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Sinking ‘marine snow’ aids oceans in locking up CO2
New research sheds light on how oceans absorb carbon dioxide. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through microscopic algae that carry out photosynthesis and then sink to the deep sea when...
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New models may upend the origins of ocean animals
A study offers new context for a pivotal step in the evolution of life on Earth: the dramatic proliferation of animal life, hundreds of millions of years ago, in the ancient sea. The prevailing...
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Coral once thought to be one species is actually two
A new discovery may settle the decades-long debate over whether a form of coral is one species or two. On a night dive off the coast of St. John in the US Virgin Islands in 2016, two coral reef...
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Giant kelp loses nutritional value in warmer seas
Higher temperatures may cost giant kelp some of its nutritional value, research shows. As a foundational species, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is vital to the ecosystem of the temperate, shallow,...
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Lack of whale poop has major impact on ocean ecosystems
An investigation into whale’s diets reveals the surprising effect that their absence—and that of their poop—has had on ocean ecosystems. From 1910 to 1970, humans killed an estimated 1.5 million baleen...
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Sensor tells coral (and human) sperm to swim
Corals, sea urchins, and even humans share a molecular pathway governing sperm motility, research finds. The mechanism is regulated by a pH sensor that signals when sperm are to begin swimming. The...
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Humpback whale song is for finding other whales, not courting them
A new paper is another feather in the cap for advocates of the sonar hypothesis, a proposal stating that singing humpbacks use their songs not to attract females but to actively explore their...
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As melting increases, killer whales hang out longer in Arctic Ocean
Underwater microphones placed off the western and northern coasts of Alaska show that killer whales have spent more time than previously recorded in the Arctic, following the decrease in summer sea...
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Mussel ‘AC’ shields other species on hot days
Some marine species like mussels can help protect others from climate change by shielding them from heat, according to a new study. Researchers studied how tiny crabs and isopods—marine versions of...
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Human-made noise stresses out narwhals
Noise from cruise ships, mine blasts, port projects, and seismic surveys triggers stress in narwhals, even when it comes from miles away. For millennia, vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean have been...
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Earth’s oceans probably once had a lot more salt
Earth’s ancient oceans likely contained much more salt than they do today, scientists say. The finding may clarify how its life, atmosphere, and climate evolved. In a new study in the Proceedings of...
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What are the ocean’s most vulnerable creatures?
A framework for identifying the most vulnerable marine species will boost global conservation and policy efforts against anthropogenic climate change, researchers report. To develop the framework,...
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Super old sediment shows how ancient methane changed the climate
Sediment cores taken from the Southern Ocean dating back 23 million years are providing insight into how ancient methane escaping from the seafloor could have led to climate and environmental changes....
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Watch a tiny marine ‘wormlet’ slurp the guts out of living prey
Some marine worm larvae are pint-sized predators, researchers report. To survive, the small, blobby babies, less than a millimeter long, ensnare and devour microscopic crustaceans and other prey living...
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Why Antarctica sea ice retreats faster that it forms
New research explains why sea ice around Antarctica retreats more quickly than it advances. In the Southern Hemisphere, the ice cover around Antarctica gradually expands from March to October each...
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DNA fish leave behind unveils hidden reef dwellers
Researchers are using a new method involving environmental DNA left behind by fish to figure out which species are living hidden in coral reefs. Tropical coral reefs are colorful, beautiful—and rich in...
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Microplastics give land pathogens a free ride to the ocean
Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a new study. The study is the first to connect microplastics...
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Can the warming ocean supply the world’s meat?
Currently supplying only 17% of the world’s protein supply, most of it wild-caught, the ocean holds great potential to help satisfy the global demand for meat, a new study shows. The global population...
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Marine life will face mass extinction if oceans continue to warm
As greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the oceans, marine life biodiversity could plummet within the next few centuries to levels not seen since the extinction of the dinosaurs, according to new...
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0.3% of mid-Atlantic ocean off the US coast is protected
Many important ocean regions off the coasts of the mainland United States are significantly unprotected, according to a new analysis of marine protected areas. The study finds that large portions of...
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