CIMAS - NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is weakening in the deep sea of the North Atlantic Ocean, study finds

AOML Communications — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:58:59 +0000

Just in! A new study, which analyzed mooring observations and hydrographic data, found the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) abyssal limb in the North Atlantic has weakened over the past two decades contributing to sea level rise in the region.

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Department of Commerce Honor Awards 2024

AOML Communications — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:21:18 +0000

Congratulations to AOML’s 2024 Department of Commerce Medal winners! AOML is proud to recognize the achievements of our outstanding scientists for their vital contributions to better understand the Earth systems and protecting our nation.

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New Mapping Method Uses Sustained Observations to Estimate AMOC at 22.5°S

AOML Communications — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:58:33 +0000

Changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its transport of heat can affect climate and weather patterns, regional sea levels, and ecosystems. A new study led by Ivenis Pita, a University of Miami PhD student working at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory/ the Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), is the first to estimate the AMOC and heat transport at 22.5°S in the South Atlantic, demonstrating the importance of sustained in situ observations to monitor the state of the AMOC.

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Key Study Demonstrates Buffering of Some Florida Reefs Against Ocean Acidification

AOML Communications — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 20:30:29 +0000

A groundbreaking new study spanning more than a decade and hundreds of miles of the Florida Coral Reef demonstrates the key role benthic communities play in reducing the impacts of climate change on coral reef ecosystems, specifically Ocean Acidification.

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Study Finds Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Increases Flood Risk Along the United States Southeastern Coast

AOML Communications — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:56:47 +0000

Sea level rise is one of the most challenging consequences of global warming. A new collaborative study led by Dr. Denis Volkov from NOAA-AOML and the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies found that Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) induced changes in basin-wide ocean heat content are influencing the frequency of floods along the United States southeastern coast.

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AOML Begins Tenth Year of Hurricane Glider Operations

AOML Communications — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:49:00 +0000

This summer marks AOML’s tenth consecutive year of gathering underwater glider observations during the Atlantic hurricane season. The project began in 2014 with two gliders deployed off Puerto Rico to study the ocean’s role in tropical cyclone development and intensification. Since then, glider observations have become an integral part of the data gathered annually to improve tropical cyclone forecasts, as well as better understand how the ocean and atmosphere interact during the passage of tropical cyclones.

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What a Marine Heatwave Means for South Florida

AOML Communications — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:35:36 +0000

A marine heatwave has spread across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean with temperatures ranging between one and three degrees Celsius (~2-4.5˚F) above average. Ocean temperatures around south Florida are the warmest on record for the month of July (dating back to 1981). Marine heatwaves are not unprecedented, but their influence on tropical storm development and coral reef health, as well as the persistence of the current heatwave, are among the causes for concern.

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Scientists at AOML Discover Atlantic Niño Fuels the Most Intense and Destructive Tropical Cyclones

AOML Communications — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:55:27 +0000

Scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) found that Atlantic Niño, the Atlantic counterpart of the Pacific El Niño, increases the formation of tropical cyclones off the coast of West Africa, also known as Cape (Cabo) Verde hurricanes. The study published in Nature Communications is the first to investigate the links between Atlantic Niño/Niña and seasonal Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and the associated physical mechanisms.

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Fifty-Five Days at Sea: Collecting Oceanographic Data from Brazil to Iceland

AOML Communications — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:27:17 +0000

On May 9, a team of scientists aboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown arrived at their final destination in Reykjavik, Iceland following 55 days at sea. The team of 50 scientists and 28 crew members followed a track through the North Atlantic, from Brazil to Iceland, referred to as the A16N transect, and successfully completed 150 stations, collecting over 3,000 samples from the Atlantic’s surface to the seafloor, giving scientists a holistic snapshot of the Atlantic Ocean basin.

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Eddies in the Caribbean Sea Influence the Prediction of the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico

AOML Communications — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 21:15:08 +0000

A recent study by scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in collaboration with partners at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science used a numerical modeling approach to investigate the impact of the eddy field in the Caribbean Sea on Loop Current predictions downstream in the Gulf of Mexico. They found that eddy activity in the Caribbean Sea is crucial for the accurate prediction of eddy shedding by the Loop Current.

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