Marine water quality refers to the physicochemical, biological, and microbiological status of seawater as characterized by quantitative indicators relevant to ecosystem function, contaminant exposure, and regulatory standards. It encompasses parameters such as nutrient concentrations (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus), dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, pH, turbidity, organic matter, trace metals, hydrocarbons, persistent organic pollutants, and microbial/pathogen loads. Assessment of marine water quality underpins evaluations of eutrophication, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, contaminant bioavailability, and ecological risk. It is central to monitoring programs, environmental impact assessments, and management frameworks such as marine protected areas and coastal zone management, often integrating in situ measurements, remote sensing, and modeling.
An undersea submersible has spotted crabs, worms and fish thriving on the surfaces of World War II explosives thought to be toxic to marine life.
Ecology
Sep 28, 2025
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76
Sea foam is a common sight along the coastline as breaking waves churn up air and algae. Now, a study in Environmental Science & Technology reports that sea foam from several beaches along North Carolina's coast contains ...
Environment
Sep 24, 2025
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39
When plastic waste enters waterways, it can endanger aquatic animals, damage habitats, and splinter into tiny pieces that may affect ecosystems for centuries to come.
Environment
Sep 11, 2025
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23
Europe is building a virtual twin of the ocean to allow scientists, policymakers and citizens to test ideas, fight pollution and protect marine life—without even getting wet.
Environment
Sep 10, 2025
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28
Critical wildlife habitats are exposed to pollution risk in the seas off the southern United States, with implications for human health and food security. "Most of the pollution comes from rivers and not from wastewater treatment ...
Environment
Sep 10, 2025
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36
A new study has uncovered the Levant Basin as one of the world's most concentrated graveyards for plastic packaging and the mechanisms that help the plastic sink down to the seafloor.
Earth Sciences
Sep 8, 2025
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93
Among the tiniest living things in the ocean are a group of single-celled microbes called Prochlorococcus. They are cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, and they supply nutrients for animals all the way up the food ...
Ecology
Sep 8, 2025
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38
As plastic pollution emerges as one of the planet's most pressing environmental threats, Tulane University scientists have published the first global assessment of where plastics pose the greatest ecological risks to marine ...
Environment
Sep 2, 2025
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70
For decades, the Tijuana River has carried millions of gallons of untreated sewage and industrial waste across the U.S.-Mexico border. The river passes through San Diego's South Bay region before emptying into the ocean, ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 28, 2025
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35
A new Arizona State University study reveals the extent to which sewage pollution threatens the fragile coral reef ecosystems of west Hawaiʻi Island.
Environment
Aug 26, 2025
0
77
