A microscopic green pigment can provide major insights into how severe tropical cyclones called typhoons impact water flow and ecosystems. Called chlorophyll a, the pigment is responsible for absorbing light and initiating the photosynthesis process for algae, other plants and some bacteria. The amount of chlorophyll a in a body of water acts as a proxy measurement for the organisms that feed on it, with sharp increases or decreases indicating a disrupted ecosystem.

From lazy ripples to towering breakers, the mechanics of ocean waves should vary widely from one planet to another, according to a model developed by scientists at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Alexandra Z. Worden, Senior Scientist in the Bay Paul Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory and a Professor in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship this week, in recognition of her groundbreaking research in ocean biogeochemistry.

Worden will use the fellowship to deepen understanding of how microbes respond to photosynthetic algae as they sink to the seafloor, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with impacts on dark ocean communities that remain poorly understood.

New research reveals a powerful yet overlooked driver of climate change: Intensifying ocean eddies. These swirling currents—that break off from major currents—are redistributing heat and nutrients in the ocean and amplifying climate extremes in key coastal ecosystems.

Florida’s coral reefs are under siege from fast-spreading diseases like Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, yet their hidden structural impacts remain poorly understood. FAU researchers used advanced micro-CT imaging and deep learning to analyze coral skeletons in 3D, revealing subtle changes in porosity, density and thickness with 98% accuracy. This innovative approach offers a powerful new tool to rapidly assess reef health and better guide conservation strategies in the face of escalating environmental threats.

Researchers have unlocked the secrets behind the extraordinary maneuverability of the black ghost knifefish, a freshwater species known for its effortless forward, backward, and hovering movements. By systematically analyzing the fin’s unique morphology and wave-like motion, the team has established a comprehensive kinematic database that could bridge the gap between biological propulsion and bio-inspired robotic design, potentially revolutionizing underwater vehicle performance in complex environments.

In the deserts of southeastern Arizona, harvester ants congregate with serrated jaws agape outside the nests of much smaller cone ants. However, the nests’ inhabitants are not threatened. Instead, they crawl all over the harvester ants and lick and nibble their body surfaces—the first known example of an ant that cleans a much larger ant species. The unusual behavior, described for the first time this week in the journal Ecology and Evolution, was observed by entomologist Mark Moffett, a research associate at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

New evidence shows melt ponds in the northern parts of the Arctic may be biological sources of ice-nucleating particles, a key ingredient for cloud formation that has been largely overlooked.