NOAA’s 2020 Arctic Report Card describes a region that is warming even more rapidly than scientists expected. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-report-card-2020-sea-ice-loss-extreme-wildfires…
Tag: Plankton
2020 Antarctic ozone hole among largest, deepest in recent years
This year’s ozone hole covers most of the Antarctic continent and is among the largest and deepest in recent years. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/antarctic-ozone-hole-2020-among-largest-deepest-in-recent-years…
Did this mass extinction event trigger dawn of the dinosaurs?
New research suggests that a series of huge volcanic eruptions, 233 million years ago, led to a mass extinction event that heralded the dawn of the dinosaurs. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/mass-extinction-event-trigger-dawn-of-dinosaurs…
Searching for habitable exoplanets? Look for phosphorus
Scientists develop a new way to search for potentially habitable exoplanets by measuring the amount of phosphorus in their stars. Such planets should also have abundant phosphorus – necessary for life on Earth – increasing the chances for life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/phosphorus-in-stars-and-biomarker-habitable-exoplanets…
2020 Arctic sea ice minimum 2nd lowest on record
On September 15, 2020, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent, the 2nd-lowest on record. The Arctic region in general is warming 3 times faster than the rest of the planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-sea-ice-2020-minimum-2nd-lowest-on-record…
Saharan-fed sunsets in the US
A massive Saharan dust plume is moving into the southeast US, bringing technicolor sunsets and suppressing tropical storms. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/saharan-dust-cloud-us-sunsets-june2020…
How much oxygen comes from the ocean?
At least half of Earth’s oxygen comes from the ocean. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-much-oxygen-comes-from-ocean…
NASA ocean ecosystem mission preparing to make waves
NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, or PACE, has successfully passed its design reviews and moved into its construction and testing phase, preparing to advance the fields of global ocean and atmospheric science when it launches in 2023. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nasa-ocean-ecosystem-mission.html…
Glowing Blue Waves Lighting Up SoCal Coastline Roll Into the South Bay
Crashing waves emitting a flash of neon blue have lit up darkened stretches of Southern California’s coastline this month, most recently making an appearance in the South Bay. From a report: The sporadic phenomenon — sometimes called sea sparkle — is something scientists have been studying for 120 years. It’s associated with a red tide, or an algae bloom, made up…
Warming oceans are causing marine life to shift towards the poles
Climate change is leading to lower numbers of marine life towards the equator – including mammals, birds, fish and plankton – while populations nearer the poles increase Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238538-warming-oceans-are-causing-marine-life-to-shift-towards-the-poles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…