Climate Change
How do greenhouse gases move?: An updated study on nitrous oxide exchange from the ocean to the atmosphere
Our atmosphere is composed of different gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. These gases can absorb energy, sent from the sun, reflecting off of the Earth’s surface. While scientists can measure and estimate their amounts in the air, gases have the ability to move between the ocean and the atmosphere. This behavior, while interesting, […]
Renewed hope for reef-building corals to combat climate change.
If you have ever had a chance to snorkel in a reef, you would agree that it is an unforgettable experience. Its special mainly because of the colorful corals and the diverse life forms they support. But corals around the world are being hit hard from effects of warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. Corals […]
Make Earth Blue Again
A team of the world’s leading marine scientists reports that we are capable of rebuilding many components of marine life by 2050—if we are up to the challenge. Emily ChuaI am a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University where I am developing an underwater instrument to study the coastal ocean. I have a multi-disciplinary background in […]
Arctic Viruses Infecting sub-Arctic Seals: How Climate Change is Creating Marine Epidemics
With all the preparations being made to help human populations get through Covid-19, many are wondering about the effect the coronavirus or similar viruses may have on our animal counterparts. Some panicky pet owners are even rushing to get their dogs special Covid masks. While it’s highly unlikely your dog will catch Covid-19, SARS-type viruses […]
Ocean acidification and baby “squidlife” crises?
Ocean acidification has been known to cause problems for marine mollusks (like oysters and pteropods), because these animals have shells or hard parts that can weaken as acidity increases. There’s another mollusk though with eight arms and two tentacles that may have a larger bag of tricks with which to cope with acidity, but teasing […]
A Song of Ice and Sea Level Rise
How much ice is really being lost in the polar regions, and what have been the consequences? A team of scientists use NASA satellites to determine ice mass loss in Greenland and Antarctica since 2003, and the resulting sea level rise. Amanda SemlerI’m a PhD candidate in Earth System Science at Stanford University, and I […]
A call for clouds in climate models
In this throwback to last March, learn how clouds influence the greenhouse effect. This climate modeling study focused on their potential disappearance as carbon emissions continue to rise. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. I use models to study how small-scale physical processes at the air-sea […]
Is our plastic dependence accelerating climate change?
Reference: Royer, Sarah-Jeanne, Sara Ferrón, Samuel T. Wilson, David M. Karl. “Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment.” PloS One 13, e0200574 (2018). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200574 Plastic? What’s the big deal? Since the 1950’s, over 6 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled, and […]
The Blob: A movie monster of the sea
The Blob, the Pacific marine heatwave from 2016, sounds more like a movie monster than a natural phenomenon. Still the Blob can have some monstrous effects, especially for hungry fish. Kristin HuizengaI am a PhD student studying Biological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. My interests are in food webs, ecology, […]
Size Matters in Kelp Forests – Big, Dense Populations Are Better Equipped to Recover from Disturbance
Kelp are habitat-forming species, the “ecosystem engineers” of our coasts. Standing metres tall and sheltering coastal habitats from the full force of the ocean’s waves, kelp provide a refuge for a variety of marine animals and create a forest ecosystem similar to what you might find in the temperate latitudes on land. They are nursery […]
Climate-driven events leave an imprint on corals in the Great Barrier Reef
In this re-post, we discuss the ecological memory of corals from bleaching events that occurred back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. With this pattern repeating itself in 2020, has mass bleaching become a near-annual event? Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. I use models to study how […]
The HyperDiver: A New (Hyper-) Intelligent Way to Map the Ocean
German researchers have developed a new system–based on sophisticated imaging technology and artificial intelligence–which promises to revolutionize how we map coral reefs. Emily ChuaI am a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University where I am developing an underwater instrument to study the coastal ocean. I have a multi-disciplinary background in physics and oceanography (and some engineering), […]
Winter Cruisin’ on the North Atlantic
Do you wonder what it is like to do oceanographic research aboard a sea-going vessel? What types of research are conducted out at sea? Where do the scientists set up their labs? Read this article to find out more about research at sea! Diana FontaineI am a second year PhD student in the Rynearson Lab […]
Changing Oceans May Confuse Critically Endangered European Eels
As humanity’s carbon emissions continue to heat and acidify the world’s oceans, many marine species and ecosystems face daunting new challenges for survival. Sierra GarciaSierra is a master’s student in Stanford University’s Earth Systems department studying science and environmental communication. Her bachelors degree was also in Earth Systems, with an emphasis on oceans and climate, […]
A Seasonal “Freeze” on Arctic Methane Release
According to new research from the Arctic University of Norway, current greenhouse gas budgets overestimate the amount of methane released from the Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere. Read on to find out why that’s the case, and why this news is not entirely good. Amanda SemlerI’m a PhD candidate in Earth System Science at Stanford […]
City Marine Parks: The Water Parks of the Future
Did you love going to the water park as a kid? The authors of this paper have come up with a new kind of water park to help improve life in coastal cities and make the most of “blue space.” Ashley MickensI am a senior Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability major at Miami University of […]
A transforming ecosystem: Chukchi and Bering Sea
Article: Huntington, H.P., Danielson, S.L., Wiese, F.K. et al. Evidence suggests potential transformation of the Pacific Arctic ecosystem is underway. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2020). Even though we constantly hear about climate change, we still do not understand how exactly and to what extent it affects our ecosystems. That is because ecosystems do not respond in […]
Envisioning a better world with climate impact modeling
After October 2018, the global perspective on climate change started to shift. We dive into climate impact models, and how they could help us plan for a future in which climate change impacts every aspect of our lives. Nyla HusainI’m a PhD student at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. I use […]
Phytoplankton: Small cells with a big impact
Tiny organisms called phytoplankton fuel the base of the marine food web. Did you know that every other breath of oxygen you take comes from the ocean? Read on to learn more about measuring phytoplankton production rates… Diana FontaineI am a second year PhD student in the Rynearson Lab studying Biological Oceanography at the Graduate […]
Catch prey while the sun shines – Herring grow bigger when they can see their food
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a sea creature in possession of a home in higher latitudes (further from the equator), must (on average) possess more size than its mid latitude neighbors. But why should high latitude fish be in possession of such a good fortune? Kristin HuizengaI am a PhD student studying Biological […]
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