For the first time, researchers are able to track the changes from space. Nicole CoutoI’m interested in how physical processes occurring in different parts of the ocean affect local ecosystems and climate. For my PhD […]
Jump in, the water is warm!
Satellite data was used to measure surface water temperatures throughout Chesapeake Bay over the last 28 years. This new approach will allow us to monitor future water temperature changes from the comfort of home. This study uncovered that Chesapeake Bay water temperatures are increasing faster than air temperatures, which could have negative ecological consequences. Kari […]
Blooming around the world: A story of coccolithophore co-existence
Satellite remote sensing suggests that different phytoplankton species can live in harmony during phytoplankton blooms in the open ocean. Kari St.LaurentI received a Ph.D. in oceanography in 2014 from the Graduate School of Oceanography (URI) and am finishing up a post-doc at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (Horn Point Laboratory). I am […]
Glacial crevasses: how deep do they go? What does it mean?
The techniques applied here provide a much needed coastal view of the Greenland ice sheets. Work done in previous studies have successfully provided insight to glacial geometry inland, however, the information yielded about ice on the edge is weak. The results of this study agree with previous work inland while also significantly refining what is […]
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