The marine science community is generating unprecedented volumes of data from advanced sensors, submersibles, and observational platforms, but fragmentation across the data ecosystem limits their discovery, value, and use. Inconsistent formats, variable at-sea workflows, and incomplete metadata, coupled with disconnected repositories and limited interoperability, hinder operational decision-making, data discovery, integration,...

Innovation in teaching practices is largely based on collegial relationships and resulting feelings of individual competence and autonomy (Thirkell, 2026). Discussion among educators is one of the best ways to develop teaching competence regarding which teaching methods to use; if and how to address topics outside of the core curriculum of a subject, for example, sustainability; what resources to use for inspiration or informa...

Effective management of deep-sea ecosystems and the high seas is hindered by the absence of a globally consistent framework for characterizing benthic habitats. Here we present the first global ecological classification of the seafloor, comprising 250 unique ecological benthic units (EBUs), distributed on the seafloor as nearly 700,000 EBU polygon occurrences, generated by intersecting a high-resolution geomorphic map with mul...

This interdisciplinary work demonstrates the viability of coupling ocean models with in situ robotic sampling in a dynamic coastal region as a means to increase model skill and prediction. Model-driven exploration closes the sample-assimilate-​predict-direct loop within a virtuous cycle to refine prediction for a range of applications in a region characterized by harsh conditions, high variability, and diverse physical forcing...

Four global mass coral bleaching events have now been recorded. The first, in 1998, was associated with that year’s strong El Niño. Subsequent global-scale bleaching occurred in 2010 and then over the periods 2014–2017 and 2018–2025 (and likely ongoing). All these events also coincided with El Niños for at least part of the period. While El Niño is an important factor, each event has also occurred during a period of rising glo...

Over the past 25 years, the international Argo program has become the backbone of subsurface ocean observation and a prime example of a highly successful, sustained global scientific collaboration. Through evolving technology, the program has become more efficient while also expanding its suite of observations, with a subset of floats equipped with biogeochemical sensors or the ability to sample below 2,000 m water depth. By d...

PACE Data Hackweeks bring together student, early-career, and senior scientists to work hands-on with data from NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. During two past events, participants collaborated in small teams to explore scientific questions, develop reproducible workflows, and gain experience working with large, cloud-hosted datasets. Leveraging community-supported cloud infrastructure, the hac...

The overlapping missions of the NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite and NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite provide the opportunity to observe oceanic biophysical interactions from space at unprecedented spatiotemporal scales. We use provisional datasets from these two cutting-edge missions to investigate subseasonal to seasonal variability in the microbial community composition...

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) redistributes heat, salt, oxygen, carbon, and nutrients in the Atlantic Ocean, providing warmth and moisture to the climate of northern Europe (Rhines and Häkkinen, 2003), displacing the Intertropical Convergence Zone northward of the equator (Ben-Yami et al., 2024), sequestering anthropogenic carbon in the deep ocean (Brown et al., 2021), and seeding the subpolar North At...

Seamounts are underwater mountains with unique hydrodynamic properties that play a major role in supporting marine biodiversity and biological productivity. We explore how physical data, marine megafauna tracking, environmental parameters, and fisheries information can improve our understanding of these complex ecosystems. Abundant seabird tracking data from the Cabo Verde and Azores archipelagos make ideal case studies for ex...

In Antarctica’s coastal waters, the seafloor hosts a surprisingly rich diversity of life, shaped by intricate interactions between sea ice and flora and faunal communities. As sea ice forms and melts seasonally, it modulates the availability of light to both the microscopic algae living within and beneath the ice itself (sympagic algae), and, in turn, influences the productivity and biodiversity of the benthic ecosystems below...

Single beam sonars can provide valuable acoustic information on the structure of benthic habitats and the contents of the water column. Nominally, acoustic sensors that provide water column data in scientific applications can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. In contrast, consumer grade fish finders that are mass produced are very inexpensive, costing only tens or hundreds of dollars. Unlocking a fish finder for s...

Widespread marine heatwaves (MHWs) affected Australia over the 2024/25 summer and autumn. They impacted marine species, ecosystems, and coastal communities, with emerging economic consequences. Across northern Australia, severe coral bleaching occurred for the first time along both the western and eastern coasts, and a mass fish kill occurred in Western Australia. In South Australia, prolonged MHW conditions and impacts from a...

Over the last two decades, there has been an explosion of oceanographic data from a broad array of ocean observing platforms, as well as dramatic improvements in the ability of ocean models to resolve processes across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Ocean researchers’ ability to leverage computing tools and resources are key to effectively understanding and monitoring our ocean, the marine ecosystems it supports, and the...

In this article we provide pipelines for acquiring and processing Sea-Bird Scientific Spectral Absorption and Attenuation Sensor (ac-s) data through a high-level Python package. The raw streamed and converted instrument output is complex and requires several post-processing steps rooted in optical theory and empirical methods to create base products for algorithms that approximate biogeochemical properties and appeal to a broa...