Chemistry
Tiny ocean creatures play a big role in the global fate of toxic pollutants
Scientists on the “biggest ever expedition on global change” studied the tiniest creatures in the ocean to learn about their…
Category: Chemistry
Biochemistry Biology Book Review Chemistry Climate Change
Carbon sinks: Diatoms in the deep sea
Fast-sinking phytoplankton particles deliver carbon from the surface to the deep ocean. Are plankton cells still able to survive when…
Chemistry Climate Change Ocean Acidification Paleoceanography
Path of Corrosion: How Scientists Modeled Ancient Sea-Floor Acidity
Today, we see a rapid release of CO2 to the atmosphere associated with climate change. The same was true 55…
Biology Chemistry
The Secret’s in the Slime
Scientists have recently discovered that the hagfish’s notorious slime has uses beyond defense: it also mediates uptake of toxins through…
Chemistry
We Don’t Know the Half of It: Hundreds of Contaminants in Dolphin Blubber from Southern California
Dolphins and humans are continuously exposed to low levels of various halogenated, persistent manmade pollutants through their diets. In this…
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 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.…
Biology Book Review Chemistry Human impacts
Catfish sharks on catnip? Nope, just ocean acidification
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that ocean acidification may cause hyperactivity in catfish sharks.
Chemistry Human impacts Pollution
Oil Spill Sleuths use Chemical Fingerprinting to Identify Sources of Tar Balls
Tar balls are small globules of thick, sticky oil that can be found on some shorelines. In order to mitigate…
Chemistry Conservation Coral Ecology
Chemical healing: how coral larvae and juvenile reef fish are using chemistry to choose a good neighborhood
A recent study suggests that coral reef restoration may require a nuanced understanding of chemical cues that clue in coral…
Chemistry Coastal Management Hazards Human impacts Policy Pollution
Are coastal waters receiving drugs? Are the rivers distributing them?
Pollution is not new news. It is common to hear discussion about air pollution and trash pollution, and more recently…
Chemistry Human impacts
Measuring “Roundup” in the Great Barrier Reef
Scientists estimated the degradation time for glyphosate, an herbicide in "Roundup", in the Great Barrrier Reef. This is the first…
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…
Biology Chemistry Fisheries Hazards Human impacts Pollution
The Hairy Truth: Using Grizzly Bear hair to study mercury levels
A large portion of the North American Grizzly Bear population call Western Canada home. The diet of these bears ranges…
Biology Book Review Chemistry Coastal Management Hazards Human impacts Policy Pollution
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! We’ve Run Aground!!…Assessing the early impacts of the Costa Concordia wreck
A week ago, on July 23, 2014, the Costa Concordia was finally towed away from its wreck site near Giglio…
Biology Chemistry Pollution
Why Do Sea Turtles Get Tumors?
Large numbers of green sea turtles are growing tumors that impede their swimming, block their sight, and prevent them from…
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…
Alternative Energy Chemistry Geology Remote Sensing technology
Need help counting bubbles? Now you can use sound!
Bubbles elicit scenes of childhood summers playing on the front stoop or backyard. On the other hand, put bubbles at…
Biology Chemistry
Hired Mussels: Mussel Farming to Clean Up Excess Nutrients
Plants need nitrogen and phosphorous to grow, and humans need plants to survive. In our quest to produce more and…
Chemistry
The pH of the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre has been dropping since 1981
Has the pH of our oceans decreased significantly? Lauvset and Gruber say yes, for the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre.