oceanography

12 Stories

As They Got to the Seafloor, He 'Knew We Were Making History'

Explorer, retired Navy Capt. Don Walsh, part of first crew to reach deepest part of ocean, is dead at 92

(Newser) - Retired Navy Capt. Don Walsh, an explorer who in 1960 was part of a two-man crew that made the first voyage to the deepest part of the ocean—to the "snuff-colored ooze" at the bottom of the Pacific's Mariana Trench—has died. He was 92. Walsh died Nov....

California's Waves Are Getting Bigger
In California, 13-Foot
Waves Are a 'Harbinger'
new study
Aug 4, 2023 1:15 PM CDT

In California, 13-Foot Waves Are a 'Harbinger'

Study says giant swells have become more common, with signs pointing to climate change

(Newser) - Waves are getting bigger, and surf at least 13 feet tall is becoming more common off California's coast as the planet warms, according to innovative new research that tracked the increasing height from historical data gathered over the past 90 years. Oceanographer Peter Bromirski at the Scripps Institution of...

Deep-Sea Explorer Went as Low as You Can Go in 5 Oceans

Vescovo is now considering a space mission

(Newser) - The Molloy Deep, 3.4 miles below the surface of the Arctic Ocean, has two things in common with the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean: It's the deepest spot in that ocean, and Victor Vescovo is the only person who has ever been there. Vescovo, a 53-year-old...

Professor Predicted This Debris Scenario Last Year

And Charitha Pattiaratchi may be right

(Newser) - While the world reels at news that debris washed ashore on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean may be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, there's one person who's not surprised. Charitha Pattiaratchi, an oceanography professor at the University of Western Australia, created models last year that showed...

Cousteau Grandson Spending October Underwater

Fabien Cousteau looks to break grandfather's record

(Newser) - While you're spending October planning what candy you'll hand out on Halloween, Fabien Cousteau will be spending the month underwater. He's aiming to spend a record-breaking 31 days in the deep blue, surfacing on October 31, on the 50th anniversary of his grandfather Jacques Cousteau's record-setting...

Whale Poop Does Oceans of Good

Whale feces replenish carbon and nitrogen in world's oceans

(Newser) - Hope floats, and so, too, does whale poop. In fact, we should be thankful for whale poop's buoyant nature, marine scientists say, as the “flocculent fecal plumes" of the world's largest animals are one of the more important sources of nutrients for the oceans, reports Wired . While...

Stunning Finds at Antarctic Deep-Sea Vents

Ghost octopus, 'Hasselhoff crab' among new species found

(Newser) - Stunned scientists taking their first-ever look at deep-sea vents in the ocean that surrounds Antarctica spotted new species clustered in vast numbers 8,000 feet below. A new species of yeti crab—dubbed the "Hasselhoff crab" because of its hairy chest—was found in huge piles near the outflow,...

Hitchcock's Birds Mystery Solved

Kamikaze California seabirds were poisoned, researchers say

(Newser) - The real-life mystery that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller The Birds has been solved, researchers say. Hitchcock is said to have largely based the film on a bizarre incident in 1961, when flocks of crazed seabirds slammed into homes in California's Monterey Bay. Researchers now believe that, rather...

Lousy Weather Forecasts May Be Pirates' Fault

Scientists can't collect ocean data, ask US, Australia for help

(Newser) - Scientists have asked the American and Australian navies to help them deploy robots in a vast area of the Indian Ocean that pirates have made too dangerous for ordinary vessels. Deep-ocean robotic buoys play a vital role in climate change studies and weather forecasts, but researchers say pirate activity has...

Titanic Expedition Releases New Images

Hurricane forces expedition to take cover

(Newser) - A team of experts working to " virtually raise the Titanic " with robotic cameras and cutting-edge acoustic technology has released fresh images of the wreck. The expedition, which is probing the wreck to gather a full inventory of artifacts, has used robots to take high-resolution pictures of the ship's...

New Expedition to 'Virtually Raise' Titanic

Scientists will create 3D map of deteriorating wreck

(Newser) - Scientists plan to "virtually raise the Titanic" next month in what's being billed as the most advanced expedition yet to the wreck. A team of some of the world's leading archeologists, oceanographers, and other scientists will visit the site to assess the state of the shipwreck and create a...

Gulf Oil Spill Fallout Baffles Scientists

Scientists have little experience with oil from below

(Newser) - The Gulf oil spill will affect all living things in the area—but determining what those consequences will be is stumping the best minds in environmental science. There's never been an oil spill of the magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon accident on the ocean floor, and data is scarce on...

12 Stories