Tiny marine algae that play a critical role in supporting life on Earth may be better equipped to deal with future climate change than previously expected, research shows....

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Though they occupy a small fraction of the Earth's surface, freshwater wetlands are the largest natural source of methane going into the atmosphere. New research identifies an unexpected process that acts as a key gatekeeper regulating methane emissions from these freshwater environments.The study describes how high rates of anaerobic methane oxidation substantially reduce atmospheric emissions of methane from freshwater wetlands....

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A pair of paleobiologists have determined that the world's most numerous and diverse vertebrates -- ray-finned fishes -- began their ecological dominance of the oceans 66 million years ago, aided by the mass extinction event that killed off dinosaurs....

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20,000 Sounds under the Sea is a project that aims to study ocean sounds. The Swiss ship Fleur de Passion will go around the world in four years with the aim of measuring human impact on oceans and contributing to the debate surrounding the role of humankind at sea....

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Tiny microscopic animals called zooplankton are ingesting plastic particles at an alarming rate, according to a new study. That could not only pose a risk to salmon but also spell trouble for the entire aquatic food web -- from zooplankton to humpback whales....

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Retreating sea ice in the Iceland and Greenland Seas may be changing the circulation of warm and cold water in the Atlantic Ocean, and could ultimately impact the climate in Europe, says a new study....

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Human beings are pushing the planet in an entirely new direction with revolutionary implications for its life, a new study says, and in a new article, researchers suggest a turning point for the planet and its resources....

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The amounts of plastic debris in the Mediterranean are comparable to those reported for the great accumulation areas located in the centers of the oceans, a new study has concluded....

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Stellwagen Bank — an underwater plateau located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay about 25 miles from Boston — has been known for centuries as a rich and productive ecosystem, where fishermen venture in search of cod, haddock, flounder, tuna, and herring. If Boston, Salem, or Cape Cod and the Islands are on your summer itinerary, consider a visit to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

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Think of an object made of iron: An I-beam, a car frame, a nail. Now imagine that half of the iron in that object owes its existence to bacteria living two and a half billion years ago. That's the upshot of a new study. Its findings have meaning for fields as diverse as mining and the search for life in space....

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