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VERtical Transport In the Global Ocean- aka VERTIGO- is
currently one of our largest and most exciting projects. As
its name implies, this study looks at how materials get from
the surface to the deep ocean. In fact, there are really only
two ways to get there- either with ocean currents that sink
to the deep ocean, but that takes place only in a few regions
near the Arctic and Antarctic, or hitching a ride on sinking
particles, and it’s the sinking particle story that
VERTIGO is all about.
How do marine plants and animals create and destroy particles
in the ocean? How quickly do particles sink? How deep do they
go? Are all marine particles the same? And what is the marine “snow” forecast? Many basic questions such as
these will be addressed by this international and interdisciplinary
team of ocean scientists. To help you learn more, we’ve
divided this information into a few parts, both for those
with a general interest and parts for project scientists.
VERTIGO Project Web site
This part of our Web site is designed for VERTIGO project scientists as
a quick place to exchange information regularly about our cruises, new
data, who’s doing what, what talks and papers are coming out, etc. So,
only go here if you are a) a project PI (principal investigator), b)
want to read a copy of the original proposal to the U.S. National
Science Foundation and Department of Energy who funded VERTIGO or c)
just too curious about what scientists really spend their time doing.
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Revisiting Carbon Flux Through the Ocean's Twilight Zone published in Science - April 2007
Press Releases:
WHOI: Ocean's ‘Twilight Zone' Plays Important Role in Climate Change
New study identifies a critical link influencing the ocean's ability to store carbon dioxide
NSF: Ocean's "Twilight Zone" May Be a Key to Understanding Climate Change
University of California, Santa Barbara:
Ocean Varies in Ability to Sequester Atmospheric Carbon, Scientists Report
University of California, Santa Cruz: The "Twilight Zone" Holds Key to Ocean's Role in Climate Change
University of Hawaii: Ocean's ‘Twilight Zone' Plays Important Role in Climate Change
New study identifies a critical link influencing the ocean's ability to store carbon dioxide
VIMS: Ocean's 'Twilight Zone' Has Climate-Change Role
Radio interview with Ken Buesseler by Jason Margolis on The World, May 4, 2007
Radio Interview with Phil Boyd and Ken Buesseler by
Dacia Herbulock
on Our Changing World on Radio New Zealand, May 3, 2007
Voice of America report by Rosanne Skirble with interview with Ken Buesseler, May 3, 2007 "Recruiting plankton to fight global warming" New York Times, May 3, 2007
"Nature's carbon sink smaller than expected" Christian Science Monitor, May 3, 2007
"Ocean gobbles carbon at different rates" New Scientist, April 26, 2007
"Picture If You Will an Oceanic 'Twilight Zone' of Microscopic Creatures Hindering Carbon Sequestration " Scientific American, April 26, 2007
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Click for image information. |
A Journey to the Ocean's Twilight Zone (pdf)
A conversation with marine biogeochemist Ken Buesseler: A torrent of
particles rains down through the ocean's dimly lit regions, providing
food for organisms below and sequestering some heat-trapping carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. A WHOI biogeochemist investigates what
makes it into the ocean's twilight zone and what makes it out.
Swimming in the Rain (pdf)
Novel untethered vehicle catches 'marine snow' falling through the sea:
At first, critics said it shouldn't be done. Then they wondered whether
it could be done. Finally, WHOI scientists and engineers built an
innovative device to capture a fundamental but still mysterious ocean
phenomenon. |
NBST’s
a success
Collecting sinking marine particles is part science, part
engineering, part good luck. Learn about a new gizmo called
the Neutrally Buoyant Sediment Trap (NBST) and how we can
send a particle collector in to the ocean depths on a 3 day
mission to collect sinking marine particles. General information
as well as more detailed science results, presentations and
publications is provided here
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