Just one degree can change a species
Even seemingly small changes in the climate can change the number of animals and plants in an area and how species behave, new research shows. Natural history collections provide valuable insights.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Life Below Water
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Breathing new life into waste industrial marine plastics
The fisheries and aquaculture sectors are major users of plastics. A research project has recently been launched to investigate how these plastics can be recycled and made into new products.
Eavesdropping on the Earth itself
This summer, a coalition of researchers led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reported the first-ever use of a fibre-optic cable network to eavesdrop on whales in the Arctic. Now they suggest these networks be used to establish a low-cost global ocean-earth observatory.
Deep learning may help to prevent salmon escapes in rough seas
Artificial intelligence can be of great benefit underwater and SINTEF, in collaboration with the research centre SFI Exposed, is developing systems that will help to boost fish farm safety and security under harsh sea conditions.
World’s food production footprint on climate and environment
Cattle farming has often been portrayed as having the most detrimental environmental impact because it takes the most grazing land, uses a lot of water and has large methane emissions. But it’s not the worst. And is locally produced food always best for the environment?
A vessel that ‘hand-picks’ its catch from the seabed
The Arctic Pearl is setting course for the Barents Sea in search of the shellfish delicacy Iceland scallop. It is the first and only vessel of its kind, crammed with new technology that may herald the start of a new era in bottom fishing.
Goal is to add 15 000 species to the DNA library in Europe
DNA from European species is being collected in an open reference work. Norway’s contributions are well underway.
More efficient ocean mapping and monitoring
Australia has a seafloor monitoring program where they can precisely surveil the changes in the environment. NTNU has attracted one of the key researchers from this project. Oscar Pizarro’s research goal is to find tools to facilitate continuous observation with less resources.
ERC support for coral research
Lena van Giesen, an associate professor at NTNU’s Department of Biology, was awarded EUR 1.7 million by the European Research Council (ERC) to study larval development of the coral Lophelia pertusa as well as its environment.
Sustainability and animal welfare concern young people the most
What are people’s attitudes towards food, sustainability, new foods and food additives? Researchers have found some answers.
Half of the data deficient species may be threatened with extinction
We know very little about very many species. Unfortunately, that’s often not a good sign.
Crowding-induced stress gives mackerel the blues
Researchers have succeeded in showing that mackerel turn blue when under stress. This new knowledge will better enable our fisheries to safeguard fish welfare and will optimise catch quality into the bargain.
What goes on in the brain when it gets too hot?
Which organisms survive and which succumb when the climate changes? A small larval fish is providing surprising insight into how the brain reacts when the temperature rises.
Why there is still hope for our planet
Is it too late to save our planet? Professor Jianguo Liu is the newest winner of The Gunnerus Award in Sustainability Science. He offers us some hope.
In the future, Norwegian salmon can be fed with locally-sourced ragworms
Researchers had the crazy idea of feeding ragworms with locally-cultivated seaweeds. The results were as gold-edged as the worms themselves – a high-quality, locally-sourced and sustainable feed for farmed salmon.
“Pamela” makes studying the ocean easy and affordable
NTNU biology and cybernetics researchers have built a robot that allows them to sample everything from microplastic to salmon lice densities.
Testing lice traps on the Hardanger coast
Researchers at NINA, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, and NTNU have developed a new method for monitoring salmon lice larvae along the coast. The lice trap is now being tested in the Hardangerfjord.
An ‘unknown’ ecosystem that is good news for the climate
At the boundary between the land and sea, there exists an ecosystem that has been overlooked by Norwegians for so long that it was only recently given an official name. But studies are revealing that it has some very desirable properties.
Eavesdropping on whales in the high Arctic
The Earth’s oceans are crisscrossed with roughly 1.2 million km of fibre optic telecommunication cables — enough to girdle the planet 30 times. Researchers have now succeeded in using fibre in a submarine cable as a passive listening system, enabling them to listen to and monitor whales.
Norwegian rivers need to be better protected
When hydroelectric power plants suddenly switch off the water, we risk killing fish fry and other living organisms in rivers. The regulations need to change, say scientists and anglers.
Parasites affect salmon in several ways
When salmon ingest parasites, the parasite may not be the only factor that determines the impact on the health of the fish.
Observing Arctic marine life — from the seabed to space
NTNU researchers from AMOS, the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, used small satellites and subsea robots — and everything in between — to study marine life in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden in a first-ever experiment in May.
Plastic waste is a resource that doesn’t have to end up in the oceans
Using non-recyclable plastic waste as an alternative to coal may prevent huge volumes of plastic from being discarded into the oceans – and will also reduce CO2 emissions. This is the conclusion of a recently completed pilot project headed by SINTEF in Vietnam.
A cushy lab life has its evolutionary costs — when it comes to fish, that is
An animal’s ability to adapt to its environment is clearly key to its survival, but does that ability come at a physiological cost? A clever experiment with laboratory zebrafish and their wild relatives suggests it does.