Ocean monitoring acts as a planetary early-warning system and should be treated as critical public infrastructure. A @science.org letter warns against dismantling long-term observing networks, especially those owned by the 🇺🇸 and calls for broader international investment.

Protect and expand ocean observation systems

The United States alone is responsible for roughly half of the world’s ocean monitoring platforms (1). In May, the US government announced plans to decommission and remove more than 900 deep-sea instr...

science.org

The Great Barrier Reef's invisible microbial communities can reveal how reefs respond to management. The largest genomic database of reef plankton uncovers hundreds of new microbial species and shows that microbial communities can reliably distinguish protected reefs from those open to fishing.

The Great Barrier Reef has a microbiome too

We can now measure changes in the thousands of different and invisible microbes that contribute to healthy reef communities. In 2012, Nature revealed that humans provide a home to thousands of diffe...

eurekalert.org

New satellite observations show that the apparent pause in Arctic winter sea-ice loss was short-lived. Record-low ice extents in 2025 & 2026 restore the long-term declining trend. Ongoing climate warming continues to reduce the Arctic's capacity to recover winter sea ice.

Dramatic drop in Arctic sea ice levels puts an end to hopes of short-term recovery

Scientists say what looked like a pause in the early 2020s now appears to have been a temporary slowdown

uk.news.yahoo.com

Human activities are heavily reducing biodiversity and the benefits ecosystems provide to people. #MPAs help, but only slightly. Even strong protection offsets a small part of human impacts. #MPADay https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03008-2 @uflandrin.bsky.social

Fertilisers are leaking #microplastics into the ocean. A study investigating fertilisers used in rice farming shows most travel through rivers to sea, with only small amounts washing back onto beaches. #PlasticFreeJuly

Scientists trace fertilizer microplastics from fields to beaches

Plastic-coated fertilizers used on farms are emerging as a major but hidden source of ocean microplastics. A new study found that only a tiny fraction reaches beaches through rivers, while direct drai...

sciencedaily.com

After decades of recovery, eastern Pacific gray whales are once again in decline as climate-driven changes reshape their Arctic feeding grounds. The causes: warming seas, shrinking sea ice and collapsing prey resources in the Bering Sea.

As the Arctic warms, gray whale boom turns into a bust

Scientists point to changes that jeopardize the marine mammals’ critical feeding grounds

science.org

Southern UK coastal waters recently reached over 20°C, marking the region's 3rd major marine heatwave in 4 years. From plankton to marine mammals, extreme heating is impacting habitats and their metabolism, forcing mass migration, starvation, reduced breeding and die-offs. @theconversation.com

In hot water: what happens to marine life during heatwaves

The full picture of potential consequences of the UK’s marine heatwaves is only just starting to emerge.

theconversation.com

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation distributes heat around the planet, but climate models predict that it will slow down during this century due to a warming climate, potentially bringing extreme swings in Europe’s weather.

AMOC - Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation | CMEMS

marine.copernicus.eu

📣 New survey The EAF-Nansen Programme calls on marine taxonomists across Africa to complete the Taxonomy Survey 2026 and help identify key research and capacity needs. 👉 Deadline: 31 August 2026 @fao.org

🌿#Mangrove ecosystems are one of the best defenses against the effects of the climate crisis. They store carbon, minimise #ClimateChange impacts and protect coastal communities from storm surges, tsunamis, rising sea levels and erosion. #WorldMangroveDay buff.ly/I63Dq3o @ipbes.net

#Antarctica’s ice sheet contains multiple tipping systems, not one. Some West Antarctic basins may already be near critical thresholds, committing the world to long-term #SeaLevelRise even if changes take centuries.

New study identifies sequence of critical thresholds for Antarctic ice basins

The Antarctic ice sheet does not behave as one single tipping element, but as a set of interacting basins with different critical thresholds. This is the finding of a new study by the Potsdam Institut...

phys.org

Ocean fronts are hotspots for carbon uptake. They drive most of the ocean’s carbon absorption, meaning changes in frontal activity could strongly shape the future climate. https://scienmag.com/ocean-front-trends-affect-co2-flux-chlorophyll-levels/

Ocean Front Trends Affect CO2 Flux, Chlorophyll Levels

Ocean Fronts: Crucial Architects of Marine Ecosystems and Global Carbon Dynamics Our oceans, vast and enigmatic, are hosts to dynamic features that orchestrate the health of marine ecosystems and the

scienmag.com

NOAA officially designated the Florida Keys at "Alert Level 1" for #CoralBleaching. The current ocean warming trajectory is tracking closely with or even outperformin the disastrous marine heatwave of 2023. Conservation organizations are currently setting up disaster response strategies.

As sea temperatures rise in the Florida Keys, coral evacuation has begun

“It’s scary. It’s extreme. I think we’re on track to be hotter than 2023.”

miamiherald.com

Deep-sea mining could disrupt microbes that help cycle nutrients and support ocean ecosystems. Authors of this study show these communities are spread across vast areas but differ from place to place, meaning damage in one site cannot easily be replaced. #DefendTheDeep #ISA31

Frontiers | Diversity and connectivity of bacterial communities in polymetallic nodule-rich abyssal plains (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Polymetallic nodules of the abyssal seafloor are considered potential resources of nickel, cobalt, copper, as well as rare earth elements. The Clarion-Clippe...

frontiersin.org

It’s Coral Reef Awareness Week! 🪸 Reefs play vital role in the ocean food web. Protecting them starts with sound science. 👉🏽Find out how you can support reefs, now and into the future: whoi.edu/reefs

Authors stress that local intervention can dramatically improve reef resilience: minimizing land-based pollution, managing runoff, and reducing localized over-harvesting are vital strategies that can buy #CoralReefs valuable time.

Climate change could cost Hawaiʻi up to $3 billion, possibly more, in lost reef recreation : Kauai Now - Bytes Europe

A new study finds coral reef decline driven by climate change could cost Hawaiʻi residents between $1.8 billion and $3 billion in lost reef-related activities

byteseu.com

🛰️ Better data is essential to protect the ocean. This paper shows how integrated observation systems and Digital Twins of the Ocean could transform decision-making if backed by long-term investment and cooperation. #OceanGovernance https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-026-00341-x

Restoring natural water flow is critical for mangrove recovery after severe storms. 14 years after intervention, restored #mangroves in Mexico recovered most of their carbon, showing the climate and resilience benefits of well-designed restoration.

Frontiers | Restoration enhances carbon storage in mangroves after hurricane impacts

Mangroves are globally important blue-carbon ecosystems, yet their resilience is threatened by extreme weather events and hydrological alterations. In southe...

frontiersin.org

#Microplastics interact with climate processes. A recent review shows they can weaken the ocean’s natural climate defences by disrupting carbon cycling and contributing to warming and acidification, highlighting the need for joined-up climate and plastic policies. #PlasticFreeJuly

From pollution to ocean warming: The climate impacts of marine microplastics

Despite being a critical global issue, the role of microplastics (MPs) in climate change has received limited attention. Climate disruption and plasti…

sciencedirect.com

🦈 In 2025, the EU🇪🇺 export volume of shark fins to countries outside the EU decreased by 15.2%, and the export value dropped by 31.3%, compared to 2024. #SharkAwarenessDay

EU exports of shark fins dropped in 2025

In 2025, the EU exported 2.7 thousand tonnes of shark fins to countries outside the EU, worth €44.8 million. Compared with 2024, the export volume decreased by 15.2% (from 3.1 thousand tonnes), and th...

ec.europa.eu

Sharks vary in size, from the largest fish on the planet to the length of a human palm. 🦈 On this #SharkAwarenessDay, find out just how large different shark species are with this National Geographic graphic: https://ow.ly/sP6x50ZmOCz

Upper ocean heat content (0 to 700 m depth) also set a new record high with the latest data update to start 2026. 🌊 Graphic shows anomalies and is produced by www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa...

Zack Labe@zacklabe.com · 4w ago

🚨 The data is finally in for the first quarter of the year, and it's not looking good... Global ocean heat content just set another new record high! Data (anomalies) & methods from www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/globa...

NIWA warns that the effects of this developing "Super #ElNiño" will strongly influence New Zealand’s weather patterns (heavily varying by region) not just for the upcoming months, but well into 2027. #ClimateChange

El Niño officially declared in New Zealand

El Niño is officially underway - and could develop into one of the strongest on record.

rnz.co.nz

A major technological breakthrough developed by @whoi.edu can predict mass coral bleaching 5-6 months before it actually occurs. This vital lead time allows marine conservationists and reef managers to enact critical emergency triage. @oceanographicmag.bsky.social

Scientists can predict coral bleaching months before it happens

Researchers develop an early-warning tool that predicts coral bleaching five to six months in advance by tracking climate patterns.

oceanographicmagazine.com

The Arctic Ocean May Have Passed a Crucial Tipping Point That Could Harm Food Webs and Worsen Climate Change

The Arctic Ocean May Have Passed a Crucial Tipping Point That Could Harm Food Webs and Worsen Climate Change

Sea ice loss seems to have triggered a decline in the nutrient nitrate, affecting the tiny organisms that form the foundations of marine food chains and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to...

smithsonianmag.com

The #BBNJAgreement offers a chance to redesign how benefits from marine genetic resources are shared. More just, flexible and long-lasting benefit sharing could support conservation, knowledge and future generations. @highseasalliance.bsky.social

Frontiers | Just and enduring benefit sharing under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement

Implementing Part II of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is an opportunity to transform the global approach to access and benef...

frontiersin.org

A 1,000-year sediment record from New Caledonia shows that decades of nickel mining profoundly altered nearby coastal ecosystems by increasing sediment run-off and reshaping marine communities. #MarinePollution

Intensive nickel mining has transformed microbial biodiversity of Thio Lagoon in New Caledonia

A study carried out by scientists from Ifremer, IRD, the universities of Western Brittany (UBO) and Bordeaux, CNRS, and the University of Tartu (Estonia) reveals the impact of nickel mining on the coa...

phys.org

The @ec.europa.eu adopted OceanEye to expand the EU's role in ocean observation. The initiative aims to position the 🇪🇺 as the world's leading provider of ocean intelligence by contributing to 35% of the global ocean observing system by 2035. @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @copernicusmarine.bsky.social

Commission presents OceanEye initiative to put EU at the forefront of ocean observation

Today, the European Commission adopted OceanEye to expand the EU\'s role in ocean observation.

ec.europa.eu

In these unprecedented times, more pipelines please! "The fate of the Atlantic Ocean current that keeps Europe’s climate warm depends on our carbon emissions and the rate of ice melt from Greenland, but there is a chance that a shutdown is already inevitable." www.newscientist.com/article/2533...

Collapse of AMOC ocean current may already be locked in

The fate of the Atlantic Ocean current that keeps Europe’s climate warm depends on our carbon emissions and the rate of ice melt from Greenland, but there is a chance that a shutdown is already inevit...

newscientist.com

Entirely absent from official maps, thousands of hidden #CoralReefs ecosystems in northern Australia discovered by @unisq.bsky.social will now give the immediate tools needed to protect these long-overlooked ecosystems from coastal development and overexploitation.

Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans—and that's crucial for their survival

Lord Howe Island lies in the middle of the ocean, about 700 kilometers northeast of Sydney. It's covered in lush forest and fringed by the world's most southerly coral reef ecosystem.

phys.org