EurekAlert! - OceanographyThe premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Bacteria 'feed' on earth's ocean-bottom crust- May 28, 2008 (National Science Foundation) Seafloor bacteria on ocean-bottom rocks are more abundant and diverse than previously thought, appearing to "feed" on the planet's oceanic crust, according to results of a study reported in this week's issue of the journal Nature.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/nsf-bo052808.php 'Barren' seafloor teeming with microbial life- May 28, 2008 (University of Southern California) Seafloor bacteria are more abundant and diverse than previously thought, appearing to "eat" the planet's oceanic crust, according to a new study in Nature. The findings pose intriguing questions about ocean chemistry and the co-evolution of Earth and life.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/uosc-st052308.php Large methane release could cause abrupt climate change as happened 635 million years ago- May 28, 2008 (University of California - Riverside) An abrupt release of methane about 635 million years ago from ice sheets caused a dramatic shift in climate, triggering a series of events that effectively ended the last "snowball" ice age, a study led by Martin Kennedy of the University of California, Riverside reports. According to the study, methane clathrate destabilization acted as a runaway feedback to increased warming, and was the tipping point that ended the last snowball Earth.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/uoc--lmr052308.php June 2008 Geology and GSA Today media highlights- May 27, 2008 (Geological Society of America) Geology topics include Samoa on the hotspot trail; South Carolina's offshore iceberg scours; Yellowstone's climate-induced geyser periodicity; Coralline red algae as a high-resolution climate recorder; The effects of extreme storm events on landscape and carbon dioxide; The iron isotope record and the first emergence of atmospheric and oceanic oxygen; and Eastern California's shear zone earthquakes. GSA Today's science article discusses the Canadian Shield,...http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/gsoa-j2g052708.php Healthy parents provide clues to survival of young haddock on Georges Bank- May 27, 2008 (NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service) In 2003, haddock on Georges Bank experienced the largest baby boom ever documented for the stock, with an estimated 800 million new young fish entering the population. With typical annual averages of 50 to 100 million new fish in the last few decades, fisheries biologists have been puzzled by the huge increase and its ramifications for stock management. They have been looking for answers and may have found one -- healthy adults.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/nnmf-hpp052708.php |