News & Commentary

First, the Good News

April 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows simple fishing restrictions can bring coral reefs back to life—but only if we stop emitting so much carbon dioxide.

Mutated Truths

April 7, 2015 PerspectivesLouisianaSarah Craig, Rocky Kistner

Five years after the BP disaster, the oil company says everything is back to normal. This shrimper begs to differ.

A Recurring Nightmare

April 7, 2015 PerspectivesLouisianaSarah Craig, Rocky Kistner

After a decade of catastrophes—Katrina, BP—this family is saying good-bye to a beloved bayou home.

Are the Gulf's Marine Mammals Fluked?

April 2, 2015 Latest NewsEastJason Bittel

We’re still coming to terms with what toxins from the BP spill might be doing to whales and dolphins.

A Silent Victory

April 1, 2015 NRDC in ActionHawaii, United StatesBrian Palmer

A federal judge stands up to the noisy navy for the sake of marine mammals.

Out of Control from the Moment of the Blowout

March 27, 2015 PerspectivesLouisianaBrian Palmer

Former offshore drilling regulator Liz Birnbaum talks about what went wrong in the Gulf (and why drilling the Atlantic is a bad idea).

Climate Running AMOC

March 25, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study suggests that melting ice is slowing the seas’ important thermohaline currents.

How Ancient Sea Creatures Licked Their Way onto Land

March 25, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

A weekly roundup of the best in science journalism, doodled.

Dr. Ruth of the Sea

March 16, 2015 Latest NewsUnited States

Uncovering the secrets to sex on the reef could help conserve a rare species of coral.

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

March 2, 2015 PerspectivesUnited StatesDavid Gessner

Humanity’s arrogant attempts to control the sea—captured in one photograph.

Uncharted Waters

February 25, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Sardines and anchovies are taking to new waters in response to climate change.

The Fishing Industry on Acid

February 23, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Ocean acidification will hit coastal communities like these the hardest.

Back from the Dead Zone

February 23, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Doing just a little to curb fertilizer pollution in the Mississippi could go a long way to breathing life back into the Gulf.

The Glow Man and the Sea

February 11, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesAlisa Opar

This summer John Sparks will don a 530-pound suit and plunge 1,000 feet into the Atlantic—all to find some Day-Glo fish.

Sea to Table

February 5, 2015 DispatchWestAlisa Opar

Consumers are increasingly getting to know their local fish—and fishermen—through companies that cut out the middleman.

Drill, Maybe, Drill

January 27, 2015 Latest NewsEastBrian Palmer

President Obama just proposed opening the East Coast to offshore drilling. This is a terrible idea.

Oil in the Mangroves

January 8, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

An oil spill in the Sundarbans mangrove forests of Bangladesh threatens two already imperiled dolphin species.

Save the Ringed Seal, Save the Planet?

December 11, 2014 Latest NewsArcticJason Bittel

The government proposes the biggest critical-habitat designation ever to protect ringed seals from Big Oil and climate change.

Bringing Sea Turtles Out of their Shells

November 19, 2014 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Four hundred miles from the ocean, rehabilitators are working to save the species.

Devil in the Deep Blue Sea

November 11, 2014 ExplainerUnited States, International

Climate change is likely to make existing ocean dead zones...deader.