Tag: Ocean

Stormquakes: Powerful Storms Cause Seafloor Tremors

sarah JonasResearch Results

Stormquakes are a recently discovered phenomenon characterized by seismic activity originating at the ocean floor due to powerful storms. Heavy storms, like hurricanes or nor’easters, can create seismic waves as large as magnitude 3.5 quakes. These tremors caused by the effects of storms on the seafloor are what researchers call stormquakes. Catherine de Groot-Hedlin, who was part of the group that first observed stormquakes, will discuss their properties and meteorological significance at the 178th ASA Meeting.

Breaking the (SeaFood) Chain

sarah JonasFeature

If you want to understand what happens when seawater becomes more acidic, ask an oyster farmer. Specifically, talk to one in the Pacific Northwest. Researchers still aren’t sure how ocean acidification (OA) affects ocean water exactly, but oyster larvae in Washington State are already dying by the billions. Over the next 50 years, OA is predicted to reduce U.

Poisoned by Plastic

sarah JonasFeature

Too many of the plastic cups, chip bags, cigarette butts and take-out containers you see littering California’s beaches don’t stay on the sand. An estimated 17.6 billion pounds of plastic make their way into the world’s oceans annually, the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute—and 80 percent of that comes directly from littering on land.

Red Algae Thrive Despite Ancestor’s Massive Loss of Genes

sarah JonasResearch Results

You’d think that losing 25 percent of your genes would be a big problem for survival. But not for red algae, including the seaweed used to wrap sushi. An ancestor of red algae lost about a quarter of its genes roughly one billion years ago, but the algae still became dominant in near-shore coastal areas around the world, according to Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Debashish Bhattacharya, who co-authored a study in the journal Nature Communications.

Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Proposed High Seas Biodiversity Treaty

sarah JonasExpert Pitch

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 16, 2019) – Rutgers University environmental law expert Cymie R. Payne is available to comment on a proposed international treaty aimed at conserving high seas biodiversity. The treaty, which is under negotiations at the United Nations,…

Rutgers Shellfish Expert Available to Discuss East Coast Oyster Breeding Project

sarah JonasExpert Pitch

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 15, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick shellfish geneticist Ximing Guo is available to comment on a five-year Rutgers-led consortium project to breed better, more disease-resistant East Coast oysters. Improved oyster broodstock will then be made available…

Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss U.N. Report on Climate Change, Oceans

sarah JonasExpert Pitch

New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 25, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Malin Pinsky and Rutgers coastal expert Lisa Auermuller are available to comment on a new United Nations report on climate change and ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems. More than…

With #HurricaneDorian’s approach comes the threat of power loss, which can disrupt transportation and put lives at risk. @JohnsHopkins engineer Umesh Korde suggests that harnessing energy from ocean waves can help restore power more quickly.

sarah JonasExpert Pitch

As Hurricane Dorian threatens to strike Florida, officials are beginning to prepare for its potential impact on electricity, building infrastructure, transportation and more.  Umesh Korde, a research professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at The Johns Hopkins…

Scientists Discover Key Factors in How Some Algae Absorb Solar Energy

sarah JonasResearch Results

Scientists have discovered how diatoms – a type of algae that produces 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen – absorb solar energy for photosynthesis. The Rutgers University-led discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help lead to more efficient and affordable algae-based biofuels and combat climate change from fossil fuel burning.