oceanography

‘Coastal uplift’ exposes coral and kills marine life, as residents say shorelines extended by up to 200 metres A powerful earthquake that killed at least 61 people in the Philippines this week raised the seabed by as much as 2 metres (6.6 feet), exposing coral and harming marine life, the environment department said on Sunday. At least 40 people are still missing after the 7.8-magnitude tremor in…

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02004-2 Carbon dioxide hydrates on the seafloor are sustained by the venting of liquid CO2 associated with volcanic activity near Mayotte Island, according to observations from remotely operated vehicles and geochemical analyses.

Sentinel-6 satellite data shows strengthening warm-water waves in the Pacific, pointing to the likely arrival of El Niño and its global weather impacts later in 2026. Several months before an El Niño develops, large waves of warmer, elevated water travel eastward across the Pacific Ocean. Satellite observations in 2026 have detected several of these waves. [...]

Scientific Reports, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-54843-z Wave energy converters as offshore wind farm guardians: a pathway to resilient ocean systems

With $54M and a SpaceX playbook, Seattle's Endurance races to tap deep-sea volcanic power Read More

Nature Communications, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74249-9 This study shows that atmospheric rivers (ARs) influence marine heatwaves in a seasonally dependent manner, driven by imbalances between AR-induced turbulent and radiative heat fluxes under varying seasonal background states.

Nowhere else on the planet has such a large swath of ocean been studied as thoroughly and for so long, and much of our modern approach to oceanography can be traced back to this hidden gem.

The Atlantic's enigmatic "cold blob" has once again been linked to a weakening of key ocean currents and a devastating climate tipping point.

IntroductionIndonesia has designated 15 National Priority Lakes (Presidential Regulation No. 60/2021), yet quantitative baselines to assess sedimentation threats remain insufficient for most watersheds. This study evaluates Volume Development (VD) trajectories as early warning indicators of basin infilling in the Three Mahakam Lakes (Jempang, Melintang, Semayang)—a flood-pulsed tropical lake comp…

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01982-7 Increased hydrothermal iron inputs from mid-ocean ridges, triggered by ice-age sea-level falls, supported higher surface primary productivity during the last two glacial terminations, according to proxy records of nutrient consumption in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02017-x Sediment records from the eastern equatorial Pacific suggest that deglacial increases in hydrothermal iron release from East Pacific Rise volcanism, enhanced by earlier ice-age sea-level fall, boosted phytoplankton nutrient consumption. The findings point to a possible Earth system feedback linking sea level, mid-oc…

For eight days, a kilometer of fiber-optic cable on the floor of Monterey Bay became a temporary nervous system for one of the West Coast’s major submarine canyons. The portable seafloor sensing system, deployed at roughly 380 meters depth in Monterey Bay, operated autonomously for eight days and detected all 32 earthquakes in the U.S.… The post How lightweight AI startup Lightscline turns one to…

Hydrothermal vents are among the strangest ecosystems on Earth: eerie places where the planet’s deep heat and chemicals mingle with ocean water to support thriving networks of bizarre lifeforms that don’t need sunlight to survive. Stranger still, sometimes short-lived versions of these ecosystems form when asteroids slam into Earth—including the space rock that killed off non-avian dinosaurs 66 m…

Seattle's Allen Institute for AI has launched Shippy, a free AI agent built on its Skylight ocean-monitoring platform that answers maritime analysts' plain-language questions using live vessel-tracking and satellite data. Read More

Researchers say the Arctic Ocean crossed a biological tipping point in 2009, when nitrate levels in the water suddenly started dropping due to a drastic reduction in sea ice extent.

Scientists have explored space and mapped much of Earth, yet blue holes remain largely mysterious. A recent dive revealed discoveries that scientists are still trying to understand.

In honor of this annual U.N. event, we are highlighting our coverage of ocean research and education initiatives at the Columbia Climate School and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.