Oceans

Paleontology

300 million-year-old giant shark swam the Texas seas

Fossil find shows oldest known ‘supershark,’ about the size of a limo, prowled the ocean 300 million years ago.

Oceans

Oxygen in Black Sea has declined by more than a third since 1955

The Black Sea’s oxygen-rich surface layer shrank by more than a third from 1955 through 2013, compressing marine habitats and bringing toxic hydrogen sulfide closer to the surface.

Oceans

Widespread coral bleaching threatens world’s reefs

The world’s corals are experiencing their third major bleaching event in 17 years.

Animals

What happens to animals in a hurricane?

Hurricanes can be devastating to animals on land and in the sea, but they can also provide opportunities.

Animals

Some seabirds will be hit hard by sea level rise

Seabird species that nest on low-lying islands in stormy winter months could see huge losses as sea levels rise, a new study finds.

Oceans

Giant barrel sponges are hijacking Florida’s coral reefs

Giant barrel sponges are gradually taking over and threatening Florida’s coral reefs, a new census suggests.

Oceans

Earth got first whiff of oxygen 3.2 billion years ago

Photosynthesis by early cyanobacteria pumped oxygen into Earth’s oceans 200 million years earlier than once thought, new geochemical analyses show.

Environment

Molting seals shed mercury along with fur

Seals spew amassed mercury when they shed, creating hotbeds of pollution in otherwise pristine coastal environments.

Climate

Hurricane’s tiny earthquakes could help forecasters

Hurricane Sandy set off small earthquakes under its eye as it moved up the U.S. East Coast in 2012. The tiny tremors could help researchers track the behavior of future storms, researchers propose.

Climate

Katrina’s legacy: Refining hurricane forecasting

Ten years following Hurricane Katrina’s formation, the storm’s devastating legacy in New Orleans and beyond continues to drive storm forecast improvements.

Oceans

Ocean current simulations could narrow Flight 370 search

Aircraft debris found on Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean could originate from the northern half of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s search area, ocean simulations show.

Climate

Iceless Arctic summers now expected by 2050s

The Arctic Ocean will have its first ice-free summer in the 2050s, nine years earlier than previously forecast, according to improved simulations.