Observations from deep ocean robots and historic data from research vessels have heightened confidence that parts of the global deep ocean are warming at a rate of 0.0036–0.0072°F (0.002–0.004°C) each year.
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In the mid- and high latitudes, ocean currents drive most changes in sea surface temperatures over long periods of time, overpowering atmospheric influences by two to three times. In subtropical regions, atmospheric forces have more influence.
The ocean is the flywheel that propels the climate system, storing huge amounts of heat and carbon in a vast reservoir that covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface. Measuring changes in that heat ...
In the tropical Pacific, year-to-year changes in chlorophyll is dominated by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. El Niño can sharply reduce the regional supply of nutrients, limiting phytoplankton growth. GFDL’s new Earth System Model captures not only the onset and extent of chlorophyll anomalies during El Niño events, but also a pronounced post-El Niño “chlorophyll rebound” that produces positive equatorial Pacific chlorophyll anomalies in the summer following El Niño events.
Analysis of measurements taken during NOAA research flights in 2017 indicates that emissions from a single source, a magnesium refinery, may be responsible for a significant fraction of the fine particles that form the dense winter brown clouds hanging over Salt Lake City.
A new paper quantifies the role played by phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean, which moderates climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and transporting carbon to the ocean depths.
After the eruption of Mauna Loa Volcano on November 27, 2022, Mauna Loa Observatory staff restored limited power to four key observatory buildings by augmenting existing solar generation and adding battery systems.