Feature Channels: Marine Science

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Released: 12-Jul-2023 5:50 PM EDT
Warmer ocean temperatures increase risk of salmon bycatch in Pacific hake fishery
Oregon State University

Rates of Chinook salmon bycatch in the Pacific hake fishery rise during years when ocean temperatures are warmer, a signal that climate change and increased frequency of marine heatwaves could lead to higher bycatch rates, new research indicates.

Newswise: 2018–2022 Southern Resident killer whale presence in the Salish Sea: continued shifts in habitat usage
Released: 12-Jul-2023 11:25 AM EDT
2018–2022 Southern Resident killer whale presence in the Salish Sea: continued shifts in habitat usage
PeerJ

Monika Wieland Shields, Director of the Orca Behavior Institute, has observed orcas in the Salish Sea, a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington, since 2000.

Newswise: Sea snake vision evolved to regain colour
10-Jul-2023 10:10 PM EDT
Sea snake vision evolved to regain colour
University of Adelaide

An international team of scientists examining the genetic history of sea snakes have found that the species has enhanced their colour vision in response to living in brighter and more colourful marine environments.

Released: 11-Jul-2023 3:50 PM EDT
Whale of a debate put to rest
University of Otago

Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale.

Newswise: Marine fossils are a reliable benchmark for degrading and collapsing ecosystems
Released: 11-Jul-2023 1:25 PM EDT
Marine fossils are a reliable benchmark for degrading and collapsing ecosystems
Florida Museum of Natural History

Biologists attempting to conserve and restore denuded environments are limited by their scant knowledge of what those environments looked like before the arrival of humans.

Newswise: Tiny scales reveal Megalodon was not as fast as believed, but mega-appetite explains gigantism
Released: 11-Jul-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Tiny scales reveal Megalodon was not as fast as believed, but mega-appetite explains gigantism
DePaul University

A new study reveals the iconic extinct Megalodon, or ‘megatooth shark’, was a rather slow cruiser that used its warm-bloodedness to facilitate digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Released: 11-Jul-2023 8:25 AM EDT
Can biodegradable fishing gear help reduce the cost of ghost fishing?
University of Portsmouth

New research has found that the design of biodegradable fishing gear needs to improve if it is to help address the environmental and economic impacts of ‘ghost fishing’.

Newswise: In a sea of fish diversity, UWM scientist finds even more
Released: 10-Jul-2023 4:05 PM EDT
In a sea of fish diversity, UWM scientist finds even more
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Cichlids represent the most diverse adaptions of vertebrates in the world, and most of them live in the freshwater African Great Lakes. Michael Pauers of UW-Milwaukee and Titus Phiri, at the Malawi Department of Fisheries, have added several new species of the colorful fish – in the genus Labeotropheus.

Released: 6-Jul-2023 4:45 PM EDT
Asian clams’ spread in Columbia River warns of worse invaders
Washington State University

The invasive Asian clam is more common in the lower Columbia River than its native habitat of southeast Asia, according to a study of the clam’s abundance in the river.

Newswise: Number cruncher calculates whether whales are acting weirdly
Released: 6-Jul-2023 4:40 PM EDT
Number cruncher calculates whether whales are acting weirdly
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science

We humans can be a scary acquaintance for whales in the wild. This includes marine biologists tagging them with measuring devices to understand them better.

Newswise: Marine heat waves caused mass seabird die-offs, beach surveys show
Released: 6-Jul-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Marine heat waves caused mass seabird die-offs, beach surveys show
University of Washington

New research led by the University of Washington uses data collected by coastal residents along beaches from central California to Alaska to understand how seabirds have fared in recent decades. The paper, published July 6 in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, shows that persistent marine heat waves lead to massive seabird die-offs months later.

Released: 5-Jul-2023 4:05 PM EDT
World’s most threatened seabirds visit remote plastic pollution hotspots, study finds
University of Cambridge

The extensive study assessed the movements of 7,137 individual birds from 77 species of petrel, a group of wide-ranging migratory seabirds including the Northern Fulmar and European Storm-petrel, and the Critically Endangered Newell’s Shearwater.

3-Jul-2023 8:50 AM EDT
Warmer and murkier waters favour predators of guppies, study finds
University of Bristol

Changes in water conditions interact to affect how Trinidadian guppies protect themselves from predators, scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered.

Newswise: 64a2ea1e5a34b_Low-Resgraphicalabstract.png
Released: 3-Jul-2023 11:35 AM EDT
Hedging strategy for coral restoration balances diversity, ecosystem benefits
University of Hawaii at Manoa

In a study published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology, this international team of scientists, led by a University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa researcher, revealed a strategy for choosing a set of key coral species that will best maintain ecosystem functions critical for reef health.

Released: 3-Jul-2023 11:25 AM EDT
Amazon dolphins at risk from fishing, dams and dredging
University of Exeter

Amazon river dolphins are under threat from fishing and proposed new dams and dredging, research shows. Scientists used satellite tags to track eight dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon, to discover where they went in relation to fishing areas and proposed dams and dredging sites.

Newswise: Gadusol: Nature's sunscreen
Released: 30-Jun-2023 6:10 PM EDT
Gadusol: Nature's sunscreen
University of Utah

New research by University of Utah biologists demonstrates how female zebrafish produce a sunblocking compound called gadusol and apply it to their eggs, providing embryonic fish protection from ultraviolet radiation.

Released: 28-Jun-2023 5:15 PM EDT
Skin disease in endangered killer whales concerns scientists
University of California, Davis

Scientists studying endangered southern resident killer whales have observed a strong increase in the prevalence of skin disease in this population.

Newswise: There May Be Good News About the Oceans in a Globally Warmed World
26-Jun-2023 12:00 PM EDT
There May Be Good News About the Oceans in a Globally Warmed World
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

An analysis of oxygen levels in Earth’s oceans may provide some rare, good news about the health of the seas in a future, globally warmed world.

Newswise:Video Embedded boom-detecting-gregarious-goliath-groupers-using-their-low-frequency-pulse-sounds
VIDEO
Released: 28-Jun-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Boom! Detecting Gregarious Goliath Groupers Using Their Low-frequency Pulse Sounds
Florida Atlantic University

From growls to booms, whales, fish and crustaceans all produce sounds. Selecting the gregarious Goliath grouper, researchers deployed a novel automated detector and localization model to find underwater marine organisms using their low-frequency pulse sounds.

Released: 27-Jun-2023 4:30 PM EDT
Magnetic bacteria point the way
University of Tokyo

Magnetotactic bacteria, which can align with the Earth’s magnetic field, have been discovered in a new location.

Newswise: ‘Science Friday’ host shines a light on cephalopods
Released: 27-Jun-2023 12:15 PM EDT
‘Science Friday’ host shines a light on cephalopods
University of Miami

Ira Flatow, host and executive producer of “Science Friday,” recorded a radio show at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science last week as part of a celebration of cephalopods—a marine invertebrate.

Released: 26-Jun-2023 6:10 PM EDT
Poop and prey help researchers estimate that gray whales off Oregon Coast consume millions of microparticles per day
Oregon State University

Oregon State University researchers estimate that gray whales feeding off the Oregon Coast consume up to 21 million microparticles per day, a finding informed in part by poop from the whales.

Released: 26-Jun-2023 5:55 PM EDT
New research finds that more than 90% of global aquaculture faces substantial risk from environmental change
University of California, Santa Barbara

Many of the world’s largest aquatic food producers are highly vulnerable to human-induced environmental change, with some of the highest-risk countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa demonstrating the lowest capacity for adaptation, a landmark study has shown.

Newswise: Discovery of more artefacts on the Australian continental shelf shows Flying Foam Passage must be a protected archaeological site
Released: 26-Jun-2023 4:50 PM EDT
Discovery of more artefacts on the Australian continental shelf shows Flying Foam Passage must be a protected archaeological site
Flinders University

The new discovery of ancient stone artefacts at an underwater spring off the WA Pilbara coast has confirmed the location is a submerged archaeological site where more ancient Aboriginal artefacts are likely hidden beneath the sea.

Newswise: Study of deep-sea corals reveals ocean currents have not fuelled rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide
23-Jun-2023 11:20 AM EDT
Study of deep-sea corals reveals ocean currents have not fuelled rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide
University of Bristol

Pioneering analysis of deep-sea corals has overturned the idea that ocean currents contributed to increasing global levels of carbon dioxide in the air over the past 11,000 years.

Released: 23-Jun-2023 4:05 PM EDT
A new species of early toothed whale
PeerJ

Have you ever wondered what the earliest ancestors of today’s dolphins looked like? Then look no further, meet Olympicetus thalassodon, a new species of early odontocete, or toothed whale, that swam along the North Pacific coastline around 28 million years ago.

Newswise: Large and In Charge
Released: 23-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Large and In Charge
Baylor University

In 2018 and 2019, Sarah Kienle, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at Baylor University, and her colleagues collected movement and dive behavior data and samples from leopard seals off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Their goal was to compile crucial baseline data on the ecology and physiology of this enigmatic species.

Released: 22-Jun-2023 9:00 AM EDT
As the clock ticks on the Titan sub, an expert explains what safety features a submersible should have
University of Adelaide

The oxygen supply of the missing Titan submersible is expected to run out today around 10am GMT, or 8pm AEST. A frantic search continues for the Titan and its five occupants, with sonar buoys having recorded “banging” noises in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday. With the vessel’s fate yet to be determined, the general public is asking questions about the safety of such touristic endeavours.

Newswise:Video Embedded octopuses-map-their-visual-landscape-much-like-humans-do
VIDEO
15-Jun-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Octopuses map their visual landscape much like humans do
University of Oregon

An octopus devotes about 70 percent of its brain to vision. But until recently, scientists have only had a murky understanding of how these marine animals see their underwater world. A new University of Oregon study brings the octopus’s view into focus.

Newswise: Sea Snail First Seen in U.S. Coastal Waters May Have Arrived as a ‘Stowaway’
Released: 20-Jun-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Sea Snail First Seen in U.S. Coastal Waters May Have Arrived as a ‘Stowaway’
Florida Atlantic University

Naria turdus, a sea snail first reported in U.S. coastal waters in 2022, was found underwater in Lake Worth Lagoon.

Newswise: These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
Released: 19-Jun-2023 11:30 AM EDT
These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
Cell Press

In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today.

Newswise: A marine mystery: Discovering the link between climate change and sea sponge loss
Released: 15-Jun-2023 2:45 PM EDT
A marine mystery: Discovering the link between climate change and sea sponge loss
University of New South Wales

Sea sponges are essential to marine ecosystems. They play critical roles in the ocean, as they provide shelter and food to a plethora of marine creatures, recycle nutrients by filtering thousands of litres of sea water daily, and are hosts to microbes that may be the key to some of the most pressing medical challenges we face today.

Newswise: Previously Overlooked Algae Toxin Widespread in Southern Indian River Lagoon
Released: 15-Jun-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Previously Overlooked Algae Toxin Widespread in Southern Indian River Lagoon
Florida Atlantic University

Pseudo-nitzschia spp., an algae that produces the neurotoxin domoic acid, can bioaccumulate within food webs causing harm to humans and animals. A molecular study of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon shows this algae was present in 87 percent of the water samples collected. All isolates showed toxicity, and domoic acid was found in 47 percent of surface water samples. As a nursery for many organisms that supports a high amount of biodiversity, the presence of domoic acid could negatively impact the lagoon system.

Newswise: Light pollution confuses coastal woodlouse
Released: 14-Jun-2023 3:00 PM EDT
Light pollution confuses coastal woodlouse
University of Exeter

Sea slaters forage at night and can change colour to blend in and conceal themselves from predators. The new study, by the University of Exeter, tested the effects of a single-point light source (which casts clear shadows) and “diffuse” light (similar to “skyglow” found near towns and cities).

Released: 14-Jun-2023 1:15 PM EDT
The heat is on! Don't panic. Get the latest news on heat waves and the dangers of heat in the Extreme Heat channel
Newswise

As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere and the possibility of extreme heat becomes more common, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the science of heat waves and take measures to protect ourselves from this growing public health threat.

       
Newswise: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Partners with Cape Cod Children’s Museum to create a new interactive, educational, water exhibit
Released: 14-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Partners with Cape Cod Children’s Museum to create a new interactive, educational, water exhibit
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Cape Cod Children’s Museum (CCCM), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the WHOI Sea Grant program are combining forces to bring an ocean-themed educational exhibit to the CCCM, just in time for summer.

Newswise: ASU establishes ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a new collaborative effort to seed renewed connection between human and coral communities in Hawaiʻi
Released: 14-Jun-2023 8:05 AM EDT
ASU establishes ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a new collaborative effort to seed renewed connection between human and coral communities in Hawaiʻi
Arizona State University (ASU)

With a group of core partners, Arizona State University is creating a new $25 million collaboration to preserve and restore vitality to Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs and the health of its coastlines.

Released: 13-Jun-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Marine environment at risk due to ship emissions
Chalmers University of Technology

The combined emissions of metals and other environmentally hazardous substances from ships is putting the marine environment at risk according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Newswise: FSU researchers: Hotter sand from microplastics could affect sea turtle development
Released: 13-Jun-2023 10:05 AM EDT
FSU researchers: Hotter sand from microplastics could affect sea turtle development
Florida State University

New research from Florida State University published in Frontiers in Marine Science found that extreme concentrations of microplastics could increase the temperature of beach sand enough to threaten the development of incubating sea turtles.

Newswise: Researchers investigate sargassum’s impact on air quality
Released: 12-Jun-2023 2:00 PM EDT
Researchers investigate sargassum’s impact on air quality
University of Miami

The sliver of sargassum seaweed 19-year-old Sofia Hoffman collected from the shoreline of Crandon Park Beach’s Bear Cut Preserve looked more like a dying clump of grass than the fresh piece of marine algae it once was.

   
Newswise: Twenty species of sea lettuce found along the Baltic and Scandinavian coasts
Released: 12-Jun-2023 12:05 PM EDT
Twenty species of sea lettuce found along the Baltic and Scandinavian coasts
University of Gothenburg

The number of species of the green alga sea lettuce in the Baltic Sea region and Skagerak and is much larger than what was previously known.

Newswise: Eddies: Circular Currents and Their Influence on the World's Hottest Ocean
Released: 9-Jun-2023 7:45 PM EDT
Eddies: Circular Currents and Their Influence on the World's Hottest Ocean
Tohoku University

To investigate the role eddies play in determining the path of the ITF, an international research group has harnessed a high-resolution ocean general circulation model that reproduces eddies.

Newswise: Catch of the day: A fresh look at 'underfishing'
Released: 9-Jun-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Catch of the day: A fresh look at 'underfishing'
University of Delaware

A new study led by the University of Delaware found that while a piece of legislation designed to foster the sustainability of marine fisheries is sometimes blamed for being too stringent, other factors are far more responsible for the “underfishing” of certain fish species.

Newswise: When Water Temperatures Change, the Molecular Motors of Cephalopods Do Too
7-Jun-2023 11:30 AM EDT
When Water Temperatures Change, the Molecular Motors of Cephalopods Do Too
University of California San Diego

Working with live squid hatchlings at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego scientists find the animals can tune their proteome on the fly in response to changes in ocean temperature via the unique process of RNA recoding. The findings inspire new questions about basic protein function.

Released: 7-Jun-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Coral disease tripled in the last 25 years. Three-quarters will likely be diseased by next century
University of New South Wales

Deadly coral disease is spreading as global temperatures warm, and it’s likely to become endemic to reefs the world over by the next century, according to new research.



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