Ocean currents are large-scale, persistent movements of seawater driven primarily by wind stress, density gradients (thermohaline circulation), Earth’s rotation, and basin geometry. They form interconnected surface and deep circulatory systems that redistribute heat, salt, nutrients, and dissolved gases across ocean basins. Major surface currents, organized into gyres, are largely wind-driven and Coriolis-deflected, while deep currents follow density-controlled pathways linked to water mass formation at high latitudes. Ocean currents modulate regional and global climate, influence marine biogeochemical cycles, and are central to coupled ocean–atmosphere dynamics represented in numerical circulation and climate models.
In the last few decades, Arctic sea ice has receded ever further, including increasingly in winter when the extent of sea ice is at its most prominent. One of the main drivers of this development is thought to be the warming ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
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For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean's overall warming, fueling debate among scientists. A new study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of a major ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 21, 2025
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In a UNSW-led Nature study, researchers say that an off-the-scale marine heat wave in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2023 was caused by record-breaking weak winds combined with increased solar radiation—all on the back of ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 4, 2025
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In the southern flanks of the Indian Ocean and the central and eastern Pacific, just north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, lie the Subantarctic Mode Waters. As part of the global ocean conveyor belt, these large masses ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 2, 2025
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The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, commonly referred to as the "AMOC," is a system of ocean currents confined to the Atlantic basin that plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate by transporting heat ...
Earth Sciences
May 29, 2025
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In the Atlantic Ocean, a system of currents carries vast amounts of warm, salty surface water northward. As this water reaches higher latitudes and becomes colder, it sinks and joins a deep, southward return flow. This cycle, ...
Earth Sciences
May 28, 2025
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A little-known ocean current surrounds Antarctica, shielding it from warm water farther north. But our new research published in Geophysical Research Letters shows Antarctica's melting ice is disrupting this current, putting ...
Earth Sciences
May 23, 2025
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The detection of energy signals from strong winter storms in the North Atlantic Ocean that travel through Earth's core could enhance understanding of our solar system, according to new research from The Australian National ...
Planetary Sciences
May 10, 2025
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Sound waves travel through different types of matter, including liquid water. Importantly, the movement of ocean water can greatly affect how sound waves travel from one point to another.
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2025
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The ocean is a vital part of our planet's climate system. Through its global circulation patterns, the ocean draws vast quantities of our planet's heat and carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Earth Sciences
Apr 4, 2025
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