Study: Alaska seal pup diet may hold key to decline of population
Fairbanks, Alaska - Apr 4, 2006 17:32 EST
Female harbor seal pups whose blubber falls below average levels may be at higher risk of delayed sexual maturation or death, even if they get enough fat in their diets later on, according to a new study sponsored by The...

Scientist: Jesus Walked on a Isolated Patch of Floating Ice; 'Springs Ice'
Tallahassee, Florida - Apr 4, 2006 17:26 EST
The New Testament story describes Jesus walking on water in the Sea of Galilee but according to a study led by Florida State University Professor of Oceanography Doron Nof, it's more likely that he walked on an isolated patch of...

Scientists: Lack of Oxygen in Ocean 'Dead Zones' Trigger Sex Changes in Fish, Posing Extinction Threat
Washington, D.C. - Mar 29, 2006 14:33 EST
Oxygen depletion in the world’s oceans, primarily caused by agricultural run-off and pollution, could spark the development of far more male fish than female, thereby threatening some species with extinction, according to a study published today on the Web site...

Study: Ultrasound, Algae Team Up to Clean Up Mercury from Contaminated Sediment
Columbus, Ohio - Mar 28, 2006 18:59 EST
Ultrasound and algae can be used together as tools to clean mercury from contaminated sediment, according to an Ohio State University study. This research could one day lead to a ship-borne device that cleans toxic metals from waterways without harming fish...

Researcher: Seagrass in decline worldwide; human activity is to blame
Durham, North Carolina - Mar 27, 2006 18:45 EST
Around the world, seagrass beds – shallow-water ecosystems that are important habitats, food sources, and sediment stabilizers – are in decline, says Frederick Short, research professor of natural resources and marine science at the University of New Hampshire. And as...

Scientists discover interplay between genes and viruses in tiny ocean plankton
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Mar 25, 2006 11:26 EST
New evidence from open-sea experiments shows there's a constant shuffling of genetic material going on among the ocean's tiny plankton. It happens via ocean-dwelling viruses, scientists report this week in the journal Science. Conducted by biological oceanographers Sallie Chisholm and her...

Study: Ocean virus identified in human blood samples; effects unclear
Eugene, Oregon - Mar 23, 2006 18:30 EST
A virus of ocean origin that can cause a range of diseases in several animal species has been found in human blood samples. The virus, or antibodies to it, was found most often in the blood of individuals with liver...

Tests: Red Tide Caused Sea Turtle Die-off in El Salvador
San Salvador, El Salvador - Mar 23, 2006 18:12 EST
A “Red Tide” event that occurred off the coast of El Salvador late last year directly caused the deaths of some 200 sea turtles, according to test results released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations. Responding to...

Research: Polar Melting May Raise Sea Level Sooner than Expected; 20 Feet by 2100
Tucson, Arizona - Mar 23, 2006 17:47 EST
The Earth's warming temperatures are on track to melt the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets sooner than previously thought and ultimately lead to a global sea level rise of at least 20 feet, according to new research. If the current warming...

Study: Deep-sea Fish Populations Boom Over the Last 15 Years
San Diego, California - Mar 23, 2006 17:42 EST
The largest habitats on Earth are located in the vast, dark plains at the bottom of the ocean. Yet because of their remoteness, many aspects of this mostly unexplored world remain mysterious. New research led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at...

Scientists: 'Supramolecules' Could Cleanup Mercury in Latin America's Rivers
Surrey, United Kingdom - Mar 22, 2006 19:16 EST
Mercury pollution is poisoning many Latin American rivers. The Argentinean, Brazilian, Peruvian, British, Swedish and Spanish researchers working on the Mercury project are now tackling this specific problem with the aid of some remarkable supramolecules. "Latin America could experience a disaster...

Researchers: Warbling Whales Speak a Language All Their Own; 'Elements of Language' in Songs
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Mar 21, 2006 19:34 EST
The songs of the humpback whale are among the most complex in the animal kingdom. Researchers have now mathematically confirmed that whales have their own syntax that uses sound units to build phrases that can be combined to form songs...

Scientists use satellites to detect deep-ocean whirlpools
Newark, Delaware - Mar 20, 2006 17:58 EST
Move over, Superman, with your X-ray vision. Marine scientists have now figured out a way to "see through" the ocean's surface and detect what's below, with the help of satellites in space. Using sensor data from several U.S. and European satellites,...

Research: Sea Coral's Trick Helps Scientists Tag Cells, Follow Individual Proteins within Cells
Chevy Chase, Maryland - Mar 19, 2006 19:53 EST
The glow emitted by a variety of sea coral helped Russian scientists harness the protein that generates the light to create a tiny fluorescent tag that responds to visible light. The two-color tag should help researchers follow individual proteins as...

Scientists: Radar Altimetry Revolutionizing the Study of the Ocean
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Mar 15, 2006 18:20 EST
Imagine a space tool so revolutionary it can determine the impact of climate change, monitor the melting of glaciers, discover invisible waves, predict the strength of hurricanes, conserve fish stocks and measure river and lake levels worldwide, among other scientific...

DAN Fires Back at Chamber Operator, Denies Any Suspicious Activity with Insurance Subsidiary
Durham, North Carolina - Mar 13, 2006 19:05 EST
In a news release dated March 13, 2006, Divers Alert Network (DAN) US has responded to the recent news that numerous hyperbaric chambers operated by the SSS Network will no longer honor the insurance offered by DAN America. Chambers...

DAN Responds to Chamber Lockout, Vows to Fully Reimburse for Any Diving Accident Expenses
Durham, North Carolina - Mar 10, 2006 18:43 EST
In a statement dated March 10, Divers Alert Network (DAN) has responed to a notice from numerous chamber operators that they will no longer accept DAN insurance. Here is the text of DAN's statement: We can assure you that DAN members will...

DAN America Insurance Dumped at 10 Popular Dive Destinations; Cozumel, Belize, Bahamas, Galapagos...
Durham, North Carolina - Mar 9, 2006 19:33 EST
In a news release dated March 9, 2006, hyperbaric chamber operators from some of the world's most popular dive destinations have announced they will no longer accept DAN America insurance. The destinations include The Bahamas, Baja California, Belize, Cancun,...

Scientists: Salmon Can Churn Entire Riverbeds from End to End; 'Little Rototillers'
Seattle, Washington - Mar 9, 2006 18:11 EST
Like an armada of small rototillers, female salmon can industriously churn up entire stream beds from end to end, sometimes more than once, using just their tails. For decades ecologists have believed that salmon nest-digging triggered only local effects. But a...

Research: Scattered Stones Makes Hatchery-Reared Fish Brains Grow Larger
Davis, California - Mar 8, 2006 19:34 EST
Hatchery-reared steelhead trout show increased growth of some parts of the brain when small stones are scattered on the bottom of their tank, according to a new study by researchers at UC Davis. The brains of those young fish were...

Winners from the Divephotoguide.com & Wetpixel.com International Photo Contest Released
The Meadowlands, New Jersey - Mar 8, 2006 08:55 EST
Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com teamed up to celebrate the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment by developing the first instance of a new, annual, international underwater photography competition. For our inaugural event, only digital entries were accepted (images taken from...

Researchers find ways heat-loving ocean microbes create energy; clues to the origin of life
St. Louis, Missouri - Mar 6, 2006 17:38 EST
Curiosity about the microbial world drove Jan Amend, Ph.D., associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, to Vulcano Island, Italy, a shallow hydrothermal Shangri-la near Sicily. There, Amend and his collaborators...

Report: Pesticides Rampant in U.S. Streams, Ground Water; Concentrations Likely Not Harmful to Humans
Washington, D.C. - Mar 3, 2006 17:23 EST
The U.S. Geological Survey has just released a report saying pesticides linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders contaminate almost all of the nation's rivers and streams and most fish found in them, but seldom at concentrations likely to...

US Military Developing Remote-Control 'Spy' Shark with Neural Brain Implant
Hawaii - Mar 1, 2006 18:16 EST
Imagine getting inside the mind of a shark: swimming silently through the ocean, sensing faint electrical fields, homing in on the trace of a scent, and navigating through the featureless depths for hour after hour. We may soon be able to...

Scientists Confirm Massive Flood Triggered by Climate Change 8,200 Years Ago
New York, New York - Feb 28, 2006 18:12 EST
Scientists from NASA and Columbia University, New York, have used computer modeling to successfully reproduce an abrupt climate change that took place 8,200 years ago. At that time, the beginning of the current warm period, climate changes were caused by...

New Ocean Bottom Seismometer May Help Scientists Understand Seafloor Earthquake Mechanics
Falmouth, Massachusetts - Feb 28, 2006 08:35 EST
Hundreds of earthquakes occur every day around the world, most of them underneath the oceans, while the vast majority of instruments used to record earthquakes are on land. As a result, advances in understanding basic earthquake processes have been limited...

Researcher: Mangroves More Important to Oceans Than Previously Thought; 'Unexpected Role in the Global Carbon Cycle'
Washington, D.C. - Feb 27, 2006 19:52 EST
Mangroves, the backbone of the tropical ocean coastlines, are far more important to the global ocean's biosphere than previously thought. And while the foul-smelling muddy forests may not have the scientific allure of tropical reefs or rain forests, a team...

Biologist's Device Teases Out Individual Sounds from Underwater Racket
Seattle, Washington - Feb 24, 2006 18:36 EST
While biologists sort out what levels of noise go unnoticed, are annoying or cause harm to marine mammals, physical oceanographer Jeff Nystuen is giving scientists and managers a way to sift through and identify the sounds present in various marine...

Scientists: Benefits of Seafood Outweigh Contamination Risks; '4-7 Times a Week'
Corvallis, Oregon - Feb 23, 2006 17:54 EST
Though some species of fish around the world's are likely to be contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxins, the benefits of eating seafood continue to outweigh the risks, a panel of scientists recently said at the annual meeting of...

Florida Scientists to Track Grouper Using Acoustic Beacons
Miami, Florida - Feb 22, 2006 20:25 EST
Florida researchers will embark on state-of-the-art research at the end of February to track black and red grouper in the Dry Tortugas National Park to develop a better understanding of species’ movement and habitat require-ments, so they can help more...

Scientists: Unlovable jawless lamprey holds clues to skeletal evolution
Gainesville, Florida - Feb 22, 2006 19:40 EST
It turns out lampreys, long thought to have taken a different evolutionary road than almost all other backboned animals, may not be so different after all, especially in terms of the genetics that govern their skeletal development, according to findings...

Changes in reef latitude; Is pollution causing regional coral extinctions?
Ft. Pierce, Florida - Feb 22, 2006 18:35 EST
Since the 1980s, researchers have hypothesized that nutrient levels rather than temperature are the main factor controlling the latitudinal bounds of coral reefs, but the issue remains controversial. New results from an extensive survey of reefs in South Florida by...

Researchers Use Beached Beaked Whale to Test Hearing and Sonar Sensitivity
Tampa, Florida - Feb 21, 2006 18:03 EST
Two scientists, Mandy L.H. Cook and David Mann, from the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, and colleagues at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, have investigated the issue of whether sonar can be correlated with the stranding of beaked...

Deep-spied Fish: Atlantic expeditions uncover secret sex life of deep-sea nomads
Honolulu, Hawaii - Feb 21, 2006 17:26 EST
For centuries scientists have thought of deep-sea pelagic fish as nomadic wanderers, in part because information about them was so limited. However, new results from the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems program (MAR-ECO), a Sloan Foundation-sponsored component of the Census of...

Scientist Set to Monitor Baleen Whales with Autonomous Underwater Robots
Woods Hole, Massachusetts - Feb 21, 2006 17:19 EST
Like robots of the deep, autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, are growing in number and use in the oceans to perform scientific missions ranging from monitoring climate change to mapping the deep sea floor and surveying ancient shipwrecks. Another use...

Is Pollution Causing Regional Coral Extinctions?
Ft. Pierce, Florida - Feb 20, 2006 19:20 EST
Since the 1980s, researchers have hypothesized that nutrient levels rather than temperature are the main factor controlling the latitudinal bounds of coral reefs, but the issue remains controversial. New results from an extensive survey of reefs in South Florida by...

Scientist: Era of Deep Ocean Mining Coming Soon; 'Legitimate Concern' Understandable
Toronto, Canada - Feb 20, 2006 19:15 EST
We’re on the brink of the era of deep ocean mining, says a global pioneer in the study of sea floor mineral deposits. Dr. Steven Scott, a geologist at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada says that advances in...

Scientists: Marine Mammals Are on Frontline of Failing Ocean Health; Diseases May be Early Warning Sign for Humans
St. Louis, Missouri - Feb 20, 2006 18:48 EST
Leading scientists, physicians, and veterinarians are uncovering new links between land-based pollution and diseases in marine mammals, with implications for human health. "Marine mammals are providing early clues of our unseen impact on the sea," says Paul Sandifer, Chief Scientist for...

Researcher: Early humans traveled along 'kelp highway'
Eugene, Oregon - Feb 20, 2006 18:38 EST
If humans migrated from Asia to the Americas along Pacific Rim coastlines near the end of the Pleistocene era, kelp forests may have aided their journey, according to research presented today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science...

Scientist: Oceans may soon be more corrosive than when the dinosaurs died
Palo Alto, California - Feb 20, 2006 18:20 EST
Increased carbon dioxide emissions are rapidly making the world's oceans more acidic and, if unabated, could cause a mass extinction of marine life similar to one that occurred 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs disappeared. Ken Caldeira of the...