BIOS oceanographer Amy Maas received $75,000 in June from the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative to continue her research examining the swimming patterns and movements of sea butterflies.
Nekton Mission Launches in Bermuda
August 09, 2016
If you have ever watched a documentary about deep ocean exploration, you have probably heard that “95 percent of the ocean floor is unexplored.” In fact, we do have a global map of the ocean floor generated by satellite data that allows us to see features on the ocean floor larger than 3 miles (5 kilometers) in length. Missing from this picture, however, are the geologic features smaller than this size, not to mention millions of plants and animals inhabiting the deep ocean and seafloor.
A DNA Library for Bermuda’s Fish
July 09, 2017
In an innovative collaboration, BIOS molecular ecologist Leocadio Blanco-Bercial and reef ecologist Tim Noyes are exploring how DNA can be recovered from seawater to reveal which fish species are active on Bermuda’s reefs. As fish swim, water passing over their gills and waste passing through their guts all deliver sloughed off cells to the surrounding seawater, leaving a trail of genetic material behind them. Within that genetic material, a specific short sequence of DNA can be recovered by scientists and traced like a fingerprint to a single fish species. But to learn more about fish communities from the DNA sequences swirling in the seawater, scientists first need to document which sequence belongs to which species.
BIOS Scientist Teams with Global Marine Research Project
July 09, 2016
A global marine research project designed to justify marine protected areas worldwide is set to launch in Bermuda next spring and will include the expertise of BIOS coral reef scientist Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley.
How Does This Garden Grow in Bermuda? Under the Sea
November 10, 2016
When Samia Sarkis dreamed of planting gardens on Bermuda, she didn’t envision blooming flowers for picking or rows of lettuce for eating, but instead vast beds of undersea corals.
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences joins ASU’s Global Futures Lab
October 31, 2021
In a major development in the bid to deepen the understanding of the role that the ocean plays in climate science, Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow announced today that ASU, a leading research university, has established a partnership with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), one of the longest-serving research institutes dedicated to studying ocean processes in the Western Hemisphere.
A Flower, a Ship, and a Way to Conduct Science
May 13, 2017
More than a flower, the Oleander is a container ship that provides weekly service between Hamilton, Bermuda, and Port Elizabeth, N.J. In so doing, the ship traverses water from three very widely separated domains: cold, fresh subpolar water from the Labrador Sea; hot, salty Gulf Stream water from the tropics via the Gulf of Mexico; and the large body of warm, salty subtropical water south of the Gulf Stream.
Planning the Future of Bermuda’s Marine Resources
February 05, 2016
Since 2013, BIOS has hosted marine planning coordinator Kevin Mayall, who has assisted the Government of Bermuda with its investigation of marine planning policy options. The approach is the first of its kind for the island, and involves a multi-year process of working collaboratively with government departments, ocean stakeholders, local and overseas scientists, commercial interests, conservation groups, and the general public to look at ways to create a plan for maintaining a healthy and productive relationship between Bermuda and the marine environment.
A BIOS Treasure: The Tudor Hill Marine Atmospheric Observatory
January 30, 2022
Perched near the shoreline on the southwest coast of Bermuda, the Tudor Hill Marine Atmospheric Observatory is one of BIOS’s lesser-known gems, and the source for data used in two scientific papers published last year in leading scientific journals. The publications – Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres – feature collaborations among multiple researchers in the U.S., Germany, and Bermuda, including BIOS environmental chemist and Tudor Hill observatory lead scientist Andrew Peters.
When Saturdays Became Learning Days
January 27, 2021
When the ongoing pandemic scuttled Maya Leighton’s plans this fall to attend a university overseas, she instead enrolled for a year at Bermuda College. There, a professor noted Leighton’s commitment to marine sciences and suggested a unique opportunity. How about spending Saturdays at BIOS, learning about coral reefs, marine microplastics, plankton, and mangrove restoration on island?