Feature Channels: Marine Science

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A team of mechanical engineers at the University of California San Diego has successfully used acoustic waves to move fluids through small channels at the nanoscale. The breakthrough is a first step toward the manufacturing of small, portable devices that could be used for drug discovery and microrobotics applications. The devices could be integrated in a lab on a chip to sort cells, move liquids, manipulate particles and sense other biological components. For example, it could be used to filter a wide range of particles, such as bacteria, to conduct rapid diagnosis.

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Half of all coral species in the Caribbean went extinct between 1 and 2 million years ago, probably due to drastic environmental changes. Which ones survived? Scientists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) think one group of survivors, corals in the genus Orbicella, will continue to adapt to future climate changes because of their high genetic diversity.

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Declines in the Arctic sea ice are arguably the most dramatic evidence of the effects of current climate warming on ocean systems. While sea ice is perhaps the most defining habitat feature of Arctic whales, the relationship between Arctic whales and sea ice is still largely a mystery, and there is increasing concern over how these species will adapt to climate related changes in sea ice.

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The latest research and features on Animals in the Wildlife News Source

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory physicist Manyalibo (Ibo) Matthews has been elected as a fellow of the Optical Society for his “outstanding contributions and sustained leadership in the field of high power laser-induced damage science, laser-material interactions and processing, and vibrational spectroscopy-based materials characterization.”

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A University of Washington study is the first to broadly examine the ecological and financial impacts of seafood mislabeling. The paper, published online Nov. 2 in Conservation Letters, finds that in most cases, mislabeling actually leads people to eat more sustainably, because the substituted fish is often more plentiful and of a better conservation status than the fish on the label.

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Using 20 years of data from federal and state agencies, a fisheries biologist and Fulbright scholar are tracking how land use changes have impacted the water quality and aquatic life in lakes and streams in northeastern South Dakota. These environmental impacts can put pressure on aquatic ecosystems that, in the short term, can have a more dramatic effect than climate change.

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Alice Cialella leads a department whose research is focused on aerosol chemistry and microphysics, aerosol-related infrastructure, climate and process modeling, cloud processes, data management and software engineering, terrestrial ecosystems, meteorological services, and tracer technologies.

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Research by the Universities of Southampton and Plymouth has found a new link between breaking waves and the hazard posed by rip currents. The research could result in more lives being saved.

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The shipwreck found at the foot of the Tower of Flies in Akko harbor is beginning to share its secrets. In a new study combining maritime archeology and metallurgy, research student Maayan Cohen of the University of Haifa managed to unravel the chemical composition and microstructure of the ancient nails used in the construction of the ship. Her study enabled the dating and identification of a ship that has puzzled researchers for over half a century. “Even the most experienced investigators from the police forensic identification unit would have been proud of the work done here,” the research team declared. “The chemical composition and other evidence show that the nails were manufactured in the first half of the nineteenth century, probably in England.”

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A new study published today in Scientific Reports reveals that 100 feet below the surface of the ocean is a critical depth for ecological activity in the Arctic polar night — a period of near continuous winter darkness. There, atmospheric light diminishes and bioluminescence from marine organisms becomes the dominant light source.

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For the past three years, Joy Frieman has been searching to find a suitable way to honor her late husband, Edward A. Frieman, former director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Noting that, “Ed was one of the very early people to identify global warming,” she recently gave $2.5 million to support the area of climate sustainability.

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With the latest news hitting about the race to the White House, Nova Southeastern University is extending its Shark Race to the White House to give its sharks more time to predict the next occupant of the Oval Office!

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U.S. and Saudi Arabian scientists launched the most extensive baseline survey to-date of coral reef ecosystems along the Saudi coast of the Gulf of Aqaba during late September 2016 — investigating multiple reef species in detail to support conservation.

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The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is seeking a select group of students for a historic summer expedition that will send them from city to sea under the banner of the National Science Foundation.

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A SUNY Geneseo faculty member is heading to Antarctica with a team of climate scientists this month where he will gather information to compose music based upon seismic data gathered at the site.

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Two new studies by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA have found the fastest ongoing rates of glacier retreat ever observed in West Antarctica and offer an unprecedented look at ice melting on the floating undersides of glaciers. The results highlight how the interaction between ocean conditions and the bedrock beneath a glacier can influence the frozen mass, helping scientists better predict future Antarctica ice loss and global sea level rise.

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Oceanographers used tools developed for semiconductor research to get a detailed picture of a marine shell's early formation, to understand how organisms turn seawater into solid mineral.

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Freshwater fish play a surprisingly crucial role in feeding some of the world’s most vulnerable people, according to a study published Monday (Oct. 24) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Marine symbiotic bacteria may help to "fertilize" animal growth in the oceans. Microbiologist Jillian Petersen and colleagues from the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have discovered that chemosynthetic bacteria in marine animals can fix nitrogen as well as carbon. This is the first such symbiont known to be capable of nitrogen fixation.

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Five years ago, the largest single release of human-made radioactive discharge to the marine environment resulted from an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.

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BioSwimmer is a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle equipped to inspect a vessel’s exterior for illicit cargo and contraband, as well as harbor facilities for unwanted activity.

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New research, led by the University of Southampton, has found that human activities such as shipping are having a noticeable impact on marine species and their native habitats.

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One of the biggest untapped clean energy sources on the planet — wave energy — could one day power millions of homes across the U.S. But more than a century after the first tests of the power of ocean waves, it is still one of the hardest energy sources to capture. Now, engineers at Sandia National Laboratories are conducting the largest model-scale wave energy testing of its kind to improve the performance of wave-energy converters (WECs).

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Animals feeding at sea inherit a chemical record reflecting the area where they fed, which can help track their movements. Chemical testing of the source of marine food products could be a powerful tool to help to fight food fraud and maintain healthy sustainable fish stocks or marine protected areas.

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As they grow, corals are bathed in a sea of marine microbes, such as bacteria, algae, and viruses. While these extremely abundant and tiny microorganisms influence coral communities in a variety of ways, a new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) reveals that corals also have an impact on the microbes in waters surrounding them.

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Bacteria are immortal as long as they keep dividing. For decades it has been assumed that a continuous, proteinaceous ring is necessary to drive the division of most microorganisms. An international team led by Silvia Bulgheresi, University of Vienna, revealed that the symbiont of the marine roundworm breaks the ring dogma and divides without. These findings have been published in the current issue of Nature Microbiology.

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Amid efforts to restore native oyster populations on the West Coast, how are oysters expected to fare under climate change in the decades and centuries to come? Not too badly, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. But there’s a big “if” involved.

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An expedition mapping submerged ancient landscapes, the first of its kind in the Black Sea, is making exciting discoveries.

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University of Delaware researchers studied the “social networks” of sand tiger sharks and found they spend a surprising amount of time together. The findings will assist future efforts to identify places where human impacts may be affecting one portion of the sand tiger life cycle disproportionately.

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Researchers has completed a comprehensive investigation of deep coral-reef environments throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. The study spanned more than two decades and the researchers documented vast areas of 100% coral-cover at depths of 50-90 meters extending for tens of square kilometers, discovering that these deep-reef habitats are home to many unique species.

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The evidence found suggests the earliest ancestors of modern sea turtles may have come from the Deep South.

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Megalolamna paradoxodon is the name of a new extinct shark described by an international research team who based their discovery on fossilized teeth up to 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) tall found from the eastern and western United States (California and North Carolina), Peru and Japan.

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Scientists working in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean have found evidence of microfibers ingested by deep sea animals including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers, revealing for the first time the environmental fallout of microplastic pollution.

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New plan provides a roadmap for developing ocean tools, technologies and applications for improved ocean forecasts and better protections for human safety and the Gulf environment and economy.

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A study led by researchers at the University of Washington and NOAA is the first published paper to connect the unprecedented West Coast toxic algal bloom of 2015 to the unusually warm ocean conditions — nicknamed “the blob” — in winter and spring of that year.

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A new study of lead pollution in the North Atlantic Ocean provides strong evidence that leaded petrol emissions have declined over the past few decades.

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A new study by University of Washington scientists finds that in many cases, misreporting caught fish doesn’t always translate to overfishing. The study was published online this month in the journal Fish and Fisheries.

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Olin College students develop a device to assist blind sailors in match racing.

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A common marine crustacean has shown researchers that it’s all set to beat climate change – the males will get more attractive to the females, with a resulting population explosion.

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A self-powered fish-tracking tag uses a flexible strip containing piezoelectric materials to emit tiny beeps that are recorded by underwater microphones. The device is designed for longer-living fish such as sturgeon, eels and lamprey.

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If water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine rise a few degrees by end of the century, it could mean trouble for lobsters and the industry they support. That’s according to newly published research conducted at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

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A family of common industrial compounds called perfluoroalkyl substances, which are best known for making carpets stain resistant and cookware non-stick, has been under scrutiny for potentially causing health problems

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Researchers report they’ve tripled the known types of viruses living in waters around the globe, and now have a better idea what role they play in nature. The discovery could influence carbon reduction efforts.

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The world's oceans teem with scientific mystery, unknowns that could prove to be tools that will one day protect the planet from global warming.

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An international research team discovered a human skeleton during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck (circa 65 B.C.).

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Managing inland fisheries in the 21st century presents several obstacles including the need to view fisheries from multiple scales, which usually involves populations and resources spanning sociopolitical boundaries.

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A group of scientists are creating technology that will allow them to view – in 3-D – the millions of microscopic creatures and particles that populate bodies of water, including the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), thanks to funding provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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