Hazards
A High-Flying Aquatic Robot
Inspired by the flying squid, researchers have built a robot that can launch itself from the water surface using water-reactive fuel. 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), and […]
Sunlight May Stimulate Breakdown of Ocean Plastic
A new study suggests that one form of plastic might not take as long to break down in the ocean as previously thought. 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 […]
SURFO SPECIAL: Flame retardants: Not as friendly as we like to think
Jamillez Olmo Classen is a senior at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, majoring in Technology in Industrial Chemical Process. This summer, she worked with Dr. Rainer Lohmann (advisor) and Dr. Jitka Becanova (mentor) studying harmful chemicals and how to properly measure their concentrations in our water supply. Read on below to learn about her work! […]
Threats to Cetaceans: There’s More than Meets the Eye
Researchers spent seven years specifically studying deceased, stranded cetaceans along the coastline of the Canary Islands in Spain to figure out what most likely caused their deaths. They found that while human activity accounted for a large portion, something else was responsible for a much larger percentage of cetacean death. Rishya NarayananRishya is a multimedia […]
BAD BOYZ 2.0. Emerging environmental contaminants
Our generation is facing environmental challenges not only from commonly-known contaminants, but also emerging ones, which have been lurking in the shadows until recently. Check this week’s post to know more about these (sometimes surprising) pollutants, and their effects! Prabarna GangulyI’m a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University. My […]
Time to update the history books: the future of radionuclides in the ocean
Scientists measured three radionuclides (137-cesium, tritium, and radiocarbon) to understand how Fukushima derived radionuclides are distributed in the North Pacific Ocean. Victoria TreadawayI am a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. I am an atmospheric chemist studying organic acids in the troposphere to better understand their role […]
Manmade Pollutants Plague Deep-sea Organsims
Scientists have found an alarming accumulation of certain persistent organic pollutants in an environment previously thought pristine and untouched by humans: the deep sea. Ashley MarranzinoI received my Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island where I studied the sensory biology of deep-sea fishes. I am now working with the South Carolina DNR at […]
Let’s Ghost Fishing for Halloween!
Ghost fishing is ghastly because it creates underwater graveyards for wildlife. The authors covered here wrote a new review of gear entanglement among mammals, reptiles, and sharks. Find out what they discovered by reading today’s post! Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island (M.S.). […]
To I.D. Debris: LIDAR as a tool to identify trash on the beach
Scientists may have a new option for figuring out how much debris litters our beaches and what it all is! Find out more in today’s World Oceans Day post on marine debris! Rebecca FlynnI am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.) and the University of Rhode Island (M.S.). I now work in […]
Beat the Heat: Predicting Eastern U.S. Hot Days using the Pacific Ocean
Get ready for summer! Scientists have found a new way to predict the extremely hot days that occur throughout summer, using rainfall over land and the temperature of the Pacific Ocean. Read on to learn more! Austen BlairAusten Blair is a MS candidate at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. While his […]
Storm Troopers! Robots collect ocean data during hurricanes
Hurricane prediction models are constantly improving as we create more innovative ways to study the growth and development of storms. In 2011, a team from Rutgers University sent an autonomous underwater vehicle into the projected path of Hurricane Irene to measure ocean conditions before, during, and after it passed. Nicole CoutoI’m interested in how physical […]
Hail and Tornadoes? Blame ENSO
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can change winter weather on the western coasts of South and North America. Its arm of influence extends to the interior of the US as well, and can affect the frequency of severe weather events such as hailstorms and tornadoes throughout winter and spring. Zoe GentesZoe has an M.S. in Oceanography […]
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 with dramatic images of flora and fauna covered in black tar along coastlines and on the sea surface. What are rarely shown in glossy photographs, however, are the consequences to the unseen deep-sea. Sarah FullerWith […]
Double Whammy: A Second Source of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami
A powerful offshore earthquake was quickly identified as the source of the catastrophic 2011 Tohoku tsunami, which devastated portions of coastal Japan. Numerous studies have shown that an earthquake was not the sole contributor to the tsunami and that an unidentified tsunami source remains at large. New research has identified a second suspect. Brian CaccioppoliI […]
A volcano, a tropical cyclone, and a computer model walked into a room…
Like with bad jokes, timing is everything. The punch line doesn’t make sense if you don’t know the back story, just like when mixing active volcanoes, tropical cyclones, and new volcanic smog dispersion models. Sarah FullerWith academic backgrounds in oceanography, geology, and environmental education, Sarah has traveled to far reaches of the planet to learn […]
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 you may have heard about microbeads from facial cleansers and other products showing up in measurable concentrations in the ocean. Well to get even more micro, scientists measured the concentrations of drugs in Taiwan’s coastal […]
Cyclones move poleward as tropics expand
Tropical cyclones are escaping the hot tropics and intensifying closer towards the poles. The apparent expansion of the tropics helps us to understand why. Hillary ScannellHillary received her MS in oceanography from the University of Maine in 2014 and works in the Ecosystem Modeling Lab at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, ME.
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 from berries to mammals, and every year in the fall, coastal bears consume copious amount of Pacific salmon. This study investigates hair samples from Grizzly Bears and how they can be used to reflect dietary […]
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 Island, Tuscany, Italy where it ran aground on a submerged rock over two and a half years ago on January 13, 2012. Disasters like this one have the potential to royally screw up the environment. […]
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 incorporation of oil into mussels and barnacles in Louisiana estuaries, finding minimal amounts of oil signals detected in the species in the months following the spill. Erin MarkhamErin received her B.S. in Environmental Science from […]
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