Some model studies suggested that the current strengthening and poleward shift of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) westerly winds brought carbon-rich Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) to the surface and reduced ΔpCO2, weakening the anthropocentric carbon sink (e.g., Mikaloff-Fletcher, 2015). A new study, which appeared in Nature Geoscience, presented a 12,300-year reconstruction of SH westerly winds based on three... Continue Reading →
Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability
An article published in Science analyzed GPS station data collected around the West Antarctica to report a rapid uplift of the Amundsen Sea Embayment in response to ice mass loss during the recent decades. This suggests that as ice mass is lost, the crust rebounds much faster than previously expected (thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years)... Continue Reading →
A coastal coccolithophore species (O. neapolitana) maintains pH homeostasis and switches carbon sources in response to ocean acidification
According to a new article published in Nature Communications, a coastal coccolithophore species (Ochrosphaera neapolitana), which has a unique mechanism for producing coccoliths, can maintains constant pH at the calcification site, regardless of CO2-induced changes in pH of the surrounding seawater. The authors of this study cultured a coccolithophore species (Ochrosphaera neapolitana), the most prolific ocean calcifiers in the ocean, under three pCO2-controlled... Continue Reading →
Global surface warming enhanced by weak Atlantic overturning circulation
Palaeoceanographic records indicate that abrupt cooling of Northern Hemisphere during deglacial periods are linked to weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). However, a new article published in Nature argues that during a weak state of the AMOC, ocean heat is released to the atmosphere increasing the global surface temperature. This study further suggests that during... Continue Reading →
Ocean to Climate 