Dissolved organic matter supports aquatic food webs and holds as much carbon as the atmosphere. A new study tracks which sources and processes play the biggest role in coastal systems.
Estuarine and nearshore processes
Posted inOpinions
Science in This Century Needs People
An ecologist built an army of beach surveyors over 20 years and now has the world’s largest data set of marine bird mortality informing climate change and disaster studies.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When the River Meets the Sea: Estuary Sediments and Hypoxia
Scientists know that low-oxygen dead zones are growing worldwide. New research sheds light on what that will mean for estuary systems if trends continue.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Budgeting Ozone-Depleting Emissions from Coastal Tidal Marshes
Brackish wetlands and their salt-tolerant vegetation are significant methyl halide emitters. The natural emissions add chlorine and bromine to the stratosphere, which break down ozone.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Upper Estuaries Found to Be Significant Blue Carbon Sink
Inland from the seagrass and salt marsh ecosystems that border the ocean, upper estuaries store more carbon than previously realized and could play an important role in mitigating climate change.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Coastal Ocean Warming Adds to CO2 Burden
With coastal oceans around the world changing from the effects of urbanization, rising carbon dioxide levels, and climate warming, recent work begins to find new land-sea linkages.
Posted inScience Updates
The Amazon River’s Ecosystem: Where Land Meets the Sea
What happens to plant matter on its journey down the Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean? One research group investigated the region where river and ocean meet to fill in this part of the story.
Posted inNews
Threatened Sea Turtles in Hawaii Losing Ground to Rising Oceans
By midcentury, the Hawaiian green sea turtle could lose nesting beaches of increasing importance on Oahu, the most populous island in the chain.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Water World: Sea Level Rise, Coastal Floods, and Storm Surges
A special issue of Earth’s Future examines the impacts of sea level rise on coastal areas and showcases a paradigm shift in the modeling of these dynamic systems.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Exploring How Water Flow Affects Bed Forms in Different Environments
In a flat sand bed, water creates undulating features.