Ocean Circulation
New Weather-Shifting Climate Cycle Revealed
Scientists have uncovered evidence for another natural cycle that, like El Niño and La Niña, shifts Pacific Ocean winds and currents and rearranges rainfall and weather patterns around the globe.…
A Newfound Cog in the Ocean Conveyor
A decade into the 21st century, scientists have confirmed the existence of a new and…
Of Wings, Waves, and Winds
“Great albatross! The meanest birds Spring up and flit away, While thou must toil to…
Exploring the Arctic in the Midst of Change
Chief Scientist Bob Pickart and his 26-member science team were in the hangar at the…
Mysteries at High Latitudes
We were watching waves, Kjetil Våge and I, from the open transom on the research…
Into the Wild Irminger Sea
In the Denmark Strait, Oct. 7, 2008 Maybe it’s lubberly to talk about those waves…
Floats Reveal Unknown Ocean Pathways
Oceanographers have long known that the image they used to portray the oceans’ global circulation—called…
Turning a Toy into a Scientific Tool
John Bailey spends most sunny weekends on a grassy field behind a movie theater on…
As the World Turns and the Oceans Flow
Our planet is full of fascinating flowing fluids. Jack Whitehead has investigated all sorts of…
Ocean Conveyor’s ‘Pump’ Switches Back On
One of the “pumps” that helps drive the ocean’s global circulation suddenly switched on again…
Corralling the Wild and Wooly Southern Ocean
Matt Mazloff fishes out a postcard. It’s a simulated aerial view of the bottom of…
Submerged Autonomous Launch Platforms
Amy Bower wanted to investigate an elusive and unpredictable phenomenon in a remote ocean. Off…
Will the Ocean Circulation Be Unbroken?
If the world’s climate is going to change, we will see signs in the ocean.…
Interrogating the ‘Great Ocean Conveyor’
The Greenland-Scotland Ridge looms like a great undersea barrier, stretching from East Greenland to Iceland…
Deep Ocean Waters Don’t Run Still
The ocean’s circulation is thought to play an important role in our climate by transporting…
Current Events off Antarctica
The scientific method can divert researchers down curious pathways. Human psychologists study mouse brains. Astrophysicists…
Reaching Up Into Perilous, Icy Waters
A year had passed since we deployed our mooring in the western Arctic Ocean, which…
The Once and Future Circulation of the Ocean
The short history of modern oceanographic observations—less than a century’s worth, really—doesn’t give us a…
The Oceans Have Their Own Weather Systems
From June to September 2005, oceanographer Dennis McGillicuddy and a team of more than 20…
Under-ice Floats Offer a ‘Breakthrough’
The Arctic Ocean, home to fierce winds, punishing temperatures, and thick sea ice, is no…
A Sentry at the Atlantic Gateway
Here’s an easy recipe to change Earth’s climate: Just add more fresh water to the…
The Flywheel of the Arctic Climate Engine
A key component of the Arctic climate clockworks is the Beaufort Gyre?a bowl of cold,…
Flying Blind in the Ice Factory
Al Plueddemann wants to push the envelope and fly a robotic vehicle into the wild…
Is Global Warming Changing the Arctic?
In the Arctic, the air, sea ice, and underlying ocean all interact in a delicately…