In Egypt"s Red Sea, corals fade as oceans warm
Standing on a boat bobbing gently in the Red Sea, Egyptian diving instructor Mohamed Abdelaziz looks on as tourists snorkel amid the brilliantly coloured corals, a natural wonder now under threat from climate change......»»
Shading the Great Barrier Reef from the sun might slow bleaching-induced coral decline
Over the past two decades, coral reefs have declined at unprecedented rates. This is in part because of extreme weather events, which cause wide-spread coral bleaching, a process during which corals lose their color because of stressors, including ch.....»»
Researchers discover a new species of larger benthic foraminifer from the Ryukyu islands
Foraminifera are tiny, single-celled organisms that live in the oceans. Their hard shells, made of calcium carbonate, can withstand the test of time and their fossils reveal a lot about Earth's history, including past climates and environments......»»
Corals storm back after "sea-weeding" project
A volunteer seaweed removal program involving citizen scientists has seen a dramatic improvement of up to 600% coral regrowth off the coast of Magnetic Island......»»
Rivers are rapidly warming, losing oxygen: Aquatic life at risk, study finds
Rivers are warming and losing oxygen faster than oceans, according to a Penn State-led study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study shows that of nearly 800 rivers, warming occurred in 87% and oxygen loss occurred in 70%......»»
New Saturn images show a change of seasons and a last glimpse of its huge, warm polar vortex
While the UK has been experiencing warm autumnal weather, a team of planetary scientists has found that Saturn's late northern summer is experiencing a cooling trend, as huge planetary-scale flows of air have reversed direction as autumn approaches......»»
The Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Lee Is a Warning
Fueled by warm water and humidity, hurricanes can quickly turn into life-threatening monsters. Get ready for more of this phenomenon as the planet warms......»»
A Flesh-Eating Bacterium Is Creeping North as Oceans Warm
The Vibrio vulnificus pathogen thrives in hot coastal waters, and beachgoers can contract it via a small cut or scrape. It can also kill them in two days......»»
Q&A: How could new paint lower Sacramento air conditioning bills and fight climate change?
California is known for its warm weather, and Sacramento is no exception. With an average of 269 sunny days annually, the state's capital city has even been deemed the sunniest place on Earth for certain summer months......»»
How might coral adapt to rising ocean temperatures? Thermal priming of gametes could hold promise
As seawater temperatures rise, concern over the ability of coral to survive and reproduce also grows. Previous studies have largely focused on the effects of acclimating adult corals to warming temperatures via thermal priming, and have yielded varyi.....»»
Marine heat waves don"t just hit coral reefs. They can cause chaos on the seafloor
Most of us know what a heat wave feels like on land—sweltering heat for days. But oceans get heat waves too. When water temperature goes over a seasonal threshold for five days or more, that's a marine heat wave. They do their worst damage in summe.....»»
After studying more than 1,500 coastal ecosystems, researchers say they will drown if we let the world warm above 2C
Much of the world's natural coastline is protected by living habitats, most notably mangroves in warmer waters and tidal marshes closer to the poles. These ecosystems support fisheries and wildlife, absorb the impact of crashing waves and clean up po.....»»
Are deep blue seas fading? Oceans turn to new hue across parts of Earth, study finds
A large swath of Earth's oceans changed color over the past 20 years—and human activity is suspected to have caused it, a new study reports......»»
Fungi could be the answer to breaking down plastic junk
Enzymes that break down a polymer in wood can also handle polyethylene. Enlarge (credit: Anton Petrus) Plastic is becoming a plague on Earth. Not only are landfills bursting with it, but it has also polluted our oceans t.....»»
How climate change boosts hurricanes
Scientists are sounding the alarm on human-caused climate change's impact on hurricanes such as Idalia, which rapidly intensified over a warm Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday......»»
Will the world"s mangroves, marshes and coral survive warm, rising seas?
Research published in Nature warns that rising seas will devastate coastal habitats, using evidence from the last Ice Age......»»
What makes Idalia so potent? It"s feeding on intensely warm water that acts like rocket fuel
Feeding on some of the hottest water on the planet, Hurricane Idalia is rapidly strengthening as it bears down on Florida and the rest of the Gulf Coast. It's been happening a lot lately......»»
Sushi-loving Japan scrambles to save its fishing industry as oceans heat up
Every year, as July draws to a close, Norio Terada and his fellow oyster farmers submerge hundreds of scallop shells strung on wire rings into the waters of Lake Hamana......»»
Novel recycling process gives old plastics new life: Researchers break down, rebuild polyurethane to make new foam
Polyurethane plastics are ubiquitous, used everywhere from mattresses to shoes. But once these products are no longer wanted, these materials litter landfills and oceans across the world......»»
Past warm period reveals limited near-surface permafrost extent
An international research team led by Dr. Guo Donglin from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the extent of near-surface (about 3–4 m depth) permafrost during the mid-Pliocene warm period (about 3.2.....»»
Climate poses "high risk" for Europe"s ski resorts
At current rates of greenhouse gas emissions, which would see Earth's surface warm nearly three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, 90 percent of Europe's ski resorts will eventually face critical shortages of natural snow, researchers said.....»»