Science and the Sea Podcast

Scientists are tuning in to seagrasses. That may tell them how much carbon the grass is storing—an important detail in understanding our changing climate.

Seagrass beds are among the most efficient carbon-storage depots on Earth. But it’s hard to know how much total carbon they’re socking away, and how the amount changes over time. Researchers have to dig up patches of grass and sediment and analyze them in the lab.

But scientists at the University of Texas at Austin are working on a new technique. Seagrasses take up carbon dioxide from t...

The oceans are gobbling up Alaska’s northern coastline in a hurry—a result of our planet’s warming climate. That could force some towns to move farther inland, away from the hungry ocean.

The Arctic is undergoing especially rapid change. Both air and ocean temperatures have increased three times faster than the global average. That’s drastically reduced the amount of ice covering the Arctic Ocean during much of the year. With more open water, waves can grow bigger and stronger, so they hit land with greater force.

At the same time, the warm...

Charles Darwin wrote about much more than evolution. Among other things, after his ’round-the-world trip in the 1830s, he wrote a book about coral reefs—an attempt to explain the origins of different types of reefs. A century and a half after the book was published, people got the idea that Darwin described reefs as “oases in marine deserts.” He didn’t—and they’re not.

A recent study showed that, while reefs are some of the most vibrant ecosystems on the planet, the waters around most of them are busy as well.

Researchers st...

“Medicane” sounds like a mash-up of medicine and a candy cane—maybe something to get your kiddos to take their medicine. The term is a mash-up, but there’s nothing sweet about it. The word is short for “Mediterranean hurricane”—a compact storm twirling across the Mediterranean Sea.

Unlike hurricanes in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans, those in the Mediterranean are most likely to fire up in the fall and early winter. A cold low-pressure system moves in from the Atlantic or the Arctic. As the cold air crosses the warmer sea water, the temperature difference bui...

A forest fire both destroys and creates. It destroys the plants and animals that live there. But it creates the conditions for a new ecosystem to develop through a process called ecological succession.

Scientists recently reported that a similar process plays out in one of the deepest spots in the oceans. Big blobs of sediments settle on the bottom. That can destroy the organisms that inhabit the region. But the sediments bring nutrients and stir things up in a way that starts a new cycle of life.

The scientists studied sediments from the...

About three-quarters of all the antibiotics in use today were developed from a type of bacteria that lives in the soil. But nasty bacteria are becoming more resistant to those treatments. So scientists are scouring the world for sources of new antibiotics—including the ocean floor. And they recently found a couple of good candidates at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Norway.

Biologists gathered many organisms during a research cruise in 2020. And they collected bacteria from four of those organisms, including a type of sponge and a scallop. The bacteria are similar to...

About three-quarters of all the antibiotics in use today were developed from a type of bacteria that lives in the soil. But nasty bacteria are becoming more resistant to those treatments. So scientists are scouring the world for sources of new antibiotics—including the ocean floor. And they recently found a couple of good candidates at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Norway.

Biologists gathered many organisms during a research cruise in 2020. And they collected bacteria from four of those organisms, including a type of sponge and a scallop. The bacteria ar...

A team of astronomers recently reported the possible discovery of a compound in the atmosphere of another planet that could be produced by life. If the compound really is there, then the planet might smell familiar—like a day at the beach.

Many factors go into creating the “smellscape” of the sea. Locally, things like pollution, red tides, and decaying seaweed can make the beach smell less than pleasant. Globally, though, the two major odors come from evaporated sea spray, and from a compound of sulfur and carbon known as DMS—dimethylsulfide—the compound that might have been seen...

A team of astronomers recently reported the possible discovery of a compound in the atmosphere of another planet that could be produced by life. If the compound really is there, then the planet might smell familiar—like a day at the beach.

Many factors go into creating the “smellscape” of the sea. Locally, things like pollution, red tides, and decaying seaweed can make the beach smell less than pleasant. Globally, though, the two major odors come from evaporated sea spray, and from a compound of sulfur and carbon known as DMS—dimethylsulfide—the compound that might have...

The weedfish is cryptic. That doesn’t mean that it speaks in riddles or leaves notes that no one can decipher. Instead, it’s easily hidden—it blends into its environment. Divers say it’s so well disguised that even if you find one, it’s impossible to find it again if you look away for even just a second.

There are several species of weedfish. Most of them live around New Zealand or southern Australia. They’re mainly found in shallow waters, living in dense beds of kelp—the “seaweed” that’s anchored to the bottom.

The weedfish is...

The weedfish is cryptic. That doesn’t mean that it speaks in riddles or leaves notes that no one can decipher. Instead, it’s easily hidden—it blends into its environment. Divers say it’s so well disguised that even if you find one, it’s impossible to find it again if you look away for even just a second.

There are several species of weedfish. Most of them live around New Zealand or southern Australia. They’re mainly found in shallow waters, living in dense beds of kelp—the “seaweed” that’s anchored to the bottom.

T...

Many volcanoes are among the most majestic sights on the planet: Tall and wide, they belch molten rock or plumes of ash that can tower miles high. But there’s another class of volcano that’s much less impressive. These guys are short and squatty. And they burp out bubbles and blobs of mud, water, and gas. What they lack in majesty, though, they make up for in numbers: more than a thousand have been discovered on land, and many others have been found at the bottom of the ocean.

One of the most recently disc...

Many volcanoes are among the most majestic sights on the planet: Tall and wide, they belch molten rock or plumes of ash that can tower miles high. But there’s another class of volcano that’s much less impressive. These guys are short and squatty. And they burp out bubbles and blobs of mud, water, and gas. What they lack in majesty, though, they make up for in numbers: more than a thousand have been discovered on land, and many others have been found at the bottom of the ocean.

One of the most recently discovered marine exam...

Using an anvil to smash prey sounds like something Wile E. Coyote would try—unsuccessfully, of course. But some other creatures are a lot more successful at it: fish. More than two dozen species of fish have been seen using “anvils” to smash open their prey. All of them were types of wrasse, a colorful fish found around the world.

Tool use has been observed in birds, mammals, and other animals on land. In marine environments, it’s been seen in octopuses and crabs. And for several decades, the list has included wrasses.

The fish...

Using an anvil to smash prey sounds like something Wile E. Coyote would try—unsuccessfully, of course. But some other creatures are a lot more successful at it: fish. More than two dozen species of fish have been seen using “anvils” to smash open their prey. All of them were types of wrasse, a colorful fish found around the world.

Tool use has been observed in birds, mammals, and other animals on land. In marine environments, it’s been seen in octopuses and crabs. And for several decades, the list has included wrasses.

The fish grabs a...

The world has a huge appetite for the batteries that power electric vehicles. Many of the elements needed to make batteries are spread across the ocean floor—especially in the Pacific. They form nodules the size of potatoes that contain a lot of manganese, nickel, and other key metals. But some of the nodules may already be acting as batteries—generating an electric current that produces oxygen.

Most oxygen in the oceans comes from tiny organisms near the surface that use photosynthesis—a process that requires sunlight. But researchers recently found a possible new source of oxygen on the...

The world has a huge appetite for the batteries that power electric vehicles. Many of the elements needed to make batteries are spread across the ocean floor—especially in the Pacific. They form nodules the size of potatoes that contain a lot of manganese, nickel, and other key metals. But some of the nodules may already be acting as batteries—generating an electric current that produces oxygen.

Most oxygen in the oceans comes from tiny organisms near the surface that use photosynthesis—a process that requires sunlight. But researchers recently found a possible new source of oxy...