Green hydrogen production makes a lot of extra oxygen. Could we put it to work revitalizing the ocean? Douglas Wallace was on a research ship in the middle of Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence when he heard the news: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had met with Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, in nearby Stephenville, […]
oceanography
Where Should the World Focus Its Ocean Conservation Efforts?
A new map shows areas of the ocean that conservationists agree are in need of protection. Countries around the world have committed to protecting 10 percent of the planet’s coastal and marine areas by 2020 as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. But it is not always easy for countries to agree on […]
Making Monster Waves in the Lab
Rogue waves are rare in nature, but new research is making them perfectly common. They seem to come from nowhere, walls of water towering above the sea, and then disappear without a trace. Rogue waves can swamp huge ships, lighthouses, or offshore structures without warning, and are among the most terrifying threats facing people at sea. Rogue waves—waves […]
North Pacific’s sea slug invasion linked to mystery ocean blob
Unusually warm waters in the Pacific Ocean are driving dozens of species of nudibranch – a photogenic type of sea slug – northward at a surprising pace. This could signal the beginning of a major climate shift in the region, says Jeffrey Goddard, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Read more in New […]
No, Britain Isn’t Naming a Ship RRS Boaty McBoatface
The British people have spoken, and they really want to name their new, US $290 million polar research ship the RRS Boaty McBoatface. In what probably seemed like a nice piece of public outreach, the United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) invited the public to suggest names for its new vessel, which is scheduled […]
Refurbished Alvin submersible returns to sea
After a two-year, $41 million upgrade, the venerable Alvin submersible is about to return to sea. On 25 May, the research ship Atlantis will leave the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, with Alvin on board, bound for Astoria, Oregon. After a series of Navy certification cruises in September and a scientific verification cruise in November, […]