Ocean | Environment.org

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 28 June 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02036-9

Observational data suggest a dramatic increase in the salinity contrast between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans over the course of the past half-century. Ocean dynamical processes driven by winds and warming, in addition to surface freshwater fluxes, make important contributions to basin-scale changes in ocean salinity.
Nature Climate Change…

Coastal sink outpaces open ocean

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 March 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-01968-6

The ocean stores about 30% of the carbon emitted by human activities, regulating atmospheric CO2 levels and the Earth’s climate. Research suggests that this uptake of CO2 has strengthened much faster in coastal ocean waters than in the open ocean due to enhanced biological activity.
Nature Climate Change…

Ocean warming and warning

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01921-z

Oceans, covering more than 70% of Earth’s surface, play a vital role in regulating the climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide. Now research shows oceans have warmed by more than 1.5 °C since the beginning of the industrial era, challenging previous estimates and emphasizing the urgency of global action.
Nature Climate Change…

Eddy activity in the Arctic Ocean projected to surge in a warming world

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01908-w

Ocean eddies impact circulation, heat and gas fluxes between the ocean and the atmosphere. Modelling how warming will alter their occurrence in the Arctic shows that sea ice decline and increased baroclinic instability drive an increase in eddy kinetic energy.
Nature Climate Change…

Antarctic shelf ocean warming and sea ice melt affected by projected El Niño changes

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 February 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01610-x

How the shelf ocean around Antarctica changes with warming is not well known. Here, the authors show that a projected increase in El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability accelerates warming of the Antarctic shelf ocean but slows warming around the sea ice edges, thus influencing ice melt.
Nature Climate Change…