Scientists come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, that shape is a blubbery 1,000-kilogram whale with a 2-meter tusk.
whales & dolphins
Posted inFeatures
Chemical Companies Are Churning Out New PFAS. Where in the World Are They Ending Up?
Bans on older versions of “forever chemicals” seem to be working. But emerging variants behave in ways that scientists are only beginning to pin down.
Posted inNews
Whaling Records Can Help Improve Estimates of Sea Ice Extent
The locations of humpback whale catches in the early 20th century indicate that most climate models overestimate the historic extent of sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
Posted inNews
A Great Whale Conveyor Belt Transports Nutrients Across Oceans
Baleen whales shift huge amounts of nutrients, including nitrogen, from high-latitude feeding waters to tropical breeding areas.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Forecasting the Future of Southern Ocean Ecosystems
A new ensemble of marine ecosystem models aims to improve understanding of how climate change will affect the waters surrounding Antarctica.
Posted inNews
Mysterious Seafloor Pits May Be Made on Porpoise
Some shallow seafloor depressions off the coast of Germany that look like those associated with methane might instead be the work of porpoises.
Posted inEditors' Vox
The Not-So-Silent Depths
A new book reveals that ocean depths are far from silent voids, but are actually alive with noise.
Posted inFeatures
Oceanic Cacophony
The ocean is a pretty loud place, and anthropogenic noise is adding another layer to the soundscape.
Posted inNews
Scientists Tune In to Blue Whale Feeding Rhythms
New acoustic sensing technology is allowing scientists to track blue whale movements in real time, a breakthrough that could help save whales’ lives.
Posted inNews
Wiretapped Cables and the Songs of Whales
Researchers jerry-rigged fiber-optic cables in a fjord to eavesdrop on blue whales, with possible applications ranging from seafloor mapping to meteorology.