New observations reveal how microscopic organisms move through polar ice and illustrate how they may have evolved to thrive in extreme environments.
Oceans
Shallow Injection Imperfectly Filters Florida Wastewater
Injection of wastewater into shallow wells is meant to filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of the wastewater. But a new study suggests that nutrients aren’t entirely eliminated—and may be polluting coastal waters.
Marine Protected Areas Show Promise for Kelp Forest Recovery
Kelp forests are under increasing stress as oceans warm, but decades of satellite data have revealed the importance of maintaining fishing-restricted areas for climate resilience.
A Fiber-Optic Cable Eavesdrops on a Calving Glacier
A glass thread strung along the bottom of a fjord captured the entire process of calving, from the cracking of ice to the breakup of bergs.
Paleoclimate Patterns Offer Hints About Future Warming
A new study examines 10 million years of sea surface temperature data to offer predictions about how future warming may unfold.
Underwater Glacier-Guarding Walls Could Have Unintended Consequences
Although they would likely impede the warm currents that melt glaciers, such walls would also likely block fish migration and nutrient upwelling, harming marine ecosystems and Greenland fisheries.
Mysteriously Bright Waters near Antarctica Explained
Shiny-shelled diatoms make a remote part of the Southern Ocean appear especially reflective in satellite imagery.
A First Look at How Sand Behaves Inside a Rippled Bed
A detailed numerical model shows how sediment particles experience wave-driven shear stress inside and above a sea bed with sand ripples.
Cruise to Measure Gulf Dead Zone Faces Stormy Funding Future
Funding cuts are affecting The Pelican’s annual hypoxia cruise to investigate the environmental conditions off the coast of Louisiana.
