Oceanographer considers volcanic effects of tectonic movement

The Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland experienced a new rifting event due to the movement of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Haraldur Sigurdsson, emeritus professor of oceanography and Iceland native, spoke about Iceland’s volcanic events in a lecture on Friday in the Corless Auditorium on the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus. The Fagradalsfjall…

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Historic storms strike Washington County, flooding record books

Over winter break, the University of Rhode Island and surrounding communities were hit with two major storms, causing flooding across Washington County. The first storm hit on Dec. 18 in the midst of URI’s finals week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, located in Kingston, clocked 2.76 inches of rain. The second storm occurred on…

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Diving deep into seafloor research

Rhode Island professor of oceanography Roxanne Beinart, along with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, discovered hydrothermal vents in the Galapagos Islands that scientists have been looking to observe for 20 years with the help of some crabs. From August to September, the scientists were trying to find the same chemical signatures that another group had discovered…

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