Established in 2015, the Harbor Branch Seagrass Nursery cultivates native seagrasses in land-based tanks to populate depleted areas of the Indian River Lagoon. Urban development has eroded the coastal environment, resulting in the loss of seagrass, mangroves, and other coastal plants. These native species contribute to a healthy habitat, filtering water running off into the ocean and providing nursery grounds and homes for fish species and other marine life—such as stone crabs and oysters—which contribute to commercial fisheries. Mangroves provide a barrier against storm impacts and coastal erosion.

In response to increasing coastal hazards, there is growing interest in nature-based solutions (NbS) to provide flood and erosion protection while maintaining ecosystem services and public beach access in California (Council, 2025, California Coastal Commission, 2025). Beach and dune nourishments are increasingly sought as sediment-based defenses capable of attenuating wave energy and reducing runup through dynamic sediment exchange (Myers et al., 2023, Grimes et al., 2025). However, despite widespread use and policy support, substantial scientific uncertainty remains about the long-term effectiveness and resilience of dune-based adaptation under extreme storms and SLR (Houser et al., 2015, Barnard et al., 2021, Griggs, 2024).

link to open access article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378383926001043?via=ihub

A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science tested five species to assess their potential for use in the restoration of degraded harbor habitats. Among the species chosen was the chicken liver sponge Chondrosia reniformis, which demonstrated an outstanding ability to adapt to these challenging conditions and thrive.

A grizzled old coral walks into the bar and sits next to a younger elkhorn

"Kid where I grew up..." the old corals fronds shake with coughing "...you had to be tough as the harbor sludge that descends on you every day".

During a narrow spawning window that occurs just once each year, scientists will collect elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) gametes released and fertilize them under controlled conditions. The resulting juvenile corals will be raised for future restoration efforts, helping preserve genetic diversity and strengthen the long-term resilience of Florida’s coral reefs. Once the dominant coral species on many shallow reefs, elkhorn coral plays a critical role in providing habitat for marine life and protecting coastlines from wave action.

The project, funded through NOAA’s Re5 (Resilient Reef Research, Rescue and Restoration) initiative, will result in juvenile corals from the wild being fertilized and raised in coral facilities for future restoration efforts.

Radioactivity is all around us. On land there are radioactive isotopes in vegetation, soil and rocks. In the ocean some of the places they accumulate are the seafloor massive sulphides of hydrothermal vents, the polymetallic nodules of the deep abyssal plains, and the sediment of the ocean floor. Because radioactive isotopes are safely bound up in mineral structures, marine life has successfully adapted to the ocean’s natural background levels of radiation.

Deep sea mining would crush and fragment nodules and sulphide deposits, dispersing debris for extensive distances. The outer layers of nodules (most likely to be disrupted) are particularly enriched in radioactive alpha particles. These have form as extremely dangerous wrecking balls for cells, protein and DNA. They can build up in tissues of marine life, and similarly to mercury, can amplify their way up food chains that eventually reach our plates.

The report: Critical Questions about the Risks of Radiation Toxicity from Deep Sea Mining

A single monitoring network [...] can simultaneously track earthquakes, water behaviour, human activity and whales, providing a comprehensive picture of what’s happening in, under, and at far distances from the water.

The researchers said the results show how a single network can capture multiple types of data, with potential applications for conservation and marine policy.

Researchers have uncovered a hidden feature beneath the Pacific Ocean that helps explain why Japan's devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami became so destructive. The discovery also offers new clues that could improve forecasts of future megaquakes and tsunamis.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/51534042

Thousands of observations of marine wildlife have been recorded during the 2026 National BioBlitz, providing valuable data that will help scientists to monitor changes in biodiversity around the UK coastline.

The annual citizen science event, led by The Rock Pool Project, took place between 23 and 31 May 2026 and saw participants from Cornwall to Shetland explore rocky shores and record marine species using the iNaturalist app. In total, 3,781 observations of 544 species were submitted, creating a fascinating national snapshot of life in the intertidal zone.

cross-posted from: https://thelemmy.club/post/51240170

FULL ARTICLE: There’s some good news growing along the coasts of countries around the world.

Mangrove forests, the imperiled ecosystems championed for their ability to store carbon and protect land from storm-driven flooding, are bouncing back.

These woodlands that thrive at the soggy boundary between land and sea suffered alarming declines through much of the 20th century, chopped down chiefly to make way for fish ponds, rice paddies and other kinds of agriculture. But in the last decade, mangroves have been gaining ground, erasing nearly all of the losses since 1980, according to research recently published in Science.

“After decades of loss, we’re finally seeing a global turning point for mangroves,” said Zhen Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher at Tulane University and lead author of the study.

Zhang and colleagues used computer programs to comb through 40 years of satellite images from around the world. The distinctive way mangrove forests reflect light enabled them to train the computers to pick out this vegetation and track its ebb and flow over time.

The analysis revealed that in much of the world, years of loss began changing course in recent decades. Between the 1980s and 2010, global mangrove forests shrank from around 155,000 square kilometers to 152,000 square kilometers, a loss equal to half of Rhode Island. While that might not sound like a lot, mangroves often grow in relatively narrow coastal strips, so their coast-protecting benefits are outsized compared to their overall dimensions.

Since 2010, forests have rebounded to nearly 154,000 square kilometers, almost enough to recover from the losses dating back to the 80s.

“While some mangroves are still being lost, this could make them a rare conservation success story and an important source of optimism for climate action,” said Daniel Friess, a co-author who heads The Mangrove Lab at Tulane.

The greatest gains have come in southeast Asia, home to roughly a third of the world’s mangrove forests. The region gained more than 1,000 square kilometers of mangroves since 2010, the researchers found. Forests have begun bouncing back in other parts of Asia, South America and the Middle East as well.

While the reasons for the rebound vary from place to place, the researchers say many of the gains appear to be from forests colonizing terrain created by abandoned aquaculture ponds and from mudflats emerging along shorelines as sediment builds up. That is coupled with efforts to plant new mangrove forests, as governments and conservation groups have come to better appreciate their benefits.

In Indonesia, once a center for mangrove declines, the recent gains appear to be linked to increased awareness and restoration on the heels of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, coupled with increased legal protections and management, the authors reported.

It’s not all good news, however. Some regions continue to lose ground, notably in Africa. There, mangroves have declined in recent years in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, the continent’s largest mangrove system, due at least in part to damage from oil pollution.

And some places that are making gains still haven’t recovered from previous losses. Myanmar has witnessed a 10% increase in mangrove forests since 2010. But that still leaves it with a net 29% decline since the 1980s.

The tree’s remarkable ability to quickly colonize land suggests that rather than pursuing tree-planting projects, conservation work might be better spent protecting existing forests and the earth-building dynamics that create mudflats, the authors noted. The trees can then spread on their own. Sometimes the most important thing humans can do for restoring nature is get out of the way.

Zhang, et. al. “Unexpected expansion and regrowth in Earth’s mangrove forests over the past four decades.” Science. June 4, 2026.

The bottom of the ocean has barely been explored, but every journey to the deep reveals wondrous new lifeforms. As underwater mining gains momentum, we risk destroying one of the Earth’s last great wildernesses

Wageningen scientists also emphasize that offshore wind development and marine conservation are not necessarily in conflict, but early ecological understanding is essential for sustainability.