Physical oceanography

A massive ice island broke off of the Petermann Glacier in Greenland. The iceberg, which contains enough fresh water to supply every American for half a year, is roughly twice the size of Manhattan in New York.

New science is pointing to the ocean garbage patches being larger than previously believed. That’s because scientists think a lot of the plastic and other bits of trash in the ocean is actually swirling underwater, rather than collected along the surface.

As the tides rise in Thailand, flooding is getting worse in parts of Bangkok. There are fears that with even higher tides forecast for this weekend, flooding could inundate parts of the city that have so far remained dry.

‘The Wave’ follows big wave surfers, mariners and scientists who have encountered huge waves and have lived to tell the tale.

Donations have generously helped tsunami survivors in Aceh, but the neediest children in there these days are not tsunami survivors.