New WHOI-led study reveals hidden chemical currency fueling the ocean carbon cycle
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 18 March 2026
Researchers identified diverse molecules released by marine phytoplankton that fuel microbial life and drive Earth carbon cycle, representing up to 23% of dissolved organic carbon.
Keywords: phytoplankton, metabolites, carbon cycle, dissolved organic carbon, microbial ecology, ocean chemistry
Setting sail to a region in rapid transition
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Published: 6 February 2026
Research vessel Polarstern departs for the Summer Weddell Sea Outflow Study to investigate why Antarctic sea ice has declined sharply and its ecosystem impacts.
Keywords: Weddell Sea, Antarctica, sea ice, Polarstern, SWOS expedition, climate change, Southern Ocean
Coastal ocean chemistry now substantially shaped by humans
University of California, Riverside
Published: 16 March 2026
A global analysis of 2,300+ seawater samples reveals human-made organic molecules reach up to 20% of detected matter in coastal oceans, far more widespread than previously recognized.
Keywords: coastal ocean, anthropogenic chemicals, dissolved organic matter, ocean pollution, seawater chemistry, Nature Geoscience
