Discovering What Is Already Known

One year after its controversial “discovery,” a thriving reef in French Polynesia is raising complex ethical questions about science’s inner workings.

Jan 19, 2023 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Besieged by Sargassum, Caribbean Islanders Are Looking for Solutions

The Cayman Islands tried to vacuum sargassum from the water to unclog a popular bay. It didn’t work. Now, locals are left wondering what will.

Sep 21, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Letting the Sea Have Its Way

Welcome to Selsey, a community that welcomed back the marsh.

May 24, 2022 | 2,900 words, about 14 minutes

The Savory Possibilities of Sea Beans

In Charleston, South Carolina, Heron Farms is attempting to grow a gangly, salt-tolerant plant in the face of sea level rise.

Mar 9, 2021 | 1,400 words, about 7 minutes

Mending Coastal Marshes

Recycled plastic bottles get a new life as artificial islands on the Louisiana coastline.

Jan 20, 2020 | 1,600 words, about 8 minutes

Is a Chemical Used in MRIs a Threat to Marine Ecosystems?

Gadolinium, a rare earth element important for medical testing, has found its way into coastal waters.

Jun 14, 2018 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Strangers on the Shore

Foreign species hitchhiked across the Pacific on debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami—now researchers along the North American coast are scrambling to detect them before they take hold.

Oct 21, 2015 | 3,000 words, about 15 minutes

The Tenacity of Water Chestnuts

To keep Massachusetts’s Mystic River friendly for boaters, a volunteer militia dives into the fray and beats back a well-armed invader.

Apr 22, 2015 | 2,000 words, about 10 minutes