Tropical Storm Ana Hits hard five countries in the Southern Africa Region

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- January 28 2022. On Tuesday January 22nd, 2022, the tropical storm Ana formed over the Indian Ocean started moving westwards, passing over northern Madagascar and crossed over to Mozambique and subsequently reached Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The tropical storm then made landfall on the 24th of January 2022 in the five countries.

The passage of ANA presented with heavy rainfall, and strong wind causing rivers to overflow, floods, and landslides resulting in casualties, and widespread damage over the entire northern area of Mozambique. Many public infrastructures are damaged including healthcare facilities and homes, as well as, interruption to basic services and healthcare deliveries to the affected people.

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Fossil snail shells offer new tool for analyzing ancient ocean chemistry

A collection of fossil shells from marine snails and clams is challenging a theory that says the world's deadliest mass extinction was accompanied by severe ocean acidification.

Instead of showing damage or signs of repair—which would be expected if the mollusk was surviving in acidic conditions—the shells were in excellent shape, according to a study that was published on Jan. 24, 2022, in

 

Scientific Reports.

William Foster, a scientist at the University of Hamburg and former postdoctoral researcher at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, led the research.

The study is the first to use shells from fossilized mollusks to investigate ocean chemistry, demonstrating a new tool that scientists can use to study the conditions of the planet's deep past...

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An Extraordinary Iceberg Is Gone, but Not Forgotten

A chunk of Antarctic ice that was one of the biggest icebergs ever seen has met its end near the island of South Georgia. Scientists will be studying its effects on the ecosystem around the island for some time.

Perhaps you remember iceberg A68a, which enjoyed a few minutes of fame back in 2017 when it broke off an ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. Hardly your everyday iceberg, it was one of the biggest ever seen, more than 100 miles long and 30 miles wide.

The iceberg drifted slowly through the icy Weddell Sea for a few years, before picking up steam as it entered the Southern Ocean. When last we heard from it, in 2020, it was bearing down on the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic, a bit shrunken and battered from a journey of more than a thousand miles.

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Rare coral reef discovered near Tahiti by a UNESCO mission.

A scientific research mission supported by UNESCO has discovered one of the largest coral reefs in the world off the coast of Tahiti. The pristine condition of, and extensive area covered by, the rose-shaped corals make this a highly valuable discovery.

” To date, we know the surface of the moon better than the deep ocean. Only 20% of the entire seabed has been mapped. This remarkable discovery in Tahiti demonstrates the incredible work of scientists who, with the support of UNESCO, further the extent of our knowledge about what lies beneath. ” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

A scientific research mission supported by UNESCO has discovered one of the largest coral reefs in the world off the coast of Tahiti. The pristine condition of, and extensive area covered by, the rose-shaped corals make this a highly valuable discovery.

” To date, we know the surface of the moon better than the deep ocean. Only 20% of the entire seabed has been mapped. This remarkable discovery in Tahiti demonstrates the incredible work of scientists who, with the support of UNESCO, further the extent of our knowledge about what lies beneath. ” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

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Researchers reveal source of enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt

Combinations of stable molybdenum (Mo) isotopes and radiogenic isotopes have great potential for researchers studying mantle heterogeneities, especially those with subduction-related processes. 

However, the current Mo isotope database for mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) is very small and the possible effects of magma generation and evolution on Mo isotopes remain debated.

Recently, Dr. Chen Shuo and Dr. Sun Pu from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) and their collaborators have revealed the source of enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt by Mo isotope systematics of lavas from the East Pacific Rise (EPR).

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Southern Ocean storms cause outgassing of carbon dioxide

Storms over the waters around Antarctica drive an outgassing of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a new international study with researchers from the University of Gothenburg. The research group used advanced ocean robots for the study, which provides a better understanding of climate change and can lead to better global climate models.

The world's southernmost ocean, the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica, plays an important role in the global climate because its waters contain large amounts of carbon dioxide. A new international study, in which researchers from the University of Gothenburg participated, has examined the complex processes driving air-sea fluxes of gasses, such as carbon dioxide.

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