Sound is the whale’s most important tool for finding food, navigating and finding a mate. Now, global warming is wreaking havoc in the oceans. As the acoustic landscape changes, whales are forced to move, alter their mating calls – or fall completely silent when hunger takes over.
Deep in the Eurasian continent, the Sea of Azov is a stepping stone between freshwater and saltwater. Like no other sea in the world, it sits at the far end of a chain of water bodies: the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas, and all the straits that connect them.
For decades, the world’s mangrove forests have been shrinking rapidly due to human activity. Now they are making a comeback, according to a new study. Following conservation efforts in recent years, the forests have begun to heal themselves.
During an ongoing deep-sea expedition, researchers have discovered several previously unknown species in the Arctic deep sea. Paco Cardenas is a taxonomist and expert on tunicates at Uppsala University, and in just a few days has identified at least three species that have yet to be named.
Octopuses as small as a thumbnail and mandarin fish so fast they can only be captured with a still camera. Underwater photographer Kimmo Hagman has been diving in the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia to capture the ocean’s tiniest creatures on film and in photos.
At first, it seemed like a brilliant solution to the problem of salmon lice in Norwegian salmon farms, but then it turned into a near-disaster.
Scientists and government agencies are closely monitoring developments in the Pacific Ocean. A new El Niño could lead to sharply rising temperatures and global heat records in the coming year.
An Indonesian study has now revealed the previously unknown migratory patterns of whale sharks in the world’s oceans. These giant fish are found in the waters of 13 countries, but have two bays in Indonesia “that are like home to them.”
Ninety-nine percent of virgin plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, exceeding 400 million tons a year. That’s equivalent to about 350 large sports stadiums, filled to the top with plastic. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the plastics and petrochemical industries plan to triple plastics production by 2060.
Using AI technology, researchers have been able to track ocean currents that were previously hidden and that reveal movements that shape the Earth’s climate.
New research shows that larger warm-blooded fish species, such as sharks and tuna—known as mesotherms—are at risk of overheating as sea temperatures rise.
Cocaine contaminants in water affect salmon behavior, according to a new study from SLU (Swedish University of Agrarian Sciences). Salmon that had ingested cocaine swam more and spread out over larger areas.
In February 2026, historically low water levels were recorded in the Baltic Sea, in some places, the lowest in almost 100 years. This was mainly due to a stable high-pressure system and strong easterly winds over Scandinavia, which pushed water out of the Baltic Sea. There was hope that fresh, oxygen-rich and salty water would flow in from the North Sea to the heavily tested inland sea and its oxygen-depleted seabed – but that did not happen. Find out why in the news report.
Penguins in Argentine Patagonia can act as environmental monitors. In this way, researchers have discovered that PFAS – so-called ‘forever chemicals’ – are present even in this remote region.
From drones and smart cameras to biodegradable packaging, EU-funded researchers are working to remove plastic from rivers before it ever reaches the sea.
Sharks off the coast of the Bahamas have tested positive for caffeine, painkillers and even cocaine, according to a new study.
Few would say there is anything beautiful about an oil platform far out at sea. But if you dive beneath the surface, the picture is often quite different. Reefs may have formed around the platform’s foundations, teeming with soft corals, fish and other marine life. In 2018, two marine biologists from California, Amber Sparks and Emily Hazelwood, founded the Blue Latitudes Foundation to save these soft coral reefs.
Everything points in the wrong direction. Never before has the Earth’s climate been so out of balance, warns the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
The oldest recording of whale song to date has been discovered. This could open up new avenues of research into changes in whale behaviour, reports The Guardian.
The search for sites in Sweden where carbon dioxide can be stored beneath the seabed has been underway for three years. Two potential sites have now been identified. ‘We've received some excellent samples and the results so far are very promising,’ says Sofie Lindström of the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU).
The average sea level is 30 cm higher than previously thought. In some places, such as Southeast Asia, it is even higher, up to one and a half metres. New research has shown that previous calculations of sea levels were based on incorrect models that gave misleading results.
Edy Setyawan, PhD in manta rays, grew up in a small mountain village in Java. Today, he stands among the world’s leading researchers on manta rays and sharks. He has published a remarkable body of scientific work, co-founded an Indonesian-led NGO dedicated to elasmobranch conservation, and was the first to conclusively identify a manta ray nursery habitat in Wayag, Raja Ampat – along with multiple other potential nursery locations throughout Raja Ampat.
A Swedish company has been authorised to investigate the possibility of extracting mineral nodules from the seabed in the Gulf of Bothnia. They are said to be important for the green transition. Researchers will now provide answers to how the extraction would affect the organisms living at the bottom of the sea.
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.
