In an oil spill, it floats on the surface, creating a ‘slick’ that spreads quickly with the actions of ocean currents and winds. Some of it evaporates and some dissolves into the water. Some sinks to the seabed, forming sticky tar balls that can wash up onto beaches for years after ...
These include processes that occur at molecular scales, such as photosynthesis , respiration, and cycling of essential nutrients , to largescale processes such as effects of ocean currents on marine productivity. A distinction is often made between the fields of biological oceanography and marine ...
We expose the detailed workings of this life-sustaining mechanism, uncovering the physical forces that coordinate its rhythm. Next, we discuss the disruptive impact of climate change, closely examining how it affects regional upwelling patterns and the resulting chain of effects on marine life. We ...
Whenglaciersmelt, because that water is stored on land, the runoff significantly increases the amount of water in the ocean, contributing to global sea level rise. Sea ice, on the other hand, is often compared to ice cubes in a glass of water: when it melts, it does not di...
How does phytoplankton indicate the health of the ocean? How does ocean warming affect sea life? How does ocean acidification affect the geosphere? What is the primary cause of ocean acidification and what are some of the likely effects on the oceanic or terrestrial life (including humans)? Wha...
The oceans teem with microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and protists. Many of these microbes fundamentally influence the ocean's ability to sustain life on Earth. Some microbes living and transported in ocean water, however, threaten human health. ...
Oxygen (O2) is critical for sustaining marine life and regulates important elemental cycles in the ocean, such as those of nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron1. Observations indicate that the global ocean dissolved O2inventory, currently estimated at 227.4 ± 1.1 Pmol2, has decreased by >1%...
(3) Population-level changes may be observed via changes in the balance between rates of mortality, growth and reproduction. This includes changes in the retention or dispersion of early life stages by ocean currents, which lead to the establishment of new populations in new areas or abandonment...
Storm surge along the China's Zhe-Min coast is addressed using the tightly coupled surge model of ADCIRC+SWAN. In this study, we primarily focus on the effects of surge-tide interaction and wave set-up/set-down. And the influences of intensity and landing moment of tropical cyclone (TC) ...
How do ocean currents affect hurricanes? How do hurricanes affect the geosphere? How do tsunamis affect the cryosphere? What is the effect of wind shear on thermals? How does vertical wind shear affect tropical storms? Why do waterspouts spin more slowly than tornadoes?