Latest about Rivers & Oceans
There's an acidic zone 13,000 feet beneath the ocean surface — and it's getting bigger
The carbonate compensation depth — a zone where high pressure and low temperature creates conditions so acidic it dissolves shell and skeleton — could make up half of the global ocean by the end of the century.
Tonga eruption entombed deep-sea life in ash
When Hunga erupted in 2022, ash "decimated" slow-moving species living on the seafloor. More mobile species were able to hoof it out of harm's way.
'River of tea' bleeds into sea after Hurricane Sally smashes into US coast
Earth from space A 2020 satellite photo shows "blackwater" flowing from South Carolina's Winyah Bay after Hurricane Sally made landfall and triggered flash flooding.
Discovery of 'dark oxygen' from deep-sea metal lumps could trigger rethink of origins of life
In a global first, scientists working in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the North Pacific Ocean have found that metallic nodules on the seafloor produce their own oxygen, dubbed "dark oxygen."
'Dragon' and 'tree of life' hydrothermal vents discovered in Arctic region scientists thought was geologically dead
Researchers have discovered a deep-sea hydrothermal vent field near Svalbard in an area previously assumed to be geologically inactive. The newfound vents have been named after various entities from Norse mythology.
Hot Tub of Despair: The deadly ocean pool that traps and pickles creatures that fall in
This stagnant brine pool at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is so toxic it kills and embalms any crabs and amphipods that are unlucky enough to stumble into it.
Shapeshifting rusty river winds through Madagascar's 'red lands'
Earth from space This 2018 astronaut photo shows the rust-colored waters of Madagascar's Betsiboka River winding through a complex series of mangrove islands. Both the river and islands have been altered in recent years by destructive human practices.
Ethereal algal vortex blooms at the heart of massive Baltic 'dead zone'
Earth from space In 2018, satellite images captured a stunning spiral of cyanobacteria blooming in the Baltic Sea. The swirling mass of microbes helped to create a massive "dead zone" the size of West Virginia that starved the surrounding water of oxygen.
Alaska's rivers are turning bright orange and as acidic as vinegar as toxic metal escapes from melting permafrost
Alaska's melting permafrost is dumping toxic metals into the state's rivers, turning them bright orange and making the water highly acidic. The contaminated rivers are so vibrant they can be seen from space, and the problem is likely to get much worse in the future.
The Gulf Stream stopped pumping nutrients during the last ice age — and the same could be happening now
Atlantic currents slowed dramatically during the Younger Dryas period. By reconstructing those ancient ocean conditions, scientists think they can forecast changes over the next century.
