All articles tagged with #atlantic ocean
A unique hydrothermal field in the Atlantic, known as the 'Lost City,' features towering carbonate structures and supports life without sunlight. Discovered in 2000, it is the longest-lived venting environment on Earth. While it offers insights into potential life on other planets, it faces threats from deep-sea mining rights granted to Poland in 2018. Conservationists are calling for World Heritage status to protect the site.
The 2026 hurricane season is defined by extreme imbalance: the Atlantic has produced only seven tropical storms and zero hurricanes, while the Pacific has generated 18 named storms and eight hurricanes. This divergence is attributed to a powerful El Niño event and a severe drought in Ethiopia, which disrupted tropical wave formation. The Atlantic’s accumulated cyclone energy is at its lowest since 1925, whereas the Pacific’s activity is far above average, with Hurricane Polo reaching 180 mph winds.
Between 1949 and 1982, more than 200,000 barrels (about 150,000 tons) of low-level radioactive waste were dumped on the Atlantic seafloor. A French-led NODSSUM expedition mapped thousands of barrels, finding corroded containers leaking radioactivity that oddly hosts sea life such as anemones and fish. Detected isotopes include cobalt-60, niobium-94, cesium-137, and americium-241, and researchers are studying whether any radioactivity is entering organisms or dispersing through the environment. Early results suggest no major radiation risk to scientists handling samples, but the work underscores long-term ecological questions about this underwater dump site.
Tropical Storm Fay has formed and forecasters expect it could intensify toward hurricane strength as it tracks through the Atlantic, with the path and potential impacts under close monitoring.
Over 175 years of records, the Atlantic has had only two hurricane-free years (1907 and 1914); with the advent of satellites, some pre-satellite storms may have been missed, making true hurricane-free years extremely rare.
Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the Atlantic but is expected to weaken soon, with forecasts showing little to no impact on land.
Tropical Storms Karina and Lowell formed in the Pacific and are expected to strengthen into hurricanes, while Dolly formed in the Atlantic and could bring heavy rain to the Caribbean; no coastal watches were issued yet, but swells from Karina could trigger dangerous surf and rip currents for parts of southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. The NOAA also projects a below-average Atlantic hurricane season with 8–14 named storms, 3–6 hurricanes, and 1–3 major hurricanes.
The National Hurricane Center reports Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the Atlantic, located about 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving west at 24 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Dolly is forecast to near the Leeward Islands this weekend and could degenerate into a tropical wave, but heavy rain could lash the Caribbean—affecting the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola with potential flash flooding, especially in higher terrain.
Forecasters are tracking nine storms/potential systems—seven in the Pacific and two in the Atlantic—as hurricane season intensifies. In Hawaii, Moke weakened to a tropical depression offshore, bringing heavy rain and gusts; Lala remains a tropical storm after 12 days; Iselle formed and could briefly reach hurricane strength before dissipating. Four additional Pacific disturbances are being watched, including one with a 70% seven‑day development chance and another with a 30% chance. In the Atlantic, a system southeast of Bermuda has about a 50% chance of forming within 48 hours to seven days, and a tropical wave off Africa may also develop as it moves westward. El Niño is complicating formation in the Atlantic, but tropical development remains possible.
Faith Tenkley, a 23-year-old Florida pilot, crash-landed her Piper PA30 in the Atlantic Ocean off Boca Raton after an engine failure and gear trouble, choosing a water landing to avoid a possible fire; she swam to shore uninjured, telling reporters she was incredibly fortunate to survive as witnesses observed the controlled descent and authorities removed the plane from the water.
Climate change is driving unprecedented marine heat waves around Europe, with the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas several degrees hotter than normal and some areas up to 6°C above average. The World Weather Attribution consortium finds warming is the main cause, noting July Mediterranean temps around 27°C and even higher in open water off Mallorca. The study estimates regionwide warming of about 2°C in the Western Mediterranean, 1.4°C in Iberian waters, and 1.3°C in Irish seas, with 90% of the Bay of Biscay and 70% of the Eastern Mediterranean experiencing heat waves compared with far lower odds in a world without warming. These changes threaten ecosystems, boost jellyfish populations, affect fisheries and coastal infrastructure, and can amplify storm severity along Europe’s coasts.
A long-term study of whale records along the Benguela coast (Namibia and South Africa) shows blue and fin whales are slowly reoccupying parts of their former southeast Atlantic range after decades of commercial whaling that killed hundreds of thousands of individuals. Sightings have risen since 2012, but both species remain far below historic levels and face ongoing threats from ships, fishing gear, noise, pollution, and climate-driven shifts in prey. The researchers urge expanded acoustic monitoring, trained vessel observers, and habitat-based planning to sustain the ongoing recovery.
During the 2026 NODSSUM campaign, scientists aboard the Pourquoi Pas? used the Nautile submersible to inspect a deep Atlantic dumping site and found more than 200,000 radioactive waste barrels, many corroded and leaking into the sediment. Radionuclides including cobalt-60, niobium-94, cesium-137 and americium-241 were detected, and researchers collected sediment, water and biota samples to study how the contaminants move and affect deep-sea life; further lab analysis is planned to map the spread and ecological impact.
A Washington Post meteorologist explains that the Atlantic has been unusually quiet this hurricane season thanks to El Niño-driven upper-level winds and Saharan dust, making it one of the tamest seasons on record. But the season is long, and storms can still form, especially away from El Niño’s strongest winds, so vigilance remains essential as the peak approaches.
Contender, the Atlantic’s largest tagged male great white (about 1,700 pounds and more than 13 feet long), is continuing its northward migration and could reach Cape Cod; a July satellite ping confirmed it remains active, though its exact location isn’t known, highlighting how tracking helps map shark movements and assess beach safety.