Building Blocks: Origins of Life
There are many questions yet to be answered about how, why and where life on Earth began. There are those who believe that DNA protein-based life as we know it may have had its origins in the world of RNA.
Building Blocks: Role of Evolution in Early Life
The ability to adapt to changing or difficult conditions is clearly necessary if an organism is to be biologically successful.
Building Blocks: Role of the Ocean in Early Life
Many scientists believe that life on Earth began in the ocean, because continental areas on the early Earth did not offer the kind of conditions that would have been conducive to life.
Coasts Are Arbitrary
Geophysicist and geologist Tanya Atwater notes that the line between oceans and continents, commonly known as the coast, is actually very arbitrary and subject to change over time. She also talks about implications of gl..
Deep Connections: Deep Ocean Circulation and Global Climate
Some scientists are concerned that just as thermohaline circulation has changed significantly over time, it could change again and possibly cause abrupt climate change in both the United States and Europe.
Deep Connections: Differences Between Deep Ocean and Surface Currents
The flow of ocean currents follows predictable patterns governed by a variety of physical factors. For surface currents, which include water flow horizontally in the upper four hundred meters of the ocean, wind is the pr..
Deep Connections: Ocean Observation Systems
While tracers have proven immensely valuable as tools with which to monitor and analyze ocean circulation, the sheer size of the world ocean presents an enormous data-gathering challenge. Many oceanographers believe the ..
Deep Connections: Thermohaline Circulation
The movement of water due to differences in density is called thermohaline circulation. This process is responsible for not only the vertical movement of ocean water, but for the circulation of the global ocean as a whol..
Deep Connections: Tracers
A tracer is a property or substance that can be used to track the movement of individual water masses. While the utility of specific tracers varies according to the locale and circumstance, tracers as a group provide a ..
Deep Connections: Water Masses
Water masses are layers of water distinguished by a particular temperature and salinity. Understanding how water masses form and move around is critical in understanding global climate.