Ocean life
Scientists Investigate Mysterious Duck Die-offs
Andrea Bogomolni was in a skiff near shore when she saw the ducks in October of 2007: “It was surreal,” the biologist remembered. “You could see hundreds of lifeless brown,…
Melting Ice Threatens Polar Bears’ Survival
The Department of Interior’s imminent decision on whether to place polar bears on the federally…
What Are the Possible Side Effects?
Most of the ocean food chain is too small to see, but that doesn’t mean…
Will Ocean Iron Fertilization Work?
In this age of satellites, it’s fairly easy to answer the basic question of whether…
Stranded Marine Mammals Stir Tough Decisions
A seal, sick or injured, is found stranded on a beach. What should be done?…
Coral Catastrophe on the Corner Rise Seamounts
A research team has found that deep-sea coral communities that provide lush habitats for fish…
Are Pollutants Disrupting Marine Ecosystems?
Ask people to name some animals—any animals—and they will give you a long list. But…
A Mysterious Disease Afflicts Lobster Shells
In the late 1930s, lobstermen in Rhode Island began to notice strange black spots on…
Put the D-tag on the Manatee
When boats hit manatees, the outcome is often grim. Bones are broken and skins sliced.…
Microbes That ‘Eat’ Natural Gas
In the quest to explore the remarkable diversity of microbial life on Earth, an international…
Old Whale Oil Tells Tale of New Pollution
It was the scientific equivalent of finding fine wine in an old cask. Analyzing whale…
Pilot Study Examines Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
It is one of the most common illnesses from eating seafood, sickening more than 50,000…
Eavesdropping on Whales’ Mealtime Conversation
Like a knife slicing through denim, the black dorsal fin broke the surface of the…
Following Whales Up a Creek
Michael Moore is accustomed to working solo (or nearly so) in remote places, but this…
The Deepest Divers
For years, sperm whales and elephant seals were thought to hold world records for holding…
What Does It Take To Break a Whale?
The ship hit the whale with a force that snapped her 14-foot jawbone like a…
Growing Marine Plants Need Their Vitamins
Your mother was right: You need your vitamins. And that turns out to be true…
Still Toxic After All These Years
This is a story about persistence—of oil, and of people. It began in 1969 when…
Cell-sized Thermometers
Climate shifts are a repeating feature in Earth’s history, but humans have added so much…
Dead Corals Do Tell Tales
Sometime around the beginning of the 17th century, a tiny drifting larva found the perfect…
Would a Hagfish By Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?
It’s not hard to figure out how hagfish got their name, since they aren’t exactly…
Deep-sea Tubeworms Get Versatile ‘Inside’ Help
Cross sections of the tubeworm Riftia pachyptila. (Courtesy of Enduring Resources for Earth Science Education)…
Ocean Circulation and a Clam Far From Home
In my first year of graduate school, I was stumped by a big question on…
What Other Tales Can Coral Skeletons Tell?
In 2003, we traveled by ship to the New England Seamounts—a chain of extinct, undersea…