Extraordinary underwater naturalists contribute unique fish photos to STRI’s Caribbean and Tropical Eastern Pacific Shorefish Apps
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task force invites groups of marine biologists to propose Important Marine Mammal Areas. The new IMMA along the Ecuadorian coast proposed by STRI’s Hector Guzman and colleagues will lead to a cascade of scientific activities designed to protect not only marine mammals, but their entire habitat.
In September 2017, divers observed a massive “dead zone” rising to envelop Caribbean coral reefs in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Smithsonian post-docs joined together to understand marine hypoxia now and in the past.
At the 2023 Our Ocean Conference in Panama (Mar. 2-3), STRI and partners welcomed John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and representatives of civil society, philanthropy and science sectors to celebrate a regional initiative to protect the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
The 8th Our Ocean Conference concluded with 341 commitments worth nearly $20 billion, including the expansion of Banco Volcán Managed Resources Area in the Panamanian Caribbean that led Panama to protect over 54% of its oceans.
This action will help the country mitigate climate change, protect Panama's deep-sea marine-mountain environments, and safeguard wildlife from human intervention.
A new collaboration between STRI and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry will make a research vessel available to researchers, educators and marine policy makers working in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
An experiment preventing up to 70% of rain from reaching tropical forest soils aims to understand how important underground carbon stocks will respond to climate change.
Murder mysteries may take decades to resolve, especially if they take place under the sea. The massive deaths of sea urchins in the Caribbean in the 1980’s is one of them. But only after a new killing spree erupted in 2022, could scientists corner the probable killer.
As the first marine- and coastal- policy expert to join STRI’s marine staff scientists, Panamanian Ana K. Spalding will work with coastal communities to understand what knowledge is needed to foster wellbeing for both oceans and people.
