Featured
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Weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation abyssal limb in the North Atlantic
Mooring observations and hydrographic data suggest the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation abyssal limb has weakened over the past two decades in the North Atlantic, most likely due to reduced Antarctic Bottom Water formation rates.
- Tiago Carrilho Biló
- , Renellys C. Perez
- & Torsten Kanzow
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News & Views |
Underestimated volcanic hazard of Santorini
Volcanism after large, caldera-forming eruptions is thought to be muted. Exploration of the partially submerged caldera of Santorini reveals that large explosive eruptions have occurred since the caldera formed.
- Ben Kennedy
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Article
| Open Access
Diurnal warming rectification in the tropical Pacific linked to sea surface temperature front
Daytime surface ocean warming has large-scale patterns associated with the sea surface temperature front, leading to an afternoon slackening of the front and impacts on surface wind variability.
- Meghan F. Cronin
- , Dongxiao Zhang
- & Nathan Anderson
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Wind-steered Eastern Pathway of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
About half of the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation flows east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a pathway steered by wind and not bottom topography, according to hydrographic data, reanalysis and model simulations.
- Zhengyu Liu
- , Sifan Gu
- & Chengfei He
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Noble gas evidence of a millennial-scale deep North Pacific palaeo-barometric anomaly
Noble gas concentrations in the deep North Pacific indicate that sea-level pressure in Antarctic Bottom Water formation regions has changed over the past 2,000 years.
- W. J. Jenkins
- , A. M. Seltzer
- & C. R. German
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Research Briefing |
Marine heatwaves are occurring globally below the sea surface with increasing frequency
Analysis of sea temperatures using a four-dimensional spatio-temporal framework has revealed a great number of marine heatwaves occurring globally below the sea surface. These extreme events, which threaten the ecologically important epipelagic zone, have occurred increasingly frequently during the past three decades owing to ocean warming.
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| Open Access
Frequent marine heatwaves hidden below the surface of the global ocean
Substantial numbers of marine heatwaves are hidden globally below the sea surface, according to analyses of ocean temperature data.
- Di Sun
- , Furong Li
- & Bohai Zhang
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Research Briefing |
Bipolar control on changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide over millennial timescales
Deep-sea acidity data combined with ice-core carbon dioxide records reveal that an interplay between the two polar regions modulates ocean ventilation through various modes. These modes explain past variations in deep-sea carbon storage and atmospheric carbon dioxide on millennial timescales.
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Article
| Open Access
Warming beneath an East Antarctic ice shelf due to increased subpolar westerlies and reduced sea ice
Oceanographic observations indicate sustained warming and enhanced basal melt since 2016 below the Fimbulisen ice sheet in East Antarctica, associated with increased subpolar westerlies and reduced sea ice.
- Julius Lauber
- , Tore Hattermann
- & Geir Moholdt
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Research Briefing |
Bubble bursts increase melt rates of tidewater glaciers
Glacier ice contains high-pressure air bubbles, which burst into seawater as ice melts at tidewater glacier termini. Laboratory measurements found that these bubbles double the rate of ice melt. Theoretically, this effect could be even larger in a real glacier. However, bursting bubbles are currently neglected in models projecting sea level rise.
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| Open Access
Melting of glacier ice enhanced by bursting air bubbles
Laboratory experiments suggest that bursting bubbles enhance ice melt from tidewater glaciers, and consequently, glacier-ice structure needs to be accounted for in projections of ice loss and sea-level rise.
- Meagan E. Wengrove
- , Erin C. Pettit
- & Eric D. Skyllingstad
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Research Briefing |
Estimates of global marine plastic mass demystify the missing plastic paradox
There is a large discrepancy between estimates of oceanic plastic input and the amount of plastic measured floating at the ocean surface. Model results show that this can be explained by large objects being underestimated in previous mass budget analyses, combined with lower input estimates.
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Article
| Open Access
Global mass of buoyant marine plastics dominated by large long-lived debris
A 3D global marine plastic mass budget suggests that larger items contribute more than 95% of buoyant plastics by mass and are longer lived than previously estimated, which suggests there is no missing sink of marine plastic pollution.
- Mikael L. A. Kaandorp
- , Delphine Lobelle
- & Erik van Sebille
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Glacier retreat alters downstream fjord ecosystem structure and function in Greenland
Glacier retreat in Greenland not only changes the primary productivity of downstream fjord ecosystems but also the ecosystem structure and functioning, according to seasonal sampling of two downstream fjords.
- Lorenz Meire
- , Maria Lund Paulsen
- & John Mortensen
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Recent state transition of the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre
The Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre has transitioned to a state where the freshwater content has plateaued and the cold halocline layer has thinned, as a result of variation in the regional wind forcing.
- Peigen Lin
- , Robert S. Pickart
- & Takashi Kikuchi
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Submarine terraced deposits linked to periodic collapse of caldera-forming eruption columns
Submarine terraced deposits of some caldera-forming explosive eruptions result from periodic collapses of the eruption column and can be used to estimate their source eruption rate, according to an analysis of such terraces and analogue experiments.
- Johan T. Gilchrist
- , A. Mark Jellinek
- & Sean Wanket
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News & Views |
Simplifying climate complexity
The El Niño Southern Oscillation strongly impacts climate, but its variability remains difficult to predict. A conceptual model based on shifting circulation patterns offers a simple explanation for this complex behaviour.
- Antonietta Capotondi
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ENSO complexity controlled by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation
A simple conceptual model suggests that the complex behaviour of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation can be explained by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation.
- Sulian Thual
- & Boris Dewitte
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Atmospheric and oceanic circulation altered by global mean sea-level rise
Climate model simulations suggest that atmospheric and oceanic circulation are modified by spatially uniform changes in global sea level.
- Zhongshi Zhang
- , Eystein Jansen
- & Zhengtang Guo
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Article
| Open Access
Crevasse refreezing and signatures of retreat observed at Kamb Ice Stream grounding zone
Observations from a remotely operated underwater vehicle reveal crevasse refreezing and the fine-scale variability in ice and ocean structure at the Kamb Ice Stream grounding line in West Antarctica.
- J. D. Lawrence
- , P. M. Washam
- & B. E. Schmidt
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Pacific shoreline erosion and accretion patterns controlled by El Niño/Southern Oscillation
The El Niño/Southern Oscillation drives coherent patterns of beach erosion and accretion around the Pacific Rim, according to analysis of satellite imagery covering over 8,300 km of sandy coastline.
- Kilian Vos
- , Mitchell D. Harley
- & Kristen D. Splinter
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Article
| Open Access
Carbon dioxide sink in the Arctic Ocean from cross-shelf transport of dense Barents Sea water
Accounting for deep, cross-shelf carbon export into the Nansen Basin increases the carbon sequestration of the Barents Sea region of the Arctic Ocean by some 30%, according to numerical modelling supported by observational data.
- Andreas Rogge
- , Markus Janout
- & Anya M. Waite
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Annual variations in phytoplankton biomass driven by small-scale physical processes
Annual variations of phytoplankton biomass can be explained by processes acting on small spatio-temporal scales, according to a global analysis of satellite observations of sea surface chlorophyll and temperature from 1999 to 2018.
- M. G. Keerthi
- , C. J. Prend
- & M. Lévy
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Research Briefing |
Air temperature — not just ocean warming — affects submarine melting of Greenland glaciers
Melting of the edges of the Greenland ice sheet by the ocean since 1979 is — counterintuitively — controlled almost as much by air temperature as by ocean temperature.
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Article
| Open Access
Submarine melting of glaciers in Greenland amplified by atmospheric warming
Atmospheric variability can amplify ocean-driven submarine melting of marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland, according to an analysis of observations and models from 1979 to 2018.
- D. A. Slater
- & F. Straneo
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News & Views |
Lingering end to a salinity crisis
Modelling indicates that a return to fully normal marine conditions in the Mediterranean following the flooding that ended the Messinian Salinity Crisis was delayed by salt transfers and temporarily enhanced stratification.
- Angelo Camerlenghi
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Sill-controlled salinity contrasts followed post-Messinian flooding of the Mediterranean
Flooding of the desiccated Mediterranean ~5 Myr ago resulted in east–west differences in salinity stratification, which delayed the return of normal marine conditions throughout the basin, according to proxy records and model simulations.
- Udara Amarathunga
- , Andrew McC. Hogg
- & Stewart Gilmore
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Mid-Pliocene El Niño/Southern Oscillation suppressed by Pacific intertropical convergence zone shift
Suppressed El Niño/Southern Oscillation variability during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period was caused mainly by a northward displacement of the intertropical convergence zone, according to an analysis of a large ensemble of climate model simulations.
- Gabriel M. Pontes
- , Andréa S. Taschetto
- & Arthur M. Oldeman
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Lag in response of coastal barrier-island retreat to sea-level rise
Coastal evolution simulations suggest that the modern retreat of coastal barrier islands is controlled by cumulative sea-level rise over the past several centuries and will accelerate by 50% within a century, even if sea-level rise remains at present rates.
- Giulio Mariotti
- & Christopher J. Hein
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Research Briefing |
Closed ocean gateways in the Canadian archipelago are key to glaciation in Scandinavia
In a simulation with a state-of-the-art climate model, obstruction of the ocean gateways in the Canadian archipelago due to ice-sheet growth reroutes currents and alters North Atlantic Ocean conditions, permitting glacial inception in Scandinavia. This mechanism could help to explain periods of rapid ice-sheet growth in Earth’s history.
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The importance of Canadian Arctic Archipelago gateways for glacial expansion in Scandinavia
Infilling of Canadian Arctic ocean gateways by the Laurentide Ice Sheet probably triggered Scandinavian glaciation during the last glacial inception by increasing North Atlantic freshwater inputs, according to coupled ice-sheet–climate-model simulations.
- Marcus Lofverstrom
- , Diane M. Thompson
- & Esther C. Brady
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Intense upper ocean mixing due to large aggregations of spawning fish
Large groups of spawning fish can induce upper ocean mixing on the same scale as geophysical processes, according to observations of small-scale turbulence caused by anchovy spawning aggregations in a coastal upwelling area.
- Bieito Fernández Castro
- , Marian Peña
- & Beatriz Mouriño-Carballido
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Matters Arising |
Atlantic circulation change still uncertain
- K. Halimeda Kilbourne
- , Alan D. Wanamaker
- & Nina M. Whitney
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Article
| Open Access
El Niño/Southern Oscillation inhibited by submesoscale ocean eddies
Submesoscale ocean eddies inhibit the growth of La Niña and El Niño events, according to an analysis of long-term high-resolution global climate simulations.
- Shengpeng Wang
- , Zhao Jing
- & Haiyuan Yang
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Stress, rigidity and sediment strength control megathrust earthquake and tsunami dynamics
Tsunamis generated by megathrust earthquakes are controlled by regional-scale structural heterogeneity, according to numerical modelling based on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
- Thomas Ulrich
- , Alice-Agnes Gabriel
- & Elizabeth H. Madden
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Direct astronomical influence on abrupt climate variability
Millennial-scale climate oscillations can arise from orbital forcing alone during relatively stable glacial climate states, according to an analysis of high- and low-latitude climate proxy records as well as climate modelling.
- Xu Zhang
- , Stephen Barker
- & Fahu Chen
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Zonal wave 3 pattern in the Southern Hemisphere generated by tropical convection
The zonal wave 3 circulation pattern in the Southern Hemisphere is driven by tropical convection, according to results from an atmospheric general circulation model.
- Rishav Goyal
- , Martin Jucker
- & Matthew H. England
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News & Views |
Big potential for tiny droplets
Sea spray droplets contribute to the exchange of gases between the oceans and atmosphere. Accounting for this spray-mediated pathway may provide more accurate modelling of air–sea interactions and the ocean response to climate change.
- Magdalena D. Anguelova
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The role of sea spray in atmosphere–ocean gas exchange
At high winds, above 18 metres per second, sea-spray droplets act as a pathway for atmosphere–ocean gas exchange, especially in regions such as the Southern Ocean, according to a chemically modified microphysical model.
- Allison Staniec
- , Penny Vlahos
- & Edward C. Monahan
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Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake
Slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation from 2004 to 2012 led to a decrease in its relative contribution to North Atlantic carbon accumulation, while the supply from air–sea fluxes increased, according to an analysis of ocean mooring circulation observations.
- Peter J. Brown
- , Elaine L. McDonagh
- & Marie-José Messias
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Distinct sources of interannual subtropical and subpolar Atlantic overturning variability
Wind stress controls annual variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation at mid-latitudes, while surface buoyancy also matters at subpolar latitudes, according to an attribution analysis using a numerical model constrained by observational array data.
- Yavor Kostov
- , Helen L. Johnson
- & Timothy Smith
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Matters Arising |
Climate did not drive Common Era Maldivian sea-level lowstands
- Christopher G. Piecuch
- , Andrew C. Kemp
- & Aron J. Meltzner
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Atlantic Equatorial Undercurrent intensification counteracts warming-induced deoxygenation
Recent strengthening of the Equatorial Undercurrent counteracts warming-induced deoxygenation in the equatorial Atlantic, according to an analysis of long-term moored observations.
- Peter Brandt
- , Johannes Hahn
- & Marcus Dengler
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A pole-to-equator ocean overturning circulation on Enceladus
Enceladus’s interior ocean could sustain a pole-to-equator overturning circulation, which might mean its bulk salinity is greater than that estimated from plume sampling by Cassini, according to numerical simulations.
- Ana H. Lobo
- , Andrew F. Thompson
- & Saikiran Tharimena
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News & Views |
Fidelity of turbidites as earthquake records
Turbidites record ground motion in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. Recent events are now revealing how turbidites record earthquakes, but turbidites are triggered in many ways, and testing if ancient turbidites are earthquake-triggered remains challenging.
- Peter J. Talling
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Brief Communication |
Current Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakest in last millennium
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is currently distinctly weaker than it has been for the last millennium, according to a synthesis of proxy records derived from a range of techniques.
- L. Caesar
- , G. D. McCarthy
- & S. Rahmstorf
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Atlantic and Pacific tropics connected by mutually interactive decadal-timescale processes
Atmospheric Walker circulation results in a two-way interaction between decadal-scale sea surface temperature variability in the Atlantic and Pacific, according to pacemaker climate modelling experiments.
- Gerald A. Meehl
- , Aixue Hu
- & Nan Rosenbloom
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Recent recovery of Antarctic Bottom Water formation in the Ross Sea driven by climate anomalies
Interacting atmospheric circulation patterns are responsible for a recent reversal of a decades-long decline in deepwater formation on the Antarctic shelf, according to an analysis of in situ and remote sensing data from the Ross Sea.
- Alessandro Silvano
- , Annie Foppert
- & Alison M. Macdonald
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Interannual variations in meltwater input to the Southern Ocean from Antarctic ice shelves
Meltwater entering the Southern Ocean from Antarctic ice shelves varies substantially from year to year, with consequences for Southern Ocean circulation and climate, according to remote sensing estimates of ice-shelf basal melting rates.
- Susheel Adusumilli
- , Helen Amanda Fricker
- & Matthew R. Siegfried
Critical turbidity thresholds for maintenance of estuarine tidal flats worldwide