Are basaltic rocks along continental margins suitable for the permanent and safe storage of carbon dioxide? This is the question a team of German and Norwegian researchers will be pursuing on board the research vessel MARIA S. MERIAN. Expedition MSM140 led by Dr. Ingo Klaucke from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel will investigate geological structures on the Vøring Plateau off the Norwegian coast until 9 October. The aim is to determine whether basalt formations below the seabed are suitable for the long-term geological storage of CO₂. The expedition is part of the multinational PERBAS project.

Tulane University scientists published the first global assessment of ecological risks from ocean plastics, showing that the greatest dangers are not always in visible “garbage patches” but in areas where plastics overlap with dense marine life and pollutants. Their model maps worldwide “ecological risk hotspots,” highlighting threats from ingestion, entanglement, pollutant transport, and chemical leaching, with vulnerable zones including the North Pacific, North Atlantic, North Indian Ocean, and coastal East Asia. The study warns that risks could triple by 2060 without stronger action. But coordinated global efforts to reduce plastic use and improve waste management could significantly lessen the threats.