Marine Science

Following the 2011 East Japan tsunami, more than 280 coastal marine species have been recorded crossing the Pacific by hitching a ride on debris, a new study reveals.

new study of the world's seven sea turtle species provides evidence that their numbers are growing overall (unlike many endangered vertebrates), thanks to years of conservation efforts that have played a key role in sea turtle recovery -- even for small sea turtle populations.

Researchers studying 18th century British nautical charts tracked the loss of coral reef habitat in the Florida Keys over the last two centuries. According to their analysis, entire sections of reef near the shore that were present prior to European settlement are now largely gone.

The size of marine invertebrate predators has increased over the past 500 million years, while the size of their prey has not, a new study reveals.

Using a novel deep-sea technology, scientists have measured for the first time how a species of zooplankton called giant larvaceans contributes to the transfer of atmospheric carbon to the deep ocean. Data from the instrument DeepPIV revealed that giant larvaceans filter carbon particles at higher rates than any other zooplankton filter feeder.

The Arctic Ocean is a dead-end for plastics floating in the North Atlantic, a new study reports. The study confirms that plastics are abundant and widespread in seas east of Greenland and north of Scandinavia, even though human populations -- contributors of plastic waste -- are low there.

The eastern Arctic Ocean is becoming more like the Atlantic Ocean, a new study combining remote sensing and local data finds.

Seagrass meadows reduce bacteria pathogenic to humans and marine life by up to 50 percent, a new study shows. What's more, corals located near seagrass meadows exhibit only half the prevalence of disease.

Sea-surface temperatures during the last interglaciation period were like those of today, a new study reports. The trend is worrisome, as sea levels during the last interglacial period were between six and nine meters above their present height.