Experts debate what causes dolphins and whales to wash up on shores dead, like the three bottlenose dolphins that were stranded on Ocracoke Island during the winter of 2013-14.
Science
Seals’ Appearance Is a Puzzle
A mix of seal species is appearing on N.C. beaches with more and more frequency, but no one knows why. Could it be a consequence of a changing climate? One Duke University scientist is determined to find out.
UNC Coastal Centers Under the Microscope
The nine coastal science centers in North Carolina university system are once again being evaluated for budget cuts or even consolidation.
Making the Unknown Known
To prepare for possible wind-energy development, researchers are mapping the seafloor off the N.C. coast, a vast uncharted territory.
The Tropical Reefs of North Carolina?
Prompted by the prospect of wind energy development off North Carolina’s coast, researchers are finding reefs with tropical fish and corals right off our coast.
Can the Cape Fear Take More Mercury?
A researcher says the lower Cape Fear River, already impaired by mercury, can’t safely absorb the additional amount that will be discharged by a proposed cement plant.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Experimental probes detect motion in sea turtle nests at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, giving park managers flexibility and the hatchlings a cell phone connection.
The State of the Sharks
Some say sharks are endangered, others that great whites are on the surge. We take you on a shark research ship to learn what’s happening to our coast’s top predators.
The Plight of the Monarchs
Soon the monarch butterflies will begin their fall migration along Eastern North Carolina. However, some experts say this keystone species is in serious trouble.
Study Finds Heavy Metals in Oysters
In the second of two parts, we detail the levels of heavy metals a recent study found in oysters in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
What’s in Those Oysters You’re Eating?
A recent study takes a closer look at what’s accumulating in the oysters of Brunswick and New Hanover counties. In the first of two parts, we detail the research of a contaminant banned in Europe but commonly used here.
Is a Brown Tide Rising in N.C. Waters?
Brown algae has fouled coastal waters from New York to Texas, killing shellfish and suffocating grass beds. So far North Carolina has been spared. Have we just been lucky or is it merely a matter of time?
Casting New Light on Ocean Acidity
That’s a pteropod. No bigger than a pea, it’s very sensitive to acidity levels in seawater. New research conducted at the Duke Marine Lab suggests that these sea butterflies and other marine animals could be in for a tough future.
UNCW Lab at Center of Dolphin Deaths
Dolphins that die along the southern N.C. coast often end up at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where scientists have played a major role in investigating the recent viral epidemic that has killed thousands of dolphins.
‘A Terrible Milestone’
They are washing up on beaches and in estuaries, both the dead and the dying. More than 1,000 bottlenose dolphin have died along the East Coast since July. “It’s a terrible milestone,” says a scientist who has examined many of them.
The Flight of the Oystercatcher
Little backpack transmitters attached to six American oystercatchers are helping N.C. scientists understand the plight of a troubled species.
