Forests of fast-growing kelp influence the chemistry of the water in which they live. A new study evaluates their potential to ameliorate ocean acidification in sensitive coastal ecosystems.
ecosystems
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Autonomous Minisubmarine Measures Seawater Conditions
Forecasts of carbonate chemistry in coastal ecosystems determined from seasonal robotic measurements can improve fisheries management and help mitigate short-term ocean acidification events.
Posted inNews
Birds Sang a New Song During the Pandemic
White-crowned sparrows in the San Francisco Bay Area sang differently during California’s COVID-19-induced shutdown, recordings have revealed.
Posted inNews
Finding Prehistoric Rain Forests by Studying Modern Mammals
Mammal teeth store a record of the plants they ate, providing clues about the ecosystems in which they lived.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Promising Development for Detecting Ocean Productivity
A comparison of primary productivity measurements across the North Pacific Ocean demonstrates the potential for using autonomous instruments to discern effects of climate change on the marine food web.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Long Does Iron Linger in the Ocean’s Upper Layers?
A new study refines our understanding of marine residence times of iron, which supports carbon-sequestering sea life, offering valuable data to inform biogeochemical models.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rising Seas and Agriculture Created Wetlands Along the U.S. East Coast
Most of the tidal marshes along the eastern coast of the United States formed within the past 6,000 years due to a combination of slowly rising seas and European colonization.
Posted inScience Updates
Linking Critical Zone Water Storage and Ecosystems
The geology and the structure of Earth’s critical zone control subsurface moisture storage potential and determine the resilience of forest and river ecosystems to drought.
Posted inNews
Climate Change May Shift Coral Population Dynamics
New paleoceanographic research indicates that warming waters may contribute to fewer coral reefs but to a flourishing presence of soft-bodied corals.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How River Capture Affects the Evolution of Aquatic Organisms
River basins are dynamic environments that are always changing and reorganizing under geologic forces. New research investigates how this shape shifting influences aquatic speciation and extinction.