Scientists have for decades attempted to solve the ‘how’ of plate tectonics: how they move across the Earth’s mantle. Studies have shown in the past that dissolved water in mantle minerals results in a more ductile mantle that would facilitate tectonic plate motions, but clear images and data required to confirm such a theory have
Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have concluded a study to measure levels of carbon at various levels in the Arctic Ocean, providing a baseline for further understanding. The study was recently published in the journal Biogeosciences. It provides data that will help researchers in the future as they try to better
A new method to determine the age of fossilised coral reef skeletons has provided evidence that the sea level may not remain as stable in a warming world as had been previously estimated.
The recent magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan has increased the risk of earthquakes across the rest of the country, say scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Kyoto University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Over the last decade, geologists have speculated that based on certain evidence in the surrounding environment, these undersea volcanoes are capable of explosive eruptions. No one’s been able to prove it though. Until now.
“People always thought the circulation [in Greenland’s fjords] would be simple: warm waters coming into the fjords at depth, melting the glaciers. Then the mixture of warm water and meltwater rises because it is lighter, and comes out at the top. Nice and neat,” says Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution physical oceanographer Fiamma Straneo, who has now led two survey trips to Sermilik Fjord at the base of Helheim Glacier, Greenland.
