New research reveals significant changes to the circulation of the North Pacific and its impact on the initial migration of humans from Asia to North America. The international study, led by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and published Dec. 9 in Science Advances, provides a new picture of the circulation and climate of the […]
The American blue economy, which are resources and services provided by the oceans, contributed about $373 billion to the economy in 2018, and fisheries play a large role in that. Climate change, however, threatens commercial and recreational fisheries; changes in water temperature can affect the environments where fish, shellfish, and other marine species live, and cause them […]
It was the first weekend in May, and Alaskans were getting out. Emboldened by words from the governor to get outside, or more likely their desires to escape the house, people were driving south on the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks. At the same time, far greater numbers of beating hearts were headed the opposite […]
“It’s clear evidence these chemicals can affect populations.” Image-Scientists in Saskatchewan found that consuming small amounts of neonicotinoids led white-crowned sparrows to lose significant amounts of weight and delay migration, threatening their ability to reproduce. (Photo: Jen Goellnitz/Flickr/cc) In addition to devastating effects on bee populations and the pollination needed to feed humans and other […]
Adult sockeye salmon returning to spawn in the lakes of Bristol Bay, Alaska.Jason Ching/University of Washington An ample buffet of freshwater food, brought on by climate change, is altering the life history of one of the world’s most important salmon species. Sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region are skipping an entire year […]
Similar to how children learn, often unconsciously, to mimic the adults around them, a small, silvery ocean fish employs this tactic when teaching the next generation to find a suitable place to reproduce. Scientists have named the strategy “go with the older fish,” and it describes a key part of the Pacific herring lifecycle […]
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]EWPORT, Ore. – Blue whales reach their massive size by relying on their exceptional memories to find historically productive feeding sites rather than responding in real time to emerging prey patches, a new study concludes. Researchers examining records of both whale migration and oceanic conditions in the California Current Ecosystem found that blue whales almost perfectly […]
While walking the streets of Washington, D.C., last month, a pleasant sound stopped me. A male robin was singing, high in a sidewalk sycamore. It was December, months away from when that bird would use the same voice to declare his breeding territory. I wondered why he practiced now, as I stood amid the urban […]
SITKA, ALASKA – The Allen Marine tour boat pushed off the dock at the Sitka Crescent Harbor on a clear crisp October afternoon with University of Alaska Southeast researchers, alumni and supporters of the university in search of humpback whales. It didn’t take long to find them. In just minutes, in Sitka Sound within clear […]