http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The song "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" from the famous film "The Sound of Music" comes to mind when looking at NASA satellite imagery of Tropical Storm Maria churning in the western North Pacific Ocean. The answer lies in increased wind shear and cool ocean temperatures – two factors that can weaken the storm, but won't be present over the next day or two. http://phys.org/news269627410.html Space & Earth Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:30:25 EST news269627410 (Phys.org)—At a meeting with New England commercial fishermen last December, physical oceanographers Glen Gawarkiewicz and Al Plueddemann from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) were alerted by three fishermen about unusually high surface water temperatures and strong currents on the outer continental shelf south of New England. http://phys.org/news269261307.html Space & Earth Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:48:36 EST news269261307 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - the semiperiodic climate event associated with warming sea surface temperatures off the coast of Peru - not only disrupts atmospheric circulations, dramatically altering weather patterns across the globe, but also may be determining the amount of fresh water stored on continents in tropical rainforests, according to a new study. http://phys.org/news269161200.html Space & Earth Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:20:01 EST news269161200 What if you woke up every day to find that the closest grocery store had moved several miles farther away from your home? Over time, you would have to travel hundreds of extra miles to find essential food for yourself and your family. This is potentially a scenario faced by thousands of marine animals affected by climate change. http://phys.org/news267699812.html Space & Earth Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:06:14 EST news267699812 (Phys.org)—Fast-flowing and narrow glaciers have the potential to trigger massive changes in the Antarctic ice sheet and contribute to rapid ice-sheet decay and sea-level rise, a new study has found. http://phys.org/news267254075.html Space & Earth Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:22:45 EST news267254075 During the first six months of 2012, sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem were the highest ever recorded, according to the latest Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Above-average temperatures were found in all parts of the ecosystem, from the ocean bottom to the sea surface and across the region, and the above average temperatures extended beyond the shelf break front to the Gulf Stream. http://phys.org/news267189526.html Space & Earth Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:19:44 EST news267189526 1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep Study successfully reconstructed temperature from the deep sea to reveal how global ice volume has varied over the glacial-interglacial cycles of the past 1.5 million years http://phys.org/news263735794.html Space & Earth Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:00:13 EST news263735794 A prominent US skeptic of the human causes of climate change, Richard Muller, has reversed course and said on Monday that he now believes greenhouse gases are responsible for global warming. http://phys.org/news262863362.html Space & Earth Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:36:09 EST news262863362 Southern California's coast is already feeling rough surf from Tropical Storm Fabio, and as the storm draws closer it is expected to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms as well. NASA's Aqua satellite peered into Fabio's clouds to see what power lurks under them, and saw only a small area of heavy rainfall remaining and the cooler waters that Fabio is now moving through. http://phys.org/news261762685.html Space & Earth Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:51:30 EST news261762685 Over the past few decades, the scientific understanding of El Nino has grown increasingly complex. Traditionally viewed as a periodic warming focused largely in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, El Nino is associated with reduced productivity in South American fisheries and changing temperature, pressure, and rainfall patterns around the world. http://phys.org/news258984317.html Space & Earth Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:05:37 EST news258984317 Typhoon Sanvu had a bad weekend. It went from Typhoon status on May 25 to an extra-tropical storm and finally into a remnant low pressure area by May 29, 2012. http://phys.org/news257529686.html Space & Earth Tue, 29 May 2012 17:01:36 EST news257529686 Scientists have predicted that ocean temperatures will rise in the equatorial Pacific by the end of the century, wreaking havoc on coral reef ecosystems. But a new study shows that climate change could cause ocean currents to operate in a surprising way and mitigate the warming near a handful of islands right on the equator. As a result these Pacific islands may become isolated refuges for corals and fish. http://phys.org/news254905365.html Space & Earth Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:00:01 EST news254905365 As ocean temperatures rise, some species of corals are likely to succeed at the expense of others, according to a report published online on April 12 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology that details the first large-scale investigation of climate effects on corals. http://phys.org/news253443775.html Biology Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:19 EST news253443775 Special conservation zones known as marine protected areas provide many direct benefits to fisheries and coral reefs. http://phys.org/news251031121.html Space & Earth Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:52:14 EST news251031121 Recent experiments conducted at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) produced striking results, showing for the first time that corals hosting a single type of "zooxanthellae" can have different levels of thermal tolerance – a feature that was only known previously for corals with a mix of zooxanthellae. http://phys.org/news246273588.html Biology Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:30:02 EST news246273588 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Delaware are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase.  http://phys.org/news243597280.html Space & Earth Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:54:55 EST news243597280 Half-mile long thermometers have been dropped through the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica that will give the world relevant data on sea and ice temperatures for tracking climate change and its effect on the glacial ice surrounding the continent. The study based at the University of Nevada, Reno is funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs and other NSF grants. http://phys.org/news243596769.html Space & Earth Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:46:23 EST news243596769 Thirteen of the warmest years recorded have occurred within the last decade and a half, the UN's World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday. http://phys.org/news241777684.html Space & Earth Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:28:16 EST news241777684 Australian scientists have thrown new light on the mechanism behind the mass death of corals worldwide as the Earth's climate warms. http://phys.org/news240831877.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:10:01 EST news240831877 There is a 50 percent chance the climatic condition known as La Nina -- which is associated with droughts in East Africa -- will return this year, the UN weather agency said Thursday. http://phys.org/news234106377.html Space & Earth Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:36:33 EST news234106377 An analysis of prehistoric "Heinrich events" that happened many thousands of years ago, creating mass discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic Ocean, make it clear that very small amounts of subsurface warming of water can trigger a rapid collapse of ice shelves. http://phys.org/news231432124.html Space & Earth Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:42:28 EST news231432124 A Montana State University researcher who analyzed 100 years of data has found a significant link between extreme Montana weather and the ocean temperatures near Peru. http://phys.org/news230543491.html Space & Earth Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:51:58 EST news230543491 Melting ice sheets contributed much more to rising sea levels than thermal expansion of warming ocean waters during the Last Interglacial Period, a UA-led team of researchers has found. The results further suggest that ocean levels continue to rise long after warming of the atmosphere has leveled off. http://phys.org/news229923407.html Space & Earth Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:37:23 EST news229923407 Scientists have uncovered a landscape of deep fjords in Antarctica, carved by millions of years of ice movement. http://phys.org/news226576112.html Space & Earth Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:00:01 EST news226576112 "You're a bit grumpy aren't you mate," says conservationist Shirleen Helps as she expertly handles a squawking penguin doing its best to peck her unprotected fingers. http://phys.org/news225088802.html Biology Fri, 20 May 2011 05:41:10 EST news225088802 Spurred by the rush to develop the Arctic's offshore oil and gas riches, scientists are unlocking some mysteries about the marine environment off Alaska's northern coast. http://phys.org/news218911891.html Biology Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:20:05 EST news218911891 (PhysOrg.com) -- In the Late Ordovician Period of Earth's geologic history, about 450 million years ago, more than 75 percent of marine species perished and Earth scientists have been seeking to discover what caused the extinction. It was the second largest in Earth's history. http://phys.org/news217257310.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:15:35 EST news217257310 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of an ocean sediment core taken from deep water off the coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula is beginning to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of climate variability in the region. http://phys.org/news216547952.html Space & Earth Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:12:55 EST news216547952 The weather pattern behind floods and extreme conditions in Australia, Asia, Africa and South America is one of the strongest ever and could last for four more months, the UN weather agency said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news215183401.html Space & Earth Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:10:46 EST news215183401 It's a tie: Last year equaled 2005 as the warmest year on record, government climate experts reported Wednesday. http://phys.org/news214062235.html Space & Earth Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:10:04 EST news214062235