Changing Seas

It is estimated there will be two billion more people on the planet by mid-century. To feed this booming world population, more fish will need to be farmed than ever before. One way to increase fish production in a sustainable way is to move aquaculture operations offshore – where there is plenty of available space and strong currents flush out the pens to avoid polluting sensitive ecosystems.

Water releases from Lake Okeechobee periodically create putrid mats of blue green algae. Scientists think water pollution is to blame, and if something isn’t done about it there could be irreparable damage to the environment, the local economy and people’s health.

For millennia, the exchange of CO2 between the oceans and atmosphere has been in balance. Now, with more anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the oceans are taking up more CO2 as well. This additional CO2 is negatively impacting sensitive ecosystems and scientists worry how changes to the ocean environment will affect the way carbon is cycled through the seas.

Mexico’s remote Revillagigedo Archipelago is a hotspot for oceanic mantas. Scientists are studying the local population using photo ID techniques and acoustic tags which track the movements of these mysterious fish. They are also conducting experiments to see if the filter-feeding rays are impacted negatively by microplastics, tiny pieces of toxic trash that float in the ocean.