Atlantic

Samples were collected during expeditions conducted in 2018 by researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and the University of Southampton (UK). This dark-gray rock is a volcanic basalt deposit. Credit: IO-USPThis section of the South Atlantic seabed harbors abundant cobalt, nickel, and lithium, along with tellurium and various rare earth elements crucial for the energy transition. The researchers intend to further investigate its natural processes.Research conducted by scientists from the…

One parcel of water will take about 1,000 years to travel the full length of the AMOC. Credit: Sara Levine | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Since the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was first monitored in 2004, it has been the focus of thousands of scientific papers and even a blockbuster movie that grossed more than $552 million worldwide. …

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have discovered that increased meltwater in the North Atlantic can trigger a chain of events leading to hotter and drier European summers. The paper, which is published in the open access journal Weather and Climate Dynamics, suggests that European summer weather is predictable…

The Gibraltar subduction zone’s slow activity, revealed by new research, indicates it may soon accelerate and contribute to the closing of the Atlantic Ocean, marking a significant phase in the Earth’s geological evolution. This finding underscores the importance of subduction invasion in shaping our planet and highlights the potential for significant seismic activity in the area. Credit: NASAThe Earth’s lithosphere is divided into multiple tectonic plates, which are continuously moving. This movement leads to the…

A study predicts the extension of the Gibraltar Strait subduction zone into the Atlantic, potentially creating an Atlantic ring of fire in about 20 million years. Utilizing advanced computational models, this research sheds light on the dynamic nature of oceanic life cycles and the formation of new subduction zones. It offers new insights into the Gibraltar subduction zone’s activity and its implications for seismic activity, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and the study of subduction invasion as a key process…

According to findings by physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt, a gravastar could look like a matryoshka doll. Credit: Daniel Jampolski and Luciano Rezzolla Einstein's inexhaustible field equations just keep on predicting weird stellar objects, and the latest one is a doozy—so strap on your helmet, inside of which is another helmet, encasing still yet another helmet. This headgear is modeled on a weird solution to the field…

Maps showing the evolution of the Gibraltar subduction zone from 30 million years ago to 50 million years into the future. From Duarte et al., 2024. Credit: João C. Duarte Our planet's lithosphere is broken into several tectonic plates. Their configuration is ever-shifting as supercontinents are assembled and broken up, and oceans form, grow, and then start to close in what is known as the Wilson cycle.…

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Superstorms, abrupt climate shifts and New York City frozen in ice. That’s how the blockbuster Hollywood movie “The Day After Tomorrow” depicted an abrupt shutdown of the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation and the catastrophic consequences.While Hollywood’s vision was over the top, the 2004 movie raised a serious question: If global warming shuts down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which…

Last year a concerning study suggested one of Earth's major ocean currents is racing towards collapse. Unfortunately, new data now backs that up."The temperature, sea level and precipitation changes will severely affect society, and the climate shifts are unstoppable on human time scales," the authors of the latest study warn in an article for The Conversation.That's a terrifying prospect, and one of the most important parts of the new study is an early warning system, identified by Utrecht University oceanographer René…

The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission captured a significant algae bloom around the Falkland Islands in 2023, underscoring the role of ocean currents in supporting marine ecosystems and showcasing the satellites’ vital environmental monitoring functions. Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2023), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOIn November 2023, the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission documented a vast algae bloom around the Falkland Islands, highlighting the interplay between oceanic currents that fuel these…