PML Study Explores Marine Protection Opportunities Amidst Deep Sea Mining
Protected areas have been set up to shield deep-sea life from the impacts of seabed mining in the Pacific Ocean. However, new research led by scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, highlights an opportunity to make these protections even more effective. The study suggests that adding a small number of strategically located protected areas could help transform existing reserves into a more connected network, enabling tiny drifting larvae that have been cast adrift after disturbance to recolonize more successfully.The research team focused on the
Marine Mammal Classifier App Wins Canadian Edition of Ocean Hackathon 10
of the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), Greater Victoria's economic development alliance. Regional editions were simultaneously convened in twelve cities and nine countries around the world. Produced by Campus Mondial de la Mer, the international competition brings together marine science and digital innovation in a format designed to inspire and engage emerging ocean entrepreneurs. Participants gain access to vast marine databases and receive guidance from experienced mentors and industry professionals while developing their projects. They then pitch their prototypes to a panel
NOAA, Partners Complete First Coral Sampling Mission
Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary." This project looks to gain insights into the physiological, molecular, and reproductive responses of corals in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and their tolerances to environmental stressors.Research partners from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Harte Research Institute/Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies/NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorolog
Comprehensive Study Measures How Salt Finger Mixing Feeds Marine Life
; said Selden, an assistant professor at Rutgers University. “We will assess plankton growth, diversity, and grazing rates against physical measurements of salt finger mixing to determine how the process feeds surface ecosystems. These findings will clarify how fine-scale ocean mixing drives both marine food webs and potential carbon export to the deep sea.” The ocean absorbs approximately 30% of all human-created carbon emissions. Much of the absorbed carbon dioxide is captured by phytoplankton during photosynthesis and converted into organic carbon. When these phytoplankton are consumed
ASL Acoustic Profiler Reveals Vertical Migration of Midge Larvae in Lake Malawi
ASL has highlighted their involvement in a field and laboratory study that recently appeared in the July 23, 2026 edition of the journal Science. This study, led by Dr. Philip Matthews of the University of British Columbia in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Fisheries in Malawi, the Scottish Oceans Institute, the University of St Andrews UK and Cupar Analytics UK, revealed how the aquatic larvae of the midge fly Chaoborus edulis have exhibited remarkable crush-resistant air sacs that allow them to undertake daily vertical migrations to extraordinary depths in Lake Malawi, East
Caribbean-Led Expedition Explores Deep Sea Offshore Trinidad and Tobago
Marine scientists from Trinidad and Tobago recently conducted the first locally led and most comprehensive deep-sea survey of the islands’ surrounding ocean during an expedition aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too). During the month-long expedition in July, the team located over 25 active cold seeps, discovered 20 suspected new species, and mapped approximately 13% of the country’s marine territory.The potential new species include an octopus first discovered during a 2014 expedition, in which the expedition’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Diva Amon, participated. The
Snow Problem Too Big: A floating polar laboratory tackles Arctic research
seasonality of five components of the Arctic Ocean: atmosphere, snow, ice, biodiversity and the ocean itself. Tara Polaris I is just the first of multiple missions ongoing until 2046.The Tara Ocean Foundation was launched in 2003 by Agnès Troublé and son Étienne Bourgois to support marine research, educate on its importance, and pledge for ocean protection. The Polar Station, built 18 years after the organization's first North Pole trip aboard the schooner Tara, was designed to fill a scientific gap in the Arctic Ocean, which lacks a long-term research station (compared to the
Gulf Hypoxic Zone Found to Be Smaller Than Expected
,” are areas with little to no oxygen in the water, which can negatively impact fish, shellfish, corals and aquatic plants by making critical habitat unavailable to bottom species. The annual hypoxic zone survey was led by scientists at Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON). The survey cruise was conducted aboard the LUMCON research vessel Pelican from July 24-30. Data from the survey is available online for the public. The measured hypoxic zone is smaller than anticipated this year due to Tropical Storm Bertha passing through the northern Gulf
ASENAV to Build Hybrid Research Vessel for UC San Diego
, construction, testing, and trials through to delivery of the vessel, projected for July 2028.The ship will be capable of operating more than 200 days per year at sea to fulfill operations demanding the highest scientific, acoustic, and environmental standards.Chilean Naval Engineering at the Service of Marine ResearchThe vessel will be designated in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet as a Coastal Class Research Vessel. It will feature a monohull design, with a length of 38.0 meters, beam of 10.2 meters, and draft of 3.0 meters, propelled by dual azimuthing L-Drive stern thrusters and a bow thruster. The
August 2026
