Archive for August, 2010

Acidifying oceans spell bleak marine biological future ‘by end of century’, Mediterranean research finds

This item was filled under Climate
A unique 'natural laboratory' in the Mediterranean Sea is revealing the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on life in the oceans. The results show a bleak future for marine life as ocean acidity rises, and suggest that similar lowering of ocean pH levels may have been responsible for massive extinctions in the past....

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Tracking marine animal travel

This item was filled under Climate
Scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of marine mammal travel patterns using a large-scale tracking network. A new Public Library of Science (PLoS) collection, created in conjunction with the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) Program and the Census of Marine Life (CoML), will highlight the variety of ways scientists are using this large POST network to trace marine animal movement in the Northeast Pacific Ocean....

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What is a navigation response team?

NOAA's navigation response teams, part of the Office of Coast Survey, conduct hydrographic surveys of the ocean floor, monitoring for changes in depth or hazards below the surface of the water that could pose great danger to vessel traffic above....

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El Niños are growing stronger, NASA/NOAA study finds

This item was filled under Climate
A relatively new type of El Niño, which has its warmest waters in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean, rather than in the eastern-equatorial Pacific, is becoming more common and progressively stronger, according to a new study by NASA and NOAA. The research may improve our understanding of the relationship between El Niños and climate change, and has potentially significant implications for long-term weather forecasting....

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A ‘great fizz’ of carbon dioxide was produced at the end of the last ice age

This item was filled under Climate
Imagine loosening the screw-top of a soda bottle and hearing the carbon dioxide begin to escape. Then imagine taking the cap off quickly, and seeing the beverage foam and fizz out of the bottle. Then, imagine the pressure equalizing and the beverage being ready to drink. Marine scientists say that something similar happened over a 1,000 year period after the end of the last ice age....

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Meet: Darlene Finch [People of NOS]

This item was filled under News
Meet Darlene Finch, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Coastal Services Center...

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Sea level to rise even with aggressive geo-engineering and greenhouse gas control, study finds

This item was filled under Climate
Sea level will likely be 30-70 centimeters higher by 2100 than at the start of the century, even if all but the most aggressive geo-engineering schemes are undertaken to mitigate the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are stringently controlled, according to new findings by international research group of scientists from England, China and Denmark....

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The Legacy of the Humble Bilby Tower [Feature]

This item was filled under News
Survey towers were used by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey surveyors from the mid-1800s through the 1980s to obtain the clear lines-of-sight needed to conduct the surveys that are the backbone of our nation’s spatial reference framework. One of the most enduring and widely used types of towers was the Bilby Tower, designed by Jasper Bilby in 1926....

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Why is the ocean salty, but rivers flowing into it are not?

This item was filled under Basics, Facts, Ocean Observations, Ocean Science
In the beginning, the primeval seas were probably only slightly salty. But over time, as rain fell to the Earth and ran over the land, breaking up rocks and transporting their minerals to the ocean, the ocean has become saltier....

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Limiting ocean acidification under global change

This item was filled under Climate
Emissions of carbon dioxide are causing ocean acidification as well as global warming. Scientists have previously used computer simulations to quantify how curbing of carbon dioxide emissions would mitigate climate impacts. New computer simulations have now examined the likely effects of mitigation scenarios on ocean acidification trends. They show that both the peak year of emissions and post-peak reduction rates influence how much ocean acidity increases by 2100....

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