Research has shown that oyster restoration projects in the U.S. have been largely successful, but ecosystem benefits may take decades to fully emerge. In a study published in Conservation Biology, scientists synthesized data on the restoration of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs in the U.S. They found that such projects improved the local ecosystem by […]
On March 12, a team of scientists gathered in the control room of the RV Falkor (too), an oceanographic research vessel operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. They watched the monitor of a camera-wielding underwater drone, or ROV, as it explored the deep sea 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) below the ship. When the screen showed […]
On April 29, a team of scientists sailed on a research vessel to the chilly waters of the Barents Sea in the Arctic. They aim to find new marine species around cold seeps cracks on the seafloor from which hydrogen sulfide, methane and other gases bubble up. Near these fissures, species, including soft corals, glass […]
Forests of golden kelp, a type of brown seaweed that grows in cooler waters, weave along the coastline of southern Australia. But many people aren’t even aware that it’s there, says Adriana Vergés. “I live in Sydney it’s Australia’s largest city and it has absolutely gorgeous kelp forests,” Vergés, a professor of marine […]
In the warm waters of the Caribbean, long-spined sea urchins inky black creatures resembling pincushions stuck with knitting needles gobble up algae with their claw-like mouths. But when the sea urchins aren’t around, this algae will smother coral reefs, eventually causing the corals to die. That’s what happened in the early 1980s. A […]