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marine ecology

09/19/2018 / By Zoey Sky

First quantitative evidence PROVES the role of seagrass meadows in supporting world fisheries productivity

Seagrasses are marine plants that make up huge meadows in shallow seas on all continents, except Antarctica. These aquatic plants may help boost the productivity of the world’s fisheries, suggests new research published in Conservation Letters. The study, “Seagrass meadows support global fisheries production,” was a collaboration between Dr. Leanne Cullen-Unsworth of Cardiff University and Dr. Lina Mtwana Nordlund of Stockholm University. It looked at […]

09/16/2018 / By Zoey Sky

Latest research suggests that microplastics are wreaking havoc all the way up to the marine food web

Microplastics are so small that they may seem harmless, but they’re polluting oceans and poisoning marine life by the second. According to an article on The Revelator, microplastics can absorb chemicals, which is bad news for the birds, fish, seals, and even humans that unwittingly consume these pollutants. The author of the article said that […]

08/28/2018 / By Janine Acero

Proposals to mine the ocean floor could do irreversible damage to deep-sea ecosystems

A new study looks at the potential damaging impacts of current global plans to mine the ocean floor, including physical destruction of deep-sea ecosystems by mining operations. The oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, of which 90 percent is considered deep sea. Despite this vastness, the seas and oceans are the least explored environments on […]

08/11/2018 / By Zoey Sky

Killing the cure? Deep sea habitats hold promise for human health solutions but are being decimated by pollution

According to Shirley Pomponi, a marine biotechnology expert, cancer cures could be hiding among deep-sea coral ecosystems. However, these creatures are under threat because of pollution. Pomponi said that aside from being multicolored specimens, sea sponges are “potentially lifesaving creatures, some of which could hold the complex secrets to cures for cancers and other diseases.” Pomponi, […]

07/15/2018 / By Edsel Cook

U.K. scientists call on public to help track and map plastic pollution on local beaches

Britain’s coastlines are so polluted with plastics that researchers have turned to the public for assistance. An online interactive map of the U.K. will allow anyone to identify and map plastic garbage found on local beaches, reported The Guardian. Researchers from the British Science Association (BSA) cooperated with members of the charity The Plastic Tide […]

06/19/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Marine scientists use underwater microphones to “hear” the sound of photosynthesis

Researchers have found a new way to measure the photosynthesis levels of marine plants. A Cosmos Magazine article details how they employed underwater microphones that can pick up the sound of oxygen released by the plants. Like their terrestrial counterparts, algae seaweed and other aquatic plants generate oxygen during the photosynthetic process. Because they are underwater, the oxygen […]

06/05/2018 / By Janine Acero

Microplastic pollution is changing ocean ecosystems

Pollution and other kinds of environmental damage cause stress to various organisms, both on land and in water. Many studies often focus their investigation on species that are negatively impacted. However, studying organisms that are seemingly immune to pollutants is equally important to better understand how these ecosystems respond to human-induced stress. One study, published in […]

05/15/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Study: Deep-sea trawling is extremely destructive for fish populations and has little economic benefit

Deep-sea trawling is not worth the fish hauled back to port. In an article from Mongabay, U.K. researchers said the technique did far too damage to the seafloor and populations of slow-breeding fish in exchange for meager amounts of consumable catch. In addition, the fishermen who practice this technique often under-report their actual catches. A lot of what they capture […]

03/31/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Small fish found to be essential to coral reef health by keeping them clean, according to new study

If human communities have health professionals, coral reefs have small fish called “cleaner fish” that keep them healthy. A Canadian-led study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences says their veterinarian-like services help ensure the health of the marine communities they live in, reported ScienceDaily. According to the study, coral reef fish suffering […]

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