Oceans
- Animals
New deep-sea sponge could play a starring role in monitoring ocean health
A new species of sponge that dwells on metal-rich rocks could help scientists track the environmental impact of deep-sea mining.
- Oceans
Castaway critters rafted to U.S. shores aboard Japan tsunami debris
Researchers report finding 289 living Japanese marine species that washed up on American shores on debris from the 2011 East Japan earthquake and tsunami.
- Earth
How hurricanes and other devastating disasters spur scientific research
Hurricanes such as Harvey, Irma and others have been devastating, even deadly, yet they drive our desire for scientific discovery.
- Oceans
How deep water surfaces around Antarctica
New 3-D maps trace the pathway that deep water takes to the surface of the Southern Ocean.
- Animals
Giant larvaceans could be ferrying ocean plastic to the seafloor
Giant larvaceans could mistakenly capture microplastics, in addition to food, in their mucus houses and transfer them to the seafloor in their feces.
- Earth
Deep heat may have spawned one of the world’s deadliest tsunamis
The 2004 Indonesian quake was surprisingly strong because of dried-out, brittle minerals far below.
- Earth
Stunning images reveal glacial landscapes under the oceans
The most detailed atlas of the seafloor ever compiled offers colorful imagery and ghostly glimpses of Earth’s glacial past.
- Animals
Sea creatures’ sticky ‘mucus houses’ catch ocean carbon really fast
A new deepwater laser tool measures the carbon-filtering power of snot nets created by little-known sea animals called giant larvaceans.
- Climate
Radical idea could restore ice in the Arctic Ocean
Windmill-powered pumps on buoys throughout the Arctic Ocean could help bring back shrinking sea ice, researchers say.
- Oceans
The Arctic is a final garbage dump for ocean plastic
Ocean currents dump plastic garbage from the North Atlantic into previously pristine Arctic waters, new research shows.
- Oceans
The Arctic is a final garbage dump for ocean plastic
Ocean currents dump plastic garbage from the North Atlantic into previously pristine Arctic waters, new research shows.
- Oceans
More than one ocean motion determines tsunami size
The horizontal movement of the seafloor during an earthquake can boost the size of the resulting tsunami, researchers propose.
