New Research is the First to Relate Antarctic Sea Ice Melt to Weather Change in the Tropics
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Published: 12 March 2020
A study shows Arctic and Antarctic ice loss could drive one-fifth of tropical warming by altering Pacific winds, suppressing deep ocean cooling, and intensifying El Niño-like warming and rainfall near the equator.
Keywords: Arctic ice, Antarctic ice, tropical warming, El Niño, Pacific Ocean, sea ice loss
Where'd You Get Those Genes? Individual Growth Can Vary Wildly When Populations Interbreed
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Published: 12 March 2020
Scripps researchers found that poor hybrid development in copepods stems from mismatched nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. When DNA from different populations misaligns, mitochondrial function drops, reducing fitness across generations.
Keywords: hybrid vigor, copepods, nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA, genetic incompatibility, evolution, conservation
Microplastics found in a quarter of San Diego estuary fish
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Published: 18 March 2020
A study of San Diego’s Chollas Creek found nearly 25% of fish contained microplastics, mainly fibers and hard fragments. Plastic ingestion varied by species, diet, and age, raising concerns about ecosystem and human impacts via seafood.
Keywords: microplastics, fish, Chollas Creek, San Diego Bay, pollution, food webs, marine ecosystems
