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Articles on Oceans

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The idea that there’s a moral imperative for humans to expand beyond Earth is echoed by influential proponents of space exploration. Tamara Craiu/Flickr

To boldly go toward new frontiers, we first need to learn from our colonial past

Technology had enabled humans to explore the deep sea, the Earth’s poles, and outer space. But we shouldn’t forget historical lessons about frontiers in the process of traversing them.
Steven Morgan deploys ABLE robots in a swimming pool to test how well their programs simulate larval behavior. University of California, Davis

Underwater robots help scientists see where marine larvae go and how they get there

Most ocean species start out as larvae drifting with currents. Using underwater robots, scientists have found that larvae use swimming motions to affect their course and reach suitable places to grow.
Sperm whales, like many other species, use echolocation which can be hampered by noise. Gabriel Barathieu/Wikimedia Commons

It’s time to speak up about noise pollution in the oceans

We tend to think of the oceans as quiet, when in fact they’re anything but. Noise is the “forgotten pollutant”, but the good news is that unlike many other pollutants it can be switched off if we try.
Cartier Island marine reserve is part of a network that covers one-third of Australian waters. Australian Institute of Marine Science

Oil, gas and marine parks really can coexist in our oceans – here’s how

Marine parks need to cover large swathes of ocean, but they also need to cover the right areas if they are to deliver the best conservation. New research off Australia’s northwest suggests how.
Billions of dollars are lost yearly to illegal fishing, with West Africa being one of the worst-affected regions. Commander, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th/Flickr

Africa needs collaboration and support to tackle crime at sea

Crime on the ocean is not only about illegal fishing – it ranges from drug smuggling to human trafficking and modern-day slavery as well.
A plague, or just an artefact? Jacob Gruythuysen

How time-poor scientists inadvertently made it seem like the world was overrun with jellyfish

How flawed citation practices can perpetuate scientific ideas even before they’ve been fully established as true.
A mass proliferation of Noctiluca scintillans, a red tide forming dinoflagellate at Clovelly Beach, NSW. It can form dense aggregations that deplete oxygen and produce ammonia. Gurjeet Kohli

Collecting data to help protect Australia’s waters from toxic algal blooms

They give us part of the air we breathe but microscopic phytoplankton can also be toxic. They are also on the move thanks to climate change so a new Australian database hopes to monitor any changes.
Nice to see you: parrotfishes prey on seaweed, which consume seaweeds that can outcompete, smother or even poison corals. Corinne Fuchs

How fish and clean water can protect coral reefs from warming oceans

A combination of factors – pollution, disease and overfishing – is harming corals but scientists have found clues to effective treatment by studying corals’ microbiome.

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