Sea-ice microalgae are unicellular organisms that can convert the solar light energy into chemical energy for producing organic matter via a complex physiological process known as photosynthesis. Continue reading Let there be light
Ever heard of the Keeling Curve? It is the earliest continuous time-series of atmospheric CO2 concentrations, measured by the scientists Charles David Keeling in Mauna Loa, Hawaii. It was the first evidence that atmospheric CO2 concentrations were rising year after year, and it was the first indication that human activities may be responsible. Continue reading Atmospheric CO2 Measurements in the Arctic
This motion, which we refer to as the kinetic energy of the ocean, comes from solar radiative energy and the tidal forces exerted by the sun and the moon. Terawatts of kinetic energy are injected to the ocean (1 terawatt = 1012 watts). The low viscosity of seawater and the scale of oceanic basins render the motion highly turbulent, meaning that the flow is populated with swirls of all sizes that stretch and fold the fluid on itself. Large swirl end up breaking up into smaller ones until viscous forces dissipates the kinetic into heat or potential energy. This happens when swirls are a few millimeters wide. It is easily possible to see how this happens only by looking at two fluids of different densities, say an ice cube melting at the surface of a glass filled with warm salty water that we gently mix (Fig. 1c).
