deep sea
Luminous luster…with teeth
Don’t worry—these glowing predators won’t harm you. They’re more interested in picking on someone their own size. Scientists take a look at the latest shark confirmed to be bioluminescent and wonder: why does this large, slow-moving shark need its gleaming hide? Andrea SchlunkI am a former PhD student from the University of Rhode Island, having […]
There are plenty more fish in the deep sea!
The deep sea is far from desolate. In their latest research, Dr. Leitner et al. observe the most fish ever recorded below 1000 m! Gabrielle StedmanI am currently a 3rd year PhD student in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. I use DNA found in the environment (eDNA), like a forensic scientist, […]
Red Light, Green Light… Squid Light?
It’s spooky season! And what better way to celebrate than learning about the creatures of the deep? This recent paper illuminates the way the Humboldt squid communicate in the deep sea darkness. Ashley MickensI recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability from Miami University of Ohio, and I’m currently working as […]
Deep Sea Vampires and Octopods
Happy (early) Halloween from the depths of the sea! The two animals from this study live in the deep sea and not much is known about their lives. I’m talking about a deep-sea octopus named Japetella diaphana and a vampyromorph named Vampyroteuthis infernalis (more commonly known as the vampire squid). Tropical, Temperate, and Deep-Sea The scientists […]
Hiding at its best: Ultra-black fish of the deep sea
Animals stay hidden from predators using different skin colors and patterns as camouflage. Scientists recently discovered a unique way some fish use ultra-black pigment to hide in the dimly-lit waters of the deep sea. Tejashree ModakCurrently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow in URI. Broadly, I study response of marine species to various stressors such […]
Upward and onward: how deep-sea larvae utilize vertical swimming to disperse across ocean basins
Deep-sea larvae show vastly different dispersal ability and pathways based on simulating how they swim. Gabrielle StedmanI am currently a 3rd year PhD student in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. I use DNA found in the environment (eDNA), like a forensic scientist, to detect deep-sea animals and where they live. Much […]
Bottom trawling may irreparably damage seamount habitats
Destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling damage seafloor habitats. To see how detrimental this fishing technique might be on fragile deep-sea ecosytems, scientists investigated how long it takes seamounts to recover from bottom trawling. The results are not extremely promising. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island where I studied […]
Telling time in the deep sea
Can animals tell time in the pitch black of the deep-sea? Find out how researchers Dr. Audrey Mat and others discovered that hydrothermal vent mussels use the motion of the ocean to pace their days. Gabrielle StedmanI am currently a 3rd year PhD student in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. I […]
Are we ready to mine the seafloor?
Are we ready to mine the seafloor? Effects evident even after 26 years. Saumya SiloriHi, I am a Ph.D. student at the National Institute of Oceanography, India. I am currently studying the particulate and dissolved organic matter dynamics in the central and eastern Arabian Sea. I am also interested in the effects of climate change […]
Stuck in the mud: a drilling downer for corals
Oil and gas play huge roles in shaping modern lifestyles, providing ease and comfort; while our lives may be simplified, those of larval cold-water corals could be getting cut short—even if their home reef isn’t right next door to a wellhead. Click here to find out about the culprit! Andrea SchlunkI am a former PhD […]
Hotspots of geology, biology, and economic interest
There is growing interest to exploit the resources of deep-sea hydrothermal vents to support the demand for electronic manufacturing. We don’t know how mining activities will affect these ecosystems or how the vent community will adapt to perturbations. Scientists are finding faster and easier ways to study the biodiversity and dynamics before foreseeable mining. Gabrielle […]
Oil and Gas Seeps: Microbial Elevators through Ocean Sediments
Many microorganisms live in ocean sediments – both at the seafloor, as well as in the subsurface hundreds to thousands of meters below. But how do these separate microbial populations interact, and what are the consequences? Amanda SemlerI’m a PhD candidate in Earth System Science at Stanford University, and I study how microbes in deep […]
Life in the Abyss: the ecological impacts of deep-sea mining
Did you know that about 95% of the ocean is unexplored? The deep ocean is logistically very difficult to access, so how do scientists study organisms that live hundreds of meters below the sea surface? The landscape of the deep-sea is diverse and certain structures such as polymetallic nodules, supports a vast array of marine […]
Deep Breathing Underwater
The Labrador Sea is one of the lungs of the ocean. A new study finds that it is taking an even deeper breath than expected—making it more vulnerable to climate change than thought. Emily ChuaI am a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University where I am developing an underwater instrument to study the coastal ocean. I […]
Deep Sea: The Final Frontier
With the decade drawing to a close, it is a good time to look toward the future and start thinking about what the next decade holds for scientific discovery. Star Trek has popularized the idea of outer space as “the final frontier.” But what if it’s really the deep sea? Ashley MickensI recently graduated with […]
Zombie worms in whale bones
Looking for a cool Halloween costume? Dress up as a zombie worm that lives under the sea and injects acid into whale bones! These exist – and scientists have just discovered a new species deep in the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian coast. Anastasia YandulskayaI am a PhD candidate at Northeastern University in Boston. I […]
Into the deep: Deep sea mining is upon us, whether you would risk it or not
While we have a lot to discover about the deep sea, we do know that in the depths of the ocean are a number of valuable minerals and metals like gold, manganese, and cobalt. Yet with so little known, companies are ready to dive into the cold deep, gathering these metals for economic gain. Kristin […]
The Biological Big Bang: Testing the hypothesis that sperm whales use auditory bursts to stun prey and other proposed feeding strategies.
Article Fais, A., Johnson, M., Wilson, M., Soto, N. A., & Madsen, P. T. (2016). Sperm whale predator-prey interactions involve chasing and buzzing, but no acoustic stunning. Scientific reports, 6, 28562. Background Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are big. To put it in perspective, an adult or bull sperm whale is longer on average (52 ft.) […]
Growing a Scientist: Undergraduate Research 2018, part 3
Check out these posts by guest authors Deborah Leopo, Mike Miller, Whitney Marshall, and Robert Lewis about deep sea snail species, sea level rise, and tectonic modeling–these students were part of the SURFO program at URI-GSO over Summer 2018, and have some really exciting research to share! Anna RobuckI am a third year PhD student […]
by oceanbites 3 weeks ago
Not all outdoor science is fieldwork. Some of the best days in the lab can be setting up experiments, especially when you get to do it outdoors. It’s an exciting mix of problem solving, precision, preparation, and teamwork. Here is- by oceanbites 1 month ago
Being on a research cruise is a unique experience with the open water, 12-hour working shifts, and close quarters, but there are some familiar practices too. Here Diana is filtering seawater to gather chlorophyll for analysis, the same process on - by oceanbites 3 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday on #oceanbites we are featuring Hannah Collins @hannahh_irene Hannah works with marine suspension feeding bivalves and microplastics, investigating whether ingesting microplastics causes changes to the gut microbial community or gut tissues. She hopes to keep working - by oceanbites 3 months ago
Leveling up - did you know that crabs have a larval phase? These are both porcelain crabs, but the one on the right is the earlier stage. It’s massive spine makes it both difficult to eat and quite conspicuous in - by oceanbites 3 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday on #Oceanbites we are featuring Cierra Braga. Cierra works ultraviolet c (UVC) to discover how this light can be used to combat biofouling, or the growth of living things, on the hulls of ships. Here, you - by oceanbites 3 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday at #Oceanbites we are featuring Elena Gadoutsis @haysailor These photos feature her “favorite marine research so far: From surveying tropical coral reefs, photographing dolphins and whales, and growing my own algae to expose it to different - by oceanbites 4 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday on Oceanbites we are featuring Eliza Oldach. According to Ellie, “I study coastal communities, and try to understand the policies and decisions and interactions and adaptations that communities use to navigate an ever-changing world. Most of - by oceanbites 4 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday at #Oceanbites we are featuring Jiwoon Park with a little photographic help from Ryan Tabata at the University of Hawaii. When asked about her research, Jiwoon wrote “Just like we need vitamins and minerals to stay - by oceanbites 4 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday on #Oceanbites we are featuring @riley_henning According to Riley, ”I am interested in studying small things that make a big impact in the ocean. Right now for my master's research at the University of San Diego, - by oceanbites 5 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday at #Oceanbites we are featuring Gabby Stedman. Gabby is interested in interested in understanding how many species of small-bodied animals there are in the deep-sea and where they live so we can better protect them from - by oceanbites 5 months ago
This week for #WriterWednesday at #Oceanbites we are featuring Shawn Wang! Shawn is “an oceanographer that studies ocean conditions of the past. I use everything from microfossils to complex computer models to understand how climate has changed in the past - by oceanbites 5 months ago
Today we are highlighting some of our awesome new authors for #WriterWednesday Today we have Daniel Speer! He says, “I am driven to investigate the interface of biology, chemistry, and physics, asking questions about how organisms or biological systems respond - by oceanbites 6 months ago
Here at Oceanbites we love long-term datasets. So much happens in the ocean that sometimes it can be hard to tell if a trend is a part of a natural cycle or actually an anomaly, but as we gather more - by oceanbites 6 months ago
Have you ever seen a lobster molt? Because lobsters have exoskeletons, every time they grow they have to climb out of their old shell, leaving them soft and vulnerable for a few days until their new shell hardens. Young, small - by oceanbites 7 months ago
A lot of zooplankton are translucent, making it much easier to hide from predators. This juvenile mantis shrimp was almost impossible to spot floating in the water, but under a dissecting scope it’s features really come into view. See the - by oceanbites 7 months ago
This is a clump of Dead Man’s Fingers, scientific name Codium fragile. It’s native to the Pacific Ocean and is invasive where I found it on the east coast of the US. It’s a bit velvety, and the coolest thing - by oceanbites 8 months ago
You’ve probably heard of jellyfish, but have you heard of salps? These gelatinous sea creatures band together to form long chains, but they can also fall apart and will wash up onshore like tiny gemstones that squish. Have you seen - by oceanbites 8 months ago
Check out what’s happening on a cool summer research cruise! On the #neslter summer transect cruise, we deployed a tow sled called the In Situ Icthyoplankton Imaging System. This can take pictures of gelatinous zooplankton (like jellyfish) that would be - by oceanbites 9 months ago
Did you know horseshoe crabs have more than just two eyes? In these juveniles you can see another set in the middle of the shell. Check out our website to learn about some awesome horseshoe crab research. #oceanbites #plankton #horseshoecrabs - by oceanbites 9 months ago
Feeling a bit flattened by the week? So are these summer flounder larvae. Fun fact: flounder larvae start out with their eyes set like normal fish, but as they grow one of their eyes migrates to meet the other and
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