Scientists studying the effects of the Elwha River Restoration Project, which includes the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, are already seeing early signs of some of their most hoped-for changes  — years before they expected anything. Washington Sea Grant‘s Ian Miller and Oceanography‘s Emily Eidam are quoted. Read more here! 

A new understanding of marine geology has led to the discovery of hundreds of unexpected ore bodies in seas worldwide. Known as massive sulfides because of their sulfurous nature, these finds dot the volcanic springs of seabeds, and are fueling a gold rush as nations, companies and entrepreneurs race to stake claims to the ore-rich areas. OCEAN‘s John Delaney is quoted. 

Springtime blooms of the tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton are major factors in the global carbon cycle. Scientists have thought that these blooms were triggered mainly by sunlight, but a new study published in Science suggests that eddies in the ocean are triggering the springtime blooms. Oceanography‘s Eric D’Asaro and Craig Lee are co-authors. Read more here, or check out this video! 

Researchers estimate that ocean acidity has risen by about 30% since the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, but they need better data to improve assessments of where the problem is most severe, and to model future trends. A meeting on campus this week, involving oceanographers from more than 20 countries, aimed to develop plans to build on existing observation networks, giving buoys and other monitoring devices the ability to make standardized ocean acidification measurements. 

Some might say that University of Washington oceanographers did well to only lose one of 21 underwater probes, given that they were deployed near the notorious Bermuda Triangle, where boats and airplanes have been known to disappear without a trace. Oceanography‘s Tom Sanford is one of the researchers in this project. Read about this super cool project here.