Biological oceanography
Small currents influence small creatures
Phytoplankton, the tiny photosynthesizing organisms in the ocean, tend to just go with the flow. Even the smallest currents can…
Physical oceanography
Reevaluating the Ocean Conveyer Belt
A recent study suggests that surface processes in the Indian and Pacific Oceans may be more important to global ocean…
Biology
Can you smell that? Oil spills change stingray’s sense of smell
It may have occurred 8 years ago, but scientists are still talking about the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. This…
Behavior Biology Conservation deep sea Ecology Methodology Physiology Trophic Ecology
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…
Plastic Pollution
A boon to ocean conservation? Certain fungi can degrade marine plastics
Brunner I, Fischer M, Ru ̈thi J, Stierli B, Frey B (2018) Ability of fungi isolated from plastic debris floating…
Fisheries
A Case of Mistaken Identity: Seafood Fraud
Sustainable seafood has recently become a hot topic in marine conservation, and scientists and conservationists advise transparency in the seafood…
Book Review
Tips from a workshop on Negotiating
Negotiating is a valuable skillset that many scientists are never formally trained in. This post highlights some of the take…
Sharkbites Saturday
In the hot seat: Hot spots for pelagic shark movement reflect hot spots for commercial longline fisheries in the North Atlantic.
Check out the latest from Matt Larsen about shark habitat around the globe, and how these areas overlap with fishing…
Climate Change
Do we know what it means to engineer the climate?
At this point, it's undeniable that the climate is changing rapidly. What are our options for mitigation? Many scientists are…
Sharkbites Saturday
Shark Intelligence: Who needs a degree when you’re schoolin’ life?
People often associate intelligence with mammals because humans are mammals and we like to think of ourselves as being pretty…
Biodiversity
If the benthos could talk: the value of long-term biodiversity monitoring
The tiny critters that burrow, swim, and graze in the benthic (bottom) habitats of marine ecosystems are often monitored over…
Ecology
Digging Deep: Burrowing Animals are Just One Element of a Healthy Mudflat
Despite mudflats supporting fisheries, providing homes for birds, and serving as a buffer between land and sea, these ecosystems are…
Ecology Sharkbites Saturday
Saving Sawfish: Adventures in the Everglades
A few months ago, I wrote about sawfish research in Papua New Guinea, but if you live in the U.S.…
Ecology
I like to move it, move it: Krill boogie down all year
Krill, the tiny organisms that feed the Southern Ocean, have long been thought to be pretty mellow in the winter.…
Biological oceanography Climate Change Physical oceanography Remote Sensing Sea Ice
Phytoplankton Expanding Northward as Arctic Sea Ice Retreats
A recent study uses satellite data to show that Arctic sea ice retreat is causing changes in the timing and…
Plastic Pollution
There’s plastic in your tap water, beer, and table salt
Kosuth M, Mason SA, Wattenberg EV (2018) Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt. PLoS ONE 13(4): e0194970.…
Biogeochemistry Biological oceanography Physical oceanography
Mixing Up Microalgae
A recent study shows that within the mixed layer—the region of the upper ocean where temperature and salinity are homogeneous—biological…
Hazards
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…
Ecology
Beyond cannibalism, can tide pools help explain the universe?
It turns out tide pools are a lot more complex than they seem - and often inhabited by cannibals. Can…
Remote Sensing
Monitoring the benthos by listening to photosynthesis
Even though the benthos is a largely unseen energy base for marine food webs, scientists are listening to benthic habitats…