sea ice
Looking to the tropics to explain Antarctica’s expanding ice
Scientists confirm an surprising explanation for Antarctica’s expanding sea ice in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Veronica TamsittI’m a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla California. My research is focused on the Southern Ocean circulation and it’s role in climate. For my research I sometimes spend months at sea on ice breakers […]
If You Must, Adjust? Polar Bears Leaving Sea Ice in the Arctic
Everyone knows that polar bears have become the poster children for species threatened by climate change. And it’s for good reason that they are. Polar bears rely on sea ice for access to prey, finding mates, and creating dens. The persistence of the species depends on the state of sea-ice and more generally a healthy […]
Iceberg Buffet: How giant icebergs bring food to plankton
While icebergs are calving from Antarctic glaciers at alarming rates, they may provide a negative feedback for the carbon cycle. Giant icebergs bring large amounts of iron to iron-poor areas of the Southern Ocean, stimulating primary productivity and boosting carbon sequestration. Zoe GentesZoe has an M.S. in Oceanography and a B.S. in Geologic Oceanography from […]
Plankton fill up ice-free summer homes
Source: Li, Y., R. Ji, S. Jenouvrier, M. Jin, and J. Stroeve (2016), Synchronicity between ice retreat and phytoplankton bloom in circum-Antarctic polynyas, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 2086–2093, doi:10.1002/2016GL067937. Antarctic coasts Despite the dark winters and freezing cold conditions, the coastline of Antarctica is a hotspot for growth of phytoplankton, the tiny, photosynthesizing organisms that […]
Arctic could become more biologically productive as ice melts
As Arctic sea-ice melts away, organisms will be exposed to more light and, potentially, more nutrients. Recent model work suggests that this combination will result in a more biologically active Arctic. But the net result might not be as positive as you think. Eric OrensteinEric is a PhD student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. […]
One person’s noise, is another person’s data
Measuring the heat content of deep ocean waters is critical to understanding how our global climate system works. It is also very difficult to do on a large scale. A group at the University of Georgia recently proposed a new technique to take the temperature of the deep ocean using only ambient noise and passive […]
How thick is polar ice?
Based on a simple theory, the authors of this study are able to make a prediction about the distribution of sea ice thickness that works remarkably well, and provides a novel approach to estimating how much ice the polar ice caps contain. caelCael was once told by a professor that applied mathematicians are ‘intellectual dilettantes,’ […]
A Career in Marine Mammal Acoustics and the Arctic
This week, I interviewed Joshua Jones, a Ph.D. student in biological oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The focus of his thesis research is marine mammals in the Arctic, their acoustic behavior and relationships with sea ice, and the effects of human activities on the underwater acoustic environment. Zoe GentesZoe has an M.S. in […]
Sea Ice Plays a Key Role in Ocean Circulation
Lower amounts of sea ice in the North Atlantic disrupts the way heat is transferred, a key factor that changes large-scale ocean circulation with major global climate consequences. Brian CaccioppoliI am a recent graduate (Dec. 2015) from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, with a M.S. in Oceanography. My research interests include […]
Double Whammy: Losing sea ice may be worse than we thought
When Arctic sea ice melts, it warms the local region by decreasing the albedo, or lowering the area’s reflectiveness. This atmospheric warming likely intensifies methane production in Arctic wetlands, which causes more warming and ultimately creates a positive feedback by melting more ice! Kari St.LaurentI received a Ph.D. in oceanography in 2014 from the Graduate […]
We’re In Deep Heat: trouble boils over in West Antarctica
An international team of researchers shows that rising ocean temperatures along West Antarctic ice shelves are linked to rising warm water from the deep ocean, and that the rate of warming is larger than previously thought. With no indication of a slow down in warming, these findings illuminate on new realities of sea level challenges […]
Sea ice and Albedo: Should We Be Worried?
The glaciers are melting, sea level is rising; you’ve heard it all. But did you know that both of these events are increasing how much solar energy the earth is absorbing? Scientists study 30 years of data from the Arctic Ocean to quantify the role of diminishing sea ice in global warming. Anne M. HartwellHello, […]
An accidental find: Large quantities of microplastics are in Arctic sea ice!
Multiyear sea ice formation in the Arctic Sea uptakes microplastics from seawater, effectively acting as a sink for these man-made particles. Melting sea ice, as a result of climate change, threatens to release these microplastics back into the ocean with unknown implications for the environment. Kari St.LaurentI received a Ph.D. in oceanography in 2014 from […]
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