Oceans
Site news
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Our list includes a mix of favorites, high-impact stories, and some of our most-read research coverage from the past year.
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Scientists have discovered wintertime seismic activity in the ocean around Antarctica controls summer growth of phytoplankton, tiny organisms that fuel the marine food web and sequester huge amounts of carbon from Earth’s atmosphere.
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Stanford researchers are studying how changing weather patterns, rising temperatures, and ecological shifts affect the global food system, while developing ways to improve food security for all.
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A new framework informed by Stanford-led research and stakeholder convenings balances conservation with cultural heritage and sustainable resettlement of communities removed from an island chain decades ago.
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Small-scale fishers harvest 40% of wild-caught fish and support economies worldwide, but are threatened by climate change and overfishing. New research categorizes small-scale fisheries into five types, offering a clearer framework for sustainable seafood policies.
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An analysis of shark tooth shapes, a proxy for body size and diet, reveals species with specialized traits are most at risk of extinction. The findings are the latest example of the biodiversity crisis affecting the tree of life’s most distinctive branches. Unless threats like overfishing are addressed, “you end up with a more boring world.”
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Ninety years of tidepool observations in Monterey Bay have taught Stanford researchers about climate change impacts on the ocean and the evolution of science.
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New analysis of isotopes preserved in ancient seafloor sediments suggests oxygen levels in Earth’s deep ocean stabilized at modern-day levels long after the rapid burst of evolution that gave us most major animal groups.
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Stanford researchers are uncovering the journey of microplastics in our environment and their effects on human health, while developing practical solutions to mitigate their impact.
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Companies in cruise tourism, seafood, container shipping, and other sectors in the ocean economy disclose little about their ocean-specific impacts and rarely set targets for reducing them, a new study finds.
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Domestic vessels account for the majority of port visits globally. Inspecting them in addition to foreign vessels is key to deterring illegal fishing, scientists say.
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Stanford marine biologist Steve Palumbi uses fundamental science to find practical solutions to pressing questions about ocean life and its future. His lab’s work on the effects of heat waves on marine life has implications for the environment, economies, health, and culture.
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This year’s Big Ideas for Oceans seed grants support research on seagrass ecosystems, carbon dioxide in seawater, kelp for climate mitigation, and women’s experiences working in fisheries and aquaculture.
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Stanford researchers are working to create a unique, interdisciplinary curriculum to help students better understand both the physical and biological ocean systems and the human relationship with them.
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Halleh Balch develops nanoscale environmental sensors to probe the molecular mechanisms that underlie ocean-climate interactions and explore paths to improve water security and sustainability.
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Stanford scholars discuss ocean sustainability, high-seas protections, and interdisciplinary science at the One Ocean Science Congress and U.N. Ocean Conference.
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Scholars and staff from across the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability share their greatest wonder about the oceans and what drives them to study the sea.
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The third United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica, will take place from June 9 – 13, 2025 in Nice. The Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions will contribute to events on sustainable blue foods, oceans and human health, women in ocean science, and data systems in small-scale fisheries.
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Whether leading coral restoration efforts at home or doing research on campus, undergraduate student Plengrhambhai “Pleng” Snidvongs Kruesopon is advancing environmental conservation through policy, education, and community action.
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New research shows that when predator species like California sheephead thrive, they keep hungry sea urchins and other grazers from devouring kelp forests struggling to recover from marine heat waves. Scientists estimate kelp forests’ annual exposure to once-rare heat will more than quintuple by 2100.
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Attendees of the third annual Stanford Oceans Conference shared approaches for recognizing and incorporating culture into governance across the Indian Ocean.
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Stanford researchers found increased meltwater and rain explain 60% of a decades-long mismatch between predicted and observed temperatures in the ocean around Antarctica.
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Nearly half of all dredge operators extract sand from protected areas of the ocean, highlighting the need to mitigate demand for the world’s most mined material.
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Dozens of faculty members at Stanford are working to transform the way the world grows, distributes, and consumes food, with research and scholarship spanning topics including sustainable food systems, food security, health equity, culture, and diet.
