Tag Archives: ocean

Spectacular new footage gives us great looks at the final moments of the latest test flight of Starship, the huge rocket SpaceX is developing to help humanity settle Mars. That mission, the 10th-ever for the 397-foot-tall (121-meter-tall) megarocket, lifted off from SpaceX‘s Starbase site in South Texas on Tuesday evening (Aug. 26). Everything went well on Flight 10. Starship‘s Super …

An expedition to a deep-sea ridge, just north of the Hawaiian Islands, revealed a surprise back in 2022: an ancient dried-up lake bed paved with what appears to be a yellow brick road. The exploration vessel Nautilus discovered the eerie scene while surveying the Liliʻuokalani ridge in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM). PMNM is one of the largest marine conservation …

Recent studies have revealed fascinating connections between rising oxygen levels in deep-ocean environments and the evolution of marine life, particularly in the Late Devonian period. This research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uncovers how oxygenation, driven by terrestrial plant growth, may have shaped the future of life in the ocean. These findings help us understand …

Facebook Tweet Email Link How will the climate crisis affect one of the ocean’s fiercest predators? New research published Wednesday has examined what might happen to sharks’ highly specialized, flesh-cutting teeth. As carbon emissions increase, the ocean is absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, lowering pH levels and making seawater more acidic, a process that can affect many ocean …

Sharks without teeth might sound like the stuff of dreams to swimmers and surfers. Now a new study has found that ocean acidification could leave the apex predators without their critical survival weapon. Shark jaws carry several rows of teeth and new ones quickly push forward to replace losses. However, rapidly acidifying oceans are damaging shark teeth and could speed …

Since the early 2000s, scientists have been puzzled by a gleaming turquoise spot in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean showing up in satellite images. The patch is located just south of the great calcite belt, a region that’s rich in the mineral form of calcium carbonate, and teeming with coccolithophores, tiny marine organisms that grow reflective calcite shells out …

Since the early 2000s, scientists have been puzzled by a gleaming turquoise spot in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean showing up in satellite images. The patch is located just south of the great calcite belt, a region that’s rich in the mineral form of calcium carbonate, and teeming with coccolithophores, tiny marine organisms that grow reflective calcite shells out …

IN A NUTSHELL 🌍 Olivine plays a crucial role in transporting water deep into Earth’s mantle. 🔍 Recent research reveals that infrared transparency of olivine facilitates rapid heating of subducting slabs. 💧 Only oceanic plates older than 60 million years can carry water to significant depths. 📊 The study has significant implications for understanding tectonic processes and seismic activity. Recent …

Understanding the wakes and vortices that jellyfish produce as they swim is crucial, according to Wu, et al. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a vital tool for studying flow phenomena and biomechanical propulsion. PIV essentially tracks tiny tracer particles suspended in water by illuminating them with laser light. The technique usually relies on hollow glass spheres, polystyrene beads, aluminum flakes, …

A beaming patch of turquoise amidst the Southern Ocean’s blue-grey waters that’s baffled scientists ever since it was first spotted in satellite images in the early 2000s may have finally been deciphered by oceanographers. Mapping concentrations of phytoplankton and biogeochemical compounds has revealed a curious combination of microorganisms that challenges assumptions about the way the frigid waters of the world’s …