This is the first U.S.-based study to assess microplastic deposition before, during, and after a hurricane. The research — conducted by team from Virginia Tech, Western Carolina University, Highlands Biological Station, and the University of North Carolina — was published recently in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.

Sharks can hear – and react to – underwater sounds from nearly 250 feet away, according to a new study that provides the first quantified evidence of long-distance sound detection in free-swimming sharks. Researchers found that blacktip sharks rapidly changed course when they detected low-frequency sounds, revealing that they not only hear distant sounds but also determine where they are coming from. The findings also show sharks are more sensitive to lower-frequency sounds, providing new insight into how these ancient predators sense their underwater world.

A high-resolution modeling study of Tropical Cyclone Shaheen found that sea surface temperature and terrain height influenced the simulated storm through different mechanisms. Increasing sea surface temperature by 2°C produced the strongest model response, intensifying the simulated cyclone and increasing coastal rainfall, while reducing terrain height mainly affected the storm’s track, vertical circulation and the distribution of orographic rainfall. The findings provide a case-based assessment of ICON sensitivity and may support further evaluation of regional grey-zone cyclone simulations

New research from the University of Sydney challenges the perception of crown-of-thorns starfish as purely destructive. The findings suggest controlled populations can have a positive impact on coral prevalence and diversity. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected Mississippi State University to host its new Cooperative Institute in the Northern Gulf of America, an award valued at up to $100 million over five years.

Michael Twardowski, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in optical oceanography and marine sensing technologies, has been named the Edwin A. Link Ocean Technology and Defense Endowed Professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. 

Tiny plantlike organisms called phytoplankton that form the base of marine food webs topped by orcas, whales, and sharks usually get eaten or slowly sink to the seafloor, carrying carbon as they go. 

Across most of the ocean, the descent from sunlit surface layers takes weeks. But in the Arctic’s Chukchi Sea, scientists have found that a convergence of currents pushes phytoplankton from under the ice to the seafloor at four times the usual speed. 

Two new papers led by researchers in the lab of Stanford biological oceanographer Kevin Arrigo detail this unusual descent and reveal that blooms of phytoplankton, which use energy from the sun to grow, can be 10 times denser in the darker waters below thick sea ice than out in the open water.

UBC-led research uncovered tiny marine spiders that suck the juice out of jellyfish and other hydroids, helping fill gaps in our understanding of coastal biodiversity

Plesiosaurs swam into river deltas to vomit up shells and other indigestible elements of their marine meals, suggests new research published by Cambridge University Press. The behaviour resembles that of today’s fur seals and marine crocodiles.