Marine animals help solve ocean issues
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Apr-2025 09:08 ET (28-Apr-2025 13:08 GMT/UTC)
We’ve mapped nearly all of Mars’ surface from orbit, yet we know less about Earth’s ocean floor — almost 75% remains unmapped in high resolution.
This terrestrial blind spot is driving NJIT Mathematics Professor Eliza Michalopoulou’s latest research, funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The project aims to improve how scientists explore the vast, uncharted ocean floor through sound.
Researchers identified a strong negative North Atlantic Oscillation in 2009–2010 as the tipping point that pushed sargassum into the tropical Atlantic, confirming vertical mixing, not rivers, as the primary nutrient source fueling the massive blooms since 2011.