Marine science news covering oceanography, coral reefs, fisheries science, sea level rise, and marine ecosystems.
The Trump administration is dismantling an ambitious ocean monitoring program by removing over 900 deep-sea sensors from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans near Washington, Oregon, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland. Scientists across the US are expressing alarm over the removal of these critical tools used to understand how the planet is changing.
The European Union announced a $107 million investment to strengthen its ocean monitoring system, days after the Trump administration moved to dismantle a U.S. deep-ocean observation network. European Commissioner Costas Kadis called the funding a 'necessity' given 'extremely worrying signals' from the U.S. More than half will support an international program sponsored by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization.
Australia's dive industry launched a public campaign urging expanded no-fishing and no-drilling zones ahead of a federal review of marine parks. Dive Queensland president Dr Terry Cummins said the sector is worth $4.2 billion annually. The review of 44 Commonwealth marine parks occurs once a decade.
A new study reveals that in Moorea, French Polynesia, encrusting algae structurally maintain hollowed-out dead coral skeletons, preventing storm breakdown and new coral growth. Scientist Hannah Stewart observed only three live corals in 45 minutes, highlighting a concerning shift in reef dynamics.