Oceans

Earth

Forecasters predict a very active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

Warmer ocean temperatures could fuel a very active Atlantic hurricane season, with one forecast predicting 18 named storms, including nine hurricanes.

Environment

A year long expedition spotlights night life in the Arctic winter

Scientists anchored to an ice floe near the North Pole are investigating how life survives polar night and what changes will occur as the Arctic continues to warm.

Life

The Great Barrier Reef is suffering its most widespread bleaching ever recorded

Major bleaching events are recurring with increasing frequency on the Great Barrier Reef, hindering its recovery.

Animals

Parasitic worm populations are skyrocketing in some fish species used in sushi

Fishes worldwide harbor 283 times the number of Anisakis worms as fishes in the 1970s. Whether that’s a sign of environmental decline or recovery is unclear.

Environment

Legos may take hundreds of years to break down in the ocean

Sturdy types of plastic may persist in seawater for much long than scientists previously thought.

Climate

Economic costs of rising seas will be steeper than we thought, unless we prepare

A study estimates 4 percent in annual global GDP losses by 2100 due to sea level rise, unless people curb emissions and prepare for flood risks.

Oceans

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill spread much farther than once thought

Computer simulations reveal the full extent of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oceans

Noise pollution from ships may scare Arctic cod from feeding grounds

Melting Arctic sea ice is opening up northern waters to increased shipping, and the vessel noise is taking a toll on Arctic cod.

Climate

Climate change may be speeding up ocean circulation

Circulation in the top 2,000 meters of the world’s oceans has increased as a result of faster winds around the globe, a study suggests.

Life

Ocean acidification could degrade sharks’ tough skin

Nine weeks of exposure to acidic seawater corroded the toothlike denticles that make up a puffadder shyshark’s skin, a small experiment found.

Earth

Flooding Earth’s atmosphere with oxygen may not have needed a triggering event

Building an oxygen-rich world doesn’t require volcanism, supercontinent breakups or the rise of land plants — just nutrient cycling, a study finds.

Climate

How the Arctic’s poor health affects everyday life

A new NOAA report features testimony from indigenous communities in Alaska who are weathering the impacts of Arctic warming.