Can a drone reveal the murky secrets of San Francisco Bay?

Environmental scientists can tell a lot about the health of rivers, bays, wetlands and other waterways by studying the flow of sediments suspended in the water, and from the mud that forms when these sediments settle to the ...

Microplastics accumulate in hotspots for deep-sea life

Research published earlier in the week reveals that microplastics often accumulate on the deep sea floor in the same place as diverse and dense marine life communities. This is because the same submarine sediment flows that ...

Study finds sewage bacteria lurking in Hudson river sediments

A new study shows that fecal bacteria from sewage are living in far greater quantities in near-shore sediments of the Hudson River than in the water itself. The river's pollution levels are generally monitored based on samples ...

Protect the world's deltas

Extensive areas of the world's deltas—which accommodate major cities such as Shanghai, Dhaka and Bangkok—will be drowned in the next century by rising sea levels, according to a Comment piece in this week's Nature.

Scientists explore world's largest undersea canyon

A joint British-German team has returned from a five-week research expedition, mapping and sampling a giant submarine canyon off northwest Morocco. The expedition was on the German research vessel, Maria S Merian.

Researchers map fish species at risk from dams

Dams are believed to be one of the biggest threats to freshwater organisms worldwide: They disrupt normal patterns of water and sediment flow, impede migration, and alter the character of spawning and feeding grounds. A shortage ...

Effect of vegetation die-off tested on tidal marshland

Consisting of densely vegetated platforms raised slightly above sea level, and interwoven by channels of water meandering inland from the coast, tidal marshlands help buffer against strong storm surges, protect against flooding, ...

page 2 from 3