Oceans
- Animals
Fin whales could help scientists map what lies below the seafloor
Fin-whale calls are loud enough to penetrate into Earth’s crust, offering scientists a new way to study the properties of the ocean floor.
- Earth
Rock rising from below the Atlantic may drive continents apart
Molten rock rising from the deep mantle at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge may drive plate tectonics there more than had been expected.
- Climate
2020 was warmest year on record for Earth’s oceans
2020 continued the trend of record-breaking heat for the world’s oceans. The three previous warmest years on record were 2019, 2017 and 2018.
- Animals
Choked by bacteria, some starfish are turning to goo
For years, researchers thought gooey, dying starfish were infected. Instead, these sea stars are suffocating. And bacteria may be behind it all.
- Environment
Unmasking the pandemic’s pollution problem
Discarding all the materials people use to protect themselves from COVID-19 has created a growing environmental problem.
- Animals
Let’s learn about sharks
This ancient group of fish can use scent and even electricity to detect their prey. And they fill an important niche in the ocean.
- Ecosystems
Analyze This: Shipwrecks provide a home for bottom-dwelling fish
Fish have found a habitat in a submarine and freighter that sunk to the seafloor during World War II.
- Animals
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets
When a whale dies and sinks to the seafloor, it becomes a feast for hundreds of different types of creatures.
- Animals
One tiny sea parasite survives 200 times atmospheric pressure
Known as the seal louse, this tiny insect can survive deep oceanic dives on its mobile home, a marine mammal.
- Microbes
Some deep-seafloor microbes still alive after 100 million years!
Some starving microbes nap while awaiting their next meal. For some living miles below the ocean surface, that nap may exceed 100 million years.
- Climate
Let’s learn about coral reefs
Coral reefs are home to many important species. But climate change is stressing corals to the max.
- Climate
Let’s learn about hurricanes
Hurricanes are huge, terrifying storms that form over warm ocean waters — and waters are getting warming.
