Behavior Ecology Solstice Strategies for Survival: Yule be amazed! Winter blues got ya down? For some organisms on our planet, the shortened days may influence their very survival. On…
Microbiology The answer to starvation? Diversity Photosynthetic microorganisms can't go it alone, so they succeed by playing host to a diverse array of microbial partners
Glaciers Connecting production to glacial meltwater As sea-ice disappears, many scientists predict that primary production will increase in high latitude regions. A Danish group adds some…
Biological oceanography The Missing Mechanism: How Ocean Fronts Impact Sinking Organic Matter Phytoplankton are central to the ocean’s carbon cycle, converting carbon dioxide into organic molecules that sink into the sea’s interior.…
Biological oceanography Put your cilia in the air and wave ‘em like you just don’t care A new study out of Woods Hole sheds some light on how marine phytoplankton enhance their ability to take up…
Book Review Evolution Red dead algae Life on earth has been evolving for a long time - billions of years! The timing of when different kinds…
Biological oceanography Remote Sensing Studying plankton from an atmospheric satellite Scientists found a way to repurpose data from an atmospheric satellite to study the tiny creatures at the base of…
Chemistry Not better together: complex pollutant soup spells trouble for marine phytoplankton A group of international researchers have found that marine phytoplankton communities are susceptible to impairment from complex mixtures of organic…
Biological oceanography Biology Climate Change Tiny but tough: calcification in marine phytoplankton Coccolithophores stand out from other marine phytoplankton in their ability to form calcified plates. Why is it beneficial for coccolithophores…
Biochemistry Climate Change Microbiology Sea Ice Iceberg Buffet: How giant icebergs bring food to plankton While icebergs are calving from Antarctic glaciers at alarming rates, they may provide a negative feedback for the carbon cycle.…
Biological oceanography Book Review Sea Ice Plankton fill up ice-free summer homes Source: Li, Y., R. Ji, S. Jenouvrier, M. Jin, and J. Stroeve (2016), Synchronicity between ice retreat and phytoplankton bloom…
Behavior Ecology Killer food: the harmful effects of a diatom diet What if a single bite out of your favorite cheeseburger was toxic to your health? In the ocean, copepods are…
Biogeochemistry Sailing the Southern Ocean for science Hear about my adventures living on an icebreaker on the Southern Ocean, deploying ocean robots to understand the chemistry and…
Climate Change Ecology Fisheries Always follow your gut, or in this case, follow the fish guts Following the guts of fish species is sometimes the best way to track small, mobile crustacean prey.
Atmospheric Chemistry Tiny plankton make big clouds brighter Scientists use ocean color from satellites to show that tiny ocean plankton may be responsible for making clouds brighter around…
Biochemistry Biology Book Review Chemistry Climate Change Carbon sinks: Diatoms in the deep sea Fast-sinking phytoplankton particles deliver carbon from the surface to the deep ocean. Are plankton cells still able to survive when…
Biogeochemistry Biology Ecology Microbiology Time to rethink the role of ocean’s microbes? Have you ever wondered what may live inside the tiniest drops of seawater? Global oceans are dominated by organisms we…
Biology Coastal Management Harmful Algal Bloom Seagrass Sewage pollution running amuck in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon Harmful algal blooms are common events that occur in coastal waters. In Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, nutrient groundwater runoff initiates…
Book Review Climate Change Ecology Zooplankton versus Phytoplankton: a trophic seesaw NASA satellites reveal artistic swirls of phytoplankton dancing across the ocean surface. This new study explains the dynamic predator-prey imbalances…
Biology Book Review Ecology Remote Sensing Determining viral controls of phytoplankton blooms Article: Lehahn, Y. et al. Decoupling Physical from Biological Processes to Assess the Impact of Viruses on a Mesoscale Algal Bloom.Current…