Extensive freshened water beneath the ocean floor confirmed for the first time
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
Published: 5 February 2026
IODP Expedition 501 directly documented a vast freshened water system nearly 200 metres thick beneath the ocean floor off New England, a first-of-its-kind confirmation involving 41 scientists from 13 nations.
Keywords: IODP, ocean drilling, freshwater, subseafloor, hydrogeology, sediment cores, New England, aquifer
Two Scripps-Named Marine Species Make Top 10 List
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Published: 19 March 2026
Iskra's glitter worm and the Elven abyss tunicate, described by Scripps scientists, were named to the WoRMS Top 10 Marine Species of 2025, spotlighting deep-sea biodiversity from whale falls to abyssal depths.
Keywords: new species, deep sea, WoRMS, taxonomy, marine biodiversity, polychaete, tunicate, species discovery
New ice core studies expand histories of greenhouse gases and ocean temperature to 3 million years
Oregon State University
Published: 18 March 2026
Ancient Antarctic ice core analyses led by Oregon State revealed that ocean temperatures declined 2-2.5C over 3 million years while atmospheric CO2 showed only modest decline, suggesting other climate system components played key roles.
Keywords: ice cores, ocean temperature, greenhouse gases, paleoclimate, Antarctica, Allan Hills, carbon dioxide, methane
