https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Climate change and sea level rise are altering the chemistry of Biscayne Bay in ways that could threaten South Florida's coastal ecosystems, water resources, fisheries, and recreation, according to a study led by scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and Miami-Dade County's Department of Environmental Resources Management. Researchers found that over the past 20 years, Biscayne Bay has become warmer, saltier, and more acidic. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-decades-climate-biscayne-bay-warmer.html Environment Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:20:04 EDT news699550561 A collaborative research team has revealed the long-overlooked carbon storage potential of coral reef ecosystems and how reef-dwelling fish, corals, and surface sediments jointly shape reef carbon reservoirs. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Science. The team was led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOZ-CAS) and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (GML). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-south-china-sea-coral-reefs.html Ecology Fri, 22 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news698669101 In many underwater ecosystems, seagrass meadows act as a food source, a safe haven, and an ecological lynchpin. But until now, very little was known about how these plants reproduce—critical information for conserving the meadows. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-seagrass-genetic-individuals-clone-underwater.html Plants & Animals Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:01 EDT news698574842 Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," are now found almost everywhere scientists look. They have been detected in rivers, oceans, wildlife, food and even human blood. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fish-pfas-safety-limits-chemical.html Ecology Tue, 19 May 2026 07:40:03 EDT news698393342 Sea levels are rising not only on average, but also in their seasonal fluctuations. This is a lesser-known trend that could have major consequences for mudflats, salt marshes and other coastal ecosystems. Researchers from the Netherlands and Flanders describe these findings in a study published on 13 May in Nature Climate Change. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-seasonal-sea-major-impact.html Environment Wed, 13 May 2026 15:59:55 EDT news697906742 Researchers have cautioned that well-intended suggested changes to carbon markets risk worsening climate impacts if core safeguards are weakened. Climate change, biodiversity loss and human rights are deeply interconnected challenges, often sharing solutions that can deliver shared benefits. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-carbon-undermine-climate-action-scientists.html Earth Sciences Mon, 11 May 2026 17:40:04 EDT news697722506 Under the lead of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), climate simulations were used to investigate how 19 inland seas, including the Baltic Sea, are responding to climate change. The researchers found that they have been warming faster than the global ocean since the 2000s. Projections show that marine heat waves will affect around 60% of these seas on an average annual basis as early as the middle of the 21st century. Without adherence to the Paris Agreement targets, up to 90% of these seas would be affected by heat waves. The study contributes to climate change management practices and was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-inland-seas-widespread-midcentury.html Earth Sciences Mon, 11 May 2026 17:30:01 EDT news697738021 Examining the movements of vessels between locations helped to predict where an invasive seaweed spread, researchers led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) have revealed. Invasive Caulerpa species (Caulerpa brachypus and Caulerpa parvifolia) are a major concern in New Zealand's coastal areas, spreading rapidly via boat gear or anchor entanglement, and causing long-lasting ecological and economic damage. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-vessel-tracking-reveals-invasive-seaweed.html Ecology Mon, 11 May 2026 16:20:04 EDT news697718104 On the western side of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, sits Myuna Bay, a quiet bay with meadows of seagrass waving beneath the water. The most common marine plant species you find there is Zostera muelleri. It has long ribbon-like leaves that grow from stems (called rhizomes) buried beneath the sediment and provides important shelter for small fish, shrimp and crabs. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-beneath-seagrass-meadows-shift-seas.html Environment Sun, 10 May 2026 18:30:01 EDT news697284763 A new study of the British Isles' coastal ecosystems has revealed that nitrogen enrichment is significantly reducing the abundance and variety of marine life. The research, published by scientists at Swansea University and the charity Project Seagrass, warns that increasing nutrient flows are overriding local habitat conditions to restructure and deplete coastal biodiversity. The work is published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nitrogen-pollution-major-driver-biodiversity.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news697302241 Heat stress from marine heat waves can create a toxic relationship between seagrasses and a hidden ecosystem of bacteria, transforming a previously beneficial co-existence between marine plants and microbes into a harmful one, a University of Sydney and UNSW study has found. The research is published in New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hot-marine-toxic-relationship-seagrasses.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:09 EDT news697284961 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. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-blue-carbon-unearthing-ocean-climate.html Earth Sciences Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news696771301 Europe endured a historic heatwave across Nordic countries, shrinking glaciers and record sea temperatures in 2025 as the fast-warming continent faces more frequent climate extremes, a new report showed Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-europe-climate-extremes.html Environment Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:00:05 EDT news696646986 The first study to measure the full economic value of bottom trawling in Europe's waters calculates that the destructive fishing practice imposes up to €16 billion annually in net costs to society. The research is published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-europe-seafloor-fishing-profitable-societal.html Environment Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news696615361 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. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hurricanes-devastated-florida-east-coast.html Ecology Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:00:06 EDT news695997422 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 pollution. Every meadow I visited sits inside a marine protected area—a stretch of sea that's been given legal protection to safeguard the wildlife living there. And every single one was polluted beyond the limit for healthy seagrass. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-seagrass-meadows-necessarily-healthy-pollution.html Ecology Sun, 19 Apr 2026 15:30:01 EDT news695306720 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 degradation. The tool, called the Mangrove Threat Index and described in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, aims to provide an empirical argument for conservation before vulnerable ecosystems are lost rather than after, said the researchers. The index yields a single number that local planners and communities can use to prioritize specific mangrove patches for protection. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-metric-mangroves.html Earth Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:20:03 EDT news695558942 Evolution works over millennia. Climate change is moving far faster. That mismatch is killing some of the planet's most vital ecosystems, from California's towering redwoods to the seagrass meadows along its coast, both of which store vast amounts of carbon and support complex webs of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-climate-outpacing-evolution-scientists-dna.html Ecology Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:07:03 EDT news695041543 There is an explosion of color beneath the surface in Raja Ampat, a remote archipelago in eastern Indonesia where sharks, mantas and sea turtles glide alongside vast schools of fish through sea fan coral formations, some of which are only found in its waters. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ocean-clash-pressure-indonesia-diverse.html Ecology Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:26:13 EDT news694927526 New research led by scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography is shining a spotlight on one of the ocean's most overlooked habitats: seagrass. Led by Scripps Oceanography Ph.D. candidate Rilee Sanders, the study documented the first successful restoration of open-coast seagrass (common eelgrass). The findings offer promising insight into the feasibility of restoring high-value coastal habitats in the future. The work is published in the journal Estuaries and Coasts. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-catalina-island-highlights-coast-seagrass.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:20:02 EDT news693583681 New research led by James Cook University (JCU) emphasizes that the success of marine protected areas (MPAs) depends largely on understanding and influencing people's behaviors within their borders. The study demonstrates that effective conservation relies on compliance—a critically underappreciated issue that needs to be systematically and adaptively addressed. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-achilles-heel-marine-areas.html Ecology Fri, 20 Mar 2026 22:50:01 EDT news693222025 From sea turtles to birds and the gentle dugong, the Persian Gulf's diverse but fragile marine life is threatened by the bombs and oil of the war in the Middle East. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-war-threatens-gulf-dugongs-turtles.html Ecology Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:20:01 EDT news692964886 The Chesapeake Bay's most popular crustacean has a dark streak. Cannibalism is the No. 1 killer of juvenile blue crabs in mid-salinity waters where they are known to congregate, according to a new study from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. But shallow waters can offer a vital refuge. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-cannibalism-major-young-blue-crabs.html Plants & Animals Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:00:01 EDT news692610481 Biodiversity is changing across the planet, yet governments still lack the robust, consistent data needed to track these changes and guide effective conservation. Now, a new study led by the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), proposes a comprehensive roadmap to build a modern, integrated Biodiversity Observation Network (BON) for Europe—one that could become a global model for biodiversity monitoring in the 21st century. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-roadmap-outlines-biodiversity-variables-europe.html Plants & Animals Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:51:04 EST news691066229 Extreme heat can have a devastating effect on seagrass, but new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) could shape how these vitally important marine ecosystems are managed and restored. In separate studies carried out on both the west and east coasts of Australia, researchers have investigated how seagrasses stand up to marine heat waves and prolonged ocean warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seagrass-survive-extreme-exploring-species.html Plants & Animals Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:16:31 EST news690549361 The Baltic Sea has been under pressure for decades: Although phosphorus and nitrogen river loads, the main cause for its eutrophication, have been significantly reduced, adverse effects such as algal blooms and oxygen depletion still massively occur, leading to further ecological problems. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) have now published a comprehensive review showing how nutrient pollution, internal matter cycles and global warming interact, thereby delaying the impact of protective measures. They also identify potential approaches for effective Baltic Sea management. The study was recently published in the Annual Review of Marine Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-baltic-sea-decades-nutrient.html Environment Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:20:02 EST news690462225 As carbon emissions continue to be pumped into the atmosphere at record levels, it will be critical to recapture and sequester as much of these warming gases as possible. While technological approaches face many barriers before they can be scaled up, efforts to capture carbon can rely on proven, natural interventions, like blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs). UConn researcher Mojtaba Fakhraee makes the argument in a Nature Sustainability paper that strategic placement of BCEs can not only sequester carbon, but have the added benefit of helping with the restoration of another vital ecosystem—coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-pairing-mangroves-coral-reefs-boost.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:40:01 EST news689867295 Large blooms of seaweed are increasingly being reported along coastlines globally, from Europe and Asia to the tropics and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-drastic-seaweed-growth-threatens-marine.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:36:57 EST news689859362 European coastal areas are under increasing pressure. Researchers are investigating ways to reverse this trend and help communities adapt to climate change. From Arctic fjords to Mediterranean seagrass meadows, centuries of human activity have damaged habitats that were once full of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seagrass-french-oysters-fresh-solutions.html Environment Sat, 07 Feb 2026 10:00:03 EST news689443170 Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL), one of the state's most ecologically productive estuaries, is facing a growing but invisible threat that could reshape its marine ecosystems. Over the past decade, the lagoon has suffered severe degradation caused by nutrient pollution, excessive freshwater runoff, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and declining water quality. These changes have led to the loss of tens of thousands of acres of seagrass and have negatively impacted shellfish, fish, dolphins, manatees and other key species. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-shellfish-uncovers-acidic-indian-river.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:59:39 EST news689335141