Fish behavior, toxic algae, and the role of the sea in climate. These are some of the topics that marine research can address. Diverse subjects, but with a common goal: to better understand what happens beneath the surface.
The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Despite this, we know less about what happens in the ocean than in space. Marine research is about trying to fill these knowledge gaps. Increasing the fundamental knowledge about the ocean without directly pointing to any application is usually called basic research. But sometimes, basic research sparks thoughts on how the knowledge could be applied in society. Then, basic research becomes the foundation for so-called applied research that aims to solve a problem with direct benefits for society. Since the connection between humans and the sea is so significant, it is not uncommon for research projects to shift between basic and applied research.
The oceans are studied by a multitude of researchers in physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. All these subjects can be linked to oceanography, which is the study of the movements and properties of the sea. This is usually done through observations from expeditions, satellites, and the creation of models. Understanding the movement of water is crucial because it affects the climate worldwide.
Many oceanographers work on environmental, energy, and climate issues in government or the private sector. As an oceanographer, one can also engage in research. Oceanography is a science with a broad spectrum of topics such as ecosystem dynamics, ocean currents, and the flow of various substances in the sea. One who has dedicated her life to the sea is the oceanographer Sylvia Earle, who has become one of the internationally known forces for protecting and restoring the world’s oceans.
Oceanography differs from marine biology because it does not always involve studying what lives in the sea. A marine biologist focuses on living organisms in all parts of the ocean and seeks to understand dynamic interactions on different scales, from a specific location to global.
To understand the complexity of the ocean, oceanographers and marine biologists often combine several fields such as biology and chemistry. Weighing in multiple disciplines is particularly important today to create a comprehensive picture that can contribute to the efforts against climate change, pollution, and other factors threatening the oceans and marine life.
Since many places in the ocean are relatively inaccessible to researchers, technological measuring aids are often used today to study these areas. They can remain in the sea and keep measuring the water’s characteristics around the clock. This makes it easier to obtain more measurement values than if researchers had to travel to the measurement site for each reading.
Oceanographic measurement stations at sea are sometimes called ocean observatories where relevant data is collected for researchers. This can include temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels, as well as wind and waves. The Voice of the Ocean (VOTO) Foundation, for example, works to facilitate data collection for researchers. The team working on research and data collection at VOTO consists of oceanographic technicians and researchers. They use so-called gliders to collect data from five locations along the coast of Sweden, and this information can be closely followed through their observation portal.
In this video we explore the world of whale and dolphin communication. They use sound in extraordinary ways — from the powerful clicks of sperm whales, reaching over 230 decibels, to the unique, individual whistles of bottlenose dolphins. While many of these sounds are used for echolocation, helping them navigate and hunt, some researchers believe they could also serve as a form of complex language.
Collective intelligence. It may sound like something fuzzy, quasi-psychological But in fact, when we came across Iain Couzin's research on flocking insects, animals and fish while making the documentary ‘Intelligence of the Sea’, we suddenly knew we had the documentary's obvious grand finale.
Fish that are farmed on land are considered more sustainable, as it has minimal impact on the environment. But is fish raised on land better off?
(TT) Sharks eating invasive fish, GPS-equipped raccoons and goats attracting a mate and then killing it. All are examples of animals being used to protect nature or other animals. But is it ethically defensible? Maybe not, says a new study.
Bladderwrack from the Baltic Sea has been sent into space. This could be the first step in solving a 30-year-old mystery.
From big and scared to small and brave - evolution has moved at lightning speed on a small island in the Koster Sea on the West coast of Sweden. The beach snail's rapid adaptation after a forced change of environment amazes researchers. In 30 years, it has changed both its appearance and behavior to survive.
Scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been placing recording devices in the deep Pacific Ocean since 2005. They have collected an enormous amount of data, more than 500 TB or almost 200 000 hours of recordings.
Thousands of biofilter plants have been installed in cities around the world to treat surface water. Now Swedish researchers see a risk that the technology could fail, and that toxic PFAS could flow right through. - This is a big risk for us and for the environment, says researcher Ali Beryani at Luleå University of Technology.
Fish act as a kind of guide, finding the prey and ‘pointing out’ the location to the octopus, which can use its flexible arms to catch the hidden prey.
We know extremely little about what the seabed looks like. Studying and mapping them is difficult, sometimes impossible and certainly expensive. But a researcher in Australia has used sea lions to help map large areas.
Bowhead whales dive in synchronization despite distances of up to 100 kilometers between them, according to a study by Danish, Greenlandic and Japanese researchers. This shows that the whales use an advanced form of acoustic communication, according to Danish researcher Jonas Teilmann, professor at Aarhus University. “It involves hundreds of dives over a week that […]
Sometimes we remember events completely wrong when our brain creates so-called false memories. A study shows that false memories also occur in some octopuses.
Every year we're seeing more and more turtle stranding partially because of an increase in awareness but also because there are more extreme weather events, there are more storms there are more extreme temperature changes and strong winds probably a consequence of changing weather systems, more extreme weather systems that are indicative of climate change and all of those things for us lead to increase strandings.
Marine Biologist, Dr Tessa Hempson and film-maker, Grant Brokensha, were part of a recent Manta Ray tagging expedition off the South African coast. Mantas have an incredible 20 million years of evolution behind them, and we are just beginning to uncover their secrets and appreciate their remarkable intelligence. Both from personal observations and scientific research, there is compelling evidence that these creatures that have an unusually large brain in proportion to their size, are in fact highly intelligent beings
Just as all life on land, life in the sea depends on oxygen. But for the oxygen to penetrate to the depths, the gas must be able to mix through the layers of sea water. Groundbreaking British research shows that summer storms are important for keeping the ocean healthy. And wind power has a positive effect, shows the study, published in Nature Communications.
When we talk about climate change, it is usually about warming the atmosphere and changing weather systems, but the oceans are also affected and perhaps even worse.
Fish behavior, toxic algae, and the role of the sea in climate. These are some of the topics that marine research can address. Diverse subjects, but with a common goal: to better understand what happens beneath the surface.
Underwater noise from the planned large wind turbines risks affecting both wildlife and Sweden's defense capabilities. Now researchers will find out how such wind farms will sound below the surface.
The unmanned underwater vehicle Ran has disappeared under a glacier in Antarctica. "It's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, but without even knowing where the haystack is," says Anna Wåhlin, project manager and professor at Gothenburg University, in a press release.
They are extraordinary biodiversity hotspots. They absorb large amounts of CO2 and release oxygen. They fix nitrogen and detoxify the water. They are nurseries for fish and hundreds of marine organisms. But they are disappearing globally and one-third of the Earth’s coastline is affected.
The population of seahorses in Ria Formosa in southern Portugal was probably the largest in the world. But in the mid-2010s, it collapsed, and 95% of the seahorses disappeared. Climate change, poachers, and environmental pollutants are believed to be the causes.
South Africa has an incredibly rich diversity of sharks, representing nearly a quarter of all known species, some found nowhere else on the planet.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa is home to one of the world's most pristine reef systems, home to hundreds of different species from rare fish to tiny seahorses...and hundreds of cleaning stations where fish come in for their daily cleaning sessions. Petro van Jaarsveld who is currently conducting her PhD studies on these fascinating stations takes us on a tour inside the surprisingly complex and beautiful world of a fish car wash...
If you are surrounded by predators, it is dangerous to sleep, but the elephant seals have found their own fascinating solution. They dive down towards safer depths, allow themselves to let go of control for a little while – and sing sleep in a dreamy spiral down towards the bottom.
