Geology News
Atlantic Ocean Current Events

Research at the University of Southampton determined that the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull supplied dissolved iron to a large area of the North Atlantic. This stimulated photoplankton growth but the abundance of iron caused the rapid removal of biological nitrate which applied a throttle on the phytoplankton.

Dave Petley shares some aerial photographs of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge taken from a helicopter over Iceland.

“Waters from the Atlantic Ocean washed southward across parts of Anegada, east-northeast of Puerto Rico, during a singular event a few centuries ago, [creating] inland fields of cobbles and boulders. [...] Hypothetically, the overwash resulted from the Antilles tsunami of 1690, the transatlantic Lisbon tsunami of 1755, a local tsunami not previously documented, or a storm whose effects exceeded those of Hurricane Donna.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

CNN has a photo gallery that contains a variety of images that document the impact and continuing recovery from Superstorm Sandy.

NOAA is publishing regular updates on Hurricane Sandy. Their website has track maps and advisories that are updated frequently.

Hurricane Sandy has moved across Cuba, hit the Bahamas and is now moving towards the eastern coast of the United States. If it clashes with a cold front moving from Canada towards the east coast the impact could be severe.

Hundreds of earthquakes under El Hierro in the Canary Islands could be a sign that a new magma body is moving beneath this volcanic island.

“Tropical Depression Twelve strengthened into Tropical Storm Leslie on August 30, 2012. On September 5, Leslie became the sixth Atlantic hurricane of the 2012 season, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.

This interesting article reviews some of the world’s important chokepoints for the transport of crude oil.

From the article: “Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes, some so narrow that restrictions are placed on the size of the vessel that can navigate through them. They are a critical part of global energy security due to the high volume of oil traded through their narrow straits.”

Warm summer temperatures have been melting the ice pack on the Northwest Passage (a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian Archipelago).

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image pair showing the Passage on July 17 with heavy ice cover and the Passage on August 3 with significantly reduced ice cover.

Related: What is the Northwest Passage?

The “Stuart R. Stidolph Diatom Atlas” has been published for free online viewing by the United States Geological Survey. It is a comprehensive volume of diatom taxa identified and micrographed by Stuart Stidoph.

A German submarine damaged by depth charges was found on the sea floor about 70 miles east of Nantucket. Researchers discovered the sub after a long search using side-scan sonar.

“The Atlantis Massif, an undersea mountain, or seamount, formed in a very different way than the majority of the seafloor in the oceans. Unlike volcanic seamounts, which are made of the basalt that’s typical of most of the seafloor, Atlantis Massif includes rock types that are usually only found much deeper in the ocean crust, such as gabbro and peridotite.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

“This visualization shows ocean surface currents around the world during the period from June 2005 through December 2007. The visualization does not include a narration or annotations; the goal was to use ocean flow data to create a simple, visceral experience.” Quoted from the NASA visualization release.

Pale green patterns tinted the water along the Namibian coast in late February 2012. But unlike other bright hues that occasionally show up in the ocean, these colors didn’t result from a phytoplankton bloom. [...] The sediments in the local seafloor are also rich with organic matter. When organic matter decays in an oxygen-poor environment, hydrogen sulfide emissions can result.

Marine treasure hunters claim to have located the SS Port Nicholson, a Britsh ship that was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1942. It was carrying over $2 billion in precious metals and industrial diamonds.

“Four months after it began, the underwater volcanic eruption off El Hierro Island persists [...] measurements of the sea floor by the Instituto Oceanográfico Español showed that the volcano’s summit is now only 120 meters beneath the ocean surface—10 meters higher than it was in mid January.

USGS has released a large number of coastal topography data sets for the eastern coast and Gulf of Mexico acquired using lidar technology.

“ESA satellites show that a large dome of fresh water has been building up in the Arctic Ocean over the last 15 years. A change in wind direction could cause the water to spill into the north Atlantic, cooling Europe.” Quote from the ESA website.