Oceans Archive

Ocean Stories

Anthropocene brings some of the best minds to bear on tough questions about the future of the Earth’s largest ecosystems: Should nations farm their EEZs—and how can they do it ecologically? Are there economically viable ways to harvest plastic waste? Can we cultivate acid- and heat-resilient coral reefs?

Using seawater for cooling could be a sustainable option

Researchers found that just one cubic meter of seawater has the same cooling energy as a solar farm the size of 68 football fields—or 21 wind turbines.

nbsp | AnthropocenenbspSeawater airconditioning system is sustainable and cools Cooling systems with seawater pumped from deep in the ocean is not a new idea But new research has found a way to make it sustainable

Probiotics could help save overheated coral

In lab experiments, an infusion of bacteria extracted from coral reefs made the difference between life and death for coral stuck in hot water.

It’s an unsinkable idea

The concept of settling the high seas is back—this time as a sustainable answer to sea-level rise, with an impressive team and UN support.

nbsp Oceanix floating city | AnthropocenenbspFloating cities fend off sea level rise floods and storms The United Nations supports creating sustainable floating cities as one answer to sealevel rise caused by flooding and bigger storms driven by climate change

Taming the Blue Frontier

Should the U.S. cultivate giant offshore fish farms in its piece of the sea or keep taking most of the fish we eat from foreign waters?

The unrealized potential of seaweed farming to clean up agricultural pollution

A research team calculated how strategically-planted beds of seaweed could help to clean up one of the world’s most polluted coastal environments, the Gulf of Mexico

Letting the big fish get away could be an unexpected climate solution

Big fish sinking to the bottom of the sea could sequester millions of tons of carbon

How many fish are in the sea?

Researchers are getting closer to an answer—and improved management—by identifying the DNA traces that fish leave behind in seawater

nbsp | AnthropocenenbspA liter of water is key to counting all the fish in the sea The ocean is awash in biological DNA And now researchers are mining microscopic environmental DNA to measure the density and diversity of fish stocks

Can marine reserves work if they still allow fishing? One UK bay suggests “Yes.”

On the southwest coast of the England, near the town of Lyme Regis, scientists found that fish populations boomed when reefs were protected, even though some kinds of fishing continued.