Biogeochemistry

A 2.5 billion year old story about iron in the ocean, told by a rock

New light has been shed on the possibility of an alternative iron sink than previous thought prior to the oxygenation…

Biogeochemistry Biology Ecology Microbiology

Time to rethink the role of ocean’s microbes?

Have you ever wondered what may live inside the tiniest drops of seawater? Global oceans are dominated by organisms we…

Biogeochemistry Coastal Management Ecology Hazards Human impacts Pollution

Out of sight, out of mind: The effect of gas & oil spills on deep-sea communities

When undersea wells blowout, toxic concentrations of hydrocarbons can be rapidly released into the environment. The media presents these blowouts…

Atmospheric Chemistry Biogeochemistry Geology Natural History Volcanoes

One billion and one anaerobic nights: on the journey to atmospheric oxidation

Take a breather, and learn how cyanobacteria struggled to bring the world oxygen.

Biochemistry Biogeochemistry Chemistry Human impacts Ocean Acidification

Macrobioerosion rates and what they mean for reefs

Today macrobioerosion is a good thing that provides cement for the foundation of reef systems. So more macrobioerosion could mean…

Biogeochemistry

Wash your hands after a beach day!

This study demonstrates a direct relationship between the potentially dangerous bacteria Vibrio in beach water with what is on your…

Biogeochemistry Chemistry Pollution

Years later, Gulf of Mexico sediment chemistry still feeling the effects of Deepwater Horizon

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest accidental oil spill in US waters.…

Biogeochemistry Book Review

Methylated Mercury Cycling in the Canadian Arctic Marine Boundary Layer

Monomethylmercury (MMHg) is the most toxic form of mercury (Hg) to humans and wildlife. In the environment it concentrates (or…

Biogeochemistry Biology Climate Change

Whale skin samples track changes in ocean biogeochemistry

Article: Ruiz-Cooley RI, Koch PL, Fiedler PC, McCarthy MD (2014) Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes from Top Predator Amino Acids Reveal…

Biogeochemistry Chemistry

Understanding nitrogen loss from the ocean: Is it anammox or denitrification? It’s both!

Recent findings from the north east Pacific may have solved a major controversy in scientists' understanding of nitrogen loss from…

Biogeochemistry

Take your iron! Seasonally melting snow as an iron supply to the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Observations show that the amount of primary productivity in the McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea of Antarctica cannot be…

Biogeochemistry Biology Chemistry Climate Change Human impacts

Fight of the Century: CO2 vs. Calcifying Phytoplankton

From the very first sentence of the abstract, these scientists make clear they are not messing around, "Ocean acidification is…

Biogeochemistry Coastal Management

I plead the soil amendment – Improving the function of restored wetlands

Wetlands provide valuable services to humans every day, including flood protection, water purification, and shoreline stabilization to name a few.…

Biogeochemistry Chemistry Ecology Hazards Human impacts Pollution

Time for an oil change: How filter feeders avoid feeding on oil

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Here, a pair of researchers investigates the…

Biogeochemistry Geology

Volcanic ash, fertilizer for the ocean?

Volcanic ash may be an important source of the valuable micronutrients iron and manganese to phytoplankton populations in areas with…

Biogeochemistry Chemistry Pollution

On a mission to partition: the likelihood of flame retardants to bind to marine organic matter

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants found in the environment all over the globe, including the Arctic. Here, scientists…

Biogeochemistry

A sticky situation: Old black carbon and sinking particulate organic carbon

The attachment of aged dissolved black carbon to sinking particles may be an important process for transporting organic carbon to…

Biogeochemistry Chemistry Human impacts

Sticking to it – Sediments act as a “sink” for pollution

POPs, or persistent organic pollutants, are manmade chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and are found nearly everywhere…

Biogeochemistry Geology

Using satellites to find underwater volcanic eruptions

The purpose of this study was to create a new metric for detecting submarine volcanic eruptions using satellite data. The…

Biogeochemistry Climate Change Paleoceanography

We didn’t start the fire!… that changed the southeast Australian landscape 44 thousand years ago

A sediment core suggests that the large ecosystem changes that occurred in southeastern Australia were caused by the extinction of…