The state’s coastal plain is dotted with mysterious depressions that were long thought to be created by meteor strikes. New research suggests much more earthly origins.
Science
Tracking Giants of the Cape Fear
State researchers catch and tag Atlantic sturgeon that prowl the Cape Fear River. The tags allow researchers to follow the movements of the endangered fish. Keeping track of them will help protect these ancient giants.
Why Should We Care About Rising CO2?
Not since camels roamed the Arctic Circle during the Pliocene Epoch three million years ago have carbon dioxide levels in the upper atmosphere been as high as they are today. In this first of a two-part series, we explore what it might mean.
Looking for Answers to Help Terrapins
Diamondback terrapins were once abundant in our coast’s marshes, creeks and sounds. Their population has declined, and researchers at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington hope to find some answers.
Hydrilla: ‘The Kudzu of the Water’
A little plant from Korea showed up in lakes around Raleigh 30 years ago. It now plagues the Roanoke, Chowan and Pasquotank rivers and has been spotted in Albemarle Sound. Biologists fear that pristine Lake Mattamuskeet and Lake Phelps could be next.
The Invasion of the Reed Plant
A native plant that was once part of healthy coastal wetlands is being pushed aside by a foreign cousin that is invading our marshes, creating a barren ecosystem in its wake.
The Coast’s Underwater Gardens
Only a few feet below the surface of the state’s coastal waters, expansive beds of eelgrass and shoal grass form underwater gardens where life flourishes.
Marine Algae Offer Promise for Stroke Victims
Researchers at UNCW have teamed up with other scientists to study a species of toxic algae that causes red tide but may also help repair the brains of stroke victims.
The ‘Plastic Ocean’ and Bonnie Monteleone
Bonnie Monteleone set out to document the plastic debris that is killing marine life after a photo of a deformed turtle in a plastic six-pack ring turned her life around.
Reviving Ocracoke’s Oysters
Ocracoke residents gathered around a pot-bellied stove on a cold winter day to learn how to best monitor little oyster spats and thus bring about the revival of the species.
Shark Star Mary Lee Drops by Ocracoke
A two-ton Northern Atlantic great white shark that has achieved Internet stardom as Mary Lee paid a visit to Ocracoke last week.
Bay Scallops: Hold the Applause, Please
Bay scallop season will open later this month in some N.C. waters for the first time in years. While a harvest is good news and might in part be the result of improved water quality and seagrass beds, all is still not well for the tasty bivalve.
What Lurks in the Dark Abyss?
Goosefish like this one, deep water coral, cusks and mussels are just some of the creatures that researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington are finding in the deep submarine canyons along the East Coast.
Oyster Reefs Could Combat Warming
UNC researchers think that oyster reefs in certain settings can be very effective in storing carbon and may be an essential line of defense against global warming.
On the Brink, Part 2: There’s Hope
After 20 years of fighting to prevent the extinction of the magnificent ramshorn snail, biologist Andy Wood may be getting some help.
On the Brink: The Story of a Man and a Snail
Andy Wood is all that stands between a rare snail and oblivion. For 20 years, he’s searched for the animals in the streams and ponds of the southeast coast and may have single-handedly saved them from extinction.
