oceanbites – Ocean science for everyone!

Fisheries

Women gleaners in Mauritius: How COVID-19 and an oil spill amplified gender inequalities in fisheries

The compounding crises of COVID-19 and an oil spill highlight the systemic inequalities faced by women in fisheries.

Biogeochemistry

Seasons change and so does Ocean Acidification in Alaska

Ocean Acidification is a global problem that can seasonally intensify in the Gulf of Alaska. Read on to learn how.

Behavior

Creatures in the cool lagoon: Are Arctic lagoons the next refuge for ringed seals?

Seals need ice for rest and to raise pups, but where can they go in a melting world? Maybe lagoons.

Harmful Algal Bloom Human Health Microbiology

Another Impact of Climate Change: Toxic Algal Blooms in the Arctic

Climate change is a pervasive force in nature. One deadly effect of climate change are more frequently algal blooms. As…

Behavior

Urchin Unease: Can cues from fellow urchins curb these invertebrates’ appetites?

Kelp forests around the world are being threatened and destroyed. The enemy? Sea urchins.

Biogeochemistry

Volcanoes fuel life in the ocean

Read about how volcanic ash travels hundreds of miles by wind and supplies iron, an essential nutrient, to ocean life.

Microbiology

Oxygen Tied up in Tides

A new study connects ocean tides with the oxygenation of our atmosphere.

Parasitism

Climate Change is Lousy for Salmon

As global temperature increases, salmon farming faces increasing pressure from a copepod known as the salmon louse. Are the salmon…

Oysters

Oysters, bacteria, and parasites, oh my!

How does infection with parasites influence levels of Vibrio bacteria in oysters?

Behavior

From the poles to the tropics: First molting of a southern elephant seal on Mauritius Island

On a warm, February day in tropical Mauritius, an unusual tourist landed on its northern shores for the first time.

Human impacts

Microplastic debris in our oceans: how much does it really matter for food safety and human health?

Citation: Luís Gabriel Antão Barboza, A. Dick Vethaak, Beatriz R.B.O. Lavorante, Anne-Katrine Lundebye, Lúcia Guilhermino, Marine microplastic debris: An emerging…

Climate Change

Disappearing Ocean Climates

We know with climate change that the ocean is changing as well, but how much? Read on to find out!

Behavior

Are dolphins annoyed by drones?

Drones are great for studying dolphins in the ocean. But how do dolphins feel about those strange flying objects?

Behavior

Cookiecutter sharks chomp on everything, everywhere

From deep-sea crabs to large apex predators near the surface, nothing seems to escape the sharp jaws of cookiecutter sharks.

Microbiology

What’s out there?: Bacteria off the coast of India

It is a perennial thought for everyone out in nature, “what’s out there”? Today, we take a look at the…

Undergraduate Research

Deep Learning of the “Sea”: Using Artificial Intelligence to Better Understand our Earth’s Climate

Exploring ocean sea surface temperature datasets might be the answer to understanding our Earth’s climate.

Undergraduate Research

Is coastline seaweed in danger?

Seaweed growing on shores must survive between tides. But climate change may threaten those hardy species.

Conservation

Suffocating Sea Snakes: How fishing harms these undersea reptiles

There are snakes in the ocean, and this is how they suffer from harmful fishing practices.

Toxicology

Girl Power? How Birth Control Is Changing Our Waters

Fish populations are becoming more and more female dominated. Read on to see how this phenomenon is linked to us.