Ian Areford

Unexplored deep-water worlds in Caribbean revealed for the first time Scientists discover underwater mountain ranges, golden towers of coral, and never-before-seen sea creatures.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

From invasive species tracking to water security – what’s lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers The people who manage America’s aquifers, wetlands, shorelines and recreation areas rely on federal science as they face new and rising risks in a changing climate.

You probably heard the US admin is threatening to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research: but did you know they already froze funding for the 9 regional Climate Science Adaptation Centers? From tracking invasives to helping tribes with drought, here's why the CASCs matter ⬇️

Deep-sea mining cannot ignore environmental concerns | Opinion A deep-sea ecologist writes that the United States’ new rush to allow deep-sea mining raises significant environmental concerns with little to show for it.

I'm in the South Florida Sun Sentinel talking about deep-sea mining!

Deep-sea mining cannot ignore environmental concerns - www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/12/17/d...

Russ Vought (piss man) tweet about doing piss man shit: The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇

Russia arrests Ukrainian biologist for backing curbs on Antarctic krill fishing ‘Trumped-up’ charges spark diplomatic row as scientists express fears for health of 70-year-old Leonid Pshenichnov

"He was preparing to travel to Australia to attend a conference on protecting Antarctic marine life...He has since been accused by the Russians of high treason."

Russia arrests Ukrainian biologist for backing curbs on Antarctic #krill #fishing | #Antarctica share.google/3AYkcaFLcxeE...

Marine heatwave leaves critical Florida corals "functionally extinct" - Oceanographic Following a record-breaking marine heatwave in 2023 Florida's critical staghorn and elkhorn corals have been left 'functionally extinct.'

🌊 Marine heatwave leaves critical Florida corals "functionally extinct"

Following the record-breaking 2023 marine heatwave and the ninth mass coral bleaching, staghorn and elkhorn corals have dwindled to populations too small to reproduce

oceanographicmagazine.com/news/marine-...

NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker Imminent termination of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer shocks polar scientists

The National Science Foundation plans to abruptly end operation of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer, the sole U.S. research ship capable of braving the farthest reaches of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. scim.ag/4mB8LOX

As Interest in Deep-Sea Mining Grows, Scientists Raise Alarms About the Possible Ecological Consequences Gathering minerals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium from the seabed could affect everything from sponges to whales. The long-term effects of these extractions remain uncertain

As Interest in Deep-Sea Mining Grows, Scientists Raise Alarms About the Possible Ecological Consequences

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

🦑🧪🌎

NOAA Proposes Permanently Closing Premiere Hurricane Research Institute In its proposed 2026 budget released Monday, NOAA closes all federally funded weather and climate research labs, including the one responsible for maintaining the nation’s top hurricane models

It's hard to adequately summarize how destructive NOAA's 2026 proposed budget released on Monday is for hurricane forecasting, but I crammed all I could into today's newsletter. I encourage everyone with interests along the coast to read it carefully. ⬇️

Why we should protect the high seas from all extraction, forever Exploitation of the high seas risks doing irreversible damage to biodiversity, climate stability and ocean equity. A consensus must be built now to save them.

🚨In a timely comment piece in @nature.com ahead of #UNOC3, leading ocean scientists make the case for protecting the High Seas from all extraction.
@profcallum.bsky.social @ubcoceans.bsky.social @marklynas.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

US pioneers restoration of deep water corals damaged by country’s worst oil spill In the twilight depths of the Gulf of Mexico, about as deep down as a football field is long, U.S. Navy divers carefully snip small branches of corals with gloved hands. Their voices crackle through…

US pioneers restoration of deep water corals damaged by country’s worst oil spill

NSF, NASA and NIH budgets per year, inflation adjusted from 2000-2025 along with the proposed cuts. NSF includes research component only. Massive cuts across all sectors, well below support spanning 25 years.

How bad will it be? Catastrophic.

Proposed cuts to #NSF, #NIH, and #NASA will set the US R&D landscape back 25 yrs+, cause economic and job loss now, and undermine innovations to come.

But, this is the WH's *proposed* budget.

Speak up now before it is too late.

(inflation adjusted $-s below)

Table showing FY26 budget numbers for NOAA from the Trump Administration.

Trump's Budget is out. For NOAA, it's exactly what the previous passback document showed.
Trump administration eliminations NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research in its ongoing fight against science and reality.

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

New Caledonia Approves 50-Year Moratorium on Deep-Seabed Mining In the ocean depths off the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, a vast array of marine species thrive in ecosystems found nowhere else. Deep-sea areas—200 meters (656 feet) or more below the o...

New Caledonia Approves 50-Year Moratorium on Deep-Seabed Mining

🦑
www.pew-bertarelli-ocean-legacy.org/en/home/rese...

Marine protected areas stage of establishment and level of protection are good predictors of their conservation outcomes Global targets should track MPA quality and quantity. This is the first study using a new science-based framework across 123 MPAs and tying levels of protection and stages of establishment directly to...

Shocking new paper shows that well-designed marine protected areas that get staffing and implementation work

(This is my shocked face)

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Ever wondered what lurks in the ocean’s deepest waters? Meet the deep-sea fish, denizens of the abyss, where sunlight fades and pressure mounts. These are the zones of underwater life. 🧵⬇️ (1/4)

DEFEND THE DEEP: Deep-sea mining could cause irreparable damage to our oceans, but the Trump administration is charging forward anyway without proper safeguards.

Fight back against these attacks & demand U.S. Congress step in to protect our seas: oceana.ly/4jQUCvv

A Colossal Squid Video? That’s A Big Deal Researchers captured the first confirmed video of a colossal squid swimming in its natural habitat—almost 2,000 feet deep.

This week, scientists released the first video of a colossal squid in its natural habitat, filmed nearly 2,000 feet deep in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Dr. Kat Bolstad, who helped identify the squid, joins us to talk about the sighting.

Help Stop Deep-Sea Mining Now! #DefendTheDeep Stop the machines - Call on governments to take action now and protect the health of our ocean for future generations.

After TMC's reckless and concerning decision to bypass international law and the ISA to push its mining agenda, there is no time to waste to protect the deep.

Urge your government to support a moratorium on #DeepSeaMining today! ➡️ defendthedeep.org
buff.ly/vCTOB2o

Federal judge blocks offshore lease sale, says feds failed to consider impacts on Rice's whales The ruling could set a precedent that forces any new offshore drilling activity to take protections for the rare whale into account.

Great 🧪🦑🌎

www.nola.com/news/environ...

So, this is Sigmops elongatus or the elongated fangjaw. They are a type of bristlemouth which is the most abundant group of fishes on Earth. These guys live at depths of up to 1500m but come up to the surface at night to feed. They get around 20 cm or so and primarily feed on small crustaceans.

Anyways, searching for motivation I stumbled upon some pics I took of the deep-pelagic fish I worked with during my masters and thought I’d shed some light on some of my favorites since my fascination with them is what inspired me to study the deep-sea

This week I got the awful news that so many grad students have faced—the project I came in to work on as a PhD student was terminated due to gov’t budget cuts. I’m very fortunate to still have support from my lab and department, but the news has made “sciencing” particularly tough lately

Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about − by dumping debris into the thriving midwater zone A planned mining method to gather critical minerals from the seafloor would create sediment plumes higher up in the water column where many creatures live.

If #DeepSeaMining were to go ahead, destruction would not stop at the seafloor - the midwater zone, a vital ecosystem for marine life & climate regulation, would face threats from sediment plumes and wastewater discharge.

It's time to hit pause ⏸️
theconversation.com/deep-sea-min...

Why The Internet Was Captivated By A Hideous Fish A video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online. But why was this deep-sea dweller near the surface at all?

Earlier this year, a video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online. But why was this deep-sea dweller near the surface at all?

EPA takes aim at water, air and toxics protections as part of massive deregulation campaign EPA takes aim at water, air and toxics protections as part of massive deregulation campaign.

Calling it the "biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history," the EPA rolled out sweeping moves Wednesday aimed at walking back environmental protections and eliminating a host of climate change regulations, some decades in the making.

DESANTIS AXES MARINE SANCTUARY RESTORATION PLAN IN STATE WATERS In a move striking a critical blow to the Florida Keys’ marine ecosystem, Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed all components of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s (FKNMS’) newly-finalized…

DESANTIS AXES MARINE SANCTUARY RESTORATION PLAN IN STATE WATERS

Natural Resource Professional Societies Issue Joint Statement on the Impacts of Federal Workforce Reduction - American Fisheries Society Amidst the continued termination of the nations’ federal workforce, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) joined forces with the Society of American Foresters

fisheries.org/2025/02/natu...

I am now hearing from multiple folks in the past two hours (including some who have personally been fired) that mass firings have now commenced within NOAA--including, yes, at the National Weather Service.

Deep-sea life is still recovering from mining activity 40 years ago The site of a deep-sea mining test in 1979 had lower levels of biodiversity when researchers revisited the site in 2023 compared with undisturbed areas nearby

Biodiversity is depleted and large furrows still lie in the seabed where deep-sea mining equipment operated more than 40 years ago.