Latest Biological oceanography Stories

Scientists said a surprising appearance of plankton and whales through the Northwest Passage might be a sign of how global warming is affecting animals and plants in the oceans as well as on land.Scientists found plankton in the North Atlantic where it has not existed for at least 800,000 years. "The implications are enormous. It's a threshold that has been crossed," said Philip C. Reid, of the Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science in Plymouth, England."It's an indication...

The world's oceans support vast populations of single-celled organisms (phytoplankton) that are responsible, through photosynthesis, for removing about half of the carbon dioxide that is produced by burning fossil fuels "“ as much as the rainforests and all other terrestrial systems combined. One group of phytoplankton, known as the coccolithophores, are known for their remarkable ability to build chalk (calcium carbonate) scales inside their cells, which are secreted to form a protective...

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientists embark this week from Alaska on the second and final campaign of a NASA field campaign to study how changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)On June 25, the ICESCAPE mission, or "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment," resumes its shipborne investigation of the impacts of climate...

The world's oceans are declining much faster than previously believed, a consortium of ocean experts warned on Monday.Ocean life is "at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history," the scientists said in their report, blaming the problem on pollution, overfishing and other man-made causes that are acting simultaneously in ways not seen before.The panel of 27 of the world's top ocean experts said these conditions are pushing the oceans to...

A new Baylor University study has found that sunlight decreases the toxicity of golden algae, which kills millions of fish in the southern United States every year.While golden algae is primarily a coastal species, it has been found in Texas rivers and lakes, including Lake Whitney and Lake Waco in Central Texas, and Lake Granbury in North Texas. Experts believe that several environmental factors influence toxin production, but new research from Baylor scientists shows that sunlight is a key...

Fish farming is the world's fastest growing food production method and is projected to continue rising to meet the demands of an increasing world population. ESA's new Aquaculture project will support sustainable aquaculture by developing an information service based on state-of-the-art remote sensing.Satellites can provide a wealth of data on waves, sea-surface temperature and ocean color "“ all highly useful for planning where to establish new fish farms."Sustainability depends on...

A new study by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) shows that jellyfish are more than a nuisance to bathers and boaters, drastically altering marine food webs by shunting food energy from fish toward bacteria.An apparent increase in the size and frequency of jellyfish blooms in coastal and estuarine waters around the world during the last few decades means that jellies' impact on marine food webs is likely to increase into the future.The results of the study, led by...

Scientists discover how "Didymo" algae bloom in pristine waters with few nutrientsThe pristine state of unpolluted waterways may be their downfall, according to research results published in a paper this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.A species of freshwater algae that lives in streams and rivers, called Didymo for Didymosphenia geminata, is able to colonize and dominate the bottoms of some of the world's cleanest waterways--precisely because they are so...

Since the Industrial Revolution, over half of all the CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels has been absorbed by the ocean, making pH drop faster than any time in the last 650,000 years and resulting in ocean acidification. Recent studies have shown that this causes fish to lose their sense of smell, but a new study published May 31 in Biology Letters shows that fish hearing is also compromised.Working with Professor Philip Munday at James Cook University, lead author Dr Steve Simpson of the...

According to new findings, seas off Papua New Guinea suggest that acidifying oceans will severely hit coral reefs by the end of the century. Carbon dioxide bubbles into the water from the slopes of a dormant volcano there, making it more acidic. Coral is badly affected and not growing at all in the CO2-rich zone. The scientists say this "lab" mimics conditions that will be widespread if CO2 emissions continue.The oceans absorb some of the carbon dioxide that human activities are...