Scientists from the Hereon Institute of Coastal Ocean Dynamics have made a groundbreaking discovery by capturing high-resolution images of the ocean surface using a specially developed laser measurement system. Led by Dr. Marc Buckley, the team has successfully mapped the interactions between wind and waves on the open ocean, shedding new light on the complex mechanisms that control energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean.

Using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), an established technique in fluid dynamics, the researchers were able to visualize both the air and water sides of the ocean surface. The laser beam passed through both media, illuminating tiny droplets suspended in the air above the water. This allowed the team to capture precise information about flow structure and wind speeds.

The breakthrough findings reveal two distinct wind-wave coupling mechanisms that occur simultaneously but operate differently. Short waves, approximately one meter in length, move slower than the wind, creating a pressure difference that transfers energy to the wave. Long waves, up to 100 meters in length, move faster than the wind and generate different airflow patterns through their motion.

These discoveries have significant implications for advancing atmospheric and oceanic models. The interactions between wind and waves are a central component of the Earth’s climate and weather systems, controlling the exchange of energy, heat, and greenhouse gases between the atmosphere and the ocean.

The research team plans to further develop the system to capture movements below the water surface with greater precision. This cutting-edge research aims to preserve a world worth living in by generating knowledge and researching new technologies for greater resilience and sustainability – for the benefit of the climate, the coast, and people.

The article highlights the crucial aspect of climate change that has often been overlooked – its impact on the nutritional quality of food crops. Rising CO2 levels and hotter temperatures can lead to a reduction in key minerals like calcium and certain antioxidant compounds, making the crops less healthy. This is not just a problem for farmers but also for consumers, as it can lead to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value.

The research, led by Jiata Ugwah Ekele, a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, used environment-controlled growth chambers to simulate the UK’s predicted future climate scenarios. The crops were grown under different conditions, and their nutritional quality was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and X-Ray Fluorescence profiling.

The preliminary results suggest that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 can help crops grow faster and bigger but certainly not healthier. The interaction between CO2 and heat stress had complex effects – the crops did not grow as big or fast, and the decline in nutritional quality intensified.

This research has serious implications for human health and wellbeing. The altered balance of nutrients in crops could contribute to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value, leading to greater risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes, particularly in populations already struggling with non-communicable diseases.

Crops with poor nutritional content can also lead to deficiencies in vital proteins and vitamins that compromise the human immune system and exacerbate existing health conditions – particularly in low or middle-income countries.

The research highlights the importance of studying multiple stressors together and emphasizes that we cannot generalize across crops. Different species react differently to climate change stressors, making it essential to study each crop individually.

This research is not just about food production but also about human development and climate adaptation. It’s essential to think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building – one that not only produces enough food but also promotes health, equity, and resilience.

The findings of this research are being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium on July 8th, 2025. The researchers are open to collaborating further on this project with the wider research community, including those from agriculture, nutrition, and climate policy.

The majority of the Earth’s plant species rely on animal pollinators to reproduce, and our modern agricultural industry is heavily reliant on honey bees. Feral honey bees, which are non-native and often escape human management, can perturb native ecosystems when they become abundant. A new study by University of California San Diego biologists is calling attention to the threat posed by these feral honey bees to native pollinators in Southern California.

The researchers found that honey bees remove about 80% of pollen during the first day a flower opens, leaving scant resources for native bees. If the pollen and nectar used to create honey bee biomass were instead converted to native bees, populations of native bees would be expected to be roughly 50 times larger than they are currently.

While public concern often focuses on the plight of the honey bee, researchers say that such a level of honey bee exploitation is not well documented. This can pose an additional and important threat to native bee populations in places where honey bees have become abundant.

The study used pollen-removal experiments to estimate the amount of pollen extracted by honey bees using three common native plants as targeted pollen sources. The researchers found that just two visits by honey bees removed more than 60% of available pollen from flowers of all three species.

One step to address this situation could be increased guidance on whether and where large-scale contract beekeepers are allowed to keep their hives on public lands after crops have bloomed, to limit opportunities for honey bees to outcompete native species for scarce resources provided by native vegetation.