ocean

In a groundbreaking discovery, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed intriguing details about a distant exoplanet, sparking a debate among scientists about its potential habitability. The exoplanet, known as TOI-270 d, lies approximately 70 light-years away and boasts twice the radius of Earth.Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope exposed the presence of water vapour, methane, and carbon dioxide in the exoplanet's atmosphere, suggesting a composition consistent with a colossal water world.…

Credit: NOAA Photo Library/Animalia, CC BY The Great Southern Australian Coastal Upwelling System is an upward current of water over vast distances along Australia's southern coast. It brings nutrients from deeper waters to the surface. This nutrient-rich water supports a rich ecosystem that attracts iconic species like the southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) and blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda).…

Seven European organisations have teamed up to build a prototype ocean energy device that could power tropical islands with virtually limitless, consistent, renewable energy.    The technology is called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). It generates electricity by harnessing the temperature difference between sun-warmed surface water and the cold depths of the ocean. OTEC systems transfer heat from warm surface waters to evaporate a low-boiling point fluid like ammonia, creating steam…

On Tuesday, India introduced four crew members for its maiden Gaganyaan space voyage, as it aims to become the world's fourth country to send a crewed mission into space, just months after a historic landing on the south pole of the moon.Gaganyaan, or "sky craft" in Hindi, is the first mission of its kind for India and will cost about 90.23 billion rupees ($1.5 billion Cdn). It involves the launch of a habitable space capsule over the next year to an orbit of 400 kilometres, and its return via a landing in the Indian…

As It Happens6:13More than 100 possible new marine species discovered in a single deepsea expeditionDuring a research expedition off the coast of Chile, Erin Easton says her colleagues were constantly showing her some amazing new sea creature they'd just discovered."It would just be, like, 'Erin, Erin, Erin, look!'" Easton, a marine scientist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal."It is beyond my wildest dreams of what we could have expected. It felt like every time we went…

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…

Scientists are sounding the alarm that a crucial component of the planet’s climate system is in gradual decline and could one day reach a tipping point that would radically alter global weather patterns.The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that circulate water in the Atlantic Ocean like a conveyor belt, helping to redistribute heat and regulate global and regional climates. New research, however, warns that the AMOC is weakening under a warming climate, and could…

New research has identified oceanic transform faults as significant, previously underestimated sinks for CO2, challenging existing notions about the Earth’s geological carbon cycle. This research emphasizes the crucial role of natural geological emissions in shaping Earth’s climate history and highlights the need for a deeper understanding of these processes in the context of addressing contemporary climate change. Above is a cut slice of altered mantle rock. Credit: Solvin ZanklStudying a rock is like reading a book. The…

Humans are intrinsically connected to the environment, and, on most of the planet, their impact on the Earth is easily seen. But what about the corners of the ocean that are shrouded in darkness and almost impossible to visit? This lack of accessibility creates a disconnect between us and marine ecosystems. Despite having the necessary technology, the ocean mostly remains a mystery – we have more detailed maps of the surface of Mars, Venus and the moon than we do of the deep seafloor of our home planet. Consequently,…

The graph shows how the pH of global ocean waters decreased between 1982 and 2022—this means that the ocean has become 18% more acidic over 40 years. The pH stripes give a visual impression of the change (pink and purples on the right being more acidic). Credit: ETH Zurich (data source: OceanSODA-ETHZ) Playing a huge role in moderating the climate, oceans are fundamental to the functioning of our planet. Understanding more…