Showing 20 articles starting at article 201

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Ecology: Research, Geoscience: Oceanography

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fish and invertebrate animals are far more affected by warmer and more acidic seawater than was previously known. The big gain of the new method is that more details become known about effects of climate change on species.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Through the ages, the presence of humans has increased the heterogeneity and complexity of ecosystems and has often had a positive effect on their biodiversity.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Common 'hard' coastal defenses, like concrete sea walls, might struggle to keep up with increasing climate risks. A new study shows that combining them with nature-based solutions could, in some contexts, create defenses which are better able to adapt.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists describe a new mechanism impacting the phage-bacterial arms race, a nanosized epibiotic parasite, TM7x, which helps its host bacterium (a Schaalia odontolytica strain called XH001) achieve resistance to lytic phages.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals that PFAS re-emit into the air from crashing ocean waves at levels comparable to or greater than other sources, establishing a cyclical transport process for these 'forever chemicals' between land and sea.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study. The study followed up an earlier paper that showed substantial reproductive decline in the author's study area in northern Wisconsin.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The study underscores the crucial role of microbes in maintaining coral reef health, akin to the human gut microbiome. Hurricanes and disease outbreaks affect coral reef water microbial communities, leading to changes that may support further reef decline. Microbial analysis enables prompt assessment of disturbances' impacts on coral reefs, facilitating timely interventions to support reef ecosystems. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis offers a noninvasive approach to study coral microbial communities and diagnose reef health.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a recent study, researchers found that 78% of the world's bird species do not thrive in the most modified human-dominated environments. These species are also most likely to have declining populations.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea floor.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shown that levels of anisakid worms -- a common marine parasite -- rose in two salmon species in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay over a 42-year period. The team discovered this by studying salmon caught, killed and canned from 1979 to 2021. Since anisakid worms have a complex life cycle involving multiple types of hosts, the researchers interpret their rising numbers as a potential sign of ecosystem recovery, possibly driven by rising numbers of marine mammals thanks to the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many marine protected areas are falling short of their most basic purpose: to rebuild struggling fish populations. In a new study, scientists looked at the age breakdown of reef fish in marine protected areas for the first time. They discovered in almost all of them, adult fish populations -- vital to spawning the next generation -- have either flatlined or declined.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly developed plant-based plastic material releases nine times less microplastics than conventional plastic when exposed to sunlight and seawater, a new study has found.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Until now, groundwater -- a critical water resource around the globe, especially in dry regions -- has been largely unstudied in its importance and role in sustaining ecosystems. New groundbreaking research examines the relationship between groundwater and ecosystems across California.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists published a study emphasizing the urgent need to align political will, economic resources, and societal values to ensure a more sustainable and equitable world. The review summarizes the grave threats facing the planet but rejects a 'doom and gloom' philosophy. They advocate a global cultural shift that elevates kinship with nature and communal well-being, underpinned by the recognition of Earth's finite resources and the interconnectedness of its inhabitants.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The oldest trees in the forest help to prevent the disappearance of endangered species in the natural environment, according to a new study. This is the case of the wolf lichen -- threatened throughout Europe --, which now finds refuge in the oldest trees in the high mountains of the Pyrenees. This study reveals for the first time the decisive role of the oldest trees in the conservation of other living beings thanks to their characteristic and unique physiology.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2022 and 2023, biologists from research institutes in the UK and the Falkland Islands led two expeditions to South Georgia to study the impacts of invasive species on this cold and rugged sub-Antarctic island. They report that several invasive plants and invertebrates rapidly colonized the new ground exposed by melting glaciers, leaving few pristine areas for native species. With ongoing climate change, more research is needed across the world to understand how invasive species impact the fragile ecosystems that develop after glacier melting.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ocean-atmosphere coupling, the exchange in energy between the ocean and atmosphere, influences teleconnection patterns, the climate effects across vast geographical areas. However, its impact outside the tropics is unclear. A group of researchers examined the effect of ocean coupling on atmospheric circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere. They found that extratropical ocean-atmosphere coupling enhances teleconnection patterns and causes more meandering westerly jet streams, which are linked to extreme weather events.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers designed an 'architected' reef that can mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while providing pockets for marine life. The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica's ice sheets. An international research team has now used sediments taken from the South Pacific to reconstruct the flow speed in the last 5.3 million years. Their data show that during glacial periods, the current slowed; during interglacials, it accelerated. Consequently, if the current global warming intensifies in the future, it could mean that the Southern Ocean stores less CO2 and that more heat reaches Antarctica.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While Wyoming is home to some of North America's most abundant populations of pronghorn that have largely been stable in recent years, a new analysis shows that many herds are experiencing long-term declines in fawn production.