science and technology

Census of Marine Life reports after ten years of exploration

During the past ten years deep ocean scientists at the National Oceanography Centre have contributed to the Census of Marine Life report which was published in London this week (www.coml.org).

This comprehensive study of life in…

More than a hundred marine scientists, policy makers and members of industry have unanimously called for action towards an integrated network of observatories monitoring Europe’s seas.

Speaking at a forum ‘Towards a European Network of Marine Observatories’ held by the Marine Board of the European Science Foundation, Professor Richard Lampitt of the…

Efforts to restore the environment of Chesapeake Bay, one the largest estuaries in the world, are paying dividends according to new research. The findings suggest that reduced nutrient inputs and improved water clarity have resulted in increased abundance and diversity of submerged vegetation, with reductions in the proportion of exotic species.

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Scientific findings by international research group of scientists from England, China and Denmark just published suggest that sea level will likely be 30–70 centimetres higher by 2100 than at the start of the century.

This is even if all but the most aggressive geo-engineering schemes are undertaken to mitigate the effects of global warming and…

Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have made a substantial scientific contribution to the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP)’s third Annual Report Card, which was launched on Thursday 15 July by UK environment ministers at the British-Irish Council meeting at Newcastle University’s Dove Marine Laboratory.

MCCIP is a…

The 2010 SeaWatch Southwest survey has just begun, with a team of dedicated scientists and volunteer observers braving recent stormy weather to record some of the spectacular marine life around southwest UK. The project is co-ordinated by Dr Russell Wynn of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton.

The survey team are based at Gwennap…

University of Southampton scientists based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, along with US and Indonesian collaborators have uncovered clues as to why some undersea earthquakes generate huge tsunamis. Their findings may help explain why the 2004 Sumatra ‘Boxing Day Tsunami’ was so devastating.

Early in the morning of 26 December 2004…

The challenges facing the ocean environment in the 21st Century are the subject of a key conference later this year.

Preparations are under way for the 14th Biennial Challenger Conference for Marine Science, which takes place at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, from 6–9 September 2010.

The aim of the Challenger…

Even in the dark abyss of the deep ocean animal communities can undergo rapid, widespread and radical changes. Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre are at the forefront of monitoring these changes and understanding the mechanisms responsible. Their latest research is published in a special issue of the journal Deep Sea Research II.

Iron is recognised as a nutrient, the lack of which limits plankton growth in some parts of the ocean. By adding small quantities of iron to the surface of the ocean, plankton growth can be stimulated (‘the iron hypothesis’), potentially providing a means of extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the deep ocean for hundreds…