Scattering
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk talks about scattering, which occurs as sound bounces off bubbles, suspended particles, organisms, the surface, the bottom, or other objects. Small-scale temperature changes which act like foreign ...
Living Together: Hydrothermal Vents: Life in the Extreme
Hydrothermal vents were discovered by the submersible Alvin in 1977. They are sometimes characterized as deep ocean hot springs found thousands of feet beneath the surface. Hydrothermal vents are of great interest because of their circulation proces...
Dirty Water: Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
Many scientists are convinced that there is a connection between global climate change and the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Those who believe that global warming is a real and serious problem often cite sea level rise as one reason ...
Dirty Water: Marine Absorption of Carbon Dioxide
Many scientists believe that the greenhouse gas problem would be far worse today if the ocean didn't absorb as much carbon dioxide as it does. Some in the scientific community are looking into the feasibility of increasing the amount of carbon dioxi...
Dirty Water: Pollution in Bays and Estuaries
Among the areas hardest hit by marine pollution are bays and estuaries which, under normal circumstances, are extraordinarily productive. Estuaries are vulnerable to more than just oil spills and harbor development. They can also be harmed by the ch...
Dirty Water: Eutrophication
Among the greatest threats to estuaries and other closed bodies of water is eutrophication. This is the process by which abnormally high levels of nutrients are introduced into the environment. This can create an imbalance in the local ecosystem, wh...
Dirty Water: Urban Runoff
The amount of oil that reaches the ocean from urban runoff and other terrestrial sources greatly exceeds the oil that comes from tanker spills.