Coastal ecosystems are multidisciplinary research topics encompassing the structure, function, and dynamics of biological communities and physical environments at the land–sea interface, including salt marshes, mangroves, seagrass meadows, tidal flats, estuaries, rocky shores, and coastal dunes. Scientific study focuses on biogeochemical cycles, primary productivity, trophic interactions, sediment transport, and hydrodynamic forcing (tides, waves, currents) that shape habitat distribution and resilience. Research also examines nutrient loading, contaminant fate, habitat fragmentation, and climate-driven stressors such as sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and warming, often integrating remote sensing, numerical modeling, and long-term ecological monitoring to quantify ecosystem services and assess vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts.
It's a common misconception that rainforests are the lungs of Earth. Our oceans produce most of the oxygen we consume and are more effective at storing carbon.
Earth Sciences
Apr 30, 2026
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20
Venice has coexisted with the sea throughout its 1,500-year history, perhaps better than any other city on Earth. Yet over the past century it has flooded increasingly often, as the sea rises and the city itself sinks under ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 25, 2026
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58
Florida's Indian River Lagoon has been an ecosystem in decline going back to 2011, when harmful algal blooms led to a severe decline in seagrass, the foundational component of shallow coastal ecosystems.
Ecology
Apr 21, 2026
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11
Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving ...
Ecology
Apr 21, 2026
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29
I spent last summer wading through seagrass meadows across Northern Ireland, from the sheltered waters of Strangford Lough to the exposed coast at Waterfoot Bay. I was collecting seagrass leaves and testing them for nitrogen ...
Ecology
Apr 19, 2026
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Over the last several decades, the oceans have become more crowded. Aquaculture, wind and wave energy, and oil and gas exploration are taking up more space. This growth threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and coastal ...
Environment
Apr 18, 2026
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14
Restoring once abundant oyster reefs in temperate marginal seas such as the North Sea is a challenging task. New research by NIOZ marine ecologist Zhiyuan Zhao and colleagues shows that it is necessary to consider the short-term ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 17, 2026
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46
Scientists from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación in Mexico have developed a tool that identifies mangrove patches facing the greatest risk of ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2026
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11
A new tool to help scientists and reef managers consider the ecological risks of different coral reef interventions around the world has been developed by researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). ...
Ecology
Apr 16, 2026
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7
A research paper led by William Paterson University environmental science professor Nicole Davi finds that coastal forests demonstrate incredible resiliency following major hurricane events, but these forests are increasingly ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2026
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