A new temperature record challenges the extreme high-latitude warmth paradigm
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 15-Jun-2026 06:15 ET (15-Jun-2026 10:15 GMT/UTC)
Reliable predictions of how the Earth's climate will respond as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase are based on climate models. These models, in turn, are based on data from past geological times in which the CO2 content in the Earth's atmosphere changed in a similar way to today and the near future. The data originate from measurable indicators (proxies), the interpretation of which is used to reconstruct the climate of the past. A team of researchers has now published a new North Atlantic temperature record from the past 16 million years in Nature Communications, applying clumped-isotope geochemistry on fossil calcareous algae (coccoliths) of unprecedented purity. Their findings show that the North Atlantic was significantly colder than previously assumed based on earlier reconstructions, supporting the findings of climate model simulations and challenging the paradigm of the extreme Miocene high latitude warmth.
A team from Lanzhou University of Technology have developed a novel NiTi shape memory allow (SMA) with harmonic microstructures fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM). This work explores the relationship between microstructural evolution at various deformation stages and corrosion behaviour in seawater environments. The study reveals that in its initial states, the alloy exhibits superior corrosion resistance, primarily owing to dense and stable passivation films composed mainly of TiO₂ and NiO. Post-fracture, the formation of fragmented amorphous phases and nanocrystalline grains accelerates corrosion processes. Leveraging first-principles calculations and electrochemical analysis, the team provides insights into microgalvanic reactions and phase interactions that influence corrosion resistance, paving the way for advanced smart materials in marine applications.
A team of shark researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has solved a long-standing mystery, identifying the first-ever documented mating hub for tiger sharks, Olowalu, Maui. This challenges the conventional understanding of tiger sharks as purely solitary animals, revealing a predictable seasonal convergence of mature males and females that coincides with the humpback whale calving season in Hawaiʻi.
Oregon State University research into marine protected areas plays a crucial role in the historic “High Seas Treaty” that goes into effect Jan. 17.
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Elva Escobar Briones of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, as the recipient of the TOS Mentoring Award, recognizing her outstanding and sustained excellence in mentoring the next generation of ocean scientists, as well as her leadership in advancing inclusion, equity, and capacity building in oceanography. Her achievements will be celebrated during the TOS Honors Breakfast on February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford has shown that the shape and orientation of coastlines significantly influenced extinction patterns for animals living in the shallow oceans during the last 540 million years. In particular, animals living on convoluted or east-west orientated coastlines (such as those found in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico today) were more likely to go extinct than those living on north-south orientated coastlines.
The findings, published today in Science, provide new insight towards understanding patterns of biodiversity distribution throughout Earth history to the present day, and highlight which modern species may be more at risk of extinction due to climate change.
For the first time, a study from researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego integrates climate-related damages to the ocean into the social cost of carbon— a measure of economic harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
An international study, featuring CMCC scientists, reveals that the true economic damage of climate change has been vastly underestimated – because the ocean has been left out of the equation. By integrating the latest ocean science into climate-economic models, researchers found that accounting for climate impacts on marine ecosystems and ocean-dependent infrastructure nearly doubles the social cost of carbon. The hidden ocean cost is estimated at $48 per tonne of CO₂, a figure that should be added to current policy calculations.