Oceans
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Oceans
Synthetic lint ends up in oceans
Microplastics from clothes and other consumer products evade sewage treatment and end up on beaches, studies find.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Simulation tracks ocean’s missing heat
Climate scientists suggest energy is buried deep undersea or released to space.
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Animals
Lionfish no match for big groupers
Despite its invasive success, the lionfish can't withstand grouper appetites.
By Janet Raloff -
Microbes
Gulf floor fouled by bacterial oil feast
Observations may explain the widespread mortality of sediment-dwelling animals.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
Methane from BP spill goes missing
Latest sampling suggests either that microbes have already devoured the most abundant hydrocarbon produced by the leak — or that researchers have simply lost track of it.
By Janet Raloff -
Environment
Gases dominate Gulf’s subsea plumes
Shipboard experiments in June show that natural gas dominates the Gulf oil plumes and that its components are the favorite choice of microbes.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
Placement of marine reserves is key
A study finds that focusing on the heaviest-fished areas can help meet conservation goals.
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Oceans
Death by magma
Widespread extinctions in the world’s oceans millions of years ago may have been triggered by massive underwater volcanic eruptions that created much of the Caribbean seafloor.
By Sid Perkins