Oceans

  1. Ecosystems

    Pollution regulations help Chesapeake Bay seagrass rebound

    Regulations that have reduced nitrogen runoff into the Chesapeake Bay are driving the recovery of underwater vegetation.

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  2. Earth

    By 2100, damaged corals may let waves twice as tall as today’s reach coasts

    Structurally complex coral reefs can defend coasts against waves, even as sea levels rise.

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  3. Environment

    Plastic pollution increases risk of devastating disease in corals

    Researchers estimate about 11 billion pieces of plastic are polluting Asia-Pacific corals, raising the risk of disease at scores of reefs.

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  4. Earth

    Robots map largest underwater volcanic eruption in 100 years

    High-resolution mapping of a 2012 underwater volcanic eruption just goes to show there’s a lot we don’t know about deep-sea volcanism.

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  5. Climate

    Warming ocean water is turning 99 percent of these sea turtles female

    Green sea turtle populations in part of the Great Barrier Reef are becoming increasingly female due to higher ocean temperatures.

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  6. Oceans

    Corals are severely bleaching five times as often as in 1980

    Corals are now bleaching more frequently and severely than they were in the early 1980s.

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  7. Climate

    The Larsen C ice shelf break has sparked groundbreaking research

    The hubbub over the iceberg that broke off Larsen C may have died down, but scientists are just getting warmed up to study the aftermath.

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  8. Earth

    Watching this newborn island erode could tell us a lot about Mars

    The birth and death of a young volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean may shed light on the origins of volcanoes in Mars’ wetter past.

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  9. Animals

    Narwhals react to certain dangers in a really strange way

    After escaping a net, narwhals significantly lower their heart rate while diving quickly to get away from humans.

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  10. Animals

    Most blue whales are ‘righties,’ except for this one move

    Though many blue whales tend to be “right-handed” when hunting for krill, one specific barrel roll move requires a lefty twist.

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  11. Oceans

    In the deep ocean, these bacteria play a key role in trapping carbon

    Mysterious nitrite-oxidizing bacteria capture more carbon than previously thought and may be the primary engine at the base of the deep ocean’s food web.

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  12. Climate

    Climate foiled Europeans’ early exploration of North America

    The book ‘A Cold Welcome’ examines how the Little Ice Age and other climatic and geographic factors shaped colonial history.

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