How the Ocean Works
The Rain of Ocean Particles and Earth’s Carbon Cycle
WHOI Phytoplankton photosynthesis has provided Earth’s inhabitants with oxygen since early life began. Without this process the atmosphere would consist of carbon dioxide (CO2) plus a small amount of nitrogen, the atmospheric pressure would be 60 times higher than the air we breathe, and the planet’s air temperatures would hover around 300°C. (Conditions similar to these are found on Earth’s close sibling Venus.
Deploying the Rain Catchers
Deployment of a deep-ocean sediment trap mooring begins with the ship heading slowly into the…
Monsoon Winds and Carbon Cycles in the Arabian Sea
The monsoon, a giant sea breeze between the Asian massif and the Indian Ocean, is…
Continental Margin Particle Flux
The boundaries between the oceans and the continents are dynamic regions for the production, recycling,…
Catching the Rain: Sediment Trap Technology
WHOI Senior Engineer Ken Doherty developed the first sediment trap in the late 1970s for…
Adventure in the Labrador Sea
The sound of the general alarm bell reverberated through the ship. At 2:30 AM, this…
The Magnetic Thickness of a Recent Submarine Lava Flow
Submarine lava flows and their associated narrow feeder conduits known as dikes constitute the basic…
New Data on Deep Sea Turbulence Shed Light on Vertical Mixing
The global thermohaline circulation is basically a wholesale vertical overturning of the sea, driven by…
Labrador Sea Water Carries Northern Climate Signal South
Changes in wind strength, humidity, and temperature over the ocean affect rates of evaporation, precipitation,…
If Rain Falls on the OceanDoes It Make a Sound?
As with similar questions about a tree in the forest or a grain of sand…
A Century of North Atlantic Data Indicates Interdecadal Change
For hundreds of years mariners have recorded the weather over the world ocean. Some 100…
The El Niño/Southern Oscillation Phenomenon
The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, an eastward shift of warm water in the tropical…