Human Health – oceanbites

Another Impact of Climate Change: Toxic Algal Blooms in the Arctic

Climate change is a pervasive force in nature. One deadly effect of climate change are more frequently algal blooms. As…

Biology Chemistry Hazards Human Health Plastic Pollution

How many microplastics are in your body? An insight into lifetime accumulation

Microscopic plastics have been found anywhere and everywhere, including in the food we eat. With plastic pollution on the rise,…

Human Health

How Extreme Wildfires Made the COVID Pandemic Deadlier

Wildfires in California have been causing COVID-19 cases and deaths to skyrocket, and El Niño may be playing a role.

Conservation Fisheries Human Health Human impacts Methodology Policy Sea Turtles

High-TEK Turtle Monitoring: Lessons from Traditional Ecological Knowledge

In this new study carried out in Colombia, traditional ecological knowledge helps to shine a light on sea turtle and…

Hazards Human Health

Sunrise, sterilize, sunset, repeat: Heat and sunshine work together to kill COVID-19

Heat and UV radiation can kill COVID-19 viral particles on beaches, so taking a trip to the beach is a…

Biochemistry Biology Ecology Human Health Human impacts Pollution Toxicology

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes in Seahorse Hormones

While we already know that plastics are harmful to the environment, do you ever really think about how they can…

Atmospheric Chemistry Atmospheric Science Chemistry Human Health

CRASH!: A Chemical Study of Sea Spray from Breaking Ocean Waves

With every wave that crashes on the beach, little particles known as sea spray fly up into the air. Because…

Chemistry Ecology Fisheries Human Health

How does mercury end up in our seafood? (Guest Post by Patricia Myer)

This is a guest post by Patricia Myer. Patricia is a third-year Chemical Oceanography PhD student at the University of…

Human Health

Spinal Cord Regeneration as Told by Sea Lampreys

Sea lampreys can regenerate their spinal cords twice – a finding that can help us better understand the barriers humans…

Biochemistry Biodiversity Biological oceanography Human Health technology

Let Marine Microbes Be Thy Medicine

The deep sea is a treasure trove of disease-fighting compounds--and is even helping us in the fight against the novel…

Coastal Management Genetics Human Health Microbiology

Tough bugs below the waves?

Just as humans can build up tolerances to things we’re exposed to, so can bacteria. Introduce antibiotics to an ecosystem…

Biogeochemistry Book Review Climate Change Coastal Management Hazards Human Health Human impacts Plastic Pollution

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…

Coastal Management Fisheries Harmful Algal Bloom Human Health ocean engineering technology Toxicology

Sailing Solo: An alternative way to monitor harmful algal blooms

Have you ever heard about a harmful algal bloom? Do you know what causes them? Or how scientists monitor them?…

Chemistry Hazards Human Health Toxicology Undergraduate Research

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…

Human Health

Attacking Alzheimer’s: Medicinal marine microbes

Alzheimer's disease is a serious brain condition that affects many elderly people. It is important to find new ways to…

Biogeochemistry Biological oceanography deep sea Human Health Human impacts

Not So Organic Marine Snow

What happens when plastic pollution mixes into the ocean carbon cycle? Read to find out more about how plastic from…

Biochemistry Biological oceanography deep sea Ecology Fisheries Harmful Algal Bloom Human Health Oysters Trophic Ecology

Snowmageddon: A lighthearted start to Marine Snow theme week

While the term “marine snow” may conjure images of an aquatic winter wonderland, some aspects of this phenomenon may not…

Hazards Human Health Human impacts Pollution technology

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…

Coastal Management Human Health Human impacts Pollution Toxicology

Tarballs invading our coastlines: Ghosts of oil spills past

We live in a world that is torn between reliance on fossil fuels and renewable energy. Although we have made…

Atmospheric Science Climate Change Human Health Pollution

MARPOL-ling in the Right Direction

Posted by Steven Koch Research article: Zetterdahl, M., Jana Moldanov, J., Xiangyu Pei, X., Pathak, R. K., Demirdjian, B. (2016).…