Press Releases & Feature Stories Archive - Ocean Ecology Laboratory

New Moon-Seeking Sensor Aims to Improve Earth Observations

01.07.2020

A new instrument with its eye on the Moon is taking off aboard a high-altitude NASA plane to measure the Moon’s brightness and eventually help Earth observing sensors make more accurate measurements.

Sediment Sloshes in Solway Firth

12.07.2019

Fjords and funnel-shaped bays and inlets are often the scene of dramatic tidal changes and sediment loads.

A Bloom in the Strait of Hormuz

12.06.2019

A phytoplankton bloom appeared in one of the world’s busiest oil waterways.

NASA Highlights Solar Mission, Jupiter Cyclone at AGU Meeting

12.05.2019

NASA researchers will present new findings on a wide range of Earth and space science topics at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Dec. 9-13 in San Francisco.

Late Bloomers

09.23.2019

The waters around Newfoundland have been teeming with phytoplankton since the beginning of September.

A Bloom of Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

09.16.2019

An important player in the nitrogen cycle, Trichodesmium makes a seasonal appearance off the northeast coast of Australia.

Marine Heat Wave Returns to the Northeast Pacific

09.13.2019

The warm surface water this summer was caused by an unusual and persistent weather pattern.

NASA Ocean Ecosystem Mission Moves Forward

08.28.2019

Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission passed its preliminary design review in August 2019, meaning the team can create its final designs and prepare for construction and testing.

Tawny Swirls in the Kara Sea

08.17.2019

Freshwater from the Yenisei River, stained brown with organic materials, mixes with Arctic seawater off the coast of Russia.

Iceland’s Waters Abloom

07.15.2019

July 2019 brought the latest display of a phytoplankton bloom that occurs every year in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Kolyma’s Annual Purge

07.14.2019

Every June, the Kolyma River thaws and carries organic materials that stain the Arctic Ocean.

NASA Satellites Find Biggest Seaweed Bloom in the World

07.09.2019

An unprecedented belt of brown algae stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico—and it’s likely here to stay.

The Sea Takes Back a Baby Island

07.05.2019

A tiny island birthed by an earthquake and a mud volcano has faded into the sea.

NASA Helps Warn of Harmful Algal Blooms in Lakes, Reservoirs

06.21.2019

Harmful algal blooms cause massive problems in coastal areas and lakes across the United States. When toxin-containing aquatic organisms multiply and form a bloom, it can sicken people and pets, contaminate drinking water, and force closures at boating and swimming sites. With limited resources to monitor these often-unpredictable blooms, water man

NASA Explores Our Changing Freshwater World

06.12.2019

Water is so commonplace that we often take it for granted. But too much – or too little of it – makes headlines.

Eerie Green Swirls of Lake Khanka

06.10.2019

Located on the border of Russia and China, Lake Khanka plays an important role in supporting biodiversity in the region.

Beauty and a Burden in the Norwegian Sea

06.08.2019

Harmless phytoplankton put on a stunning display, while another less-visible species wreaked havoc on salmon farms.

Bloom in the Parent Stream

06.05.2019

Fueled by the Oyashio current, the waters off of northeastern Japan support a bounty of phytoplankton and fishes.

Seeing the Sea Through the Years

04.30.2019

In several decades of observing the ocean with satellites, our vision has changed as much as the sea.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Celebrates 60 Years

04.29.2019

On May 1, 1959, the Beltsville Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was renamed NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in honor of Robert H. Goddard, widely considered the father of modern rocketry. Thus began a 60-year boom in science and technological innovation.