Oceans

Climate

A coral pollution study unexpectedly helped explain Hurricane Maria’s fury

Tracking coral reef pollution in Puerto Rico, conservation researchers discovered by chance how the coastal ocean fueled Hurricane Maria.

Earth

The Tonga eruption may have spawned a tsunami as tall as the Statue of Liberty

A massive undersea volcanic eruption in the South Pacific in January created a tsunami that was initially 90 meters tall, computer simulations suggest.

Life

Sea sponges launch slow-motion snot rockets to clean their pores

Sea sponges rely on a sneezing mechanism to clear their pores, using mucus to flush out debris. This mucus provides food for other marine life.

Paleontology

Megatooth sharks may have been higher on the food chain than any ocean animal ever

Some megalodons and their ancestors were the ultimate apex predators, outeating all known marine animals, researchers report.

Oceans

How some sunscreens damage coral reefs

In lab experiments, sea anemones and coral turned oxybenzone into a toxin activated by light. But helpful algae may provide a layer of protection.

Climate

Coastal cities around the globe are sinking

Of 99 coastal cities, nearly one-third are sinking in some places at more than a centimeter per year, making them more vulnerable to rising seas.

Oceans

Even the sea has light pollution. These new maps show its extent

Coastal cities and offshore development create enough light to potentially alter behavior of tiny organisms dozens of meters below the surface.

Climate

How did we get here? The roots and impacts of the climate crisis

Over the last century and a half, scientists have built a strong case for the roots and impacts of human-caused climate change.

Oceans

Some deep-sea octopuses aren’t the long-haul moms scientists thought they were

Off California’s coast, some octopuses lay eggs in the warmer water of geothermal springs in the “Octopus Garden,” speeding up their development.

Oceans

Sunlight helps clean up oil spills in the ocean more than previously thought

Solar radiation dissolved as much as 17 percent of the surface oil slick spilled after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, a new study suggests.

Animals

Deep-sea Arctic sponges feed on fossilized organisms to survive

Slow-moving sponges, living deep in the Arctic Ocean where no currents deliver food, scavenge a carpet of long-dead critters.

Oceans

The past’s extreme ocean heat waves are now the new normal

Marine heat waves that were rare more than a century ago now routinely occur in more than half of global ocean, suggesting we’ve hit a “point of no return.”