From the seawire: Ocean news from February 2022

Missed out on February 2022's ocean news? Here's a glimpse into what went down in Davy Jones's Locker this month


Animals & Plants

  • What makes some kelp forests more resilient to urchins? This new research suggests the complexity of the sea floor has something to do with it.

  • Atlantic cod and squid in the middle of the Arctic Ocean? Yup.

  • Did you know that as well as acting as a carbon sink, protecting coasts from erosion, & housing a multitude of different animals, seagrass meadows emit methane? This new study suggests they can emit methane for decades after they die.

  • Feast you eyes on this baby ghost shark! This super-rare sighting was made near the Chatham Rise, off the coast of New Zealand's South Island.

  • Basking sharks spend their winters in the south where waters are warmer, and their summers in the north where waters are full of food right? Not so for some baskers who love to spend their whole year around Ireland (to be fair, Ireland is gorgeous).

Climate Crisis


Fisheries & Aquaculture


Marine Technology


Oceanography

  • Who loves a rogue wave? Back in 2020, “the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded” occurred off Ucluelet, Vancouver Island. How big are we talking? 17.6 meters. Now, it turns out there have been taller waves recorded (yes Norway, it's you with your 25.6m wave) but the difference here is that Vancouver Island wave was 3 times taller than the surrounding waves, whereas the one in Norway was "only" 2 times taller.

People & the Sea