Oceans

Climate

An Antarctic expedition will search for what lived under the Larsen C ice shelf

The fourth attempt to investigate the seafloor once hidden by the Larsen C iceberg may have the best chance yet of success.

Climate

2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record, and it’s getting even hotter

Record-level rains and temperatures struck different regions of the world in 2018, the fourth warmest year on record.

Climate

Collapsing ice cliffs may not contribute to sea level rise

Scientists debate a controversial hypothesis that suggests that massive crumbling ice cliffs could speed up future sea level rise.

Climate

Climate change might not slow ocean circulation as much as thought

New measurements may call for a rethink of what controls ocean circulation in the North Atlantic.

Animals

Young emperor penguins brave icy, winter waters in their first year

Young emperor penguins learn survival skills on their own, including how to navigate Antarctica’s icy winter ocean.

Tech

Desalination pours more toxic brine into the ocean than previously thought

Desalination plants help offset the world’s growing water needs, but they also produce much more supersalty water than scientists realized.

Oceans

Floating seabirds provide a novel way to trace ocean currents

Seabirds idly drifting with ocean currents provide a novel way to track and understand how these flows change with time and location.

Animals

Nearly 200 Great Barrier Reef coral species also live in the deep sea

There are more coral species lurking in the deep ocean that previously thought. That could be good news for their shallow water counterparts.

Oceans

Volcanic eruptions that depleted ocean oxygen may have set off the Great Dying

Massive eruptions from volcanoes spewing greenhouse gases 252 million years ago may have triggered Earth’s biggest mass extinction.

Climate

Warm tropical Atlantic waters juiced the 2017 hurricane season

Anomalously warm ocean waters in the tropical Atlantic Ocean drove 2017’s hurricane powerhouses.

Oceans

A massive net is being deployed to pick up plastic in the Pacific

As the Ocean Cleanup project embarks, critics remain unconvinced that scooping up debris is the best way to solve the ocean’s plastic problem.

Animals

A gentoo penguin’s dinner knows how to fight back

Cameras attached to gentoo penguins off the Falkland Islands revealed that, despite the birds’ small size, their lobster krill prey can sometimes win in a fight.