PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How waves and mixing drive coastal upwelling systems

GEOMAR study provides new insights into productivity off the coast of Angola

2024-01-26
(Press-News.org)

They are among the most productive and biodiverse areas of the world's oceans: coastal upwelling regions along the eastern boundaries of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There, equatorward winds cause near-surface water to move away from the coast. This brings cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths to the surface, inducing the growth of phytoplankton and providing the basis for a rich marine ecosystem in these regions.

In some tropical regions, however, productivity is high even when the upwelling favourable winds are weak. An international team of researchers has now investigated the physical mechanisms driving the upwelling off the coast of Angola. They found that the combination of coastal trapped waves and increased mixing on the shelf control productivity in this system. Their findings, published today in the journal Science Advances, could help predict the strength of seasonal productivity peaks.

"Productivity in the upwelling region off Angola shows strong seasonal fluctuations," says corresponding author Mareike Körner, PhD student in the Research Unit Physical Oceanography at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. "The main upwelling season occurs in austral winter, from July to September. During this time, there is very high primary productivity in the waters off the Angolan coast, and correspondingly, there is a lot of fishing".

Waves in the interior of the ocean play a crucial role for productivity, causing cold, nutrient-rich water to move up and down on seasonal time scales. These waves are not generated locally off the coast of Angola but originate at the equator. There, seasonal wind fluctuations create waves that travel east along the equator. Once they reach the eastern boundary of the equatorial Atlantic, they excite coastal trapped waves, which propagate polewards along the African coast. On their way, these coastal trapped waves transport nutrient-rich waters onto the Angolan shelf. Strong tidal mixing on the shelf brings the nutrients to the surface, where a phytoplankton bloom is induced. These plankton blooms can vary from year to year, depending on the intensity and arrival time of the coastal trapped waves.

For their study, the researchers combined hydrographic, oxygen, nitrate and satellite data, and a regional ocean model.

Körner emphasises: "The upwelling off Angola is caused by waves that are excited at the equator and then propagate along the African coast. This provides a potential for predicting the strength and timing of the biological productivity peak off Angola on seasonal time scales.” A better understanding of the driving mechanisms in this southwest African coastal upwelling system is also crucial for assessing possible future changes, such as the effects of climate change or other human impacts, in this important marine ecosystem.

At GEOMAR "Upwelling in the Atlantic Ocean" is a research focus as part of the GEOMAR 2030 strategy. Since 2013 GEOMAR has been conducting research in the area and has established extensive cooperation with Angolan colleagues. Seven research cruises led by the Research Unit Physical Oceanography have provided extensive data on mixing and distribution of nutrients on the shelf.  In addition, a subsurface mooring has been collecting data on various parameters such as current velocities, temperature, salinity and oxygen since 2013.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

How a timekeeping gene affects tumor growth depends entirely on context

How a timekeeping gene affects tumor growth depends entirely on context
2024-01-26
JANUARY 23, 2024, NEW YORK – A Ludwig Cancer Research study has found that the circadian clock—which synchronizes physiological and cellular activities with the day-night cycle and is generally thought to be tumor suppressive—in fact has a contextually variable role in cancer. “A lot of evidence suggests that the biological clock is broken in cancer cells, so we expected its disruption would fuel tumor growth in mouse models of melanoma,” said Chi Van Dang, scientific director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, who led the study with Research Associate Xue Zhang. “But, contrary to our expectations, ...

UT Extension Consumer Economics Specialist named National Educator of the Year for 2023

UT Extension Consumer Economics Specialist named National Educator of the Year for 2023
2024-01-26
An assistant professor and consumer economics specialist with University of Tennessee Extension has been recognized by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) as the organization’s Educator of the Year for 2023. Christopher Sneed was among ten individuals, organizations, special projects and initiatives expanding access to personal finance resources and education across the country recognized as part of the 2023 AFCPE Awards late last year. The AFCPE’s Mary Ellen Edmondson Educator of the Year Award honors ...

Female reproductive milestones may be risk factors for diabetes and high cholesterol later in life

2024-01-26
Boston, MA – A new review of available evidence led by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute suggests that female reproductive characteristics may be overlooked as risk factors that contribute to later metabolic dysfunction. The review, “Reproductive risk factors across the female lifecourse and later metabolic health,” was published in the January 26 edition of Cell Metabolism. Metabolic health is characterized by optimal blood glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and body fat. Alterations in these characteristics may lead to the development of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. “Our ...

Using fMRI, new vision study finds promising model for restoring cone function

2024-01-26
In the retinas of human eyes, the cones are photoreceptor cells responsible for color vision, daylight vision, and the perception of small details. As vision scientists from the Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Gustavo D. Aguirre and William A. Beltran have been working for decades to identify the basis of inherited retinal diseases. They previously showed they could recover missing cone function by reintroducing a copy of the normal gene in photoreceptor cells. Both ...

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded $160 million 10-year US National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines grant

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded $160 million 10-year US National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines grant
2024-01-26
WINSTON-SALEM, NC, January 26, 2024 – The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) is the recipient of an inaugural U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Program award. The NSF Engines: Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine is a regional project that provides an innovation ecosystem to stimulate workforce development, job creation, and economic growth through the development of technologies that benefit the emerging industry. The Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine team is led by WFIRM, and includes Forsyth Technical Community College (FTCC), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T), the RegenMed Development ...

Powering the future: Unlocking the role of hydrogen in lithium-ion batteries

Powering the future: Unlocking the role of hydrogen in lithium-ion batteries
2024-01-26
Lithium-ion batteries stand out as one of the most prevalent rechargeable battery technologies in the present era. Within these batteries, lithium-cobalt oxides (LiCoO2) are widely used as the materials for positive electrodes or cathodes (the conductors through which electric current either enters or exits a substance). The cathode plays a pivotal role in lithium-ion batteries and influences their capacity, performance over many charge-discharge cycles, and ability to manage heat.   One major issue leading to the deterioration of these batteries is the creation of hydrogen through the splitting of water. Therefore, gaining insights into how hydrogen builds ...

Scientists design a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissue

Scientists design a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissue
2024-01-26
Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can convert energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. Publishing on January 26 in the journal Matter, this method allows the robot to walk and pivot. “Research on biohybrid robots, which are a fusion of biology and mechanics, is recently attracting attention as a new field of robotics featuring biological function,” says corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Using muscle ...

Genomic “butterfly effect” explains risk for autism spectrum disorder

Genomic “butterfly effect” explains risk for autism spectrum disorder
2024-01-26
Researchers in the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) examined the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by analyzing mutations in the genomes of individuals and their families. They discovered that a special kind of genetic mutation works differently from typical mutations in how it contributes to the condition. In essence, because of the three-dimensional structure of the genome, mutations are able to affect neighboring genes that are linked to ASD, thus explaining why ASD can occur even without direct mutations to ASD-related genes. This study appeared in the scientific journal Cell Genomics on January 26. ASD is a group of conditions characterized in part ...

Cultivated meat production costs could fall significantly with new cells created at Tufts University

Cultivated meat production costs could fall significantly with new cells created at Tufts University
2024-01-26
Cellular agriculture – the production of meat from cells grown in bioreactors rather than harvested from farm animals – is taking leaps in technology that are making it a more viable option for the food industry. One such leap has now been made at the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA), led by David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Engineering, in which researchers have created bovine (beef) muscle cells that produce their own growth factors, a step that can significantly cut costs of production. Growth factors, whether ...

Researchers discover why one type of chemotherapy works best in bladder cancer

2024-01-26
Tisch Cancer Institute researchers discovered that a certain type of chemotherapy improves the immune system’s ability to fight off bladder cancer, particularly when combined with immunotherapy, according to a study published in Cell Reports Medicine in January. These findings may explain why the approach, cisplatin chemotherapy, can lead to cure in a small subset of patients with metastatic, or advanced, bladder cancer. Researchers also believe that their findings could explain why clinical trials combining another type of chemotherapy, carboplatin-based chemo, with immunotherapy have not been ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

[Press-News.org] How waves and mixing drive coastal upwelling systems
GEOMAR study provides new insights into productivity off the coast of Angola