Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Diatoms are tiny unicellular plants—no bigger than half a millimeter—which inhabit the surface water of the world’s oceans where sunlight penetration is plenty. Despite their modest size, they are one of the world’s most powerful resources for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. They currently […]
A Smart Buoy floating on the ocean. Credit: Dalhousie University Researchers at Dalhousie and ocean data analytics innovation environment DeepSense have developed a machine learning method for predicting wind speed and wave height measurements. Such measurements support safe and more accurate decision making by the Halifax Port Authority and the […]
Corals on the Debussy Seamount, a submerged peak more than 2000 meters below the surface in the North Pacific Ocean © NOAA OFFICE OF OCEAN EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH Aiming to bolster conservation on the high seas, a team of marine researchers today released the first comprehensive survey of coral reefs […]
The submersible “Deep Sea Warrior”, used by Ruoyu Sun’s team. Credit: Ruoyu Sun and IDSSE-CAS Scientists have found that man-made mercury pollution has reached the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean—the Marianas Trench. This has significant implications for how mercury affects the marine environment, and how it may […]
The black is where we still need modern measurements at a reasonable resolution NIPPON FOUNDATION-GEBCO SEABED 2030 PROJECT We’ve just become a little less ignorant about Planet Earth. The initiative that seeks to galvanise the creation of a full map of the ocean floor says one-fifth of this task has […]
Challenger Deep (red pin) is the deepest part of the deepest ocean trench on Earth (depth in metres) LARRY MAYER/UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE It used to be said that more people had walked on the surface of the Moon than had dived to the deepest part of Earth’s oceans. Not […]
Mission team members perform acoustic tests of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite in a chamber outfitted with giant speakers that blast the spacecraft with sound. This is to ensure that the high decibels associated with liftoff won’t damage the spacecraft. Credit: Airbus New International Ocean Satellite Completes Testing A team […]
SOURCE: I.KANE/UNI OF MANCHESTER Scientists have identified the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded on the seafloor. The contamination was found in sediments pulled from the bottom of the Mediterranean, near Italy. The analysis, led by the University of Manchester, found up to 1.9 million plastic pieces per square metre. […]
Alvin, the undersea research vehicle, has a robotic arm that deploys a hydraulic fluid sampling device with a ”snorkel” that sticks into the black smoker fluid. The operation helps researchers look for old carbon and graphite. Credit: Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Advanced Imaging and Visualization […]
In satellite images, the algae carpets with their light streaks look like works of art. In the 70,000 square kilometre wide Deutsche Bucht alone, algal bloom produces about ten million tonnes of biomass in spring. Credit: NASA Something old, something new in the ocean’s blue: The discovery of a forgotten […]