China Mapping Ocean Floor Ready for Submarine Warfare
for waging submarine warfare against the United States and its allies.In one example, the Dong Fang Hong 3, a research vessel operated by Ocean University of China, spent 2024 and 2025 sailing back and forth in the seas near Taiwan and the U.S. stronghold of Guam, and around strategic stretches of the Indian Ocean, ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows. In October 2024, it checked on a set of powerful Chinese ocean sensors capable of identifying undersea objects near Japan, according to Ocean University, and visited the same area again last May. And in March 2025, it criss-crossed the waters between
China Maps Ocean Floor as It Builds Submarine Warfare Capability
for waging submarine warfare against the United States and its allies.In one example, the Dong Fang Hong 3, a research vessel operated by Ocean University of China, spent 2024 and 2025 sailing back and forth in the seas near Taiwan and the U.S. stronghold of Guam, and around strategic stretches of the Indian Ocean, ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows. In October 2024, it checked on a set of powerful Chinese ocean sensors capable of identifying undersea objects near Japan, according to Ocean University, and visited the same area again last May. And in March 2025, it criss-crossed the waters between
Climate Change: A Decade After the Paris Agreement
ocean heat a critical indicator of climate change. Regionally, WMO says about 33% of the global ocean area ranked among its historical (1958–2025) top three warmest conditions, while about 57% fell within the top five, including the tropical and South Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, North Indian Ocean, and Southern Oceans, underscoring the broad ocean warming across basins.(Reuters and staff
Robotics Essential to Coral Reef Preservation Efforts
resilience of mesophotic coral ecosystems – coral reef communities found at depths of between 30m and 150m in tropical regions – to the temperature shifts predicted under future climate change.Over the next five years, the project will focus on these deeper coral reef communities in the Indian Ocean and employ survey technologies for in-situ measurements of biodiversity, health and physical environmental parameters.Advances in subsea robotics are helping scientists better understand and monitor the processes occurring in coral reefs. However, conventional conservation methods struggle to
New Project to Assess Resilience of Mesophotic Coral Reefs
coral ecosystems – coral reef communities found at depths of between 30m and 150m in tropical regions – to the temperature shifts predicted under future climate change.Over the next five years, the project will focus on these deeper coral reef communities below the surface of the Indian Ocean and employ a number of methods to assess their vulnerability to climate change.In addition to assessing the threats they face, the project will also seek to inform ways the reefs can be protected now and in the future.The project starts in February 2026, and is being led by experts in marine biology
"No Find, No Fee" Search for MH370 to Commence
Nearly 12 years after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished with 239 people on board, the mystery remains unresolved. Later this month, a new seabed search is scheduled to begin in the southern Indian Ocean, renewing hopes that long-awaited answers may finally emerge.The Boeing 777 disappeared on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The passengers included more than 150 Chinese nationals, around 50 Malaysians, and citizens from several other countries, including France, Australia, the United States, India, Canada and Ukraine. Despite one of the most extensive aviation
NOAA and Sofar Advance Weather Forecasting
AI to fine-tune model parameters.GFDL and Sofar’s experimental coupled model has already improved Sofar’s global marine weather forecast accuracy. For example, the model’s forecasts of wind speed are now outperforming other global forecast models in the South Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean tropics.By assimilating observations made by Sofar’s global network of Spotter buoys at the air-sea interface, GFDL and Sofar fill the observational gaps left by other data sources. Spotters, for example, deliver highly accurate wave and weather data amidst the heavy convection, rain, and
Redwing Glider Successfully Launched in Global Ocean Mission
and Pilot.Redwing is embarking on the five-year Sentinel Mission, where it will become the first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to circumnavigate the globe.Redwing’s journey will take it across the Gulf Stream towards Europe, then south to Gran Canaria, onward to Cape Town, across the Indian Ocean to Australia and New Zealand, through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and eventually back to the Atlantic via the Falkland Islands, Brazil, and the Caribbean.The mission is a collaboration between Teledyne Marine and Rutgers University. Engineers from Teledyne, alongside more than 50 students
Underwater Autonomous Glider Departs to Circumnavigate the Globe
, remote regions of the globe.Redwing’s first leg will see it ride the Gulf Stream south of Martha’s Vineyard toward Europe, before sweeping south to stop at Gran Canaria off the coast of North West Africa. Its next leg will take it to Cape town in South Africa, before crossing the Indian Ocean to stop at Perth in Western Australia, then on to Wellington, New Zealand. It will then navigate the Antarctic Circumpolar Current — the most powerful current on Earth — taking it on its longest leg to the Falkland Islands. From here there will be possible stops in Brazil and the Caribbean
February 2026
