The Sargassum Watch System processes satellite data and feeds results to a Web portal, giving decision makers timely information on seaweed location and warnings for potential beaching events.
marine debris
Posted inNews
Deepwater Horizon Oil Lingered and Sank, Stuck to "Marine Snow"
A new study may explain how supposedly buoyant oil from the huge 2010 oil spill coated corals and other organisms on the ocean floor.
Posted inNews
Oil Dispersants Deadly to a Common Estuary Species
Research on two dispersants used to break up spilled oil suggests that the chemicals can kill or harm a widely–found shrimp important to estuary habitats. The toxicity increases in less salty water.
Posted inNews
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Largest Since 2002
Downpours in June drove nutrients into the Mississippi River that ultimately deprived a much larger portion of the Gulf of oxygen than had been expected.
Posted inNews
Connecticut-Sized Dead Zone Expected in Gulf of Mexico
An ensemble of four computer models evaluated river runoff, wind patterns, and other factors affecting the extent of oxygen-poor waters near the Mississippi River's mouth.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Humans Greatly Increase Mercury Levels in the Ocean
A study of the natural cycle of mercury reveals that humans are to blame for a five- to sixfold increase in the oceanic concentrations of the potentially toxic element.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Aquifers Spew More Pollution into Oceans Than Rivers
A new model makes a direct estimate of contaminants in submarine groundwater discharge.
Posted inNews
New Data Aid Estimate of Ocean's Plastic Content
Researchers estimate the abundance of plastics churning in the world’s oceans.