Featured
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Tropical climate responses to projected Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice loss
Antarctic sea-ice loss causes enhanced warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific, and together with Arctic sea-ice loss accounts for 20–30% of projected warming and rainfall changes in the tropics, suggest climate model simulations.
- Mark R. England
- , Lorenzo M. Polvani
- & Clara Deser
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Article |
Bathymetry constrains ocean heat supply to Greenland’s largest glacier tongue
Ocean heat transport underneath the floating tongue of 79 North Glacier, Greenland, is controlled by a sill in the inflow channel, according to ship-based and mooring data as well as bathymetric data.
- Janin Schaffer
- , Torsten Kanzow
- & David H. Roberts
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Article |
Density-compensated overturning in the Labrador Sea
Compensation of the effects of salt and temperature changes on water density in the Labrador Sea can explain the minimal response of the Atlantic overturning circulation to convection, according to analyses of observations and reanalysis data.
- Sijia Zou
- , M. Susan Lozier
- & Laura Jackson
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Article |
Enhanced upward heat transport at deep submesoscale ocean fronts
Deep-reaching, small-scale oceanic fronts can drive upward heat transport from the ocean interior to the surface in eddy-rich regions, suggest satellite and in situ observations of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
- Lia Siegelman
- , Patrice Klein
- & Dimitris Menemenlis
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Article |
Heat accumulation on coral reefs mitigated by internal waves
Internal waves can relieve coral reef heat stress, according to an analysis that isolates the effect at different depths using a compilation of high-resolution temperature records.
- Alex S. J. Wyatt
- , James J. Leichter
- & Toshi Nagata
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Article |
West Antarctic ice loss influenced by internal climate variability and anthropogenic forcing
Anthropogenic changes in Antarctic shelf-break winds from the 1920s onwards have contributed to ice loss in the Amundsen Sea, along with natural variability, suggests an analysis of observations and model simulations.
- Paul R. Holland
- , Thomas J. Bracegirdle
- & Eric J. Steig
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Article |
Common cause for severe droughts in South America and marine heatwaves in the South Atlantic
Droughts in South America and marine heatwaves in the South Atlantic have a common remote cause, convection in the tropical oceans that triggers atmospheric blocking, suggest analyses of observations.
- Regina R. Rodrigues
- , Andréa S. Taschetto
- & Gregory R. Foltz
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Article |
Ross Ice Shelf response to climate driven by the tectonic imprint on seafloor bathymetry
The boundary between West and East Antarctica is a tectonic feature that bisects the Ross Ice Shelf. This boundary constrains ocean circulation under the ice, which affects ice stability, according to airborne survey data and ocean simulations.
- K. J. Tinto
- , L. Padman
- & R. E. Bell
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Basal melting of Ross Ice Shelf from solar heat absorption in an ice-front polynya
High melt rates in a key location beneath the Ross Ice Shelf result from a seasonal inflow of water heated in the Ross Sea Polynya, according to in situ observations.
- Craig L. Stewart
- , Poul Christoffersen
- & Julian A. Dowdeswell
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Article |
The floatability of aerosols and wave damping on Titan’s seas
Organic aerosols that sediment from Titan’s atmosphere may float, form a film and damp waves on Titan’s seas, according to computations. This damping effect could explain the observed smoothness of Titan’s seas.
- Daniel Cordier
- & Nathalie Carrasco
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Article |
Global ocean heat transport dominated by heat export from the tropical Pacific
Effective heat transport in the global ocean is dominated by heat export from the tropical Pacific, whereas seawater transport pathways play only a minor role, according to an analysis of a gridded ocean data product.
- Gaël Forget
- & David Ferreira
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Article |
Interruption of two decades of Jakobshavn Isbrae acceleration and thinning as regional ocean cools
Jakobshavn Isbrae, the largest source of ice mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet, has been re-advancing since 2016 after a decades-long retreat, reveals an analysis of airborne altimetry and satellite data. The advance coincides with regional ocean cooling.
- Ala Khazendar
- , Ian G. Fenty
- & Josh Willis
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Article |
Nutrient release to oceans from buoyancy-driven upwelling at Greenland tidewater glaciers
Glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet causes buoyancy-driven upwelling of nutrient-rich, subtropical waters from depth to the continental shelf. This nutrient transport may exceed the direct ice sheet inputs, according to geochemical analyses of transect samples from Sermilik Fjord.
- Mattias R. Cape
- , Fiammetta Straneo
- & Matthew A. Charette
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News & Views |
Warming and freshening trends
While anthropogenic influence on global climate is clear, human impact on the Southern Ocean has been difficult to pin down. A new detection and attribution study achieves just that.
- Nathaniel L. Bindoff
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Article |
Large-scale impacts of the mesoscale environment on mixing from wind-driven internal waves
Mesoscale ocean features can alter the magnitude of turbulent mixing caused by wind-driven internal waves, an analysis of Argo float and model data suggests.
- C. B. Whalen
- , J. A. MacKinnon
- & L. D. Talley
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Article |
West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat in the Amundsen Sea driven by decadal oceanic variability
Episodic melting of some Antarctic ice shelves is linked to ocean temperature cycles, according to new observations collected over 17 years near the Dotson Ice Shelf.
- Adrian Jenkins
- , Deb Shoosmith
- & Sharon Stammerjohn
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News & Views |
Constraining ocean transport
Accounting for the oceanic transport of carbon suggests that existing estimates of the location and magnitude of the land carbon sinks need to be revised.
- Andrew Lenton
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Review Article |
Drivers and mechanisms of ocean deoxygenation
Ocean oxygen loss in a warming world is strongly affected by biogeochemical processes that are not fully accounted for in ocean models, suggests a literature synthesis.
- Andreas Oschlies
- , Peter Brandt
- & Sunke Schmidtko
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Article |
Response of Pacific-sector Antarctic ice shelves to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation
Ice-shelf mass in the Amundsen Sea is influenced by El Niño events and other interannual climate variability, according to an analysis of satellite altimeter data from 1994 to 2017.
- F. S. Paolo
- , L. Padman
- & M. R. Siegfried
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News & Views |
Slow warming and the ocean see-saw
The slowdown in surface warming in the early twenty-first century has been traced to strengthening of the Pacific trade winds. The search for the causes identifies a planetary-scale see-saw of atmosphere and ocean between the Atlantic and Pacific basins.
- Yu Kosaka
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Comment |
Exploring ocean worlds on Earth and beyond
The exploration of ocean worlds in the outer Solar System offers the opportunity to search for an independent origin of life, and also to advance our capabilities for exploring and understanding life in Earth’s oceans.
- Kevin Peter Hand
- & Christopher R. German
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Article |
Subsurface iceberg melt key to Greenland fjord freshwater budget
Iceberg melt is the largest annual freshwater source in a south Greenland fjord, with release largely below 20 m depth, according to iceberg-model simulations. Furthermore, iceberg melt peaks later in the year than other sources of freshwater.
- T. Moon
- , D. A. Sutherland
- & F. Straneo
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Contribution of topographically generated submesoscale turbulence to Southern Ocean overturning
Interactions between narrow frontal currents and topography in the Drake Passage enhance bottom mixing, according to ocean glider observations. Such interactions between frontal currents and topography could help close Southern Ocean overturning.
- Xiaozhou Ruan
- , Andrew F. Thompson
- & Janet Sprintall
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Article |
Biological and physical influences on marine snowfall at the equator
Vertical migration of organisms and deep currents control the transport and characteristics of particles at the equator, according to an analysis of current and particle measurements. Particles fluxes are an important part of the ocean carbon cycle.
- R. Kiko
- , A. Biastoch
- & L. Stemmann
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Unexpected winter phytoplankton blooms in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre
Transient winter restratification events can promote phytoplankton blooms in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre, according to float data. Typical winter conditions feature a deep mixed layer that limits phytoplankton activity.
- L. Lacour
- , M. Ardyna
- & D. Iudicone
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Dynamics and early post-tsunami evolution of floating marine debris near Fukushima Daiichi
The tsunami triggered by the 2011 Tōhoku-Oki earthquake carried debris seaward. Satellite data and numerical simulations suggest that small-scale wind modifications over a smooth film-covered sea surface affected debris motions.
- John Philip Matthews
- , Lev Ostrovsky
- & Hitoshi Tamura
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Correspondence |
Getting to the bottom of the ocean
- Casimir de Lavergne
- , Gurvan Madec
- & Fabien Roquet
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Letter |
Water-mass transformation by sea ice in the upper branch of the Southern Ocean overturning
Sea-ice formation is a key factor in the lower branch of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation. Observation-based data in conjunction with a water-mass transformation framework reveal that sea ice plays a central role in the upper branch too.
- Ryan P. Abernathey
- , Ivana Cerovecki
- & Lynne D. Talley
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News & Views |
Vagaries of Atlantic overturning
A weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has emerged from noise after years of painstaking measurements. Three independent lines of evidence suggest that an anthropogenic influence on this overturning is not yet detectable.
- Thomas W. N. Haine
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Letter |
The North Atlantic Oscillation as a driver of rapid climate change in the Northern Hemisphere
The North Atlantic Oscillation has varied markedly on multidecadal timescales. Analyses of climate simulations show that these variations have contributed to Arctic sea ice loss, Northern Hemisphere warming and tropical storm activity.
- Thomas L. Delworth
- , Fanrong Zeng
- & Rong Zhang
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Letter |
Emerging impact of Greenland meltwater on deepwater formation in the North Atlantic Ocean
Freshwater release from melting polar ice could weaken the Atlantic overturning circulation. Eddy-resolving ocean simulations reveal that the freshening has not yet significantly affected meridional overturning, but an effect may emerge soon.
- Claus W. Böning
- , Erik Behrens
- & Jonathan L. Bamber
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Letter |
A reversal of climatic trends in the North Atlantic since 2005
The mid-1990s’ warming of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre was probably related to strengthened overturning. Observations and numerical models suggest that a climate reversal to a cooling trend occurred around 2005.
- Jon Robson
- , Pablo Ortega
- & Rowan Sutton
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Article |
Southern Ocean warming delayed by circumpolar upwelling and equatorward transport
Unlike the Arctic, the Southern Ocean has shown little warming. An analysis of observations and numerical simulations suggests that Southern Ocean warming patterns are shaped by meridional overturning more than surface heating.
- Kyle C. Armour
- , John Marshall
- & Emily R. Newsom
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Letter |
Partial decoupling of primary productivity from upwelling in the California Current system
Eastern boundary coastal upwelling systems are locations of high ocean productivity. Numerical simulations reveal that wind alters current- and eddy-driven nutrient supply, which affects net primary productivity in the California Current system.
- Lionel Renault
- , Curtis Deutsch
- & François Colas
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Letter |
Recent slowing of Atlantic overturning circulation as a recovery from earlier strengthening
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has weakened over the past decade. Examination of a global reanalysis that matches independent observations shows that the decline is consistent with recovery from an earlier invigoration.
- Laura C. Jackson
- , K. Andrew Peterson
- & Richard A. Wood
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Letter |
Oceanic transport of surface meltwater from the southern Greenland ice sheet
Meltwater runoff from the Greenland ice sheet alters ocean surface salinity. Numerical simulations show that meltwater from southeastern Greenland is transported to the Labrador Sea more efficiently than that from southwestern Greenland.
- Hao Luo
- , Renato M. Castelao
- & Thomas L. Mote
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Letter |
Enhanced Atlantic sea-level rise relative to the Pacific under high carbon emission rates
Different ocean basins warm at different rates in response to climate change. A coupled carbon–climate model reveals that high carbon emission rates will lead to greater sea-level rise in the Atlantic than the Pacific on centennial timescales.
- J. P. Krasting
- , J. P. Dunne
- & R. W. Hallberg
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Letter |
Amplification of El Niño by cloud longwave coupling to atmospheric circulation
The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects weather patterns worldwide. Numerical experiments with an Earth system model suggest that cloud feedbacks act to amplify ENSO variability by a factor of two or more.
- Gaby Rädel
- , Thorsten Mauritsen
- & Amy Clement
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Article |
Links between tropical Pacific seasonal, interannual and orbital variability during the Holocene
The frequency and amplitude of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation varied during the Holocene. A comparison of proxy records and model simulations suggests that any link between orbital forcing and this variability is either complex or non-existent.
- J. Emile-Geay
- , K. M. Cobb
- & A. Tudhope
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Tightly linked zonal and meridional sea surface temperature gradients over the past five million years
Global mean temperatures during the Pliocene epoch were warmer than at present, with a shallow meridional temperature gradient. Numerical simulations suggest that since the Pliocene, the meridional and zonal temperature gradients have varied in tandem.
- Alexey V. Fedorov
- , Natalie J. Burls
- & Laura C. Peterson
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Letter |
Distinct energy budgets for anthropogenic and natural changes during global warming hiatus
Closure of the Earth’s energy budget relies on strong aerosol cooling since 1998, if the same feedbacks apply for anthropogenic and natural variability. An analysis of climate model simulations suggests that these feedbacks are instead distinct.
- Shang-Ping Xie
- , Yu Kosaka
- & Yuko M. Okumura
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Letter |
Boundaries of the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone shaped by coherent mesoscale dynamics
Oxygen minimum zones exert important controls over ocean biogeochemistry. Lagrangian modelling demonstrates that the mean positions of mesoscale eddies delimit the boundaries of the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone.
- João H. Bettencourt
- , Cristóbal López
- & Véronique Garçon
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Letter |
Abrupt changes in the southern extent of North Atlantic Deep Water during Dansgaard–Oeschger events
The last glacial period was characterized by a series of abrupt climate changes. An analysis of bottom water chemistry in the South Atlantic suggests that the southern extent of North Atlantic Deep Water was reduced during abrupt coolings.
- Julia Gottschalk
- , Luke C. Skinner
- & Axel Timmermann
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Letter |
Southern Ocean buoyancy forcing of ocean ventilation and glacial atmospheric CO2
Ocean circulation and dynamics can alter atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Numerical modelling suggests that shifts in surface buoyancy loss and the location of upwelling can sequester CO2 in the Southern Ocean during glacial periods.
- Andrew J. Watson
- , Geoffrey K. Vallis
- & Maxim Nikurashin
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Coastal vulnerability across the Pacific dominated by El Niño/Southern Oscillation
The dynamic components of coastal water level can add metres to water levels during extreme events. A data synthesis reveals that Pacific regional wave and water level fluctuations are closely related to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation.
- Patrick L. Barnard
- , Andrew D. Short
- & Derek K. Heathfield
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News & Views |
Undersea river patterns
Braided channels are rare on ocean floors, but abundant on land. Experiments and theory suggest that deeper flows and rapid overbank deposition restrict braiding in underwater rivers relative to their terrestrial counterparts.
- Jeff Peakall