MIAMI — A new study published in the journal Coral Reefs reveals that heat-tolerant symbiotic algae may be essential to saving elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)—a foundational species in Caribbean reef ecosystems—from the devastating impacts of marine heatwaves and coral bleaching.

New research from an international group looking at ancient sediment cores in the North Atlantic has for the first time shown a strong correlation between sediment changes and a marked period of global cooling that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere some 3.6 million years ago. The changes in sediments imply profound changes in the circulation of deep water currents occurred at this time.

This crucial piece of work, which showed sediments changed in multiple sites east of the mid-Atlantic ridge but not west of that important geographical feature, opens multiple doors to future research aimed at better understanding the link between deep water currents, Atlantic Ocean heat and salt distribution and ice-sheet expansion, and climatic change.

How sensitively does organic carbon stored in soils react to changes in temperature and humidity? This question is central to a new study by researchers from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven that was now published in Nature Communications.

In a paper published this week in npj Ocean Sustainability (Nature group), researchers propose pathways to optimise synergies between marine spatial planning (MSP) and marine protected area (MPA) planning under a rapidly changing climate. The team highlights that both concepts serve different goals and result in different outcomes. This recognition is stressed as a prerequisite to dispel confusion and provide a clear pathway to climate-smart sustainable solutions.