Oceans

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.”

Climate

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier ice shelf could collapse within five years

The loss of Thwaites’ buttressing ice shelf could hasten the demise of the “Doomsday Glacier” and raise the risk of dramatic sea level rise.

Oceans

The Southern Ocean is still swallowing large amounts of humans’ carbon dioxide emissions

A 2018 study suggested the ocean surrounding Antarctica might be taking up less CO₂ than thought, but new data suggest it is still a carbon sink.

Environment

Corals may store a surprising amount of microplastics in their skeletons

In tropical waters, coral reefs may be a “sink” for tiny bits of plastic debris. It’s unclear how corals’ trash pickup might affect reef health.

Life

Albatrosses divorce more often when ocean waters warm

In one part of the Falkland Islands, up to 8 percent of the famously faithful birds ditch partners in years when the ocean is warmer than average.

Earth

Scientists are racing to save the Last Ice Area, an Arctic Noah’s Ark

The Last Ice Area may be the final refuge for summer sea ice and the creatures that depend on it. Saving it is an ambitious goal with many hurdles.