REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Oct.

Marine scientists from five research agencies have pooled their skills and resources to compile a directory of life on Australia’s continental shelf.

A study led by Dr Stuart Painter of the National Oceanography Centre helps explain the formation of huge phytoplankton blooms off the southeast coast of South America during the austral summer (December-January).

Scientists from the United States and Canada have announced plans to embark on a joint expedition to map the Arctic seafloor this summer.

Underwater canyons have long been considered important habitats for marine life, but until recently, only canyons on continental margins had been intensively studied.