Tag: Environment

Spring 2019 Tides Expected to be Higher than Average

Ocean Science

4/17/2019 - The rising and falling of the sea is a phenomenon upon which we can always depend. Tides are the regular rise and fall of the sea surface caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun and their position relative to the earth. There are some factors that cause… SEE MORE

An annotated map of the US showing notable climate events that occurred across the country during March 2019 (NOAA NCEI)

US Experienced Coldest First Quarter in Five Years

Ocean Science

4/15/2019 - The so-called bomb cyclone that brought heavy snow, blizzard conditions and major flooding to the Midwest in March landed with a resounding meteorological "ka-boom!" and became one of two billion-dollar weather and climate disasters this year. The other was a severe storm that struck the Northeast, Southeast and Ohio Valley… SEE MORE

Homann Heirs Solar System Astronomical Chart

Myth-Busting the Tide

Ocean Science

4/3/2019 - By Jonathan White author of Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean Myths about tides abound. I gave a talk last year for a science series in my hometown, and during the Q and A, a man who I knew was an accomplished physicist asked why the tides were… SEE MORE

A small airborne campaign has been monitoring glacial changes since 2009

A Decade of Exploring Alaska’s Mountain Glaciers

Ocean Science

4/1/2019 - By Maria Jose Vinas ALASKA - In Alaska, 5 percent of the land is covered by glaciers that are losing a lot of ice and contributing to sea level rise. To monitor these changes, a small team of NASA-funded researchers has been flying scientific instruments on a bright red, single-engine… SEE MORE

Migrating Blue Whales Rely on Memory More than Environmental Cues to Find Prey

Ocean Science

3/25/2019 - Oregon State University - Blue whales reach their massive size by relying on their exceptional memories to find historically productive feeding sites rather than responding in real time to emerging prey patches, a new study concludes. Researchers examining records of both whale migration and oceanic conditions in the California Current… SEE MORE

The Billion Oyster Project returning oyster shells back into New York Harbor

Cleaning New York Harbor with One Billion Oysters

Ocean Science

3/24/2019 - By Jackie Wattles The New York Harbor for years has been polluted and depleted of marine life. But one nonprofit is working to clean the murky water and revive its long-lost ecosystem — one oyster at a time. The Billion Oyster Project has worked since 2014 to rebuild oyster reefs… SEE MORE

The view of the rising Earth as seen from Apollo 8

The Moon May be a Great Place to Make Water

Ocean Science

3/22/2019 - By Marshall Shepherd World Water Day is March 22nd, 2019, and the theme is "leave no one behind." In 2010, the United Nations (UN) established that access to water is a human right. Billions of people still live without safe drinking water, particularly marginalized groups around the world. Water is… SEE MORE

The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath, Scientists Warn

Ocean Science

3/20/2019 - By Laura Poppick Escaping predators, digestion and other animal activities—including those of humans—require oxygen. But that essential ingredient is no longer so easy for marine life to obtain, several new studies reveal. In the past decade ocean oxygen levels have taken a dive—an alarming trend that is linked to climate… SEE MORE

The final supermoon of 2019 is expected to contribute to king tides

March King Tides to be Fueled by Pull of the Supermoon

Ocean Science

3/20/2019 - By Alex Sosnowski The final supermoon of 2019 will contribute to king tides and the potential for minor coastal flooding in areas prone to high water issues in the United States this week. During the full moon, the Earth, sun and the moon are in close alignment. This pulls on… SEE MORE

Right whale researchers heading out for the day

A Day in the Life of a Right Whale Researcher

Ocean Science

3/16/2019 - By Jason Gray Jason Gray, a member of the New England Aquarium Development Team, took a trip up to Lubec, Maine, to see what it’s like to be an Anderson Cabot Center right whale researcher during field season. The knock on the door comes at 5 a.m. “Good to go!”… SEE MORE