Science

About one-third of forests across 80 drinking watersheds serving coastal cities have been cut during the last 20 years, NASA found

It's not just flamingos ― other creatures that call Florida home today have a history with hurricanes.

A deep-sea expedition in Central America uncovers symbiotic bacteria and tube worm nurseries thriving below the seafloor.

MOREHEAD CITY — A study of the country’s two largest estuaries reveals that inshore coastal waters are not necessarily experiencing what scientists say is a worrisome global trend of increasingly acidic oceans.

MIT’s breakthrough underwater communication system uses minimal power to transmit signals over kilometer-scale distances. Leveraging underwater backscatter and innovative design principles, the technology has potential applications in aquaculture, climate modeling, and hurricane prediction.

Some 290 shipwrecks lie in the Belgian part of the North Sea alone, with probably more than 1,000 in the entire North Sea, many of them silent witnesses to the two world wars.

A new book follows the scientists and explorers who are racing to map the seafloor

The sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, satellite data shows, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming.

The goliath grouper, a colossus of a fish that can weigh up to 360 kilograms (nearly 800 pounds), is the delight of divers in Florida, though scientists warn their numbers are down since the US state allowed fishing of the giants to resume.

Noon, September 16, 2023 – An Associated Press headline this morning trumpeted “Climate change could bring more monster storms like Hurricane Lee to New England.” I immediately went to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) website to see the most current conditions. Lee had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone with 75 mph winds.

The oceans are still a largely an undiscovered resource. While there are ongoing efforts across government and the scientific community to improve our knowledge, we are still far from having a comprehensive understanding.

The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) renowned expertise in ocean science research and technology provided the impetus for a $2.5 million grant awarded recently to the University by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

The energy from hotter oceans can enable hurricanes to grow more powerful.

August 2023 was Earth’s hottest August in NOAA’s 174-year climate record.

An international team of scientists has successfully conducted large-scale helicopter-based observations along the coast of East Antarctica and has identified pathways through which warm ocean water flows from the open ocean into ice shelf cavities for the first time.

Water quality and seagrass health play a big role in marine mammals’ survival anywhere in the state.

Biologists use whole-genome data to study two types of sea stars and find they are mating along the North Atlantic coast.

Virginia Tech researchers in the College of Natural Resources and Environment are assessing the efficacy of shark sanctuaries by developing a modeling system that utilizes publicly accessible fishing data to determine shark catch and mortality rates. Published in the journal Science Advances, their findings represent an important step in utilizing data science to tackle oceanic conservation challenges.

Sea turtle nesting season is breaking records once again across the Treasure Coast.

Coral provide shelter for many marine species and directly support most of Florida’s multibillion dollar recreation and fishing industries. They also provide coastal communities shoreline protection from storms and waves by helping to break up waves and dissipate energy.

A study of the country’s two largest estuaries reveals that inshore coastal waters are not necessarily experiencing what scientists say is a worrisome global trend of increasingly acidic oceans.

When strong hurricanes hit land, the uprooted trees, destroyed homes, and other devastation are highly visible. What happens in the marine environments where they churn water and disrupt sediment isn't always as obvious.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Aug 30, bringing surging seas and winds over 100 mph. Meanwhile, another climate emergency has been unfolding along Florida’s coast this summer: a marine heat wave bleaching corals throughout the world’s third-largest barrier reef.

Nearly a decade after dredging Port Miami left a swath of dead coral yet to be repaired, a new federal assessment confirms damage was far more widespread than originally reported.

Humans are feeding the invisible world of ocean microbes a punishing diet of pollutants, boosting the impact of climate change and hastening the destruction of life as we know it