This research by Virginia Tech documents the first-ever satellite tracking of a critically endangered shortfin mako shark in the Mediterranean, providing valuable data on its movements. This information is crucial for conservation efforts, helping scientists understand the shark's habitat use and role in the ecosystem. Researchers will use the collected data to inform further studies and develop effective conservation strategies.

In April 2021, two tropical cyclones, Seroja and Odette, collided in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia. Two researchers from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, have now studied how this rare phenomenon affected the ocean. According to their case study, the rendezvous caused an unusual cooling of the surface water and an abrupt change in the direction of the combined storm. Since the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones are increasing as a result of global warming, it is possible that such encounters – and thus more extreme air-sea interactions – will become more frequent in the future, they conclude.

William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS has announced the first round of subawards for the National Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment and Prevention (TRAP) Program. Totaling more than $1.4M, the funding supports 11 projects focused on removing derelict fishing gear from coastal waters in nine U.S. states and Palau.

Some of the world's smallest animals and their tiny poops could aid in the fight against climate change. A Dartmouth-led study reports that clay dust sprayed on the surface of seawater converts free-floating carbon particulates into food for zooplankton, which the microscopic animals later deposit deep into the sea as feces. The particulates are the remnants of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by marine plants that re-enters the atmosphere when the plants die. This new method redirects the carbon into the marine food chain.

Characterized by darkness and intense pressure, the ocean’s hadal zone seems uninhabitable, yet dozens of unique organisms call it home. Each species discovered there adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of how life has evolved and even thrives in one of Earth's most extreme environments.

A new study published in Systematics and Biodiversity highlights one of those species - the newly named Dulcibella camanchaca. This crustacean is the first large, active predatory amphipod from these extreme depths. The species was discovered by scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO) based at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile.