Litter in the sea: New portal offers comprehensive coverage
by Herbert - 29th March 2017
New online portal LITTERBASE compiles all data in one location Where is litter at sea and which species and habitats…
Researchers gather at Great Barrier Reef to study latest coral bleaching
by Mares - 21st March 2017
Aerial and underwater surveys to be conducted As coral bleaching strikes the Great Barrier Reef for the second year in…
Wave-Glider: Keeping track of marine research in real time
by Mares - 3rd March 2017
Online portal for Wave Glider missions launchedWave Glider missions can now be viewed online – and they are live. Operated…
Map of seafloor shows new details about 2015 eruption at Axial Seamount
by Mares - 29th December 2016
The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano about 470 kilometres off the Oregon coast, is one of the world's most active…
Octopus Casper: Deep-sea octopuses require manganese nodules to lay their eggs
by Herbert - 22nd December 2016
Casper the octopus (and counterparts) threatened by deep-sea miningFor deep-sea octopuses, manganese nodules on the seabed are an important breeding…
New insights into the changes of the Nordic Seas during interglacials
by Mares - 5th December 2016
The characteristics of the water masses in the Nordic Seas are expected to change due to the Earth's higher temperatures…
Moments of a lifetime caught on camera : Snorkelling side by side with the sperm whales of the eastern Caribbean Sea
by Franco and Sabrina - 29th November 2016
This post starts our contribution to the Mares blog, to which we are absolutely grateful, and our first post is about the…
Researchers search for Earth’s oldest ice
by Mares - 21st November 2016
Ice cores show glimpse of composition of atmosphere in the pastIn Antarctic, ice and climate scientists from 14 institutions in…
Best Guadalupe Season Since 2012!
by Morne Hardenberg - 18th November 2016
We have just completed two EPIC expeditions to Isla Guadalupe off the west coast of Baja Peninsula! The volcanic island…
Germany proposes protection for Weddell Sea
by Mares - 20th October 2016
The European Union has submitted a request for a marine protected area (MPA) to be established in the Weddell Sea.…
Black Sea mapping expedition uncovers more than 40 shipwrecks
by Herbert - 18th October 2016
Largest expedition of this kind in Black SeaAn international expedition mapping the submerged ancient landscapes at the Bulgarian coast of…
Greenpeace reports on research on microplastics in seafood
by Mares - 6th October 2016
Microplastics can accumulate in the food chain “In the environment, microplastics act like a foreign body with toxins. It contains…
Seafloor of Red Sea formed at least 12 million years ago
by Herbert - 20th September 2016
Discovery overturns present understanding of region’s geological development Geoscientists find the Red Sea fascinating as it represents an ocean in…
Arctic sea ice at its second-lowest ever this September
by Mares - 16th September 2016
In September 2016, the surface of the Arctic sea ice shrank to nearly 4.1 million square kilometres – the second…
Essential seaweed species in Baltic Sea under threat
by Mares - 11th August 2016
The Baltic Sea’s biomass of bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) may soon decline due to rising sea temperatures and the presence…
WWF salvages discarded ghost nets in Baltic Sea
by Mares - 1st August 2016
Divers can help by reporting location of ghost netsIt was a successful start to the campaign: A big trawl net…
Overfishing causes collapse of cod fisheries in Baltic Sea
by Mares - 15th July 2016
Scientists suggest revision of maximum catch quotas Cod is the great predator of the Baltic Sea and the main fish…
The Red Sea still drawing in the divers…..
by Cat - 11th July 2016
I am sat in my office trying to catch up on some paperwork in between packing my bags once again…
Reintroduction of European flat oysters in German North Sea
by Mares - 30th June 2016
Three-year trial will set up foundation for restoration of species For the first time, the German Federal Agency for Nature…
Seaweed threatens coral reefs in the Pacific
by Herbert - 28th June 2016
Researchers call for more protection of herbivorous fishCoral reefs in the Pacific Ocean are coming under increasing threat of the…
Researchers discover that sponges are host to surprising diverse range of microbes
by Herbert - 17th June 2016
Discovery opens door to potential new discoveries in the futureSponges are important hosts for microbes, making up a significant part…
This year’s decline of Arctic sea ice may be as bad as the record low of 2012
by Mares - 19th May 2016
At the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), sea ice physicists have predicted that the…
Sewage disposal into Baltic Sea banned from 2019 onwards
by Mares - 4th May 2016
The Baltic Sea can breathe easy in the future. From 2019 onwards, cruise ships and passenger ferries are no longer…
Researchers use new method to date lava flows
by Mares - 11th April 2016
To better understand the formation of the Earth's crust, scientists at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have…
Wadden Sea National Park under threat from Russian oil drilling company
by Mares - 4th April 2016
Greenpeace activists recently staged a demonstration against Russian oil company DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA), which has plans to start…
Researchers compile 3-D map of hydrothermal field in Pacific
by Mares - 23rd March 2016
Using the latest 3-D camera technology, scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is investigating a hydrothermal vent…
New Sea Shepherd campaign launched
by Mares - 21st March 2016
Sea Shepherd has launched a campaign called Operation Driftnet focusing on the illegal and destructive method of driftnet fishing in…
Book launch at Maritime Museum shines light on first German deep-sea expedition
by Mares - 7th March 2016
Zoologist Carl Chun from Leipzig was fascinated by the possibilities within the deep sea. In a speech to the German…
Defining research priorities for the Arctic
by Mares - 29th February 2016
The major international Arctic research organisations, with the involvement of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, have come up with…
Researchers measure decomposition in polyethylene and biodegradable bags
by Mares - 15th February 2016
Plastic waste is now found in practically every part of the world, from the Antarctic coasts to the ocean depths.…
Researchers measure platelet ice beneath Antarctic sea ice
by Mares - 8th February 2016
For the first time, sea ice physicists at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) have developed a new method of efficiently…
Invasive seaweed develops stronger defences
by Mares - 4th January 2016
A higher level of defence has been found within an invasive strain of seaweed from Asia that has translocated to…
Plastic waste threatens lives of seabirds in Helgoland
by Mares - 11th December 2015
Pilot study initiated to gather more information High on the cliffs of Helgoland, a small German archipelago in the North…
Arctic sea ice plays essential role in methane cycle
by Mares - 8th December 2015
Study uncovers link between seasonal melting of sea ice and release of methane gas The ice-covered Arctic Ocean plays a…
Italian navy divers seal off wreck
by Mares - 4th December 2015
Explosives inside wreck stolen by local Mafia syndicate A ship which had over the years become a source of explosives…
Can a deep-sea ecosystem recover from human intervention?
by Mares - 26th November 2015
What would the ecological consequences be if the quantity of polymetallic (e.g. manganese) nodules in the deep sea was reduced? Would…
Melting coastal glaciers cause loss in biodiversity – Seabed ecosystem affected by sedimentation
by Mares - 20th November 2015
Melting glaciers will lead to a reduction of species biodiversity among the benthos (bottom-dwelling organisms) community in the coastal waters…
Mesmerising creatures of the sea, yet so vicious – Misadventures with comb jellies
by Mares - 18th November 2015
Looking through the mask, it appears as if an alien lifeform is trying to communicate with the divers, flashing its…
A new start to research into pile dwellings in Austria
by Mares - 23rd October 2015
In preparation for the 2020 provincial exhibition ‘Sunken – Resurfaced’, new research into the pile dwellings in Upper Austria is…
Billions of juvenile polar cod under Arctic sea ice
by Mares - 14th October 2015
With a newly developed netting gear, marine scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute managed to catch a large number of…
German research network on ocean acification concludes
by Mares - 8th October 2015
An in-depth assessment of the possible impact of ocean acidification on the environment, society and economy, as well as the…
Mallorca: Plastic Waste In The Sea
by Mares - 11th August 2015
Head to Beaches Of Mallorca For Fun In The Sun... And Trash The plastic waste that periodically gets washed up…
Mysterious Mass In The Mediterranean Sea
by Mares - 4th August 2015
What Is That Big Bubble? When Turkish diver Lutfu Tanriover took a dip in the Mediterranean Sea recently, everything seemed…
Eilat: In The Sea And On The Sand For Your Fun In The Sun
by Herbert - 17th July 2015
For Your Fun In The Sun When temperatures start to drop during those winter months in Germany, many of us…
Nitrous Oxide From The Sea
by Mares - 26th June 2015
Kiel marine scientists have discovered that the South-East Pacific region has been emitting more nitrous oxide levels than previously expected.…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
by Alex - 24th April 2024
One of the highlights of my year is chairing the judging panel and presenting the winners of the Underwater Photographer…
Shifting Baselines – Hong Kong, Sar
by Andi - 18th April 2024
The research team had warned us upfront about the perilous diving experience ahead. One not marked by surreal encounters with…
Gobies – Small, cute and sneaky
by Ivana and Janez - 15th April 2024
There are more than 2000 species of gobies in one of the largest bony fish family, Gobiidae. They can be found…
