Oceanography
Is sea-level rise exaggerated?
WHOI’s Chris Piecuch debunks a long-standing myth
Read MoreAre we heading toward another Little Ice Age?
Concerns about a potential Little Ice Age are tempered by scientific evidence indicating that current climate dynamics are unlikely to lead to significant cooling. WHOI physical oceanographer Jake Gebbie explains that while natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions could theoretically cool the planet, the overwhelming heat from greenhouse gas emissions makes a return to pre-industrial temperatures improbable.
Read MoreSea level rises when land sinks
People around the world are worried about rising sea levels. Much of this increase comes from melting polar ice and ocean waters that expand as they warm. But along many coastlines, sea level rises much more than we might expect simply from changes in the ocean.
Read MoreWhy is glacier ice blue?
When sunlight shines on a field of snow, it reflects a bright-even blinding-white. But if you get a good look at the leading edge of a glacier, you’ll find that the ice inside is a brilliant blue.
Read MoreIs glacier ice actually rock?
In places where it gets cold and snowy in winter, many meters of snow can fall. In some the following winter, adding a new layer to what was already there. Over hundreds to thousands of years, this process creates big sheets of ice called glaciers.
Read MoreIron Fertilization
Iron fertilization is a technique that would artificially add iron to the ocean's surface, triggering massive blooms of phytoplankton that could remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Read MoreOcean Plants
Ocean plants are critical to marine life—they are an important food source, they provide oxygen to surrounding marine life, and they supply refuge and nursery grounds.
Read MoreHadal Zone
The region extending from 6,000 to 11,000 meters is called the hadal, or hadalpelagic, zone after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. They occur only in trenches across the world.
Read MoreMidnight Zone
The midnight zone, or bathypelagic, extends to about 4,000 meters (about 13,100 feet), which reaches the ocean floor in many places is in perpetual darkness.
Read MoreSunlit Zone
The upper layer of the ocean is known as the sunlit, or euphotic, zone. Because water strongly absorbs light, sunlight penetrates only to depths of about 200 meters (656 feet).
Read MoreAbyssal Zone
The abyssal zone, or the abyss, is the seafloor and water column from 3,000 to 6,500 meters (9,842 to 21,325 feet) depth, where sunlight doesn't penetrate.
Read MoreOcean Zones
The ocean water column is made up of five zones: the sunlight (epipelagic), twilight (mesopelagic), midnight (bathypelagic), abyssal (abyssopelagic) and hadal zones (trenches).
Read MoreOcean Alkalinity
When alkalinity reacts with carbon dioxide in the ocean, it converts it to a form that can't readily return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas.
Read MoreSeaweed Cultivation
When seaweed removes carbon dioxide from seawater, it alters the balance of carbon dioxide between water and air, causing the gas to move from the atmosphere into the ocean.
Read MoreCoral Stressors
Stressors can affect organisms living on the reef or they can affect the corals, themselves. When corals die, other organisms must relocate or struggle to survive.
Read MoreReef Fish
Fish that inhabit a coral reef play essential roles in the reef ecosystem, and reefs without fish struggle to recover from bleaching or other events that damage the coral.
Read MoreOcean-Based Climate Solutions
Ocean-based, clean energy technologies hold great potential for ocean-based climate solutions, such as blue carbon, biofuels, and carbon dioxide removal systems.
Read MoreNatural Disasters
Our ocean planet is dynamic and constantly changing, sometimes resulting in dramatic threats to humans.
Read MoreCycles
Oceanic cycles — chemical, physical, and biological — are related to cyclic processes in the Earth’s atmosphere, such as the seasons, El Niño events, and long-term climate changes.
Read MoreFrozen Ocean
The polar regions are experiencing unprecedented environmental changes that have significant potential impacts on global climate, ecosystems, and society.
Read MoreHow the Ocean Works
Although the oceans cover most of Earth, the the tiny sliver of the coastal ocean greatly influences, and is most influenced by, human activity.
Read MoreHow do corals form colonies?
If you stare at just one spot on a coral reef, your eyes could be seeing more than 1,000 animals per square foot. That’s because the thing that makes up most of these marine ecosystems are tiny living animals called coral polyps, which exist on the surface of reef formations.
Read MoreWhat makes the ocean salty?
The water flowing into the ocean comes from freshwater streams and rivers. These bodies of water do contain salt. It dissolves from rocks on land. That’s because rain is slightly acidic.
Read MoreHow do glaciers affect sea level rise?
Sea levels have risen and fallen throughout geologic history due to a myriad of natural processes, most notably the forming and melting of glaciers.
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