EurekAlert! Marine Science - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Sep-2025 16:11 ET (18-Sep-2025 20:11 GMT/UTC)

Killer whales make seaweed ‘tools’ to scratch each other’s backs

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Killer whales have been seen detaching lengths of seaweed and using them to massage each other – the first evidence of tool-making by marine mammals.

Journal: Current Biology
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council, Orca Fund

Mapping the gaps: New global assessment reveals stark biases in ocean biodiversity data

University of Plymouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marine Laboratory highlights just how uneven our knowledge of ocean biodiversity really is.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment
Funder: Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Global Challenges Research Fund

Nearly 40% of grilled eel products in Japanese retail market identified as American eel

Chuo University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research led by Hiromi Shiraishi, researcher at Chuo University, has revealed that, in addition to Japanese Eel (Anguilla japonica), American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is now widely distributed in processed eel products sold at retail stores across Japan. While eel farming in Japan relies primarily on Japanese Eel, two-thirds of eel consumption in the country depends on imports of live adult eels and eel products, which include several species of anguillid eels. As the world’s largest importer and consumer of eel, Japan is in a position to contribute to the sustainable use of anguillids beyond Japanese eel.

Journal: Fisheries Science
Funder: Chuo University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Science and Technology Council

Protecting aquatic ecosystems by better understanding toxicity risk

University of Queensland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Australian scientists have pioneered a new method to assess the long-term risks posed by toxicants such as insecticides in rivers and the ocean.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology
Funder: Queensland Department of Tourism, Environment, Science, and Innovation, Reef Catchments Science Partnership

Strange Atlantic cold spot traced to ocean slowdown

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean’s overall warming, fueling debate amongst scientists. A UC Riverside study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of the AMOC, a major ocean circulation system.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

New research uncovers surprising physics of ‘marine snow’

Brown University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Engineers at Brown University uncovered unexpected dynamics in how organic particulates sink in the ocean, a process that plays a key role in marine nutrient cycling.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Stable cooling fostered life, rapid warming brought death: scientists use high-resolution fusuline data reveal evolutionary responses to cooling and warming

Nanjing University School of Earth Sciences and Engineering
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Nanjing University study in Science Advances reveals that Late Paleozoic cooling boosted marine life diversification, while rapid warming, often from volcanic eruptions, caused mass extinctions. Using high-resolution geological data, researchers warn that today's faster human-induced warming may threaten marine ecosystem similarly.

Journal: Science Advances

Island rivers carve passageways through coral reefs

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research indicates reef passes — channels that cut through coral reefs and serve as conduits for ocean water and nutrients — are shaped by island rivers.

Journal: Geophysical Research Letters

The Barents Sea system – gateway to the changing Arctic

Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Book Announcement

Fritjof Nansen travelled the polar regions as both an explorer and a scientist. Ten Norwegian research institutions followed in Nansen’s footsteps in a collaborative investigation of the Barents Sea. Their 6-year effort has now been documented in a new book.

Study finds hidden effects of wildfires on water systems

American Society for Microbiology
Meeting Announcement

In a new study, researchers found that the impact of wildfires on water systems could lead to nutrient imbalances, depleting oxygen levels or harmful algal blooms. More complex treatment methods may be needed to ensure impacted water is safe for consumption or recreation.

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