Harnessing Plankton Research Is Crucial to Inform Climate Models
revolutionized the science from the 1980s onward, so too must simulation modeling become embedded in plankton research. This work was supported by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council as part of the “Simulating Plankton” project, contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) initiative
Light Pollution Shown to Negatively Some Static Marine Organisms
A new study reveals the harmful influence of artificial light at night on the immobile species, the snakelocks anemone.The study, "The disruption of a symbiotic sea anemone by light pollution: Non-linear effects on zooxanthellae and molecular indicators," was published in Science of the Total Environment and is a collaborative effort between the University of Prince Edward Island, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Exeter.The issue of artificial light at night (ALAN) is rapidly growing in prominence. However, there are still significant research gaps before there is a good
There’s No Place Like Home
If coral larvae responded to advertising, Dr. Mark Ladd's pitch could go something like this: Pssst. I see you drifting by looking for a place to settle, and boy, do I have a deal for you! It’s a modern one-bedroom with a couple of PVC tiles that look just like those hard, rock-like surfaces you favor in the wild, and some shaded overhangings to protect you from things that want to eat you. It’s a great place to start a colony of your own. You know, build out the whole suburban lifestyle. We have a five-star guest rating online, so what do you say?Ladd's B&B is part of a
Chile's Underwater Forests Face Anthropogenic Threats
of red and green seaweed float upwards from the sea floor, providing food for wildlife, income for locals—and oxygen and carbon capture for the planet.For scientists, these forests hold even more potential as sustainable protein, food and other materials, though they are threatened by warming oceans and human pollution."They form a belt along coastal edges, which is essentially a belt of protection and biodiversity for life," said Alejandra Gonzalez, a marine biologist from the University of Chile who specializes in marine ecosystem conservation.She explained that seaweed produces
CCG's New Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel Begins Sea Trials
CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), began sea trials this week in North Vancouver, sailing from Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards where final outfitting, installation, and commissioning work has been taking place since the vessel’s launch in August 2024.CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a Polar Class 6 vessel, with a displacement of 5,058t, and is 88 meters long, 17.6 meters wide, and will accommodate up to 60 personnel.Sea trials mark the final major phase of a shipbuilding project before delivery. Over the next few weeks, the ship
MBARI Research Supports Cryospheric Science
Ocean.“Ice-covered ocean and land are integral to the health of our planet and host unique communities of life. The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences provides an opportunity to collaborate to better understand and protect these critically important polar environments. As a leader in ocean science and engineering, MBARI is well-positioned to play a major role in international efforts to take the pulse of polar regions and help discovery in uncharted waters,” said MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius, a global leader in polar research.Scientists have only recently been able to access
REV Ocean Finds Ship Management Partner for New Expedition Vessel
V.Ships, part of V.Group, will partner up with REV Ocean to provide a suite of ship management services for the REV Ocean vessel, deemed the world’s largest and most advanced research and expedition ship.Currently at Vard Søviknes in Norway, the vessel will be equipped to conduct research across the entire marine ecosystem, using advanced technology systems.Scientists and other experts will use it for research expeditions, seeking to solve issues related to the impact of CO2 emissions, plastic pollution, and unsustainable fishing on the ocean.The vessel is constructed to run on diesel-elect
Climate Change is Changing Marine Phosphorus Cycles
University of California, Irvine researchers have reported evidence that marine nutrient cycles – essential for sustaining ocean ecosystems – are changing in unexpected ways as the planet continues to warm.“Model studies have suggested that when the ocean warms it gets more stratified, which can drain certain parts of the surface ocean of nutrients,” said Professor Adam Martiny, one of the study’s lead authors.Although models suggest a connection between ocean temperatures and surface ocean nutrients, this is the first study to confirm climate change’s impacts on
Researchers Team Up to Investigate Costal Wave Breaking
Scientists from the University College London (UCL), the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), and the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay have joined forces to shed more light on the role of coastal wave breaking in global climate modeling.Under the WAVECLIM project, scientists from UCL, NOC and ENS will use novel observations of coastal wave breaking, advanced modeling, and machine learning to determine the importance of the coastal wave breaking, deemed notoriously complex and challenging-to-measure phenomenon.Specifically, the WAVECLIM project will look to fill a
February 2025
