Oceanography

World War II 'Ghost Ship' USS Kailua Found Off Coast Of Hawaii

Researchers from the University of Hawai'i (UH) and NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries today announced the discovery of an intact "ghost ship" in 2,000 feet of water nearly 20 miles off the coast of Oahu- the former cable shi ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 7 2014 - 9:00am

How Much Plastic Is Floating In The World's Oceans?

A new estimate says that microplastic and macroplastic pollution could consist of as much as 269,000 tons floating in the world's oceans. Though there has been no sufficient data to truly estimate the amount of plastic in the oceans, there has been n ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 10 2014 - 4:49pm

A Rubber Duck's Journey

In 1992, some shipping containers got washed overboard on a trip from Hong Kong to Tacoma. Among the losses was one containing 28,800 plastic bath toys known as Friendly Floatees- frogs, turtles, ducks, that kind of thing. It's not an uncommon event, ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Dec 12 2014 - 4:35pm

Migrating 'Supraglacial' Lakes Could Trigger Substantial Greenland Ice Loss

Though some see snowstorms and believe global warming has been exaggerated, a new study using predictions of Greenland ice loss and its impact on rising sea levels instead finds that other models may be greatly underestimating it.   The new estimate simul ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 15 2014 - 12:27pm

A Line In The Sea: NOAA Picks 'Tipping Points' For Sea Level Related Flooding

Predictions about specific effects of climate change were once common- but they turned out to be spectacularly wrong so there are fewer these days. In 2006, former Vice-President Al Gore said by 2016 it would be too late to do anything, while the Intergov ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 6:27pm

Ocean Acidification, The Other Carbon Dioxide Problem

Over the past decade, ocean acidification has started to receive recognition outside science, though primarily as another weapon in the 'carbon dioxide' culture war on the modern world, similar to methane being discussed this year. Politics asid ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 21 2014 - 4:56pm

Oceanlab Scientists Film Supergiant Amphipod and Deepest Fish

Oceanlab Scientists Film Supergiant Amphipod and Deepest Fish Scientists at the University of Aberdeen have set a new record for the world's deepest fish, a species of snailfish, which was filmed in the Mariana Trench this year. The new finding was j ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Dec 19 2014 - 9:58pm

True Polar Wander: Why Greenland Ice Took So Long To Develop

The ice on Greenland formed due to processes in the deep Earth interior of the Arctic, large-scale glaciations that began about 2.7 million years ago. Prior to that, the northern hemisphere was so warm it was mostly without it, and that period lasted for ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 15 2015 - 12:20pm

Ocean Currents in the South Asian Archipelago

Ocean Currents in the South Asian Archipelago The losses of AirAsia QX8501 and Malaysia Airlines MH370 are tragic.  I hope that the relatives may find some comfort in the knowledge that their loved ones will have a lasting monument in improvements in air ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Jan 9 2015 - 1:21am

Meltwater On Greenland's Ice Sheet- Small Rivers Make A Big Difference

The massive ice sheet that covers about 80 percent of Greenland is the largest single chunk of melting snow and ice in the world and for that reason it is considered the biggest potential contributor to rising sea levels due to glacial meltwater in a warm ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 12 2015 - 5:42pm