GeoLog

Biogeosciences

Imaggeo on Mondays: Curaçao’s coral coastline

Easterly trade winds can carry warm moist air to the island of Curaçao, having picked up moisture while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Lying just south of the hurricane belt, Curaçao can still suffer the effects of these storms. For the most part, though, the coast has experienced little damage, leading to great preservation of the fossil reefs that fringe its coast. The northern coast of Curaçao, w ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Autofluorescence in polar regions – how and why?

Marine picoplankton, <2 µm, are one of the most ubiquitous fauna in the open ocean. These marine microorganisms are hugely important – being responsible for a significant proportion of oceanic net primary productivity. Researchers are able to track the evolution of their genomes and the transportation of these microorganisms by analysing ice cores, which offer the potential to study the evoluti ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Just a drop in the ocean – river nutrients and Arctic plankton

The oceans are a big contributor to the global carbon cycle, with phytoplankton taking up carbon through photosynthesis and incorporating it into their shells. When these organisms die their shells sink and make a calcareous contribution to seafloor sediments. Of course, with the formation of limestone, this carbon is locked out of the atmosphere for long periods of geological time. Until recently ...[Read More]

GeoCinema Online: Oceans

This week on GeoCinema Online, we’re taking a look at all things ocean, bringing what few people see straight to your desktop – or, for that matter, any other shiny viewing device you may posses! Take a dive and find out what plankton get up to in the microscopic world beyond our vision, what corals and communities lie in the cold deep and how oceanographers are working to better under ...[Read More]