Topic description and stories

Foraminifera "Star sand" Hatoma Island - Japan

Super-slow circulation allowed world’s oceans to store huge amounts of carbon during the last ice age

27 Jun 2016

The way the ocean transported heat, nutrients and carbon dioxide at the peak of the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, is significantly different...

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Foraminifera

Melting of massive ice ‘lid’ resulted in huge release of CO2 at the end of the ice age

04 Jan 2016

A new study of how the structure of the ocean has changed since the end of the last ice age suggest that the melting of a vast ‘lid’ of sea ice...

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Left: Marine sediment core sample from the South Atlantic with fossilised partially dissolved shells of planktonic organisms. Right: Well-preserved plankton shells.

New insights into the dynamics of past climate change

14 Oct 2015

A new study finds that changing climate in the polar regions can affect conditions in the rest of the world far quicker than previously thought.

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Global chlorophyll

Bacteria in the world’s oceans produce millions of tonnes of hydrocarbons each year

05 Oct 2015

Scientists have calculated that millions of tonnes of hydrocarbons are produced annually by photosynthetic bacteria in the world’s oceans.

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A Spirobid worm feeding

The winners and losers of ocean acidification

28 Jan 2015

The population balance of some marine ‘pests’ could be drastically changed as the world’s oceans become increasingly acidic.

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What the new Whale Hall will look like once completed

Symphony of the seas: add your voice to Museum of Zoology project

11 Nov 2014

Members of the public are being asked to contribute to a symphony of the seas as part of a project to create a soundtrack for the new Whale Hall at...

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El Niño waves crash into a pier

Study reveals economic impact of El Niño

11 Jul 2014

El Niño has a significant impact on the world and local economies - and not always for the worst - and countries should plan ahead to mitigate its...

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A CT reconstruction of a foram measured at the Diamond Light Source

Reading ancient climate from plankton shells

28 Oct 2013

Climate changes from millions of years ago are recorded at daily rate in ancient sea shells, new research shows.

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Good tidings for coastal communities

23 Oct 2013

The sea sustains life but also threatens it. An innovative design concept by Ed Barsley aims to contend with rising seawater by welcoming it into our...

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Mangrove trees along a coastline, Everglades National Park.

Mangroves could survive sea-level rise if protected

31 Jul 2013

Human activity is currently a bigger threat to mangroves, and the natural defences they provide against storm surges and other coastal disasters...

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Filaments of dissolved material, stirred by turbulence

Stirring versus mixing: how turbulence affects the recycling role of the oceans

01 Nov 2012

Microscopic organisms living in the ocean play a key role in sustaining life. New research has shown how oceanic turbulence affects the ability of...

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Tabular iceberg. The production of tabular icebergs is a major mechanism of mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep

10 Aug 2012

Study successfully reconstructed temperature from the deep sea to reveal how global ice volume has varied over the glacial-interglacial cycles of the...

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