Oceans

Oceans are large bodies of salt water covering approximately 71% of Earth’s surface and forming the main component of the hydrosphere. They regulate climate and weather by storing heat and circulating water, carbon, and nutrients, and support most marine life, including plants, animals, and microscopic organisms. Oceans are divided into horizontal zones, such as continental shelves and open ocean, and vertical zones, including the photic, mesopelagic, and aphotic layers. Ocean currents transport water, heat, gases, and nutrients globally, while human activities along coasts and in open waters impact ecosystems and contribute to pollution, overfishing, and climate change effects such as warming, acidification, and sea level rise.

Satellite Image: A green phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Finland (August 9, 2022)
Satellites miss most extreme changes in ocean phytoplanktonScience

Satellites miss most extreme changes in ocean phytoplankton

CU Boulder researchers developed a modelling tool that captures ocean phytoplankton biomass extremes beyond the reach of conventional satellite observations. Summary: Satellite monitoring can fail…
SourceSourceOctober 3, 2026 Full article
Image: Cover of '10th edition of the Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR10)'
Polar oceans transformed as warming melts ice habitats: researchNewsFacts

Polar oceans transformed as warming melts ice habitats: research

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Climate change is increasingly reshaping the polar oceans, with Arctic waters warming rapidly, sea ice shrinking and wildlife losing…
SourceSourceSeptember 30, 2026 Full article
Image: turbulent blue ocean wave with white sea foam swirling in dark water
Shifting ocean gyres are making parts of the Southern Ocean saltierScience

Shifting ocean gyres are making parts of the Southern Ocean saltier

Subtropical gyre expansion causes Southern Ocean salinification contrary to freshening predictions Summary: Ocean circulation drove an unexpected rise in salinity between about 40°S and 50°S…
SourceSourceSeptember 29, 2026 Full article
Image: Fig. 1 - 'Climate change is driving unprecedented European ocean temperatures, with severe impacts for marine life' - World Weather Attribution
Climate change intensified extreme sea temperatures around Europe in 2026ClimateFacts

Climate change intensified extreme sea temperatures around Europe in 2026

In brief: Climate models and observations show similar warming trends in the Celtic region, while observed warming is stronger than modelled in the other regions.…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskAugust 19, 2026 Full article
Image: Fig. 2 - 'Central role of Labrador Sea convection for transport of oxygen into the deep North Atlantic Ocean'
Labrador Sea a key player in providing oxygen for deep North Atlantic lifeScience

Labrador Sea a key player in providing oxygen for deep North Atlantic life

Researchers from Cornell University have pinpointed the source of oxygen that sustains deep sea life in the North Atlantic Ocean: the churning waters in the…
SourceSourceAugust 18, 2026 Full article
Image: Scientists monitor a deep-sea sampling dive from Mission Control aboard OceanXplorer
OceanX expedition maps Roo Rise deep-sea ecosystemsNews

OceanX expedition maps Roo Rise deep-sea ecosystems

SINGAPORE | OceanX | Muser NewsDesk Expedition maps more than 12,800 square kilometers of seabed and documents deep-sea biodiversity across a little-studied high seas region…
SourceSourceAugust 4, 2026 Full article
Image: Moments on-board Polarstern. Waves (s. Southern Ocean)
EU launches project for Southern Ocean observing systemNewsScience

EU launches project for Southern Ocean observing system

The EU is funding the SYNCHRONY project, involving 27 international partners, to carry out coordinated observations, to harmonise data, and to improve our understanding and…
SourceSourceAugust 3, 2026 Full article
Image: group of fish swimming in the water (s. ocean deoxygenation)
Aquatic deoxygenation threatens Earth system stabilityScience

Aquatic deoxygenation threatens Earth system stability

Scripps-led review calls for aquatic deoxygenation to be recognized as a critical planetary process under threat Summary: Declining oxygen concentrations in oceans and inland waters…
SourceSourceJuly 20, 2026 Full article
Image: Polar bear at sunset on ice
Climate Science Digest: July 10, 2026Science

Climate Science Digest: July 10, 2026

Explore the latest insights from top science journals in the Muser Press roundup (July 10, 2026), featuring impactful research on climate change challenges. In brief:…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskJuly 10, 2026 Full article
Image: Graphic - Sea surface temperature (29 June 2026). Data: ERA5
World’s oceans break June heat record: EU monitorNewsFacts

World’s oceans break June heat record: EU monitor

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The world's oceans just experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead…
SourceSourceJuly 1, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Catastrophic Flooding in Texas Hill Country
Climate model suggests warmer Gulf waters limited rainfall during deadly Texas floodsScience

Climate model suggests warmer Gulf waters limited rainfall during deadly Texas floods

Researchers examined how Gulf of Mexico sea surface temperatures and wet soils influenced the extreme storms of 4 July 2025 Summary: Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures…
SourceSourceJune 25, 2026 Full article
Image: Seagulls perched on drifting icebergs on a calm day in the Arctic Ocean
UN warns of ‘deepening crisis’ in oceans, urges actionNews

UN warns of ‘deepening crisis’ in oceans, urges action

Paris, France | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Oceans are in a "deepening crisis" that demands urgent global action, a major UN report warned Monday, with seas…
SourceSourceJune 8, 2026 Full article
Image: surface buoy carrying meteorological sensors and satellite transmitters
US removing scientific tools for ocean studyNews

US removing scientific tools for ocean study

Washington, United States | AFP US President Donald Trump's administration is removing hundreds of deep-sea scientific instruments used for a decade to monitor the effects of…
SourceSourceJune 3, 2026 Full article
Image: Illustration of an uncrewed deep-sea mining machine operating on the seabed, connected by a cable to a surface vessel above while disturbing sediment on the ocean floor (AI-Generated)
Trump-backed push for deep-sea mining ‘unlawful’: international regulator to AFPNews

Trump-backed push for deep-sea mining ‘unlawful’: international regulator to AFP

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Deep-sea mining companies face a blizzard of litigation if they forge ahead with "unlawful" plans backed by US President…
SourceSourceMay 22, 2026 Full article
Image: Silhouette of Sailboat on Sea during Sunset
Warming El Niño set to return in mid-2026: UNNews

Warming El Niño set to return in mid-2026: UN

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Muser NewsDesk The El Niño weather phenomenon, which pushed global temperatures to record highs the last time around, is expected to…
SourceSourceApril 24, 2026 Full article
Image: Scenic View of a Snow Covered Landscape (s. pond, Arctic, clouds)
Arctic melt ponds identified as source of cloud-forming particlesClimate

Arctic melt ponds identified as source of cloud-forming particles

Findings offer insight into why Arctic clouds behave differently, filling a major gap in current climate and weather models Summary: Biological processes inside meltwater on…
SourceSourceApril 13, 2026 Full article
Image: Polar bear at sunset on ice
Climate Science Digest: April 10, 2026Science

Climate Science Digest: April 10, 2026

Explore the latest insights from top science journals in the Muser Press roundup (April 10, 2026), featuring impactful research on climate change challenges. In brief:…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskApril 10, 2026 Full article
Image: Shore crab in an intertidal habitat, part of the parasite life cycle examined in the study
Parasites thrive far from the equator, defying biodiversity ruleScience

Parasites thrive far from the equator, defying biodiversity rule

A new FAU study reveals a surprising twist: certain trematode parasites – worm-like organisms that cycle through snails, crabs and fish – are actually more…
SourceSourceApril 2, 2026 Full article
Image: Cuverville Island, Antarctica
Why Antarctic sea ice suddenly declined after decades of growthClimate

Why Antarctic sea ice suddenly declined after decades of growth

Although climate models predicted Antarctic sea ice would steadily dwindle, its extent grew for decades until 2016. A new study finds the ice finally receded…
SourceSourceMarch 30, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Læsø island, Denmark
Image of the day: Læsø island’s evolving coastline in DenmarkNews

Image of the day: Læsø island’s evolving coastline in Denmark

In the Kattegat Strait between northern Denmark and Sweden, the small island of Læsø is shaped by ongoing geological processes rather than fixed boundaries. Part…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskMarch 25, 2026 Full article
Image: Dolphins in the ocean
First UN high seas summit proposed for January in New YorkNews

First UN high seas summit proposed for January in New York

United Nations, United States | AFP | Muser NewsDesk Countries that ratified a landmark treaty to protect the high seas on Monday set January 2027 as…
SourceSourceMarch 24, 2026 Full article
Image: Antarctic sea ice
Ocean warming behind Antarctica’s sea ice declineClimate

Ocean warming behind Antarctica’s sea ice decline

Sea ice around Antarctica expanded for several decades until a dramatic decline in 2015. The reasons behind this are revealed by research from the University…
SourceSourceMarch 18, 2026 Full article
Image: marine plastic pollution
AI system tracks ocean plastic from space to help cleanup effortsScience

AI system tracks ocean plastic from space to help cleanup efforts

Under the EPFL-led ADOPT project, researchers are combining AI satellite-image recognition with drift prediction models to improve the collection of plastic debris in the ocean.…
SourceSourceMarch 9, 2026 Full article
Satellite Image: Mediterranean Sea, Chlorophyll -variable monitored by CMS
Image of the day: Chlorophyll in the Mediterranean Sea and the blue economyNews

Image of the day: Chlorophyll in the Mediterranean Sea and the blue economy

The role of the EU blue economyMediterranean Sea and its blue economyWhy chlorophyll matters in the oceanCopernicus Marine Service and the OceanEye initiative Each year,…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskMarch 4, 2026 Full article