Scienceblogtwo

The year-round presence of marine predators in the eastern Great Australian Bight, such as various whale species and white sharks that are popular among cage divers and Jaws-inspired filmmakers, has been better understood by oceanographers.                                                                                                    Scientists from Flinders University and the South Australian Research and Development Institute have described the deep subsurface phytoplankton layers deep beneath the eastern part of the Bight for the first time (SARDI). Even when the surface phytoplankton blooms vanish during specific periods of the upwelling season, these layers continue to support the rich marine biodiversity. According to Alex Shute, a...

For scientists attempting to anticipate the rate of rise in the ocean's surface waters, the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, which is about the size of Florida, has been a major sticking point. When seen on geological periods, this vast ice stream is already in a phase of rapid retreat, which is known as a "collapse," which has raised a lot of questions about how much ice it will eventually lose to the ocean and how quickly. The effects of Thwaites' retreat might be terrifying: if the glacier and its surrounding glacial basins completely vanish, sea level could rise by three to ten feet. Concern is increased by a recent study published in Nature Geoscience that was headed by marine geophysicist Alastair Graham of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. The seafloor in front of the glacier was crucially imaged in high resolution for the first time, providing researchers with a window into how quickly Thwaites advanced and receded in the pa...

Ocean oxygen can be reduced by continental movement. The positioning of continents, a previously unrecognized element, contributes to the oxygenation of Earth's waters. Moving continents might ultimately have the reverse result, killing most deep-sea animals. According to Andy Ridgwell, a geologist at the University of California, Riverside, "Continental drift appears so sluggish, like nothing terrible could come from it, but when the ocean is primed, even a seemingly insignificant event might spark the widespread extinction of marine life." A recent study on factors influencing oceanic oxygen is co-authored by Ridgwell. The ocean's surface water sinks as it gets colder and denser as it gets closer to the north or south pole. As the water sinks, oxygen drawn from the atmosphere of the planet is carried to the ocean floor. At Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument close to Hawaii, fish are seen on a deep reef. Thanks to Greg McFall and N...

Among the 15 challenges that experts say we need to solve right now are deep sea lithium mining, overfishing of deeper-water species, and the unanticipated ocean effects of land-based wildfires. Over the next ten years, a group of worldwide specialists has identified 15 concerns that they predict will have a substantial influence on marine and coastal biodiversity. They used a method known as "horizon scanning," which aims to find problems that are not yet receiving much attention but are expected to become crucial within the next ten years. Their objective is to increase awareness of these challenges and promote immediate investment in a thorough analysis of them. They also seek to reform policies before the problems have a significant negative impact on biodiversity. The list of problems also includes a "empty" zone near the equator as animals migrate away from this warming part of the ocean, the effects of new biodegradable materials on the marine environment, an...