A research team led by a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can automatically identify and track tropical easterly waves (TEWs)—clusters of clouds and wind that often develop into hurricanes—and separate them from two major tropical wind patterns: the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the monsoon trough (MT).

Foraminifera (forams) are shelled microorganisms that are abundant in the Earth’s seabed. Analyzing different species of forams provides important information about climate change, the state of the marine environment, and suitable areas for carbon capture and storage.

A research team co-led by Prof. WANG Faming from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from University of Bremen and Harvard University, has discovered that heat can "awaken" this ancient carbon, converting it into a food source for microbes living far below the seafloor. Published in Science Advances on August 20, the findings reshape scientific understanding of both life in extreme environments and the deep Earth's carbon cycle.

Phytoplankton—microscopic algae that form the base of ocean food webs—have long been viewed as transient players in the global carbon cycle: They bloom, die, and the carbon they contain is quickly recycled back into the ecosystem. However, a research team led by Prof. WANG Faming at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered that these tiny organisms can directly pump "stubborn" carbon into the ocean, where it may persist for centuries.

A new study led by researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan Agency for Marine-Earthe Science and Technology and The University of Tokyo published in Communications Earth & Environment, analyzed long-term projections from state-of-the-art Earth System Models and identified large-scale atmospheric circulation and ecosystem changes that lead to the degradation of the Amazon rainforest. The research reveals that if no efforts are made to stop climate change, the dieback of the Amazon rainforest may start within the 21st century.

A new study led by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS shows that tidal marshes generate approximately $90 million annually in economic value for communities across Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. The findings led to the development of SHORE-BET, an online tool designed to support coastal communities by estimating the economic benefits of marshes and living shoreline projects.

New research finds that Marine Protected Areas can boost the recovery of globally important kelp forests following marine heatwaves. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology.

A new study, led by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa oceanographers, revealed that the ocean is acidifying even more rapidly below the surface in the open waters of the North Pacific near Hawai‘i. 

On Japan’s desert islands, researchers uncovered a peculiar bathroom ritual among seabirds. Reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on August 18, the team found that streaked shearwaters (Calonectris leucomelas) poop while flying—not while floating on water—and they do so every 4 to 10 minutes. This habit may help the birds stay clean and fertilize the ocean below. 

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Associate Professor Paola Laurino has been selected as one of the top 10 global awardees in the Life Sciences category of the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough, presented by Germany’s Falling Walls Foundation.