More stories

  • in

    Can bioluminescent ‘milky seas’ be predicted?

    BURLINGTON, Vt. — For the first time, a researcher has found a “milky sea” without relying on happenstance.

    For centuries, sailors have been amazed and mystified by a rare phenomenon: the water around their ship glowing as far as the eye can see. Scientists have struggled to study such milky seas because they had no way of knowing when and where one would occur.

    But now, using weather and ocean temperature data, atmospheric scientist Justin Hudson of Colorado State University in Fort Collins has successfully predicted — or rather, postdicted — an occurrence of the phenomenon. More

  • in

    Ocean heat waves often lurk out of sight

    Heat waves don’t just strike on land — they can also occur in the ocean. And roughly a third of marine heat waves aren’t detectable at the ocean’s surface, a new study reports. The findings, published in the December Nature Geoscience, suggest that far more of these potentially harmful events might be occurring than previously believed.

    Ocean heat waves can have a slew of adverse effects on marine ecosystems because many forms of life cannot rapidly adapt to changes in temperature. For instance, cod populations were devastated from 2013 to 2015 when a marine heat wave lingered off the West Coast of North America. Given the interconnectedness of marine food webs, seabirds suffered, too (SN: 1/15/20).

    .email-conversion {
    border: 1px solid #ffcccb;
    color: white;
    margin-top: 50px;
    background-image: url(“/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg”);
    padding: 20px;
    clear: both;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form{max-width:440px;margin:20px auto;padding:20px;background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form *{box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-text > *{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main)}.zephr-registration-form-relative-container{position:relative}.zephr-registration-form-flex-container{display:flex}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x{display:block;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);padding-left:8px;font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x::placeholder{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-checkbox.svelte-blfh8x{width:auto;height:auto;margin:8px 5px 0 0;float:left}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-blfh8x{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x{width:50px;padding:0;border-radius:50%}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch-wrapper{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x,.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover{border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input.error.svelte-blfh8x{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj.svelte-1ok5fdj{margin-top:10px;display:block;line-height:30px;font-size:12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj{display:block}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9{height:calc(var(–zephr-button-height) * 1px);line-height:0;padding:0 20px;text-decoration:none;text-transform:capitalize;text-align:center;border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderRadius) * 1px);font-size:calc(var(–zephr-button-fontSize) * 1px);font-weight:normal;cursor:pointer;border-style:solid;border-width:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderWidth) * 1px);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);transition:backdrop-filter 0.2s, background-color 0.2s;margin-top:20px;display:block;width:100%;background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-main);color:#fff;position:relative;overflow:hidden;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5{font-size:19px;text-align:center;margin:20px auto;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-divider-container.svelte-mk4m8o{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;margin:40px 0}.zephr-registration-form-divider-line.svelte-mk4m8o{height:1px;width:50%;margin:0 5px;background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);;}.zephr-registration-form-divider-text.svelte-mk4m8o{margin:0 12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:14px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);white-space:nowrap}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-response-message.svelte-179421u{text-align:center;padding:10px 30px;border-radius:5px;font-size:15px;margin-top:10px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u{font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:10px}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u{background-color:#baecbb;border:1px solid #00bc05}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-error.svelte-179421u{background-color:#fcdbec;border:1px solid #d90c00}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in.svelte-gp4ky7{align-items:center}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7{height:55px;padding:0 15px;color:#000;background-color:#fff;box-shadow:0px 0px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);border-radius:10px;font-size:17px;display:flex;align-items:center;cursor:pointer;margin-top:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7:hover{background-color:#fafafa}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-icon.svelte-gp4ky7{display:flex;justify-content:center;margin-right:30px;width:25px}.zephr-form-link-message.svelte-rt4jae{margin:10px 0 10px 20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-recaptcha-tcs.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0;font-size:15px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-recaptcha-inline.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl{width:100%;border:0;border-radius:20px;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-bar{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-value{background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl{margin:auto;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:first-child{margin-left:0}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:last-child{margin-right:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-error-text.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.svelte-19a73pq{display:block;appearance:auto;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;padding:10px}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.disabled.svelte-19a73pq{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.unselected.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.error.svelte-19a73pq{border-color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-textarea.svelte-19a73pq{background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ddd;color:#222;font-size:14px;font-weight:300;padding:16px;width:100%}.zephr-registration-form-input-slider-output.svelte-19a73pq{margin:13px 0 0 10px}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.spin.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 2s 0s infinite linear}.pulse.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 1s infinite steps(8)}@keyframes svelte-1cj2gr0-spin{0%{transform:rotate(0deg)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:6px;margin-right:12px;cursor:pointer}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y{border-color:#009fe3}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:6px;height:13px;border:solid #009fe3;border-width:0 2px 2px 0;transform:rotate(45deg);top:3px;left:8px;box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{border:solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-width:0 2px 2px 0}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.error.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-radio-label.svelte-1qn5n0t{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-radio-dot.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ebebeb;border-radius:50%;margin-right:12px}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t{border-color:#009fe3}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:17px;height:17px;background:#009fe3;background:linear-gradient(#009fe3, #006cb5);border-radius:50%;top:2px;left:2px}.disabled.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{background:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.error.svelte-1qn5n0t{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-form-link.svelte-64wplc{margin:10px 0;color:#6ba5e9;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-form-link-disabled.svelte-64wplc{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);cursor:none;text-decoration:none}.zephr-registration-form-google-icon.svelte-1jnblvg{width:20px}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}
    .zephr-registration-form {
    max-width: 100%;
    background-image: url(/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg);
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    margin: 0px auto;
    margin-bottom: 4rem;
    padding: 20px;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-text h6 {
    font-size: 0.8rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 3rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover {
    background-color: #fc6a65;
    border-color: #fc6a65;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9 {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text > * {
    color: #FFFFFF;
    font-weight: bold
    font: 25px;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl {
    width: 100%;
    border: 0;
    border-radius: 20px;
    margin-top: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u {
    font-weight: bold;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u {
    background-color: #8db869;
    border: 1px solid #8db869;
    color: white;
    margin-top: -0.2rem;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(1){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: center;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(5){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(7){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(9){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj {
    display: none;
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x, .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover {
    border: calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);
    background-color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    font-size: 20px;
    margin-bottom: -20px;
    }

    Marine heat waves are often identified with satellite observations that measure the temperature of the ocean surface. But these data leave the ocean depths unmonitored.   

    To literally take a deeper look, statistician Furong Li and colleagues turned to computer simulations of the ocean’s temperature, salinity and currents, among other parameters, created from both satellite and subsurface data stretching back to the early 1990s. Such simulations are a powerful way of studying the ocean on a global scale, says Li, of the Ocean University of China in Qingdao.

    The researchers pinpointed ocean heat waves in the simulations by looking for layers of water that remained unusually warm — up to a few degrees Celsius above surrounding levels — for at least five days. Such events can be caused by changes in atmospheric circulation, for instance, or shifts in ocean currents.

    Li and her collaborators spotted several hundred marine heat waves per year. But the real surprise was finding that about 1 in 3 of those events consistently lurked out of view and were never visible in the uppermost 10 meters of the water. “We discovered a great number of marine heat waves hidden below the sea surface,” Li says.

    Researchers might accordingly be missing a lot of these events, says Mike Jacox, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Monterey, Calif., not involved in the research. “Just looking at the surface temperature might not be enough.”

    Marine life might therefore be contending with significantly more ocean heat waves than previously thought. And that means additional stress on marine ecosystems. In 2020, Jacox and his colleagues showed that animals seeking to escape marine heat waves would have to swim hundreds of kilometers on average (SN: 8/10/20). And when creatures are unable to move, marine heat waves often prove deadly. Warming in the Great Barrier Reef, for example, has been linked to coral bleaching (SN: 4/7/20). More

  • in

    ‘The Deepest Map’ explores the thrills — and dangers — of charting the ocean

    The Deepest MapLaura TretheweyHarper Wave, $32

    In 2019, the multimillionaire and explorer Victor Vescovo made headlines when he became the first person to visit the deepest parts of all five of Earth’s oceans. But arguably the real star of the expedition was marine geologist Cassie Bongiovanni, the lead ocean mapper who ensured Vescovo piloted his submersible to the actual deepest depths.

    Today, only 25 percent of the seafloor is well mapped. When Vescovo set out to score his record, the exact deepest location in each ocean was unknown. Bongiovanni, Vescovo and their crew had to chart these regions in detail before each dive.

    .email-conversion {
    border: 1px solid #ffcccb;
    color: white;
    margin-top: 50px;
    background-image: url(“/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg”);
    padding: 20px;
    clear: both;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form{max-width:440px;margin:20px auto;padding:20px;background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form *{box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-text > *{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main)}.zephr-registration-form-relative-container{position:relative}.zephr-registration-form-flex-container{display:flex}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x{display:block;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);padding-left:8px;font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x::placeholder{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-checkbox.svelte-blfh8x{width:auto;height:auto;margin:8px 5px 0 0;float:left}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-blfh8x{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x{width:50px;padding:0;border-radius:50%}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch-wrapper{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x,.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover{border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input.error.svelte-blfh8x{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj.svelte-1ok5fdj{margin-top:10px;display:block;line-height:30px;font-size:12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj{display:block}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9{height:calc(var(–zephr-button-height) * 1px);line-height:0;padding:0 20px;text-decoration:none;text-transform:capitalize;text-align:center;border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderRadius) * 1px);font-size:calc(var(–zephr-button-fontSize) * 1px);font-weight:normal;cursor:pointer;border-style:solid;border-width:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderWidth) * 1px);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);transition:backdrop-filter 0.2s, background-color 0.2s;margin-top:20px;display:block;width:100%;background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-main);color:#fff;position:relative;overflow:hidden;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5{font-size:19px;text-align:center;margin:20px auto;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-divider-container.svelte-mk4m8o{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;margin:40px 0}.zephr-registration-form-divider-line.svelte-mk4m8o{height:1px;width:50%;margin:0 5px;background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);;}.zephr-registration-form-divider-text.svelte-mk4m8o{margin:0 12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:14px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);white-space:nowrap}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-response-message.svelte-179421u{text-align:center;padding:10px 30px;border-radius:5px;font-size:15px;margin-top:10px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u{font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:10px}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u{background-color:#baecbb;border:1px solid #00bc05}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-error.svelte-179421u{background-color:#fcdbec;border:1px solid #d90c00}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in.svelte-gp4ky7{align-items:center}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7{height:55px;padding:0 15px;color:#000;background-color:#fff;box-shadow:0px 0px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);border-radius:10px;font-size:17px;display:flex;align-items:center;cursor:pointer;margin-top:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7:hover{background-color:#fafafa}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-icon.svelte-gp4ky7{display:flex;justify-content:center;margin-right:30px;width:25px}.zephr-form-link-message.svelte-rt4jae{margin:10px 0 10px 20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-recaptcha-tcs.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0;font-size:15px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-recaptcha-inline.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl{width:100%;border:0;border-radius:20px;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-bar{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-value{background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl{margin:auto;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:first-child{margin-left:0}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:last-child{margin-right:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-error-text.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.svelte-19a73pq{display:block;appearance:auto;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;padding:10px}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.disabled.svelte-19a73pq{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.unselected.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.error.svelte-19a73pq{border-color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-textarea.svelte-19a73pq{background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ddd;color:#222;font-size:14px;font-weight:300;padding:16px;width:100%}.zephr-registration-form-input-slider-output.svelte-19a73pq{margin:13px 0 0 10px}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.spin.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 2s 0s infinite linear}.pulse.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 1s infinite steps(8)}@keyframes svelte-1cj2gr0-spin{0%{transform:rotate(0deg)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:6px;margin-right:12px;cursor:pointer}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y{border-color:#009fe3}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:6px;height:13px;border:solid #009fe3;border-width:0 2px 2px 0;transform:rotate(45deg);top:3px;left:8px;box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{border:solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-width:0 2px 2px 0}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.error.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-radio-label.svelte-1qn5n0t{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-radio-dot.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ebebeb;border-radius:50%;margin-right:12px}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t{border-color:#009fe3}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:17px;height:17px;background:#009fe3;background:linear-gradient(#009fe3, #006cb5);border-radius:50%;top:2px;left:2px}.disabled.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{background:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.error.svelte-1qn5n0t{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-form-link.svelte-64wplc{margin:10px 0;color:#6ba5e9;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-form-link-disabled.svelte-64wplc{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);cursor:none;text-decoration:none}.zephr-registration-form-google-icon.svelte-1jnblvg{width:20px}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}
    .zephr-registration-form {
    max-width: 100%;
    background-image: url(/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg);
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    margin: 0px auto;
    margin-bottom: 4rem;
    padding: 20px;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-text h6 {
    font-size: 0.8rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 3rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover {
    background-color: #fc6a65;
    border-color: #fc6a65;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9 {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text > * {
    color: #FFFFFF;
    font-weight: bold
    font: 25px;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl {
    width: 100%;
    border: 0;
    border-radius: 20px;
    margin-top: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u {
    font-weight: bold;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u {
    background-color: #8db869;
    border: 1px solid #8db869;
    color: white;
    margin-top: -0.2rem;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(1){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: center;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(5){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(7){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(9){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj {
    display: none;
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x, .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover {
    border: calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);
    background-color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    font-size: 20px;
    margin-bottom: -20px;
    }

    “Traditionally, captains never cared about the seafloor as long as it stayed far enough away from the hulls of their ships,” journalist Laura Trethewey writes in The Deepest Map. The book explores humankind’s quest to map the seafloor, framed around Bongiovanni’s adventures.

    Seafloor topography has been a big concern for militaries patrolling Neptunian frontiers with nuclear submarines and companies facilitating intercontinental communication via subsea cables (SN: 4/10/21, p. 28). In recent decades, seafloor data have become crucial to the deep-sea mining industries searching for metals needed to produce green technology.

    Satellites have revealed many of the knobs and crevices visible in the deep blue of Google Maps. But with that relatively coarse information, entire mountains can be missed. To see the seafloor in high resolution requires a sophisticated sonar system aboard a big ship that sends sound signals from the sea surface into the abyss.

    Mappers like Bongiovanni calculate depth from the time it takes for the signal to travel down and bounce back to the surface. These state-of-the-art sonar systems transform “the satellite-predicted blur into a sharp three-dimensional terrain of ripples, cracks and tears in the seafloor,” Trethewey writes. “The seafloor is ‘heard,’ rather than seen.”

    Through Trethewey’s tale, she twines stories of tagging along with scientists and ocean mappers. That includes her inaugural adventure at sea, which a crew member noted was “pretty rough for a first-timer,” as he and Trethewey clung to a doorframe in near gale force winds. On this cruise aboard research vessel E/V Nautilus, which was surveying a poorly mapped stretch of California’s coast, Trethewey (and readers) are introduced to the art and science of seafloor mapping. On this day, Trethewey learned that mapping is especially difficult — and sometimes impossible — when the ocean is angry.

    Trethewey’s insightful writing helps readers understand just why mapping the ocean — even in shallow coastal waters — is crucial to so many endeavors. She visits a remote Inuit village on the western bank of Canada’s Hudson Bay, where she joins hunters who map ever-changing coastlines for their own safety. Later, she scuba dives with archaeologists in Florida who use underwater maps to explore remnants of early human history that have been submerged for thousands of years.

    A distant, possibly unreachable goal envisions creating a complete map of the entire seafloor by the end of this decade, an effort known as Seabed 2030. Because the oceans are vast and replete with remote and dangerous places that people simply can’t or shouldn’t go, this effort will almost certainly require autonomous surface vehicles armed with sonar. Such devices are already probing the depths and sending back data.

    Staring at computer screens in a sun-filled conference room, Trethewey watches as a drone outfitted with cameras, environmental sensors and a sonar system maps a bit of seafloor off California as she sips her coffee. “The future of ocean mapping weirdly felt a lot like checking social media or doing anything else on your phone these days,” she wryly observes.

    Trethewey’s book is about more than just mapping the oceans. It’s also about what can go wrong when explorers explore. It’s hard to read The Deepest Map without being reminded of the recent implosion of the Titan submersible in the North Atlantic that killed everyone on board in June. Indeed, Trethewey describes how, during Vescovo’s first solo dive, his colleagues endured 25 minutes of apprehension-turned-alarm when they didn’t hear from him.

    She also reminds us how easily exploration can turn into exploitation. In the not-so-distant past, Europeans “discovered” the so-called New World and mapped it, Trethewey writes. Exploitation followed. Scientists and environmentalists alike are now concerned that a full, detailed map of the ocean floor might lead to the destruction of delicate, mostly unknown habitats if deep-sea miners are allowed to extract metals.

    .subscribe-cta {
    color: black;
    margin-top: 0px;
    background-image: url(“”);
    background-size: cover;
    padding: 20px;
    border: 1px solid #ffcccb;
    border-top: 5px solid #e04821;
    clear: both;
    }

    Subscribe to Science News

    Get great science journalism, from the most trusted source, delivered to your doorstep.

    Trethewey envisions a different outcome. Seabed 2030’s mapping effort may help people see that “the weird, wonderful deep-sea world is not a blank space, another frontier to use up and throw away,” and should be safeguarded for scientists “to uncover our past and protect our future.”

    Buy The Deepest Map from Bookshop.org. Science News is a Bookshop.org affiliate and will earn a commission on purchases made from links in this article. More

  • in

    Satellite data reveal nearly 20,000 previously unknown deep-sea mountains

    The number of known mountains in Earth’s oceans has roughly doubled. Global satellite observations have revealed nearly 20,000 previously unknown seamounts, researchers report in the April Earth and Space Science.

    Just as mountains tower over Earth’s surface, seamounts also rise above the ocean floor. The tallest mountain on Earth, as measured from base to peak, is Mauna Kea, which is part of the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain.

    These underwater edifices are often hot spots of marine biodiversity (SN: 10/7/16). That’s in part because their craggy walls — formed from volcanic activity — provide a plethora of habitats. Seamounts also promote upwelling of nutrient-rich water, which distributes beneficial compounds like nitrates and phosphates throughout the water column. They’re like “stirring rods in the ocean,” says David Sandwell, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

    .email-conversion {
    border: 1px solid #ffcccb;
    color: white;
    margin-top: 50px;
    background-image: url(“/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg”);
    padding: 20px;
    clear: both;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form{max-width:440px;margin:20px auto;padding:20px;background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form *{box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-text > *{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main)}.zephr-registration-form-relative-container{position:relative}.zephr-registration-form-flex-container{display:flex}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x{display:block;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);padding-left:8px;font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input.svelte-blfh8x::placeholder{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-checkbox.svelte-blfh8x{width:auto;height:auto;margin:8px 5px 0 0;float:left}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-blfh8x{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x{width:50px;padding:0;border-radius:50%}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-color[type=”color”].svelte-blfh8x::-webkit-color-swatch-wrapper{border:none;border-radius:50%;padding:0}.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x,.zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover{border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input.error.svelte-blfh8x{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj.svelte-1ok5fdj{margin-top:10px;display:block;line-height:30px;font-size:12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj{display:block}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9{height:calc(var(–zephr-button-height) * 1px);line-height:0;padding:0 20px;text-decoration:none;text-transform:capitalize;text-align:center;border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderRadius) * 1px);font-size:calc(var(–zephr-button-fontSize) * 1px);font-weight:normal;cursor:pointer;border-style:solid;border-width:calc(var(–zephr-button-borderWidth) * 1px);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);transition:backdrop-filter 0.2s, background-color 0.2s;margin-top:20px;display:block;width:100%;background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-main);color:#fff;position:relative;overflow:hidden;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-action-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled:hover{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5{font-size:19px;text-align:center;margin:20px auto;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-divider-container.svelte-mk4m8o{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;margin:40px 0}.zephr-registration-form-divider-line.svelte-mk4m8o{height:1px;width:50%;margin:0 5px;background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);;}.zephr-registration-form-divider-text.svelte-mk4m8o{margin:0 12px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:14px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);white-space:nowrap}.zephr-registration-form-response-message.svelte-179421u{text-align:center;padding:10px 30px;border-radius:5px;font-size:15px;margin-top:10px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u{font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:10px}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u{background-color:#baecbb;border:1px solid #00bc05}.zephr-registration-form-response-message-error.svelte-179421u{background-color:#fcdbec;border:1px solid #d90c00}.zephr-recaptcha-tcs.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0;font-size:15px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-recaptcha-inline.svelte-1wyy3bx{margin:20px 0 0 0}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in.svelte-gp4ky7{align-items:center}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7{height:55px;padding:0 15px;color:#000;background-color:#fff;box-shadow:0px 0px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);border-radius:10px;font-size:17px;display:flex;align-items:center;cursor:pointer;margin-top:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-button.svelte-gp4ky7:hover{background-color:#fafafa}.zephr-registration-form-social-sign-in-icon.svelte-gp4ky7{display:flex;justify-content:center;margin-right:30px;width:25px}.zephr-form-link-message.svelte-rt4jae{margin:10px 0 10px 20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl{width:100%;border:0;border-radius:20px;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-bar{background-color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl::-webkit-progress-value{background-color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);border:0;border-radius:20px}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl{margin:auto;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:first-child{margin-left:0}.zephr-registration-progress-bar-step.svelte-8qyhcl:last-child{margin-right:0}.zephr-registration-form-input-inner-text.svelte-lvlpcn{cursor:pointer;position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);right:10px;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-error-text.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main);font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.svelte-19a73pq{display:block;appearance:auto;width:100%;height:calc(var(–zephr-input-height) * 1px);font-size:16px;border:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:calc(var(–zephr-input-borderRadius) * 1px);transition:border-color 0.25s ease, box-shadow 0.25s ease;outline:0;color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);background-color:#fff;padding:10px}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.disabled.svelte-19a73pq{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.unselected.svelte-19a73pq{color:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-input-select.error.svelte-19a73pq{border-color:var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-input-textarea.svelte-19a73pq{background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ddd;color:#222;font-size:14px;font-weight:300;padding:16px;width:100%}.zephr-registration-form-input-slider-output.svelte-19a73pq{margin:13px 0 0 10px}.spin.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 2s 0s infinite linear}.pulse.svelte-1cj2gr0{animation:svelte-1cj2gr0-spin 1s infinite steps(8)}@keyframes svelte-1cj2gr0-spin{0%{transform:rotate(0deg)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}.zephr-registration-form-input-radio.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-radio-label.svelte-1qn5n0t{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-radio-dot.svelte-1qn5n0t{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid #ebebeb;border-radius:50%;margin-right:12px}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t{border-color:#009fe3}.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:17px;height:17px;background:#009fe3;background:linear-gradient(#009fe3, #006cb5);border-radius:50%;top:2px;left:2px}.disabled.checked.svelte-1qn5n0t:after{background:var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.error.svelte-1qn5n0t{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:absolute;opacity:0;cursor:pointer;height:0;width:0}.zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y{display:flex;align-items:center;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.svelte-1gzpw2y{position:relative;box-sizing:border-box;height:23px;width:23px;background-color:#fff;border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-text-main);border-radius:6px;margin-right:12px;cursor:pointer}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y{border-color:#009fe3}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{content:””;position:absolute;width:6px;height:13px;border:solid #009fe3;border-width:0 2px 2px 0;transform:rotate(45deg);top:3px;left:8px;box-sizing:border-box}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted)}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.disabled.checked.svelte-1gzpw2y:after{border:solid var(–zephr-color-background-tinted);border-width:0 2px 2px 0}.zephr-registration-form-checkmark.error.svelte-1gzpw2y{border:1px solid var(–zephr-color-warning-main)}.zephr-registration-form-google-icon.svelte-1jnblvg{width:20px}.zephr-form-link.svelte-64wplc{margin:10px 0;color:#6ba5e9;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-form-link-disabled.svelte-64wplc{color:var(–zephr-color-text-main);cursor:none;text-decoration:none}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}.zephr-registration-form-password-progress.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;margin-top:10px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r{width:100%;height:4px;border-radius:2px}.zephr-registration-form-password-bar.svelte-d1zv9r:not(:first-child){margin-left:8px}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirements.svelte-d1zv9r{margin:20px 0;justify-content:center}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement.svelte-d1zv9r{display:flex;align-items:center;color:var(–zephr-color-text-tinted);font-size:12px;height:20px;font-family:var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont)}.zephr-registration-form-password-requirement-icon.svelte-d1zv9r{margin-right:10px;font-size:15px}
    .zephr-registration-form {
    max-width: 100%;
    background-image: url(/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/cta-module@2x.jpg);
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    margin: 0px auto;
    margin-bottom: 4rem;
    padding: 20px;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-text h6 {
    font-size: 0.8rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 3rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form h4 {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    }

    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:hover {
    background-color: #fc6a65;
    border-color: #fc6a65;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9:disabled {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-button.svelte-17g75t9 {
    background-color: #e04821;
    border-color: #e04821;
    width: 150px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: auto;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text > * {
    color: #FFFFFF;
    font-weight: bold
    font: 25px;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-progress-bar.svelte-8qyhcl {
    width: 100%;
    border: 0;
    border-radius: 20px;
    margin-top: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-title.svelte-179421u {
    font-weight: bold;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    display: none;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-response-message-success.svelte-179421u {
    background-color: #8db869;
    border: 1px solid #8db869;
    color: white;
    margin-top: -0.2rem;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(1){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: center;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(5){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(7){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-text.svelte-i1fi5:nth-child(9){
    font-size: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    margin: 20px auto;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input-label.svelte-1ok5fdj span.svelte-1ok5fdj {
    display: none;
    color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x, .zephr-registration-form-input.disabled.svelte-blfh8x:hover {
    border: calc(var(–zephr-input-borderWidth) * 1px) solid var(–zephr-input-borderColor);
    background-color: white;
    }
    .zephr-registration-form-checkbox-label.svelte-1gzpw2y {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    font-family: var(–zephr-typography-body-font), var(–zephr-typography-body-fallbackFont);
    color: white;
    font-size: 20px;
    margin-bottom: -20px;
    }

    More than 24,600 seamounts have been previously mapped. One common way of finding these hidden mountains is to ping the seafloor with sonar (SN: 4/16/21). But that’s an expensive, time-intensive process that requires a ship. Only about 20 percent of the ocean has been mapped that way, says Scripps earth scientist Julie Gevorgian. “There are a lot of gaps.”

    So Gevorgian, Sandwell and their colleagues turned to satellite observations, which provide global coverage of the world’s oceans, to take a census of seamounts.

    The team pored over satellite measurements of the height of the sea surface. The researchers looked for centimeter-scale bumps caused by the gravitational influence of a seamount. Because rock is denser than water, the presence of a seamount slightly changes the Earth’s gravitational field at that spot. “There’s an extra gravitational attraction,” Sandwell says, that causes water to pile up above the seamount.

    Using that technique, the team spotted 19,325 previously unknown seamounts. The researchers compared some of their observations with sonar maps of the seafloor to confirm that the newly discovered seamounts were likely real. Most of the newly discovered underwater mountains are on the small side — between roughly 700 and 2,500 meters tall, the researchers estimate.

    However, it’s possible that some could pose a risk to mariners. “There’s a point when they’re shallow enough that they’re within the depth range of submarines,” says David Clague, a marine geologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, Calif., who was not involved in the research. In 2021, the USS Connecticut, a nuclear submarine, ran into an uncharted seamount in the South China Sea. The vessel is still undergoing repairs at a shipyard in Washington state. More

  • in

    ‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks

    How do you know if the world’s largest living fish is expecting babies? Not by her bulging belly, it turns out.

    Scientists thought that an enlarged area on the undersides of female whale sharks was a sign of pregnancy. But a technique used for the first time on free-swimming animals showed only skin and muscle. These humps might instead be a secondary sex characteristic on mature females, like breasts on humans, researchers report in the March 23 Endangered Species Research.

    The ultrasound is part of a suite of new methods including underwater “jet packs” and blood tests that scientists hope could unlock secrets about this creature’s reproduction.

    Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are classified as globally endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are only an estimated 100,000 to 238,000 individuals left worldwide, which is more than a 50 percent decline in the last 75 years.

    In part because whale sharks are relatively rare, their reproductive biology is mostly a mystery (SN: 8/1/22). Nearly everything biologists think they know is based on the examination of one pregnant female caught by a commercial fishing boat in 1995.

    “Protecting organisms without knowing about their biology is like trying to catch a fly with our eyes closed,” says Rui Matsumoto, a fisheries biologist with the Okinawa Churashima Foundation in Japan. The organization researches subtropical animals and plants to maintain or improve natural resources in national parks.

    To learn more about these gentle giants, Matsumoto and shark biologist Kiyomi Murakumo of Japan’s Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium had to figure out how to keep up with them. Like superheroes in a comic book, the biologists used underwater jet packs — propellers attached to their scuba tanks — to swim alongside the fish, which average 12 meters in length and move about five kilometers per hour.

    Then the researchers had to maneuver a 17-kilogram briefcase containing a waterproof ultrasound wand on the undersides of 22 females swimming near the Galápagos Islands and draw blood with syringes from their fins. Until this study, the ultrasound wand had never been used outside of an aquarium on free-swimming wildlife.

    Fisheries biologist Rui Matsumoto uses a propeller mounted on his scuba tank to keep pace with a female whale shark to take an ultrasound of her belly.S. Pierce

    Performing these two tests on whale sharks is especially challenging, says study coauthor Simon Pierce, a whale shark ecologist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation, a nonprofit organization that uses research to drive marine conservation.  The fish “have some of the thickest skin of any animal — up to about 30 centimeters thick.”

    Another challenge is the seawater itself, which can contaminate blood samples. The researchers developed a two-syringe system, where the first syringe creates a vacuum and allows the second syringe to draw only blood. 

    Subscribe to Science News

    Get great science journalism, from the most trusted source, delivered to your doorstep.

    Back in the lab, the blood plasma from six of the females showed hormone levels similar to levels obtained from a captive immature female in an aquarium, indicating those wild females were not old enough to reproduce.

    Ultrasound imagery showed egg follicles in two of the 22 female sharks, meaning those females were mature enough to reproduce but not pregnant. The biologists did not locate a pregnant whale shark.

    Pioneering these noninvasive techniques on whale sharks has opened the door to possibly learning more about other endangered marine animals, too. Waterproof ultrasound wands mounted on a pole, Pierce says, are now being used on tiger sharks in places where the predators are drawn in by bait.

    Rachel Graham agrees developing these underwater sampling techniques is an “astounding feat.” But the marine conservation scientist and founder of MarAlliance, a marine wildlife conservation nonprofit, doubts whether most free-ranging wild marine animals, particularly faster-swimming sharks or marine mammals, would tolerate similar tests.

    “What makes whale sharks fairly unique … is that they move relatively slowly at times, have the ability to remain stationary, and they tolerate the presence of other animals — such as us — nearby,” says Graham, who has studied shark species around the world and was not involved in the new study.

    Coupled with satellite tracking, the new methods, could eventually show us where whale sharks give birth, Pierce says. Little is known about whale shark pups, including whether they are born in shallow or deep water, and whether pups are born one-at-a-time or if mothers gather to give birth together. “Assuming they do have some sort of breeding or pelagic nursery area we can identify … then that obviously goes quite a long way towards conserving the population.” More

  • in

    50 years ago, researchers discovered a leak in Earth’s oceans

    Oceans may be shrinking — Science News, March 10, 1973

    The oceans of the world may be gradually shrinking, leaking slowly away into the Earth’s mantle…. Although the oceans are constantly being slowly augmented by water carried up from Earth’s interior by volcanic activity … some process such as sea-floor spreading seems to be letting the water seep away more rapidly than it is replaced.

    Update

    Scientists traced the ocean’s leak to subduction zones, areas where tectonic plates collide and the heavier of the two sinks into the mantle. It’s still unclear how much water has cycled between the deep ocean and mantle through the ages. A 2019 analysis suggests that sea levels have dropped by an average of up to 130 meters over the last 230 million years, in part due to Pangea’s breakup creating new subduction zones. Meanwhile, molten rock that bubbles up from the mantle as continents drift apart may “rain” water back into the ocean, scientists reported in 2022. But since Earth’s mantle can hold more water as it cools (SN: 6/13/14), the oceans’ mass might shrink by 20 percent every billion years. More

  • in

    50 years ago, scientists discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

    Setting sail into a plastic sea —Science News, February 10, 1973

    Scientists on an oceanographic voyage in the Central North Pacific last August became startled about the number of manmade objects littering the ocean surface. [Far from civilization and shipping lanes], they recorded 53 manmade objects in 8.2 hours of viewing. More than half were plastic. They go on to compute that there are between 5 million and 35 million plastic bottles adrift in the North Pacific.

    Update

    The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is larger now than it was in 1973, containing an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic within an area twice the size of Texas (SN Online: 3/22/18). In recent years, marine biologists have started seeing evidence that garbage is disrupting ocean ecosystems. For instance, large pieces of trash have helped species cross into new territories (SN: 10/28/17, p. 32). But an even greater threat may lurk beneath the waves. Tiny bits of plastic concentrate hundreds of meters deep where they can be eaten by filter feeders and potentially make their way into the guts of larger predators (SN: 7/6/19 & 7/20/19, p. 5). More

  • in

    Sharks face rising odds of extinction even as other big fish populations recover

    After decades of population declines, the future is looking brighter for several tuna and billfish species, such as southern bluefin tuna, black marlins and swordfish, thanks to years of successful fisheries management and conservation actions. But some sharks that live in these fishes’ open water habitats are still in trouble, new research suggests.

    These sharks, including oceanic whitetips and porbeagles, are often caught by accident within tuna and billfish fisheries. And a lack of dedicated management of these species has meant their chances of extinction continue to rise, researchers report in the Nov. 11 Science. 

    The analysis evaluates the extinction risk of 18 species of large ocean fish over nearly seven decades. It provides “a view of the open ocean that we have not had before,” says Colin Simpfendorfer, a marine biologist at James Cook University in Australia who was not involved in this research.

    “Most of this information was available for individual species, but the synthesis for all of the species provides a much broader picture of what is happening in this important ecosystem,” he says.

    In recent years, major global biodiversity assessments have documented declines in species and ecosystems across the globe, says Maria José Juan-Jordá, a fisheries ecologist at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Madrid. But these patterns are poorly understood in the oceans.

    To fill this gap, Juan-Jordá and her colleagues looked to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, which evaluates changes in a species’s extinction risk. The Red List Index evaluates the risk of extinction of an entire group of species. The team specifically targeted tunas, billfishes and sharks — large predatory fishes that have influential roles in their open ocean ecosystems. 

    Red List Index assessments occur every four to 10 years. In the new study, the researchers built on the Red List criteria to develop a way of tracking extinction risk continuously over time, rather than just within the IUCN intervals.

    Juan-Jordá and her colleagues did this by compiling data on species’ average age at reproductive maturity, changes in population biomass and abundance from fish stock assessments for seven tuna species, like the vulnerable bigeye and endangered southern bluefin; six billfish species, like black marlin and sailfish; and five shark species. The team combined the data to calculate extinction risk trends for these 18 species from 1950 to 2019.

    The team found that the extinction risk for tunas and billfishes increased throughout the last half of the 20th century, with the trend reversing for tunas starting in the 1990s and billfishes in the 2010s. These shifts are tied to known reductions in fishing deaths for these species that occurred at the same time.

    The results are positive for tunas and billfishes, Simpfendorfer says. But three of the seven tunas and three of the six billfishes that the researchers looked at are still considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered. “Now is not the time for complacency in managing these species,” Simpfendorfer says.

    But shark species are floundering in these very same waters where tuna and billfish are fished, where the sharks are often caught as bycatch. 

    Many open ocean sharks — like the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) (pictured) — continue to decline, often accidentally caught by fishers seeking other large fish.Fabio Forget

    “While we are increasingly sustainably managing the commercially important, valuable target species of tunas and billfishes,” says Juan-Jordá, “shark populations continue to decline, therefore, the risk of extinction has continued to increase.”

    Some solutions going forward, says Juan-Jordá, include catch limits for some species and establishing sustainability goals within tuna and billfish fisheries beyond just the targeted species, addressing the issue of sharks that are incidentally caught. And it’s important to see if measures taken to reduce shark bycatch deaths are actually effective, she says. 

    “There is a clear need for significant improvement in shark-focused management, and organizations responsible for their management need to act quickly before it is too late,” Simpfendorfer says.  More