Physical oceanography articles from across Nature Portfolio

Our simulations identified how small, swirling ocean eddies carry and mix warm water beneath Thwaites ice cavities in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica. Much like how storms in the atmosphere batter coastlines, these energetic eddies enhanced mixing at the ice-shelf base and substantially increased submarine melting.

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation describes the most important pattern of low-frequency climate variability in the North Pacific. An analysis of sea surface temperatures reveals that, since 2014, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation’s influence has been superseded by that of basin-wide warming, producing novel expressions of ocean variability and unexpected ecological impacts.

A human-driven increase in upwelling of carbon-rich deep waters threatens the efficiency of the Southern Ocean carbon sink, which substantially mitigates global warming. Long-term observations reveal that surface freshening since the 1990s has acted as a barrier, preventing CO₂ release to the atmosphere and, temporarily, preserving the Southern Ocean’s role in slowing down climate change.

Field evidence reveals that bubble-mediated CO2 transfer favors invasion. The authors introduce an asymmetric bulk flux equation, suggesting that the global ocean may absorb ~15% more CO2 than previously estimated.

Although the Southern Ocean Meridional Circulation intensifies and shifts poleward under warming periods, the eddy compensation in the past and future is distinct due to enhanced Antarctic bottom water formation and subduction branch ventilation.

It is important to understand the combined effects of multiple changes on the ocean. Here the authors use time of emergence to highlight the increases in impacts of individual and compound changes globally from the surface to the deeper ocean, identifying areas most affected.

Indonesian Throughflow has nonlinear response to CO2, with a rapid decline after crossing a tipping point. The first tipping point may be approaching, signaling a potential climate tipping element with implications for global climate.

This study shows that global mesoscale eddy kinetic energy and sea surface temperature gradient magnitudes have shifted shoreward at ~35 km/decade since 1993, suggesting intensified oceanic mesoscale activity near the continents.

Sea-level variations form unstable sedimentary sequences by depositing interbedded fine- and coarse-grained sediments at the Baiyun Slide Complex in the South China Sea, according to seismic data analysis from the South China Sea.

Our simulations identified how small, swirling ocean eddies carry and mix warm water beneath Thwaites ice cavities in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica. Much like how storms in the atmosphere batter coastlines, these energetic eddies enhanced mixing at the ice-shelf base and substantially increased submarine melting.

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation describes the most important pattern of low-frequency climate variability in the North Pacific. An analysis of sea surface temperatures reveals that, since 2014, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation’s influence has been superseded by that of basin-wide warming, producing novel expressions of ocean variability and unexpected ecological impacts.

A human-driven increase in upwelling of carbon-rich deep waters threatens the efficiency of the Southern Ocean carbon sink, which substantially mitigates global warming. Long-term observations reveal that surface freshening since the 1990s has acted as a barrier, preventing CO₂ release to the atmosphere and, temporarily, preserving the Southern Ocean’s role in slowing down climate change.

Coral reefs are inextricably linked to their surrounding seascape, ecologically shaped by ocean circulation patterns and dependent on upwelled nutrients and planktonic subsidies. To better predict coral reef futures, we must more effectively quantify and incorporate these fundamental biophysical interactions.

Isak (aged 8, Queensland, Australia) asks Prof. Moninya Roughan how strong ocean boundary currents form.