Growth Rates of Deep-Sea Coral Communities Revealed for the First Time
A collaboration between researchers at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU)…
Oceanography
98% of Plastics Entering the Oceans Go Missing Each Year – Here’s the Likely Culprit
Trillions of plastic fragments are afloat at sea, which cause large “garbage patches” to form in rotating ocean currents called subtropical gyres. As a result,…
Experiment Creates an Essential Component of Life – Finds Deep Sea Vents Had Ideal Conditions for Origin of Life
By creating protocells in hot, alkaline seawater, a University College London-led research team has added to evidence that the origin of life could have been…
Analyzing the Risk of Catastrophic Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse From Surface Melting
There’s a speed limit on the damage surface ponds can do to ice shelves, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. Dangers to ancient Antarctic…
Stormquakes: Powerful Storms Discovered That Generate Earthquake-Like Seismic Activity
A Florida State University researcher has uncovered a new geophysical phenomenon where a hurricane or other strong storm can spark seismic events in the nearby…
Upside-Down “Rivers” of Warm Ocean Water Attacking Antarctic Ice Shelves [Video]
Newly understood factors make ice shelves more vulnerable to breakup according to College of Wooster, University of Colorado at Boulder study. Upside-down “rivers” of warm…
Solution to Decades-Old Puzzle of Ice Age Ocean Chemistry
New research into the chemistry of the oceans during ice ages is helping to solve a puzzle that has engaged scientists for more than two…
Researchers Devise Innovative Method to Accurately Weigh Whales Using Drones
How do you weigh a living whale? The obvious response is very carefully, but scientists can’t exactly put these large marine mammals on a scale….
Study Reveals How Hurricanes Affect Deep-Sea Ecosystems, Carbon Cycle
Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) study reveals the effects of Hurricane Nicole on deep-sea ecosystems and the carbon cycle. In early October 2016, a tropical storm…
Key Theory on Earth’s Climate May Be Wrong
Rutgers-led study casts doubt on Himalayan rock weathering hypothesis. A key theory that attributes the climate evolution of the earth to the breakdown of Himalayan…
Four Billion Microplastic Particles Discovered in the Waters of Tampa Bay
While collecting water samples and plankton in Tampa Bay, researchers discovered a high concentration of microplastics, which are known to disrupt the marine food chain….
“Impressive” Memory and Navigation Revealed by Mako Shark Tracking off West Coast
These top predators travel far across the Pacific, returning to the same areas in the Southern California Bight each year. The largest effort ever to…
A Battery-Free Sensor for Underwater Exploration [Video]
Submerged system uses the vibration of “piezoelectric” materials to generate power and send and receive data. To investigate the vastly unexplored oceans covering most of…
Subzero Arctic Water Provides Peek at Possible Life on Other Worlds
In recent years, the idea of life on other planets has become less far-fetched. NASA announced June 27 that it will send a vehicle to…
‘Fingerprints’ of Ancient Weather Conditions
When a coastal tide rolls out, it can reveal beautiful ripples in the temporarily exposed sand. These same undulating patterns can also be seen in…
Scientists Reveal How Phytoplankton Survive in Nutrient Deficient Ocean Gyres
Subtropical gyres are huge, sustained currents spanning thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where very little grows. With nutrients in short supply,…
New Blood-Red Species of Octocoral Discovered in Panama
A study in the journal Bulletin of Marine Science describes a new, blood-red species of octocoral found in Panama. The species in the genus Thesea…
Carbon Filled Oceans Affect Tiny But Important Organism
They’re impossible to see with the naked eye. They’re difficult to pronounce. But coccolithophores, a single-celled plankton, have an outsized effect on oceans due to…