Freshwater under the Ocean – in the 1960's scientists were quite surprised when they looked at their data: it clearly showed that there was fresh or freshened water under the ocean floor. How did it get there? How long has it been there? Scientists have been trying to find answers to these questions since their intriguing discovery. Starting in May, an international team of scientists has embarked on an expedition to take a closer look at, and take samples, of this freshened water stored beneath the ocean floor. Prof Karen Johannesson of University of Massachusetts Boston and Prof Brandon Dugan of Colorado School of Mines are the Co-Chief Scientists of this international expedition. Samples will be collected using the Liftboat Robert, which departed from the port of Bridgeport on May 19.

Using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography with detailed 3D imaging and in-situ mechanical testing, researchers are peering inside shark skeletons at the nanoscale, revealing a microscopic “sharkitecture” that helps these ancient apex predators withstand extreme physical demands of constant motion. After hundreds of millions of years of evolution, scientists can now finally see how shark cartilage works at the nanoscale – and learn from them.

Corals are the architects of reefs throughout tropical seas, providing protection and sustenance for the species that depend on them. Coral reefs protect coastlines from storm surge, put tourist dollars in coffers, and provide cultural richness in the way of food and fishing practices.

The loss of coral ecosystems is a critical problem that has propelled coral scientists into action to save species that may not survive the rapid pace of climate change and environmental degradation.

A recent publication by University of Guam Marine Laboratory scientists, Restoration innovation: Fusing microbial memories to engineer coral resilience, suggests a novel framework that pairs fundamental biology with applied biology to innovate in restoration ecology.

 

Marine Lab scientists have witnessed extreme bleaching events in Guam waters and are on the forefront of coral restoration. With ocean warming trends causing detrimental effects on coral reefs, researchers are working feverishly to unravel the complexities of these marine communities to protect them. They are finding there are massive unknowns in the basic biology of corals.

A Perspective proposes a pathway to improvements in sustainability of marine ecosystems and resources in China.

Humpback whales are not always born in tropical waters, new research has shown – challenging long-held assumptions about their breeding and migration behaviours, while raising new questions for marine conservation.

Scientists have uncovered the genetic underpinnings of one of the ocean’s most bizzare animals: a branching marine worm named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi that lives inside sea sponges and reproduces in a truly extraordinary way. Living hidden in tropical waters, this worm grows multiple body branches within a host sponge, each tail capable of producing separate living reproductive units called “stolons”. But how does a single animal coordinate sexual reproduction across so many branches? To find out, researchers led by the University of Göttingen analysed gene expression across different body regions and between male, female and juvenile specimens. This provides the first complete “genetic activity map” – or transcriptome – of any branching worm, revealing how this creature manages to control reproduction across its branching body. Their findings were published in BMC Genomics.

The near-bottom water on the U.S. Northeast continental shelf provides a critical cold-water habitat for the rich regional marine ecosystem. This “cold pool” preserves winter temperatures, even when waters elsewhere become too warm or salty during the summer.

•           The U.S. Northeast coastal ocean has experienced accelerated warming in recent years, compared to the global average. Now, scientists using salt as a tracer are investigating how much the influx of salty offshore water onto the continental shelf contributes to the observed “erosion” of the seasonal cold pool.

•           This paper provides the first evidence for a seasonal salinification of the cold pool on the US Northeast continental shelf, as consistently observed in the multi-year mooring record of the [Ocean Observatories Initiative] Coastal Pioneer Array.