Archive for March, 2015

Better method for forecasting hurricane season

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A better method for predicting the number of hurricanes in an upcoming season has been developed by atmospheric scientists. The team's new model improves the accuracy of seasonal hurricane forecasts for the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico by 23 percent....

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Bacteria play an important role in long term storage of carbon in the ocean

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The ocean is a large reservoir of dissolved organic molecules, and many of these molecules are stable against microbial utilization for hundreds to thousands of years. They contain a similar amount of carbon as compared to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers found answers to questions about the origin of these persistent molecules in a recent study....

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New source of methane for gas hydrates in Arctic discovered

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Researchers have identified a new source of methane for gas hydrates -- ice-like substances found in sediment that trap methane within the crystal structure of frozen water -- in the Arctic Ocean. The findings, point to a previously undiscovered, stable reservoir for methane that is 'locked' away from the atmosphere, where it could impact global climate change....

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Climate-related disruptions of marine ecosystems: Decades to destroy, millennia to recover

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A new study reports that marine ecosystems can take thousands, rather than hundreds, of years to recover from climate-related upheavals. The study's authors analyzed thousands of invertebrate fossils to show that ecosystem recovery from climate change and seawater deoxygenation might take place on a millennial scale....

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Hidden costs: The unseen way organisms cope with climate change

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Environmental stress from climate change forces an organism's metabolism into overdrive -- though it may not be immediately apparent, it nudges the organism ever closer to the brink of disaster....

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Equatorial fish babies in hot water

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Rising ocean temperatures slow the development of baby fish around the equator, scientists have found, raising concerns about the impact of global warming on fish and fisheries in the tropics....

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Volcanic eruptions found to durably impact climate through alterations to North Atlantic Ocean circulation

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Particles emitted during major volcanic eruptions cool the atmosphere due to a 'parasol' effect that reflects sunlight. The direct impact of these particles in the atmosphere is fairly short, lasting two to three years. However, they alter for more than 20 years the North Atlantic Ocean circulation, which connects surface and deep currents and influences the climate in Europe....

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Spring plankton bloom hitches ride to sea’s depths on ocean eddies

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Just as crocus and daffodil blossoms signal the start of a warmer season on land, a similar 'greening' event --a massive bloom of microscopic plants, or phytoplankton -- unfolds each spring in the North Atlantic Ocean from Bermuda to the Arctic....

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Pacific-wide study reveals striped marlins’ preferred habitat, may help avoid overfishing

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Using the largest tagging data set to date, biologists have shown that across the Pacific Ocean the vertical habitat of striped marlin is defined by the light-penetrated, uppermost part of the ocean known as the epipelagic layer, within eight degrees Celsius of sea surface temperature....

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Antarctic ice shelves rapidly thinning

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A new study has revealed that the thickness of Antarctica's floating ice shelves has recently decreased by as much as 18 percent in certain areas over nearly two decades, providing new insights on how the Antarctic ice sheet is responding to climate change....

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