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?

The case for co-locating offshore wind parks and nature reserves

Wind parks could benefit the natural world—in ways beyond the generation of zero-carbon energy.

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

Which countries are the wealthiest, when blue carbon is the currency?

Researchers calculated that mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows store roughly the equivalent of the annual carbon emissions of France—with an estimated value of $190 billion per year.

Eyes on the High Seas

Illegal fishing is getting harder, thanks to public surveillance from space

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?

A hot ocean is a hungry ocean

Ecosystems, fisheries managers and people who rely on fishing could be in for a wild ride, as scientists find that warmer oceans make for hungrier fish.