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a photo of vast mats of Sargassum seaweed floating on the ocean's surface
Vast mats of Sargassum seaweed can be seen floating off of Florida’s Big Pine Key. These can shelter everything from turtles to eels to fish. But an overgrowth of these mats has begun posing a problem for coastlines.
/*-->*/ Brian Lapointe/Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
 
Algae & Fungi
Jul 22, 2019
Record seaweed belt spanned from Africa to Gulf of Mexico
The enormous Sargassum bloom seen in 2018 could become the new normal, scientists worry
a surfer surving on a blue wave
Not just great for surfing, waves may be the next big thing in renewable energy.
/*-->*/ EpicStockMedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus
 
Sustainability
May 30, 2019
Ocean energy could be the wave of the future
Wave-power systems are the latest in clean, renewable energy
a pile of haddock fish
Increasing ocean temperatures have caused populations of many fish and shellfish to plummet. As a result, the amount that can be caught without depleting fish populations has declined by an average of 4.1 percent worldwide.
NEFSC/NOAA
 
Oceans
Apr 11, 2019
Oceans’ fever means fewer fish
Since 1930, some regions have seen a 35 percent drop in individuals that can be caught without harming fisheries
an underwater photo of a coral reef ecosystem with brightly colored corals and fish
Corals provide the base of a unique community of ocean creatures. But ocean acidification may make it difficult for corals to build their beautiful structures.
iBorisoff/iStockphoto
 
Chemistry
Feb 28, 2019
Shell shocked: Emerging impacts of our acidifying seas
Our changing climate is altering the chemistry of the ocean, and some animals are paying the price
an underwater photo of a little skate
This is a little skate, a fish closely related to sharks and rays. As the oceans get more acidic, little skates may become better walkers.
Page Valentine/USGS; adapted by L. Steenblik Hwang
 
Animals
Feb 28, 2019
Ocean acidification may ground swimming skates
In warmer and more acidic seas, little skates develop stronger jaws but weaker fins
Comb jellies floating
This lovely creature is a comb jelly. It’s a jelly but not a jellyfish.
S. Zielinski/SNS
Scientists Say
 
Animals
Jan 21, 2019
Scientists Say: Jellies
These are gelatinous creatures that live in water
a photo of a building on the coast that has fallen into the ocean and cracked apart
Rising seas eroded the coastline of this resort region in Hoi An, Vietnam, causing its buildings to crack apart and start tumbling into the water. Climate change is threatening low-lying regions across the globe with similar destruction.
xuanhuongho/iStockphoto
 
Oceans
Jan 10, 2019
Climate change makes seas rise faster and faster
Only a small window of time remains to keep the worst impacts from happening
an aerial photo of a flooded street in Ho Chi Minh City, scooters and cars are driving through the floodwaters
Traffic keeps flowing on a flooded street in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Sea levels are rising around the world, but they are rising more quickly in some places than in others.
xuanhuongho/iStockPhoto
 
Weather & Climate
Jan 10, 2019
Explainer: Why sea levels aren't rising at the same rate globally
A spinning planet, melting ice sheets and warmer waters all contribute to sea level rise
a scenic photo of Jamaica Bay in New York City
Looking out over Jamaica Bay in New York City. Climate change will bring more frequent storms and sea level rise. Both threaten buildings and wildlife habitat in the general area with floods.
stefko/iStockphoto
 
Science & Society
Jan 10, 2019
Building resilience to climate’s emerging impacts
An evolving area of science explores how systems might bounce back — and when they can’t
a photo of huge stone statue figures at Rapa Nui, or Easter Island
These huge stone statues are at Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. This Chilean island lies 3,500 kilometers (almost 2,200 miles) west of the mainland, deep in the Pacific Ocean. The island is one of many places worldwide that are vulnerable to sea-level rise.
Babak Fakhamzadeh/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
 
Archaeology
Jan 10, 2019
Rising seas threaten thousands of world cultural sites
How we can preserve our archeological heritage in the face of rising seas