Water Cycle
Indian Ocean phenomenon spells climate trouble for Australia
New international research by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and colleagues has found a marked change in the Indian Ocean’s surface temperatures that puts southeast Australia on course for increasingly hot and dry conditions.
Read MoreGlobal heating supercharging Indian Ocean climate system
Global heating is “supercharging” an increasingly dangerous climate mechanism in the Indian Ocean that has played a role in disasters this year including bushfires in Australia and floods in Africa.
More Than 11,000 International Scientists Declare Climate Emergency
A new paper endorsed by 11,258 scientists and researchers from 153 countries describes climate change as a “climate emergency.” Published in the journal BioScience, it warns of “untold human suffering” if individuals, governments, and businesses don’t make deep and lasting changes.
Oceanographer wins big money in rainfall forecasting contest
Rainfall forecasting is big money! For over 40 years, Ray Schmitt has been a physical oceanographer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Schmitt Symposium on Ocean Salinity and Mixing: Downwelling, Upwelling, and Tracer Dispersion Near a Sloping Boundary
Trevor McDougall, UNSW Sponsored by: Physical Oceanography Department
Read MoreHow Arctic Sea Ice Decline and Indian Ocean Warming Affect the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
Alexey Federov, Yale Sponsored by: Physical Oceanography Department
Read MoreSpecial Physical Oceanography Seminar: The Emergence and Evolution of the North Icelandic Jet
Stefanie Semper, University of Bergen Sponsored by: Physical Oceanography Department
Read MoreSummer Lecture Series: Living with Oxygen: Walking the Fine Line Between Life and Death
Colleen Hansel, WHOI Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office
Read MoreThe Shallow Zonal Overturning Circulation of the Southeast Indian Ocean
Helen Phillips, University of Tasmania Sponsored by: Physical Oceanography Department
Read MoreA Rainfall Forecast Worth its Salt
WHOI scientist Ray Schmitt and sons take top prize in rainfall forecasting competition.
Read MoreWater Cycle
The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth.
Read MoreCan We Improve Monsoon Forecasts?
Scientists are exploring the ocean to gain new insights into forecasting the still-unpredictable monsoon rains that billions of people depend on to irrigate their crops
Read MoreExtreme Climate
Extreme climatic events such as unusually severe storms and droughts can have profound consequences for life both on land and in the ocean. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution climate scientist Caroline Ummenhofer studies the ocean’s role in the global water cycle and its effects on extreme weather and climate.
Read MoreTo Forecast Rain, Look to the Ocean
Ever since humans have existed on Earth, they have looked to the heavens to forecast rain. But more reliable clues…
Read MoreSalty Oceans Can Forecast Rain on Land
At this week’s American Geophysical Union meeting, a team of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) presented their latest research findings on the long-range predictions of rainfall on land. Their method is based on ocean salinity rather than sea surface temperatures, which has been the standard for decades.
Read MoreWarming Ocean Drove Catastrophic Australian Floods
New research by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution physical oceanographer Caroline Ummenhofer and Australian scientists suggests that long-term warming of the Indian and Pacific Oceans is increasing the risk of heavy rains in the region.
Read MoreClues To Better Rainfall Predictions
mentions Laifang Li, Ray Schmitt and Caroline Ummenhofer
Study Offers Clues to Better Rainfall Predictions
WHOI scientists have found a potential path to better seasonal rainfall predictions. Their study shows a clear link between higher sea surface salinity levels in the North Atlantic Ocean and increased rainfall on land in the West African Sahel, the area between the Sahara Desert and the savannah in Sudan.
Read MoreOcean Robots: Mapping Salinity
The saltiness of the ocean varies across large and small scales in ways that are sometimes linked to changing global…
Read MoreWarming Ocean Worsened Australia’s Fatal 2010/2011 Floods
A study by a team of U.S. and Australian researchers shows that long-term warming of the Indian and Pacific oceans played an important role in increasing the severity of the devastating floods that struck Australia in 2010/2011. The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
Read MoreReading the tea leaves for effects of climate change
quotes Caroline Ummenhofer
California’s water conservation efforts hindered as tiered pricing ruled unconstitutional
mentions 2014 WHOI study on drought
Evidence Suggests California’s Drought is the Worst in 1,200 Years
As California finally experiences the arrival of a rain-bearing Pineapple Express this week, two climate scientists from the University of Minnesota and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have shown that the drought of 2012-2014 has been the worst in 1,200 years.
Read MoreSea Science in the Space Age
South Asian monsoons bring huge amounts of fresh water into the Bay of Bengal. Summer Student Fellow Mara Freilich used huge data sets from satellites to how and where the salinity of the Bay changes as a result.
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