Scientists call for better protection of Antarctica’s vulnerable seafloor ecosystem as ship traffic increases around the continent.
seafloor
Posted inNews
Mapping Mud Volcanoes in Shallow Seas
A team of scientists put together a global database of submarine mud volcanoes. Orders of magnitude more are still bubbling, undiscovered, in the deep ocean.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Scientists Face Limitations Accessing Seafloor Information
Recent reductions in U.S. oceanographic assets are limiting scientists’ ability to access vital materials in the ocean.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mapping the Ocean Floor with Ancient Tides
A new study uses a paleotidal model to trace the formation of carbon-rich mud deposits over thousands of years.
Posted inNews
Avalanches of Microplastics Carry Pollution into the Deep Sea
Scientists observed a once-theorized process ferrying microplastics into the deep ocean.
Posted inScience Updates
Unlocking Climate Secrets of Hawai‘i’s Drowned Reefs
Researchers set sail to study sea levels, climate, ecosystem responses, and volcanic histories over the past 500,000 years, using an innovative seabed drill to sample fossilized reefs off Hawai‘i.
Posted inNews
Thriving Antarctic Ecosystem Revealed by a Departing Iceberg
A quick-calving iceberg gave scientists a rare glimpse into what hides beneath Antarctic ice.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Seafloor Spreading Slowdown May Have Slashed Sea Levels
Between 15 million and 6 million years ago, a drop in ocean crust production may have lowered sea level by 26–32 meters.
Posted inScience Updates
An Upgraded Alvin Puts New Ocean Depths Within Reach
The newly retooled submersible, which has already returned fascinating new findings from Earth’s watery depths, is opening more of the deep ocean to direct human exploration.
Posted inNews
Satellite Measurements Make Major Seafloor Map Improvements
Though ship-based sounding has mapped some areas of the ocean floor in higher resolution, researchers have used SWOT data to create a detailed new map of the seafloor, including thousands of previously undetected small seamounts.