![Microplastic beads seen in the central tube of a copepod [their intestinal tract], as evidenced here, fluorescently labelled beads help with visualization and identification. © PML](https://images.marinetechnologynews.com/images/maritime/w200h200padcanvas/microplastic-beads-seen-166795.jpeg)
Study Records Zooplankton Transporting Microplastics to the Deep Sea
A new study has, for the first time, recorded and measured how fast microplastics move through the gut passage of a key zooplankton species in real time and used those measurements to estimate how much plastic these tiny animals might be transporting—and sinking down—through the ocean each day.Zooplankton are already emerging as a major biological pathway for microplastics to transport through marine ecosystems. With over 125 trillion microplastic particles estimated to have accumulated in the ocean, understanding how these pollutants are moving through marine ecosystems and food webs is
Schmidt Ocean Institute Advances R/V Falkor (too)’s Mapping Capabilities
Schmidt Ocean Institute announced it has mapped two million square kilometers of seafloor — about the size of Greenland — and this year, has made two significant changes to advance the seafloor mapping capabilities of R/V Falkor (too): it changed the shape of the ship’s bow and added an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to its technology suite.Over a two-month dry dock period (April 28–June 28) in Talcahuano, Chile, the team reconstructed the bow of R/V Falkor (too), transforming it from a bulbous bow more common on offshore commercial vessels into a streamlined, V-shaped bow
Bubbles May Accelerate CO2 Uptake by the Ocean
A new study provides evidence that the ocean may have absorbed as much as 15% (0.3-0.4 Pg C yr-1) more CO2 than previously thought, requiring a re-think of future CO2 flux assessments and global climate models.The exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the sea and air is a significant part of the global carbon cycle and plays a critical role in buffering climate change.As the ocean is a major absorber of CO2, accurate quantification of this sea-air CO2 flux is vital for forecasting the future climate and developing effective climate change mitigation strategies.In this first-of-its-kind study
Study Identifies "Collision Map" For Birds, Boats to Support Conservation Efforts
in Biological Conservation journal, 192 Antipodean albatrosses across all demographics – males and females, juveniles and adults, breeding and non-breeding individuals – were fitted with tiny satellite transmitters. The full scope of the birds’ movements across the vast Southern Ocean was then overlaid with precise fishing vessel locations from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which tracks commercial ships. This showed where birds and boats crossed paths – the basic “collision map.” A third layer was then added: oceanographic data. PML’s
Scientists Collect Biodiversity Data in Argentina’s Submarine Canyons
Scientists on an Argentinian-led expedition onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) deployed an array of technologies to collect the most robust data set available about how the major Malvinas ocean current interacts with submarine canyons and influences Argentina’s renowned marine biodiversity. Their goal was to better understand the region’s plankton blooms, the basis of the food web that sustains the Argentinian fishing industry. These plankton blooms are so large that they can be observed from space. The expedition was led by Dr. Silvia Ines Romero of Argentina
New Study Shows Connection Between Whale Health and Respiratory Microbes
whale population.The study, Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health, opens the door to effective ways to monitor and protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, whose population has dwindled to fewer than 400 individuals.Between 2016 and 2024, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), University of St Andrews, New England Aquarium, SR³, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation collected 103 respiratory samples from 85 North Atlantic right whales using drones. The researchers found that the microbial matter whales exhale through their blowholes carries
Raymarine Collaborates with Seabed 2030 Project to Advance Seabed Mapping
to promote cross sector collaboration to overcome the obstacles of deep ocean discovery.Launched in 2017, Seabed 2030 is a collaborative effort between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), and is an officially endorsed program of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The project aims to compile all available bathymetric data into a freely accessible map of the global seafloor, supporting marine conservation, climate modeling, tsunami forecasting, and sustainable ocean resource management.As part of this collaboration, Raymarine
Scientists Discover Six Million Year Old Ice in Antarctica, Offers Unprecedented Window into a Warmer Earth
A team of researchers, including those from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air on the planet in the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.A 6-million-year-old ice sample—the oldest sample from Allan Hills dated by researchers—provides an unprecedented window into Earth’s past climate, where abundant geological evidence indicates much warmer temperatures and higher sea levels compared to today.The research was led by Sarah Shackleton
Redwing Glider Successfully Launched in Global Ocean Mission
Teledyne Marine has successfully launched the Slocum Sentinel glider, ‘Redwing’, into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Oct. 11, approximately 43 miles southeast of Woods Hole, Mass. The launch, which is a collaboration with Rutgers University, took place aboard the Ocean Researcher, a 41-foot research vessel under clear skies and one- to three-foot seas.The Teledyne Marine team on board included Shea Quinn, Sentinel Mission Project Lead; Cordie Goodrich, Sentinel Mission Lead Pilot; and Sal Fricano, Glider Applications Engineer and Pilot.Redwing is embarking on the five-year Sentinel Mission
December 2025
