Southern Ocean on EARTH Magazine

Science by floats

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 12:46:27 -0500

The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling project (SOCCOM) set out four years ago to study the Southern Ocean and its role and influence on global climate. The main mission of the project was to increase Southern Ocean observations, especially during the frigid winter months, to better understand climate change and biogeochemistry.

Southern Ocean is absorbing less carbon

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 12:44:12 -0500

Since 2014, autonomous floats have been making continuous observations of the biogeochemical characteristics of the Southern Ocean. Scientists are using this information to make estimates of carbon fluxes to refine climate change models. Credit: left: Melissa Miller; right: Isa Rosso.

In the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, complex and dynamic interactions among the atmosphere, cryosphere, and surface and deep ocean waters play an important role in climate. Although it covers only a quarter of Earth’s oceanic surface area, the Southern Ocean — with its cold temperatures and carbon-sucking algal blooms — has been estimated to take up 40 percent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. However, new data collected by a fleet of autonomous floating sensors show that the Southern Ocean is taking up significantly less carbon than scientists thought.

Ice (Re)Cap: May 2017

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 20:09:22 -0400

Bucking the global trend of glacial retreat, Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand's Southern Alps advanced for much of the period between 1983 and 2008. Credit: Wendy Mann, CC BY 2.0.

From Antarctica to the Arctic; from polar caps, permafrost and glaciers to ocean-rafted sea ice; and from burly bears to cold-loving microbes, fascinating science is found in every nook and crevasse of Earth’s cryosphere, and new findings are announced often. Here are a few of the latest updates.

Marine microorganisms drive summer clouds over Southern Ocean

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 11:43:18 -0400

Organic material lofted into the atmosphere with sea spray is a major source of cloud condensation nuclei over the Southern Ocean, particularly in the summer months when phytoplankton bloom prolifically. Credit: Daniel McCoy.

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to some of the most pristine air anywhere on Earth. And yet it’s also one of the cloudiest places on the planet, a seeming contradiction because water droplets require particulate matter in the air to condense into clouds. Now, a study looking at cloud droplet concentrations over the Southern Ocean is giving scientists a clearer understanding of the role played by marine microorganisms in cloud formation and climate.

Volcanic ash feed southern ocean plankton

Fri, 08 Aug 2014 11:54:55 -0400

Technicians aboard the British RRS James Cook retrieve a seawater sampling device in the Southern Ocean. Credit: Gideon Henderson.

Ash plumes from volcanoes in South America and elsewhere may spur large blooms of plankton in otherwise barren parts of the Southern Ocean, but maybe not for the reason scientists have suspected, according to a new study. Such blooms are of interest because they consume atmospheric carbon dioxide, although their overall effect on climate remains far from clear.