Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
Terpios hoshinota is an encrusting cyanobacteriosponge which grows aggressively over live coral colonies and has been reported to undergo outbreaks which kill corals. In an underwater survey conducted on the reefs of Gulf of Mannar, an outbreak of this coral-invading sponge was witnessed for the first time. Original Source
Ongoing ocean acidification is widely reported to reduce the ability of calcifying marine organisms to produce their shells and skeletons. Whereas increased dissolution due to acidification is a largely inorganic process, strong organismal control over biomineralization influences calcification and hence complicates predicting the response of marine calcifyers. Here we show …
Ocean surface warming is resulting in an expansion of stratified, low-nutrient environments, a process referred to as ocean desertification. A challenge for assessing the impact of these changes is the lack of robust baseline information on the biological communities that carry out marine photosynthesis. Phytoplankton perform half of global biological …
Roughly 240 million years ago (Ma), scleractinian corals rapidly expanded and diversified across shallow marine environments. The main driver behind this evolution is uncertain, but the ecological success of modern reef-building corals is attributed to their nutritional symbiosis with photosynthesizing dinoflagellate algae. We show that a suite of exceptionally preserved …
Data from over 2,500 reefs worldwide is used to identify 15 bright spots—sites where reef biomass is significantly higher than expected—and surveys of local experts in these areas suggest that strong sociocultural institutions and high levels of local engagement are among the factors supporting higher fish biomass.
Human activities have substantially changed the world’s oceans in recent decades, altering marine food webs, habitats and biogeochemical processes. Cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopuses) have a unique set of biological traits, including rapid growth, short lifespans and strong life-history plasticity, allowing them to adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions. There …
Local people say way of life is under threat from industrial vessels, and see plan as chance to protect environment and repair relations with mainland In the pre-dawn gloom in a small harbour on Easter Island, three fishermen fill their boats. Instead of piling nets, they load rocks which they …
Forty years after the ocean floor was first mapped by hand, a team of Australian researchers has created the first digital map of the entire sea floor. Made by the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences and National ICT Australia (NICTA), the map can be used to plot the planet's …
Knowing the patterns of distribution of sediments in the global ocean is critical for understanding biogeochemical cycles and how deep-sea deposits respond to environmental change at the sea surface. We present the first digital map of seafloor lithologies based on descriptions of nearly 14,500 samples from original cruise reports, interpolated …
Antarctic biodiversity is much more extensive, ecologically diverse and biogeographically structured than previously thought. Understanding of how this diversity is distributed in marine and terrestrial systems, the mechanisms underlying its spatial variation, and the significance of the microbiota is growing rapidly. Broadly recognizable drivers of diversity variation include energy availability …
BEIJING - China will launch a new "constellation" of marine surveillance satellites in 2019 to monitor ships, oil rigs, marine disasters and land-based resources. According to Lin Mingsen, deputy director with the National Satellite Ocean Application Service, the HY-3 "constellation" will include a series of satellites that employ synthetic aperture …
Phytoplankton is at the base of the marine food web. Its carbon fixation, the net primary productivity (NPP), sustains most living marine resources. In regions like the tropical Pacific (30°N–30°S), natural fluctuations of NPP have large impacts on marine ecosystems including fisheries. The capacity to predict these natural variations would …
This study develops a wide-ranging index to assess the many factors that contribute to the health and benefits of the oceans, and the scores for all costal nations are assessed.
Aquanaut Sylvia Earle, co-leader of the final mission to the world's only undersea lab, says the oceans need protecting more than ever – don't pull funding.
Marine algae known as coccolithophores produce much of the ocean's calcium carbonate. A large survey reveals how these organisms' calcification processes and species distribution change in response to carbon dioxide levels.
IN WHAT could have ramifications on the ocean food web, scientists have found that rising acidity of seawaters slows down marine nitrogen cycle. Ocean acidification is the result of CO2 dissolving in seawater and lowering its pH. Scientists know that a drop in ocean pH affects carbon cycle, reducing carbonate …
Shekar Kumar Niraj, Conservator of Forests, Virudhunagar Nagar, has urged the terrestrial forest officials to study more on marine wealth including those prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act 1975. He was leading a team of forest officials of three districts including Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar and a group of members of …
The Asia-Pacific Aquaculture meet will be held in Kochi from January 17. According to K.R. Viswambharan, Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University, delegates and marine science experts from USA, Australia, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangkok, Norway and Germany would participate in the meeting. A session on aquaculture practices for fish farmers will be organised …
K.S. Sudhi KOCHI: Three unique marine organisms, Deep Sea Smoky Batfish, Grooved Razor fish and Frog crab, have been re-recorded from Indian waters after a gap of over a century. Cruises on board ocean research vessel
CORAL reefs that offer exotic ocean views can be surprisingly noisy places, with tiny fish and invertebrates like lobsters, sea urchins, squids and corals producing a relentless cacophony of squeaks and grunts. UK scientists recently listened to these noises and found the noisier the reef the better is its health; …
