A new study led by researchers at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa published today in Nature Communications is the first of its kind to show that waste discharged from deep-sea mining operations in the Pacific’s biodiverse Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) could disrupt marine life in the midwater “twilight zone” — a vital region 200-1,500 meters below sea level that supports vast communities of zooplankton, tiny animals that serve as the ocean’s basic food building blocks. Specifically, it finds that 53% of all zooplankton and 60% of micronekton, which feed on zooplankton, would be impacted by the discharge, which could ultimately impact predators higher up on the food web.  

Researchers have created CAROSEL (Chamber ARray for Observing Sediment Exchanges Long-term), an autonomous underwater system that continuously tracks nutrient exchanges between sediments and water. For the first time, scientists can observe these processes in real time, multiple times daily, over long periods. By revealing how sediment-driven nutrient releases respond to light, oxygen, and weather, CAROSEL offers a powerful new way to understand and manage nutrient pollution, helping protect water quality and prevent harmful algal blooms in lakes, estuaries, and coastal ecosystems.

UBC researchers have identified eight per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in B.C. sea otters.

Known as ‘forever’ chemicals for how long it takes them to break down in the environment, these human-made chemicals are found in many common household products and have been linked to adverse health effects in humans. They are widespread in the environment, found in animals around the world including otters in the U.K., and orcas in B.C.

Now, UBC researchers have found PFAS chemicals in B.C. otters for the first time. Analyzing liver and skeletal muscle samples from 11 dead sea otters, they found eight of 40 tested PFAS chemicals present in every otter, with seven found only in the liver.

The study showcases an innovative and effective approach for large-scale genomic research of individual cells and viral particles, highlighting the abundance of marine viruses with unusual DNA chemistry.

An international study led by CEAB-CSIC and published in Nature Communications presents the first global assessment of blue carbon accumulated in the living parts of seagrass plants. According to the results, their leaves, rhizomes and roots store up to 40 million tonnes of carbon worldwide. To this figure must be added the carbon stored in the seabed, which can remain sequestered for thousands of years, as long as the meadow persists. The data confirm that, despite covering a very small area, these ecosystems play a key role in absorbing atmospheric CO₂, transforming it, and retaining it.