It’s a scene fit for a nature documentary: In the frigid ocean surrounding Antarctica, the water boils over as seabirds dive from above and marine animals like seals and whales rise from the depths to all feast on krill. But zoom out and this flurry of activity is just a tiny speck in a desolate seascape. Scientists have been puzzled by how these various species are all able to find the same food source at the same time. In research published October 6 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Duke University and UC Davis scientists tease out how multiple species of Antarctic seabirds forage together – with takeaways for conservation and for crowd behavior — and shows that flocks find food better when they rely on each other’s senses.

A new study from researchers at MBARI and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science—with an interdisciplinary team of collaborators from the Hakai Institute, Xiamen University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Southern Denmark, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada—has revealed the impacts of marine heatwaves on the foundation of the ocean food web. Pairing data from robotic floats deployed as part of the Global Ocean Biogeochemical Array with eDNA samples from ship-based plankton surveys, the team found that marine heatwaves can reshape ocean food webs, which in turn can slow the transport of carbon to the deep sea and hamper the ocean’s ability to buffer against climate change.

A new study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series reveals American lobster embryos can handle ocean acidification surprisingly well, but increased temperatures may pose distinct challenges for the species.

Trawling restrictions not only benefits fish and shellfish; anemones and corals are also becoming more common, according to a new study from the University of Gothenburg. Twenty-six years of underwater videos from the depths of the Koster Sea also show long-term changes in the ecosystem as the water becomes warmer.

It begins as a trickle high on the Tibetan Plateau—icy, remote, and pure. By the time it reaches the Three Gorges, the Yangtze River has grown into a force of nature, carrying not just water, but the chemical fingerprint of an entire continent. Now, a groundbreaking study from Peking University reveals the invisible story hidden in the river’s flow: the molecular evolution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) along a 3,500-kilometer stretch of the upper Yangtze—the world’s third-longest river. Published on August 11, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was led by Dr. Dongqiang Zhu from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and the Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Earth Surface Processes at Peking University, Beijing. Using a powerful suite of analytical tools—including fluorescence spectroscopy, lignin phenol markers, and ultra-high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS)—Dr. Zhu’s team traced how organic carbon changes as it travels from the river’s high-altitude headwaters to its densely populated downstream reaches. And what they found is a dynamic, ever-changing mosaic of carbon chemistry shaped by glaciers, grasslands, wildfires, forests, and sunlight.

A new study shows that warming in the tropical Pacific — home to some of the world’s most productive fisheries — may not trigger the severe declines predicted by earlier models. Instead, the region’s fisheries could remain productive even as ocean temperatures rise.

The habitat of thirty species of sharks, rays, and chimaeras, also called ghost sharks, overlap with areas where proposed deep-sea mining may occur, according to new research. Nearly two-thirds of these species are already threatened with extinction due to human impacts, so deep-sea mining, which will disrupt the seafloor and discharge large plumes of sediment into the water above, has the potential to elevate their extinction risk.

Swansea University has led an international team of marine scientists and practitioners—spanning 18 countries—in calling for urgent reform to the licensing and regulation of marine and coastal restoration projects.

A research group in Japan has suggested that ash from volcanic eruptions on Nishinoshima Island—part of Japan's Ogasawara Islands—led to a temporary surge in phytoplankton levels in the seawater around Mukojima Island, which is located 130 km northeast of Nishinoshima. The study indicates that ash from the eruptions was transported by wind and ocean currents to the waters around Mukojima, serving as a nutrient source for phytoplankton growth in that area. The findings suggest that volcanic ash can enhance the productivity of marine waters even at considerable distances from the volcanic site.