IntroductionOver the past three decades, approximately 16% of the world’s tidal flats have been lost. In the Yellow River Delta (YRD), the reduction in sediment supply due to decreased Yellow River discharge has raised concerns regarding the morphological stability of tidal flats.MethodsTo investigate the response of tidal flat development to reduced sediment input, a novel physical model experiment

This study examines the effects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on Pakistan’s seafood exports, specifically analyzing the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CP-FTA) and its stages, CP-FTAI and CP-FTAII. Using the gravity model (GM) of trade, it empirically analyzes the dynamics of seafood trade between Pakistan and its neighboring countries, aiming to provide insights into improving trade balance

Mangrove ecosystems play a crucial role in coastal environments. However, due to the complexity of mangrove distribution and the similarity among different categories in remote sensing images, traditional image segmentation methods struggle to accurately identify mangrove regions. Deep learning techniques, particularly those based on CNNs and Transformers, have demonstrated significant progress in

Climate change requires managers to bolster long-term resilience of fisheries and concurrently improve short-term responsiveness of management systems to prevailing ecological conditions, all while avoiding unintended harm to stocks in a highly uncertain context. There has been substantial effort dedicated to developing the scientific information and tools needed to inform climate-ready fisheries,

IntroductionThis study focuses on the benthic macroalgae of the Nanji Islands, China, aiming to assess species diversity and biomass through a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches using historical data.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive survey of the benthic macroalgae, employing species identification and biomass estimation techniques across different seasons and tidal zones. Co-occurrence

Estuaries are typically net heterotrophic systems and a source of CO2 to the atmosphere, while continental shelves are net CO2 sinks. Yet, primary production and net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) are variable, and this has implications for nutrient and carbon processing along the land-sea interface. To resolve this variability, high-frequency dissolved oxygen and ancillary biogeochemical data from a research

This article presents the results of three experiments conducted in 2022–2023 using an Argo autonomous profiling float anchored to the seabed with a thin line. The aim of the study was to prevent the float from drifting in order to perform measurements in a precisely defined location. The experiments were carried out in the Baltic Sea - in Puck Bay and the vicinity of the Hel Peninsula. Puck Bay, a

Nitrate is a critical limiting nutrient that significantly influences marine primary productivity and carbon sequestration. However, three-dimensional observation and reconstruction of oceanic nitrate remain constrained by the scarcity of in-situ data and limited spatial coverage. To address the challenge of limited observational labels hindering the development of global deep learning models for marine

Echinoids are an integral part of present-day and ancient marine trophic webs, and they host a variety of mutualistic, commensalistic, and parasitic epibionts on their spines and test. Cidaroid echinoid (slate pencil urchins) spines in particular are commonly colonized by epizoans. Eucidaris in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific today are notable for the frequency and intensity of calcifying

Fossil fish teeth are important carriers of rare earth elements (REEs) in deep-sea sediments. Meanwhile, 87Sr/86Sr-143Nd/144Nd in these fossils have been widely used in paleoceanography. However, when and how REEs enter the fish teeth remains ambiguous, which hinders elucidating the enrichment mechanism of REEs in deep-sea sediments, and the effectiveness of 87Sr/86Sr-143Nd/144Nd in paleoceanography

Heavy metal pollution presents a significant concern in marine ecosystems, posing a serious threat. Monitoring the levels of heavy metals in marine fish is crucial for safeguarding human health. This study specifically investigates the bioaccumulation of eight elements (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn)) in marine fish in the

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has caused significant pollution in marine environments, with potential EPS-degrading bacteria identified on long-term floating EPS biofilms. However, studies on bacterial interactions and consortium reconstruction based on in-situ bacterial diversity remain limited. Marine EPS wastes of different sizes were collected from subtropical coast of Xiamen island, and subjected

IntroductionThis research aims to empirically investigate the dual effects of establishing the Marine Economic Development Pilot Zone (MEDPZ) on marine economic growth and environmental governance. The study focuses on China’s coastal provinces, where MEDPZs have been implemented, to assess their impacts on both economic and environmental aspects.MethodsThe study employs a Time-varying difference-in-differences

IntroductionThe discharge of nuclear wastewater (NW) poses significant environmental, economic, and geopolitical risks, impacting marine ecosystems, global fisheries trade, and public health. Japan's decision to release NW has triggered international responses, including seafood import restrictions and inspections.MethodsThis study simulates the short-term (ST) and long-term (LT) effects of NW on global

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) often have served as sentinel species for ecological changes in estuarine and marine systems. In 2013, the population of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon exemplified this role because an unusual mortality event involving malnourishment followed ecological changes. Potential causes of mortalities were investigated using surveys of key habitats and

Biogeochemical mineralization is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in the formation of submarine hydrothermal sulfide deposits. While several mechanisms by which hydrothermal organisms may facilitate metal deposition have been documented in many seafloor hydrothermal deposits, the potential involvement of biogenic processes in the mineralization of hydrothermal deposits in the southern

Algae-derived organic nitrogen (AON) is mineralized by microorganisms to bioavailable inorganic nitrogen form, potentially sustaining the harmful algal blooms (HABs) for extended durations. The modified clay (MC) is an effective approach for mitigating HABs; however, its effects on the AON mineralization and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In this study, the effects of MC on the mineralization

IntroductionMercury (Hg) and its organic forms can accumulate in marine organisms, undergoing biomagnification as they transfer through food chains. However, the factors affecting such Hg biomagnification are not fully understood.MethodsThis study analyzed the biomagnification of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in marine food chains represented by invertebrates and fish from the offshore

Coastal resilience has become a pressing global issue due to the growing vulnerability of coastlines to the effects of climate change. Nature-based solutions have emerged as a promising approach to coastal protection to not only enhance coastal resilience, but also restore critical ecosystems. Coral reef restoration has the potential to provide ecosystem services benefits; however, there are still

Xisha sea area features rough bathymetry and complex hydrological environment, acting as an important baroclinic source and sink in the northwestern South China Sea. To investigate the impacts of Xisha topography on the local generation of internal solitary waves (ISWs) and on the propagation of the far-field ISWs, an idealized 2D non-hydrostatic model ORCTM with a very-high resolution was employed

Underwater images captured by Remotely Operated Vehicles are critical for marine research, ocean engineering, and national defense, but challenges such as blurriness and color distortion necessitate advanced enhancement techniques. To address these issues, this paper presents the CUG-UIEF algorithm, an underwater image enhancement framework leveraging edge feature attention fusion. The method comprises

Understanding the spatial ecology of sea turtles is essential to ensure their long-term conservation by the preservation of their environment. The distribution and environmental preferences for egg-laying by the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were studied on Grande Saziley beach in Mayotte (north of the Mozambique Channel). Green turtle nesting activity was geolocated during night patrols and the depth

Coastal foundation species such as kelps, corals, and seagrasses play vital roles in supporting marine biodiversity and ecosystem services globally, but are increasingly threatened by climate change. In particular, kelp forests are highly dynamic ecosystems experiencing natural fluctuations across seasons and climate cycles, e.g., El Niño Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation. As climate

IntroductionBiofloc technology (BFT) offers a sustainable approach to aquaculture by enhancing water quality and nutrient utilization. This study investigated the effects of varying carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, achieved through different combinations of jaggery and corn flour, rice flour, or rice bran, on the growth performance, body composition, histological health, and immune response of common carp

IntroductionFungal communities have only been studied in a small portion of the vast variety of habitats that exist in deepsea environments, and studies aimed at understanding fungal diversity and function are minimal.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to explore both the fungal diversity in deepsea sediments and the enzymatic activities present in them, which are related to the ecological roles of

The 234Th–238U pair technique is widely used in estimating particulate organic carbon (POC) flux, typically with a steady-state (SS) assumption. There is often a temporal bias between the SS-derived and actual POC fluxes caused by neglecting the temporal change in 234Th. However, this temporal bias has not been fully investigated due to the lack of continuous sampling of 234Th profiles and sediment

Effective fisheries management is crucial for the sustainable use of fishery resources, increasing relying on stock assessments. The Megalaspis cordyla an economically important fish species in Pakistan, require an accurate assessment of its current biomass to take effective management strategies. This study utilized stock assessment techniques, including the Catch-Based Monte Carlo Maximum Sustainable

Anthropogenic climate change is altering coastal systems globally, affecting macroalgae abundance and composition. These macroalgae host diverse microbiomes, including pathogenic bacteria. Of particular concern are Vibrio species, such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, which are linked to human disease and impact public health, the economy, and recreation in coastal areas. This study

The increasing global need for renewable energy has rendered the development of offshore wind energy extremely significant. In areas where ocean depths exceed 50 meters, conventional permanent foundations become economically unfeasible, becoming floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) a superior alternative. Simultaneously, the development of marine resources in offshore areas has failed to meet increasing

Surface hydrology in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean significantly impacts low-latitude climate processes including the Indonesian-Australian Monsoon and the Indian Ocean Dipole. Deciphering the evolution of surface hydrology and driving mechanisms is thus important to better understand low-latitude and global climate change. Here, we present ~206 yr-resolved temperature and salinity records of surface

In aquaculture, underwater instance segmentation methods offer precise individual identification and counting capabilities. However, due to the inherent unique optical characteristics and high noise in underwater imagery, existing underwater instance segmentation models struggle to accurately capture the global and local feature information of objects, leading to generally lower detection accuracy

IntroductionTritium exists in the environment primarily in the form of tritiated water (HTO). There is a significant correlation between the radioactive levels of tritium in seawater and the safety of seafood. By accurately and rapidly detecting the tritium activity concentration in seawater, it is possible to effectively assess its potential impact on the seafood supply chain. At present, the detection

IntroductionCoastal regions around the world are influenced by numerous dynamical processes that supply nutrients for primary producers and trigger the food web. Rivers, submarine groundwater discharges (SGD), sediment suspension events, and upwelling, are amongst the more important. However, it is not just the concentration, but also the composition of nutrient supply that determines the type of phytoplankton

Currently, there is also little up to date information on the the current population status and life history traits of AmphiOctopus ovulum, a very often seen cephalopod species in the East China Sea. It is therefore important to figure out the seasonal spatial distribution of this species, both in terms of number and biomass, and the environmental variables which determine them. Additionally, climate

A substantial quantity of sedimentary sand bodies, including sand ridges, sand waves, and sand ripples, have been developed off the southwest coast of Hainan Island, China, with submarine sand ridges exhibiting the most considerable development scale. Determining the distribution, morphology, and evolutionary characteristics of the submarine sand ridges is crucial for exploiting marine sand resources

Fish scales absorb different elements into the calcified matrix from surrounding waters as well as from the foods consumed. Scales microchemistry is drawing rising attention for its applicability in a wide range of fields, including environmental and ecological studies. The article represents an elemental analysis of the scales of five commercially important coastal fishes: Tenualosa ilisha, Sillaginopsis

The age composition of Todaropsis eblanae from the Sardinian waters (western Mediterranean Sea) was studied for the first time through the analysis of growth increments and the comparison of three structures: statoliths, beaks and eye lenses. The analysis was performed on 270 wild specimens of both sexes at different sizes (45-200 mm of mantle length; 6.98-443 g of total weight) and maturity stages

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices have become a crucial pathway for the sustainable development of enterprises, and so have shipping enterprises. Based on the unbalanced panel data of China’s A-share listed shipping enterprises from 2009 to 2022, this study uses a multiple regression model to empirically test the impact of ESG performance on carbon emission reduction and its regional

The longevity (lifespan) and growth rates of a given species provide the basis for estimating its contributions to secondary production and energy flow in an ecosystem, for guiding management decisions, and determining recovery times after disturbances. For brittle stars, a class of echinoderms that dominate the megabenthos in various marine systems due to their often large populations, including those

Predicting ecological communities is highly challenging but necessary to establish effective conservation and monitoring programs. This study aims to predict the spatial distribution of nematode associations from 25 m to 2500 m water depth over an area of 350,000 km² and understand the major oceanographic processes influencing them. The study considered data from 245 nematode genera and 44 environmental

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) is one of the most prominent hydrological features of the Yellow Sea. As a low-temperature, nutrient-rich subsurface water mass, the YSCWM fundamentally regulates biogeochemical cycles, functions of marine ecosystems, and fishery resources of the YS. In boreal summer, the YSCWM shows a robust triple-core structure, in which the western component, dubbed the “western

Chloroplast intron infA-62 as a degenerated group II intron family was previously observed to exist specifically in infA genes of chloroplast/plastid genomes (plastomes) in the genus Ulva (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta). To understand occurrence frequency, molecular evolution and phylogenetic utility of this intron family in Ulva species, in this study, we conducted more sampling tests based on newly designed

Pressures on the marine environment threaten biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services. Current marine environmental policies, such as the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive, require the assessment of combined effects and the application of ecosystem-based management approaches to maintain or achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine ecosystems. We mapped the major activities

Otolith Sr/Ca profiles are widely used to investigate early life migration and habitat use in both diadromous and oceanodromous fishes. This study focuses on Larimichthys polyactis, an oceanodromous species of significant ecological and commercial importance in East Asian waters. This study investigates the influence of environmental factors on the otolith Sr/Ca ratios during its early life stages

The ecological impacts of expanding nearshore aquaculture demand accurate monitoring and a mechanistic understanding of underlying drivers. This study employed Landsat remote sensing images spanning 2000 to 2023 and a U-Net deep learning model to extract spatiotemporal patterns of laver aquaculture in Haizhou Bay, China, while also investigating the natural, technological, and socioeconomic factors

Monitoring fish diversity in open ocean environments presents substantial challenges, particularly due to the limitations of traditional sampling methods such as trawling, which are costly, labor-intensive, and ineffective for deeper water layers. Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology offers an economical and efficient alternative, complementing conventional survey techniques. In this study, eDNA analysis

Knowledge of animal diets is fundamental in ecology as it can provide insight into the structure, function and resilience of entire ecosystems. In this study we investigate the diet composition of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a small marine top predator with great ecological importance, to provide updated dietary estimates for the species in Swedish waters. This is done by parallel use

The renewal of bottom water masses in the deep South Adriatic Pit (SAP) is mainly determined by the arrival of very dense water that forms in the North Adriatic in winter (NAdDW) and which is transported into the SAP by gravity currents. To investigate the occurrence of these currents, we analyze high-frequency time series of thermohaline and velocity data at three moorings of the EMSO South Adriatic

DNA barcoding is a method of identifying individual organisms using short DNA fragments matched to a database of reference sequences. For metazoan plankton, a high proportion of species that reside in the deep ocean still lack reliable reference sequences for genetic markers for barcoding and systematics. We report on substantial taxonomic and barcoding efforts across major zooplankton taxonomic groups

The effect of dietary retinoic acid (RA) on the growth, lipid deposition, oxidation resistance, immunity, hepatopancreatic and intestinal health of Macrobrachium rosenbergii was evaluated. A total of 1200 prawns (0.22 ± 0.00 g) were divided into six groups and fed their corresponding feed containing 4, 132, 296, 562, 1206 or 2562 mg/kg dietary RA. The weight gain rate, specific growth rate and final

Sea-level rise (SLR) through the twenty-first century and beyond is inevitable, threatening coastal areas and their inhabitants unless there is appropriate adaptation. We investigate coastal flooding to 2100 under the full range of IPCC AR6 (2021) SLR scenarios, assuming plausible adaptation. The adaptation selects the most economically robust adaptation option: protection or retreat. People living

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs)—reefs below 30m depth—represent distinct ecological communities that are under threat from local (e.g., fishing) and global (e.g., climate change) disturbances. However, most MCEs remain unexplored, and their ecological communities are not well characterized. MCEs on remote offshore seamounts are further unexplored and provide the opportunity to assess assembly rules

The nitrogen (N) isotopic composition of coral tissue provides insight into N sources and cycling on reefs, and coral skeleton-bound organic matter (CS-δ15N) can extend these insights into the past. Across the Bermuda platform, we measured the δ15N of four coral species and their potential N sources, as well as an asymbiotic filter feeder as a comparative heterotroph and benthic macroalgae as a comparative

Coral bleaching poses a severe threat to the health and survival of global coral reef ecosystems, with recent events surpassing historical heat stress records. To address this crisis, improved long-term monitoring, communication, and coordination are urgently required to enhance conservation, management, and policy responses. This study reviews global coral bleaching survey methodologies and datasets

The Bransfield Strait, located between the Bellingshausen and Weddell seas, serves as a natural laboratory for studying boundary current dynamics and interbasin exchange in polar regions of the world ocean. Using 30 years (1993–2022) of multi-platform satellite data (altimetry, sea surface temperature, air temperature, sea ice coverage, and wind stress), this study examines the near-surface spatiotemporal

Nitrogen pollution in rivers has long been a significant ecological and environmental concern, and research on nitrogen pollution source tracking serves as the foundation for pollution control, playing a crucial role in quantifying different pollution sources and formulating effective mitigation strategies. This study proposes a technical framework for pollution source resolution based on the export

The East Antarctic krill fisheries are spread across two Divisions of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Division 58.4.1 between 80-150°E and Division 58.4.2 between 30-80°E. Each of these Divisions is further divided into East and West subregions with separate catch limits. In 2019, CCAMLR agreed to a revised krill fishery management strategy recommended

While conducting early detection monitoring for invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas), Washington Sea Grant Crab Team discovered a non-native shrimp Palaemon macrodactylus, hitherto unreported along Washington’s portion of the Salish Sea. By examining prior data, and tracking this species closely over subsequent years, we were able to consistently monitor the spread and increase of this species

Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), as area-based fisheries management tools, can be effective in providing protection for fisheries and biodiversity, in addition to traditional Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and are already in effect in waters above 1,000 m of the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. Whereas in the North-Western part of the Black Sea all fishing activities are concentrated in the shallow

This study investigated the biodiversity of macroalgae along the southern Atlantic coast of Morocco and explored the relationship between their distribution and the physicochemical properties of seawater. The study identified a total of 21 macroalgal species, classified into 19 genera, 14 families, and 9 orders. The distribution of these species along the coast was analyzed, revealing 8 dominant species