How Far the Light Reaches Sabrina Imbler Little, Brown & Co., $27 In How Far the Light Reaches, Sabrina Imbler shows us that the ocean, in all its mystery and…
Category: Oceans
Tiger sharks helped discover the world’s largest seagrass prairie
Scientists have teamed up with tiger sharks to uncover the largest expanse of seagrasses on Earth. A massive survey of the Bahamas Banks — a cluster of underwater plateaus…
Sharks face rising odds of extinction even as other big fish populations recover
After decades of population declines, the future is looking brighter for several tuna and billfish species, such as southern bluefin tuna, black marlins and swordfish, thanks to years of successful…
Here’s what happened to the Delaware-sized iceberg that broke off Antarctica
It was the rift watched ‘round the world. In July 2017, after weeks of anticipation, a massive iceberg about the size of Delaware split from the Antarctic Peninsula (SN: 7/12/17).…
A coral pollution study unexpectedly helped explain Hurricane Maria’s fury
Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico early on September 20, 2017, with 250-kilometer-per-hour winds, torrential rains and a storm surge up to three meters high. In its wake:…
Mangrove forests expand and contract with a lunar cycle
The glossy leaves and branching roots of mangroves are downright eye-catching, and now a study finds that the moon plays a special role in the vigor of these trees. Long-term…
The Tonga eruption may have spawned a tsunami as tall as the Statue of Liberty
The massive Tonga eruption generated a set of planet-circling tsunamis that may have started out as a single mound of water roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty. What’s…
Sea sponges launch slow-motion snot rockets to clean their pores
The next time you spot a sea sponge, say “gesundheit!” Some sponges regularly “sneeze” to clear debris from their porous bodies. As filter feeders, sponges draw in water through inlet…
Megatooth sharks may have been higher on the food chain than any ocean animal ever
Whenever paleontologist Dana Ehret gives talks about the 15-meter-long prehistoric sharks known as megalodons, he likes to make a joke: “What did megalodon eat?” asks Ehret, Assistant Curator of Natural…
How some sunscreens damage coral reefs
One common chemical in sunscreen can have devastating effects on coral reefs. Now, scientists know why. Sea anemones, which are closely related to corals, and mushroom coral can turn oxybenzone…
