Tinted detail of a photo: Huge breaking wave with spray streaming back from its crest in front of dark cliffs topped by a house and telegraph poles, under a gloomy sky.
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Ocean Sciences

OS Research

A guide to open hydrographic data in the Southern Ocean: seals, floats and ships

A guide to open hydrographic data in the Southern Ocean: seals, floats and ships

How do you study an ocean that is difficult to reach, frequently covered by sea ice, and far from most research institutions? Collecting observations is one challenge. Finding the measurements that already exist can be another. Temperature and salinity profiles reveal how seawater properties change with depth, helping oceanographers identify water masses and investigate the …[Read More]

An archipelago as a natural laboratory: Pioneering ocean monitoring network in the Canary Islands

An archipelago as a natural laboratory: Pioneering ocean monitoring network in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are often shown as a group of small dots in the vast Atlantic Ocean. However, across only a few tens of kilometres, their surrounding waters can shift from sheltered coastal bays and energetic inter-island channels to the open subtropical ocean. This strong environmental contrast makes the archipelago an ideal natural laboratory for …[Read More]

Looks can be deceiving: Why high coral cover does not always mean high reef productivity

Looks can be deceiving: Why high coral cover does not always mean high reef productivity

When most people imagine a coral reef, they picture clear, warm, sunny tropical waters. However, the coral communities of Hong Kong live in a vastly different setting. In the shadows of one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world, these corals persist under highly turbid conditions, receiving relatively little light over the year. …[Read More]

When the atmosphere moves the sea: Meteotsunami waves

When the atmosphere moves the sea: Meteotsunami waves

Meteotsunamis or meteorological tsunamis are globally occurring progressive shallow water waves with a period of between 2 to 120 minutes which results from an air-sea interaction. They tend to be initiated by sudden pressure changes and wind stress from moving atmospheric systems with sources ranging from convective clouds, cyclones, squalls, thunderstorms, atmospheric gravity waves and …[Read More]

More Than a Rain Gauge: When Salt Starts Steering the Sea

More Than a Rain Gauge: When Salt Starts Steering the Sea

Posted in: Ocean Sciences | Reviews & Perspectives | Ocean Science Jubilee Special Issue We usually think of ocean salinity as the ocean’s rain gauge. Rain, rivers, and melting ice freshen the surface; evaporation leaves it saltier. Seen from space, these changing patterns reveal how Earth’s water cycle is evolving, with wet regions generally becoming …[Read More]