Ocean sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    In the Earth's history, the timing of oceanic large-scale events of oxygen depletion remains poorly understood. Here, the authors show that palaeogeography was a major preconditioning factor during the Cretaceous, implying that thresholds to shift toward a global anoxia are likely to be much higher at present.

    • Yannick Donnadieu
    • , Emmanuelle Pucéat
    •  & Jean- François Deconinck

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of pan-Arctic Ocean ice shelves during peak glacials was proposed in the 1970s, an idea that has been disputed due to lack of evidence. Here, the authors present geophysical mapping data supporting the presence of such an ice shelf during the peak of the penultimate glaciation ∼140–160 ka.

    • Martin Jakobsson
    • , Johan Nilsson
    •  & Igor Semiletov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Von Damm Vent Field comprises 85–90% talc, with hydrothermal fluids of unusual chemistry at 215 °C. Here, the authors show that the mineralogy results from seawater mixing with hydrothermal fluids and the heat output may represent a mode of crustal cooling not fully accounted for in global models.

    • Matthew R. S. Hodgkinson
    • , Alexander P. Webber
    •  & Bramley J. Murton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dynamics of the Laurasian Seaway are thought to have had wide effects on oceanography and climate in the mid-Mesozoic. Here, the authors show evidence for seawater temperature change, ascribed to tectonic uplift that impeded poleward oceanic heat transport and triggered a cool climate mode in the earliest Middle Jurassic.

    • Christoph Korte
    • , Stephen P. Hesselbo
    •  & Nicolas Thibault

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-term quantification of the Angulas Leakage is difficult due to its highly variable spatio-temporal nature and sparse observations. Here, the authors combine sea surface temperature with a series of ocean and climate model simulations to construct a 145-year long time series of Agulhas leakage.

    • Arne Biastoch
    • , Jonathan V. Durgadoo
    •  & Stephen M. Griffies

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nature of the El Niño-like variability in the Atlantic Ocean and its limited predictability remain unresolved. Here, via multi-model numerical experiments, the authors show that much of the variability can be explained by the interaction of stochastic atmospheric fluctuations with the ocean mixed layer.

    • Hyacinth C. Nnamchi
    • , Jianping Li
    •  & Riccardo Farneti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unique cooling in the tropical Pacific and warming in the Indian Ocean over the past 15 years is postulated to have an effect on Asian rainfall. Here, based on a numerical modelling experiment, the authors investigate this relationship and provide insight into the atmospheric dynamics at play.

    • Hiroaki Ueda
    • , Youichi Kamae
    •  & Atsuki Kumai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its potential contribution to future sea-level rise, is a major focus of climate research. Here, the authors show that positive feedbacks involving bedrock uplift and sea surface drop, may significantly impact the timing and extent of local ice-sheet retreat.

    • Natalya Gomez
    • , David Pollard
    •  & David Holland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cause and timing of early Pliocene cooling in the Nordic Seas remains uncertain. Here, the authors present palynological data from the Norwegian and Iceland Seas that demonstrate regional cooling and the development of modern surface circulation around 4.5 Ma, likely related to Bering Strait gateway changes.

    • Stijn De Schepper
    • , Michael Schreck
    •  & Gunn Mangerud

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations causes ocean acidification, which alters marine chemical environments with unknown consequences for marine ecosystems. Here, Gao et al. show that ocean acidification increases levels of phenolic compounds in phytoplankton and zooplankton, implying a food chain impact.

    • Peng Jin
    • , Tifeng Wang
    •  & Kunshan Gao

  • Article |

    In contrast to the significant retreat of Arctic sea-ice, Antarctic sea-ice has exhibited a modest expansion in recent decades. Here, the authors employ model simulations to investigate the drivers of this unexpected trend.

    • Richard J. Matear
    • , Terence J. O’Kane
    •  & Matt Chamberlain

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tidewater glacier calving is assumed to be dependent on ice dynamics, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, Luckman et al. use satellite data to derive frontal ablation rates for dynamically contrasting Svalbard glaciers, and show that frontal ablation rate varies primarily with sub-surface ocean temperature.

    • Adrian Luckman
    • , Douglas I. Benn
    •  & Mark Inall

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lower glacial atmospheric CO2has been linked to enhanced carbon storage in the Southern Ocean, yet the associated biological and physical mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors combine diatom and radiolarian isotope measurements, and model simulations to investigate surface–subsurface processes.

    • Andrea Abelmann
    • , Rainer Gersonde
    •  & Ralf Tiedemann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-term response of marine cyanobacteria to increased anthropogenic CO2 are not known. Here, Hutchins et al. show that Trichodesmium exposed to long-term selection at elevated CO2display irreversible increases in nitrogen fixation and growth rates, even after returning to present day conditions.

    • David A. Hutchins
    • , Nathan G. Walworth
    •  & Fei-Xue Fu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The failure of a broad fringing coral reef to protect the village of Hemani from a tsunami-like wave during Typhoon Haiyan came as a destructive surprise. Here, the authors present results from a phase-resolving wave model and show that the steep reef face facilitated the release of energetic infragravity waves.

    • Volker Roeber
    •  & Jeremy D. Bricker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The contribution of anthropogenic forcing to rising sea levels during the industrial era remains uncertain. Here, the authors provide a probabilistic evaluation and show that at least 45% of global mean sea level rise is of anthropogenic origin.

    • Sönke Dangendorf
    • , Marta Marcos
    •  & Jürgen Jensen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human pressure on the ocean is thought to be increasing globally, yet the magnitude and patterns of these changes are largely unknown. Here, the authors produce a global map of change in cumulative human pressures over the past 5 years, and show that ∼66% of the ocean has experienced elevated human impact.

    • Benjamin S. Halpern
    • , Melanie Frazier
    •  & Shaun Walbridge

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Late Pliocene cooling led to the glaciation of the Northern Hemisphere, yet its trigger remains unclear. Here, the authors present neodymium and lead isotope records from the Bering Sea, and propose that the introduction of low-salinity water into the Arctic Ocean preconditioned Pliocene cooling.

    • Keiji Horikawa
    • , Ellen E. Martin
    •  & Kimitaka Kawamura

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent numerical simulations suggest that the fronts that develop along the rims of ocean eddies are stronger in winter than in summer. Here, the authors present observational confirmation, which informs how these frontal flows are formed.

    • Jörn Callies
    • , Raffaele Ferrari
    •  & Jonathan Gula

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rainfall rate of tropical cyclones is expected to increase under a warmer climate, yet likely changes in rainfall area remain unknown. Here, the authors combine satellite data and model simulations and show that rainfall area is dependent on relative sea surface temperatures.

    • Yanluan Lin
    • , Ming Zhao
    •  & Minghua Zhang

  • Article |

    An underlying assumption of palaeoceanographic proxies is that they are representative of the water properties directly above their site of deposition. Here, the authors combine high-resolution particle tracking simulations and sedimentary proxy data to challenge this assumption.

    • Erik van Sebille
    • , Paolo Scussolini
    •  & Rainer Zahn

  • Article |

    Extreme sea level rises are a threat to coastal communities, but their cause, in terms of seasonal or interannual time scales, has received little attention. Here, the authors combine observational and model data to show that one such rise in 2009–10 was caused by a 30% downturn in the Atlantic overturning circulation.

    • Paul B. Goddard
    • , Jianjun Yin
    •  & Shaoqing Zhang

  • Article |

    The microbial carbon pump may play an important role in carbon sequestration in the deep ocean, but quantifying organic matter in this dark realm is difficult. Here, the authors use fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the turnover time of fluorescent dissolved organic matter.

    • Teresa S. Catalá
    • , Isabel Reche
    •  & X. Antón Álvarez-Salgado

  • Article |

    Marine sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratios are considered a promising tool for the investigation of past modes of ocean circulation. Here, the authors present a compilation of new and existing Atlantic sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratios and interpret these data in the context of abrupt cooling during Heinrich Stadial 1.

    • Louisa I. Bradtmiller
    • , Jerry F. McManus
    •  & Laura F. Robinson

  • Article |

    Reconstructing past sea ice coverage in the Arctic is important for future climate predictions. Here, the authors present a new sea ice record from the Eurasian sector of the Arctic Ocean and report that Arctic sea ice reached its modern winter maximum for the first time 2.6 million years ago.

    • Jochen Knies
    • , Patricia Cabedo-Sanz
    •  & Antoni Rosell-Melé

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Submarine mud volcanoes are difficult to observe from the sea surface and previous recordings at depth have been short term. Here, the authors provide the first long-term monitoring from Håkon Mosby and suggest that mud volcanoes may be more important to the global methane budget than previously thought.

    • Tomas Feseker
    • , Antje Boetius
    •  & Dirk de Beer

  • Article |

    The Antarctic ice sheets contribution to rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age remains a matter of debate. Here, the authors present a suite of ice-sheet modelling experiments and conclude that the retreating Antarctic ice sheet may have contributed as much as 0.7 m per century to meltwater pulse 1A.

    • N. R. Golledge
    • , L. Menviel
    •  & R. H. Levy

  • Article |

    Detailed sea-level records beyond ~150,000 years ago are limited. Here, the authors present a radiometrically constrained sea-level record from the Red Sea, spanning five glacial cycles and examine sea-level rise rates and the effects of past global ice-volume changes on monsoon intensity.

    • K. M. Grant
    • , E. J. Rohling
    •  & F. Williams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under threat from rising ocean temperatures, yet its response to past temperature change is poorly known. Felis et al. show that the GBR experienced a much steeper temperature gradient during the last deglaciation, suggesting it may be more resilient than previously thought.

    • Thomas Felis
    • , Helen V. McGregor
    •  & Jody M. Webster

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Late Cretaceous experienced significant cooling, yet a lack of low-latitude records mean the regional extent of this cooling is poorly constrained. Linnert et al. present a TEX86sea surface temperature record from a palaeolatitude of ~35 °N and show that Late Cretaceous cooling was global in nature.

    • Christian Linnert
    • , Stuart A. Robinson
    •  & Ernest E. Russell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Arctic sea ice has been in rapid decline in recent decades, yet the impact on biogeochemical cycling is unknown due to insufficient sampling. Watanabe et al.combine year-long mooring observations with numerical models to show that an eddy-induced biological pump would be enhanced by sea ice retreat.

    • Eiji Watanabe
    • , Jonaotaro Onodera
    •  & Michio J. Kishi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Seagrass beds are effective blue-carbon sinks, yet their role as a lime mud source in the tropical carbonate factory is less well known. Here, the authors demonstrate that the species Thalassia testudinumcan significantly contribute to carbonate production via the precipitation of aragonite needles.

    • Susana Enríquez
    •  & Nadine Schubert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glacial meltwaters may help fertilize the iron-limited Polar Oceans, yet the contribution is poorly constrained. Hawkings et al.monitor iron fluxes during a full-melt season in Greenland, and propose that ice sheets provide highly reactive and potentially bioavailable iron, comparable with aeolian dust fluxes.

    • Jon R. Hawkings
    • , Jemma L. Wadham
    •  & Jon Telling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Whether all rapid climate events during the last ice age impacted the global carbon cycle is not clearly understood. Ahn and Brook present a high-resolution record of atmospheric CO2 from Antarctica and suggest that only Greenland stadials associated with massive iceberg discharge influenced atmospheric CO2.

    • Jinho Ahn
    •  & Edward J. Brook

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pumice rafts result from volcanic eruptions into and onto water, and can be extensive and potentially hazardous, but tracking their dispersal is difficult. Jutzeler et al.combine satellite imagery and an ocean model to accurately forecast pumice raft dispersal routes.

    • Martin Jutzeler
    • , Robert Marsh
    •  & Leif Karlstrom

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Global sea levels are rising as a result of climate change, but at what rate, and whether this rate is increasing is open to debate. Haigh et al.show that the earliest detection of significant increase in the rate of sea level rise can only be achieved once interannual and multidecadal variability is removed.

    • Ivan D. Haigh
    • , Thomas Wahl
    •  & Sönke Dangendorf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    El Niño Southern Oscillation has a strong impact on current strength and ocean temperatures off the western Australian coast, but long-term variability is poorly understood. Zinke et al.show a strong link between La Niña and El Niño events and decadal Leeuwin current variability in coral records since 1795.

    • J. Zinke
    • , A. Rountrey
    •  & M.T. McCulloch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation strongly influences Northern Hemisphere climate, yet its primary driver is poorly understood. Knudsen et al.analyse proxy records from the past ~450 years and show that external forcing has dominated control of the oscillation since the termination of the Little Ice Age.

    • Mads Faurschou Knudsen
    • , Bo Holm Jacobsen
    •  & Jesper Olsen

  • Article |

    Modelling studies suggest that oceanic mesoscale eddies play an important role in the global transport of heat and salt, yet there are few direct observations. Dong et al.present a method to calculate eddy transport through the use of satellite data and Argo profiles and confirm model-based estimates.

    • Changming Dong
    • , James C. McWilliams
    •  & Dake Chen

  • Article |

    Totten Glacier discharges the largest volume of ice in East Antarctica, but the mechanisms causing its recent thinning are relatively unknown. Khazendar et al.combine remote-sensing data with high-resolution ice–ocean modelling to link this recent thinning to reduced sea ice production in polynyas.

    • A. Khazendar
    • , M.P. Schodlok
    •  & M.R. van den Broeke

  • Article |

    The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is one of the largest sources of global climate variability, yet our understanding relative to the Topical Pacific mean state is poor. Here, geochemical analyses of marine plankton reveal a strong link between zonal sea-surface temperatures and ENSO variability.

    • Aleksey Yu Sadekov
    • , Raja Ganeshram
    •  & Alexander W. Tudhope

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