Oceans
From tackling marine plastic pollution to coral reef restoration, learn about humanity’s latest efforts to protect ocean habitats and marine wildlife.
Man-made cloudy skies may be the climate change solution we need
A team based from the University of Washington, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and the Pacific Northwest National Library are developing a climate solution inspired by an unexpected source: toxic emissions generated by ships traveling across the ocean. These bright white clouds that ships Read More...
Good news for our oceans: tuna species no longer on brink of extinction
In 2011, most tuna species were considered at serious risk of extinction, following decades of relentless commercial fishing. Thankfully, some of these species are on the way to recovery, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which recently released an update of its Read More...
SF Bay will launch US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry this year
The US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry is slated to begin operating in the San Francisco Bay by the end of the year. The Sea Change is a 70-foot, 75-passenger vessel built by All American Marine, and holds enough compressed hydrogen to travel 300 nautical miles at a cruising speed of Read More...
Collaborative project yields first high-resolution map of the world's coral reefs
Climate change is a huge threat to the world’s coral reefs, but targeted conservation efforts can help buy us time in saving these critical marine ecosystems. To help citizens, scientists, and policymakers better understand the world’s reefs, the Allen Coral Atlas has recently finished the Read More...
In South Korea, one oil company is shifting its focus to offshore wind
In a bid to perhaps make up for decades of fueling climate change, the Shell corporation began the development of a massive floating wind farm off the coast of South Korea. It owns an 80 percent share in the proposed project, with the remainder split between South Korean interests and a Swedish Read More...
Understanding fish fins could yield more efficient airplane wings
Last week we wrote about how studying elephant trunks is helping scientists build more versatile robotics. Now, a group of researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder has cracked the code on fish fins in the hopes that it will inspire similar design innovations. Fin structure Fish fins Read More...
First zero-emission crewless cargo ship to set sail in Norway
Norwegian chemical company Yara International has created the world’s first zero-emission autonomous cargo ship, the Yara Birkeland. The shipping industry accounts for between 2.5 and 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization. The aim of Read More...
Researchers discover ancient four-legged whale in Egypt
While it’s rather difficult to picture whales outside their vast marine habitats, the early ancestors of these gigantic creatures were actually terrestrial — and a recent discovery of new four-legged whale species brings to light more exciting evidence about the animals’ evolution from land Read More...
Ocean-exploring autonomous robot is inspired by penguins
Though humans have marveled and studied the ocean for thousands of years, much of it remains a mystery to us. One of those mysteries is ocean eddies, small ocean currents that impact the planet’s climate and therefore all life on earth. What we do know is that ocean eddies are responsible for Read More...
‘Nanojars’ can help remove CO2 and other major pollutants from water
While the most common environmental concern regarding carbon dioxide has to do with its greenhouse effects in the atmosphere, a lot of it actually ends up in our oceans, making them more acidic. In a bid to find a solution to this problem, researchers have recently developed “nanojars” that can Read More...