The Indian Ocean’s Great Disappearing Garbage Patch

For better or worse, oceanographic and meteorological forces in the Indian Ocean seem to be preventing plastic from accumulating to form a garbage patch.

Jun 19, 2019 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

How Enough Floating Plastic Could Change the Sea

Many plastics float, block sunlight, and do not degrade—a recipe for altering the physical properties of the water underneath.

Jun 17, 2019 | 350 words, a quick read

Putting Names to Fishers’ Unidentified Sharks

Most sharks and rays caught in the Mediterranean are not identified to a species level, which hampers conservation efforts.

Jun 13, 2019 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

California Seamounts Are Sylvia Earle’s Newest “Hope Spots”

Hope Spots hold no specific policy weight—the designation is meant to draw attention to culturally, ecologically, or economically important places.

Jun 12, 2019 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Where Whales and Plastic Meet

Scientists cruised into Iceland’s remote cold waters to find out why whales are eating so much plastic.

Jun 10, 2019 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes

Otter Bones Provide a Clue to an Enduring Conservation Mystery

Nearly fifty years after a failed reintroduction, a local nonprofit wants to try again—but first, they’re going back in time.

Jun 7, 2019 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

The Precarious Protection of Alaska’s Ringed Seals

The State of Alaska is petitioning the federal government to take ringed seals off the endangered species list. Others say not so fast.

Jun 5, 2019 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

How a Far-Flung Group of Scientists Claimed the Ocean Discovery XPRIZE

Advances made to win XPRIZE will help with the quest to map the seafloor—an effort with scientific and industrial appeal.

Jun 5, 2019 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes