Ocean circulation refers to the large-scale, coherent movement of seawater driven primarily by wind stress, density gradients (thermohaline processes), Earth’s rotation, and basin geometry. It encompasses wind-driven gyres, western boundary currents, and the global overturning circulation that links surface and deep waters across ocean basins. Ocean circulation redistributes heat, salt, carbon, nutrients, and tracers, thereby regulating climate, biogeochemical cycles, and sea level. It is studied using in situ observations, satellite remote sensing, numerical models, and theory, with key research focusing on circulation variability, its sensitivity to forcing (e.g., greenhouse gas–induced warming and freshwater input), and associated feedbacks in the climate system.
As marine-terminating glaciers melt, the resulting freshwater is released at the seafloor, which mixes with salty seawater and influences circulation patterns. As the oceans warm, it's growing increasingly important to study ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 13, 2026
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In order to understand currents, tides and other ocean dynamics, scientists need to accurately capture sea surface height, or a snapshot of the ocean's surface, including peaks and valleys due to changes in wind, currents ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 9, 2026
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The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the system of currents responsible for shuttling warm water northward and colder, denser water to the south. This "conveyor belt" process helps redistribute heat, ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 6, 2026
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New research reveals how the speed of ocean currents and the shape of the seabed influence the amount of heat flowing underneath Antarctic ice shelves, contributing to melting.
Earth Sciences
Dec 9, 2025
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In the coming decades, climate change is likely to lead to a loss of sea ice in and an influx of warmer water to the Arctic Ocean, affecting the ocean's vertical circulation. Brown and colleagues recently investigated the ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 8, 2025
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Researchers at University of Tsukuba and the Meteorological Research Institute have identified how atmosphere–ocean interactions in the midlatitudes reinforce the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). During strong monsoon seasons, ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 2, 2025
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Melting ice in the Arctic is causing an increasing amount of freshwater to enter the North Atlantic, which is expected to result in a weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation. However, many modeling studies make ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 11, 2025
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The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), an ocean current system that transports heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic, plays a vital role in regulating the global climate. Most climate models project ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 11, 2025
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The deep ocean has long been viewed as a quiet realm, largely isolated from the dynamic processes that shape Earth's climate. However, new observations in the western equatorial Pacific have revealed robust intraseasonal ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 24, 2025
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New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on a crucial mechanism of lowering atmospheric CO2 during Earth's past ice ages.
Earth Sciences
Oct 10, 2025
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