A continental-scale chemical survey in the waters of the eastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico is helping researchers determine how distinct bodies of water will resist changes in acidity. The study, which measures varying levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other forms of carbon in the ocean, was conducted by scientists from 11 institutions across the U.S. and was published [...]

Science estimates that half of the species on the planet could disappear by the end of the century due to the destructive practices of the human populous.  According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) the current extinction rate is 1000 times higher than the natural rate. Iconic marine animals such as sharks, whales, mantas and seals are [...]

Each year, an estimated 10,000 shipping containers fall off container ships at sea. Although many of these containers float at the surface for months, most eventually sink to the seafloor. No one knows what happens to these containers once they reach the deep seafloor. From March 8 to March 10, 2011, a team of researchers from MBARI and the Monterey Bay [...]

When Australian based photographer Kim Preston tackles the problem of ocean plastics and the great pacific garbage patch, she opens a door in everyone psyche where esthetics meet the disastrous impact we have on our oceans. We exchanged a moment online and here is what we learned. ~Tell us about your background where you come from; how you got into [...]

Better protection of shoreline natural systems, such as mangrove swamps and sea grass meadows, will help reduce the impact of increasing ocean acidification on fisheries and aquaculture, an IAEA co-hosted Workshop has recommended to policy makers. The recommendation is among the conclusions of Bridging the Gap Between Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation, held from 11 to 13 November in [...]

Technique provides insight into ancient formation of underwater plateau NARRAGANSETT, R.I. – Scientists have long used the speed of seismic waves traveling through the Earth as a means of learning about the geologic structure beneath the Earth’s surface, but the seismic waves they use have typically been generated by earthquakes or man-made explosions. A University of Rhode Island graduate student [...]

Vicki is the ocean mind behind Colorado Ocean Coalition and its successful “Making Waves” Ocean Symposium  that takes place in the rocky mountain high city of Boulder. Why would one even consider creating a mountain based ocean centered festival? Ocean Minds got the answer in a Skype fueled interview full of laughs and passion about our blue planet. I have to admit [...]

Nylon, Kevlar and other synthetic fabrics: Step aside. If new scientific research pans out, people may be sporting shirts, blouses and other garments made from fibers modeled after those in the icky, super-strong slime from a creature called the hagfish. The study appears in ACS’ journal Biomacromolecules. Lead author Atsuko Negishi, her supervisor Douglas S. Fudge and colleagues explain that [...]

Ocean Conservancy today praised Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire and her Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification on the release of their new report and announced plan of action. The panel’s findings and the Governor’s Executive Order should serve as a model for other coastal states that are facing the same challenge of ocean acidification. The 28-member panel of scientists, [...]

MacGillivray Freeman Films, IMAX Filmed Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the IMAX® 3D film, To The Arctic, has crossed the $10 million benchmark at the worldwide box office – highlighting its universal appeal and ongoing success with IMAX® audiences. The film debuted on April 20, 2012 in 50 IMAX theatres across North America and has since launched [...]