A landmark review traces 40 years of changes in pelagic sargassum – free-floating brown seaweed that plays a vital role in the Atlantic Ocean ecosystem. The review takes a deep dive into the changing story of sargassum – how it’s growing, what’s fueling that growth, and why we’re seeing such a dramatic increase in biomass across the North Atlantic. By examining shifts in its nutrient composition – particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon – and how those elements vary over time and space, we’re beginning to understand the larger environmental forces at play.

The accumulation of these algae on beaches can harm health, tourism, fishing, and biodiversity. They are usually collected and disposed of in landfills, but a study by Brazilian researchers has found a use for the biomass: to produce lightweight ceramic clay aggregates.Large quantities of brown algae have been washing up on beaches in northern Brazil, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Scientists, led by a student intern at Bigelow Laboratory, have published new research on how sea stars from both coasts are accumulating — and physiologically reacting to — the potent, algae-derived neurotoxin domoic acid.

Climate change is causing the oceans to become notably more acidic. This could become a problem for sharks, as a team of biologists headed by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has discovered. In the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science, the research team describes that a more acidic environment weakens the teeth of sharks, causing them to break more easily, which in turn causes the predators to lose their bite.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in conjunction with the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O); the Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment; Aerostar; and Lockheed Martin conducted a technical demonstration held at Outlying Landing Field Seagle in Twentynine Palms, California, May 19-21, aiming to develop a technology for Navy vessels to "see over the horizon" using a combination of stratospheric high-altitude balloons (HABs) and unmanned aircraft, both included novel energy solutions.

An international team of scientists led by microbiologists Marc Mussmann and Alexander Loy from the University of Vienna has discovered a new microbial metabolism: so-called MISO bacteria "breathe" iron minerals by oxidizing toxic sulfide. The researchers found that the reaction between toxic hydrogen sulfide and solid iron minerals is not only a chemical process, but also a previously unknown biological process in which versatile microbes in marine sediments and terrestrial wetlands remove toxic sulfide and use it for their growth. These bacteria could prevent the spread of oxygen-free "dead zones" in aquatic environments. The findings have now been published in Nature.

Researchers studied a population of endangered whale sharks in the Bird’s Head Seascape off Indonesian Papua over a period of 13 years. In total, they observed 268 unique individuals, almost exclusively young males. 77% had visible scars or injuries from human-made causes such as rubbing against fishing platforms or boats. Only 17.7% had serious injuries like amputations or lacerations from boat propellers. Simple modifications to fishing platforms and boats should be effective in protecting local whale sharks from injury or scarring.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) offer a self-sustaining power solution for marine regions abundant in resources but constrained by energy availability. Since their pioneering use in wave energy harvesting in 2014, nearly a decade of advancements has yielded nearly thousands of research articles in this domain. Researchers have developed various TENG device structures with diverse functionalities to facilitate their commercial deployment. Nonetheless, there is a gap in comprehensive summaries and performance evaluations of TENG structural designs. This paper delineates six innovative structural designs, focusing on enhancing internal device output and adapting to external environments: high space utilization, hybrid generator, mechanical gain, broadband response, multi-directional operation, and hybrid energy-harvesting systems. We summarize the prevailing trends in device structure design identified by the research community. Furthermore, we conduct a meticulous comparison of the electrical performance of these devices under motorized, simulated wave, and real marine conditions, while also assessing their sustainability in terms of device durability and mechanical robustness. In conclusion, the paper outlines future research avenues and discusses the obstacles encountered in the TENG field. This review aims to offer valuable perspectives for ongoing research and to advance the progress and application of TENG technology.