Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-31-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-31-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Jan 2024
Research article |
| 16 Jan 2024
| 16 Jan 2024
Assessing the drift of fish aggregating devices in the tropical Pacific Ocean
Philippe F. V. W. Frankemölle
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Marine and Fluvial Systems, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
Peter D. Nooteboom
Department of Physics, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Centre for Complex Systems Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Joe Scutt Phillips
Oceanic Fisheries Programme, Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia
Lauriane Escalle
Oceanic Fisheries Programme, Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia
Simon Nicol
Oceanic Fisheries Programme, Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia
Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
Erik van Sebille
Department of Physics, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Centre for Complex Systems Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Jimena Medina-Rubio, Madlene Nussbaum, Ton S. van den Bremer, and Erik van Sebille
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3287, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3287, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Ocean Science (OS).
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We tracked the paths of novel, ultra-thin ocean drifters in the southern North Sea for over two months. By analysing their motion alongside environmental data, we identified how tides, wind, and waves each influence their movement. Using machine learning, we improved trajectory predictions, offering new insights into surface transport in coastal seas.
Shilpa Lal, Sophie Cravatte, Christophe Menkes, Jed Macdonald, Romain LeGendre, Ines Mangolte, Cyril Dutheil, Neil Holbrook, and Simon Nicol
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3281, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3281, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Ocean Science (OS).
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This paper characterizes historical (1981–2023) marine heatwaves in the tropical southwestern Pacific, where they pose a challenge for marine resource dependent Islands. Heatwaves are distinguished as a function of their spatial extent, signature at the coast, and seasonality, to allow a better understanding of their impacts on ecosystems. Marine heatwaves are getting longer and more frequent, with greater spatial extents. Our results aim to inform the Pacific Islands on their vulnerability.
Erik van Sebille, Celine Weel, Rens Vliegenthart, and Mark Bos
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3131, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3131, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscience Communication (GC).
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Many climate scientists intuitively fear their credibility decreases when they engage in advocacy. We find that the opposite is the case. By surveying almost 1,000 Dutch adults, we found that the credibility of a fictional climate scientists who wrote an article about the greening of gardens was higher when that text included advocacy statements, compared to when it was 'neutral'. This is because personalization increases the goodwill of readers for the academic who writes a text.
Aike Vonk, Mark Bos, and Erik van Sebille
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2216, 2025
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Research institutes communicate scientific findings through press releases, which journalists use to write news articles. We examined how journalists use content from press releases about ocean plastic research. Our findings show that they closely follow the press releases story, primarily quoting involved scientists without seeking external perspectives. Causing the focus to stay on researchers, personalizing science rather than addressing the broader societal dimensions of plastic pollution.
Vesna Bertoncelj, Furu Mienis, Paolo Stocchi, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 21, 945–964, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-945-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-945-2025, 2025
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This study explores ocean currents around Curaçao and how land-derived substances like pollutants and nutrients travel in the water. Most substances move northwest, following the main current, but at times, ocean eddies spread them in other directions. This movement may link polluted areas to pristine coral reefs, impacting marine ecosystems. Understanding these patterns helps inform conservation and pollution management around Curaçao.
Nieske Vergunst, Tugce Varol, and Erik van Sebille
Geosci. Commun., 8, 67–80, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-8-67-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-8-67-2025, 2025
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We developed and evaluated a board game about sea level rise to engage young adults. We found that the game positively influenced participants' perceptions of their impact on sea level rise, regardless of their prior familiarity with science. This study suggests that interactive and relatable activities can effectively engage audiences on climate issues, highlighting the potential for similar approaches in public science communication.
Mark V. Elbertsen, Erik van Sebille, and Peter K. Bijl
Clim. Past, 21, 441–464, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-441-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-441-2025, 2025
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This work verifies the remarkable finds of late Eocene Antarctic-sourced iceberg-rafted debris on the South Orkney Microcontinent. We find that these icebergs must have been on the larger end of the size scale compared to today’s icebergs due to faster melting in the warmer Eocene climate. The study was performed using a high-resolution model in which individual icebergs were followed through time.
Siren Rühs, Ton van den Bremer, Emanuela Clementi, Michael C. Denes, Aimie Moulin, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 21, 217–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-217-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-217-2025, 2025
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Simulating the transport of floating particles on the ocean surface is crucial for solving many societal issues. Here, we investigate how the representation of wind-generated surface waves impacts particle transport simulations. We find that different wave-driven processes can alter transport patterns and that commonly adopted approximations are not always adequate. This suggests that ideally coupled ocean–wave models should be used for surface particle transport simulations.
Claudio M. Pierard, Siren Rühs, Laura Gómez-Navarro, Michael C. Denes, Florian Meirer, Thierry Penduff, and Erik van Sebille
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3847, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3847, 2024
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Particle-tracking simulations compute how ocean currents transport material. However, initialising these simulations is often ad-hoc. Here, we explore how two different strategies (releasing particles over space or over time) compare. Specifically, we compare the variability in particle trajectories to the variability of particles computed in a 50-member ensemble simulation. We find that releasing the particles over 20 weeks gives variability that is most like that in the ensemble.
Anna Leerink, Mark Bos, Daan Reijnders, and Erik van Sebille
Geosci. Commun., 7, 201–214, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-201-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-201-2024, 2024
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Climate scientists who communicate to a broad audience may be reluctant to write in a more personal style, as they assume that it hurts their credibility. To test this assumption, we asked 100 Dutch people to rate the credibility of a climate scientist. We varied how the author of the article addressed the reader and found that the degree of personalization did not have a measurable impact on the credibility of the author. Thus, we conclude that personalization may not hurt credibility.
Frances Wijnen, Madelijn Strick, Mark Bos, and Erik van Sebille
Geosci. Commun., 7, 91–100, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-91-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-7-91-2024, 2024
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Climate scientists are urged to communicate climate science; there is very little evidence about what types of communication work well for which audiences. We have performed a systematic literature review to analyze what is known about the efficacy of climate communication by scientists. While we have found more than 60 articles in the last 10 years about climate communication activities by scientists, only 7 of these included some form of evaluation of the impact of the activity.
Tor Nordam, Ruben Kristiansen, Raymond Nepstad, Erik van Sebille, and Andy M. Booth
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5339–5363, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5339-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5339-2023, 2023
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We describe and compare two common methods, Eulerian and Lagrangian models, used to simulate the vertical transport of material in the ocean. They both solve the same transport problems but use different approaches for representing the underlying equations on the computer. The main focus of our study is on the numerical accuracy of the two approaches. Our results should be useful for other researchers creating or using these types of transport models.
Lena Mareike Thöle, Peter Dirk Nooteboom, Suning Hou, Rujian Wang, Senyan Nie, Elisabeth Michel, Isabel Sauermilch, Fabienne Marret, Francesca Sangiorgi, and Peter Kristian Bijl
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 35–56, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-35-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-35-2023, 2023
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Dinoflagellate cysts can be used to infer past oceanographic conditions in the Southern Ocean. This requires knowledge of their present-day ecologic affinities. We add 66 Antarctic-proximal surface sediment samples to the Southern Ocean data and derive oceanographic conditions at those stations. Dinoflagellate cysts are clearly biogeographically separated along latitudinal gradients of temperature, sea ice, nutrients, and salinity, which allows us to reconstruct these parameters for the past.
Stefanie L. Ypma, Quinten Bohte, Alexander Forryan, Alberto C. Naveira Garabato, Andy Donnelly, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 18, 1477–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1477-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1477-2022, 2022
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In this research we aim to improve cleanup efforts on the Galapagos Islands of marine plastic debris when resources are limited and the distribution of the plastic on shorelines is unknown. Using a network that describes the flow of macroplastic between the islands we have identified the most efficient cleanup locations, quantified the impact of targeting these locations and showed that shorelines where the plastic is unlikely to leave are likely efficient cleanup locations.
Reint Fischer, Delphine Lobelle, Merel Kooi, Albert Koelmans, Victor Onink, Charlotte Laufkötter, Linda Amaral-Zettler, Andrew Yool, and Erik van Sebille
Biogeosciences, 19, 2211–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2211-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2211-2022, 2022
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Since current estimates show that only about 1 % of the all plastic that enters the ocean is floating at the surface, we look at subsurface processes that can cause vertical movement of (micro)plastic. We investigate how modelled algal attachment and the ocean's vertical movement can cause particles to sink and oscillate in the open ocean. Particles can sink to depths of > 5000 m in regions with high wind intensity and mainly remain close to the surface with low winds and biological activity.
Victor Onink, Erik van Sebille, and Charlotte Laufkötter
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 1995–2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-1995-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-1995-2022, 2022
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Turbulent mixing is a vital process in 3D modeling of particle transport in the ocean. However, since turbulence occurs on very short spatial scales and timescales, large-scale ocean models generally have highly simplified turbulence representations. We have developed parametrizations for the vertical turbulent transport of buoyant particles that can be easily applied in a large-scale particle tracking model. The predicted vertical concentration profiles match microplastic observations well.
Mikael L. A. Kaandorp, Stefanie L. Ypma, Marijke Boonstra, Henk A. Dijkstra, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 18, 269–293, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-269-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-269-2022, 2022
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A large amount of marine litter, such as plastics, is located on or around beaches. Both the total amount of this litter and its transport are poorly understood. We investigate this by training a machine learning model with data of cleanup efforts on Dutch beaches between 2014 and 2019, obtained by about 14 000 volunteers. We find that Dutch beaches contain up to 30 000 kg of litter, largely depending on tides, oceanic transport, and how exposed the beaches are.
Peter D. Nooteboom, Peter K. Bijl, Christian Kehl, Erik van Sebille, Martin Ziegler, Anna S. von der Heydt, and Henk A. Dijkstra
Earth Syst. Dynam., 13, 357–371, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-13-357-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-13-357-2022, 2022
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Having descended through the water column, microplankton in ocean sediments represents the ocean surface environment and is used as an archive of past and present surface oceanographic conditions. However, this microplankton is advected by turbulent ocean currents during its sinking journey. We use simulations of sinking particles to define ocean bottom provinces and detect these provinces in datasets of sedimentary microplankton, which has implications for palaeoclimate reconstructions.
C. Kehl, R. P. B. Fischer, and E. van Sebille
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., V-4-2021, 217–224, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-4-2021-217-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-4-2021-217-2021, 2021
Rebeca de la Fuente, Gábor Drótos, Emilio Hernández-García, Cristóbal López, and Erik van Sebille
Ocean Sci., 17, 431–453, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-431-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-431-2021, 2021
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Plastic pollution is a major environmental issue affecting the oceans. The number of floating and sedimented pieces has been quantified by several studies. But their abundance in the water column remains mostly unknown. To fill this gap we model the dynamics of a particular type of particle, rigid microplastics sinking rapidly in open sea in the Mediterranean. We find they represent a small but appreciable fraction of the total sea plastic and discuss characteristics of their sinking motion.
David Wichmann, Christian Kehl, Henk A. Dijkstra, and Erik van Sebille
Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 28, 43–59, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-28-43-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-28-43-2021, 2021
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Fluid parcels transported in complicated flows often contain subsets of particles that stay close over finite time intervals. We propose a new method for detecting finite-time coherent sets based on the density-based clustering technique of ordering points to identify the clustering structure (OPTICS). Unlike previous methods, our method has an intrinsic notion of coherent sets at different spatial scales. OPTICS is readily implemented in the SciPy sklearn package, making it easy to use.
Chris S. M. Turney, Richard T. Jones, Nicholas P. McKay, Erik van Sebille, Zoë A. Thomas, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, and Christopher J. Fogwill
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3341–3356, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3341-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3341-2020, 2020
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The Last Interglacial (129–116 ka) experienced global temperatures and sea levels higher than today. The direct contribution of warmer conditions to global sea level (thermosteric) are uncertain. We report a global network of sea surface temperatures. We find mean global annual temperature anomalies of 0.2 ± 0.1˚C and an early maximum peak of 0.9 ± 0.1˚C. Our reconstruction suggests warmer waters contributed on average 0.08 ± 0.1 m and a peak contribution of 0.39 ± 0.1 m to global sea level.
Linda K. Dämmer, Lennart de Nooijer, Erik van Sebille, Jan G. Haak, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Clim. Past, 16, 2401–2414, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2401-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2401-2020, 2020
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The compositions of foraminifera shells often vary with environmental parameters such as temperature or salinity; thus, they can be used as proxies for these environmental variables. Often a single proxy is influenced by more than one parameter. Here, we show that while salinity impacts shell Na / Ca, temperature has no effect. We also show that the combination of different proxies (Mg / Ca and δ18O) to reconstruct salinity does not seem to work as previously thought.
David Wichmann, Christian Kehl, Henk A. Dijkstra, and Erik van Sebille
Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 27, 501–518, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-27-501-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-27-501-2020, 2020
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The surface transport of heat, nutrients and plastic in the North Atlantic Ocean is organized into large-scale flow structures. We propose a new and simple method to detect such features in ocean drifter data sets by identifying groups of trajectories with similar dynamical behaviour using network theory. We successfully detect well-known regions such as the Subpolar and Subtropical gyres, the Western Boundary Current region and the Caribbean Sea.
Mirjam van der Mheen, Erik van Sebille, and Charitha Pattiaratchi
Ocean Sci., 16, 1317–1336, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1317-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1317-2020, 2020
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A large percentage of global ocean plastic enters the Indian Ocean through rivers, but the fate of these plastics is generally unknown. In this paper, we use computer simulations to show that floating plastics
beachand end up on coastlines throughout the Indian Ocean. Coastlines where a lot of plastic enters the ocean are heavily affected by beaching plastic, but plastics can also beach far from the source on remote islands and countries that contribute little plastic pollution of their own.
Erik van Sebille, Philippe Delandmeter, John Schofield, Britta Denise Hardesty, Jen Jones, and Andy Donnelly
Ocean Sci., 15, 1341–1349, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-1341-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-1341-2019, 2019
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The Galápagos Archipelago and Galápagos Marine Reserve are among the world's most iconic wildlife refuges. Yet, plastic litter is now found even in this remote archipelago. It is unclear where this plastic originates from. In this study, we show that remote coastal sources of plastic pollution are fairly localized and limited to South American and Central American coastlines. Identifying how plastic ends up in the Galápagos aids integrated management opportunities to reduce plastic pollution.
Philippe Delandmeter and Erik van Sebille
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 3571–3584, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3571-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3571-2019, 2019
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Parcels is a framework to compute how ocean currents transport
stuffsuch as plankton and plastic around. In the latest version 2.0 of Parcels, we focus on more accurate interpolation schemes and implement methods to seamlessly combine data from different sources (such as winds and currents, possibly in different regions). We show that this framework is very efficient for tracking how microplastic is transported through the North Sea into the Arctic.
Fabrice Ardhuin, Yevgueny Aksenov, Alvise Benetazzo, Laurent Bertino, Peter Brandt, Eric Caubet, Bertrand Chapron, Fabrice Collard, Sophie Cravatte, Jean-Marc Delouis, Frederic Dias, Gérald Dibarboure, Lucile Gaultier, Johnny Johannessen, Anton Korosov, Georgy Manucharyan, Dimitris Menemenlis, Melisa Menendez, Goulven Monnier, Alexis Mouche, Frédéric Nouguier, George Nurser, Pierre Rampal, Ad Reniers, Ernesto Rodriguez, Justin Stopa, Céline Tison, Clément Ubelmann, Erik van Sebille, and Jiping Xie
Ocean Sci., 14, 337–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-337-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-337-2018, 2018
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The Sea surface KInematics Multiscale (SKIM) monitoring mission is a proposal for a future satellite that is designed to measure ocean currents and waves. Using a Doppler radar, the accurate measurement of currents requires the removal of the mean velocity due to ocean wave motions. This paper describes the main processing steps needed to produce currents and wave data from the radar measurements. With this technique, SKIM can provide unprecedented coverage and resolution, over the global ocean.
Michael Lange and Erik van Sebille
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 4175–4186, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4175-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4175-2017, 2017
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Here, we present version 0.9 of Parcels (Probably A Really Computationally Efficient Lagrangian Simulator). Parcels is an experimental prototype code aimed at exploring novel approaches for Lagrangian tracking of virtual ocean particles in the petascale age. The modularity, flexibility and scalability will allow the code to be used to track water, nutrients, microbes, plankton, plastic and even fish.
Chris S. M. Turney, Christopher J. Fogwill, Jonathan G. Palmer, Erik van Sebille, Zoë Thomas, Matt McGlone, Sarah Richardson, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Pavla Fenwick, Violette Zunz, Hugues Goosse, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Lionel Carter, Mathew Lipson, Richard T. Jones, Melanie Harsch, Graeme Clark, Ezequiel Marzinelli, Tracey Rogers, Eleanor Rainsley, Laura Ciasto, Stephanie Waterman, Elizabeth R. Thomas, and Martin Visbeck
Clim. Past, 13, 231–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-231-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-231-2017, 2017
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The Southern Ocean plays a fundamental role in global climate but suffers from a dearth of observational data. As the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013–2014 we have developed the first annually resolved temperature record using trees from subantarctic southwest Pacific (52–54˚S) to extend the climate record back to 1870. With modelling we show today's high climate variability became established in the ~1940s and likely driven by a Rossby wave response originating from the tropical Pacific.
Christopher J. Fogwill, Erik van Sebille, Eva A. Cougnon, Chris S. M. Turney, Steve R. Rintoul, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Graeme F. Clark, E. M. Marzinelli, Eleanor B. Rainsley, and Lionel Carter
The Cryosphere, 10, 2603–2609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2603-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2603-2016, 2016
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Here we report new data from in situ oceanographic surveys and high-resolution ocean modelling experiments in the Commonwealth Bay region of East Antarctica, where in 2010 there was a major reconfiguration of the regional icescape due to the collision of the 97 km long iceberg B09B with the Mertz Glacier tongue. Here we compare post-calving observations with high-resolution ocean modelling which suggest that this reconfiguration has led to the development of a new polynya off Commonwealth Bay.
Paulina Cetina-Heredia, Erik van Sebille, Richard Matear, and Moninya Roughan
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-53, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-53, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Characterizing phytoplankton growth influences fisheries and climate. We use a lagrangian approach to identify phytoplankton blooms in the Great Australian Bight (GAB), and associate them with nitrate sources. We find that 88 % of the nitrate utilized in blooms is originated between the GAB and the SubAntarctic Front. Large nitrate concentrations are supplied at depth but do not reach the euphotic zone often. As a result, 55 % of blooms utilize nitrate supplied in the top 100 m.
Related subject area
Approach: Numerical Models | Properties and processes: Overturning circulation, gyres and water masses
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Qibang Tang, Zhongya Cai, and Zhiqiang Liu
Ocean Sci., 21, 1291–1301, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1291-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1291-2025, 2025
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The South China Sea is the largest semi-enclosed marginal sea in the western Pacific, featuring unique layered circulation with rotating currents in its upper, middle, and deep layers. This study uses simulations to explore how stronger currents in the upper layer influence circulation across the entire basin. The vorticity analyses show that the enhanced upper currents increase the strength of middle and deep currents, driven by changes in bottom pressure and cross-slope movements.
Ciara Pimm, Andrew J. S. Meijers, Dani C. Jones, and Richard G. Williams
Ocean Sci., 21, 1237–1253, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1237-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1237-2025, 2025
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Subantarctic mode water in the South Pacific Ocean is important due to its role in the uptake and transport of anthropogenic heat and carbon. The Subantarctic mode water region can be split into two pools using mixed-layer-depth properties. Sensitivity experiments are used to understand the effects of heating and wind on each pool. It is found that the optimal conditions to form large amounts of Subantarctic mode water in the South Pacific are local cooling and upstream warming combined.
Linus Vogt, Jean-Baptiste Sallée, and Casimir de Lavergne
Ocean Sci., 21, 1081–1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1081-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1081-2025, 2025
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The ocean buffers human-induced climate change by taking up excess heat from the atmosphere. In this study, we use an ensemble of global climate models to study the physical processes which set the efficiency at which this heat is stored in the ocean. We reconcile previous attempts to explain controls on this efficiency and find that Southern Ocean stratification is a key model property due to its influence on the local overturning circulation and its connection to the subpolar North Atlantic.
Oliver John Tooth, Helen Louise Johnson, and Chris Wilson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1132, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1132, 2025
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The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (SPG) forms dense water as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. To explore the factors controlling dense water formation around the SPG, we trace the pathways of virtual water parcels in a high-resolution ocean model. We show that the amount of dense water formed around the SPG depends principally on the availability of light waters flowing northward, such that a stronger SPG circulation results in more dense water formation along-stream.
Hendrik Großelindemann, Frederic S. Castruccio, Gokhan Danabasoglu, and Arne Biastoch
Ocean Sci., 21, 93–112, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-93-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-93-2025, 2025
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This study investigates the Agulhas Leakage and examines its role in the global ocean circulation. It utilises a high-resolution Earth system model and a preindustrial climate to look at the response of the Agulhas Leakage to the wind field and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its evolution under climate change. The Agulhas Leakage could influence the stability of the AMOC, whose possible collapse would impact the climate in the Northern Hemisphere.
Olivier Narinc, Thierry Penduff, Guillaume Maze, Stéphanie Leroux, and Jean-Marc Molines
Ocean Sci., 20, 1351–1365, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1351-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1351-2024, 2024
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This study examines how the ocean's chaotic variability and atmospheric fluctuations affect yearly changes in North Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) properties, using an ensemble of realistic ocean simulations. Results show that while yearly changes in STMW properties are mostly paced by the atmosphere, a notable part of these changes are random in phase. This study also illustrates the value of ensemble simulations over single runs in understanding oceanic fluctuations and their causes.
Eike E. Köhn, Richard J. Greatbatch, Peter Brandt, and Martin Claus
Ocean Sci., 20, 1281–1290, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1281-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1281-2024, 2024
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The latitudinally alternating zonal jets are a ubiquitous feature of the ocean. We use a simple model to illustrate the potential role of these jets in the formation, maintenance, and multidecadal variability in the oxygen minimum zones, using the eastern tropical North Atlantic oxygen minimum zone as an example.
René M. van Westen and Henk A. Dijkstra
Ocean Sci., 20, 549–567, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-549-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-549-2024, 2024
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The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an important component in the global climate system. Observations of the present-day AMOC indicate that it may weaken or collapse under global warming, with profound disruptive effects on future climate. However, AMOC weakening is not correctly represented because an important feedback is underestimated due to biases in the Atlantic's freshwater budget. Here we address these biases in several state-of-the-art climate model simulations.
Yavor Kostov, Marie-José Messias, Herlé Mercier, David P. Marshall, and Helen L. Johnson
Ocean Sci., 20, 521–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-521-2024, 2024
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We examine factors affecting variability in the volume of Labrador Sea Water (LSW), a water mass that is important for the uptake and storage of heat and carbon in the Atlantic Ocean. We find that LSW accumulated in the Labrador Sea exhibits a lagged response to remote conditions: surface wind stress, heat flux, and freshwater flux anomalies, especially along the pathways of the North Atlantic Current branches. We use our results to reconstruct and attribute historical changes in LSW volume.
Kristin Burmeister, Franziska U. Schwarzkopf, Willi Rath, Arne Biastoch, Peter Brandt, Joke F. Lübbecke, and Mark Inall
Ocean Sci., 20, 307–339, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-307-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-307-2024, 2024
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We apply two different forcing products to a high-resolution ocean model to investigate their impact on the simulated upper-current field in the tropical Atlantic. Where possible, we compare the simulated results to long-term observations. We find large discrepancies between the two simulations regarding the wind and current fields. We propose that long-term observations, once they have reached a critical length, need to be used to test the quality of wind-driven simulations.
Cara Nissen, Ralph Timmermann, Mathias van Caspel, and Claudia Wekerle
Ocean Sci., 20, 85–101, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-85-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-85-2024, 2024
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The southeastern Weddell Sea is important for global ocean circulation due to the cross-shelf-break exchange of Dense Shelf Water and Warm Deep Water, but their exact circulation pathways remain elusive. Using Lagrangian model experiments in an eddy-permitting ocean model, we show how present circulation pathways and transit times of these water masses on the continental shelf are altered by 21st-century climate change, which has implications for local ice-shelf basal melt rates and ecosystems.
Magdalena Fritz, Michael Mayer, Leopold Haimberger, and Susanna Winkelbauer
Ocean Sci., 19, 1203–1223, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1203-2023, 2023
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The interaction between the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) and regional climate phenomena indicates the high relevance for monitoring the ITF. Observations remain temporally and spatially limited; hence near-real-time monitoring is only possible with reanalyses. We assess how well ocean reanalyses depict the intensity of the ITF via comparison to observations. The results show that reanalyses agree reasonably well with in situ observations; however, some aspects require higher-resolution products.
Cited articles
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Short summary
Tuna fisheries in the Pacific often use drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) to attract fish that are advected by subsurface flow through underwater appendages. Using a particle advection model, we find that virtual particles advected by surface flow are displaced farther than virtual dFADs. We find a relation between El Niño–Southern Oscillation and circular motion in some areas, influencing dFAD densities. This information helps us to understand processes that drive dFAD distribution.
Tuna fisheries in the Pacific often use drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) to attract...
