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Research on the relationship between sea ice and the Southern Ocean food web investigates various components of that food web, including the so-called ‘top predators’, or seabirds and marine mammals. To map their numbers and distribution, observers…

What shape does the 'tree of life' have? This visual framework representing the evolutionary relationships between and among organisms from our ancient microbial ancestors to today, was a focal point of the PhD of NIOZ biologist Tara Mahendrarajah.…

Dr. Michèlle van der Does, a postdoctoral researcher who completed her PhD dissertation in 2018 with Jan-Berend Stuut at NIOZ, has been awarded a Veni grant from NWO. In her Veni research, Van der Does will focus on the complex interactions between…

Methane, a strong greenhouse gas that naturally escapes from the bottom of the North Sea, is affected by the pressure of high or low tide. Methane emissions from the seafloor can be just easily three times as much or as little, depending on the tide.…

Some bacteria form colonies that display striking, reflective colours. An international, interdisciplinary team with NIOZ researchers Henk Bolhuis and Bastiaan von Meijenfeldt, gained new genetic insights into the formation of such colours which…

A doubling of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere could cause an increase in the average temperature on earth from 7 to even a maximum of 14 degrees. That is shown in the analysis of sediments from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, by…

Every microbe uses the element phosphorus to build its outer protective layer. Just like all cells in our human body. But what if there is almost no phosphorus available, which is the case in some areas of the deep sea? An international team lead by…

A fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Researchers from, among others, NIOZ published their results in the scientific journal Science of the Total…

Climate change can be accelerated by feedback mechanisms: complex phenomena caused by climate change that in turn can further drive climate change. One example is the additional CO2 emissions from thawing permafrost. Research into the influence of…