Category: Environment

California sea lion stricken by the neurotoxin domoic acid from a harmful algal bloom in Santa Barbara County, California. Photo: Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute

Toxic Algal Bloom Affecting California Sea Lions and Dolphins

8/17/2024 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Upwelling of nutrient-laden ocean water is fueling the algal bloom which produces domoic acid, which can poison marine mammals. Strong upwelling of nutrient-laden water from the deep ocean is driving a bloom of harmful algae along the Southern California coast. It produces a toxin that can poison sea… SEE MORE

Birthing the Blob

8/13/2024 - By Michael Allen. With ecosystems increasingly squeezed by anthropogenic warming, even cleaning up pollution can cause problems. In 2013, a huge marine heatwave known as the Blob hit the northeast Pacific Ocean. Temperatures soared to dangerous new highs, killing millions of marine animals and disrupting the broader ocean ecosystem in… SEE MORE

Melting of Alaska’s Juneau icefield accelerates, losing snow nearly 5 times faster than in the 1980s

8/10/2024 - By Seth Borenstein. The melting of Alaska’s Juneau icefield, home to more than 1,000 glaciers, is accelerating. The snow covered area is now shrinking 4.6 times faster than it was in the 1980s, according to a new study. Researchers meticulously tracked snow levels in the nearly 1,500-square mile icy expanse going back… SEE MORE

The Mysterious Discovery of ‘Dark Oxygen’ on the Ocean Floor

8/9/2024 - By Mara Magistroni. Researchers believe they have discovered oxygen being produced 4,000 meters below the sea surface, and think polymetallic nodules—the sought-after bounty of deep-sea miners—could be the source. For more than 10 years, Andrew Sweetman and his colleagues have been studying the ocean floor and its ecosystems, particularly in… SEE MORE

The Very Hungry Urchins

8/4/2024 - By Lisa S. Gardiner. Researchers are restoring the Caribbean’s surprising, spiky custodians, which gobble up the algae smothering coral reefs. South of Tampa Bay, Florida, wedged between a quiet neighborhood and a mangrove forest, custom-designed aquariums are home to thousands of sea urchin larvae that tumble and drift through the… SEE MORE

The ocean is becoming too loud for oysters, research finds

8/2/2024 - By sciencedaily.com. Baby oysters rely on natural acoustic cues to settle in specific environments, but new research from the University of Adelaide reveals that noise from human activity is interfering with this critical process. "The ocean's natural sound is gradually hushing due to habitat loss, leading to a quieter natural… SEE MORE

How Saharan dust regulates hurricane rainfall

7/31/2024 - By sciencedaily.com. Giant plumes of Sahara Desert dust that gust across the Atlantic can suppress hurricane formation over the ocean and affect weather in North America. But thick dust plumes can also lead to heavier rainfall -- and potentially more destruction -- from landfalling storms, according to a July 24… SEE MORE

NOAA Announces $10 Million Grant for Oyster Sanctuary Reef Construction in Maryland

7/29/2024 - By news.maryland.gov. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that it has recommended awarding $10 million to fund new reef construction for a Maryland Department of Natural Resources oyster sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay. The four-year grant will provide infrastructure funding for building reef bases on about 50 to… SEE MORE

mage of a harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie as seen from the NOAA/NASA Suomi-NPP satellite on August 16, 2015. The Ocean Color Instrument on GeoXO will overcome the limitations of low-Earth orbiting satellites whose observations are often affected by cloud cover and sunglint. [Credit: NOAA]

GeoXO’s OCX Instrument Will Be Game Changer for Satellite Ocean Observations

7/26/2024 - By nesdis.noaa.gov. After nearly 50 years of GOES satellites providing critical Earth-observing data and imagery, NOAA is working on its next generation series of advanced geostationary satellites—the Geostationary Extended Observations mission, or GeoXO. GeoXO will host a payload of new instruments that will provide unprecedented information for addressing our changing planet… SEE MORE

Detection of Massive Harmful Algal Bloom in the Arctic Prompts Real-Time Advisories

7/25/2024 - By ecomagazine.com. In the summer of 2022, a research cruise detected a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the Bering Strait region of western Alaska. This expedition provided a dramatic example of science utilizing new technology to track a neurotoxic HAB and effectively communicate information that protects remote coastal communities… SEE MORE