Ocean Sciences

A modern take on the 19th-century scientific expeditions: cruise MSM104/1

Eduardo Queiroz Alves July 7, 2022

Sunset onboard RV Maria S Merian (Credit: Eduardo Queiroz Alves)

“Every ship that navigates the high seas, with these charts and blank abstract logs on board, may henceforth be regarded as a floating observatory, a temple of science.” Matthew Fontaine Maury This is a joint post, published together with the climate sciences division blog and the ocean sciences division blog. The ocean has always been important for humanity, with trade and war being just two exam ...[Read More]

OceanTalk with Karen J. Heywood

Elizabeth Siddle April 1, 2022

Karen smiles on the left by the ship railing, with the open ocean behind

Karen J. Heywood during a research cruise. (Credit: Karen J. Heywood)

Karen J. Heywood FRS is a Professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of East Anglia, UK. Karen was president of EGU’s Ocean Sciences division from 2016-2021. Can you tell us about your background and career path? I did a physics degree back in the early 1980’s, and then wanted to apply that to something in the environment – when I heard about oceanography it appealed to me straight ...[Read More]

The fragile connection of the Ocean and the Cryosphere – a story from the past

Hayat Nasirova March 25, 2022

The primordial Earth. (Credit: Simone Marchi/SwRI)

Compared to the formation and evolution of the Earth’s surface, the ancient oceans receive little attention in geological history. However, understanding the rise and fall of the oceans of the past—or “ghost oceans”—can reveal crucial information about the evolution of our planet, the cryosphere included. Can oceans play a historical role in climate change? If water bodies had not existed, would w ...[Read More]

Connecting the Networks for a better Understanding of the Ocean

Arvind Singh June 25, 2021

Arvind Singh sampling seawater in the Indian Ocean (Credit: Arvind Singh)

Research in many scientific disciplines can be done singlehandedly by learning from the printed pages, solving complex equations and analyzing the data while sitting alone in an office. But observational ocean science research demands an involved team effort to get meaningful insights of the ocean. This is primarily because: The Ocean is vast – it is humanly impossible for anyone to conduct resear ...[Read More]